0:00

How firm a foundation, ye

0:02

saints of the Lord

0:04

is lay for your

0:06

faith in his excellent

0:08

work. You know, one

0:10

of the most common

0:12

things to find at

0:14

a garage sale is

0:16

exercise equipment. And most of

0:18

it's really in pretty good shape.

0:21

Like it's been barely used at

0:23

all. And how about those gym

0:25

memberships? How many of us duck

0:28

our heads and groan when we

0:30

think of how often we've said

0:32

that we go and yet we

0:35

haven't? Well, no worries. In this

0:37

study, our focus is going to

0:39

be spent on spiritual exercise. Remember

0:41

what the Apostle Paul wrote to

0:44

Young Timothy that bodily exercise profits

0:46

little, but godliness is profitable for

0:48

all things. So if you ever feel

0:50

guilty about not using that membership, well,

0:52

this might be a good verse to

0:55

quote. Welcome to Through the Bible. We're

0:57

going to learn that the Apostle Peter

0:59

also has some counsel for us on

1:01

this subject. I'm Steve Sweets, and our

1:03

teacher, of course, is Dr. J. Vernon

1:05

McGee, and he's going to direct our

1:07

attention today to First Peter, too, right

1:09

after we visit with a couple fellow

1:11

listeners around the world. First, we have

1:13

a Serbian listener who shares this. Thank

1:15

you for the messages. I regularly listen.

1:17

and it really means a lot to

1:19

me. I only have words of gratitude.

1:22

My mother used to listen to Christian

1:24

radio programs when she was alive. She

1:26

educated us to fear God and listen

1:28

to God's word and do as well.

1:30

When I got married, worries took me

1:32

to the wrong path. I forgot all

1:34

my mother's words and advice. I married

1:36

a woman who was not a Christian,

1:39

and we had a bad marriage. We

1:41

were constantly arguing there was no peace

1:43

and understanding. That's how we spent 35

1:45

years. I did not feel good, but I

1:47

did not know what to do. I

1:49

remembered my childhood and mother. She was

1:51

always happy and kind to everyone. She

1:53

had a lot of patience. And when

1:55

it was hard for her, she had some

1:57

kind of peace. Those memories were very

1:59

dear to me, she always told me

2:02

that Jesus will be my only help.

2:04

I was looking at the internet for

2:06

Christian teaching and started listening to you.

2:08

It was a great discovery for me.

2:10

I slowly realized that I had wanted

2:12

away from Christ, but that he was

2:15

putting me back on the right path.

2:17

He softened my heart, I often cried

2:19

as I listened, and my wife noticed

2:21

a change in me, but she was

2:23

still unsettled and she wanted to fight.

2:25

I left everything to God and I

2:27

tried to be a good example and

2:30

to allow God to change me. Things

2:32

are better now, but not perfect. However,

2:34

I know that God is always with

2:36

me. I am happy because I found

2:38

comfort and joy. God used you to

2:40

reach me. I wish you a lot

2:42

of blessings and ask that you please

2:45

continue to teach us. People have many

2:47

problems and need consolation. If God saved

2:49

me and renewed me, I know he

2:51

can do it for many more. I

2:53

pray for that and for you. Wow.

2:55

Here's another letter. This is from a

2:58

listener in Mexico. It's a great joy

3:00

to have met you just five years

3:02

ago when you were concluding the previous

3:04

Bible bus tour and moving through the

3:06

last chapters of revelation. I could see

3:08

that you were teaching the word of

3:10

God accurately and faithfully. Since then, I

3:13

have not missed a program. I am

3:15

an Uber driver and I listen while

3:17

I'm working. It has allowed me to

3:19

share my testimony of our Lord Jesus

3:21

Christ with many passengers. I can say

3:23

that several times when the program ends

3:25

I continue the conversation with those who

3:28

have questions or doubts about the gospel.

3:30

To the glory of God, many have

3:32

received Jesus as their Lord and Savior

3:34

of their lives, all because of spreading

3:36

the good news of salvation. Your program

3:38

has been the perfect excuse for these

3:41

conversations. I embrace them from afar and

3:43

bless you in the mighty name of

3:45

Christ. I pray to God that there

3:47

will always be continuity in programs like

3:49

yours where the Bible is shared through

3:51

various media without any restrictions. A thousand

3:53

blessings to you, my beloved brothers, in

3:56

Christ. Wow, what a wonderful testimony. To

3:58

the grace in the power God. Let's

4:00

thank him now for what he's doing

4:02

in these lives and our own. Thank

4:04

you Father, thank you for your spirit

4:06

who convicts us of our sins, who

4:09

teaches us and who leads us to

4:11

Jesus. Thank you for the Bible that

4:13

shows us the way of salvation through

4:15

Jesus Christ. We ask that you bless

4:17

your word as it goes out now in

4:19

Jesus' name, Amen. Now let's dig in at

4:22

first Peter II on Through the Bible with

4:24

Dr. J. J. Vernon McGee. Now

4:26

beginning with chapter two

4:28

here of first Peter through

4:31

chapter four I've labeled

4:33

this section suffering and

4:35

the suffering of Christ

4:38

I probably should say

4:40

the suffering of the saints

4:42

and the suffering of Christ

4:44

that is the suffering of

4:47

God's children. Now we

4:49

see here in chapter two one

4:51

of the accomplishments

4:54

of the suffering of the

4:56

saints. First, he mentions

4:58

here in Chapter 2, it

5:01

produces separation. And

5:03

we are going to see

5:05

here now what real

5:08

Bible separation is. Now

5:10

there's always a danger

5:12

when we talk about

5:14

separation or living for

5:16

the Lord. There are two

5:19

extreme viewpoints and Both

5:21

of them I consider

5:23

very much out of line

5:26

with scripture. One of them

5:28

it says that human nature

5:30

is such that all it

5:32

needs is just new direction.

5:34

All it needs is just

5:36

to be given a purpose.

5:38

All it needs is just

5:41

a little reformation. And in

5:43

the estimation of

5:45

these folks that take that

5:47

position, there is nothing

5:49

radically wrong. with human

5:52

nature. Therefore you don't

5:54

have to do much to it. Just

5:57

make a little alteration

5:59

here. and human character

6:01

conduct and when you've done

6:03

that why you've gone a

6:06

long ways and then if

6:08

you can just awaken the

6:10

individual to the marvelous energies

6:13

and his intellectual and moral

6:15

nature then he'll be able

6:17

to go places. Now that's

6:20

one viewpoint. That's what it

6:22

means to live the Christian

6:25

life. Now on the other

6:27

hand There are some today

6:29

who think that the change

6:32

when you're born again, that

6:34

you have that which is

6:36

supernatural, and I agree with

6:39

that, but now to live

6:41

the Christian life just seems

6:44

to mean that you just

6:46

sit down and do nothing,

6:48

and that you're not involved

6:51

in this at all. and

6:53

that God's going to do

6:55

all of this for you

6:58

and you can just sit

7:00

on the sidelines and become

7:03

a very pious individual. And

7:05

some of them spoke in

7:07

that class, sit on the

7:10

sidelines today as pious as

7:12

a puffed up frog and

7:14

they never seem to really

7:17

grow or develop or really

7:19

become loving, Now I think

7:21

this passage that we're coming

7:24

to here is going to

7:26

make it very clear that

7:29

you and I, through the

7:31

new birth, and that's what

7:33

he talked about the last

7:36

time, born again, not of

7:38

corruptible seed, but of incorruptible,

7:40

the word of God that

7:43

liveeth and abideth forever. Now

7:45

you have a new nature,

7:48

and you're to live. in

7:50

that new nature by the

7:52

power of the Holy Spirit

7:55

and you have been brought

7:57

into a loving relationship. which

7:59

he had mentioned to us

8:02

before. You remember he said, whom

8:04

having not seen, ye love.

8:06

Simon Peters saw him and

8:08

loved him, and you and I

8:10

haven't seen him, but the Holy

8:13

Spirit can make him real to

8:15

us, and we can love him

8:17

that way. You remember, I'm sure

8:19

many of you, remember when you

8:21

were born again and how sweet

8:23

and wonderful it was at

8:26

that particular time? It was

8:28

wonderful then, wasn't it? Paul

8:30

said to the Corinthians, and

8:33

they had become very carnal

8:35

Christians, he said, I espouse

8:37

you as a chase virgin

8:39

to Christ. That first love,

8:41

that honeymoon love, and now it

8:43

seemed to be gone. And that's

8:45

what God had said to his

8:48

people before the Babylonian

8:50

captivity. Jeremiah in

8:52

the second chapter said, Go

8:55

and cry in the ears

8:57

of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith

8:59

the Lord, I remember thee,

9:01

the kindness of thy youth,

9:03

the love of thine espousals,

9:05

when thou wenest after me

9:08

in the wilderness, in a

9:10

land that was not sown.

9:12

When they first came out

9:14

of Egypt and they crossed

9:16

the Red Sea, oh, you read

9:19

that song there, the song

9:21

of Moses, that they sang

9:23

there. praises to Jehovah, but

9:25

wasn't long till they

9:27

became complainers. And God says,

9:30

I remember that. Now today,

9:32

real separation rests upon

9:34

the fact that you've been

9:36

born again, you have a new

9:39

nature, and now you're in love

9:41

with Christ, and you want to

9:43

please him. And the great object,

9:46

I think, before the

9:48

heart of God at the

9:50

present time, is to have

9:52

a people saved not only

9:54

from judgment and the lake

9:56

of fire but save from the

9:59

world save not only for

10:01

heaven by and by, but

10:03

for the heart of Christ

10:05

right now, the work of

10:07

Christ on the cross, I

10:09

think has settled every question

10:11

that sin is raised between

10:13

God and our souls and

10:15

the futures bright with glory,

10:17

the glory of God, and

10:20

we've been brought into the

10:22

value of that work of

10:24

redemption. And we have now

10:26

been born again. And no

10:28

one can affect that. Satan

10:30

can't touch that at all.

10:32

But my friend, how we're

10:34

doing down here today, this

10:36

season of the year. What

10:38

does Christ mean to you?

10:41

Is all in the world

10:43

Christmas going to mean to

10:45

you just that there was

10:47

a little baby born in

10:49

Bethlehem? Or have you been

10:51

born and become a child

10:53

of God? Now he's going

10:55

to open this section by

10:57

talking about... separation what actually

10:59

I think really that it

11:02

is and we're going to

11:04

talk about another little baby

11:06

and that little baby is

11:08

going to be you and

11:10

it's going to be me

11:12

now will you notice where

11:14

for I'm reading now chapter

11:16

two verse one where for

11:18

laying aside all malice and

11:20

all guile and apocracies and

11:23

envies and all evil speakings

11:25

as newborn babes desire the

11:27

pure milk of the word

11:29

that you may grow by

11:31

it. Now this is a

11:33

very important thing you see.

11:35

Now here's something for you

11:37

and me to do. There's

11:39

certain things that we are

11:41

to lay aside and in

11:44

fact Paul in Ephesians talk

11:46

about taking off an old

11:48

garment and putting on a

11:50

new garment. And in first

11:52

Corinthians, the fifth chapter, verses

11:54

seven and eight, he says

11:56

this, purge out there for

11:58

the old leaven. that he may

12:00

be a new lump as he are unleaven

12:03

for even Christ our

12:05

Passover is sacrifice for

12:07

us. Therefore, let us keep

12:10

the feast not with all

12:12

leaven, neither with the leaven

12:14

of malice and wickedness, but

12:17

with the unleaven bread of

12:19

sincerity and truth. Now, you

12:21

know, the Israelite, he observed

12:24

the Passover, and then there

12:26

was the feast of

12:28

unleavened bread. And he didn't

12:30

come in and eat leaven bread.

12:32

He didn't go on just living

12:35

the same kind of life he

12:37

lived before. He's feeding in

12:39

a different place, a different

12:42

kind of a bread now. And

12:44

he's growing by that. Now, we're told

12:46

when we come to Christ that

12:48

we're to get rid of the

12:50

whole leaven that's in our life.

12:52

That is, we'll never become perfect.

12:55

You've always got that old

12:57

nature. And you're to lay

12:59

aside all malice. Now what

13:02

is malice? The best

13:04

definition that I've ever

13:06

found for it is its

13:09

congealed anger. It means to

13:11

have an unforgiving spirit.

13:13

Are you carrying today

13:15

a ship on your

13:18

shoulder relative to some person

13:20

and you carrying bitterness

13:22

in your heart for

13:24

them? Well, my friend... You

13:26

can talk about how much you

13:28

love Jesus. You can talk about

13:31

how much you've been born again,

13:33

but nobody around you is

13:35

going to be able to

13:37

distinguish that if you're

13:40

carrying malice, that is congealed

13:42

anger in your heart. And

13:44

then he speaks here about

13:46

all guile. Now, guile means

13:48

that that is the spirit

13:50

of using cleverness to get

13:53

even our... Really to make an

13:55

impression with somebody you remember an

13:57

an ice and sapphire it was

14:00

very good at during that sort

14:02

of thing. That old nature, you

14:04

see, that you and I have,

14:07

is a nature that if we

14:09

leave it in control and do

14:12

not let the spirit of God

14:14

guide us, then that nature, as

14:16

Dr. Lightfoot put it, he says,

14:19

the vicious nature which is bent

14:21

on doing harm to others and

14:23

an an anosin safira. They're an

14:26

example of that. They were clever.

14:28

They were clever. And they tried

14:31

to put one over on the

14:33

church, but they didn't put one

14:35

over on the spirit of God,

14:38

you see. Now you're to desire.

14:40

Our translation says sincere milk, and

14:43

I turn that to pure milk.

14:45

And it means spiritual milk. Just

14:47

as a hungry baby reaches for

14:50

the bottle, a believer is to

14:52

desire the word of God. I

14:55

remember when our little grandson was

14:57

born. His father was over in

14:59

Turkey at the time and so

15:02

his mother was at our home

15:04

and so we had him those

15:06

first few months. And every now

15:09

and then it was my task

15:11

to give him his bottle. And

15:14

I want to tell you that

15:16

that little fella, he went in

15:18

high gear when he saw that

15:21

bottle. The pure milk, the sincere

15:23

milk, when he saw that. He

15:26

started moving his hands, he started

15:28

moving his mouth, he started moving

15:30

his feet, he just moved all

15:33

over. He was reaching out for

15:35

it with every part of his

15:38

body, trying to get that. And

15:40

I thought, my, at that time

15:42

I was still preaching, and I

15:45

thought, I said, my, I wish

15:47

I had a congregation that reached

15:49

out after the word of God

15:52

like that. That's the real test.

15:54

And friends, you're never going to

15:57

grow in grace and in the

15:59

knowledge of Christ. And you never...

16:01

going to develop as a Christian.

16:04

Always be a little baby and

16:06

it's wonderful to be a baby

16:09

at one time. And we must

16:11

remember that a little baby and

16:13

a full grown man of both

16:16

human beings, but they're at different

16:18

stages of growth and different stages

16:21

of development. And for that reason,

16:23

we need to understand that the

16:25

little one needs the milk. He

16:28

wants to grow to become a

16:30

man. How are you going to

16:32

grow up as a Christian? Never

16:35

apart from the word of God.

16:37

And that's the reason that I

16:40

get lettuce from many pastas that

16:42

tell me that they're wet nurses

16:44

for a lot of little babes.

16:47

And was one man said, I

16:49

spend my time burping spiritual babes.

16:52

The problem is these little babes

16:54

should grow up. Now they need

16:56

to desire the pure milk of

16:59

the word. that you may grow

17:01

by. Now that pure milk of

17:04

the word means the total word

17:06

of God. It doesn't mean lifting

17:08

out a little verse here and

17:11

a little verse there and a

17:13

little verse for comfort. They all

17:15

have that place of course. But

17:18

we need the total word of

17:20

God to grow because you see

17:23

you need to get all your

17:25

vitamins. You just can't just stay

17:27

on one diet all your life.

17:30

It's nice to start off with

17:32

milk. But the day comes when

17:35

you like to have a nice

17:37

porterhouse steak, maybe, and a good

17:39

baked potato. And you might want

17:42

some black-eyed peas on the side.

17:44

And you get all of that

17:47

in the word of God, all

17:49

the spiritual vitamins that you need.

17:51

Now, verse three, he says here,

17:54

if so be. And that looks

17:56

as if there's a doubt. Actually

17:58

the word should be translated. since

18:01

ye have tasted that the law

18:03

is gracious. You see, at the

18:06

moment of salvation, a child is

18:08

born with an appetite for the

18:10

word of God. Just as a

18:13

little baby born into this world

18:15

immediately starts to eat. And you

18:18

never have to teach them to

18:20

eat. I remember that's a little

18:22

fella. All you had to do

18:25

was stick that bottle in his

18:27

mouth and he knew what to

18:30

do. I don't remember every giving

18:32

him a lecture. on how to

18:34

drink the meal. He seemed to

18:37

know all about that. And I

18:39

don't know why today. We have

18:41

to have all of these different

18:44

programs to try to get a

18:46

bunch of spiritual babes to get

18:49

into the word of God. We

18:51

need to get into the word

18:53

of God. Now, what then is

18:56

real separation? Real separation now, and

18:58

we need to be very careful

19:01

about this, is separation from the

19:03

works of the flesh. You see,

19:05

we think it's separation from the

19:08

world. Well, we're in the world,

19:10

you can't help it. I drove

19:13

evangelist around in Nashville, Tennessee, half

19:15

of one night trying to find

19:17

a restaurant that didn't serve beer.

19:20

He couldn't eat and finally we

19:22

did find one and he got

19:24

to main poison and eating in

19:27

that place. I wouldn't have eaten

19:29

any. And I told him, I

19:32

said, I think if I were

19:34

you, after that, I told him,

19:36

I said, I'd go in a

19:39

restaurant that serves good food and

19:41

bad beer and not take the

19:44

beer. You don't have to have

19:46

it. You're in the world. But

19:48

after all, separation, it doesn't mean

19:51

that you don't go in a

19:53

restaurant. That doesn't serve liquor. That

19:56

doesn't mean you're separated. How about

19:58

malice? How about hypocracies? How about

20:00

envy? That's the thing

20:02

where to be separated from

20:05

and only the spirit of

20:07

God working in us. And

20:09

friends and tell you and I

20:11

willing to give that up, you

20:13

and I will never grow as babes.

20:16

Now he says to whom coming

20:18

as unto a living stone. Now

20:20

we don't come to a little

20:22

babe in Bethlehem. We

20:24

come as little babes to

20:26

a living stone. disallowed

20:29

indeed of man, but chosen

20:31

of God and precious. Now,

20:33

this is a very wonderful passage

20:35

of scripture that we've

20:38

come to now, the living stone

20:40

is Christ. And we need to

20:42

recognize that back under in

20:45

Matthew, when the Lord Jesus

20:47

Christ, said to Simon Peter,

20:50

after his confession on this

20:52

rock. I will build my church.

20:54

Simon Peter makes it very

20:57

clear here that the living

20:59

stone is not Simon Peter,

21:01

but the living stone is

21:03

Christ. And that is the

21:05

one and the thing that

21:08

is, by the way, all

21:10

important. Now there are two

21:12

scriptures I'd like to call

21:14

you attention to in this

21:16

connection. The first one is

21:18

found in Matthew 21 versus 42

21:20

down to 44. I'm going

21:22

to read that now, and these

21:24

are the words of the Lord

21:27

Jesus. Jesus saith under

21:29

them, and he's speaking

21:31

now to his apostles. Did ye

21:33

never read in the

21:35

scriptures the stone which

21:38

the builders rejected, the same

21:40

as become the head of the

21:42

corner? This is the Lord's

21:45

doing, and it's marvelous

21:47

in our eyes. Now he's quoting,

21:49

of course, from the Psalm.

21:51

when he said that. Now drop

21:54

down to verse 44 and speaking

21:56

now of himself he

21:58

says that and Whosoever

22:00

shall fall on this stone

22:03

shall be broken, but on

22:05

whosoever it shall fall, it

22:07

will grind him to powder.

22:09

Now today he is that

22:11

stone, that foundation stone. Paul

22:13

said no other foundation can

22:15

any man lay than that

22:17

which is laid, which is

22:19

Jesus Christ. Now you get

22:22

on that foundation, and when

22:24

you get on that foundation,

22:26

That's salvation, my beloved. And

22:28

if you fall on that

22:30

stone, you come as a

22:32

sinner, broken if you please.

22:34

Now, if you reject him,

22:36

you're not through with the

22:39

stone, because Daniel says there

22:41

was a stone cut out

22:43

without hand that's coming to

22:45

this earth, to smite this

22:47

earth. And that is the

22:49

stone judgment. Christ is also

22:51

the stone of judgment. What

22:53

a picture that we have

22:55

here given of the Lord

22:58

Jesus Christ. And now he

23:00

says something else that's wonderful.

23:02

Verse 5. Ye also as

23:04

living stones. How are we

23:06

living stones? Been born again.

23:08

Not a corruptible, see, the

23:10

word of God that live

23:12

it and abided forever. Ye

23:15

also as living stones are

23:17

built up a spiritual house.

23:19

Now the Lord Jesus said

23:21

that Simon Peter. you're going

23:23

to be a little stone,

23:25

but on this foundation stone,

23:27

which this price, I'll build

23:29

my church. And Simon Peter

23:31

was one of the little

23:34

stones, and you're one of

23:36

the little stones, and I'm

23:38

one of the little stones

23:40

that are built into this.

23:42

And he says, a holy

23:44

priesthood. Now we're going to

23:46

talk about a royal priesthood

23:48

next time. That is, you're

23:51

a chosen generation, a royal

23:53

priesthood. Now will you notice

23:55

here? Ye are and holy

23:57

priesthood to offer up spiritual

23:59

sacrifices except to God by

24:01

Jesus Christ. You offer a

24:03

praise to God? You're offering

24:05

as a spiritual sacrifice, friend.

24:07

I don't know why people

24:10

think money can be spiritual.

24:12

It's owing to how you

24:14

use it. And then you

24:16

can offer yourself to Him.

24:18

These are spiritual sacrifices we

24:20

offer to God. Now we're

24:22

going to pick up next

24:24

time that. Verse 6. We're

24:26

in a very wonderful section

24:29

of the word of God.

24:31

So on Tell. Next time

24:33

may God richly bless you

24:35

my beloved. Well the Bible

24:37

Bus continues on this stretch

24:39

of the road through First

24:41

Peter so I hope that

24:43

you'll hop aboard and join

24:46

us when you can. Until

24:48

then if you're looking for

24:50

a resource to deepen your

24:52

study of God's word including

24:54

our Bible companion for First

24:56

Peter, well download the free

24:58

digital version or purchase it

25:00

in paperback over at ttb.org.

25:02

And if you're having trouble,

25:05

you can always call us

25:07

1-800-65 Bible. We'd love to

25:09

help you out. And of

25:11

course, you can always write

25:13

to us, box 7100, Pasadena,

25:15

California, 91109 is the address

25:17

in the U.S. Canadian listeners

25:19

write to box 25325, London,

25:22

Ontario, N6C, C, 6B1. Well,

25:24

I'm Steve Schwartz, and I'm

25:26

so grateful for your presence

25:28

on the Bible bus and

25:30

your partnership in taking God's

25:32

whole word to his whole

25:34

world. Our story on the

25:36

Bible bus today is just

25:38

one. He was with white

25:41

and snow. Our story on

25:43

the Bible bus today is

25:45

just one. Our story on

25:47

the Bible bus today is

25:49

just one. Come along for

25:51

the ride and you'll study

25:53

both the Old Testament and

25:55

New Testament discovering God's great

25:58

redemption story. Is this your story too?