[0:00] Why do we remember the Lord's death again and again? Well, because our faith weakens, our faith slips, and we remember then to strengthen our faith.
[0:17] That our faith might see again with spiritual eyes the goodness of God, the glory of God shining.
[0:32] 2 Corinthians, Paul says, shining in the face of Christ Jesus. And so our faith beholds that glory as it's shining through Jesus Christ and especially through his cross.
[0:49] And that's why we remember. Because our faith needs to see him again.
[1:00] To see how trustworthy he is. So that we could believe with new joy. With renewed love. That we would have renewed confidence in who Jesus is and what God has done for us.
[1:17] That just like those two disciples who, after the resurrection, were on the road to Emmaus. And you remember how it described their hearts as they had dealings with Jesus.
[1:30] It said their hearts burned. Have you ever seen, and I'm sure you have, you're sitting around the fire and the fire dies and it's now nothing but coals.
[1:41] And if someone blows on it though, where there was no flames, all of a sudden it bursts into flames again. Well, that's what we want to happen tonight. And so, what can our faith feast on tonight?
[1:55] What can our spiritual eyes see tonight that would renew that love? Renew that confidence? Well, take your Bibles and turn to 1 Peter chapter 1.
[2:09] And Jeff, can I have the lights turned on, please? Thanks. 1 Peter chapter 1. Chapter 1 and verse 20 is going to be our main focus tonight.
[2:21] But I want you to look at the context. We're not going to go through the entire context. But Peter is encouraging his readers to holiness.
[2:33] And he's giving them the reasons that they should be holy. And he's stacking reason upon reason. Look at verse 14.
[2:45] Be holy because of who you are. You are obedient children. And that's how you should behave. So, be holy because of who you are.
[2:56] Next is, be holy because of who called you into his family. Be holy because I am holy. And when we come to God, we need to live a life that's holy just like he is holy.
[3:10] Next is, be holy because of who will judge you. We call on a father who judges each man's work impartially. So, he's stacking these reasons that the readers should pursue holiness.
[3:24] That we, as the people of God, elect from every nation, from all of these different places, should pursue holiness. But now he's going to come to his strongest encouragement.
[3:38] The thing that should pierce our heart the deepest. Be holy because of who God chose for you.
[3:50] Be holy because of who God, the Father, put away. Chose. Laid aside for you.
[4:01] Who and how you were saved. And because of who saved you and how you were saved. That should motivate holiness. That really is the end of this new sight.
[4:14] This fresh eyes. This fresh confidence that I'm praying that you will experience. That then as you leave, you will have this greater motivation. That out of love and out of faith and out of confidence, you will live a holy life.
[4:29] Well, of who and how you were saved. So, that's verse 18. And so, here we are now in the direct context. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life.
[4:45] Handed down to you from your forefathers. But with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
[4:55] He was chosen before the creation of the world. But was revealed in these last times for your sake. Now, you notice, first of all, just what unholy life is.
[5:11] It's an empty way of life. Sin is an empty life. It's a hollow, pointless, dead end kind of life. It begins with you and it terminates with you.
[5:22] And what Peter is saying is that's all that we had. We didn't have anything. If you were to take all the meaningful, lasting, imperishable things about our life and pile them in a pile, you would have literally nothing.
[5:40] Nothing to give to God. Nothing to show to God. Nothing that would certainly merit and survive that judgment of what she just talked about.
[5:50] This father who's going to judge each man's work impartially. And so all we had was emptiness and our righteousness was empty. Our religion was empty. Nothing good.
[6:01] Nothing lasting. Nothing precious. Nothing precious. All I had was what was perishable. So nothing could stand before that father who's going to judge my works impartially.
[6:19] He would see right through it. He would see right through it. And so I have nothing to give to God. Nothing I could save myself with.
[6:32] Praise God. Praise the father in heaven. He provided. He saw that. And he chose someone that would save us.
[6:46] And then that's verse 20. Again, he, that is Jesus Christ. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
[6:58] Now, Peter has already called the people that he was writing to. You can see this in verses, just even in verse 1. They're the elect. He's already talked about them.
[7:10] Elect and chosen. Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. The Father chose us. The Father chose us. And so our salvation was planned and provided for and seen and taken care of in a certain way.
[7:28] But here Peter is saying, the Father didn't just choose you. He chose Jesus. He chose Jesus. Now, we should be asking, in what way?
[7:40] What for? He chose us for salvation. He chose us, verses 2 and 3 and following, as the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of his blood.
[7:52] Those are the things that he chose us for. But what did he choose Jesus for? Well, we could say a lot of things. He was chosen as our Savior.
[8:04] He was chosen as our Lord. He was chosen as our mediator. The go-between, between God and man. He was chosen to be the Messiah, the Christ, in which all of the promises of the Old Testament, which Peter talks about, that the prophets, they were lurking intently, trying to figure out his sufferings and his glories, and what all that meant.
[8:31] All those promises of the Messiah. Jesus was chosen as the Messiah. He was chosen as the head of the new creation. The second Adam. In him, we are chosen.
[8:47] In him, we are justified. In him, we are predestined. And so he was chosen for all of those things. But I think if you look at the context, you see specifically what Peter has in mind of what Jesus was chosen for.
[9:06] What exactly he was chosen as. He was chosen to be a lamb that would be sacrificed. To offer his blood to redeem us.
[9:21] It says, for our sakes. He was revealed for our sake. He was chosen for our sake. Now, he was revealed.
[9:33] This is not the main point of the sermon here, but he was revealed for our sake. That is what the incarnation is about. That's what this morning's message was about.
[9:44] It was about the revelation of, this is the Messiah. This is the Christ. This is the one you've been looking for. And all of a sudden, people are starting to see him. And it's the shepherds are seeing him.
[9:55] And Mary and Joseph are treasuring him. In the little town of Bethlehem, people are hearing about him. And as it goes forth, he was revealed in his birth. He was revealed in the time when Augustus was in power and Quirinius was the governor of Syria.
[10:11] He came and God's plan of salvation was uncovered. The wrapping started coming off of the package. So everyone could see this thing that God had stored up for humanity, for us.
[10:26] And then you remember, that's not how, well, that's not how Mark begins his gospel. Mark begins his gospel with John the Baptist. And John the Baptist saying, Behold, the Lamb of God, who will take away the sins of the world.
[10:42] And in that way, he was beginning to be revealed to Israel. He was revealed to be the Lamb of God through his resurrection. When after his death, he rose again.
[10:54] And that was the father saying, The sacrifice has been made. The Lamb has been sacrificed. There's no more need. He did enough.
[11:06] He was revealed to these people in 1 Peter. He was revealed to us. Not through our eyes. Not through hearing John the Baptist. Not through seeing his resurrection.
[11:18] But through the apostolic preaching of the gospel. And the Holy Spirit comes. And he reveals the Lord Jesus to us.
[11:30] And the one that we need to believe. We see him. And the eyes of our hearts see him. And he's revealed to us for our sakes. He was revealed that we could believe him.
[11:45] He was revealed and we heard the good news. In order that we could be saved. But before he was revealed to us. He was chosen for us. He was chosen for us.
[11:58] We were chosen for him. And he was chosen for us. So before creation. Before the foundation of the earth. God, as it were, put his hand upon him.
[12:11] The Father went through the entire flock of heaven. So to speak. But no angel would do. No angel could save your soul.
[12:27] No angel could. Even if they were willing. None of the seraphim. With their six wings. And their eyes.
[12:38] And their voices. They couldn't save us. Not the cherubim. With their flashing swords. Not any angel.
[12:49] No archangel. No power. No dominion. No authority. These are all. They are all mighty beings. Of authority. And glory. But none would do.
[13:05] None of them would do. As the lamb. That could save. Men from their sins. Even if they were all put together on the altar. It would not be enough.
[13:17] Now their lives are precious. Their lives are precious. But not that precious. They are holy. As holy angels. They are holy.
[13:28] But they are not. That holy. So none at all. None of the flock in heaven. Would do. There was only. One.
[13:39] Lamb. There was only one. And I want you to see. And experience. And taste again. The grace of God. Because this one lamb.
[13:51] Was. His father's Isaac. His father's. Joy. And laughter. This was his precious son. His one and only.
[14:02] Son. John says he was in the bosom of the father. He lived really close to the father's heart. He never ventured far away from where God was.
[14:14] They were so. Enraptured. And in. With each other. But. Glory be to God. That's who he chose for us.
[14:27] He chose his son. For this highest honor. And this most horrific. Duty. This most terrible task.
[14:39] He chose him for death. And sacrifice. Christ. For our. Sakes. Now. Revelation 13. 8. Is very. Similar.
[14:49] To this passage. It says that. The lamb was slain. From the creation of the world. This lamb. He was slain.
[14:59] From the very creation of the world. Now. That doesn't mean that. Literally. That he was always. Dead. But that he was. Chosen for this. He was. Set aside. For this.
[15:11] This was forever. Going to be. The plan. So. The father. Laid him up. The father. Put him aside. He put aside his lamb. For our need.
[15:21] The hour. Of our distress. The hour. Of our. We. Desperately. Need someone. To rescue us. So. When that moment.
[15:32] Was going to come. And it was going to come. When. All of our sins. Were going to be against us. And all of the. The devil's accusations. Would be against us. And when God's law.
[15:44] Would be. Saying to. God. The soul. That sinned. Shall die. Cursed. Is everyone. Who doesn't continue. To do everything.
[15:54] Written in the law. Cursed. Is everyone. Who doesn't continue. To do everything. Written in the law. And. So. What do we have here?
[16:06] We have our sin. Against us. We have the devil. Against us. We have God's law. Against us. We even have our own. Consciences. Screaming. With David. With Nathan.
[16:17] Saying. You are the man. You're the liar. You're the wicked man. You're the cheater. You're the immoral.
[16:28] You're the godless. You are the ungrateful. faithful. And when the day of judgment would come. And justice would say. Everlasting burnings.
[16:39] Everlasting darkness. Away from me. That hour was going to come. That hour was going to come.
[16:49] When we had nothing. And everything was against us. When every rock. And every blade of grass.
[17:01] And every one of God's creatures. Would be against us. Our father knew that that hour would come. When heaven. And earth.
[17:14] And under the earth. Would be all against us. And our need. Would be like Mount Everest. Immovable. Massive.
[17:25] And he said. I will put aside. A sacrifice. I will choose a sacrifice. For that hour. And in that hour. I will have a lamb.
[17:36] That is ready for them. A lamb. Ready to die for them. So great. Is his love. For us. What was the big takeaway.
[17:49] From Abraham. Going to sacrifice his son. Remember how that story ends. Abraham is ready. To strike his son. And at the very last moment.
[18:02] God stops him. And he provided. A ram. And the takeaway. From that is. From then on. It was said.
[18:13] On the mountain of the Lord. It will be provided. Now. You would say. A father. Who laid up. Money.
[18:23] For his children. Loved his children. Wouldn't you? You would say. A father. Who looked ahead. And said. I am going to make sure. My children are provided for. If something should happen.
[18:34] I am going to make sure. That they are taken care of. So. I am going to get life insurance. If I die. I am going to make sure. My children are provided for. Well. That is how a father. Loves his children.
[18:45] So. You know. Years ago. We set up a 529 plan. For our children. I am sure many of you. Have the same thing. Where. Where. We are going to save up.
[18:56] For our children's college. And the years have come. And go. And we put money into that account. And we are waiting for the day. When they are going to go off to college. And they are going to need it. They are going to need it.
[19:06] They are going to need it. Now. Every dollar cost us something. Every dollar said. You know what. I have to say no to myself. So that I can say yes to them. But.
[19:17] I said. They will have a need. And I am going to make. Provision. For it. I am going to provide for it. I am going to lay something aside. I am going to set something up for them. And that is what our father did for us.
[19:32] And just look. At what he has provided for us. So if you say. A father that would lay aside. Set up. Set aside some money for their children. Love their children.
[19:43] Look at what our father has provided for us. Look what he chose for us. Was God stingy with you? Did he scrimp on your need?
[19:55] Peter says. We were redeemed with. Look at what it says. Precious blood. Precious. Well. It is precious. Because the lamb is precious.
[20:06] The lamb was nothing less than the son of God. We have already talked about that. This is the father's pure delight. And so. I think we have the tendency to read this.
[20:18] And say. Well. He is precious to us. And that is definitely true. And. I am not denying that. His blood is precious to us. Because. It is by his blood. That we are saved.
[20:28] We are forgiven. So how precious is this blood? Well. All of the wealth in the whole world can't save you.
[20:42] Can't save you from death. Can't save you from judgment. Can't turn God away from doing what he will with you. All the wealth of the world. So Jesus asked. What good does it do a man.
[20:53] If he gains the whole world. And yet loses his own soul. We are saying. My debt is too great for deeds to pay. So.
[21:05] How precious is this? All of my good deeds. Can never pay this debt. But Jesus paid it all. Right down to the very last penny. And so. You go and check your.
[21:17] Your mortgage payment. After you made the last payment. And it just says. Zero. Zero. Zero. Down to the last cent. That's what Jesus did. Paid it down to the last penny.
[21:28] And so then we say. Jesus. Jesus. Precious Jesus. But. I want you to.
[21:40] I want you to see. But more than how precious he is to us. His blood. This lamb. Is precious to his father. Again.
[21:52] What is this? What is this blood? Well. This is his son's life. It's his son's love. It's his son's hope.
[22:03] It's his son's agony. It's his son's joy. It's his son's hope. For the joy set before him. He endured the cross. All of this. His whole life poured out.
[22:14] This is. What this is. His son's pain. His son's steadfast purpose. The agony of his soul. The love of his soul. The joy of his soul.
[22:24] That's what is represented in this blood. And so. It was the father's lamb. He slept in his arms. And he worked by his side. And he.
[22:36] Forever was his Isaac. Making his father heart dance. And so. Yes. Jesus. This lamb is precious to you. But. More than that. He is precious to his father.
[22:50] And I am so glad he is. I'm so glad. That my salvation. Does not depend on how much. I value. Jesus. And his blood. But how much his father.
[23:01] Values. Jesus. And his blood. Because my heart wavers. My heart goes off on other. On tangents.
[23:13] But never the father's heart. It's like that rainbow. That we see. In the sky. That rainbow. Is not so much about. Reminding us. Of what God has promised.
[23:24] That I'll never destroy the earth again. With water. It says. It's. God will see it. And remember. It's about. A reminder to the Lord.
[23:36] So. I can see lots of rainbows. And never remember that promise. But God never sees a rainbow. And. And doesn't remember what he promised. That promise. Our salvation.
[23:49] Rest on not how much Christ is worth. To me. So much as how much. And how precious he is to his father. So how precious is he to his father?
[24:01] Well. It's enough to save. A host. A multitude. Without number. And that's who he chose for us. That's who he chose for us.
[24:13] That's who he set aside for us. Nothing more. There's no greater treasure. And so what did. What did the father choose for us? Well. Peter says. A precious lamb.
[24:23] A lamb without blemish. Or defect. He gave you. The very. Best. In heaven. That's how much he loves you.
[24:34] Jesus doesn't come short. In any way. Here's a lamb that perfectly. Matches. Our need. Here's a.
[24:44] Here's a lamb. That perfectly. Matches. The holiness. Of God. Perfectly. Satisfies. The holiness. Of God. He said.
[24:54] Be holy. Because I am holy. But our lives didn't match that. We fell short of the glory of God. And so. We say.
[25:04] I am stained. But not him. He's pure and spotless. He fits perfectly. All the ways. I have fallen short. So.
[25:18] Do you. Do you see this? Do you see it? Do you. Do you. Do you. Is your. Is your. The eyes of your face. Seeing this. He laid up. For us. Exactly.
[25:28] What we would need. Nothing less. Nothing less. So here's this. Ocean of love. That's in the father's heart. You can start to see it.
[25:42] Here's this. Ocean of love. Do you need anything more. Than what your father has given to you. Can you add anything. To Jesus.
[25:52] Jesus. And say. Oh here's the bonus. A thousand times. No. I don't add anything to Christ. I don't add anything. To God's provision.
[26:03] That would be like me. Going and adding spices. To some sort of famous. Chef's. Most spectacular dish. It would be an insult to him.
[26:14] And when it would be folly. For me. And so don't insult your father. By trying to bring your righteousness. Your goodness. Your goodness. Even your sadness.
[26:25] And your sorrow. And you're saying. See Lord. Look how badly I feel. Or look at what I've done. Don't. Don't add all of that. To what Jesus has done. The lamb is all you need.
[26:36] God the father didn't give almost enough. Almost enough. And then you just need to add. The garnish on the top. He didn't set aside.
[26:48] Almost enough of a savior. Almost enough of a sacrifice. If you needed something else. God the father would have given it to you. If he didn't spare his own son. Would he give you.
[27:01] Wouldn't he give you. Whatever you needed. Would he leave it up to you to add. A thousand times no. The father's. Lamb. Is enough.
[27:17] Brothers and sisters. I hope you're seeing the. Seeing again. The love of God the father. And I hope you're seeing again. The perfection.
[27:28] Of Jesus Christ. Here is this ocean. Of love. Rest in that love. Rest.
[27:39] In that love. Strengthen yourself in that love. Here's a safe harbor. For when your conscience is screaming. Or when the devil is throwing all of his.
[27:51] His fiery darts. Remember what God has provided for you. Remember. What he has planned for you. The salvation.
[28:02] This Christ on the cross. This is not an alternate plan. That that came up at the last minute. It wasn't. Anything like that. No. This was his forever plan. For you.
[28:15] Remember what he's. Provided for you. And treasure. Christ. Treasure him. I want you to think about that word.
[28:25] Just for a second. Treasure him. Mary treasured up all these things in her heart. They were worth so much to her. How many times she probably took them out.
[28:37] And looked at all these things that happened. And she loved. She loved this. Her son. For what he was going to do. And she loved God for choosing her. She treasured.
[28:47] This was valuable. Would Mary choose any of these things. Would she choose anything else? No. And treasure Christ.
[28:58] And if this is what your father has chosen for you. Then choose Jesus for yourself. What more could we want? Jesus gave himself.
[29:09] He gave his body. And his blood. And then choose him for yourself. And close with him tonight. Worship him tonight. Love him tonight. Love him tonight.
[29:22] Let your heart go out to him. Love him tonight. Even as we. Eat this bread. And we drink this cup. Well may God help us.
[29:33] Amen.