God's Planned Salvation
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Saved? Salvation? The world expressly states, often and loudly, that it doesn’t need saving. You find the expression in Movies, TV, books, works of art, music, almost anywhere you want to take time to look.
Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) / Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson)
FM : Why would God allow this to happen? Why do bad things happen to good people? Religion has masqueraded as the paranormal since the dawn of time to justify some of the most horrible acts in history.
DS : I was raised to believe that God has his reasons, however mysterious.
FM : He may well have his reasons, but he seems to use a lot of psychotics to carry out his job-orders.
Even inside the church we have confusion about how people relate to God. Salvation is the first great question of the gospel, but I am afraid we have got it somewhat wrong. Listen again to Peter’s words on the subject. This is one long sentence so hang on.
1 Peter 1:3-12 (ESV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.[1]
Last week we focused on the hope of our salvation. This week we will look at the goal of our salvation, this thing which Prophets and Angels long to look into. It may not be what you think it is.
The goal of our salvation is the glory of God and the praise of His grace. In our passage this morning we see several indications of this truth.
Since our salvation was planned and spoken of from the beginning of the world all the glory goes to God alone.
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully
I. The prophets wished to know
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you,
A. About grace
The Prophets searched to know the full extent of God’s salvation, yet did not. They did not fully understand what they had been told to say by the Spirit. They did have the consolation that they were writing things that served us, things that even angels long to know.
B. About time
Matthew 13:17 (ESV)
17 Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
C. About Jesus and his suffering
The oldest manuscripts have “the Spirit of Jesus” like Acts 16:7 (ESV)7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into
D. Prophets were given only assurance they served God’s plan.
II. Angels long to understand
in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
Many of you have made fun of me over the years for insisting that angels don’t sing. Well here is the underlying reason I believe the NT never uses the word “sing” when angels communicate to us. We are the only ones in the universe who can understand God’s salvation and sing the song of the redeemed. Angels are still the audience to what God is doing in saving us. They certainly have a role in it since the author of Hebrews tells us: 14Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:14 (ESV)
III.It is about the Glory of God and the praise of His grace
John Piper
IS DIVINE LOVE THE ENDORSEMENT OF SELF-ADMIRATION?
The sad thing is that a radically man-centered view of love permeates our culture and our churches. From the time they can toddle we teach our children that feeling loved means feeling made much of.
We have built whole educational philosophies around this view of love—curricula, parenting skills, motivational strategies, therapeutic models, and selling techniques. Most modern people can scarcely imagine an alternative understanding of feeling loved other than feeling made much of. If you don’t make much of me you are not loving me.
But when you apply this definition of love to God, it weakens his worth, undermines his goodness, and steals our final satisfaction. If the enjoyment of God himself is not the final and best gift of love,
then God is not the greatest treasure, his self-giving is not the highest mercy, the gospel is not the good news that sinners may enjoy their Maker, Christ did not suffer to bring us to God, and our souls must look beyond him for satisfaction. This distortion of divine love into an endorsement of self-admiration is subtle. It creeps into our most religious acts. We claim to be praising God because of his love for us. But if his love for us is at bottom his making much of us, who is really being praised? We are willing to be God-centered, it seems, as long as God is man-centered. We are willing to boast in the cross as long as the cross is a witness to our worth. Who then is our pride and joy?[3]
Luke 18:13-14 (ESV)
13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Romans 10:9-13 (ESV)
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
[1] The Holy Bible : English Standard Version.
[3] John Piper, God is the Gospel, Published by Crossway Books, Wheaton Ill. Copyright © 2005 by Desiring God Foundation, p. 12-13.
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