Let's turn again to the first official of Peter's and read from the place we left off this morning. We read about an inheritance, incorruptible, and under five, verse four of the first chapter, and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. Now notice that word, ready to be revealed in the last time, wherein it should read, In whom ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen ye love, in whom, though now ye see him not yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith even the salvation, again that word of your souls, of which salvation... The prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching what? Or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow, unto whom? It was revealed that not unto themselves, but unto us. They did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them, that have preached the gospel unto you, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, which things the angels desire to look into." Let's have another little word of prayer, shall we? Our Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for any measure of love that we have for your word. We thank you for your spirit, whose work it is to take up these things of thyself and reveal them unto us. Grant, O Lord, that we might learn something from this passage, both speaker and hearer alike, that will affect our future, we ask, seeking thy glory in Jesus' name. The theme of the prophets, the wonder of the angels, and the portion of believers. I think that's the message of the verses that we read. If we were to divide this epistle tonight into its various divisions, we would come up with five. And they are all about salvation. That's why I emphasized the word in the first chapter or that part of it that we read. These are the five parts into which it falls. First of all, the survey of salvation. Secondly, the recipient of salvation. Thirdly, the products of salvation. Fourthly, the test of salvation. And finally, the marks that salvation leaves upon the life. Now I'm having a little difficulty tonight with my eyes and my notes are written very small. I should have written them larger, but I use reading glasses. the word salvation three times in the first chapter verses five nine and ten now first of all if you look at the at this first mention of salvation you will find it's associated with the tenses for we read about an inheritance incorruptible which has to do with the future We read about mercy having for begotten us unto a living hope, and that is the past, and then that we are being kept. I mentioned that this morning by the power of God through faith unto salvation, and that, of course, is the present. So we have the word salvation linked with both the future and the past, and the present. That's salvation and the tenses. It's wonderful to know that in the past we received it. It's wonderful to know that in the future we're going to get the real benefit of it. And also that salvation is not a thing concerning just the past, and the future, but we having been saved are being saved every day, and so it becomes our life for the present. The survey, the recipient, the product, the test, and the marks of salvation. If salvation hasn't changed your life, then something very serious is wrong. Because God intends us to be changed by his salvation. He doesn't leave us where he found us. He brought me up out of an horrible pit, out of the mirey clay, set my feet upon a rock and established my goings. And that's not the end. He hath put a new song into my mouth, even praise unto our God. And if that's not how you feel about your salvation, you'd better get into the presence of God and ask him why. It's not because there's anything wrong with him. is not because there's anything missing in your salvation, but it's because you have a part to play. Actually, it should be a very easy part to play, but somehow we find it very difficult, and that is to be totally surrendered to God. so that he has his way in our lives and we don't have to live with his help, we have to let him live his life through us. Now that's part of the message of the gospel. It's true that he saved us from hell and it's true that by means of our salvation he has made heaven a certainty for us. But God's salvation is a thing that is meant to operate in our lives today and tomorrow, as it should have done yesterday. Salvation. And I've read the word to you three times. He hath begotten us again. That's the past. We have been tested and sometimes we are being tested. As I speak to you, you may be going through a testing that God has allowed in your life. Now part of your salvation is the ability by the Spirit of God to undergo that testing and to come out of it triumphantly. Perhaps I'll touch on that. a little further down if we get that far. Salvation and the Tenses. The next thing we find as we go through this epistle is salvation and our believing. Now believing is believing. Someone has said and the world believes seeing is believing. But sometimes You can't see and you're meant to believe. Salvation is a very real thing. The clue is given to us. The secret is given to us in a little word that is used here and it's the word faith. Look at verse five, will you? We who are being kept, you remember I touched on that word, it has to do with the present, by the power of God through faith unto salvation. Now look at another verse. I'll find it here, I'm sure, somewhere. I feel so inadequate tonight because I haven't had a very good time with this passage today. I said to my wife, I'm afraid of the message tonight and I think the devil is using that fear in order to stumble me and so to stumble you. In verse five we have a faith that is true. Let me read it to you again. Faith, the salvation of your souls. That's the next reading, verse nine. First of all, the trial of your faith. Before that, well, second of all, before that, there was another mention of faith that I read to you. It says in our reading that the theme of the prophets is salvation. Now you have the prophets in your Bible, and if you will read them, you will find that, look into Jonah. In the prophecy of Jonah we find, or in the book of Jonah, he says salvation is of the Lord. Now Jonah was a prophet. And his fame was that salvation was of the Lord. Now do you remember an experience that Jonah had? I remember Ralph Gibbs used to say, I think he borrowed it from somebody else. that Jonah learned his theology in a strange seminary that was, of course, in the belly of the whale. But what Jonah wrote is a challenge to the heart, and it has to do with salvation. Salvation is of the Lord. If you look anywhere else, you won't find it. And that's the salvation for every day too. I said it's a past thing and a future thing and a present thing. And salvation is meant to work, but it's only as we allow the Lord to work through us. Salvation is of the Lord. Jeremiah was another prophet. They call him sometimes the weeping prophet. I'm sure that Jeremiah wrote, I mean that he wept and wept sometimes as he wrote, it's probably not out of place to call him the weeping prophet. Those of us who have read his prophecy and are accustomed to reading it, or we have read it on a number of occasions. We know why the sadness of his heart. Jonah wrote about sin. He was joined by David, who said, The same thing about salvation being of the Lord. Moses said it, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. You remember that? Jacob said it, I have waited for the salvation of the Lord. Jonah was a prophet, and he gave to us the source. Salvation is of the Lord, not to be found anywhere else. Jeremiah gives to us the conditions. If we read, we shall find that in the first place, he says, it is necessary to recognize sin. Secondly, he says, it is necessary to refute folly. And then thirdly he says it is necessary sometimes to retrace your steps. You stray and you have to get back to the place where you went astray. The conditions are these. Recognize sin. deal with sin, confess sin, put away sin, and you will enjoy again the salvation which is of the Lord. But these are the conditions, and Jeremiah gives them to us. Isaiah also tells us that salvation is of the Lord. But he doesn't give us the source of it. He doesn't give us the conditions for it. He talks about the duration of it. He talks about salvation being eternal. Salvation is everlasting. Having received God's salvation, we'll never lose it, it'll never come to an end, and we shall still be enjoying it when we get to heaven. Salvation is the theme of the prophets. Not only Jonah and Jeremiah and Isaiah, but there was a New Testament prophet. And just after the birth of the Lord Jesus, the man's name was Simeon, he said a prayer. Lord, let us now thy servant depart in peace For mine eyes have seen what? Thy salvation. So whether Old Testament or New Testament, the theme of the prophets was salvation. The second thing, salvation is the wonder of the angels. They wanted to look into these things. I read that scripture to you. The angels. You know, angels, we read, desired to look into these things. I wonder what was behind that. I wonder what God is anxious for us to learn from this. Angels got to know men very well. And I don't wonder that the angels were staggered when God made it possible for men who were such sinners and so far astray and sometimes God-forgetting and even God-forsaking. It must have staggered the angels. that God should have provided for man a way of salvation. You know, there were angels that fell, but God did not provide for them a way of salvation. Why men? Why men? For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Their knowledge of men, I repeat, was extensive. Do you remember the folly of man discovered by an angel who had to be sent into Sodom to rescue Lot because he lingered there, although he knew the judgment was to fall. That angel must have shook his head. How stupid these men must be. An angel had to rescue him. out of a place that was shortly to be incinerated. Yes, the angels know plenty about men. And they've learned, like that angel, of the folly of men. The angels know, too, of the impotence of men. You know what Psalm thirty-four seven says? the angel of the Lord encampeth around them that fear the Lord. Why does he do that? He does it in order to help men in his folly when that man becomes repentant. The angels know that men need help. That angel was sent because The man needed to be surrounded from the forces, he needed to be delivered from the forces that surrounded him. He was impotent, could not deal with them, didn't have the strength, didn't have the know-how, he just was not capable. And so, in his necessity, And you and I are included here. But we're treated as individuals. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him. The devil can't really get at you if the angel of the Lord encamps around you. And really he can if you let him keep you from stumbling. and falling. Isn't it wonderful that God has given to us angels to surround us? I wrote a little poem once. You may not agree with the theology. I don't even know if I have it here but probably it'll take a little time to find it and then to read it and I will be delivered from the dilemma that I'm in just now. How wonderful the grace of God has proved to be! that he should send a mighty angel just for me. So, as the Master long ago was comforted that way, I too might know angelic aid from day to day. How much he must have loved me that his heart should plan a heavenly escort from the start of my new life today and then tomorrow my very own supporting angel to appreciate come joy or sorrow. It's wonderful to know that God has heavenly messengers, and that He makes them available to us in our times of need. Angels know all about the folly of man, of which an example has been given to you. The impotence of man too. But you know, the angels too know of the future of man. And I think that this must puzzle them a little. The Bible tells us that we are going to judge angels. Maybe that's how the angels have found out, but they certainly know it. And we know it. And we should marvel at that. One day the Bible says we're going to judge angels. It's a reminder to us of what lies before us. If we are going to judge angels, then we are certainly going to be responsible judges, or God would never have given that task to us. But the angels know the future of man in this sense that Fallen angels are going to be tried by man. We shall judge angels. But most of all, having talked of the folly of man, the impotence of man and the future of man, we have brought, of course, to the sacrifice of the God-man. If it were not for him, we'd never see the angels at all. Do you remember the birth of the Lord Jesus? An announcement was made to Mary by an angel. Do you remember that the news was given to the world by a company of angels do you recall that the Lord Jesus in his sufferings was strengthened by an angel at his resurrection it was an angel that rolled away the stone and sat upon it I like that that that's a A very pleasing twist. I think that the angel is showing contempt for all that the devil wanted to do and tried to do to the Lord Jesus. He rolled away the stone and he sat on it. Do you remember at the ascension of the Lord Jesus? It was the angels who said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus shall so come, in the same manner as ye have seen him go. That comes down as a wonderful message to us, because it helps us to look forward to the coming again of the Lord Jesus. And you know, to crown all of that for the angels, They're the ones who are going to surround the throne and sing, Worthy, Worthy is the Lamb. We'll be joining them too. The worth of the Lord Jesus will be at that time the theme song for the universe. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. So here's the victorious Christ, and again the angels singing about his worth. So salvation is the theme of the prophets, and salvation is the wonder of the angels. But finally, salvation is the portion of believers. This thing that is astounding the angels is actually that which we possess. You know, the Lord Jesus had to stood very, very low to pick up some of us. I had a colleague with the Pilgrim Preachers, a man that I traveled with, with the party for several years, a man who actually dropped dead on the sidewalk. No, I'm sorry, that was another colleague. I beg your pardon. No, this man had been a publican and he died in his bed. There was another member of the party who at one of our open air meetings in Red Roofing Cornwall, standing on the platform. had a catch in his breath and then stopped and fell down dead. We used to have a little platform and always when somebody was on it another pilgrim would stand in front of him so he could use his shoulder as a means of not falling off the platform because it had no rails of any kind. And so that particular pilgrim immediately put his arm around him. and two or three helped him to lower to the ground. But he was dead before he hit the ground. Sudden death, sudden glory. He had been a publican and very much a sinner. He was saved crossing a barracks square when he was in the armies and hearing a hymn, coming out of YMCA. A blaggard he was. He was a big sinner. He was a drunkard. There wasn't anything good that could be said about him. But on this occasion, he was drawn to the singing. He had a Christian wife. She'd been praying a long time for him, and before that night was out, she got a telegram to say that he trusted the Lord and become born again. I don't know how I got to that. However, it's wonderful to think of these things. The angels have a big part in our comfort, as they did, although we don't understand it, and we might not recognize it, but... I don't think until we get the glory we're ever going to have an opportunity to admit and to confess more than that to speak appreciatively of the ministry of angels. The Lord Jesus then was ministered to by the angels who proclaimed his birth. In his suffering, the Lord Jesus was strengthened at his ascension. He was announced by angels, and in the glory, they're the ones who are singing about his word. Now salvation is the portion of believers, as we said. And God intends that we should, look at verse thirty-one, I think it is, speaking about who by him do believe. Now through the Lord Jesus, we get the belief to place in him. That sounds rather a strange statement. But it says here in this verse, speaking of men, who by him do believe. The Lord Jesus in his ministry to us seeks to woo us and to win us, to win our hearts so that we learn to love him and are happy to serve him and get an aching longing in our hearts to see him. He's coming back and it could happen tonight. Take a look at verse thirty-one, will you please? I'm sorry, there aren't thirty-one. Okay, it must be another one. Twenty-one. Yes, that's what it is. It's twenty-one. Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God? It's interesting, the next verse speaks about love of the brethren. You have the three cardinal virtues there, faith and hope and love. salvation is the portion of believers and part of that salvation is providing for us spiritual stamina making it possible to meet every day as thy day is so shall thy strength be it's because of our salvation every day every hour every moment of every day the spirit of God gives to us spiritual stamina if you look in that verse you'll find it is linked with two things sobriety and hope being sober and having a tremendous hope spiritual stamina enables us to enjoy these more and more but you know there's a little word that is used somewhere close to this and it's the word obedience obedience spiritual submission it's coupled with holiness and fear and then the portion of believers also is spiritual satisfaction. You know you have, you enjoy your salvation. So salvation is a theme of the prophets. It's the wonder of the angels and it's the portion of believers. It's still a staggering thing to ponder that. Your redemption, according to our portion here, verse eighteen, is powerful. Verse nineteen and twenty, it is priceless. And verse twenty-two, it is lacking in nothing. It is perfect. Let me leave this with you. Seeing ye have purified your souls, in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfaithed love. That's really reaching the target. And it's possible for us. Or God would not expect it of us. Faith and hope and love. That's a good place to finish. Love. And it talks about love of the brethren. And we need to be reminded from time to time we are to love one another. That is with a spiritual affection. And it is an affection that God expects us to show to one another. It is the kind of love that makes people on the outside put up short and observe it and be astounded at it. You know, when the Christians were being burned at the stake, they sought to die for one another, so that the heathen said, Behold how these Christians love one another. It astounded them. Would to God we were all like that. And like that in this day and age. Because it's where the brethren dwell together in unity, and love is the foundation of unity, that God commands the blessing, even life forevermore. I have to apologize to you tonight. It has been a very uncomfortable time for me, but I leave the word of God with you, and I know that the Spirit of God can use that word. Let's pray, shall we? Our Father, we thank you that tonight you have been among us. You know every heart. You've heard every word. Grant that someone in the congregation until she'll take home something that's going to stand him or her in good stead in the hours and the days that lie ahead. It's your word, not the preaching, that's quick and powerful and sharpened in any two-edged sword. Lord, speak to thy people. shall in heart through thy word. And grant, O Lord, that our appreciation of the salvation that you bestowed upon us might grow with every day that comes and goes. We ask in the name, again, of the Lord Jesus. Amen.