Lord, that is our prayer: Lord, to continually be in Your presence. We say Your presence is a wonderful, precious thing in our midst. Lord, we do desire to be continually in Your presence. Bless the Lord.
I was just sharing with Jim—Jim was sharing with me—how wonderful the simple things of the Lord are. The simple thing this morning that touched me was: He calls each one of us by name. The resurrected Lord calls us by name. What a wonderful thing that is.
And I just have a few short things to share this morning.
For the last two or three months, I’ve been in 1 Peter and 2 Peter, and I’ve been trying to read the whole books every day—you know, both books. At the same time, we were having some Sunday-night meetings about why we gather.
There were some precious things out of 1 Peter that the Lord really encouraged me with.
Matthew 18:20. Can someone quote that for me?
Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.
What a great promise that is. Second Peter 1:4 says He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises.
Surely, I think we could all agree that the promise of the Lord Himself to be with us is a great and magnificent and precious promise. I hope you consider it a magnificent promise.
Brother Stephen Kong says, “Where two or three are gathered together unto His name, there He is in the midst of them.” In other words, where His name is honored, His presence is there. Where His name is honored, His presence is there.
C. H. McIntosh says, “If Christ be in our midst, we can count on Him for everything.” If Christ is in our midst, we can count on Him for everything. The name of Jesus is all-sufficient for all the needs of the assembly.
Brother Stephen says His presence is here, and McIntosh says where His presence is, all the needs of the assembly are met.
Christ is so glorious, it takes the whole body to manifest His glory, Brother Stephen said. And Brother McIntosh says our one object is to exalt the name of Jesus.
So I would like to share out of 1 Peter four things, and they are very simple—things we all know—that are aspects of the Lord’s presence with us.
But brothers and sisters, if you get nothing else, just consider how magnificent that promise is: that if we gather in His name, He is in our midst. Bless the Lord for that.
Four ways Christ is in our midst:
There are many more examples in Peter of expressions of the Lord being in the midst of His people, but these four things rose up to me as I was reading the book over and over again: the Holy One is in our midst; the Shepherd is in our midst; the Protector is in our midst; and the Guardian is in our midst.
And in being in our midst in these aspects—and more—He supplies everything that we need. So we bless Him for that.
So let’s turn to 1 Peter 1. We will consider the Holy One in our midst.
1 Peter 1:14-19:
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance;
but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior.
And here is the main verse:
You shall be holy, for I am holy.
If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,
but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
First of all, we need to consider that the Holy One is in our midst, and the Holy One in our midst is the thrice-holy God.
On the throne, He sits and reigns, and He is worshiped continually:
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God the Almighty.
And this engenders in us a spirit of awe, that that Holy One, that Holy One of God, would present Himself with His people. He is not less than that Holy One in our midst. He is still thrice holy in our midst.
And I believe that is why Peter says, “Conduct yourselves in fear.” The fear is reverential awe. Because if the Holy One is in our midst, there is an awe upon the assembly because the Holy One is in our midst.
And then right after that he mentions the precious blood of Christ, because, brothers and sisters, the more we know the Holy One in our midst, the more we see the necessity of the blood of the Lamb.
If the Holy One is not in our midst, you know, it is okay to think of the Lamb and occasionally worship the Lamb. But continually, we should lift up the Lamb—the blood of the Lamb—because the Holy One is in our midst.
Secondly, if the Holy One is in our midst—well, let me put it this way—there is a beauty of holiness in our midst. When the Holy One is in our midst, that beauty of holiness is upon us.
There are some verses in the Psalms:
Psalm 27:4: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord, to behold the beauty of the Lord.
Psalm 29:2: Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
And I love this verse:
Psalm 90:17: Let the beauty of the Lord be upon us.
Have you ever thought that, as the Holy One is in our midst, there is a beauty of holiness that rests upon the assembly?
Gill says, “Holiness is the beauty of God Himself, and it is the beauty of the saints.” Barnes says there is a beauty inherent in holiness.
And the Holy One in our midst—if He is in our midst, which He is—means there is a beauty of holiness that rests upon us, and the church displays that beauty.
I will admit to you that I have a hard time with this, and that is probably why I share on it, because I was raised very conservatively. So when someone would mention holiness, my thoughts immediately went to Pharisaical holiness, which is not real holiness—law, ugly, you know, hypocrites.
But, you know, there is a beauty in holiness that should attract every child of God. There is a beauty of holiness that, if the Lord is here—which He is—that beauty should attract all of us all the time.
Tozer said, “We are delivered from God in God, from His awesome holiness that turns us to the Lamb. But the holiness draws us to Him.”
You know, in Christendom, it seems like holiness is something to be shunned and looked down upon, even ridiculed. But the beauty of the Lord, the Holy One in our midst, should draw us and attract us.
I have often thought, since meditating on this, about the beauty that surrounds the very throne of God—all the colors that are mentioned in Scripture. Why?
I am beginning to think that that represents the beauty of holiness that radiates from the throne of God.
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty.
Above the throne there are these colors, and before the throne there is a sea of glass. Even the holy city has translucent gold in its streets. You know, there is beauty in holiness. May we see that beauty.
Number three: the holiness of the Holy One should pervade every aspect of the church. Holiness should be apparent, and is always present, in the assembly of God.
First Peter 1:15 says we are to be holy in all our behavior, both in and outside the assembly. First Peter 2:5 says we are a holy priesthood—not just a priesthood, but a holy priesthood. First Peter 2:9 says we are a holy nation.
Ephesians 2:21 says we are a holy temple in the Lord. Romans 1:2 says we have the holy Scriptures.
The working of the Holy Spirit should be everywhere apparent. We have joy in the Spirit—joy in the Holy Spirit. Love is poured out by the Holy Spirit. We have fellowship in the Holy Spirit. We are sealed in the Holy Spirit. We have the fruit of the Spirit of God. We are chosen by the Spirit. We have a holy calling. We have a holy faith.
Can you think of some more examples? I know I left out a lot.
The presence of the Holy One is in our midst, and when He is in our midst, the Lamb of God will be continually lifted up. May the beauty of holiness rest upon us. May the beauty of holiness rest upon your individual life. May the beauty of holiness rest on this assembly.
The church is a place of holiness where the Holy Spirit works, abides, and continually moves.
Number two: the Shepherd is in our midst. First Peter 2:25:
For ye were continually straying like sheep;
but now ye have returned to the Shepherd.
First of all, the Lord Jesus—well, let us turn to John 10. First, we would like to see that the Lord our Shepherd is a good Shepherd. He is a good Shepherd.
John 10:14-16 and John 10:27:
I am the Good Shepherd;
I know My own, and My own know Me.
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
Again, the simplicity of the Word, but how precious it is. “I know My own.” The Shepherd knows His sheep. The Shepherd speaks to His sheep, and the Shepherd guides His sheep.
“And My own know Me,” the Lord says. And the sheep know the Shepherd, the sheep hear the Shepherd, and the sheep follow the Shepherd.
He knows us. He loves us. He is sympathetic with us. “My sheep know Me” by having our hearts harmonized in Him, and our spirits in sympathy with Him, McLaren says. And Barnes says “know My sheep” means an affectionate regard or love.
The good Shepherd speaks of an intimate relationship, a close communion. He knows us; we know Him. He speaks to us; we hear Him. He guides us; and we follow Him. Simple.
And yet, brothers, how many assemblies and how many times have we strayed from that simple thing? The Lord calls and we do not hear. The Lord speaks our name, and we say, “Who are You talking to?” The Word guides us, wants to guide us, and we do not follow Him.
The good Shepherd speaks of a wonderful, close, intimate relationship that our Shepherd, who is in our midst, has with the flock—with us.
Many times we come together for prayer and we say, “Lord, lead us and guide us.” Why? Because He is our good Shepherd. He will speak to us. He will guide us.
As the world gets rougher and rougher, and more evil and turmoil arise, we have a good Shepherd. Praise the Lord for that.
We also have a Chief Shepherd. Back to 1 Peter. Let us read 1 Peter 5:4-6:
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.
Christ, and He alone, is our Chief Shepherd. Chief Shepherd means numero uno—first place, grande jefe. He is the boss. He is the Chief Shepherd, and nobody—no person, no group—can take the place of the Chief Shepherd.
And concerning the flock, this has to do with order in the flock. And our Chief Shepherd asks one thing of all of us—or two things. First of all, humble yourselves.
Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, and humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.
Brothers and sisters, if we will all recognize that He is our Chief Shepherd, we will have humility toward one another, and we should have humility toward our Lord.
I remember when we were sitting around the circle and talking about these matters. One brother mentioned how important humility was in the assembly of God. This is so important in the assembly.
Sheep should not be going about butting each other, trampling on each other, stomping each other. We should be hearing the Lord, following our good Shepherd, and toward each other we should be clothed in humility.
That means we always have this garment of humility with each other—always. Never take it off. Always be humble. And this says, “All of you, humble yourselves one to another.”
When pride, arrogance, and selfishness rise up in the sheep, order gets out of whack and we become our own chief shepherds. We have shepherds rise up, and anyway, you get the picture. Clothe yourself with the humility of our Lord Jesus. He is our Chief Shepherd.
Third—as far as shepherds go—He is our great Shepherd. That is found in Hebrews 13.
So the Lord is our good Shepherd. He is our great Shepherd. Hebrews 13:20 says that God “brought up from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep.” The Shepherd who is in our midst is a risen Shepherd.
Revelation 7:17 says:
The Lamb in the center of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
The Shepherd who is in our midst is a risen and reigning Shepherd. Why is this important?
I do not know if this is correct, but I think it might be, so I will, under advisement, share this passage with you, okay? I know what is going to happen. Some of you will—whatever.
First Samuel 17. I believe this is a picture of a shepherd-king’s spirit: what a shepherd-king does, which is the great Shepherd. It speaks of His power and His might, and what He is in our midst as the great Shepherd.
This is speaking of David, who had already been anointed king when he came before Saul. Let us look at 1 Samuel 17:34-37:
But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth. And when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him.
“Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of God.”
I believe this is the spirit of a shepherd-king. How dare anything come against the flock? “I will go out and I will tear the lion and the bear. I will grab them and do hand-to-hand combat, and I will destroy the enemies of the flock.”
And I believe that is what the great Shepherd does for us. The great Shepherd leads us and guides us, but as far as what would attack the flock, He becomes, as it were, a terrifying Shepherd. With His staff, He protects His people.
And I think that is a wonderful, wonderful picture of what the Lord does for us. Remember, we are not, as sheep, strong in ourselves. We are strong in His might. It is His power in which we are strong.
So bless the Lord for that shepherd heart of the Lord. I have often wondered in 2 Peter 2 and in Jude, where the Holy Spirit speaks quite angrily at those who come against the flock and those who rise up within the flock and cause all kinds of problems.
You can see this reigning Shepherd-King who says, “One day, I will judge that.” He is angry at that. So praise the Lord, we have a Shepherd-King.
Number three: first of all, the Holy One is in our midst. Number two, the Shepherd is in our midst. Number three, the Protector is in our midst.
First Peter 1:5:
Who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Our Lord Jesus is in our midst as our Protector. The NASB has this word as “protected,” the ESV has it as “guarded,” the NIV says “shielded,” and the King James says “kept.”
This word is a military term. It means to keep by guarding, to keep under guard as with a garrison—security.
The Lord in our midst is our security. He is the One who protects us, and He guards us as if the angels, the mighty army of God, surround us and protect us. He is the One who is our Protector.
I think last Sunday—well, maybe it was Wednesday night—we sang, “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing.”
Psalm 18:2 says:
The Lord is my rock and my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I will trust.
Psalm 31:3 says:
Thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Thy name’s sake, lead me and guide me.
Psalm 71:3 says, “Be Thou my strong habitation.” Psalm 91:2 says:
I will say to the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.
You know, if we put the Lord first and magnify the Lord, and He is in our midst, He is the One who will protect us as an assembly. No matter what the government does, no matter what assails us as an assembly, our God in our midst is our Protector.
But it gets even better. We are kept—protected—by what? The power of God.
There are two or three different Greek words for power, but the one used here is dunamis, from which we get the word “dynamite.” We are kept by His power, His ability, and force. It has to do with an inherent power that God has. It is within Himself, and you and I are protected by that power.
You think of these verses: “Now to Him who is able”—that ability there is the same word. He is able by His power to keep us. Praise the Lord for that. We do not have to worry when things greater than us assail us personally and as an assembly.
You know, we are not, as it were, a weak, sickly flock huddling in the corner somewhere, terrified of the enemy without. No. Brothers and sisters, we are protected by the power of God, and anything that comes upon us comes through that protection.
You might say, “Well, what about this? And what about this? It hits us.” Well, first of all, you and I need to know and understand that His protection surrounds us and garrisons us all around.
And if the Lord allows something to come in, it is because He has allowed it. It is not because He has taken away His protection, His force shield dropped, or whatever—however you want to look at that. It is not that way.
Also, personally, in our own lives, when tribulation and trouble hit us, it had to come through the Lord first. I do not want to share on suffering, but suffering is mentioned, I believe, about sixteen times in this book.
But first of all, you have to see that the Lord in our midst is our Protector. He is your Protector. Everything else follows from that.
Lastly, in sharing, He is our Guardian. First Peter 2:25 says He is our Shepherd and the Guardian of our souls.
A guardian is someone who watches over another’s welfare, who watches over the welfare and interest of someone. And here the Lord Jesus is our Guardian. He is watching over your welfare, over our welfare as an assembly.
Jesus is the great Superintendent of the church. Philip, like in your job, are you not like a superintendent over a job site? Jesus is the Superintendent of this job site, of this assembly. He alone is.
And in some of the last verses in 1 Peter—1 Peter 5:10, I believe—this overseeing work is spoken of:
The God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, strengthen, and establish you.
You can look up in the concordance all the verses about how He perfects us, how He confirms us, how He strengthens us, and how He establishes us. The Lord is our Guardian.
Back to the quotes from Brother Stephen and Brother McIntosh: if we will exalt the Lord’s name, His presence is here. And where His presence is, there is everything that is needed for the assembly.
So praise the Lord. He is our Holy One. He is our Shepherd. He is our good Shepherd. He is the Chief Shepherd. And He is our great Shepherd. He is our Protector, and He is our Guardian.
I know these things are very simple, but if we will together look to our Lord Jesus, He will provide everything that we need, will He not? Bless the Lord. Let us pray.
Lord, I am particularly touched this morning by how You call us by name. Lord, You are such a good Shepherd that You call each one of us. You call us together by name.
Lord, You have our assembly on Your heart too. And Lord, You call us. You speak to us, and You guide us.
Lord, we bless You and praise Your name. What a wonderful God You are. I just bless Your name. Amen.