He is Precious (part 1)

"Unto you therefore which believe, He is precious..." (1 Peter 2:7a)

Peter's epistles to the Hebrew Christians presents a survey of what is precious. In 1 and 2 Peter you will find that there are five precious things:

A. 1 Peter 1:7 -
"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:" When Christian's take a stand for Jesus Christ, they can expect persecutions. This friction is viewed by many as adversity, but God views it as precious. When we respond Biblically to suffering and testings then our pain is converted to praise, and that praise belongs to God.

B. 1 Peter 1:18-19 -
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" The blood of Christ, that mysterious substance that was shed on Calvary which wrought our atonement, that substance that is incorruptible, able to remove every stain of sin, able to secure our redemption. His blood is precious, because it was not sinful. Christ's virgin birth, that great mystery of Godliness, enabled the Second person of the blessed Trinity, the Eternal, and Only Begotten Son of God to occupy human flesh to be offered up as a sacrifice unto God on behalf of sinful man. Praise God for the shed blood of Jesus Christ that still speaks better things than that of Able.

C. 2 Peter 1:1 -
"Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ:" If you have a need or a want, here on Earth, you need to have cash (or credit) because money is the medium of exchange. Now in Heaven, cash doesn't mean a thing. In Heaven, the street is paved with gold. In God's economy, the medium of exchange is faith. It is faith that allows us to receive from the good and gracious hand of God the things that we both need and want. We go to God in prayer by faith. We give to God in worship by faith. We move and do things for God by faith. Truly the just shall live by faith. Faith is precious.

D. 2 Peter 1:4 -
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." God's Word contains many a promises to us as Christians, and those promises are truly an anchor to our souls. When trials and testings come our way, and we do not where to turn to, indeed we know where to go. We go to the Bible. We begin to feed our souls with Word of God. We find a promise or two or three and we hang on to it. It strengthen's us. It renews us. Praise God for His precious promises. Praise God that we have His Word in the King James Bible.

E. 1 Peter 2:7-8 -
"Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed." I purposefully saved this point for last. Christ is precious. This truth is a simple and yet grand truth that easily resonates in the heart of every born again, blood bought, believer.