"THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER" Ministering Not To Themselves, But To Us (1:10-12) INTRODUCTION 1. Already in Peter's epistle we have seen several blessings enjoyed by the "elect" of God... a. E.g., born again to a "living" hope - 1Pe 1:3 b. E.g., having a joy "inexpressible and full of glory" - 1Pe 1:8 2. As one continues in verses 10-12, he finds that Peter expands upon the topic of the "salvation" Christians enjoy as a result of their faith (please read) 3. If one takes the time to contemplate upon what is found in this passage, he should not fail to be impressed with how privileged we are in God's sight a. For there we learn that we are the recipients of a gospel that was prophesied and has come to us only through the efforts of a very distinguished company of individuals! b. And in their efforts, they were ministering not to themselves, but to us who are now Christians! [To illustrate just how privileged we are, let's begin identifying those who have ministered to us...] I. WE HAVE BEEN SERVED BY "THE PROPHETS"! A. WHICH IS THE MAIN THOUGHT OF THIS PASSAGE... 1. When the prophets prophesied, they were often intrigued by what they revealed - 1Pe 1:10-11 a. This is because they were inspired or moved by the Holy Spirit, and not by their own will - cf. 2Pe 1:21 b. Therefore, they often expressed perplexity concerning those things they prophesied - e.g., Dan 7:28; 8:26-27 2. But as pointed out in our text, it was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but us! - e.g., Dan 12:8-9 B. CONSIDER THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS POINT... 1. We who are Christians have been served by such people as: a. Moses, Samuel, and David b. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel 2. These men (and many others) spent their lives, and in many cases even gave their lives, in service to you and me! 3. Yes, these great "heroes of faith" suffered much in their service to God and to us who are now in Christ - cf. He 11: 36-38 [Does this not indicate that we must be very special in God's sight? We who have been ministered unto by the prophets of Almighty God, and who endured all these things for our sake? And yet, there is even more...] II. WE HAVE BEEN SERVED BY "THE HOLY SPIRIT"! A. THIS THOUGHT IS ALSO EXPRESSED IN OUR TEXT... 1. For it was the Holy Spirit who inspired the prophets to proclaim things to come - 1Pe 1:11 a. It was He who inspired David and Isaiah to foretell the sufferings of Christ - e.g., Ps 22; Isa 53 b. It was He who likewise moved the prophets to proclaim the glories to follow 1) E.g., the resurrection of Jesus - Ps 16: 9-11 2) E.g., His ascension and coronation - Dan 7:13-14 2. And it was the Holy Spirit who inspired the apostles to reveal the gospel - 1Pe 1:12 a. As Jesus promised He would, in His discourse to His apostles - Jn 16:13 b. As Paul said He did, in writing to the Ephesians - Ep 3:5 B. AGAIN, CONSIDER THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS TRUTH... 1. Through His ministry of inspiration and revelation in the lives of the prophets and apostles, we have been served by the Holy Spirit 2. Because of His work, we have today the completed revelation of God's Word in our hands! 3. This is in addition to the "sanctifying work" of the Holy Spirit to which Peter referred in 1Pe 1:2 [Do we appreciate the service that the Holy Spirit has rendered for us throughout the ages? Is this not an indication of the great value God must place upon His people? But there is even another group of distinguished individuals who served their lives in our behalf...] III. WE HAVE BEEN SERVED BY "THE APOSTLES"! A. THIS WE CAN GLEAN FROM VERSE 12... 1. "...those who preached the gospel to you" a. This is a likely reference to the apostles of Jesus Christ b. Who were commissioned to preach the gospel, as recorded in Mk 16:15-16 2. As they carried out this "Great Commission", they considered themselves but servants for those to whom they preached a. As Paul said, they were but "seed-throwers" and "water-boys" - cf. 1Co 3:5-7 b. They were serving as servants of Christ - 1Co 3:21-4:1; 2Co 4:5 B. THEREFORE, WE HAVE BEEN SERVED BY MEN... 1. Such as Peter, James, John, and Paul 2. Who gave their lives for our sake, to convince the world that our faith in their testimony is not unfounded, but that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead! - cf. 2Co 11:24-29 [When we take the time to think about those who spent their lives ministering to us, we can't help but conclude that Christians hold a very high place in God's scheme of redemption as it has unfolded throughout the ages! But before we conclude this lesson, let me point out another noble group that has served those who are God's "elect"...] IV. WE HAVE BEEN SERVED BY "ANGELS"! A. VERSE 12 TELLS US THAT ANGELS HAD A KEEN INTEREST... 1. In things prophesied by the prophets 2. In things proclaimed by the apostles through the gospel B. WHY SUCH A KEEN INTEREST? 1. They too were involved in the process of foretelling and revealing the salvation in Christ! a. E.g., Gabriel's appearances to Daniel - cf. Dan 8, 9 b. E.g., Gabriel's appearances to Zacharias and Mary - cf. Lk 1:11-19, 26-38 2. But like the prophets, angels were also in the dark concerning the details of coming salvation 3. And so, the angels were serving not themselves but us! - cf. He 1:13-14 CONCLUSION 1. Our Father in heaven must hold His "elect" (the church) in high regard to have them served by such a distinguished company! 2. To be so privileged should motivate us to praise God for His grace and to devote our lives in grateful service to Him and His people 3. But the grace God bestowed toward us reached its peak when addition to all these (prophets, the Holy Spirit, apostles, angels) He sent His only Son to serve us as well! "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." - Mt 20:28 Shall we not respond with grateful service through faithful obedience to His Will?Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011
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