R sbc
February 25th 2007
Sunday Morning
Series: “ Christ the Sum & Substance of The Bible”
Sermon # 110
Subject: “ Inquiring Minds of the Prophets Concerning Christ”
Text: 1 Pet: 1-8-12
Intro: An investigation into things that are not seen, is indeed a work of faith. Thousand of years before Christ came, there were men of GOD who longed and wanted to see his day other than by faith.
Mt 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Not just the prophets but righteous men and no doubt righteous women desired to see the day of the Christ that was to come. Another verse in the book of acts says the following concerning this subject:
Ac 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
I... HOW DID THEY INQUIRE INTO THIS TRUTH?
(1.) By telling of it:
Mt 2:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
Ac 3:24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
(2.) By writing of it:
Joh 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
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(3.) It was shown unto them:
Ac 3:18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
II.. OF WHAT WAS THIS INQUIRING?
No one sets out to search for something without having a goal in mind. These men were not different, they wanted to know of Christ and of the salvation he was to bring when he come.
(1.) Christ himself:
They wanted to know what it was that the messiah was going to bring, was it physical or was it spiritual. Would it be a freedom from bondage of a nation or would it bring about a spiritual liberty they had not know before.
When they would be moved by the Holy Spirit to write of the Christ, look what it would be about.
A. Moses said:
De 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; Here Moses shows that when he comes he will be a prophet, which he was, and he gave us his word in written form.
B. Isaiah said:
He made three basic prediction of the Messiah.
(1.) That he would be born in an extraordinary way:
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
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(2.) That he would have an entirely different government:
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
(3.) The way of achieving this great kingdom:
a. He would spring up from poverty: Isa 53-1-2
b. He would be despised and rejected: Isa 53-3
c. He would stand in the place of sinners: Isa 53:4-6
d. He would remain silent before his accusers: Isa 53: 7
e. He would be perfect in every way: Isa 53:9
d. He would honor his Father by doing his will: Isa 53-10-11
f. He would wear a victor crown: Isa 53-12
C. Zachariah
He told a day of cleansing and where it would take place. He uses the metaphor of a fountain, and we all know that water stands for cleansing in the Bible and washing. Thus this prophets sounds it loud and clear.
Zech 13-1 ¶ In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
D. John the Baptist:
John was the last of a long line of prophets that search into the wonder of God saving his people from their sins.
A. Light to lighten his people: Jn 1-4
b. The sacrifice that would be final: Jn 1:29
c. He spoke of him being the one who would increase:
Joh 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
What a saviour they looked into.
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4th. Of the cause of salvation:
Grace that should come unto us: Titus wrote of this clearly as all the men of God did when writing the Bible. Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
(1.) You can see grace in churches: Ac 11:23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
(2.) Grace makes us what we are: 1Co 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
(3.) We work together by grace: 2Co 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
III.. THE GREAT PRIVILEGE OF THE INQUIRY: VS 12
They did not see it like we have, this is what Peter is stressing. What a great and blessed privilege we have today, we can see all of this in the word of GOD, clearly, it is seen.
We see ourselves for what we are: Rom 3-9-19
We see our saviour for what he is: Luke 2-11
We see our salvation that was purpose in him:
2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
We see our hope is not in us but in him:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory