THE JOY OF SALVATION
(By Emerson Blythe)TEXT: (1 Pet 1:3-12 KJV)
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, {4} To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, {5} Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. {6} Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: {7} 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 honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: {8} 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: {9} Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. {10} Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: {11} 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. {12} 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."CENTRAL THOUGHT: (1 Pet 1:8-9 KJV) "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: {9} Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."
SUBJECT: The Joy of Salvation.
Salvation so grand that prophets diligently inquired, and angels desired to look into it!
THE KIND OF JOY BEING DESCRIBED: "ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." NIV: "and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy."
Can you not feel the excitement and jubilance of this joy? And what is it all about: SALVATION! --Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.SOME QUESTIONS:
1. Why are we not that excited about salvation today?
2. Why do we not sorrow any more at the thought of NOT being saved?
3. Why do we not rejoice in finding salvation as these people did?
A. Is it because we do not realize the worth of a soul?
(Mark 8:36-37 KJV) "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? {37} Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"
B. Is it because salvation is not "REAL" to us?
We cannot "See" the soul. We have not "seen" into the realm of life beyond the grave. How can we become so excited about what we do not see?This is an indication of the lack of spirituality, or the lack of FAITH. (Heb 11:1 KJV) "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
(2 Cor 5:7 KJV) "(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)"
(2 Cor 4:18 KJV) "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."
Just because we do not see it does not mean we cannot greatly rejoice in the salvation of the soul.
C. IS IT BECAUSE IT IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TAKEN CARE OF A LONG TIME AGO, AND ALMOST FORGOTTEN ABOUT?
Someone says, Oh, I was saved ten, twenty or thirty years ago. Why should I get so excited about it.
I was saved about Forty years ago. How can I be so excited about it today?
First off, our salvation should never grow old. In Psa. 51:12, David prayed, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit." The joy of salvation should never be diminished.
Second, Peter is talking to people who were saved back when, but was rejoicing in the COMPLETION of salvation at the end of the way. (1 Pet 1:8-9 KJV) "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: {9} Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."
As Paul told the Romans, (Rom 13:11 KJV) "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed."
When the disciples returned from the "Limited Commission" the Lord sent them on, they came back rejoicing how they could tread on scorpions and be unhurt, heal diseases and cast out devils. But Jesus said to them, (Luke 10:20 KJV) "Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven."
Being saved means having your name enrolled is Heaven's roll book--and that is something to rejoice about!
As John saw the vision of the Judgment, he described it: (Rev 20:15 KJV) "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Or again, concerning the Heavenly Jerusalem, (Rev 21:27 KJV) "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."
Acts 8 tells us the story of the Ethiopian eunuch. Philip had preached unto him Jesus as he was returning home from Jerusalem having been there to worship. (Acts 8:36-39 KJV) "And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? {37} And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. {38} And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. {39} And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing." As the Hebrew writer put it: (Heb 12:22-24 KJV) "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, {23} To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, {24} And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel."
D. Being saved is so grand because being lost is so sad!
A. What-ever became of mourning?
(James 5:1-6 KJV) "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. {2} Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. {3} Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. {4} Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. {5} Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. {6} Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you."
(James 4:7-10 KJV) "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. {8} Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. {9} Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. {10} Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."
Back in the olden days, people used to wear themselves down with misery and regret becuase they were not right with their Maker. They couldn't eat; they couldn't sleep at night. They couldn't get any rest until they made things right.
But today the world says, "Put your troubles in a bag and leave it behind you;" "Take a sleeping pill and get your rest;" "Don't be miserable, go to a place of amusement and forget your worries." We spend countless dollars and undetermined hours on entertainment and amusements to help us escape reality. We don't take time to think seriously because we have too much bubblegum for the brain.
All this cannot be good. We fail to treasure our soul's salvation simply because we have never stopped to reflect on the horror of being lost!
Heb 10:31 says, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." That is oh so true for the person who is unprepared!
(Psa 34:18 KJV) "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."
(Psa 51:17 KJV) "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."
(Isa 57:15 KJV) "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."
(Isa 66:2 KJV) "For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word."
Some of the old country churches of yester-year used to have what they called "the Mourner's Bench," where the penitent would come to mourn for their sin, or grieving parents might come to mourn and pray for their their lost children. It got to the place that some people would make light of it. Now instead of dealing with sorrow, we try to cover it with mirth and not think about it!
Listen to the words of King Solomon: (Eccl 7:2-6 KJV) "It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. {3} Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. {4} The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. {5} It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. {6} For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity."
E. Simon the Sorcerer had to be made to realize his sad plight in opposition to God:
Peter told him, (Acts 8:22-24 KJV) "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. {23} For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. {24} Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me."
Conclusion:
Are you happy today, rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your soul? Or, is there a nagging torment because down deep in your heart you know you are not right with God? If so, don't try to hide it; don't try to cover it up with mirth. Deal with it. Pray about it. Repent of what-ever is amiss. Come to God and obtain forgiveness and regeneration.In the words of Isaiah, (Isa 55:6-7 KJV) "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: {7} Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
If you are not a Christian, you can have your sin forgiven like the people of Jerusalem in Acts 2. (Acts 2:37-39 KJV) "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? {38} Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. {39} For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."
If you are an erring Christian, you can have your sins forgiven like Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8. Peter told him, (Acts 8:21-23 KJV) "Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. {22} Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. {23} For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity."
Then you can say with the Apostle Peter: (1 Pet 1:8-9 KJV) "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: {9} Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."
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