Open—R. Jaeger, T. Drown, R. Klassen
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Referred to in these meetings in First Peter.
But in the connection of faith in this first Peter one.
Verse 5.
And the verse is.
Speaking of us as believers but primarily to the strangers scattered throughout Asia Minor is in verse one. But Speaking of our position that we've been called.
To a wonderful portion were begotten again, verse 3.
According to his abundant mercy to a lively or living hope. But then it says who are kept.
By the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be ready to be revealed in the last time. And what throws my soul is to think that the great God.
God, whose power and majesty and glory are just beyond our words, to express that we're kept by that power.
Were kept by that power. But there's a key in that verse. God doesn't keep us by that power.
Except that we have the faith to open that power, if you will, and it's that thought of connecting it with faith, which appears in other places in the Scripture, that's on my heart.
If I expect to be kept by the power of God as I go along this earthly journey, I have to walk in the path of faith. I have to believe God's promises. I have to be able to fully trust Him, and that's when God's power is there. So now I'd like to look at some other portions. Now I'm going to look at one that's very familiar to us, and that's in Ephesians 28 and nine I often hear.
Grace referred to in the way that it's as if God is acting by grace in a sovereign way.
That grace is something that God exercises. But there is a very unique thing about grace that I found in reading the Scriptures and it's clear in this verse that's so familiar to us. Ephesians 28 and 9:00. Well, 8 is really the verse for by grace are ye saved? And it doesn't stop there. It says through faith.
And that is not of yourselves. That is a gift of God. But God's grace is not operative unless there's faith. And we have other scriptures to show that we might look at a few of them. In fact, we can look in Romans chapter 4.
We're Speaking of.
God's purposes and His plan, and where those of the Jews fit into this wonderful plan of salvation.
God's justification through faith.
And then in Speaking of that, and Abraham and Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. That's faith.
In verse 16 it says therefore in Romans 4 therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace.
In other words, that grace wasn't operative really, unless it was that faith, and then it was the grace. And another portion that is very striking to me is in First Timothy, where Paul gives an account in the first chapter of his walk before he was saved. He doesn't refer to the road of directly to the road to Damascus, but it certainly relates to that.
And we might read from verse 12 and First Timothy one. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me for that. He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious. But I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly and unbelief. Now I'll just stop right there and cite a verse that's familiar to all of us.
That is, God says I will have mercy, upon whom I will have mercy.
And what God is saying, it has nothing to do with the one who is the object of that mercy. If I want to show mercy to that individual, I will. And this is really quite in contrast to the things that we're Speaking of where it's through faith for grace. For by grace are you saved through faith.
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And what we started with that verse in first Peter, where we're kept by the power of God.
Through faith, but when God has mercy, he's acting in a sovereign way. And that's exactly what we read here in First Timothy because we know there was no faith as we think of it on the part of the Apostle Paul. He was on the roads of Damascus. He was and he had already persecuted many. He was greatly feared by the early believers and they knew him to be a man that was really an enemy of the truth. And he he validate or he supports that thought here.
Describing himself before as a blasphemer, a persecutor and injurious. But what happened to him? He doesn't say anything about grace, but he says, But I obtain mercy.
Because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. There was number faith there. Paul did nothing other than that God chose him. He was a chosen vessel, as we know, and God showed him mercy. But notice the next verse. Because we know what happened on the road, the bright light from heaven. He was struck down and immediately he says Lord, and he knew that he was. And he asked who art thou, Lord and Jesus, whom thou persecute us? And he immediately believed. He immediately believed.
And he said, and he asked the Lord what he should do. So what happened then? Verse 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant. And here it makes it so plain with faith, with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. So when Paul got saved and he had that faith, then there was grace, then there was grace. And there was no grace before. It was purely mercy. God says I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy.
Well, really, the thought before me is the thought of faith.
And that we as believers, we walk by faith, we live by faith. These wonderful promises of God to us are ours by faith. We're kept by the power of God through faith. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God. We have a wonderful, wonderful portion as believers when we walk by faith. Now I I've often said this, but it's still I think it's worth thinking about to some of us who are older, remember a brother from Brooklyn by the name of Charles Kohler, who.
In his later years went about and ministered amongst the Saints and he was a lovely, lovely believer and it was my privilege when I was first gathered that he was still with us in Brooklyn. And I remember him saying what unbelieving believers we are now. That sounds as if it's a contradiction, but we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. We're indwelt by the Holy Spirit. God makes it good to us and we know that we're saved. That's one of our proofs as a believer. Satan may attack us, but.
When all is said and done, we know.
In whom we have believed.
And so we have that. But then the question is, do we exercise faith in connection with every promise of God that we find in the Scriptures? And we know we have exceeding, wonderful, precious promises. Romans 8 is so lovely. You know, all things work together for good.
If God before us, who can be against us, why should we ever Fearfully we sing that in a hymn, since such a God is ours.
Do we believe his promises? So just to make us brief and just to make the thought plain.
Reading this at the beginning of our meetings yesterday when we took up the 1St chapter of First Peter, were kept by the power of God. Isn't that wonderful to think that it's not our power, it's not our cleverness, It isn't that which we would sit down and figure out how we can get out of this problem or that problem or even going to another person, even perhaps another believer, and say what should I do here or what should I do there?
But we each won as a believer.
Can call upon the promises of God that we find in this wonderful book and say, Lord, I believe you, I believe your promise to me, and I'm counting upon you. I'm sure if I were to ask how many here have had answered prayer, every hand would go up.
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A prayer is an act of faith. We're coming to the Lord, We're laying before Him.
Our problem, our question, whatever it may be, Scripture doesn't answer everything that comes up in our lives. We know that it does in principle.
But it won't tell us what we should do about buying a new car or things of that nature. But we can come to the Lord and faith and we can say, Lord I need help on this. Should I even do it? Should I do this or should I do that? We know that we get into trouble when we act in self will when we say I want to do that.
But when we act in faith and we look to the Lord and we have confidence that He loves us and He really wants to bless us, when we have confidence to know that even though we may be encountering a trial, He has a purpose in it. And sometimes a purpose may not even directly involve ourselves. It may affect those who are around us. It may be that the trial we have and the way we act under that trial can be used for the eternal blessing of someone else.
But we have that confidence in that faith. He's given us a wonderful promise. He'll never give us anything that we cannot bear. But with that trial will give us a way of escape. Do we believe that, or do we go to extreme measures sometimes when we're faced with a problem to avoid it?
No, the the basic line, the bottom line is faith. God loves us. God is for us. If he's for us, who can be against us?
Do we really believe that that's acting by faith now? We're kept by the power of God through faith. That's our path, brethren. And I'll say for myself that too often the tendency is to sit down and say, I'll figure this out and I'll research the problem or whatever, and by my own cleverness or efforts, I'll take care of this problem.
Know where to cast our cares upon the Lord because He cares for us. Do we really believe that? That's what's on my heart. We're kept by the power of God.
Through faith.
Could we turn to mark chapter 4?
Mark chapter 4.
Mark chapter 4 and verse 35.
And the same day when the even was come.
He saith unto them, Let us Passover unto the other side.
And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was.
In the ship.
And they were also with him other little ships, and there arose a great storm of wind.
And the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full.
And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow. And they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
And he arose and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace.
Be still.
And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?
And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
I just wanted to read this portion.
Because it is true that we are kept by the power of God through faith.
And yet at times our faith is so little, the Lord says, even as a.
It's not even as big as a grain of mustard seed.
And so many times in my life I've been conscious of the fact that there doesn't seem to be any faith in me as to my circumstances, as to.
Perhaps even at times as to my salvation when I was younger.
But it's wonderful that.
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Underneath are the everlasting arms.
That these disciples, as the Lord said, they had no faith and yet revealed to them.
The Lord revealed Himself to them in such a wonderful and beautiful way.
And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him? That the Lord Jesus in perfect grace acted towards his disciples not because of what was in them?
But out of the goodness of his own heart towards them.
And he secured their blessing. They were secure all the time.
In the ship even though.
It didn't feel like it.
And so while it is true that, and I believe what is said is true, that without faith it is impossible to please God, that we are not left to our faith to look at our faith to make ourselves.
The objects of faith, but instead to make Christ.
The focus and His grace and His love as He shows here. They didn't lose, as it's been said that the disciples never lost anything through the rebukes of the Lord.
What a wonderful thing was revealed to them that day, that the Lord was still with them.
That he was still in control of all their circumstances, still acting towards them in grace.
And so for us, the foundation of God stands sure the Lord.
Knoweth them that are his. I'd like to go back just for a moment, back to Psalms.
Psalm 61.
Psalm 61, verse 2.
Well, let's start with verse one. Hear my cry, O God, attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth. Will I cry unto Thee? When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
The Thou has been a shelter for me and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in the Tabernacle forever. I will trust in the covert of Thy wings.
So sometimes, even when circumstances seem impossible, when it feels like we don't have enough faith, maybe even as to our salvation, there's a rock that is higher than us. We can cry out to God to lead us to that rock that is higher than us.
And it's Christ, it's the same rock. Christ is the living stone on which the church is built. He lays in Zion a living stone. And none that put their trust and believe in Him will ever be ashamed or confounded.
Down in Psalm 62, verse two, He only is my rock and my salvation.
He is my defense. I shall not be greatly moved.
Verse five My soul wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not be moved, and God is my salvation and my glory, the rock of my strength and my refuges in God.
Trust in Him at all times, ye people, pour out your heart before Him.
God is a refuge for us.
And if we there's a beautiful progression in this song from verse 2, David says he only is my rock and my salvation. And he says I shall not be greatly moved.
Verse 5. Verse six, he says.
I shall not be moved. And in verse 7 the eye is gone, and he's fully trusting in the rock of his strength. In God is my salvation and my glory. The rock of my strength and my refuge is in God.
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We may change, but God never changes, and so underneath us.
Forever those of us who have called on the name of the Lord for salvation, those who have trusted in Him.
The rock is underneath us. We may flail and.
Be cast about on the rock and feelings may go up and down, but the rock never moves.
It's unchangeable.
Just very briefly in Matthew Chapter 7.
Matthew Chapter 7, verse 24.
Whosoever here at these sayings, and mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.
And we've often heard that it wasn't the house, it was the foundation that was underneath that house, in that house.
For us practically is hearing for practical ways in this world is for a practical walk. If we hear the words of Jesus and do them, He likens us unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock. And the rains come, and the floods come.
But they don't. They cannot harm the house because it's on a rock.
And finally in first Peter.
First Peter chapter 2 and verse 6.
Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone elect precious.
And he that believeth on him shall not be confounded unto you, therefore which believe he is precious.
And unto them which be disobedient the stone which the builders disallow, the same has made the head of the corner.
And a stone of stumbling.
But for the youngest and the oldest alike, if we lay hold, if we put our trust in the Lord Jesus, He is that rock that lays in Zion, a chief cornerstone elect precious, and it's him.
It's him that makes it so that we are not confounded or ashamed.
One last verse in Matthew 16.
Matthew 16.
In verse 18.
I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The confession of Christ is the Son of the living God. The gates of hell shall not prevail against His church.
And so.
As to our eternal standing before God, as to our position, as to our daily circumstances.
It all depends on one thing and that is the person of the Lord Jesus.
There's one expression that we had before us yesterday that has been on my heart, and that is in first Peter one as well, and that is in verse 11.
Says, Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them, did signify, when he testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ.
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And the glory that should follow.
We know that.
After the Lord Jesus had risen from amongst the dead.
He came and joined company with the two that were on the road.
To Emmaus.
They were going.
Back again because they were discouraged.
And sometimes we too may be discouraged because we think of suffering as being a strange thing.
But the Lord Jesus.
In accompanying them.
Told them of the scriptures, all the scriptures concerning himself.
Of the sufferings of Christ and the glory.
That should follow. I'm thinking of an example in the Old Testament.
In First Samuel 22.
Concerning David.
And his rejection?
In first Samuel 22 it says David therefore departed thence and escaped to The Cave Adalam.
And when his brethren and his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him.
And everyone that was in distress.
And everyone that was in debt.
And everyone that was discontented.
Gathered themselves onto him and he became a captain over them, and there were with him about 400 men.
I don't think we need to enlarge upon that story too much, but we know that David was fleeing from Saul.
Who was seeking his life?
But there were those that joined themselves to David. Why? Because he could give them.
Position and lands and so on. No.
There was nothing outward that David could give them.
But they appreciated and valued David.
David, beloved, is a picture of our precious Savior.
With whom we are identified, and now we are here in this world.
As sharing his sufferings here, well, we say we don't suffer too much.
Well, I think that God evaluates that.
I want to turn to a verse in Philippians.
I can find it.
Yes, it's in Philippians chapter one.
And verse 29.
For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.
Do you ever feel it? It was a privilege to be able to suffer for the Lord Jesus.
The Spirit of God tells us that it indeed is a privilege it's given to us to be able to suffer for Him.
And we are living now in the scene of his rejection.
The name of Jesus is hated. Men will talk of God, but when you speak of that name of the Lord Jesus, they don't like it.
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But when we think of the blessedness of being able to share in his sufferings, now it is.
Worth it?
And I would just like to share.
With you.
That we don't get a whole lot about what heaven is like because the glory is undescribable.
I remember my wife's father.
About six months or so before he passed away, he said to.
Another brother who was with him in the place, he says, you know Joe, he says I got a vision of the glory last night.
And he said you did. He says, What is the glory like?
And he says nobody can describe the glory.
And that is the way it is. But how do we know that it's going to be so positively marvelous and wonderful?
Turn with me to.
2nd Corinthians.
Chapter 12.
Verse 2.
I knew a man in Christ about 14 years ago.
Whether in the body I cannot tell, or whether out of the body I cannot tell, God knoweth.
Such and one caught up to the 3rd heaven and I knew such a man.
Whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell. God knoweth how that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such an one will I glory, yet not of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
When it says here this man, and we know who that man was, that was the apostle Paul, it says.
I heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man to utter. It doesn't mean that it was against the law to utter those words, but there was words.
There were no words in the human language to be able to describe what the glory was like.
Well, how are we going to find out if it was not described what the glory was like? How are we going to know that it was so wonderful?
If we turn to the previous chapter.
And.
And read a little bit and 2nd Corinthians 11.
It says.
In verse 23.
Are they ministers of Christ? I speak of a fool. I am more in Labour's more abundant in stripes above measure, in prisons more often.
And death saw of the Jews five times received I-40 stripes. They won. Thrice I was beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck a night and a day. I have been in the deep, in journeyings often in perils of waters and perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city and perils in the wilderness, in perils.
In the sea, in perils among Paul's brethren, in weariness and painfulness, and watching so often in hunger and thirst, in fastings, often in cold and nakedness, besides those things that are without that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. When we read an account like that, I don't believe that any of us are going to have to go through.
The sufferings that the apostle Paul went through when Saul of Tarsus was.
Struck down on the road to Damascus.
And.
The vision came to Ananias to go.
To this man, Saul.
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The Spirit said to him.
He is a chosen vessel unto me, for I must need showing.
Him. How much I'm going to read it and get it right How he.
Go thy way, It's in Acts 915. Go thy way. For he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.
Paul was a chosen vessel by God himself.
To bear the sufferings of the Lord Jesus. What enabled him to bear all those sufferings that we read about?
In 2nd Corinthians 11.
I believe what gave him the strength and the power.
He saw Christ in glory.
And what is going to enable you and me to be able to endure sufferings?
Nothing less than that, to be able to see Christ in glory.
I don't believe that any of us will be able to see.
Now as the apostle Paul saw the Lord Jesus there in his glory.
But the very fact that he was willing to suffer for the name of Jesus tells us how wonderful the glory is.
He could say in First Corinthians.
Chapter 4.
He could say for our light affliction.
Which is but for a moment.
Worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Paul, what are you saying? Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, could we look at those things that the beloved apostle Paul went through in 2nd Corinthians 11?
And call him a light affliction.
Paul could.
Because.
He got a glimpse of Christ and glory.
These things are written for you and for me to lay. Hold on. I don't believe that we would be.
It would make it much more easy for us to suffer for the Lord Jesus if we could only get a glimpse of the glory that awaits us.
And that's your portion and mine right now it seems like it's very difficult because we're living in a, a day of, of, of self affluence and, and in the self is the object.
Instead of that wonderful object that God has given us in the Lord Jesus.
God can say of him, This is my beloved Son, in whom is almighty light. God is so pleased with the Lord Jesus that He raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in glory.
And he has sent his spirit down to bring home a family.
Just like the Lord Jesus.
If you belong to Christ, you're part of that family.
And we have been given the privilege well here and now, to be able to suffer a little bit with him, to share in his sufferings.
We may shun from this, I know I do, and I I tremble even being up here Speaking of these things. But when I think of the glory that awaits us.
What is the sufferings of this little while? Just for a moment, and it's all going to be over.
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Your life and my life. James tells us about a vapor which appears for a little while and then passeth away. There's nothing in this world that we have to seek or to lose. It's all far eclipsed by the glory.
Then one last.
Thought I would like to bring before us, and that is that in Psalm 19 it says.
The heavens declare the glory of God.
And the firmament show up his handiwork. I believe that the Spirit of God would give us a picture.
Of that glory.
In that verse, although we know that that speaks of the creation.
And truly, as we look up in God's heaven.
We are in awe because we cannot enter into the greatness of the glory of creation.
And it's beyond us because and.
Isaiah 55, it says.
My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
But as high as the heavens is above the earth.
So are my ways and your ways and my thoughts and your thoughts.
So we as we look into the heavens, it surpasses our mind. We can just see.
A vast man in his.
Intelligence and his quest to search out the heavens have never found the end of them. And yet for our God.
He knoweth all the stars, He calleth them all by their names. That's our God. That's the God we have to do with. That's the God that came down here. The God.
That became a man and hung upon a cross.
That's a God.
But when I returned to Revelation.
Chapter 21.
Beginning with the last clause of.
Verse 9.
Says come hit her.
I will show thee the bride.
The Lamb's wife.
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain.
And showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, and her light was upon like unto a stone most precious, even like a Jasper stone, clear as crystal. And then it goes on to describe the holy city.
But there we see the lamb the the the bride, the lambs wife.
You and I are going to be present in that glory.
And it's going to be a full display of the glory of his grace. What a wonderful thing that is.
It will eclipse.
His creatorial glory.
Because the Lord Jesus is there as the Lamb.
Who has brought?
You and me, poor sinners by nature and practice.
He has brought us there to display us before the universe.
What a marvelous thing that is. We can't possibly imagine it.
But.
We have, we can read it, and so we can see what the glory is really going to be like.
Are we willing, and I'd say this to myself, to share with him in his sufferings?
Just for a moment. Then comes the glory forever.
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And a.
1.