Wednesday, August 23, 2023

           It has been said that value is often in the eye of the beholder.  Something that you or I might consider junk could be quite important and valuable to someone else.  There is another saying that reminds us that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.  Value can be a relative term—fluctuating like stock prices from trade to trade.  Some people value art or coins.  Others might value experiences or destinations.  In his own words, Peter spoke about valuable things and treasures for those who follow Christ.  We know and believe that spiritual blessings and gifts are always greater and more enduring than material things.  The apostle drove home this lesson in I Peter 1.  We read, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake” (1 Peter 1:18-20).  If we take a closer look at what he wrote, we find some important truths for today.
            First, Peter used the expression “for you know.”  He is saying that we can be confident about matters of faith and trust.  In Christ, we can know some things with certainty and confidence.  Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).  The  Lord does not dupe or deceive us.  Peter was reinforcing a truth for his readers like us.  He was not introducing a new truth or some new theology that we have to grapple with to find the help and answers that we are seeking.  He was reminding us about what we should already know. 
            Second, Peter wrote about the triviality and temporal nature of “perishable things.”  We do not want to value heavily those things that can wither or waste away.  We can easily turn possessions and material items into idols that command way too much time, loyalty and attention from us.  The terrible fire in Maui underscores just how quickly and easily the things we own can be lost.  We may possess things but they do not have to possess us.  Peter wrote that silver and gold did not redeem us from empty ways of life.  Our sins were not forgiven by how much we have or even how generously we may give our treasures away to others.  We are saved neither by riches nor benevolence.  We are saved by Christ and His cross alone.  We add nothing to the work that He did for us.  If we read the apostle’s words carefully, we discover that even with all the treasures of the world at our possession and disposal, we are still captured and held prisoner by an “empty way of life.”  No matter what we might gain, we cannot set ourselves free from sin and separation from God.
            Third, every effort to make sense of life apart from God has failed.  Our ancestors have handed down to us an “empty way of life.”  This emptiness began in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve chose forbidden fruit over faith in God’s Word to them.  Our best efforts and substitutes have still left us with nothing but emptiness and failure.  Our sinfulness is transmitted from one generation to the next with future generations repeating the same failures as previous ones.  We may often speak of “the good old days” but those days were still marked and stained by human sin, evil, selfishness and war with God.  We cannot know the grace and forgiveness of God until we come to Him empty-handed and totally ready to surrender to Him and to let go of all that we have tried in the past.
            Fourth, Peter noted that it is the blood of Christ that changes and transforms us.  Nothing else will remove sin.  Nothing else will satisfy the sin debt that we have accumulated against God.  As generations have sung, there is power in the blood.  The perfect life of Christ is credited to us as we unload and deposit our sinfulness upon Him and His cross.  He lived the life that we could not live and died the death that we should have surely died.  And as Peter wrote, we “know” this truth.  It is not new but it still changes the past, present and future of all who place their faith in this truth and what it means.
            And fifth, Peter noted that this imperishable treasure of salvation and forgiveness was “chosen before the creation of the world.”  God knew before creation that there would be a need for redemption.  He personally selected the means and method of redemption for us.  God’s redemption story does not depend upon the success of the economy, who is in office or popular opinion.  He has chosen to bring salvation to us and we respond in faith and surrender.  We can never assign a dollar value to what God has done for us in Christ.  His actions are priceless and invaluable.  There is no analog or comparison to what Christ has accomplished for us.  If you know the Lord today, then that reality is your first and greatest treasure.  If you do not know the Lord, then His invitation awaits.  You can know and walk with Him in confidence and certainty.  Have a great Wednesday!  Make plans to join us tonight as our Wednesday activities resume with supper, music, Bible study and a host of great things for children and youth.  Remember you can always share our worship at YouTube.com/FirstBaptistKannapolis.

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