1
Peter 1:8-9
Praise
to God for a Living Hope
Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy
he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never
perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,
who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of
the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all
this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have
had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that
the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold,
which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise,
glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Though
you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see
him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and
glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the
salvation of your souls.
Concerning
this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come
to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find
out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them
was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the
glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not
serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have
now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the
Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these
things.
1
Peter 1:3-12
Introduction:
The
passage that we have read are the words of the Apostle Peter which
were intended to encourage his readers. As we read them some 2000
years later we are struck by the emotion of the passage.
We
are reminded that the writer just a few years earlier was a humble
fisherman who met Jesus, from that meeting Peter was slowly becoming
a new man. He was converted in much the same way as all Christians
are. It is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who is God the Son
that Peter witnessed that he was saved.
Jesus
on the cross became a shame before God on our behalf by taking the
sins of all of His children upon Himself and taking the punishment
that we deserve. It was more than a death of a man upon a cross; many
other innocent victims have died such a death but none of them could
not accomplish forgiveness of sins for themselves let alone for the
entire church.
Jesus'
became shameful to God who cannot have sin in His presence and so for
God the Son to become as if He were the worst of all sinners was an
abomination to God.
Due
to this Jesus invoked the whole perfect wrath of God upon
Himself the result of which means that the wrath that we deserve has
been redirected from us or (if you want the theological term:
propitiated.) God's anger is turned away from us and was fully
directed to His One and Only Son. Due to His sacrifice we are
completely forgiven of all of our sin making us to be a very special
people. In the light of this it is surprising that we do not live as
we ought as Christians.
Peter
was a man who fully appreciated how much he had been forgiven.
Remember how Jesus showed him what true love is all about. Whilst
Jesus was on trial Peter had denied with curses that he had ever
known Jesus. He was re-instated by Jesus after he had been quizzed as
to how much he truly loved the Lord. That incident brought deep
sorrow to Peter's heart but it was the foundation these words that we
have before us.
Are
you forgiven?
Do
you love Jesus as you ought to love? Let us consider briefly what
Peter teaches and as such be encouraged to be the church that God
demands of us!
It
could be said that Peter loved Him because he saw Him. There is a lot
in that but Peter in our verse is saying that Christians Do really
love Him even without the evidence of sight.
“You
have not seen Him. But: You do love Him.”
We
are different to Peter. He did see Jesus and we have not! Ever since
Jesus ascended into heaven people have been saved by faith but not by
sight. Peter’s seeing Jesus did not save him it was his faith in
Jesus as Lord that brought him salvation. It is by the Word that we
know about Him, it is the application of truth into our hearts by the
Holy Spirit that we believe in Him and it is by God’s grace that we
are saved. Peter reminds us that even though we do not see Him we
really ought to love Him.
But
do you?
What
does love for Jesus look like? I have over the years seen much of
what love for Jesus is portrayed to be. In some circles it is
hippy-love! What do I mean by that? Remember the days of flowers in
the hair, the end of war and free love towards all. Mostly drug
induced soppy sentimentalism!
"All
You Need Is Love"
Love,
love, love (X3)
There's
nothing you can do that can't be done
Nothing
you can sing that can't be sung
Nothing
you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It's
easy
Nothing
you can make that can't be made
No
one you can save that can't be saved
Nothing
you can do but you can learn how to be you in time
It's
easy
All
you need is love
All
you need is love
All
you need is love, love
Love
is all you need
Love,
love, love
Love,
love, love
Love,
love, love
All
you need is love
All
you need is love
All
you need is love, love
Love
is all you need
Nothing
you can know that isn't known
Nothing
you can see that isn't shown
Nowhere
you can be that isn't where you're meant to be
It's
easy
All
you need is love
All
you need is love
All
you need is love, love
Love
is all you need
All
you need is love (All together, now!)
All
you need is love (Everybody!)
All
you need is love, love
Love
is all you need
Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)
Yee-hai!
(Love is all you need)
Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)
Yesterday
(Love is all you need)
Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)
Love
is all you need (Love is all you need)
Oh
yeah! (Love is all you need)
She
loves you, yeah yeah yeah (Love is all you need)
She
loves you, yeah yeah yeah (Love is all you need)
This
type of sentimentality has infiltrated the church in particular many
of the songs that are sung. We can all live out a dream that says
everything is well and we end up singing dreamy love songs to Jesus.
Well of course that is not the problem with us here but we are
equally prone to displaying false love. Jesus love is sacrificial
love, it comes with a sword. To truly love Jesus immediately puts us
at odds with the devil and his world. For some to love Jesus today
means that there will be no tomorrow for them. For us it might mean
mockery or the loss of promotion etc. Our love for Him has
consequences but Peter is encouraging us to consider the cost of our
salvation. Listen to these words of C.H.Spurgeon:
"In
the very beginning, when this great universe lay in the mind of God,
like unborn forests in the acorn cup; long before the echoes awoke
the solitudes; before the mountains were brought forth; and long
before the light flashed through the sky, God loved His chosen
creatures. Before there was any created being --- when the ether was
not fanned by an angel's wing, when space itself had not an
existence, where there was nothing save God alone --- even then, in
that loneliness of Deity, and in that deep quiet and profundity, His
heart was moved with love for His chosen. Their names were written on
His heart, and then were they dear to His soul. Jesus loved His
people before the foundation of the world --- even from eternity! and
when He called me by His grace, He said to me, 'I have loved
thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I
drawn thee’”
God’s
love through Jesus is set upon us; do we truly reciprocate His love
to us or is our love a careless love? It is pathetic to see the face
of a parent who loves their child but the child has only contempt for
them. Imagine how God must feel by our lack of true love for Him!
You
cannot see Him. But:
You
believe in Him.
Hebrews
11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the
conviction of things not seen!”
We
are so often told that if only God would reveal Himself, if only He
would leave heaven, come to earth and visit us then we would believe.
That is utter nonsense, He did come and even His own would not
receive Him. Jesus as a man is the very representation of God and yet
man would not believe in Him in fact in their contempt they murdered
Him. Jesus will only be believed if a work of grace takes place.
Grace is a gift from God:
Ephesians
1:8-9
“It
is by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not
your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that
no one may boast.”
The
gospel has done its work in our hearts and we believe in Him. We
believe in all that He is, all that He has done and all that He is
yet to do. We believe that he is the creator of all things who has
brought to life our dead souls and has made us alive in Him. We may
not see Him until we have done with this life and we are transported
into the presence of the Father. We will then see Him face to face,
He will be our guide on that day into the very presence of God who
will only see righteousness in us because His Son is carrying the
scars of sacrifice on our behalf.
We
believe this don’t we??
Do
you?
You
have not seen Him but you love Him and you believe in Him.
The
result being:
You
are filled with joy beyond compare! Because:
The
end is coming.
Life
is wonderful, yes it's wonderful
Life
is wonderful now to me
I
let Jesus in, He changed everything
Life
is wonderful now.
Since
His blessings came into my heart
Joy
unspeakable fills every part
Now
I want to live for my Lord
Life
is wonderful now.
I
can pick holes in some of the theology of this song but the one thing
that it can teach us is about Joy. Joy unspeakable filling every
part: do you know what that means?
That
is what Peter is saying that salvation means to Him and it is what it
ought to mean to us. It is not about “smile Jesus loves you” but
it is all about “Jesus is King and I will extol Him” “Jesus the
joy of loving hearts
Jesus,
Thou Joy of loving hearts,
Thou Fount of life, Thou Light of men,
From the best bliss that earth imparts,
We turn unfilled to Thee again.
Thou Fount of life, Thou Light of men,
From the best bliss that earth imparts,
We turn unfilled to Thee again.
Thy
truth unchanged hath ever stood;
Thou savest those that on Thee call;
To them that seek Thee Thou art good,
To them that find Thee all in all.
Thou savest those that on Thee call;
To them that seek Thee Thou art good,
To them that find Thee all in all.
We
taste Thee, O Thou living Bread,
And long to feast upon Thee still;
We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead,
And thirst our souls from Thee to fill.
And long to feast upon Thee still;
We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead,
And thirst our souls from Thee to fill.
Our
restless spirits yearn for Thee,
Wherever our changeful lot is cast;
Glad when Thy gracious smile we see,
Blessed when our faith can hold Thee fast.
Wherever our changeful lot is cast;
Glad when Thy gracious smile we see,
Blessed when our faith can hold Thee fast.
O
Jesus, ever with us stay,
Make all our moments calm and bright;
Chase the dark night of sin away,
Shed over the world Thy holy light.
Make all our moments calm and bright;
Chase the dark night of sin away,
Shed over the world Thy holy light.
How
does that come out? Jesus for the joy of the Lord which was set
before Him beyond the cross endured the pain, suffering and rejection
of death!
Death
on our behalf was a joy to Jesus.
What
is our joy?
Belonging
to Him eternally ought to be our great joy and pleasure, does that
not at least warm your heart?
Rejoice,
the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore;
Mortals
give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore;
Lift
up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice,
again I say, rejoice!
Jesus,
the Saviour, reigns, the God of truth and love;
When
He had purged our stains He took His seat above;
Lift
up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice,
again I say, rejoice!
His
kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and Heav’n,
The
keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n;
Lift
up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice,
again I say, rejoice!
He
sits at God’s right hand till all His foes submit,
And
bow to His command, and fall beneath His feet:
Lift
up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice,
again I say, rejoice!
Rejoice
in glorious hope! Jesus the Judge shall come,
And
take His servants up to their eternal home.
We
soon shall hear th’archangel’s voice;
The
trump of God shall sound, rejoice!
Callington
needs to know that we are truly a people who are full of the joy of
the Lord. That is the reputation of the church that we want to be in
evidence.
What
do our neighbours think of when the Mustard seed is mentioned? Joy
unspeakable or ??????????
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