Jesus Christ precious to genuine believers

Jesus Christ precious to true believers

Sunday, 8/03/2015

1 Peter 2: 1-8

¹     Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,

²     as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

³     if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

The Chosen Stone and His Chosen People

⁴     Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,

⁵     you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

⁶     Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, " Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."

⁷     Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, " The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,"

⁸              and " A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

Introduction

Have you ever thought of Jesus Christ as precious? Is he truly precious to you?

PRE'CIOUS,

Of great price; costly; expensive; of great value or worth; very valuable. valued as rare and beautiful, beloved; dear; cherished; held in high esteem,

Is He of great price to you? Is He beautiful to you? Do you cherish Him and hold Him in high esteem? Is He valuable to you?
It is possible to memorise Scripture, speak and teach doctrine, be fascinated by theology without thinking about how precious Jesus really is. It is important for believers to constantly think of the preciousness of the second person of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Before we go back to the passage in 1Peter, I want to read you an article that makes you think whether or not Christ is precious to us. I think it’s worth thinking about.

Funny how we set our clocks to arise at 5 AM or 6 AM to be at the job by 7:30, yet when Sunday comes we can't get to church for 10 AM to praise the one who gave us the jobs!
Funny how we call God our Father and Jesus our brother, but find it hard to introduce them to our family. Funny how small our sins seem, but how big "their" sins are.
Funny how we demand justice for others, but expect mercy from God.
Funny how much difficulty some have learning the gospel well enough to tell others, but how simple it is to understand and explain the latest gossip about someone else.
Funny how we can't think of anything to say when we pray, but don't have any difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend.
Funny how we are so quick to take directions from a total stranger when we are lost, but are hesitant to take God's direction for our lives. Funny how so many church goers sing "Standing on the Promises" but all they do is sit on the premises. Funny how people want God to answer their prayers, but refuse to listen to His counsel. Funny how we sing about heaven, but live only for today. Funny how people think they are going to Heaven but don't consider the dangers of Hell. Funny how it is okay to blame God for evil and suffering in the world, but it is not necessary to thank Him for what is good and pleasant.

Funny how when something goes wrong, we cry, "Lord, why me?" but when something goes right, we think, "Hey, it must be me!"
Oh wait...maybe all this isn't so "funny" after all.

Let’s look at our text.

⁴     Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,

⁵     you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

⁶     Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, " Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."

⁷     Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, " The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,"

⁸              and " A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

We need to keep in mind that Peter is writing to a suffering church. He has been exhorting them to live holy lives in the face of tremendous suffering.

In chapter 1 he’s been showing them that:

• ·         God has chosen them (1:1-2)
• ·         They were born again to a Living Hope through the resurrection of Christ (1:3)
• ·         That these trials and suffering is for the testing and refining of their faith if it is genuine (the result being praise, glory and honour when Christ is revealed 1:7)
• ·         That they must live obedient, holy lives and not conform to the evil desires they once had when they lived in ignorance (1:14)
• ·         That they should love one another deeply from the heart (1:22)
• ·         That they were born again from imperishable seed – as the word endures forever so will there new birth endure forever.

In chapter 2 he starts by mentioning things that they should get rid of (all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,) and how they should crave for the pure milk of the Word like new-born babies.

All Peter’s exhortation rests on one important fact. To the genuine Christian Jesus Christ is Precious!

Everything Peter has said so far would have absolutely no meaning if Christ was not precious to him and to those whom he addresses.

In fact… All of Scripture is worthless and would only be of value to the fire if Jesus Christ is not most precious above all things.

Three times from verse 4 – 7 he mentions the word “precious” and several times more throughout his letter.

Let us consider the preciousness of Jesus Christ.

By this I need to say: By no means can I nor any preacher, theologian or scholar of the highest degree ever come close to describing how precious our Lord truly is.

I would have to agree with John 21:25 that concludes by saying: “…I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

Amen!

Christ is only Precious to the genuine Christian

·         Those that are not truly saved, whether religious church goer or morally up standing does not have a real appreciation for the preciousness of Christ.

Romans 8:7 “The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.”

·         True faith in Christ, and sincere love to Him, are accompanied with the soul’s longing to be more and more like Him - in humility, in patience, in service, in submission, and in holiness.

·         They have tasted that the Lord is gracious (2:3) and they hunger for more

Matt. 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

·         They seek the Kingdom of God (Matt.6:33) and do not love their lives even to death (Rev.12:11)

·         They echo the words of Peter in John 6:68 "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

·         It is to them that Jesus are saying in John 14: 1-4

¹     "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ²In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴And where I go you know, and the way you know."

CH Spurgeon:

“First, this is a positive fact, that unto believers Jesus Christ is precious. In Himself He is of inestimable preciousness, for He is very God of very God. He is, moreover, perfect man without sin. The precious gopher wood of His humanity is overlaid with the pure gold of His Divinity. He is a mine of jewels and a mountain of gems. He is altogether lovely, but, alas! this blind world seeth not His beauty.”

Christ is Precious because of who He is.

·         He is Immanuel. God with us. The God-man.

·         The excellences of divine and sinless human nature centres in Him.

·         All wisdom, power, majesty, divine or human, created or uncreated, seen or invisible, the highest affection and honour belongs to Him.

Colossians 1

¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

¹⁶ For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.¹⁷And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

·         He is fully God and fully man so that in his humanity He is able to sympathise with our weaknesses.

Hebrews 4: 15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Christ is Precious because of His Blood

His Blood redeemed me

1Peter 1:18-19 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

His Blood cleanses me from sin

[1 John 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.]

His blood preserves my life

[Exodus 12:13  And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you,

His blood speaks better things than that of Abel

[Hebrews 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. ]

 

Christ is Precious because He is a seeking Saviour of hell deserving sinners

Matthew 9: 12-13

¹²   When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

·         Only when you realise how sin sick you were can you truly see Christ as precious

·         You have to feel and taste the disgust of your sin to appreciate Christ as precious

·         Only in the face of your own depravity and utter wickedness can you see the beauty and preciousness of Christ

·         It is when you realise that the stinking, rotting corpse that smelled so badly that people tried to stop Jesus from coming close to it was actually you, and yet our Precious Saviour came close and called you out…

·         That’s why He is precious to me! I was Lazarus!

I can imagine how Peter felt when Jesus called him. A rude, cussing fisherman that would deny Christ… and still find mercy at His feet!

Or Paul who murderously persecuted the church and cheered on when they stoned Stephen to death… the worst of sinners… yet he found grace at the feet of our Precious Saviour.

Christ is Precious because of His promises

2Cor. 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.

2 Peter 1:4
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

·         Matt 16:16-19 "And I say that thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it"

·         Matt 28:20 "Teach them to observe all I have taught you and behold I am with you always until the end of the world"

·         Jude 1:24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,”

·         John 16: 13-14 “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” (Rom 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.)

·         His grace is sufficient for us – 2Cor.12: 9

·         Phillipians 4:19 "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus".

·         1Cor.10:13 “…but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

One of my favourite promises that has kept me through the most difficult circumstances…

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Is Christ truly Precious to YOU?

I am not talking about sentimentalism or an emotion that you feel when you sing a worship song. Or how loud you can pray and shout the name of Jesus.

Jesus tells a parable in Matthew 13 of a man who found a treasure in a field and then covered it up, then in his joy he sold all he had and buys that field.

Again He tells of a merchant that in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Is your heart with Christ? Is he truly your treasure?

 

Matthew 6: 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

 In Matthew 19:16-22 a rich young man comes to Jesus wanting to know what he must do to inherit the Kingdom. He was willing to do all the right things, but Jesus was not more precious to him than his life’s possessions. Scripture says, “he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

What is dearer to you than Jesus? What are you holding onto that’s more precious to you than Jesus Christ.

Matthew 10: 37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Andwhoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

May the Lord give you an open heart to receive the gospel, so that the eyes of your heart might be enlighten so that you can behold His glory... For He is Precious!

A WEDDING SERMON

The Wedding of my daughter Chané to Nielamonte Fisher 

14 December 2013

Introduction

To this moment, Neilemonte and Chane, bring the fullness of their hearts as a treasure to share with one another. They bring the dreams which bind them together. They bring that personality and spirit which is uniquely their own, out of which will grow the reality of their life together.

Most importantly, Neil and Chane have come here today out of respect for God and in obedience to His command that has been from the beginning:

We read this in Gen. 2:18, 21-24

 ¹⁸           And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."

²¹            And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.

²²            Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

²³            And Adam said: " This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."

²⁴            Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Neil and Chane, your love for each other should be an Eternal Triangle. God is at the apex and you, as man and woman, are at the base of the triangle. When both of you are joined together with God at the top, then you will never be separated from each other at the bottom.

Your marriage should be the union of two lives – two hearts that beat as one – so welded together that they walk together; they work together; they bear each other’s burdens and share each other’s joys. I want to remind you to be friendly, loving and tenderhearted, and orbearing one another in love.

Remember the vows you are about to take are as binding in adversity as in prosperity and that these vows are to be broken only by death.

As marriage is a joyful privilege, it is also a serious responsibility.

Marriage Is Approved And Legislated By God                                                    

Jesus, when confronted by questions about divorce (Matthew 19:8), pointed back to “the beginning.” (confirming that what Adam and Eve had was a marriage)

The first marriage is a model for all time.

Several important factors are brought out:

• ·         God provided “woman” as the “helper” for man.
• ·         God only brought one woman to the man, revealing it was His intention for one man and one woman to be united in marriage.
• ·         The Holy Spirit uses the phrase: “the man and his wife.” (confirming this as marriage, not just living together)
• ·         It is God who declares that a man shall leave his mommy and daddy. This couple is the beginning of a new home.
• ·         They were together and not ashamed.(v25)

Marriage Makes Demands On Each Partner                                                           

The need to be faithful to God.

• ·         Matt. 6:33 “seek ye first the kingdom of God”. We are easily tempted to seek other things
• ·         Marriage does not change this. Let this be a combined priority in your marriage. Help each other accomplish that goal.
• ·         If Christ is not your joy, nothing else will be. If Christ don’t fulfill you, noone will.

You have a need to be faithful to each other.

• ·         You are to love one another above all others.
• ·         Must leave father and mother, and cleave to mate.
• ·         A new family unit, not an extension of an older one.
• ·         To provide for one another’s needs within the framework of your marriage (1 Cor. 7:1-4). Your body is not your own anymore..

Need to be faithful in fulfilling other duties placed upon you.

• ·         To your children (when they are born) to care for, feed and discipline, but especially to “raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
• ·         To the community in which you live. To be a good example. To demonstrate by your life that serving and pleasing God is both possible and practical.

You Can Enjoy The Privileges Of Marriage

Being able to satisfy one another’s physical desires within a permitted relationship: marriage (Gen. 2:25).

·         No shame is here.

·         The same God who instilled it within man, supplied the approved place for it to be exercised.

There are two of you to cope with life. You can double life’s pleasures and half its problems.

Together, you will be able to help one another develop more love toward the other.

Marriage Has Roles For You

Chane you have the responsibility of being the help mate for Neil.

·         You have the potential to help develop him into the very best husband anyone could ever desire to have.

·         It will call for submission to God’s order for the home.

o   Read Ephesians 5:22-33. Here is God’s divine order:

§  Husband … head of the wife.

§  Wife … subject to husband.

·         Both of you are responsible and accountable to God.

The husband is to love his wife even as Christ did the church, and died for it. The husband should be willing to love his wife to the very same extent.

Eph. 5:22-27

²²   Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

²³   For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

²⁴   Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

²⁵   Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

²⁶   that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

²⁷            that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

Marraige calls for a Higher Standard

I want both of you to remember the great responsibilities you have: love and submission. How serious and magnificent are these qualities. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, gave us the perfect example of love and submission.

Neil, Christ loved the church. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Jesus showed the greatest love to the church by the sacrifice of His own life. He shed His precious blood for the church to demonstrate how deep and abiding His love was and to leave us the greatest example of love this world has ever known.

 Neil, follow the example of Christ.

Consider Chane your closest friend and love her even to the sacrifice of your wants, desires and your very life.

Chane, my beautiful daughter, Christ gave us the perfect example of submission.

Paul wrote, “let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Phil. 2:5-8).

Chane, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, humbled Himself and became submissive for our sake. And just as you would obey Jesus, submit to Neil as your husband.

Lastly.. may this portion of scripture be evident in your marriage.

Romans 12: 9-21

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary:

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.