Our Living Hope (Part 2)

Between the already of the Kingdom that has come and the not yet of its future fulfillment....as Christians, our life will be defined by three words: grief, trials, and tests.

Now is not the time of comfort, now is the time of transformation.

And Peter tells us that the trials that cause this transformation by God’s grace, is completely worth it.

But what will sustain us as we walk through grief, trials, and tests? ....

Key Point: Our living and eternal hope will sustain us and cause us to rejoice, even during trials, until Jesus returns; and our salvation in Christ is an immeasurable blessing we should never take for granted.

1. Our Living Hope will sustain us and cause us to rejoice, even through trials, as we await Jesus’ return (vs 6-9)

A. The Nature and Purpose of our Trials (vs. 6-7)

1 Peter 1:6 “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,”

Even though the church is facing trials and verbal persecution, because of the living and eternal hope they have in Christ and his return…they can still rejoice in the midst of trials.

Peter says that the nature of the church’s trials are various and cause grief, but they are also temporary.

Physical Trials: (1 Peter 2:20)

More likely slander and verbal abuse: (1 Peter 2:11-12; 3:9; 4:14).

Most of you can relate to the verbal persecution Peter’s audience was facing today...

“holier than thou”

“Don’t judge me”

“Preacher’s Kid”

Matthew 5:11-12 ““Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Two reasons we can be confident in trials...

They only come according to God’s will

“If necessary”

If God deems it necessary for one of his children to go through a trial to strengthen their faith and joy and him, they must know that the trial was ordained by a good God who loves them and not some random fate of chance, evil men, or even Satan.

They are only for “a little while”

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Our trials will cause us grief in this life…but they are only temporary and momentary…we can also rejoice in our trials because we see in verse 7 that they will refine and strengthen our faith.

1 Peter 1:7 “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.”

Trials test our faith and proves that our faith is real and genuine.

Trials strengthen our faith and produce strength to endure more (James 1:3).

“We must expect trial because trial is the element of faith. Faith without trial is like a diamond uncut, the brilliance of which has never been seen. A fish without water or a bird without air is faith without trial. We may surely expect that our faith will be tested.” -Charles Spurgeon

Our faith is more precious than gold!

Why?

Because gold is perishable…but our faith, like our hope, is not.

Fire does not destroy gold: it only removes its impurities…the fires of persecution will keep us trusting; they will burn away our self-confidence and drive us to our savior. The fires of affliction will not reduce our faith to ashes.

This is not the grace of relief…that comes in the end…but the grace of transformation…and transformation is hard.

“God will take you where you have not intended to go in order to produce in you what you could not achieve on your own.” -Paul Tripp

Our perseverance through trials will amazingly lead to praise, glory, and honor that will be bestowed upon us when Jesus returns.

As our faith in Christ is purified by fire, it becomes a clearer mirror to reflect the glory and greatness of Jesus when he returns. Since God exalts all those who exalt him, God will give praise, honor, and glory to our faith in him and give us the unfading crown of glory when Christ returns.

“The whole nature of suffering is changed for us when we realize that our anguish brings honor to Jesus!”

What hope we have in our trials! And verses 8-9 tells us what is ultimately the result of our trials…inexpressible joy and eternal salvation when Jesus returns!

B. The Result of Trials (vs. 8-9)

1 Peter 1:8-9 “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.”

Love for, and faith in, Jesus in the midst of trials.

Peter stresses the point that these Christians have never seen Jesus, not during his ministry on earth in the past, nor do they see him now in the present.

Yet, despite what their eyes can’t see, they love Jesus and trust in Jesus.

Hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes in what he sees? (Romans 8:24-25)

This is true faith is a “radical heart commitment to entrust ourselves and our lives to God, that results in a radical change in the way we live our lives.” -Paul Tripp

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Inexpressible joy.

It is the Christians faith, anticipation, and future hope of finally seeing Christ when he returns that leads them to be overjoyed. This joy of seeing Jesus is “indescribable” and “inexpressible.”

In other words...there are no words or utterances that can describe or articulate this joy...and it is through suffering, persecution, and trials where this joy comes from.

It is hard to believe but Peter is saying that our joy is refined and even intensified THROUGH trials.

Eternal Salvation

Salvation as the outcome (goal) of faith.

Essentially Peter says the end result of our faith persevering through trials will be our eternal salvation.

After explaining how the believer’s living hope will strengthen them and provide joy during trials, Peter further exemplifies the greatness of the elect exiles salvation…that it was prophesied long ago in the OT, it is revealed through the sufferings of Christ, and its fulfillment is something angels long to look at.

2. Our Salvation is an Immeasurable Blessing We Should Not Take for Granted. (vs 10-12)

1 Peter 1:10-12 “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.”

Our salvation was prophesied in the Old Testament

The prophets prophesied about the GRACE that was to be ours.

Prophets can refer to the whole OT.

GRACE is an umbrella term.

Genesis 3:15; 12:1-3; 15:6.

The searched HARD to who and when this promise of salvation would be revealed.

These prophesies were predicted and written by God.

The Spirit of Christ was speaking to them and writing through them.

2 Peter 1:20-21 “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Demonstrates that the Bible is “God Breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16).

verse 12 says The message of the gospel announced by the OT prophets came through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven....this again confirms Scripture to be the message from God…not man.

The OT Prophets serve and help us as Believers today...

The OT was written for us:

Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

1 Corinthians 10:11.

The gospel was preached through the Old Testament to the believers Peter wrote to (vs 12).

This should cause us to seek to read the OT more to better understand the sufferings and subsequent glories of our savior.

Our salvation is revealed and accomplished through the sufferings of Christ.

Plan of redemption from the beginning of time (Revelation 13:8).

Ephesians 1:7 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,”

“Sufferings of Christ” = “sufferings destined or intended for Christ.”

The grace that was intended for us is a direct result from the death that was intended for Jesus.

The sufferings and glories of Jesus are predicted throughout the OT.

Sufferings:

Isaiah 53:3-6 “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Ps. 22:1, 7–8, 18; 34:19–20; 69:21; Isa. 50:6; 52:14–15; 53:1–12; Zech. 12:10; 13:7, etc.

Glories (plural for resurrection, ascension, exaltation, and universal reign of his kingdom).

Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Pss 2; 16:10; 22:22; 45:7; 110:1, 4; Isa. 9:6; 40:3–5, 9–11; 42:1–4; 61:1–3; Jer. 33:14–15; Ezek. 34:23; Dan. 7:13–14; Mal. 3:1–3,

Suffering always precedes glory…but glory always follows suffering....for Jesus and for his followers.

Our salvation and its fulfillment are longed for and desired by both the OT prophets and even angelic beings.

The OT prophets longed to fully know and understand how the promises of the Messiah would be fulfilled…yet we have the full revelation of these promises today in Jesus!

The angels have an intense desire to see the fulfillment of our salvation.

Think about it…ANGELS in heaven are eagerly waiting to see how our salvation will be fully accomplished!

The OT prophets, nor angels, enjoy the full blessings of salvation that we currently have in Jesus. We are the most blessed and privileged people in salvation history!

Do we realize the blessing we have or do we take our salvation for granted?

Even though the world may scorn us today as believers, angels are intensely interested in seeing how our salvation is fulfilled.

We are privileged recipients of a living and eternal hope that will strengthen our faith and cause us to rejoice in trials and have been given a salvation that is an immeasurable blessing that we should never take for granted.

Response

We can have hope and joy even during trials.

Can what your hoping in sustain you? Can it give you joy when everything else fades away?

We must see our sufferings and lives with God’s perspective and not our own.

Trials and suffering = stronger faith, greater love for God and future glories.

We must not neglect the reading of the Old Testament.

We can know that the Bible is true and is God’s inspired word.

We must cherish our salvation and not take it for granted.

Do we long for the fulfillment of our salvation like the angels do?

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