Future Hope (Part 3)

1 Peter 1:10-16
by Tim Senn

Yesterday we looked the privilege of the believer through the contrast of the Old Testament prophets. Today I want to look at another privilege of the believer through the constrast of the angels.

B. The Angels: Holy Curiousity and Wonder (12)

Compared to the OT prophets, we hae superior knowledge of salvation, but compared to the angels, we have a superior experience of salvation! Superior to angels? Yes! How can this be? I can think of numerous ways in which angels are superior to us and enjoy privileges that far exceed our experiences. Angels have greater power, great intelligence, and greater abilities than we do. Upon their creation, they are immortal, and thus do not experience disease or death.

The elect angels have never experienced salvation because they never sinned and rebelled against God! Thus, they have never experienced God's grace and mercy! They don't know what it is like to be burdened and shackled by sin, and then to have Jesus Christ come and free you and forgive you! They do not know the joy of salvation, and the free gift of eternal life! They don't know what it is like to receive a brand new and completely different life in Christ and thus becomce a new creation!n And the fallen angels do not have the opportunity of redemption, because Christ did not come to save them (Hebrews 2:16). Therefore, all the angels can do is to "stoop down and try to get a glimpse of the love of God toward redeemed sinners."

Wayne Grudem says, "Though the world may think such Christians insignificant and worthy of pity or scorn, angels - who see ultimate reality from God perspective - find them to be objects of intense interest, for they know that these struggling believers are actually the recipients of God's greatest blessings and honoured participants in a great drama at the focal point of universal history." One day in heaven, we will have a song that the angels cannot sing - it will be a Song of Redemption!

Future Hope (Part 2)

1 Peter 1:10-16

by Tim Senn

"Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look." (1 Peter 1:10-12)

1. The privilege of the believer (10-12)

A furth privilege that we have as believers in Jesus Christ can be seen in contrast to two other groups who know and sever God: the Old Testament prophets and the angels. Today we will look at the Old Testament prophets.

A. The Old Testament Prophets: Careful Investigation (10-12)

Compared to the OT prophets, we have a better understanding and superior knowledge of salvation! Concerning the salvation that we have experienced and enjoy as children of God, the OT prophets could only get a glimpse of it from afar! They were like people who had most of the pieces of a puzzle, and yet did not have the box in which the puzzle came - therefore, they did not have a comprehensive picture of how the pieces were to fit together!

I can think of numerous ways in which the OT prophets seem to be superior to us, and to the advantages that they enjoyed in their relationship with God.

• They received direct revelation from God, and sometimes even got to talk to Him! (Isaiah, Jeremiah & Ezekiel)


• They experienced powerful deliverances from God! (Elijah & Daniel)

But with all of these pieces of revelation, they did not have the clear picture that you and I have of the Messiah or His mighty deliverance upon the cross! Peter states that the prophets were like determined detectives, searching both the words given to them as well as the writings of the other prophets in order to try to understand and to determine "the timing and circumstances" of the appearing of Christ.

Although these great men of God did not fully comprehend the visions and revelations that they received, God did make it clear to them that they were not serving themselves - but New Testament believers!

With His coming, and with His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, believers now have a clear picture of the gospel of Jesus Christ and a fuller understanding of the Old Testament. Thus, we have a superior knowledge of Scripture to the greatest prophets! This truth should invigorate our study of the Old Testament Scriptures. We should not view them as meant for "long ago people in a far away land." Rather, the OT prophets were serving us! And through their writings, we get a clear picture of Jesus Christ and His salvation!

But we not only have a superior knowledge - but we also have a greater privilege. This is why Jesus said to His disciples in Luke 10:23-24, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, for I say to you, that many prophets and king wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them." They longed to see the coming of Christ - we have the story! The preachers of the Gospel have told us everything that we need to know in order to be saved.

Think about the great love that God has shown to us through the knowledge of the Gospel! Let these great blessings deepen your appreciation for the salvation that you have in Jesus Christ!

Future Hope (Part 1)

1 Peter 1:10-16
by Tim Senn

Next week we will be diving into our "future hope" from 1 Peter 1:10-16. In our study of 1 Peter, we have learned about salvation in three tenses: past, present, and future. In the past, we were chosen by the loving decree of God and cleansed from our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ (1:2). We were given the gift of new birth, a completely new life in Christ!

In the present, we have been given an inheritance in heaven, which is secure and waits for us in glory. We are kept by God's power, and when we face trials, we can be assured that they are designed to purify and strengthen our faith.

And in the future, the joy that we have as only a foretaste now will come upon us in its fullness, and our joy will become inexpressible! Peter is painting a breathtaking picture of the blessings we have been given as children of God!

Next week I want to continue showing you from 1 Peter 1:10-16 the remarkable privileges of being a believer in Jesus Christ, but I also want to begin addressing the responsibilities of being a Christian as well. I will show you the privileges in 1:10-12; and the responsibilities in 1:13-16.

Wilberforce on Trials

"That the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:7)

William Wilberforce was a man who understood trials. Wilberforce also understood the joy of suffering through those trials. Once said of Wilberforce by one of his opponents was if you knock Wilberforce down when he rises he gets up even stronger. That is not the norm for us these days. Most of the time when we get knocked down, we stay down. Wilberforce made this resolution concerning the passage in 1 Peter 1:

"To redeem time more; to keep God more in view, and Christ, and all he has suffered for us; and the unseen world, where Christ is now sitting at the right hand of God interceding for his people. I would grow in love and tender solicitude for my fellow-creatures' happiness, in preparedness for any events which may befall me in this uncertain state. I may be called to sharp trials, but Christ is able to strengthen me for the event, be it what it may."

Wilberforce probably responded to his trials in a Christ-like manner because he had prepared himself for trials. Are you prepared to suffer with joy for the sake of Christ?

Grace upon grace,
JRL

Salvation's Present Trials (Part 3)

1 Peter 1:6-9
by Tim Senn

So far we have looked at: 1. We have joy because our sufferings have a purpose; 2. We have joy because suffering deepens our fellowship with Christ; and today I want to look at the third reason we have joy in suffering.

3. We have joy because our future salvation will swallow up our sufferings. (9)

We can have joy noew in the midst of terrible suffering and trials, because the return of Christ will mark the official end of our sufferings. The end of suffering is only the beginning of the glory of heaven, but falls far short of the fullness of heaven. I say this because I have talked to unbelievers who are experiencing such intense suffering that they are ready to die. To them, death represents the end of suffering on the earth, and thus becomes a welcome friend (they don't realize the eternal sufferings that await them in judgment). But for the believer, the ending of pain in heaven is just the beginning of heaven's glory.

I said earlier in the week that believer's can experience a small foretaste of the inexpressible joy of heaven. Therefore, this passage gives us an astonishing insight into the nature of heaven. Heaven will be a place in which the believer continuously experiences inexpressible joy for all of eternity! Heaven is not just the cessation of suffering, but the powerful experience of joyful shouting and celebration - and it will never end!

Our sufferings have a purpose, they lead us into a deeper relationship of faith and love with Jesus Christ, and they will soon end and be swallowed up with continual joy! Therefore, we can rejoice now in the midst of suffering!

Salvation's Present Trials (Part 2)

1 Peter 1:6-9

by Tim Senn

Yesterday we looked at our joy in suffering because it has a purpose. Today I would like to look at the second point Peter makes: We have joy because suffering deepens our fellowship with Christ (8).

2. We have joy because suffering deepens our fellowship with Christ. (8)

A. Faith does not depend upon sight.

You don't have to see Christ physically in order to believe and know and have a relationship with Christ! Unlike Peter, who had physically seen and spend time with the Lord, those to whom he was writing had never personally seen Christ.

But according to Peter, that does not matter one bit because physical sight has no advantage over spiritual sight! Those who believe in Christ through His Word and the testimony of His apostles receive the blessing taught by Jesus to Thomas in John 20:29. We can rejoice in trials because they bring us closer to Christ, who also suffered for the glory of God!

B. Faith produces inexpressible joy! A foretaste of Heaven!

Their relationship of faith with Jesus Christ and fellowship in His sufferings produces not only love, but joy! Peter comes around full circle back to his original idea 'greatly rejoice.' And yet this time he adds an additional dimension, 'you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.' What does he mean?

I told you earlier that the word for joy means 'intense joy or celebration.' It could also be interpreted as 'shouting for joy that cannot be contained.' But as we deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ through suffering, the believer experiences something more profound than joyful shouting - he or she experiences a joy that cannot be expressed by words! Shouts perhaps?! Or silence?! Perhaps music could assist the heart express what words cannot?!

Believers can presently experience a small foretaste of the glory that is waiting to be revealed to us when Jesus returns and takes us to glory! This experience can only be described as 'inexpressible joy'! Therefore, the joy of believers is just a small glimpse - a small bite - of the glorious experience of heaven!

Salvation's Present Trials (Part 1)

1 Peter 1:6-9
by Tim Senn

"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:6-9)

Over the next three days I want to show you from 1 Peter 1:6-9 three reasons for the joy that Christians have in the midst of trials and suffering.

1. We have joy because our sufferings have a purpose. (6-7)
2. We have joy because suffering deepens our fellowship with Christ. (8)
3. We have joy because our future salvation will swallow up our sufferings. (9)

Let's look at the first point today:

1. We have joy because our sufferings have a purpose. (6-7)

The "in this" of verse 6 ties the contents of verses 6-9 back into what has previously been said about salvation in verses 3-5. There, Peter spoke of salvation in the future tense: proclaiming the fact that we have both a protected inheritance and a protect faith. This is a cause of great rejoicing for the believer. In verse 6, Peter focuses on salvation in the present tense.

It is important to understand that the 'rejoicing' to which he refers is an intense joy which involves jubilant and thankful exultation. It is the joy of delight and celebration - ecstasy! Paul describes his own ministry in 2 Corinthians 6:10 saying, "as sorrowful yet always rejoicing."

Unbelievers react to suffering and use it as a reason to blame and curse God and to question His existence. Suffering makes them bitter. But I have witnessed a remarkably different attitude and response to suffering in the lives of Christians. Suffering does not make them bitter, it makes them better! How can this be? Because by faith the Christian sees the meaning and purpose of God in suffering. Peter gives us 4 purposes of God in our suffering:

• Suffering is necessary
  He says that the process by which the goldsmith refines and purifies gold in the crucible over intense heat is similar to the process in which our loving God refines and purifies our faith during intense suffering. Trials are the 'crucible' in which our faith is refined and demonstrated to be 'genuine.'


• Suffering is limited
  Second Corinthians 4:17, "For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison." We can have joy in suffering because we know that it will have an end.


• Suffering is assorted
  Trials and afflictions come to us in many shapes and sized and in a variety of colors. They can be health related, financial, issues at school or work, or difficult relationships. But beyond those normal everyday afflictions, the believer also faces persecution, rejection for their faith and love of Christ, and the hatred of the world.


• Suffering produces a faith that receives rewards
  The fourth and final product of suffering is the rewards that are given by God to those whose faith proves to be genuine! The words, "praise and glory and honor" are usually reserved for activities directed at God. However, Peter says here that at the Second Coming of Christ, true believers will receive these affirmations from God Himself! This is equivalent to what Jesus taught in his parable of the talents when the Master praises the faithful servants by saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter int the joy of your master" (Matthew 25:21).