1 Peter. Peter's first epistle. Chapter 1. 1 Peter 1. On a Lord's Day in which we will observe the Lord's Supper, I thought it prudent to spend a day, morning and evening, in the redeeming death of Christ, 1 Peter 1. 18 to 20 here in the morning and 1 Corinthians 15, 3 and 4 in the evening.
Again, we celebrate the Lord's death as we gather for the Lord's Supper this evening, but no doubt by virtue of gathering together on the Lord's Day Sabbath, by virtue of being Christians, we are those who contemplate, who dwell upon, who rejoice in the death of our Savior Jesus Christ. And sometimes when you hear that language or when you read that language, the death of Christ, we ought not then to exclude his perfect life, his burial, and his resurrection, though no doubt the death speaks to specific things. But as we discuss the blood of Christ or the death of Christ, even when the apostles discuss the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to contemplate the entirety and the perfection of his work, his glorious life, his blessed death, his powerful and victorious resurrection, the burial that was between the death and resurrection, and then of course his glorious ascension. But we're going to focus this morning on the language of verses 18 to 20 of 1 Peter, 1.
So I'm going to read 1 Peter 1 beginning in verse 1 to set the stage and then we'll hone in on our verses of focus. This is the Word of God, 1 Peter 1.1. 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 is 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,
Opening Prayer
let's go to our God again in prayer. Heavenly Father, we pray now for the ministry of your Word, for the preaching of your Word, this central act of worship, that you would help us in it, that you would be with preacher, that you would be with hearer, that we would be attentive and focused in this act of worship, that we would hear what the Spirit has for the church today. that we would take in these blessed things concerning Jesus Christ our Savior, that we would be equipped to live in light of so glorious a gospel. And we pray in Christ Jesus the name, in the name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. Well,
Introduction
What we have going on here in 1 Peter are a number of things, at least in this first section. We have, first, the fact that he identifies his audience as the recipients of the saving perfection of the triune God. Hopefully you love, as Christians, the language that the apostles often use here at the outset of their letters. We see Notice in verse 1, 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.
He identifies His audience as the undeserved, blessed beneficiaries of the saving perfection of the Triune God. Father, Son, and Spirit are here referred to by the Apostle, and He highlights not their glories, that is, not the glories of His audience, not their riches, not their excellencies, and not their perfections, but that of the Triune God. And then he moves on to praise God for the perfection of that salvation. You see that blessed be in verse three begins a doxology, begins words of praise to this God for the perfection of that salvation.
He draws his audience to attention, identifying them them as the blessed beneficiaries of divine and saving grace, and then he brings his mouth in praise or his pen to praise to that triune God for that glorious salvation. He follows that up with encouragements and reminders for their joy in Christ. You see the section that follows, in this you greatly rejoice, verse 6, and this in the midst of trials. It isn't in prosperity you rejoice because of prosperity, but in the midst of sufferings, in the midst of trials being brought upon you from an outside and a hating world.
Nevertheless, in the midst of those trials, in the midst of those afflictions, you greatly rejoice. Why? Because of that saving perfection of the triune God, because of that one who is blessed by the apostle for the riches of an unmitigated and unrivaled grace extended. to needing sinners. And then we see holiness and godly fear is exhorted unto in the midst of those trials in the following section.
And smacked in the middle of that section are these verses, verses 18 to 20 that speak with respect to the saving perfection of Jesus Christ. You see, what is the best motivation? There are motivations, obedience, joyful obedience to the law of God. But what is perhaps the greatest motivation for hearing this exhortation to be holy, in a crooked and perverse generation to, in the midst of trials, cast off former lusts, those lusts as in your ignorance, and put on those things that are conducive with Christianity?
What is the greatest motivation? Verse 18, 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. We march in joyful obedience to the drumbeat of holy writ and the commands of Jesus Christ, the commands of the triune God, not in order to merit salvation, but having received so graciously our salvation of free and sovereign grace from the hands of a triune God, we come to passages like this. And here we see our motivation.
Here we see our encouragement. Here we see these blessed things, the knowledge of Jesus Christ, the glory of His blood, as those things which drive us to good things for God and King. That's what we have before us, is the glorious things of Jesus Christ as the motivation for godly conduct. We want to focus on the value of the death of Christ, or on the death of Christ largely, here referred to as the blood of Christ, or the precious blood of Christ, and we want to do so under three headings.
Those are these, just so you know where we're going. The first is the surpassing value of the redeeming death of Christ. The second is the divine purpose in the redeeming death of Christ. And then the third, the singular uniqueness and certain truth of the redeeming death of Christ.
The Surpassing Value of Christ's Death
Notice first then the surpassing value of the redeeming death of Christ. Now just pause for a moment and consider that word redeem or that word redemption. That ought to be a word that warms our Christian hearts, that stirs our Christian souls to high and joyful thoughts of our God. We have been redeemed.
If you're a child of God, if you're a Christian, if you're a believer, you have been redeemed by Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You have been brought out of that slave market of sin. You have been bought with the price, that price, the precious blood of Jesus Christ and the perfections of His life, His doing, His dying, and His glorious rising again. Whenever you hear redeem and whenever you hear redemption, Don't roll your eyes and here we go, you know more more Christian language, you know, we've heard it before Let's move on to the seven trumpets of revelation and glory and eschatological minutiae No, we pause on these glorious words redemption.
We pause on words like reconciliation like propitiation like salvation like justification like sanctification and were to be brought whether literally or figuratively or upon our faces before such a great God, who would pull us dirty sinners from out of the mire, the pit of sin, to rejoice in Jesus Christ and to have salvation by so glorious a Jesus. So again, the surpassing value of the redeeming death of Christ. Notice in verse 18, first, that
Not Redeemed by Corruptible Things
it was not according to the value of earthly things, This surpassing value of the redeeming death of Christ was not or is not according to the value of earthly things, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers. You see, we put a lot of stock in earthly and corruptible things, don't we? I mean, each and every one of us, at some point in our lives, and we ought to know ourselves enough to be honest with ourselves, we put a lot of stock in earthly and corruptible things. Silver and gold, material possession, material things, earthly things.
And we put a lot of stock in perhaps somebody maybe redeeming us, in a lower sense of the word, out of a particular financial situation. perhaps receiving material goods as gifts, or being paid well so that we can buy material things and corruptible things. We put a lot of stock in our stuff. We like to get stuff. You see, the stuff that is worthy of being latched onto, the stuff that is worthy of being gripped, the stuff that is worthy of a white-knuckle grip, never to be let go of, is the precious blood of Jesus Christ that we'll consider in a moment.
Eternal things those blessed things that come from God make no mistake We are to give God great praise for lawful and material things that we enjoy a good scrambled egg a good peanut butter and toast a good well-cooked steak even a burnt steak Thank you Lord for my Cajun style, you know filet mignon We enjoy blessed drink and so many benefits and so many freedoms and so many wonderful material things. But brethren, we thank God for those things, but if those things ever steal our heart, if those things ever steal our attention, if those things steal us away from a thrice holy God and the glory of a redeeming Christ, shame on us and God forgive us and steer us back to the right way where God is everything, where his Christ is everything. Notice verse 18, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold. We're not redeemed by those things.
We're not to seek after those things. Those things are not our glory. Christ, our glory. Father, Son, and Spirit, our glory.
Our joy is seen in that triune God whose praises are sung at the outset of this epistle. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The abundant mercies of our God. The abundant graces of our God.
These are the things that we grip, not the silver and gold. that are corruptible, that will fade away. Make no mistake again, we are to enjoy lawfully those things which God has given us to enjoy. In this lower world, think about some of the things that God has given us to enjoy, things that are corruptible. The author refers to some of them here.
Flesh is as grass. Grass withers, flower falls away. Have you ever considered just simply the beauty of a flower? Hopefully we're not numb to the fact that there are flowers in our universe, that we just look at one and just, yeah, it's a flower.
You might not be all about flowers. You might not be a gardener. You might not be a florist. But isn't the flower a beautiful thing?
You look at green grass, sometimes with the watering bylaws, green grass turns brown and it looks patchy and faded. But if you ever cast your eyes upon a nice green field, you cast your eyes upon a meadow, upon a tree-packed mountain, we see the beauty of God's creation. Make no mistake, we're to look at those things and say, thank you, God, that you've given me eyes of sight to cast upon the beauty of your creation and to rejoice in the God who made all things in the space of six days and all very good by the word of his glorious power. But brethren, the grass withers, the flower falls away.
The word of the Lord endures forever. And this word discloses to us the glories of one who has redeemed us. And that redemption does not come by virtue of earthly things, corruptible things, silver and gold, which we so often put our time and energy and our stock into, not all the time unlawfully. This redemption comes to us by one who has shed his precious blood.
The second of the blessed triune, eternal God. Of one substance with him who begat him glorious the brightness of his father's glory the express image of his person The one who himself called all things into existence the one between whose palms spin galaxies upon galaxies took upon himself our humanity to shed his blood that we might have the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life beautiful flowers, beautiful trees, beautiful seas, beautiful scenes, glorious geography, scapes, stars of heaven, the sun, the moon, beautiful things. But each and every single one of those things fades and falls away, and what is to remain is the glory of our Christ. the majesty of our triune God, and the humbling reality that by His grace and that by His mercy, He has redeemed us and pulled us from out of the sick, miry pit of sin and death, and brought us, washed us, robed us, and called us His own. It was not according to the value of earthly things.
Let's just consider for a moment, his death, in a sense, is an earthly thing, isn't it? Just bear with me for a moment. When we consider the death of Christ, we ought to have our jaws drop in awe and in terror and in absolute humility when we consider the physical pains that Christ went through upon Calvary's cross and the time leading up to that. Taking those lashes, taking that crown of thorns, remember that crown not rested gently upon his head by those who were persecuting him, but no doubt pressed into his skull so that he bled and that he knew great pain and great travail physically by the bruising and the beatings that his godless perpetrators brought upon him. horror upon horrors.
He endured grievous pains physically upon Calvary's cross. But remember, our redemption is the stuff of spiritual and eternal things. It was, yes, the fact that our Savior in his own body bore our sins, the sins of his people, upon that tree. But remember, he endured grievous travail of soul, of soul, spirit, the Father, Visiting upon him the punishment due for the sins of his people make no mistake when you come in here to pews We are not simply to go through the exercise of just taking in our ears words and words and ideas having them tossed Checking the box of church attendance and departing, you know back to our quartered sandwiches and in our much too liquidy soup You might make thick soup and creamy soup.
I'm sorry But you see, we're not just to go through a rote exercise here in church when we're confronted with things like the death of Christ, when we're called to consider that the second of the blessed triune took upon himself our nature to redeem and recover guilty sinners, that he went to Calvary's cross not as some sort of example, not as anything other than the substitutionary sacrificial glorious death that it was to secure the salvation of a multitude which no man can number. we are to have ears attentive, souls aligned to the proclamation of the word that sets forth the reality that this surpassing value of the redeeming death of Christ was not according to earthly and corruptible things, but second,
Incomparable Value of a Perfect Sacrifice
it was according to the incomparable value of a perfect sacrifice. Wherein lies the surpassing value of the redeeming death of Christ, it is again that it was according to the incomparable value of a perfect sacrifice. Remember that that's what we have in Jesus Christ our Lord, a perfect sacrifice. We think that we ourselves are polished enough and well presentable enough that we can somehow present ourselves to God as right in his sight.
We're looking in the wrong mirror, and our dispositions, if you do that, and if we do that, are not aligned to the Word of God and to the reality of the case. that we are messy, we are dirty, we are sinners, and it is only one, there is only one perfection, there is only one incomparable value, there is only one perfect sacrifice, and that was the sacrifice of Jesus Christ himself for the sins of a multitude. which no man can number. So let's consider this then, the value of the surpassing value of the redeeming death of Christ is according to the incomparable value of a perfect sacrifice.
The Precious Blood of Christ
Notice first here, the precious blood, knowing that you were not redeemed, verse 18, with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ. Don't you love that language that qualifies the blood? Now, hopefully as Christians, you would understand that the author just said you've been redeemed by the blood of Christ, that there is no weight and no glory and no joy and no surpassing peace stolen away by the absence of an adjective. But you see what qualifies blood here, it's the word precious.
Now, it ought not to come as news to you that Christian Christ is to be precious to you. Christ is to be surpassingly precious to you. And this word is used here by Peter, here, and it's also used, notice, in verse seven of chapter two. Therefore, to you who believe, he is precious.
That's another verse that ought to launch a thousand sermons. therefore to you who believe he is precious. Now let's just pause for a moment on this word. We're going to get to the incomparable value of a perfect sacrifice as it pertains to this precious blood, but this word precious for a moment, think about it for Peter. We've rehearsed this before.
This language coming out of Peter's mouth and coming out of Peter's heart, precious blood of Christ, and therefore to you who believe he is precious. Think about this man for a moment. A handful of decades back, he cowered before the patio interrogations of a servant girl and denied this Jesus. denied this Christ, of whom he now calls precious more than once and more than twice. It's the weight of that that would have been upon Peter at that time, as not just once did he deny the Lord, not just twice did he deny the Lord, but he thrice denied the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
And remember, that in the account of one of the Gospels, the gaze of Peter catches the eyes of the betrayed Christ, and he's cast in, Peter is, to a pool of weeping. You see, Christ, as we rehearsed the mercy and the grace of Jesus this morning, just from the gospel reading, Christ doesn't come and has resurrected glory to Peter and beat him up and rebuke him and smack him around as some, you know, untamable lord, a mad lord to a servant, but comes and eats broiled fish and honeycomb with Peter and says to him, feed my sheep, feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Restores Peter and Peter on that day of Pentecost doesn't cower before a multitude but stands with with firmness and with strength and proclaims this man from Nazareth who saved a multitude which no man can number and you see Peter can say here Precious because his Lord was precious to him. No doubt.
He would have recalled the fact that Jesus Announced that he would betray him but said Peter I'm going to pray for you. Satan has sought to sift you like wheat, but Peter, I've prayed for you that your faith will not fail. When you have returned, strengthen the brethren." And here we have Peter writing this epistle, strengthening his brethren in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and preaching a glorious Jesus. precious means a lot to Peter and Precious ought to mean ought to mean a lot to us this word precious Christ is to be precious to you if Christ isn't precious to you Why not? No doubt it's because you're in an unbelief No doubt it's because you're dead in your trespasses and sins, but let's just contemplate this for a minute moment What's so ugly about Jesus?
What isn't precious about this Jesus? Oh? are the corruptible things of silver and gold, and those things that you know go along with that, every material thing, your own self, are these things all so precious to you, but this one who came from on high to die upon Calvary's cross, this one isn't precious? You haven't read or write, you haven't heard or write, because there is no one, there is nothing more precious than this Jesus, than this bloodshed, than this glorious Savior who gave himself for guilty sinners. I want you to turn to a few passages with me just to see the preciousness of the blood and to see that it does come with the weight of incomparable value because it's a perfect sacrifice.
Turn with me to Matthew 26. Matthew chapter 26. Get our fingers busy. There's been a lot of preaching with no motion of the fingers.
We want to keep you awake and keep you attentive. Matthew 26. No doubt you know this account because it is the institution of the Lord's Supper and we see from the lips of the Savior himself. the glory and the weight of the blood, His own blood. Notice in verse 27 of Matthew 26, Now think about this for a moment.
The blood of the new covenant. What are those glorious new covenant realities? Remember there was an announcement given to apostate Israel in the book of Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 31, 31 to 34. Yahweh would make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with with the house of Jacob Not like that covenant that he made with them previously which they broke even though he was a husband to them But this new covenant would be unbreakable and those benefits of the new covenant is that the law of God would be written upon the heart of every new covenant member that every new covenant member would know the Lord, that He would be their God and they would be His people, and that blessing of the forgiveness of sins.
That glorious announcement made so many hundred years prior to Christ and the institution of the Lord's Supper, here now the Lord Jesus Christ says that that covenant announced is ratified, is to be perfected, is in my blood, for this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins. You see, when we talk about the death of Christ, we're not just talking about a historical event. We are talking about a historical event that most certainly did take place. But you see, there is blessed theological commentary upon that death.
It is from the lips of the Savior Himself for the remission of sins. Isn't that a boon to your heart? Knowing yourselves, knowing that even in the state of grace, now, believing in Christ, you stumble, you sin. There is that remaining corruption where we do not do as we ought, we do not do those things that we are to do in joyful obedience to the law of God, and we do those things that we are not supposed to do before a thrice holy God, and yet we have this Christ and this remission of sins.
Rejoice Christian in this blessed truth in that precious blood turn with me to the book of Acts for a moment The book of Acts and chapter 20 Hopefully, you know this passage because it speaks to the incomparable value of this perfect sacrifice in Acts chapter 20 we have the Apostle Paul preaching to the Ephesian elders and there's a particular statement that That is absolutely amazing. Notice beginning in or at verse 28, Acts 20 and verse 28. Therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. Do you see here that this is infinitely higher and exalted far above anything that is corruptible, that is earthly?
It's far above silver and gold. We'll look at shiny things like silver and gold and our allure is stolen away by the glory of jewels and the glory of shining metals. And all the while we'll suffer the one who is to be gloried in to be forgotten. We put so much stock in things that we can cast our eyes of sight onto, while all the while not casting our eyes of faith upon one who is so glorious.
Do you see the language and does it not blow your mind? Again, the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. incomparable value. It's called the blood of God here. Of course, our living and true God is a most pure spirit without body, parts, and passions.
But by virtue of the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, being God most high, by virtue of the fact that he assumed to himself man's nature, it can rightly be said here that God shed his own blood for his church. Do you see the incomparable value that we have in the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ? Well, we could go to many other passages. If you're taking notes, Ephesians 1-7. which has the same language of Colossians 1.14, Colossians 1.20, Hebrews 9.12-13, 1 John 1.7, and that's just a small sampling, a small parcel, page after page, chapter after chapter, speaks of the precious blood of Jesus Christ, shed for the forgiveness of sins.
A Faultless Offering: Lamb Without Blemish
We want to notice as well that it is a faultless offering. If you find your way back with me to 1 Peter, notice that this was according to the incomparable value of a perfect sacrifice. First, his precious blood, but second, a faultless offering. Notice the language in verse 19, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
See, that's our Christ. He's not a sacrifice that has blemish, that has spot. The language of the text is clear, speaking to the perfection and the faultlessness of the offering of Christ, offered by himself, according to the will of the Father, as of a lamb, without blemish and without spot. Now, hopefully you understand the Old Testament import here.
If you know your Old Testaments, you know that the sacrifices demanded by God in the sacrificial system were not to be those that were the weak, were not to be those that were the blind, were not to be those that were the feeble and that were the stolen, but the ones that were the best of the flock, the ones without blemish and without spot. In fact, you can turn with me back to the book of Exodus for a moment. Notice in the book of Exodus this language has to be in view the Apostle Peter Speaking to those who would have known something of the Old Testament scriptures Perhaps you noticed perhaps you didn't but there's a connection to pastor Butler's preaching there at the outset of first Peter and later on in chapter 1 And maybe we'll point that out in a moment, but Peter is writing to many who perhaps either A, would have gathered on the day of Pentecost coming from all of those nations under heaven to Jerusalem, or no doubt those who would have been the recipients of the sharing, the proclamation, the declaration of the gospel by those who were there and who had returned to their various places. And they would have known the scriptures that speak to a faultless sacrifice.
And notice in Exodus 12, I'm sorry, I don't think I, gave you the chapter, but notice in Exodus chapter 12, and beginning at verse 5, speaking about the institution of the Passover, notice in verse 5, Your lambs shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight, and they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
Then they shall eat the flesh on that night, roasted in fire with unleavened bread, and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw nor boiled at all with water, but roast it in fire, its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire, and thus you shall eat it. With a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand, so shall you eat it in haste.
It is the Lord's Passover." You see the language there right at the outset. I wanted to read the extended because as we gather together tonight for the Lord's Supper, this would have been a particular ordinance given to the church in the Old Testament that pointed forward to that even greater ordinance, the Lord's Supper, where what is remembered is the death of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. But notice verse 5 again, your lamb shall be without blemish. As we turn back then to 1 Peter 1 and verse 19, the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. that typical sacrifice in the old covenant, which was to be a lamb without blemish, pointed forward to that greater anti-type, Jesus Christ the Lord, who, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, gave himself for guilty sinners.
Hopefully the rehearsal of Old Testament and New Testament connections isn't just another thing that fills the remaining 19 minutes of preaching. and that you're struggling through it here. You see, our Bible bears the consent of parts, the scope of the whole, which is to give all glory to God. That lamb in the Old Testament killed pointed forward to the Lamb of God killed upon Calvary's cross. And he was a lamb without blemish and without spot.
We, bearing a multitude of blemishes and a multitude of spots. Hopefully you know I'm not talking about cosmetic, but sin, depravity, wickedness, iniquity, the breaking of God's holy and divine law, minute after minute, hour after hour, day upon day. Those blemishes in those spots are taken away by that one who was without blemish and who was without spot and who came to this lower world to put on humanity, to die upon Calvary's cross as a substitute and a sacrifice for those filled with blemishes, filled with spots, yea, even dead in trespasses and sins. You appreciate this language of the Lamb without blemish in the Old Testament, pointing forward to that blessed Lamb of God, Jesus Christ the Lord, without blemish and without spot.
Old Testament Sacrifices and Their Failure
I want you to see something as well. I want us to pause to consider something that will hopefully heighten the travesty that it was in the old covenant to take blind sacrifices and feeble sacrifices and offer them up to God. Turn with me to the book of Malachi. Just to see something.
You see, because certainly it is a high crime against the thrice holy magistrate of heaven and earth. to act out of heartlessness and in an external obedience. In fact, not really an external obedience at all because they brought the blind and the lame. But notice in Malachi 1, beginning in verse 7. You offer defiled food on my altar, but say, in what way have we defiled you?
By saying, the table of the Lord is contemptible. And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor.
Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably, says the Lord of hosts. And notice verse 13 as well. You also say, oh, what a weariness, and you sneer at it. says the Lord of hosts, and you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick.
Thus you bring an offering. Should I accept this from your hands, says the Lord? You see what's going on here. These aren't bringing lambs or the animals of sacrifice that are without blemish and spot to the sacrifice, but they're bringing the blind, the lame, the weak, the stolen, to offer them up to God in so-called obedience.
You see, I would offer up that there is another level of travesty and crime here against God. If these Old Testament sacrifices are offered as a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, the greater sacrifice? If you see these weren't really the true sacrifice that avails with God, but rather types and ceremonies that only pointed forward to the one sacrifice that avails once and forever, Jesus Christ the Lord, how much of a crime is it then? to turn into an absolute madness of a crime these sacrifices that pointed forward to Jesus. You see, this is doing violence to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
To sully, to dirty, to throw mud, to turn into a circus, these sacrifices which pointed forward to Christ upon the cross, Crime upon crimes. Christ comes and he comes offering up a perfect sacrifice of incomparable value. I want you to consider this language here for a moment. In verse 13 of Malachi 1, you also say, oh, what a weariness, and you sneer at it.
Hopefully in our hearts this morning, there's nothing of this. It's a weariness to be in the church of God. It might not be air-conditioned perfectly. Perhaps it doesn't jive with your precious schedule perfectly.
I don't know what it might be. But hopefully there's no weariness in your heart to gather together in the church of the living God and to hear some fallible, semi-handsome, bald preacher preach the word of God to you. Because we're talking about faultless sacrifices. Jesus Christ, a lamb without blemish and without spot, all of this Exodus stuff, all of this Malachi stuff, all of this repeated language, oh, what a weariness, hopefully not, brethren.
We're talking about the stuff of the forgiveness of sins, the salvation of sinners, that our Jesus Is a jesus who is a perfect sacrifice one that avails for the greatest of sinners if you're here this morning And this is a weariness to you repent and and look look past You know this earthly vessel here and look with eyes of faith to the lamb of god who takes away the sins of the world there find the one to whom all eyes are to be cast in that gaze of faith reflecting upon so glorious and unblemished and a spotless sacrifice Jesus Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords giving himself for guilty sinners
The Divine Purpose in Christ's Death
well let's move on then to the divine purpose in the death of Christ as we seek to Continue considering this particular passage notice in verse 19 of first Peter you can find your way back there But with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot and notice in verse 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you the divine purpose in the redeeming death of Christ
According to God's Determined Plan
First, it's according to the determined plan of God. Notice, He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world. Isn't purposelessness terrifying? Have you ever thought about that?
If this universe was purposeless, there was no purpose to it. Let's say, you know, the God-hating atheists are right. They're not. They're perpetuating an adult fairy tale and rejecting the God of heaven and earth and suppressing the glorious truth of God in unrighteousness when they deny that there is one in high heaven who hangs out his starry flags to show that the atheists' denunciations are repugnant. to paraphrase Spurgeon.
Let's just say they're right for a moment, entertaining their madness and their fairy tale. That all of this just happened out of chaos and out of a purposeless energy and whatever it is. That against the solid reason of even a babe, that nothing cannot generate something, that everything happened out of chaos. Everything is purposeless that we need to somehow make purpose for ourselves in a purposeless universe How terrible is that?
How horrible is that when someone you love dies? Someone you love when travesty comes upon you that it's just it's just purposeless. There's there's no divine order and divine meaning to the things that befall this lower world, what a terrible place to navigate in when death comes upon. Let's just consider that for a moment.
Death is purposeless. This one that is loved is now gone and there's just no reason. It just happens. It's just chaos.
It's just a purposeless thing that we Have to deal with in this lower world now We have as Christians the true way the true reality the true knowledge of God in his universe We have that knowledge of what Samuel Rutherford said he is not lost to you who is found in Christ the one who dies He or she is not lost to you who is found in Christ. He has not gone away, but gone before and like unto a star which passing out of view does not fade away but shines in another hemisphere. That's death in our certain and Christian world. God has decreed all things for the glory of His name, for the good of His people.
Those in Christ pass from death to life and are in the presence of Him who made all things and in the presence of Jesus Christ. Sure, in a purposeful universe, for those who die outside of Christ, that is to be terrible. But the terror doesn't come from purposelessness. purposelessness Search that for a moment The terror doesn't come from that but from the knowledge that there was purpose to bring to reality To bear the truth of the promise out that those who die outside Outside of Christ are cast into eternal punishment and torment righteously and according to holiness by a just God All of that to come back to this. The death of Christ, the precious blood of Christ, is according to a divine purpose in redemption.
And first, it's according to the determined plan of God. Again, the language of the text. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world. As Henry notes, this implies more than bare prospect or speculation.
It imports an act of the will that the thing shall be. Don't you love that about the hope of the Bible, the Word of God? You see, these aren't things that are speculation or bare prospect that, you know, maybe happened or from the vantage point of the prophets promising and prophesying, hey, these things could happen. These come with the authority, the superattending power of an inspiring God.
The God who took these authors, as Peter writes elsewhere, the Holy Spirit carried along these holy men of old, and they wrote, and they gave us the revelation from on high. But you see, this divine purpose, this determined plan, these things are not bare prospect, but these things most certainly have come to pass, and all those things remaining that God has promised will come to pass. Your Christian hope, brethren, Your Christian hope does not depend upon a fallible hope, upon a hope of prospect or maybe perhaps speculation. You know what Christian hope is?
I've used this illustration a million times. That's a hyperbole. I've used it a lot of times. But you might have hope that your favorite sports team will win a particular trophy.
I've been holding out hope for Man, close to 40 years that the Canucks would win a Stanley Cup. Okay, that's probably a hopeless endeavor. It's probably never gonna happen. Okay, but our Christian hope is not that fallible hope.
Our Christian hope is this, it is the certain expectation that the promises of the triune God will be brought to fruition without error and most surely. And so when we read that God had foreordained Christ from before the foundation of the world, we rest upon not purposelessness, but purpose, a purposive God who decrees all things, who brings all things to pass. When he said in the old covenant that the Christ would come to redeem his people with his precious blood, he came and he did exactly that. It rests upon, our redemption rests upon divine purpose in the death of Christ, that redeeming death.
We have the perfection of the divine purpose. We don't need to turn there, but we can think upon these texts and dwell upon them. Remember when Pastor Butler was preaching from Acts chapter two, the plan and the purpose and the divine foreordaining of God in the death of Jesus Christ. He was delivered up by the determined purpose and for knowledge of God.
That ought to bring comfort to our souls. And brethren, this foreordaining, this predestination isn't some sort of cold, you know, machination. It's not some sort of empty determinism. Listen to John Calvin. on foreordaining and predestination, specifically as it applies to Christ as Redeemer.
Hence he ordained According to his wonderful wisdom and goodness that Christ should be the Redeemer to deliver the lost race of man from ruin for herein shines forth more fully the unspeakable goodness of God that he anticipated our disease by the remedy of his grace and provided a restoration to life before the first man had fallen into death and You see, what is declared to us in this foreordaining reality in divine purpose, it's the love. It's the goodness of God. It's the unchanging love of God, His purposes for Christ and for His people. I love what Calvin adds at the end there.
If the reader wishes for more on this subject, he may find it in my institutes. Even back in the 16th century, they were plugging their own books. In Calvin's commentary, he's directing them to his institutes. But back to more sacred and holy things, the foreordaining of God is according to the unchanging love and the unchanging goodness of our great God.
And second notice, this is under the divine purpose. First, it is according to the determined plan of God,
Foreordained from Eternity
Second it was from eternity notice the language of the text he indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world Now when we say from eternity from eternity, you know or we say before he or you know in eternity past and that sort of language it's just helpful language for us because I don't think there's any one of us who Can I know there's no one of us who can adequately comprehend eternity? Before the foundation of the world is there there's there's no time the time is by virtue of God's creating act But in eternity past if you'll allow the language We have this reality that there was divine purpose in the redeeming death of Christ. There was no passage of time There was no duration of time where God had not purposed to save a multitude which no man can number by Jesus Christ the Lord. Reject any notion, and no doubt, I don't know everyone in this room, but I don't think any of you entertain this idea, but cast off and reject any notion that would say that God had to inaugurate the saving perfections of Christ because previous purposes and plans failed. that there was some other plan, there was a duration of time where salvation was through some other means, and because of the failure of those things, he inaugurated this purpose concerning Christ.
No, from before the foundation of the world, this Christ was foreordained to, in the fullness of the times, come forth, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who are under the law. Blessed divine plan, blessed divine plan from eternity. And this comes with it, or this brings with it the greatest comfort. Notice what Calvin says on this.
What would be the stability of our faith if we believed that a remedy for mankind had suddenly occurred at length to God after some thousands of years? What would be the stability of our faith? Faith resting in a mutable God, a changing God, a God who doesn't know what he's doing? There is no such God over us.
The God over us, the only God, the living and true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is unchanging. Unchanging in whatever it is, His being, His infinite wisdom, His goodness, His love, His plan to affect and bring about the salvation of a multitude which no man can number. We have an unchanging God, an immutable God. He goes on to say, in short, we cannot confidently rest on Christ, except we are convinced that eternal salvation is in Him and always has been in Him.
Salvation has always been in Christ. From the outset, the first breath drawn by humanity, Salvation was by Christ alone. The first flower that flowered, the first tree that treed, the first cheetah that cheetahed. From the first point of creation, salvation was from a triune God through Jesus Christ alone, and those found safely in the number brought forth from death to life by virtue of the perfection of God's amazing grace and Christ's sacrifice.
Well, lastly, as we move to a close,
The Singular Uniqueness and Certain Truth
notice, thirdly, if you find your way back to 1 Peter, Thirdly and lastly, the singular uniqueness and certain truth of the redeeming death of Christ. First, there is a point being made respecting the historical coming of the son of God to die for his people. Notice in verse 20, he indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. Wouldn't that have been a blessed time to live if you were among those who were eagerly anticipating the coming of the Son of God?
Remember that time when Jesus was a babe and that man, Simeon, comes and holds the baby in his arms and rejoices that the consolation of Israel had now arised and that his servant could go in peace. What a beautiful thing. But was manifest in these last times for you. Imagine you're waiting, you're singing along with those incarnational hymns, O come, O come, Emmanuel.
You want the sin and the death and the curse to definitively be dealt with by the promised victor and Messiah. You're living at a time and you hear that this babe has been born in the city of David, this one who is Christ the Lord. What a time of times it would have been. This one promise to be manifested was now manifested.
There is a point being made respecting the historical coming of the son of God to die for his people. Notice in Titus 1.3, if you can turn there. We're drawing to a close, but just to see the glory of this coming, and this isn't lost on you, I know, and this is rehearsal, I know. You see, brethren, we don't come to a knowledge of the gospel and the incarnation, the death, or burial, resurrection of Jesus Christ at the outset of our conversion, at the time of our conversion, and yeah, until we're maybe adequately instructed, and then, you know, let's move on to other things.
Like I said earlier, do we still have to dwell on the glories and the riches and the excellencies of Christ? Can't we move on to some sort of weird interpretation of the seven trumpets and the scrolls of Revelation? Because that draws my allure much, much stronger. From our first breath as a Christian to our last breath as a Christian, the stuff of our vigor and vitality is the stuff of Christ, manifest in the world, hung upon a cross, raised the third day, the glories of the gospel.
Notice in Titus 1 at verse 3, But has well backing up to verse 2 in hope of eternal life Which God who cannot lie promised before time began but has in due time manifested his word through Preaching which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior you see there the glories of the manifesting of the Son of God in time and Glorious reality that he came forth sinners to save and
Christ Was Truly Manifested in History
notice secondly and lastly that there is an accompanying fact that he Really was manifested back in first Peter one notice this this language who? He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times For you the reality that he was manifest brethren are our faith in our glorious profession does not rest upon a upon uncertain things and upon fairy tales and upon things that did not occur, but Christ really was manifest. Hopefully it's not just a concept to us as Christians or some sort of a notion, some sort of, you know, sort of floating ethereal reality out there that just comes to a little bit more pointed on the day of preaching when the preacher is proclaiming to you, but he really was manifest. Christ came as promised.
Christ died as promised. And Christ then has redeemed us as promised. That blessed language of 2 Peter. You see, because our faith ultimately, and in the final and ultimate test, rests upon the Scriptures.
But remember that the Scriptures come to us with the weight and with the testimony of eyewitnesses. Before we pray, notice the weight and the glory of this language in 2 Peter 1, verse 16. For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to him from the excellent glory, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.
And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. You see the weight and the force of the testimony that we have as Christians, not fairy tale, not that stuff of unicorns and pixie dust, but the stuff of most certain history that comes with the attendant theology that this death of Christ, this precious blood of Christ is for the forgiveness of sins. So on a hot July 1st in Chilliwack, we're to leave with the reality that our redemption is absolutely glorious. doesn't rest upon corruptible things, the grass withers, the flower fades away, but the precious blood of Christ secures the things of forever and eternal life. Those are the things that we are to grip on, to enjoy, unto praise to God, physical things that are lawful to enjoy.
But let never those things draw the eye of your allure. Never let those things bring you away from the proper and the daily and the Sunday in and Sunday out reflection and grip upon this Jesus who shed his precious blood for sinners. And if you're here tonight because Christians are to observe the Lord's Supper, as you take the Lord's Supper, as you're commanded to do joyfully in obedience to your master, You reflect not upon your own goodness and upon your own performance, but upon the precious blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanses his people from all iniquity. Saints rejoice in this Christ and sinners outside of saving faith You haven't believed in the Lord Jesus Christ in only a small sampling of text and only a short while of preaching Hopefully you did not see anything ugly about this Jesus But everything glorious in this Christ this lamb of God without blemish and without spot make no mistake this precious blood-shedding wasn't simply because he was brought to the cross by wicked hands, though he was brought to the cross by wicked hands.
It was for ordained from before the foundation of the world by a thrice holy God, but not simply as an example, but to redeem sinners. And all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. If you're here this morning and that's you, you do not believe, you have not confessed faith in Jesus Christ. know that his death then won't avail for you on that great and final day, because his death is for his people, those who believe in his name. You will die a death of deaths, and Christ's death will not be for you if you do not believe, and you'll be cast into the lake of fire reserved for the devil and his angels.
Rest upon his precious blood now. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, avail of the forgiveness of sins. There is everything precious about this Christ, nothing precious about your own sin. Repent and have faith in this Jesus and know the bliss of the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life
Closing Prayer
Well, let us pray God. We rejoice in your word. We thank you for what your word declares to us Regarding our precious Savior and his precious blood. We do pray that you'd go with us help us to recollect to dwell upon to to just think upon and rejoice in the glories and the excellencies of Jesus Christ, that one who came from on high to give himself upon Calvary's cross.
We rejoice in this truth and we just pray that you'd be with us this afternoon, bring us back together for your Lord's Supper, that we might rejoice in the Savior, that we might joyfully be in obedience to that ordinance, Where we take and we eat we take and we drink in remembrance of so great of Jesus And go with us now help us to live in a manner worthy of our calling by grace And we pray in Christ's precious name. Amen Well if you can stand again, it's been a long hour and 25 minutes stand with me and let's sing a doxology as Peter gave that doxology