I. This world is passing away
A. Our world and universe appear permanent but they had a beginning and will have an end.
B. Peter notes that the world of Noah “perished” then urges 2 Peter 3:6-10
- Because the world is perishing, we should seek an eternal home: v. 11-13
- The alternative is the painful outer darkness of separation from God
C. John admonishes us to not let the passing world draw us into its destruction, 1 John 2:15-17
II. We must follow the imperishable word of God, 1 Peter 1:22-25.
A. It endures forever, outlasts man and his glory.
B. Evil has attacked God’s word for generations; they have faded and God’s word remains.
III. The Anvil of God’s Word by John Clifford
IV. “Last eve I paused beside the blacksmith’s door,
V. And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
VI. Then looking in, I saw upon the floor,
VII. Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.
VIII. “‘How many anvils have you had,’ said I,
IX. ‘To wear and batter all these hammers so?’
X. ‘Just one,’ said he, and then with twinkling eye,
XI. ‘The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.’
XII. “And so, I thought, the Anvil of God’s Word
XIII. For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;
XIV. Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
XV. The Anvil is unharmed, the hammers gone.”
A. The word of God is an eternal message from an unchanging God, eternal in the heavens, that addresses the eternal problem of sin for “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”, Romans 1:23
- Some complain that the ancient Bible doesn’t speak to the needs of modern man. They are ignorant of two things:
- “There is nothing new under the sun” as Ecclesiastes teaches. Technological advances do not change man’s basic needs and his problems created by sin.
- They are ignorant of the power of God’s word.
They are frustrated that the Bible does not comfort the modern self-centered man who thinks he is self-sufficient.
This frustrated the self-seeking of Jesus’ time as well. The Bible is supposed to transform man, not leave him unchanged in his worldly ignorant condition.
- If the word continues for 2,000 more years, the Bible will still be relevant.
B. The imperishable word of God has the dual purpose of calling us to salvation and instruction the saved in righteous living, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17.
- Romans 1 tells us that in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed and chapter 10 tells us that we cannot come to God without faith generated by hearing God’s word.
- God’s imperishable word leads us to the imperishable blood of Christ
XVI. The imperishable blood of Christ, 1 Peter 1:15-19
A. Like air and water creating rust on exposed metal, sin corrupts and decays our soul.
B. We could do nothing to remove the sin or escape the punishment of death incurred through sin.
C. Jesus died so we could be redeemed, or bought back.
- God and silver is part of this world and perishable; it cannot purchase our pardon.
- Only Christ’s blood could redeem us, Revelation 5:9-10
- We were redeemed from lawless deeds to a new life, Titus 2:11-14
D. As Titus teaches, God redeemed us from a corrupt life in order to live like Jesus, throwing off the corrupting and wasteful life of sin to live righteously and rich in good works.
E. If we follow the imperishable word and are washed with the imperishable blood of Christ, when this life is over we will be given an imperishable body.
XVII. The imperishable body is describe in 1 Corinthians 15:50-57
A. We don’t know the exact nature of this body, 1 Corinthians 15:35-44 (summarize)
- It will be free from the pain of our mortal bodies, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
- We should let the hope of the eternal body motivate our faithfulness and growth of the inner person that does not perish, 1 Corinthians 15:58.
B. If we obey the imperishable word so that we are redeemed with the imperishable blood of Christ, we will be raised in that imperishable body to receive an imperishable reward of an imperishable home.
XVIII. Imperishable home
A. Paul likened the heavenly reward to a crown given to a competitor, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.
- Ancient athletes competed for a wreath of flowers that would fade.
- Since we strive for an eternal crown, we must be careful and diligent in how we live.
B. We have an imperishable inheritance reserved for us, 1 Peter 1:3-5.
- It is reserved for the faithful and God is true to His promise to give us that home.
- Our reservation will be held if we remain faithful to Him
- Colossians 3:23-25
- Ephesians 5:5 – “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
- The word that called us is that which can preserve us: Acts 20:32 – “And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”