The Declaration of Your Salvation

The Declaration of Your Salvation 1Peter 1:10-12

The prophet Amos reported; “Surely the Lord God will do nothing but He revealeth his secret unto His servants the prophets.” Amos3:7. Although they knew what the Lord was going to do, they did not know when or with whom He would do the things revealed to them. The understanding they lacked, they searched for, knowing by the Holy Spirit that God is truthful, faithful, able, and gracious.

SCRIPTURE IS ACCURATE, TRUSTWORTHY, AND WORTHY OF STUDY 2Peter 1:21 …men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

St. Jerome said, “The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning and deep enough for theologians to swim in without ever reaching bottom.”

Dwight L. Moody said, “This book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book.”

Adrian Rogers said, “To understand the part of the Bible you don’t understand is to obey the part you do understand, and before long you’ll begin to understand what you didn’t understand. Understand?”

The Apostle Paul said, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2Timothy 2:15)

Ø The Prophets Weren’t All Talk V.10

Weren’t all talk but men. They had souls to be saved in the same way as others. They had hearts to be sanctified by the truth; and it was needful, in order to this, that truth should be applied to their own hearts in the same way as to others. The mere fact that they were the channels or organs for imparting truth to others would not save them, any more than the fact that a man now preaches truth to others will save himself, or … —Barnes' Notes on the New Testament

o “Inquired” (NIV “searched intently”) ekzēteō = seek diligently – also used in Hebrews 11:6; 12:17

o “Searched diligently” (NIV “with greatest care”) exeraunaō = to search + prefix ex = super – w/o ex used in Romans 8:27, Revelation 2:23, 1Corinthians2:10

o Believed what they preached and what had been preached about the salvation God would bring. I.E. Genesis 3:15/Galatians 4:4;

Genesis 22:8 & Isaiah 53:7/ Acts 8:35 & Revelation 5:6

THE HOLY SPIRIT (SENT BY JESUS) HAS ALWAYS BEEN AT WORK. John 14:16,26;

Ø The Prophets Weren’t Just Talk V.11

o It was the Spirit of Christ who testified

§ They probably did not recognize it as the Spirit of the Messiah, but they knew they were moved by the Spirit of God - 1Samuel 10:10.

o They preached the Gospel in the Power of the Spirit

§ Creator God – Genesis 1 “If you can get past Genesis1:1, you will never have trouble with any of the miracles.” Adrian Rogers

§ Holy God – Isaiah 59:1-2 1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

; Habakkuk 1:13 13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?

and the Sinfulness of All Men - 1Kings 8:46; 46 If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;

Psalm 14:3 3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

§ Loving God – Exodus 34:6-7 6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

§ Faithful God – Exodus 34:6-7 same as above

§ Sovereign God – Psalm 135:6 6 Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.

:Daniel 4:34-35 34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

§ God of Salvation – Joel 2:32 32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within

you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Jeremiah 24:7 7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.

§ Through Jesus the Messiah –

· Of the line of Abraham, Isaac, Israel, Judah, David – Genesis 17:19; 49:10; Numbers 24:17

· Virgin born – Isaiah 7:14 Born in Bethlehem – Micah 5:2 Spending time in Egypt – Hosea 11:1

· Before 70 AD - Malachi 3:1 (temple destroyed in 70 AD)

· Performing Miracles – Isaiah 35:5-6

· Betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver – Psalm 41:9; Zechariah 11:12-13

· Punished for our sin – Isaiah 53:7-12

· Crucified – Psalm 22:16 but No broken bones – Exodus 12:46; Psalm 34:20

· Resurrected – Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 53:10-11

· Ascended – Psalm 68:18 to the Right hand of The Father – Psalm 110:1

THE SCRIPTURE IS STILL REPORTING THE MESSAGE THROUGH HOLY GHOST PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS

1Corinthian 1:21 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. ; Act 1:8;Matthew 10:19-20

Ø There is still a place for preaching. Evangelize (“them that have preached the gospel”)

Ø There is still a power for preaching. The Holy Spirit from Heaven

Ø There is still an interest in preaching. Those who love and serve God at His direction…the angels if no one else (stoop to look into God’s plan of salvation for mankind played out).

Read the Bible and ask: What did it mean then?

How does it apply now?

How does it apply to me personally?

It is God’s love letter to His children. If you don’t understand it, or it doesn’t interest you, it’s because you are reading someone else’s mail.