(Introduction Source: http://www.amazinggracemovie.com)
Born into a captain’s family who traded at the East India Company, John Newton (July 24, 1725 – December 21, 1807) embarked on sea voyages at the young age of 11. He soon entered the prosperous slave trade until he nearly died on a voyage that would change his life forever. He proclaimed, “Only God’s amazing grace could and would take a rude, profane, slave-trading sailor and transform him into a child of God.” This would influence his famed hymn Amazing Grace, in which he declared he was once blind but now could see. Newton wrote the hymn after converting to Christianity in 1748 and abandoning his participation in the slave trade. In1764 he was ordained in the Church of England.
William Wilberforce first met John Newton when he (Wilberforce) was a child. Newton was the pastor at the church Wilberforce attended. He (Wilberforce) became reacquainted with Newton in his twenties when Wilberforce was on the brink of a career as a British MP (Member of Parliament). Wilberforce’s outspokenness on the abolition issue may well have also led Newton to make his first public confession of guilt over his past involvement in the slave trade. In the Amazing Grace, Wilberforce visits John Newton twice. The first time he asks Newton for advice about whether to leave politics and join the clergy. And, in hopes of using Newton’s testimony as a former slave trader, Wilberforce visits Newton for a second time, now at St. Mary Woolnoth Church in London. Here Wilberforce discovers that his former pastor is indeed blind.
He (Wilberforce) incorporated Newton’s confession into his plea for abolition. The vote to abolish the slave trade throughout the British Empire finally passed in 1807—the same year John Newton died. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the date when the abolition act first passed the vote of Parliament
Not limiting himself to just abolitionist work, Wilberforce dedicated his life to what he called his "two great objects:" abolishing slavery in the British Empire and what he called "the reformation of manners [society]." To this end, he advocated for child labour laws, campaigned for education of the blind and deaf, and founded organizations as diverse as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and the National Gallery (of Art). He managed to get written into the chart of the East Indies Trading Company the right of missionary to also go to India. In short, he paved the way for Christian missionary work in India, but also in West African countries such as Sierra Leone.
Just like the slaves dispossessed from Africa, the Apostle Peter wrote the epistle of 1 Peter from Rome in 64 AD to the church dispossessed from their homeland by persecution. As we saw last time (1 Pt. 1:1b) the letter was addressed to Churches in provinces located in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey, which were part of the Roman Empire.
Regardless of where we find ourselves, be it the Roman or British Empire, under blessing or persecution, we have the ministry of those who came before us with a message of Salvation by Grace through faith. Those who have ministered to us in the past have done so not seeing the culmination of their ministry. The OT prophets prophesied not seeing the Cross. Wilberforce ministered to those of his era in proclaiming the worth of Human beings. Today 200 years after his death, we live in a time that we owe to those who came before us. Bondage, in its physical manifestation in slavery, and spiritual in its bondage to sin, require salvation.
Peter’s theme in the first chapter of this letter is the blessedness or greatness of salvation. Here in vs. 10-12 he examines it from the viewpoint of four divine agents who were involved with the message of salvation: Those who ministered to us to bring us the ultimate message of hope: 1) the Old Testament prophets who studied it, 2) the Holy Spirit who inspired it, 3) the New Testament apostles who preached it, and 4) the angels who examined it.
1) Salvation was the Theme of the Prophets’ Study
Pt. 1:10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11a inquiring what person or time
The apostle first draws attention to the salvation referred to in verse 9 from the viewpoint of the prophets.
• They were God’s Old Testament spokesmen who prophesied about the grace that was to be.
Grace is not just a New Testament Concept
In the Garden of Eden after man fell into sin and death, God promised salvation
Gen 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring, he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
Gen 3:22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever--"
• So man and woman would not remain in a state of rebellion, God prevented from eating from the tree of live which would permanently separate them from God in their disobedience. Through Grace, he promised in Gen. 3:15 that a redeemer would one day come to pay for the penalty of this and all other transgression of those who would repent of their sins and trust in Him.
What then was the Grace the prophets spoke of:
For the Prophets:
Heb 1:1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
Heb 11:39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised,
The Old Testament prophets prophesied about the grace that was to be does not indicate that the prophets looked forward to a saving grace that did not exist at all in Old Testament times. By nature God has always been an unchangeably gracious God (Ex. 34:6, Pss. 102:26–27, 116:5, James 1:17).
The prophets foretold of the Cross that was to come. Yet they were often perplexed concerning things prophesied (Dan. 7:28, 8:26-27).
Salvation has always been available to sinners (Deut. 32:15, Pss. 3:8, 27:1, Isa. 55:1–2, 6–7, Jonah 2:9) and always and only by grace.
Please turn to Mt. 13
1 Pt. 1:10 discusses how the prophets:
searched and inquired carefully
• They pursued the meaning of their own prophetic writings to know all they could about God’s promised salvation. the truth of salvation was their greatest passion.
• The message of all true ministry is Salvation. The message the God calls all servants to proclaim is the nature of redemption that He accomplishes.
Jesus told His disciples:
Mat 13:10 Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" Mat 13:11 And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. Mat 13:12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Mat 13:13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Mat 13:14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: "’You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. Mat 13:15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ Mat 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Mat 13:17 Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it
• Today’s believers regularly face the same questions regarding New Testament prophecies of the future. They can know the events revealed in Scripture, but the exact identities of key persons involved and when precisely certain events will occur is an ongoing course of study for all interested in eschatology.
• Looking forward today, we do not know who God will bring into our lives or when.
Ministry has being going on here through Everton Community Church since 1861. Faithful ministers have proclaimed the live giving and life saving truth of salvation, Some though fruitful times, others through lean times. Many for years without seeing the desired end to their messages.
• I come to a point in a continuum. Today I enjoy the privilege of being called as your new pastor. I do so as the result of the faithful ministry of those who have come before me, enjoying the fruit of their labour. Entrusted with that for which they gave their entire being.
• My calling, like the faithful that have come before me, is to proclaim the truth of salvation regardless of the harvest.
• Like many prophets of old in our text, a successful ministry is gauged by the faithfulness of the calling as defined by the inspired message.
• Since God controls the result, a faithful minister can only control what has been instructed to him as an undershepherd under Christ, and be faithful to the calling and be an Overseerer to the flock given to him by the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
The ministry that we have enjoyed that has brought us here today prepares us for this moment. Every experience, both pleasant and difficult, prepares us to step out and be bold with the message of salvation. We now have all we need to be agents who God will use in His kingdom.
Illustration: During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began eliminating possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods appearing in human form. Resurrection? Again, other religions had accounts of return from death.
The debate went on for some time until C. S. Lewis wandered into the room. “What’s the [commotion] about?” he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded, “Oh, that’s
easy. It’s grace.”
The notion of Grace, unmerited favour, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. The Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of Karma, the Jewish covenant misunderstood, and the Muslim code of law—each of these offers a way to earn approval. Only Christianity dares to offer grace (Perfect Illustrations for Every Topic and Occasion, pp. 116-117, citation: Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing about Grace?).
Of the four divine agents who were involved with the message of salvation: Those who ministered to us to bring us the ultimate message of hope:
1) Salvation was the Theme of the Prophets’ Study
2) Salvation was the Theme of the Spirit’s Inspiration
1 Pt. 1:11b the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12a It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you
The prophecies the Holy Spirit revealed to the prophets were divinely inspired and recorded under His superintendence (cf. Jer. 1:9, 23:28, Ezek. 2:7, Amos 3:7–8). And the overall theme of those prophecies was twofold: the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
We can see how it must have been the Holy Spirit that controlled the elements of salvation that Peter refers to here in the the sufferings of Christ in such passages as Psalm 22:1–31, Isaiah 52:13–53:12, Daniel 9:24–26, and Zechariah 12:10, 13:7 (cf. Ps. 89:24–37, Luke 24:25–27, Rev. 19:10). and the subsequent glories, including such truths as the resurrection, ascension, and enthronement of Christ, appear in passages like Isaiah 9:6–7, Daniel 2:44, 7:13–14, and Zechariah 2:10–13, 14:16–17.
One of the subsequent glories promised by the OT prophets for those in the new covenant involved the change in our disposition through the Holy Spirit.
Eze 36:26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Eze 36:27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Joe 2:28 "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
• Instead of the Holy Spirit coming upon individuals for a particular service then departing, in the New Covenant the Holy Spirit would indwell the community of faith, giving particular enablement of obedience. The Church in acts first experienced this:
Act 2:2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Act 2:3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The Subsequent glories that Peter describes in 1 Pt. should really astound us. Just from a numbers perspective:
The odds of just eight Old Testament prophecies of Jesus coming true is one in 100 million billion. That’s millions more than the total number of people who have ever lived. If you had this many silver dollars, it would cover the state of Texas two feet deep! (Source: The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel (Zondervan, 1998)
This all speaks to the eternality of Christ, specific elements of his life predicted thousands of years before the occurred. The Holy Spirit Himself is referred to here as Spirit of Christ in them (cf. Rom. 8:9) demonstrates that the eternal Christ, inseparable from the Holy Spirit, worked from within the Old Testament writers to record God’s infallible revelation.
2 Peter 1:21 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. (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16).
This all points to the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing about and superintending the message and work of Salvation.
The Spirit was indicating (edçlou, “making plain”) to them when He predicted (promarturomenon, “witnessed beforehand”) what was coming. He was plainly testifying to the prophets about God’s salvation that would be fully accomplished through Jesus Christ (rendering, “testified beforehand”).
Please turn to Gal. 3
Some may mistakenly think that everything is completely different between the Old and New covenants, Mistakenly believing that some how the OT saints were saved through works.
Look what Gal. 3 says:
Gal. 3: 6-9 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
• The message and means of Salvation have always been the same and our calling is likewise.
The Spirit also made it clear that the prophets’ searching would never be fully satisfied because the complete gospel message could not be revealed during that time. Peter indicated this reality when he wrote: they were serving not themselves
Think of it all like this:
• Why do we parent: Like the OT prophets, we do so not for any blessing we might receive but to instill love and values to those entrusted.
• Why do I Oversee: To proclaim the truth of God, demonstrating God’s love to those for whom He entrusts to me.
• The moment we parent or the moment we minister so as to receive a particular reward, we loose the strength of our message and our testimony is shattered on the alter of self-serving.
The four divine agents who were involved with the message of salvation: Those who ministered to us to bring us the ultimate message of hope: 1) the Old Testament prophets who studied it, 2) the Holy Spirit who inspired it,
3) Salvation was the Theme of the Apostles’ Preaching
12 b in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you, by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven
Please turn to Romans 1
We often hear the term Good news/gospel. But what exactly are we talking about. Romans 1 is a great summary of the Gospel.
Rom. 1:1-6 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
The Apostles were sent by the church as messengers of the gospel empowered by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.
Please turn to 1 Cor. 2
We have seen the Gospel of God in Action. How then can we experience the power of God.
Paul illustrates well the singular devotion such preachers had to the greatness of the salvation message. He wrote to the Corinthian believers,
1 Cor. 2:1–5 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (Rom. 1:16–17).
• The message that I have is the message of the gospel. We do well to understand what is on the mind of those who we wish to reach with this gospel, but we provide nothing if our message is one of entertainment.
• If our message is lofty speech that soothes or earthly wisdom that proclaims that Christianity is health and wealth, then we substitute the real gospel.
• (take up your cross)
• But when we share as a congregation acknowledging human inability (weakness) with reverence for God (fear and trembling) then our message is not in lofty speech or earthly wisdom but one where the Spirit of God will powerfully work through our faith.
The four divine agents who were involved with the message of salvation: Those who ministered to us to bring us the ultimate message of hope: 1) the Old Testament prophets who studied it, 2) the Holy Spirit who inspired it, 3) the New Testament apostles who preached it,
4) Salvation is the Theme of the Angels’ Examination
1 Pt 1:12c things into which angels long to look.
Please turn to Eph. 3
Things denotes the many features of salvation into which angels long to look. Long translates epithumousin, which describes having a strong desire or overpowering impulse that is not easily satisfied.
Eph 3:1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles-- Eph 3:2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, Eph 3:3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. Eph 3:4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, Eph 3:5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Eph 3:6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Eph 3:7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. Eph 3:8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, Eph 3:9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, Eph 3:10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
Eph 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, Eph 2:20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, Eph 2:21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. Eph 2:22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
From the foundation of the apostles and prophets we are holy temple in the Lord. The Holy Spirit dwells in us are we are stewards of God’s grace. This grace was a mystery to those past, many around us and even Angels long to understand. You have called me as your Pastor and my aim like the apostle Paul is to bring to light for everyone what is plain in the ministry of the Gospel of Grace.
We stand now at the brink of history. We have everything we need to change lives for eternity. We have the only instrument in the universe, the message handed to us from those who came before us, God promised to miraculously use.
Illustration: John Paton was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station, intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave. A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened, Paton asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, "Who were all those men with you there?" Paton knew no men were present--but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords circling the
Mission station.
(Today in the Word, MBI, October, 1991, p. 18. Higher Praise.org)
The entire spiritual realm longs to know what has been entrusted to us. The power of the message can change everything. Long to study it, allow the Holy Spirit to use you in its proclamation, preach it and watch in awe as God changes the world.
