The Legacy of History

Music playing First series in the book of 1 Peter.

First series is chapter 1 verses 1 to 12. The identity of a free people. The title of today's message is the Legacy of Liberty. It's the story of redemption and reconciliation through history. It's not something that just began when Jesus came.

There's a legacy there. There was a lot happening and going on through the Old Testament and this is what Peter is writing about in verses 10 through 12 which is our focus today. We ended last Sunday with verse 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. And then verse 10 where we begin today concerning this salvation. So I want to stop there and let's focus on the salvation of God. Because there's a legacy here concerning this salvation, the salvation of your souls.

What is that? Well it's freedom. It's two kinds of freedom at least. Number one, the freedom from the bondage and the penalty of sin. That is salvation. Freedom from the bondage and the penalty of sin. As Paul wrote to the Roman church, you are dead to sin.

Consider yourselves to be dead to sin. That's the freedom that we have in Christ. The second freedom is you're not just free from, but you're also free to.

That's the nature of freedom. That you are free to know God and enjoy Him. That's the very reason you exist. And apart from salvation in Christ, you cannot know God and enjoy Him. And if that goes on forever, that's called death. And so it is a freedom from the bondage and penalty of sin and is a freedom to know God and enjoy Him.

And thereby point people to Him. Otherwise known as glorifying God. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's the freedom of the salvation. He says concerning the salvation, the prophets who also prophesied about the grace that was to be yours. The grace that is yours.

What is grace? It is God's investment in reconciling you to Himself. In drawing you to Himself. It's God's investment in that. And that investment has a name and primarily Messiah, Jesus Christ. God invested Himself personally in reconciling you to Himself.

That is an amazing truth. There's nothing else like it in the whole realm of theology and religions. God stands alone there. And this grace that is ours is in Christ. He is the Messiah.

He is the one who came to us. And in Christ we have forgiveness. In Christ we have newness. We are new creations. We're not just forgiven.

We are forgiven, but we're not just forgiven. We are made new in Christ. That's the grace in which we stand. God has taken up residence in me because I have surrendered myself in faith to Him.

It's mind-blowing. That is the grace in which we stand. This is a phrase that Paul uses in Romans 5 verses 1 and 2. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith.

Here it is. Into this grace in which we stand. Grace isn't just the diving board that you dive off of into the pool of salvation. You dive into grace. This grace in which we stand.

That God continues to invest Himself in you day after day. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. That is this salvation. That's the salvation he talks about at the end of verse 9 and at the very beginning of verse 10.

That's this salvation. And it included not only the grace that is ours, but also the sufferings and subsequent glories. That's the work that God has done.

That's His plan through the ages. The sufferings and subsequent glories. And He begins with history.

It's Christ's history. Christ's sufferings. And then His exaltation. That He rose from the dead. And then He ascended and He sits at the right hand of the majesty on high. The writer of Hebrews puts it. And there He makes intercession.

There He's our advocate. Because He is the one that paid for our sin. And so there is also a present reality in this where we share in the sufferings of Christ. And the way that we share in the sufferings of Christ, that is preparing for us, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4, an eternal weight of glory. I want you to consider 1 Corinthians 2 verses 7 to 10. Very well known verse.

I've redacted here a little bit to get the point across. God decreed before the ages for your glory what no eye has seen or ear heard nor the heart of man has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him. These things God has revealed to us through His Spirit.

You see, loved ones, that's not just talking about heaven and the glories of heaven. That is talking about what God has prepared for us now as forgiven new creations indwelt with the presence of God. This grace in which we stand. This salvation.

You see, you know why this is true? Because Messiah has come. The Savior has come. Christ, the anointed one has come. And we can celebrate that as was celebrated way back in the Old Testament prophetically.

You want to see it? Psalm 118. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous on our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. You know what he was talking about? He was talking about Messiah coming to Jerusalem and becoming a sacrifice for his people. And we use that verse 24.

We use it on a bright sunny day when we're looking at flowers blooming. This is the day the Lord has made. That's not what he's talking about. He's talking about the fact that the second person of the Trinity came to us to redeem us for this grace in which we stand. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. That's what Paul says, doesn't he? You rejoice with joy inexpressible and filled with glory.

Why? Because Messiah has come. Redemption has been accomplished.

Reconciliation is now possible. The veil of the temple has been torn. God invites you into his presence. Therefore, we can come boldly before the throne of grace.

Why? Because Messiah has come. This grace in which we stand. Messiah has come and he came as a sacrificial lamb.

You know what else is true? Messiah is coming again. And he's coming again not as a lamb. He's coming as a lion. He is coming as a lion and he will reign and he will make things new. You see, he's already started to make things new. Where is that? Point to it.

Right here. He's already started to make things new inside those who are his. We are a part of the new creation already.

Isn't that amazing? And then when Messiah comes again, he will reign and he will make all things new. That's this salvation. You see, listen, all I've covered so far is part of verse 10. You see my dilemma?

There is so much to unpack here. This is the salvation, this grace in which we stand. The grace that is to be ours. Now this legacy, this freedom that we have in Christ, the freedom from the bondage and penalty of sin, and then the freedom to know God and enjoy him and delight in him, that legacy is recorded in Scripture. And so let's look at the Scriptures from God. We've looked at the salvation of God, now let's look at the Scriptures from God. This salvation that I just described was planned, it was promised, and it was predicted. There is a written record of God's self-disclosure of his character and his purpose. That's what we have in the Old Testament and now in the New Testament record. It's very important that we begin with a doctrine of inspiration because Peter definitely points to that right here. The doctrine of inspiration where he mentions the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating. The prophets of the Old Testament, as they wrote, the Spirit of Christ was in them and he was indicating. In other words, as they were writing down, the Spirit of God was leading them and moving them.

And you know what, you know it's fascinating sometimes these guys didn't even, they didn't know what they were writing about. But God uses human agency to communicate so that there is a written record. Why is that important? Because what is written is authoritative. God uses human agency in creating the written record and it is for our learning, which he says verse 12, it was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you in the things that have now been announced to you through those who have preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.

It's for our learning. Paul says this again, Romans 15, 4, whatever things were written in former days were written for our instruction that through endurance and through the encouragement of Scriptures we might have hope. I hope you have not abandoned the Old Testament. There are some today who are saying, you know in the Old Testament God behaves badly, we just need to read the New Testament. They are wrong.

They are absolutely wrong. God in the Old Testament is a God of grace and steadfast love and it permeates the Scriptures but he's also, listen, he's also a holy God and a God of justice. That's why we need grace because we recognize that God is holy and a God of justice, that is a problem for me.

So I am so thankful that God is a God of grace and that is impersonated, incarnated in the very person of Jesus Christ. Turn over to 2 Peter. We know this verse very well but this is Peter's, you know, this is a classic verse on inspiration. 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 21, for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

That is the doctrine of inspiration. That's why we call it the Word of God and it is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the author of the Word of God, using human agency to write it down. We see an example of this in 2 Samuel 23.

I have it up here for you. 2 Samuel 23, the Oracle of David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, the Spirit of the Lord speaks by me. His word is on my tongue. The God of Israel has spoken. You said David wasn't a prophet. He was a king.

He was a prophet too because God spoke through him. We have things that David wrote down. We're so glad you've joined us for Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston Salem. You can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website www.delightingrace.com. You can also check out Pastor Rich's book, 7 Words That Can Change Your Life, where he unpacks from God's Word the very purpose for which you were designed. 7 Words That Can Change Your Life is available wherever books are sold. As always, tune in to Delight in Grace weekdays at 10 a.m.