Good evening to everyone. You can turn in your Bibles with me to 1 Peter. The book of 1 Peter. I'm going to read the entirety of chapter 1, and then we're going to have a look specifically at verses 22 to 25.
So this is 1 Peter, chapter 1, the Word of God. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to His abundant mercy, has begotten us again to a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith, for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom, having not seen, you love. Though now you do not see him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when he testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us, they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things which angels desire to look into. Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts as in your ignorance, but as he who called you as holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy.
And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who through him believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth, through the Spirit, in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and abides forever. Because all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. Amen. Well, let's pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your Word. We rejoice in the revelation of Jesus Christ to us in your Word. We do pray that you'd help us now in this act of preaching, this central act of worship, that you'd help us to be empowered by your Spirit, be illumined by your Spirit, to receive the words that you have for us here. And we pray that we would know more of our God, that we would know more of our Christ.
We pray that you would help us in this act to worship Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And Lord God, that in all these things, all these acts of worship, you would be honored and glorified. So do be with us now. Help your people here to be edified.
Might sinners even be saved? And might we all leave this place? Because it's possible only with you singing the praises of our great God. And we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.
Introduction
Well, just a little bit of an introduction to 1 Peter. 1 Peter is writing here to primarily a Jewish Christian audience. He's not leaving Gentiles out, but the audience is primarily Jewish Christians. We can see that in the first set of verses here, to the pilgrims of the dispersion, and then naming particular places. To to whom he is writing or where he is writing to elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and sanctification of the spirit for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ So he's writing to Jewish Christians, and he's he's using along the way a lot of Old Testament citation and Old Testament allusion In fact, there's a there's a large.
There's a large Exodus motif being employed here by the Apostle Peter. He's bringing together a Exodus themes, along with the theme of the suffering servant of Isaiah, in order to set forth the Lord Jesus Christ in his glory and empower these Christians to live surrounded by a Gentile world, to be holy because God is holy, to adorn the gospel of Jesus Christ in all things. We see here in the immediate context There is an opening up of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Paschal Lamb connected to that Exodus motif. We see this language of the precious blood of Jesus Christ as a Lamb without blemish and without spot.
That's the language of Exodus. Similar to or in a greater in a much greater way if the exodus of the Old Testament was a physical and a national redemption of Israel from out of bondage in Egypt and a setting forth to them of the future inheritance that they would gain in the promised land here Peter is drawing attention to Jesus Christ as the as that paschal exodus lamb but connected to a new exodus and Where he brings these who were out in the bondage in bondage to sin in slavery to sin He brings them by virtue of the perfection of redemption From out of that bondage and he sets before them the inheritance that we read here in this doxology there's this language of an inheritance as we see in verse 3 blessed be the God and Father and Our Lord Jesus Christ who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away the the previous inheritance of the Old Testament was one that was perishable It was one that would fade away yet this Exodus wrought by the Lord Jesus Christ and the inheritance granted is one that is imperishable and we'll see that a little bit with respect to our text this evening, which is verses 22 through 25. And here we have something of the Apostle Peter speaking regarding the love that we are to have with one another, to and with one another. There's an admonition given here unto a fervent love with a pure heart, that we as Christians are not to be found as those who hate each other, but as those who love each other.
In opposition to the world around us, in opposition to those outside of Christ, it is to be a mark of the Christian that they do love one another. And in the midst of doing this, the Apostle Peter brings forth something with regards to the eternality, the unchangeableness, the abidingness of the living word, which we'll take occasion to consider as well. So
Exhortation to Christian Love
let's look at this then, at these verses, 22 through 25, and we're just gonna notice three things along the way. Those three things are the exhortation to Christian love, the foundation for Christian love, and the motivation for Christian love. Notice first, an exhortation to Christian love. And the first thing that we see here in verse 22 is the reason behind Christian love.
We see this in the language,
Reason Behind Christian Love
since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth. This is the reason behind Christian love. This language of sins is, you know, given the reason that, or given the fact that, given the fact that you have purified your souls in obeying the truth, and the exhortation follows upon the heels of that. So this is the reason behind Christian love.
Now, we want to jettison from our contemplations a couple things that this doesn't mean because when we just when we look at that this with fresh eyes and you know without perhaps our our the the weight of christian theology coming um instead of before us coming behind us we read this and we might think okay what what is peter saying since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth now Is Peter saying here that by the natural man's obedience to something, whether it is the gospel summons or the law of God, can the natural man somehow purify his heart by obeying the truth? And of course the answer is no. A natural man does not have it in him to purify his own heart. It is only God who can purify the heart through Jesus Christ, the Savior, and the shedding of that Savior's precious blood.
So it certainly doesn't have in view the natural man being able to purify his heart by obedience to the truth. It also certainly doesn't have in view obedience to the law as that which purifies the heart. We're not to read this as to purify the soul. We're not to read this that obeying the truth has something to do with the law of God, and then that purifying the souls is the result of having obeyed that law.
What we are to see here, there is a bookend of statements here by the Apostle that helps us understand what's in view. Notice if we back up to verse 20. He indeed, speaking of Christ, was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, notice, who through him believe in God. And then if we were to push forward to verse 6 of chapter 2, therefore it is also contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame.
Therefore, to you who believe, he is precious. So, these bookends help us, so does the weight of Christian theology, the biblical revelation to salvation by the Triune God, who saves without a helper. It informs us that what's in view here with the language, since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth, is that by virtue of our faith in Christ, we avail of His shed blood, that shed blood which purifies the soul. And so, since we have, we could say, been purified by God, through faith, by virtue of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Notice in the introduction here to the recipients of this particular letter, if we read it again at the outset of the letter. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, and now notice, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. So that's in view with regards to the purification of the soul, the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. And just a point of theology here, when we read for obedience and sprinkling, I believe we're supposed to see they're not our obedience, that we've been sanctified so that we would be obedient, though that is a truth.
But here, obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ captures those two things in justification. the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins. But back to our text here, so the reason behind Christian love is the availing of the shed blood of Christ through faith. Augustine writes this, and he's writing against the notion that it is somehow the natural man that exercised obedience and then has his soul purified. And he's citing John 18.37, everyone who is of the truth, hears my voice.
But it is not all to whom it is given of the truth to hear, that is, to obey the truth and to believe in the truth, while in no case certainly is there any preceding of merit, lest grace should cease to be grace. Christ says, everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice. And in this way he is not of the truth simply because he heareth his voice, but only on this account he heareth because he is of the truth. That is, because this is a gift bestowed on him of the truth.
And what else is this but that by Christ's gracious bestowal he believeth on Christ. And so again, in view here, the reason behind Christian love is our availing of the shed blood of of Jesus Christ through faith. Now, in addition to this, the reason behind Christian love, we also see here
Operation Empowering Christian Love
the operation empowering Christian love. So when we are called to exercise love to one another as Christians, what is the operation empowering Christian love? Notice, after we see the reason for it, we read, since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit, This is a repeated language in the Bible with regards to Christians. When they're engaging in those things, those exploits for God, we do things through the Spirit.
We do things in the Spirit. We do things by the Spirit. As Christians, we are the blessed undeserved beneficiaries of the gift of the Holy Spirit as we go about this lower Christian walk. doing those things by faith in order to bring honor to God. We always do these things by the Spirit.
We do them through the Spirit. He is the one who empowers us. And Peter is introducing this exhortation in order to bring them confidence, and in order to bring them to the point where they know that when they are exercising love to a brother, They need not worry because they will have the Spirit with them. That stirs up good things for their fellows.
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit. And then we see here the sober vantage point for Christian love.
Sincerity as the Vantage Point
in sincere love of the brethren. This is something that's very important to see here is that, you know, unlike what can go on around us and before us and surrounding us, though it can creep into the Christian church as well, we are to be marked by a sincerity that is a lack of hypocrisy when it comes to our posture towards the brethren. This language of sincerity is capturing something where the Christian is absent of hypocrisy in his walk before the world, but certainly in his walk towards the brethren. So this is this sober vantage point behind Christian love.
And then comes the exhortation proper. So reading it again, since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth, through the spirit and sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart." So this is the exhortation proper here.
The Exhortation Proper
Love one another fervently with a pure heart. Now, it ought not be the case that Christians should have to be reminded, but by virtue of remaining corruption, the apostles in the scriptures and preachers in subsequent generations by virtue of that often have to call us to certain things, because we can fall away, we can become unmindful, we can forget. And so this exhortation comes to remind that it is the Christian's case to love one another fervently and with a pure heart. And this language of fervency is something that marks the Christian in their particular community as unique from any other community, because we are a community of those purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ, empowered by the Spirit, we have this vehement, this strong, this intense love for one another.
We have been made, we have been brought to that position and that subsequent action by virtue of the perfection of the power of the triune God and the saving excellencies of Jesus Christ, and we are to therefore exercise that love with a fervency that is unmatched in the world. The language here of one man is such that he describes this fervency of love and then gives a particular metaphor of where it seems to come from. This is Poole. Fervently or vehemently and intensely, strongly, the word seems to be a metaphor taken from a bow. which the more it is bent, with the greater force it sends forth the arrow.
So love, the more fervent and strong it is, the more abundantly it puts forth itself for the benefit of others." And that's hopefully how we can see the If we apply that metaphor when we approach the activity of loving one another, an archer, we are like archers pulling a bow back, bending it to the fullness of its force, so that that love, the more fervent and strong it is, the abundantly it puts forth that love to the benefit of others. And what is Christian love? When we think of Christian love, You know, perhaps, perhaps, you know, we might think of a number of things, but, you know, if you were quickly asked the question, caught off guard with the question, what is Christian love, what would come to your mind and what would you say? You know, sometimes we can think of love, generally speaking, or specific acts of love.
You know, what does it mean? Do we send each other flowers? Send each other chocolates. Do we write each other a letter a day?
Do we text each other, you know morning noon and night? Do we invite you know invite people over for muffin parties? What what does Christian love look like? Well, I think biblically speaking.
We're supposed to we're supposed to consider two things at least the character of love and the what love is properly in its demonstration and activity. And for the character of love,
Character of Love from 1 Corinthians 13
you can turn with me to 1 Corinthians. Now, you're probably familiar with this passage, 1 Corinthians 13. It's often a passage that's read at weddings when the minister, the wedding officiant, is marrying the husband and the wife. This is often something that's read. this particular verse in 1 Corinthians 13.
It's not, of course, a wedding verse, properly speaking, but a verse that sets forth for us the character of Christian love. Not properly a definition of it, but what does love look like amongst Christians? Notice in 1 Corinthians 13 verse 4, love suffers long and is kind, love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, love never fails. In receiving this exhortation tonight by virtue of the exhortation originally written by Peter, if you're to entertain the question, what does Christian love look like?
And if you're to seek to answer that question, I've perhaps been lapsing or I haven't exercised the Christian love as I ought to. What ought that to look like? What is that in demonstration? What is the character of Christian love?
We see it here. And I think, you know, it's a wonderful list of things, and we're certainly not going to open up each one, but just the first one, love suffers long and is kind. I was thinking today about the Christians' approach to other Christians sinning, and the context of the church. Christians in view of our other brothers and sisters in the church sinning.
And I often, you know, I was thinking that of all people in the world, It ought to be Christians who have the most patience in the face of sin not entertaining it not entertaining it or facilitating it and not thinking it a light thing and just, you know, just, you know, sitting there and taking it, but knowing our own frames, knowing who we were before Amazing Grace came, knowing who we are now, after Amazing Grace, with that remaining corruption, we are to be such who suffer long and are kind. in the face of those who are struggling, in the face of those who are stumbling, in the face of those who are seeking to be repentant, but nevertheless perhaps are struggling along in a particular manner of sin. Christians are not to be the most impatient. We're certainly to be the most patient. And it's a wonderful list of things here that characterize what love is to look like for us.
It does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. The steadfastness of a Christian in love or the long-suffering nature of the Christian in exercising Christian love is to be exemplary. And if we think about the fact that the God of heaven and earth has long-suffering for his people. We see that throughout the Bible, the long-suffering nature of our triune God.
The perfection of his goodness exercised in this long-suffering reality with his people. We sin every day against him, and yet he is long-suffering. We are to be like our God. As Peter says, we are to be holy as God is holy, and to exercise a long-suffering love towards our brothers and sisters in Christ.
So, 1 Corinthians 13, 4-8 can give us, it does give us, the character of love, how it is demonstrated, what it looks like, and
Love as Fulfillment of the Law
we have a definition in Romans 13 of what Christian love is. You can turn to Romans 13 with me. When we're thinking about Christian love, we can think about the character by which it is exercised. 1 Corinthians 13, 4-8. And then, love as the fulfillment of the law of God in Romans 13.
When you get to Romans 13, you can turn to verse 8. Romans 13, verse 8. except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Now, this might sound... Little it shouldn't but it kind of does it at the outset or or superficially it shouldn't sound rote or mechanical or dry Love is the fulfillment of the law. What better love can we exercise to one another than fulfilling the the law of God? The the the second table of the law summed up and you shall love your neighbor as yourself This manner of love love does no harm to a neighbor.
Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law and We can look at this in two ways. We can look at this in our actions to one another in the local church. The second table of the law of God is how we are to function. We're to look at it in the realm of sexual immorality.
We're to look at it in the realm of not being murderously angry at one another or angry simply with the brother. We see this with respect to theft, though we know that's more than just stealing a brother's Bible. Not bearing false witness, not lying, not coveting. These are the things that we can exercise to one another with respect to the exercising of love.
But I think we also ought to see the promotion of the entire table of the law as that which is love to one another. What do we do in our lower sojourn here that could be seen as love to one another? We we point each other daily or certainly every Sunday We point each other to the one and only living and true God were to have no other gods before him We encourage one another in the proper worship of that God and we can go through the entirety of the of the law of God here, but an active encouragement unto the law's obedience, not in order to be saved, but having been sprinkled by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, we encourage one another, we love one another, we point each other to the law of God as that which is the normative guide for Christian conduct. So what is love?
Can we text each other every day? Can we cheers each other with orange juice glasses at muffin parties? Absolutely. But the exercise of Christian love is seen in that character that we beheld in 1 Corinthians 13, and in that proper definition and exercise of love that we see in Romans 13.
Obedience to the law or fulfillment of the law of God. That is how we can love one another. And on the point of encouraging one another in the proper worship of the triune God, A connected manner in which we can love each other is encouraging one another in church attendance, encouraging one another in the worship of that God, and encouraging one another in the participation in the Lord's Supper. bringing each other and holding each other accountable in a sense with respect to the proper worship of the triune God wherein we receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit. What a better thing to encourage one another in the things of God that we might avail of the things of God.
So
Foundation for Christian Love
back to our text, back to 1 Peter. We've seen the exhortation to Christian love. We want to notice now the foundation for Christian love. So we see the exhortation proper, love one another fervently with a pure heart, and now we see the foundation for Christian love seen here, having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible through the word of God, which lives and abides forever.
Power of God in the New Birth
The first thing that we see here in the foundation for Christian love is the power of God in the new birth. Notice the language here, having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible. So the foundation for the exercise of Christian love is the reality of regeneration, the reality of the effectual calling. We are only Christians, or we are Christians first, by having been brought from deadness and sin to life in Christ.
We're Christians first by having been brought by amazing and victorious grace from out of darkness and into marvelous light. And Peter here uses the language of his master, having been born again. Remember the discussion or the exchange with Christ in Nicodemus, where Jesus uses that language. Peter learned of his master well, that you must be born again before you can see the kingdom of God.
Paul uses some language of being made alive. We see other language used in the scriptures, but what we see here is divine power, the power of God, in the new birth, having been born again. He's already used this language. Notice in verse 3, once again, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope.
That blessed hope that we have in God that is unlike any so-called hope in this lower world. It is a living hope. He's begotten us again to a living hope. And as Peter is using here in this epistle, the language of the Old Testament.
He uses this language here, having been born again. Recall that when Pastor Butler was preaching through the gospel, he is preaching through the gospel of John, but when he was preaching in John chapter 3, he made a link between Nicodemus' lack of knowledge connected to the lack of appreciating the weight of Ezekiel 36 and the announcement of the new covenant. where God would put His Spirit within His people and cause them to walk in His statutes. They would receive the washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit. That's the language that we see in the Bible with respect to regeneration, the washing and renewing of the Holy Spirit. the cleansing, the purification, the being made alive, the being born again.
It is only possible for a Christian, or for one to love another Christian in a manner that is Christian, if they have been born again. The power of God in the new birth. And this connects Another Old Testament connection here is it's connecting the promise of the New Covenant to the Christian reality of being born again. The promise of the New Covenant, not only in Jeremiah, but in Jeremiah, this promise that in the future the New Covenant reality would be such that everyone in the covenant would be one who has been born again of God.
So we have this power of God in the new birth and then
Instrumentality of the Word in the New Birth
notice we also have the instrumentality of God in the new birth. having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and abides forever." So this is the instrumentality by which the power of God works in order to bring a dead sinner to life in Christ. Now, just before we spend a little bit on this, going back to corruptible and incorruptible. There's a comparison obviously being made there between things that perish and things that that don't perish I think what what we're to see here that is a connection really between What Christ talks about in the gospel of John? and the new birth Natural birth and and and spiritual birth corruptible We've already seen used previously at verse 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things and here we see that we have not been born again by Corruptible seed that what's in view here is obviously divine power the power of the spirit in bringing forth dead sinners to life and in Christ. There's a distinction being drawn, a distinction that will be amplified a little bit when we get to the citation of Isaiah chapter 40.
But notice again the instrumentality of God in the new birth. It is by the Word of God. When we ask how a sinner is ever saved, The sinner is always saved by virtue of the power of God working through the ministry of the Word. That's how sinners are ordinarily saved and brought into the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The preaching of the Word goes forth ordinarily within the context of the Church. It can obtain outside of that in the mission field. in the home with a parent reading the word to the child and that sort of a thing but ordinarily speaking it obtains within the ministry of the church and we always have the case that it is the word of God brought it is the gospel of Jesus Christ declared and that's joined by the power of the Holy Spirit the incorruptible seed working with that Word of God that brings forth the sinner from deadness and darkness to life and light. And so the instrumentality of God in the new birth. And this is why it is so absolutely vital that we pray for the ministry of the Word. that we pray for the free delivery of the ministry of the word, not only in our own nation, but in nations beyond, that the word of God might be able to be freely proclaimed, that sinners might hear, and that joined by the power of the Holy Spirit, they would be brought to that blessed place of owning their Savior.
So the foundation for Christian love is the new birth wrought through the proclamation of the Word. Now, we would want to note, and we will shortly, that the Word of God which lives and abides forever, because this language is repeated in the citation of Isaiah 40, could also have in view, of course, the living word as it pertains to Jesus Christ, the mediator of the new covenant. So we move on then to, lastly, the motivation for Christian love. So we see the exhortation to Christian love proper, love one another fervently with a pure heart.
We see the foundation for Christian love being the new birth that is wrought through the proclamation of the gospel. And now
Motivation for Christian Love
the motivation for Christian love at verse 24. because all flesh is as grass and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass the grass withers and its flower falls away but the word of the lord endures forever now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you we see here first the the passing nature of man at least
The Transient Nature of Man
the passing nature of man, all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass, the grass withers and its flower falls away. We have this brought forth as the necessity for what we read previously, the necessity of the new birth. There is this because connection, in a sense, between the frailty of man, between the sinfulness of man, between the passing transient nature of man with respect to his sin, and that necessitating the new birth. because all flesh is as grass, because the grass withers and the flower falls away, we have this reality where this could speak to the necessity of the new birth because of the nature of man in his sin and in his iniquity. You could also see here, though, with regards to flesh, is this Flesh which is as grass and this flesh wish or that grass Metaphor is that which fades away.
We could see that this could connect to what man lusts over worldly things in fact previously in the passage Previously in the letter here. We see at verse 14 as obedient children Not conforming yourselves to the former lusts as in your your ignorance You know the things of this lower world will fade away The things of our worldly lusts will fade away. The things of these lower worldly pleasures will fade away. They're not eternal.
You know, the dead people in idolatrous generations past who were buried with their treasures, they didn't really get to bring those with them. They are perishable things, they are corruptible things, in contrast to those things that are imperishable, in contrast to those things that are incorruptible. Turn to Hebrews 11 for a moment, because we want to see here perhaps a weight of the meaning being, connecting back to when Peter, prior to our verse under investigation, spoke concerning the former conduct, or spoke concerning the fact that those Christians had not been redeemed by corruptible things like silver and gold. Notice in Hebrews 11, We have this wonderful language as it pertains to a contrast between the treasures of the world, those things that fade away, and those treasures of Christ which do not fade away.
In Hebrews 11 at verse 24, speaking of Moses, Paul writes, By faith, Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he looked to the reward. Isn't that a wonderful testimony, a wonderful account of Moses in his particular episode? Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. All flesh is as grass, and the glory of man is as the flowers of the field.
The glories of man, the treasures of men, the passing pleasures of sin, the lusts according to our previous ignorance, those things fade away. But that which does not fade away is seen here, esteeming the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. All of the things that we can lust over in this lower world fade away, but that one thing that we ought to love, that chief object, what should be the chief object of our affection, does not fade away. Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Also, what could be in view here too, and not that they're mutually exclusive, is flesh as it pertains to the Mosaic institutions. There's a contrast being drawn here between that which fades away, the language of the book of Hebrews with respect to the Old Covenant, and that which endures forever. Notice, for example, in Hebrews 7. We have this language concerning the abiding nature of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ in Hebrews chapter 7 at verse 16, speaking of the priest according to the order of Melchizedek who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.
We see that language being used here if you find your way back to the first Peter passage, The fleshly commandment could be seen here as all flesh is as grass, and then the unchanging priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ, but the word of the Lord endures forever. But all of that to say what we have here set before us is the transient nature of man, the transient nature of earthly things, the transient nature of those things that are of this lower world, which is now contrasted with the blessed abiding reality, the unchanging nature, Notice again, as he's citing Isaiah 40, "...all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever." This wonderful transition to the abiding nature of a glorious thing. but the word of the Lord endures forever." If we connect ourselves to the things of this lower world, if we connect ourselves to fleshly things, if we connect ourselves to the former lusts as in our ignorance, or we should say, in this case, for the demonstration, present lusts as in a present ignorance, we will fade away along with those worldly and lower things. And this blessed contrast then, if we hitch ourselves to, if we're connected to, if we find ourselves believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have this reality, but the word of the Lord endures forever.
And
The Enduring Word of the Lord
as we move to a close here, the unchanging nature of the word is seen. So we have the transient nature of man, the passing nature of man, but by blessed contrast, the unchanging nature of the word, And we should consider three things as we look to close here. And the first is the word as it pertains to the person of the son. But the word of the Lord endures forever.
He is a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. We have this bringing out by the Apostle Peter of the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. And there is an abiding and unchanging nature to the redemption wrought by Jesus Christ. In contrast to the passing pleasures of sin, we have the abiding pleasure of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have the abiding excellencies of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the eternal word with respect to his divine person, divine nature, but he is also that priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek with regards to his mediatorship. The veracity of or the perfection of the excellency of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ in our redemption abides forever. The word of the Lord endures forever.
The Apostle Peter finishes off, not finishes off, but near the end of this particular epistle, in chapter four at verse 11, if anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. There is obviously the abiding nature of the Word of God, the forever nature of the Word of God.
We also would consider this the, but the Word of the Lord endures forever with regards to the inspired Word of God. Of course, we have that wonderful hymn by Martin Luther, One of the stanzas speaks with regards to the language. I always thought this would be good for a wonderful verse for the persecuted to lay hold of. The body they may kill, God's truth abideth still.
We have the abiding nature of the Word of God. All flesh is as grass. You know the the transient nature of man even of course in our in our lower mortal bodies will come to that point of death We have the glory set before us the glory of Jesus Christ our Savior We can say the persecuted Christian can say under threat of death the body they may kill God's truth abideth still and that brings us that captures in view certainly the abiding Word as it pertains to Jesus Christ, but the inspired Word of God, and perhaps more to the point, the promise of God, the unchanging promise of God, that in His revelation of Jesus Christ, in His revelation of salvation by so glorious a God and so glorious a Savior, That promise that everyone who believes on him shall have everlasting life is an abiding truth. It's not transient.
It doesn't ebb and flow, but rather it stands forever. The word of the Lord endures forever. Whatever the Lord pleases, he does in the earth and in all places. Whatever the Lord speaks, he brings to pass.
Whatever the Lord purposes, he brings to pass. And so when Christians hear the promise that whoever believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, they shall be saved, that is hope above hopes that we have in our God, in a word that endures forever. Whatever the Lord God speaks will come to pass. Divine promise, unchanging divine promise, the word of God that is the truth of God, which abides forever.
All words will perish in the end, but one word abides, and it is that word which the Lord God gives." And this last phrase, hopefully we can see ourselves as those who have availed of this blessed reality. Now, this is the word by which the gospel was preached to you. You know, you can recall perhaps the fact that you one day had heard the gospel and had come to the realization that you are now Christ's. You were the blessed and undeserved recipient of the proclamation of the word, the proclamation of the gospel, by a minister, by a parent, by someone, and you were brought from that place of former lusts, brought from that place of ignorance, brought from that place of corruptible and perishable things, to now this place where Jesus Christ is yours, that eternal imperishable, that eternal incorruptible, the blessed reality that we have, the promise of salvation in Him, that was preached to you, and that is an imperishable thing.
As we go into this week, we ought to be such who contemplate these high and holy things of of glorious salvation, having been born again, not by virtue of our actions meriting that regeneration, but according to amazing and victorious grace, in divine timing, according to divine plan, he brought us forth from darkness and deadness to light and life, that we can behold our savior, the eternal word, the priest who abides forever, that one who has gone before us, Jesus Christ, the righteous one, he holds in in our future for us, the inheritance that is laid up for us, what a blessed thing as we go into a week where we may be surrounded by misery, we may be surrounded by miserable people, we may be surrounded by, roundabout by a world that hates us, by people who hate us, by those who are opposed to the truth, and yet we can lay hold of that imperishable truth. We can lay hold of that imperishable God, that incorruptible Christ. the power of the Holy Spirit, the glory of the gospel, and all of this ought to energize us to love one another fervently with a pure heart. From that vantage point of so great a salvation, from that vantage point of so great a Savior, and from that vantage point of so great a triune God, we're to seek, by God's grace, to love one another fervently with a pure heart. Let's pray.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your truth. We thank you for your word. We do pray that you would help us in this church to love one another fervently with a pure heart. We pray that we would be those who would be long-suffering, who would be kind.
We pray we would be those who rejoice in the truth, one with each other. Do help us to be unified by your spirit in the things of Christ in this local body. We thank you for the truth that we have. And we thank you for Jesus Christ, our Savior.
We thank you for the blessing of salvation by so great a God. And we do pray that you'd help us to be animated by that same grace that saved us in order to serve one another and to bring honor to you in this lower world. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.
We'll have a brief time of prayer, and then you're dismissed once the piano