Christian Altitude (Part C)

Is nothing but the blood of Jesus. And that's why that hymn is so popular because we know it. You take his sacrifice on the cross away and then faith will get you nowhere.

Not trivializing faith at all, hope you don't for one moment think that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen by it the elders obtained a good testimony is critical by faith. You were saying that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, you take the blood of Christ away and it all dies. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first Peter, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the book of first Peter chapter 1 as he continues his message Christian altitude so you say you're a follower of Jesus Christ. You call on him who judges incidentally he does judge still the fatherly tone is in this when you write is not a preaching tone. It's not into you get in front of people does it become a preaching tone and mood largely dictates that, but it doesn't take away from the con tent if it be true without partiality that is this is not about your salvation. Incidentally, he says, who judges without partiality. According to each one's work is talking about service here. God is looking at how we serve. Should he not should he just serve us redeem us, conduct yourself throughout the time of your stay here in this life back to being sober minded about these things in this life live as though you are a believer that you are serving a great King. This mention of where he says let me go back a minute here without partiality is going to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear now that word fear is that the idea of reverence.

Reverence is a type of fear but it's a balanced fear to sober fear. It recognizes God is not to be trifled with. That's what this type this reverent fear.

Understand stunt. This is not the paralyzing fear that trains light the Terra is a sense of the awesomeness of God.

The stupendous essence of God. How many lives in Christianity and out of Christianity, lack reverence, the house of God in a junkyard really is no difference with them is due. Don't ever connect what goes on in one place.

What goes on in another place.

They don't understand that there is a throne and there is a God on the throne, the God of the Bible that in his presence. We don't have the right to be reckless about holy things. I heard one probably a well-meaning Christian who was speaking about a church is about to go into this was on YouTube thing and he referred to the church. He said okay let's go inside this joint doesn't stay. I don't think he was intentionally trying to be irreverent but if that kind of attitude catches on reverence dies. Someone needs to pull them aside and say listen, this is the house of God, bought with his blood. It is made so by the intention of those who attend their submitting to him what you said in his word, supposing that holiness somehow is not beneficial is not a good way to think about holiness what what Jennifer may why should I suffer for Christ once will I get out of it. Who could applaud such an attitude because there are those that want to sort of communicate in some way that being holy is not cool where is that written who says so in heaven.

Being holy is the coolest thing you could be in heaven will all have sunglasses on nonprescription ones to and so people tried to bump you off of holiness, especially you younger Christian someone there they always shine. Okay tone it down at St. be overly righteous either and become a pain in the neck and killjoy can even laugh at anything that is genuinely humorous in fear. The fear that brings life. Proverbs 1427 the fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life to turn one away from the snares of death. There are such things as healthy fear as we all know it is what keeps us in our lane when were driving especially on a single lane road with this one traffic going one way and the other going the other.

Our lower selves. As I mentioned, confined courage and irreverence. This would explain why the profanities fly when a person is hot, angry and building themselves up to attack something they do not have the courage that comes from holiness. They have it that comes from that type of courage that comes from irreverence gives them a sense of power that they do not have to submit just give free license to their own passions.

Hebrews 1228 therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. I hope we got that verse 18. Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold, from your English conduct received by the addition from your fathers you think it was maybe somebody that would've would've liked to been waiting at the door at the end of service.

If it Peter preached these words and take issue with the conditions of my father if he would be the guide, like to go to and mess with incidentally just might have carnal flashback of something and wouldn't be good for me but but these are strong words that he is throwing out there and he's getting people between the eyes of the Scriptures do you know we come to Christ. We don't realize we can we see the salvation the love Jesus has for us and all the sins of passed away.

We have we are born again.

That means we will baby one of child was born. They have no past is no record that everything is ahead of them and that's what it's like being born again and we don't stop to think, wait a minute from the book of acts all away to the end. There is conflict there is struggle there.

These apostles trying to constantly tell Christians to get it together gird up the loins of your mind, pull it together. Stop drifting back.

We do good to remember that this we become puffed up so he says you know you weren't redeem with with trivial things you want bought with gold or silver that could never buy peace with God nothing man-made can buy peace with God. Gain peace with God.

It is the precious blood of Christ redeemed that word redeemed at its root in the Greek means freed not from say the way you would on tile a dog from a lease or something like that but free from a legal burden is taken away you don't have this thing hanging this judgment hanging over you any longer and he says, knowing that you were not freed from judgment with common things from your aim was conduct your meaningless conduct your useless life that was garnished with things that have no lasting value.

They have no place in eternity. Now you do not you have come to Christ you have these things that old way of life was moral folly. Christ is calling us out of that now. Flesh is calling us back to that in the tug-of-war is is constant. That's why Paul said don't get tired of doing good. Why would anybody tell you that because doing good is often rewarded with trouble you try to do you try so hard to come to do something the right way and nobody else sees it.

They attack you for it. Your own brothers and sisters can be guilty of you and I can be guilty of this myself, but I've seen you mess up.

I wish it could be so one day will never have to make such analogies. The day is coming.

We will be in that place all of this is forgotten to do any of you want to remember any of this when there's, you know you you want to say that you know I wish so-and-so was here to see this well up there in heaven. There wishing you were with them to see that you're not there. Not the one missing out. We are without. Time is coming and you know I don't know how it's going to be that transition into heaven. I know that I won't die Jesus that he believes in me shall never die will be sort of a talk and wake up in a flash kind of a thing, but I like the picture that the psalmist paints I shall enter his courts with thanksgiving in my heart, I shall enter his gates with praise. I will say this is the day the Lord is made I will be glad and rejoice, to teach ourselves to praise in this life takes work because anybody can do it. We've got things to thank God for.

But how do we really enter into expressing a genuine gratitude and not sort of going on a checklist to help lights check gauges check going like a pilot but the take off is to be something better to praising God how much does God hear coming off the planet and how much of it is praise how much of that is genuine praise and how much of that genuine praise has been learned in the school of the Holy Spirit, I am asking God I've been asking for some time.

Teach me to praise you but but remember, I'm really weak so if you can skip hard lessons and just kind of instill it. It's greatly appreciated. Sign the management but anyway pseudo-management by tradition of your fathers, your aim was conduct that empty way by tradition of your fathers is talking to Jews and Gentiles in this letter. Yes, he still tossed starts out talking about the Jews of the Diaspora. This dispersion what he includes as he moves through his letter all the Christians and by this time there were many Gentiles coming into the church and in the church until finally they were the majority, which makes mathematical sense because they're the majority of people on in the world what he says he tradition of your fathers, the Jews. They had this idea that God had imparted the law the spoken law to Moses he gave the law, but that there was also an oral tradition that we don't have in print and that's where they started making long-term and they begin to expand on this body of rabbinical teaching more and more and more into you could not even have little studs on the bottom of your sandals on a Sunday because you were doing work by carrying the and just these ridiculous things. And again the Jew the towel mood. This writing of their rabbinical teachings and the kill. The law of Moses eventually did. It clips their own Bible so that in spirit on spiritual matters of the books of Moses, became secondary to the remit to the rabbis and what they had written down was a terrible work of scholarly tradition. It was one of the things that cause them to hate Jesus because Jesus would not submit to it. Jesus called it for what it was worthless and so they sat in the synagogue on the Sabbath day, daring him to do today or heal somebody and of course he took that as provocation, cast out demons he heal people.

He did it in their face and the Bible tells us they hated him for. From that day forward.

They sought how they could kill him for it. New Testament Christianity has also piled up her traditions that she five finds work defending just like the rabbis defended there, worthless, obstructionist traditions, things that we do that actually hinder righteousness.

It's okay to have a tradition of it's harmless in and of itself when it starts becoming mandated put on people is a burden. It's no good. You know John Calvin in Switzerland had police to make sure you follow their rules, the great Swiss reformer and some saw him.

I'm a John Knox man of proof. I like John Knox more.

I'm not really great on any of the reformers and appreciate the work they did that work of having police religious police was a bad idea and so my point is that Christianity cannot look down at rabbinical Judaism is nowhere above it.

We have to watch out for these things. The traditions of your father. That struck the word of God. Verse 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish that were precious. Objectively, it means costly subjectively, it needs valuable or or honor, honorable, esteemed and of course he was both.

Paul writes this in first Corinthians. He says now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones would face double valuable honorable stones the same Greek word that Peter is using and so would Peter sing the blood of Christ. This is special. There's nothing like it is read.

But it's what it means, not the actual blood that splattered on the Roman soldiers, the meaning of it all. That's what counts.

It would be accurate to say the blood of God or God's blood acts chapter 20 verse 28 therefore take heed to yourselves to the flock among which the Holy Spirit is made you overseers to shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood. Blood is not money in this life. It is the spiritual realm with God.

The blood of Christ is that is what is purchased our salvation was not faith that saved the Jews there in Egypt on the Passover night.

It was the blood on the door, you would have a gallon of faith where there was no blood on the door you struck dead by the angel of death. If you had blood on the door which really didn't believe it, but it was there. You are Passover on us but too many hairs here, except to make this point the blood gives life to faith and faith, we have comes from God our free will is involved we do receive it, but it is his work otherwise we could find it somewhere else we can find solutions and other things we cannot is nothing but the blood of Jesus. And that's why that hymn is so popular because we know it.

You take his sacrifice on the cross away and then faith will get you nowhere.

Not trivializing faith at all, hope you don't for one moment think that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen by it the elders obtained a good testimony. It is critical by faith. You are saved and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. But you take the blood of Christ away and it all ties anybody without blood is dead. It is true, and figure and is true. In fact, and so he says as a lamb without blemish and without spot or blemishes are acquired defects on cheap or animal for sacrifice.

The spots were natural defects inherent worn with when Christ four days before he was crucified he entered into Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday. That was the day of selection. That was the day when you would select the Lamb for slaughter and you would quarantine that animal and for four days you would watch and make sure the animal did not get sick or have a defect show up that you did not see earlier before you could bring him to sacrifice and so when Christ comes into Jerusalem. He is the selection of God. He is the Lamb of God, he is separated for the sacrifice he would go to Bethany come back to Jerusalem, go to Bethany go back to for four days.

He was right there in front of everybody so that they could observe the Lamb of God without blemish, without spot the perfect man that he is to the believer that he is even independent of you don't have to believe he is perfect but Jesus dismissed those who wanted his teachings without blood, and less you eat of my body and drink of my blood.

You cannot be with me then John Jefferson they I was too much for us he was saying there's got to be blood. There's got to be pain-and-suffering attached to dealing with sin. It is been that way since those animals were sacrificed in Eden on behalf of Adam and Eve preach the blood you preach man sin you preach. The blood you preach the Savior. The solution, the only solution in churches that don't preach sin do not preach exclusively the blood of Christ there churches without the blood. If you have not the blood you did verse 20. If I see overly passionate and I can't run on see myself in a comeback just doesn't work.

I'm passionate about these things because I believe you are to retake them as though they come from God. Not that somebody sat down and wrote the Molly was waiting for you in all the check to clear something these things are given to us to do just what we are doing. We know in human history looks at like when the word of God is locked away. Just look at the dark ages look at the Roman catholic church did to Europe when it said it's a sin to have the word of God to speak to God the Word of God in the lives of the people how they hounded those men who are translating Scripture for people to read Tyndale and Wycliffe, and Luther, and Knox and all the rest of that they wanted to murder those men for caring to make the word of God available. We have it now some of you have 567 Bibles. We have the word of God.

Now John wish it was one that moved in the heart of John Calvin was sort of his mentor they burn him at the stake because he love the word of God, the preach the word of God. May we not take these things ever casually verse 20 and indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, indeed, was foreordained at this, not just a mere point in time that's eternity past it's always been one St. puts it this way before man sin. The remedy had already been provided before paradise was lost paradise had already been regained because Christ was crucified before the foundation of the world and in the mind and purpose of God. The purpose of God. Christ had already died before Adam was created in the purpose and plan of God, world had already been redeemed for the world was ever brought into being. That is what is meant by indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, God wasn't caught off surprise use manifest comes in human form, the big game. The New Testament times tells in verse 20 that is the Christian age, and then he says for you. What was what was the purpose of all this for you. Why was he born for you. But why did he die the way he died for you and for whom is he now making intercession for and for whom is he delighted to see in heaven one day you and me. Verse 21 for through him for through him believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God while that certainly verse 21 goals better with verse 20 manifest in these last times for you, who through him believe in God. Ephesians 218 for through him we both have access by one Spirit to the father John 10 nine I am the door of anyone enters by me, he will be saved. I purposely am not saying I am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the father except through me and purposely not using that verse because I want to expose us to other verses that are saying the same thing as forcefully and I just read two of them computers word here in verse 21 through him believe in God is yet another your faith and hope are in God. That's how he ends this 21st verse. We don't have faith in faith, that would be a waste. We have faith in God. Faith is no power in and of itself faith just describes what God is doing.

True faith so you may lack assurance and a quorum finishing with this may lack assurance of your faith, that won't be enough to undo what Christ has done for you.

You got where he says, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. God is saying you're not 100% sure on this, but you sure enough, I take no Jesus is Lord and Savior God that will pull the team from Satan's bite concerning things of salvation.

We are so glad you tuned in today to study the book of first Peter on cross reference radio cross reference radio is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia, and we are blessed to bring you God's word with each broadcast. If you'd like more information about this program or want to listen to additional teachings from Pastor Rick please visit our website cross reference radio.com. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never have to miss a program. Just search for cross reference radio iTunes Google play music or your favorite podcast. We hope you tuned in again next time to join us as we continue our study through the Scriptures like here on cross reference radio