Tracing Christ (Part C)

Human history has never seen such restraint as in Jesus Christ. Nope, not one. All are sinners. There's none righteous. No, not one. That's the truth. None have the restraint of Christ. Nope, not one. He faced the mock trial, the false judges, the lying witnesses, the biased jury.

He did not take law into his own hands even though he had every right to. This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of 1st Peter. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross-Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching.

Today, Pastor Rick continues his message called Tracing Christ as he teaches through 1st Peter chapter 2. What the Greeks had was a tablet with all the Greek letters on it. And they would put paper over that and they would teach the students how to write the letters by tracing the Greek letters from alpha to omega.

It was a copy. It was something to trace, leaving us an example. We are to trace Christ. We are to follow his example, his life. We are to put atop of his life our life and mimic it as best we can, imitate it, better word. So the word there again, for example, in the Greek is the word for the tablet used. It had other uses too, but essentially a letter to copy. You could also say that.

You'd be accurate. How do we come up with these understandings? Well, we look, not we, me, but those who are scholars of language, they look into the various secular writings and see how a word was used by their philosophers and their scholars. And that brings them closer to understand how the word was used so they make sure they get it right in its context, syntax, and all the text about it.

And we are very grateful for them. And so that is a powerful part, and we're going to move on because it doesn't need to be enhanced. You don't paint gold.

You polish it. You take it as it is, and this is one of those sections of scriptures where he says he leaves us something to trace himself. Verse 22, who committed no sin.

This is the one we're tracing. Nor was deceit found in his mouth. This is a quotation from Isaiah 53, but it is also a statement of observed fact. Peter was there.

He said, look, they never had anything on him. Isaiah 53, one of the most beautiful chapters in all the scripture because of how Christ fulfilled it, but a very sorrowful chapter to read. So much so, the Ethiopian eunuch asked Philip, who is he talking about, himself or someone else? Who is this great sufferer of Isaiah 53? Verse 9 of Isaiah 53, they made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich at his death because he had done no violence, nor was any deceit found in his mouth.

The prophet called it long before it happened. There'd be nothing in Christ charged with falsity or sin. There was no work of the devil in him. The only sin found in Jesus belonged to you and me.

The only righteousness found in you and me belongs to Jesus. Thank you, Lord, because he could have just scrapped us. He did not. He died for us sending his son. He was incapable of sin because of who he is. John's gospel, he says this in chapter 14, the ruler of this world, that is Satan, is coming, and he has nothing in me.

There's nothing inside of me that he can connect to. The only person the Bible says is sinless in this way is Jesus the Christ our Lord, and anyone who says otherwise speaks heresy. His walk, his talk, his work, all of it flawless, all of it perfect. Such a statement can be made of no one else, not Buddha, not Confucius, not Mary, not Muhammad. All of them that I just named needed a savior to be forgiven by a holy God like every other human being. The great heroes of the Jewish faith, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Daniel, all of them need a savior. All of them were sinful men, and in Christ there is the savior. You know, no one really goes to hell because of sin. They go to hell for rejecting Christ, because if you went to hell because of sin, then we're all going to hell. What keeps us out of that hot place is him, the Lord Jesus Christ.

What about all those other ones, those hard cases? They're not hard to God. He'll do the right thing, and that's good with me. Verse 23, who when he was reviled did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously.

You read that, when he was reviled, he did not revile in return. I say to myself, are you kidding me? You know what happens when I'm reviled? My feelings get hurt. And you know what happens when your feelings get hurt? I mean, it is a big thing. When someone has penetrated your defenses and touched you emotionally in a bad way, it is a big thing. You look at them, you can have contempt, disgust, you want to avoid, there's a whole range of things depending on the moment, the personality, the circumstances, there's a whole range of things that make you want to strike back in some form.

Even if it's, I just will withdraw, I won't be around him, I won't say hi, there's all sorts of stuff going on. Christ did none of that. None of it. They hurt his feelings. They said, you're a child of fornication, we're not.

He took it. He continued to minister, preach truth. The one that detonated the universe could have snuffed them out at any time, and he did not. Human history has never seen such restraint as in Jesus Christ. Nope, not one. All are sinners, there's none righteous, no not one. That's the truth. None have the restraint of Christ. Nope, not one. He faced the mock trial, the false judges, the lying witnesses, the biased jury.

He did not take law into his own hands even though he had every right to. He said, I can call 72,000 angels. All I have to do is sigh deeply. And you've had it. One angel, one angel grabbed Satan, changed him, and thrust him into jail. One angel.

What would 72,000 of them do? And he's just toying with them because he doesn't have to call any of them. What a magnificent Lord we have, the truth of which has not yet been fully told, but we have enough of the truth to get to the second part. While his miracles were awesome, proper use of the word.

I'm going to pass that up. His restraint, what do you call that? Again the one that has formed the galaxies and maintains them. You know how much energy is tied up in the universe? In an atom, how much energy is built into that and yet he holds it together as we are told even in the New Testament upholding all things by the word of his power.

Keeping it all in check. To have such power to create and hold together so much and then to hold back against those who are going to hurt you and hurt the ones you love incidentally. Isaiah 43 verse 3, a bruised reed he will not break, a smoking flax he will not quench.

He will bring forth justice and truth. A bruised reed. That's weakness atop of weakness.

A reed is not very strong. To have it damaged further weakens it and yet the Lord does not come in like a bully and trample the weak. He is the one that endears himself to the weak that will have him a smoking flax.

A smoking flax is something that has an element of self-destruction at work. It's burning away and he doesn't come in and just snuff it out. He's too patient. He'll let his enemies smolder against him till the right time. He'll let the bruised reed be bruised without doing it damage but the whole time there are other forces of his person at work to save and to reach the lost. It says here in verse 23 when he suffered he did not threaten. With what he did and what he didn't do. What he did is suffer. What he didn't do is threaten.

This is what makes him awesome because you look at this you say who can do this stuff and didn't even wear a cape. Isaiah 53 verse 7 he was oppressed he was afflicted. Isaiah speaking about events that would happen over 700 years after his writing is speaking in the present tense. He was oppressed he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth present in past mix.

He was led past tense though at 700 years away as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before its shearers is silent so he opened not his mouth. Grace is strength held back held in reserve. You can treat an egg with grace or you can crush it but committed himself to him who judges righteously. See this is the thing I struggle with sometimes because God said again you know I joke humorously but there's an element of truth in this. God acts like he's got forever. Like he's eternal well because he is but me I have a I have a clock that's racing and there are results that I want there's effort that I've put into things and I want to see the harvest and I sometimes feel cheated.

I don't believe it I don't succumb to it I just notice it and I notice the feelings that come with the package to feel cheated to feel robbed. When I feel that way it's because I'm not committing myself to the goodness and greatness of God. Christ did on the cross all the way through he just this will be handled according to the scriptures he never allowed himself to be diverted from his faith or his mission verse 24. I don't know about you but I love talking about Jesus.

Those of you who might have a problem you love talking about other people maybe you should learn to talk about Jesus. Verse 24 who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree that we having died to sins might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. Well who himself bore our sins God personally and painfully got involved. We cannot follow his example in redemption we are tracing Christ we are following example of leadership of life of faith of suffering of everything except redemption.

We can't do that. There are certain things about Jesus we have no part in we stop it's illustrated for us very briefly in the book of Genesis and Abraham said to his young men stay here with the donkey the lad and I will go yonder. Abraham said when he was told to take his son his only son whom he loved God said take him to a hill that I will show you and offer him a burnt offering there. Abraham knew God was going to let him keep that boy was a young man at this time. And so he says prophetically you stay here I and the lad will go yonder and we will be back. God the father says my son and I will do things you stay here we'll be back. So that's a wonderful illustration it says here on a tree. Peter states the gruesome fact the Jehovah witnesses as they do they're wrong with this whole thing oh crazy died on a tree not a cross they just so dumb and just you got to be patient and rebuke them if given the chance the other day.

The other day I'm outside and these CDs this couple walking through the neighborhood and I'm thinking it's them. So maybe so they come to our house and ring the bell and I step out. And I'm ready ready and I say Jehovah witnesses. They said no Baptist. What a long Baptist my brothers do you know how hard it is to get that pin back in the grenade.

So anyway. Why does Peter and Paul why do they refer to the cross as a tree that's what it was by using the tree they tied the cross into the curse prophesied by Moses in law and prophecy Deuteronomy 21 verse 23 for he was saying on a tree is a curse of God. You see that when they put Christ on the cross he became a curse because he took our sin on him.

It is tied directly to Deuteronomy so that way there's no mistake that he took our sin. He who knew no sin he who was incapable of sin a cursed tree as opposed to a cursed cross because in Moses day crosses were relatively unknown as Christ was crucified on. They had other means of executing people in the cross was not it but the tree as an image an emblem is timeless and so both Peter and Paul use it in the book of Acts concerning the crucifixion of Christ but they also use the cross of Christ because they understood it was one in the same thing but the tree put on that cross the curse of sin.

Simon the Syrian. He did not carry the tree of Christ. He carried the cross of Christ that became the tree of the curse when Christ was crucified on it. So forever linking the cross to Deuteronomy prophetic utterance Paul says Christ has redeemed us Galatians 3 13 from the curse of the law that ties it in with Deuteronomy the second account of the law. Not a different one he continues Paul does having become a curse for us for it is written cursed as everyone who hangs on a tree so he ties it into Deuteronomy. So we understand that when we talk about the tree that Christ was crucified on we understand it was prophetically uttered in its connection to being cursed on our behalf. That we he continues here in verse 24 having died to sins might live for righteousness.

Well what's the alternative. If we're not to live for righteousness as Christians what are we to live for. Anything you put in there outside of the righteousness of Jesus Christ is wrong. Which Paul said for me to die is gain to live is Christ. This one thing I do. It's all over on the testaments that doesn't mean that I mean well what does that mean.

How do I do this. Well you live in the place that God has put you. For example if you are a middle class person will live as a middle class person in righteousness.

It doesn't mean well and I've got to be poor and live and find a garment that was seamless and wear that and be like of course it is there are greater things God wants us to be concerned with and that is. Tracing Christ on behalf of lost souls. As long as a Christian has breath and consciousness our role in life is to minister the gospel in some way. If we cannot preach it we can pray for those who do. I believe the scripture says the ladies are not to be pastors in the church having authority over the men. But they can give birth to pastors. They can preach to the world the gospel nonetheless without shame without hesitation. They can give the full blown gospel.

It is not a deal breaker. It is a glorious thing to think about such mothers as Susanna Wesley who gave us both John and Charles Wesley. The songs that you know John Wesley saved England from the reign of terror that befell France not long after his death.

France fell apart became atheistic violent hostile butchers of the unborn and the born alike because there was no gospel. But in England England the preaching of John Wesley and his brother the songs of Charles Wesley the ministry of those two men. It is said that John Wesley put over 400,000 miles on horseback to preach the gospel. Samuel Johnson was a great brain of that day was frustrated that Wesley wouldn't stay put long enough to engage him in conversation. Because Wesley had other things to do than to sit there and talk about dictionaries.

And he'd be off preaching to anybody he could I mean just a great a dynamo. He was almost lost his life as a little lad. His father was a preacher Samuel Wesley. The house the parish caught on fire and they just barely saved Wesley from the fire and forever he referred to himself as a brand plucked from the burning. And anyway I didn't mean to go into to to John Wesley he was only about five foot seven.

His social security number one. I don't know why I brought all that up is somewhere in there. But his life he lived I mean you can don't sell yourself short in Christ. Because you have the power of God that works in your life.

We all do it's a fight not to. By whose stripes we are healed he says. Well without those stripes life without crisis life without salvation. Those the stripe is singular in the Greek one scholar has pointed all two of them have pointed out.

I tried to get a bevy of scholars before I make certain statements that make sure I'm not taking liberties I don't have. Anyway he's not talking about the beatings of Christ with the whip and fist and whatever other things that were put upon him. He's talking about the cross. The suffering on the cross was the judgment of God on him for us as he was our substitute. So this verse where he says by whose stripes were healed healed this is spiritual healing from what sin has done to humanity. To the individual and that is damn their soul separate them from a holy God. Verse twenty five for you were like sheep going astray but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.

And not very flattering. To say that someone's like a sheep. Sheep they don't have the greatest reputation as being smart. I know there are those that will say no sheep are real smart.

Listen because they can remember one or two things that you know they're really not. And maybe because they're so emotional. Really you ever see them trying to get out of a small hole a flock of them. They just all cry.

I mean it's a joke almost. It used to be a thing where two two men would try to walk through a door at the same time and they become wedged. Well that's humorous but the sheep they do it without trying to be funny because they don't know any better. I did a lot of watching of YouTube videos on sheep.

Because I'm not a country boy what do I know about sheep. Nothing. Anyway. I know.

Where was I. Well they're not strong. You never see a sheep pulling a cart.

Not very well at least. They're not swift. You don't see them fake out a wolf. They're just not. They're not intelligent animals. They have some intelligence of course. But not a lot.

They have not much knowledge of direction and being defenseless. What an accurate description. We are like sheep. Again though it's not flattering. If he had said my people are like lions.

That's me. No he said sheep. And when we embrace this I think we get stronger. I think we begin to understand okay this is this is how it's happening so what's my what is my defense then if I'm a sheep. Well the shepherd is your defense.

That is. That now gives me hope he says but now have returned or turned towards the Greek word can also mean convert turned towards. To the shepherd and overseer of your souls.

Once lost now not lost is the idea. With the shepherd the good shepherd. This is messianic because the Old Testament had much to say about the coming servant the shepherd of God. It also has much to say about the false shepherd Antichrist and the false shepherds of the world. And so once without a good shepherd now we have him. Acts chapter 3 verse 19 Peter said repent therefore and be converted that has come to the shepherd turn towards him that your sins may be blotted out. So that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. People do not go to hell again because of sins.

They go to hell because rejecting Christ. That's where we are now. And this is something that we have been entrusted with by God. As far as our message purpose is to preach this message and uphold it and it takes a lot to uphold it. We're so glad you tuned in today to study the book of 1 Peter on Cross Reference Radio. Cross Reference Radio is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. And we're blessed to bring you God's word with each broadcast. If you'd like more information about this program or want to listen to additional teachings from Pastor Rick, please visit our website crossreferenceradio.com. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never have to miss a program. Just search for Cross Reference Radio in iTunes, Google Play Music or your favorite podcast app. We hope you'll tune in again next time to join us as we continue our study through the scriptures right here on Cross Reference Radio.