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March 9, 2003 |
"1 Peter" Series |
Pastor Brian Shimer
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"Fire and Faith"
1 Peter 1:1-12
I. Today we began with Afro-American Spirituals at start of service to remind us
that not to far in the past we were a nation inflicting great suffering on others.
Many have suffered upon our soil unjustly.
Today around the world there are countless millions of Christians enduring excruciating suffering and astounding victories. There are many stories of great trial, but also depth of faith and trust in Christ that is astounding. In this first chapter Peter tells us some of what God is doing through their trials and through the trials we also encounter.
II. For the basics, first, Who is writing? To whom is Peter writing?
God's elect, strangers in the world
(aliens!)
These are those who are scattered because of the persecution, but Peter says they and we are like strangers in this world. Throughout OT and NT this is a familiar image. We are considered "aliens" upon the earth. A people meant for another place, namely heaven.
Next Peter points to the work of the Father, Holy Spirit and Son in their lives and in ours as well. He tells us that:
God the Father knows what you are going through!
God the Holy Spirit is making you holy
And that the reason the Father and Holy Spirit are at work in you is for your obedience to Jesus Christ. This obedience is to believe in who Jesus is and receive Him into our hearts by faith. But that is not all, they also work in order that you may be sprinkled with His blood. This sprinkling is an OT allusion to the blood sprinkled on the people with hyssop after the sacrifice in order that the blood shed could be shown to be on their behalf. In like manner, Jesus died for us to be forgiven, there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood, so, we too are sprinkled with His blood, thus forgiven, cleansed.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance, he says. Tell that to someone next to you!
III. v3: Praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Notice the character of our God -- first FATHER! You can call him Father. You know God the Father's character through Jesus Christ! "IF you have seen me you have seen the father," Jesus said in John 14.
We take this forgranted.
We are used to the idea of calling God "Father". But such a picture of God is not upheld in other cults or world religions. Indeed to the Muslims the idea of referring to God as Father, to lower God by giving him a human description, is considered blasphemous. The god worshiped by other religions and the Christian God is not the same. The Muslim Allah is not the Christian God. You can see that clearly when you look at Jesus. He said he was the perfect picture and depiction of the Father. In the character of God is great love, mercy, forgiveness, and grace. Such is not true in any other cult or religion.
An Islamic woman who came to faith in Jesus Christ, knelt and tried to pray to God as her father. She had a terrible time even uttering the word "Father" for it felt blasphemous to bring God down to a human description. She finally said the word: "Father" and then fell to the floor in a flood of tears, fearing she would be struck down. But instead she sensed the embrace of love around her and filling the room and she heard a single word: "Daughter".
Our God sent Jesus! Our God is Father! Our God is most merciful!
Peter then tells us what are we praising God for--
V 3 still …
In or by His great mercy He has given us NEW BIRTH
Into a LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead -- resurrected hope!
A Living Hope is a growing hope. A hope that becomes more certain as the years go by, not less certain. Such a hope is sustaining and gives you stamina on those long days. The new birth brings us into such a hope.
But that is not all. We are born also into AN INHERITANCE, Peter says.
Not just any inheritance, either! This inheritance is secured by the death of Jesus and awaits our arrival in heaven to receive it. It is a unique inheritance, unlock stocks in the market, or money, or homes, or cars, or property. This is an eternal inheritance.
It can never perish, so it is untouched by death
It can never Spoil, so it is unstained by evil
It can never Fade, so it is unimpaired by time
And not only this, but it is being KEPT IN HEAVEN FOR YOU…
Kept -- safe for you. This is good news. You don't guard what God has for you, God does! That is great. What eternal security!
A monk was asked what if he found out that he was mistaken, that God did not exist, Jesus did not save, all was loss. He said then still it was worth while to live as if it were all true while alive.
The interesting thing about his response is the Apostle Paul, and it sounds like Peter too, would not agree. Paul said, "If Christ did not rise we are the most to be pitied of all men!"
When Jesus went through the pain and suffering of the cross, did He do so without an idea of what was before Him? Did he just go through it, endure it, keep his mouth shut and just have some vague hope He would conquer death somehow, if God willed it? NO! In the book of Hebrews it says that Jesus, as Paul and Peter said for themselves, did endure the cross, scorning the shame all for the JOY set before him. He knew it was all true and saw the light up ahead. We have an inheritance up ahead. Keep our eyes there.
There is an inheritance kept by God in Heaven for you. It is real!
AND you too are guarded or shielded BY God's Power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
If Salvation were up to us -- it would be impossible, Jesus said.
If we had to behave our way to heaven: as Buddhism says, as Hinduism says, as Mormon theology says, as Jehovah's Witnesses theology says, as Islam says, as false Judaism says there is no hope!
But As you TRUST in Jesus, God is guarding you for salvation.
SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING! ^.^
SALVATION: is not only something instant (I am saved) but something ongoing (I am being saved) that is what this is pointing to and something future (I will be saved) meaning the body raised from the grave.
IV. In this salvation you rejoice, even though beset by trials.
Peter writes to the Christians scattered throughout these areas to say: "Don't let suffering snuff out your faith!" That is his point!
**Peter says trials are temporary --"for a little while"-- they may last for our lifetimes, but they are still temporary. They cannot last longer than our time on earth.
**He says they are painful, we will suffer grief -- trials are emotionally, physically, spiritually trying!
**He refers to them as trials meaning not temptations to sin from heart, but suffering from outside of you
**He says there are all kinds -- what kinds of trials are there?
1. Global Difficulties: wars, famines, natural disasters, aids, terrorism
2. Community Suffering: local disasters, OK City Bombing
3. Individual tragedies-- physical or mental illness; loss;
bereavement; loneliness; involuntary singleness; rejection;
disappointment; persecution; financial; relationship struggles;
4. Persecution-- which can be of any of above kind
Notice, that no matter the kind of suffering, there is a purpose to it.
Notice the "SO THAT" in v 7? Suffering CAUSES something.
As fire refines gold, so God uses suffering to refine our faith. He is the master craftsman. He can take even the sins of others against us individually, and use them as heat to cause our faith to be matured, strengthened, formed aright.
Our faith then may be proved genuine * as gold if proved in fire!
AND may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus is revealed…
This means an unveiling of Him who is already HERE!
God uses trials in your life and mine. That is why we can rejoice in them. God is at work. That is why we can have faith in God and trust Him, for God is at work. And nothing that God is involved in will fail. And in these few verses we can notice that God uses them for the refining of our faith. We will see later in Peter that he has other plans too. But here, we can just note that God will use them.
Peter ends this passage referring to the love we have for Jesus though we do not see him and how we are receiving the goal of our faith -- there is an ongoing reception of salvation as we live. WE are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. This far outshines the momentary periods of suffering.
Then he refers to how this good news of Jesus was prophesied years before. Peter is giving us a clue there. Something that has been promised and now fulfilled after many, many centuries, something that even the angels long to look into, this salvation, is worth living for.
And so as we encounter those short, tough seasons-- remember you have an inheritance in heaven!
Remember that you are being guarded by God for the salvation He says you are receiving.
And keep your perspective from this small place where you stand onto the eternal plan of Almighty God and know: this too shall be used for His glory.
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