(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to
each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted.)
As you look to the future, there are decisions you will need to make. Some decisions you cannot anticipate and simply must face them as best you can when they arise. Other decisions you may be able to anticipate and prepare to face.
Peter was "an apostle to the Jews" even as Paul was "an apostle to the Gentiles" (Gal 2:8). Consequently, Paul's epistles were primarily to churches that had a significant number of those who came from the Greek culture in the first century, and he often dealt with issues relevant to former pagans (e.g., idolatry). In contrast, Peter's epistles were to God's covenant people living in the Diaspora (1 Pet 1:1) of Asia Minor, and he makes frequent reference to the Old Testament, which would have been familiar to them (35x in the five chapters of 1 Pet, 11X in the three chapters of 2 Pet). Not all Peter's subject matter, though, is specific only to Jews. Some of it pertains to all believers, such as his treatment of...
* XXXVIII The Foremost Conversion1
which produces...
The other act God would accomplish is contingent, dependent on the decisions a person makes. It is, therefore, within the individual's control, at least to request it. That act is redemption, the forgiveness of sin, and is one of the potential, far-reaching results of Jesus' sacrifice. Again, Paul writes,5
Writing to those who have put their faith in God, who have received pardon from Him and can look forward to everlasting life with Him, Peter describes their relationship with God as "new birth" and being "born again."6 These are not new ideas. They recall Jesus' statement to Nicodemus in...7
How certain can you be about your having redemption from God and about your spending eternity with God? Peter speaks confidently about the believer's future, about your future. He writes that you have "an inheritance that can never perish" (v. 4) and adds that you are "shielded by God's power" (v. 5). Is Peter the only one who offers this assurance? Might your position, the one that seems secure now, prove to be insecure later? ...Moses says...
While there is nothing externally that can jeopardize a believer's position before God, there may be something internally. Just as God does not force a person to enter the kingdom who will not go, so He does not force a person to remain in the kingdom who will not stay.15 A person can choose to accept God, and he can subsequently choose to reject God. In other words...
Peter wants to impress upon his readers, including you, the importance of rebirth, which provides security, made certain through the redemption of the Son, as well as eternity, made clear through the revelation of the Father. It is The Foremost Conversion, which produces the pedigree of God. Consider this...
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
A life insurance salesman was making a routine call on an existing customer. Only the wife was home, so he explained the reason for his visit. "Mrs. Jones, it is a good idea to review your coverage occasionally to make sure it matches your needs. Do you know the present value of your husband's policy?" "What do you mean?" she asked. The salesman explained, "If you should lose your husband, what would you get?" The woman thought a minute, then said... "Probably a poodle."As you look to the future, there are decisions you may be able to anticipate and prepare to face. The most important decision, of course, is the one that determines where you will spend eternity.
Peter was "an apostle to the Jews" even as Paul was "an apostle to the Gentiles" (Gal 2:8). Consequently, Paul's epistles were primarily to churches that had a significant number of those who came from the Greek culture in the first century, and he often dealt with issues relevant to former pagans (e.g., idolatry). In contrast, Peter's epistles were to God's covenant people living in the Diaspora (1 Pet 1:1) of Asia Minor, and he makes frequent reference to the Old Testament, which would have been familiar to them (35x in the five chapters of 1 Pet, 11X in the three chapters of 2 Pet). Not all Peter's subject matter, though, is specific only to Jews. Some of it pertains to all believers, such as his treatment of...
* XXXVIII The Foremost Conversion1
which produces...
- The pedigree of God (1 Pet 1:3, 23) Please turn to...
1 Pet 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead....2 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.During the course of God's plan, He may perform two great acts in a person's life: The one act God will accomplish is certain, determined for all, regardless of the decisions a person makes. It is, therefore, outside the individual's control, at least as far as requesting it. That act is resurrection and is one of the actual, far-reaching results of Jesus' resurrection. Paul writes,
1 Cor 15:22 ...as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.Everyone will experience resurrection, but it will not be a positive experience for everyone. As Daniel says,3
Dan 12:2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.There will be two groups resurrected, one group composed of the righteous, another group composed of the unrighteous. Each group will have a different fate, but each group's fate will have the same duration: "everlasting."4
The other act God would accomplish is contingent, dependent on the decisions a person makes. It is, therefore, within the individual's control, at least to request it. That act is redemption, the forgiveness of sin, and is one of the potential, far-reaching results of Jesus' sacrifice. Again, Paul writes,5
1 Tim 4:10b ...God... is the Savior [potentially] of all men, and especially [actually] of those who believe.Everyone will not experience redemption, but it will be a positive experience for everyone who does. As David says,
Ps 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.Only those who have faith in God will receive forgiveness from God, which, in turn, results in a future with God. Peter calls it "a living hope," meaning that...
1. Your rebirth provides security, made certain through the redemption of the Son.Everyone will experience resurrection, but only some—those who put their trust in God—will also experience redemption. Moreover, there is only one possible order for the two events. Those who would be raised to be with God in the next life must be redeemed from their sin against God in this life. As the author of Hebrews notes,
Heb 9:27 ...man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,There is no deciding after a person passes from this world. For the best possible outcome, there is only one possible order: when redemption precedes resurrection.
Writing to those who have put their faith in God, who have received pardon from Him and can look forward to everlasting life with Him, Peter describes their relationship with God as "new birth" and being "born again."6 These are not new ideas. They recall Jesus' statement to Nicodemus in...7
John 3:3b ...no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.... 5 . . . no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of...the Spirit.... 7b You must be born again.Still, this was not a new concept even with Jesus.8 Ezekiel used similar language four hundred years earlier to describe the same act of regeneration. God said through the prophet...9
Ezek 36:26a I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you....In the prophet's day, that may have been a different way of describing salvation, of how God's grace responds to man's faith. It was, however, the same path to justification that has always been available. It was so for Abraham,10who...
Gen 15:6 ...believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.There is a consistency in God's program for man's redemption that spans the ages, a consistency Peter recognizes is part of the "enduring word of God."11 That reliability gives you certainty, because...
2. Your rebirth provides eternity, made clear through the revelation of the Father....a revelation that has remained constant for millennia, and remains so today.12
How certain can you be about your having redemption from God and about your spending eternity with God? Peter speaks confidently about the believer's future, about your future. He writes that you have "an inheritance that can never perish" (v. 4) and adds that you are "shielded by God's power" (v. 5). Is Peter the only one who offers this assurance? Might your position, the one that seems secure now, prove to be insecure later? ...Moses says...
Deut 19:15b A matter [is] established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.What other witnesses are there for this assertion? Of equal concern, what if anything, can undermine your future? Can you have any surety about eternity? ...The answer is yes.
- First, rest assured: There is no character, whether from the natural or the supernatural realm, who can dispute your security.13 Jesus describes your most powerful advocates in...
John 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand 29b [and] no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.
Because God the Son and God the Father support you, no character can dispute your security. Your future is safe.
- Second, rest assured: There is no charge, whether accidental or procedural, which can disturb your security.14 Paul describes the critical scenario in...
2 Cor 5:10 ...we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Because Jesus will be your defense attorney at the heavenly bar of justice, no charge can disturb your security. Again, your future is safe.Rom 8:34b [But] Christ Jesus...is...interceding for us.
While there is nothing externally that can jeopardize a believer's position before God, there may be something internally. Just as God does not force a person to enter the kingdom who will not go, so He does not force a person to remain in the kingdom who will not stay.15 A person can choose to accept God, and he can subsequently choose to reject God. In other words...
- There is a choice, which is both personal and intentional, that would disavow your security.16 The author of Hebrews describes the dreadful result in...
Heb 6:4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
Were you, who know God, later to reject God, that choice would disavow your security and change your destiny. At that point, your future is definitely not safe, which is why there is a persistent call to persevere, because only....
The only thing that can undermine your security for the future...is you; but you would not be here today if you had made the choice to reject God. Therefore, you can be confident of His salvation, ever trusting in His grace, as you are consecrated to His service, holding fast to your devotion. So, remain vigilant.Matt 24:13 ...he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Peter wants to impress upon his readers, including you, the importance of rebirth, which provides security, made certain through the redemption of the Son, as well as eternity, made clear through the revelation of the Father. It is The Foremost Conversion, which produces the pedigree of God. Consider this...
1 John 3:1a-b How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!Having considered The Foremost Conversion, we will look next at The Foremost Content, which advances the plan of God, in 1 Cor 15:3-5.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted)
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Jim Skaggs