May God be with us tonight we
turn together to his word again and once more back to the chapter
we read earlier in the first epistle of Peter. Tonight we
turn to chapter one and we'll read again verses three to five. So one Peter chapter one and
verses three to five. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled,
and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept
by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed
in the last time. So Lord Jesus Christ comes to
the end of his discourse to his disciples in the upper room. He speaks to them and says, in
this world ye shall have tribulation. but I have overcome the world."
And in that very simple statement is a profound truth that God's
people shall have tribulation in their life, that the world
that they live in will not always be an easy world, and that the
life that they live though following the Lord will not always be an
easy life, that it will be, as Jesus described it, a daily taking
up the cross and following him. But though that is true, the
Lord Jesus Christ has overcome the world, that he has given
life and hope and glory to his people, his abiding presence
as they journey through life, but also that eternal rest with
him to come. I have overcome the world. And isn't that a sure and certain
statement? I have overcome. He is speaking
chronologically at a time before his death and resurrection. But
it is certain, it is certain that he will overcome, and it
is certain that those for whom he has overcome will be with
him more than conquerors through him that loved them. Now Peter writes his epistle
here as we read the opening chapter. And as he writes, he tells us
who he is writing to. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia and Bithynia. But we know that this epistle
is included in the canon of scripture. It is the inspired word of God. And so it is not only for the
people in the first century living in those particular places, but
it is also for us. It is written to God's people
throughout the ages. And Peter describes God's people
as those who are strangers. The strangers scattered. You might say on the surface
level that means he's writing to people who are scattered throughout
the different regions and who he personally hasn't met. But
I think it goes deeper than that. The word strangers here could
be translated as pilgrims. to the pilgrims scattered. Because he is writing to God's
people. And they are pilgrims in this
world. They are strangers to the world
around them. Because God has taken them out
of this world. They are there, living amongst
the world, and they are there as God's witnesses in this world. But they are, in fulfillment
of Jesus' prayer, those who are in the world, but not of it. They are pilgrims. And our pilgrim,
of course, is someone who is journeying. And they must go
on their journey. And their journey will have different
twists and turns and places that they stop. But the pilgrim has
a destination. The pilgrim has a place where
they are on pilgrimage to. Just like the children of Israel
in the Old Testament, they had a journey. And because of their
disobedience, their journey was some 40 years. And they went
to many places. And at times they stopped for
many years in different places. But there was always the eye
on the promised land. There was always the promise
of God that they would return back to the land given to their
forefathers. The pilgrimage was to be walked. The Lord didn't just lift them
out of Egypt and somehow miraculously put them down in Canaan. Though
there was an experience, there was a journey, but there was
an end. And Peter here writes to those
who are scattered, these strangers who are on their journey, who
are on their pilgrimage, and they are strangers in the world. They've been taken out of the
spirit of the world. And they've been engrafted into
the vine. They've been brought into the
family of God. They are no longer of the world.
And at times they feel their strangeness. They feel how different they
are. If we're believers this evening,
we'll know something of that. We're in this world. We've got
much to enjoy in this world, but we're not of it. And there
are particular times when we feel the strangeness, when we
feel the sense that we are pilgrims and strangers. We don't quite
belong. And there's a reason for that,
and it's simply because we don't quite belong. Because by God's
grace and his wonderful mercy, we are no longer at home in this
world, but we look to a home that's to come. And so he writes to strangers,
those who have been called out. And they have been called out
because, as verse 2 tells us, they are elect, according to
the foreknowledge of God the Father. They are loved. They are chosen. They are embraced
in His grace. They are elect. And God has reached
out in His goodness to them, though they were dead in their
sins, and lifted them out of this world. Given them a new heart, and a
new life, and a new purpose, and a new master. They are elect. And so now, because they have
come to know that election by his grace, as they have come
to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, they know that they are strangers
and pilgrims in this world. And so they live in it. But they live in it with the
experience that Jesus said, in this world he shall have tribulation. Peter here, then we're going
to look at much of this chapter. But the Lord speaks to us through
this of what it is to be a stranger in this world. Who are these people? What are they? And I want us
to consider whether we are one of them. But then also wonderfully
points us to the security of the end destination, to the certainty
of the end of the promised land. And so we'll look at it in that
twofold way today. Firstly, the strangers in the
world, and then that certainty of home. The strangers scattered in this
world. Much of this chapter describes
for us what a real Christian is. It shows to us the experience
of a real Christian. It gives us there the marks,
if you like, it sets out for us some marks of a real believer. And it is there for us to consider
whether this is true of us. whether it describes you and
me, because it is those who are pilgrims and strangers who have
this hope of eternity. We cannot give one another assurance
of glory if we do not have any evidence of being a believer.
Or to put it another way, we cannot encourage one another
of the end inheritance if we are not a pilgrim in the journey.
We need to know whether we are on the journey, whether we are
one of these strangers. So what is the mark? What is
the evidence of a real Christian? First of all, a real Christian
is one who believes in Jesus Christ. One who believes in Jesus Christ.
We read together in verse 18, For as much as ye know, that
ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from
your vain conversation, received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ. As of a lamb without
blemish and without spot, who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times for you, who by him do believe in God. And there is a wonderful, succinct
description of the gospel. This is the way of salvation,
he says. You were not redeemed with anything
that you had, with your silver or with your gold. And you were
not redeemed with anything that you knew or what you said. You
were redeemed only with the precious blood of Christ. It was only
because he died, because he shed his blood, because he is that
Lamb, the one without blemish, without spot, without sin, but
in the sinner's place. That, he says, is the work of
redemption. Christ in a sinner's place, the Lamb of God slain,
the blood shed of the cross. That is the only way. That is
the truth. And this is God's wonderful gift. He has given His Son to save
His people from their sins. And this people, they had heard
this gospel. They had come to realize that
they could not save themselves through what they had, or what
they said, or what they did. It was only through the blood
of Christ And they believed. Verse 21 tells us that they believed
in God, who by him do believe in God. And this word believe
is talking about entrusting oneself. It's not just believing something
happened, like you might believe something in the news. It's just
a fact or something you've learned at school. Well, I believe it
because I've been told it. No, it's deeper than that. It's
entrusting yourself. It's resting in this truth. And then later on in the verse,
he uses another word, your faith. Your faith. And here he's speaking
of someone who is persuaded of this truth. That they grasp onto
it. That they fully believe. And then he says, hope. That your faith and hope might
be in God. And here he's speaking of a confidence. not hope that we use the word
we say I hope so in an almost slightly vague way that well
there's always a possibility that this won't be I just hope
it will this hope isn't like that this is a biblical hope
and it's a hope which means a confidence something that is sure And so he uses these three words.
He speaks of those who believe, who have faith, and who hope.
And put these things together, it's someone who has been persuaded
of the truth, someone who has confidence in that truth, and
entrusts themselves to that truth. This is what it means to believe
in Jesus Christ. It's not just to believe there
was a man named Jesus who lived, and to notionally believe the
record of the Gospels. It's so much deeper than that.
And this, of course, is the work of the Holy Spirit, which brings
the sinner empty-handed and guilty before God, needing a savior. Give me Christ give me a savior
or I die. And as they see by faith the
preciousness of the blood as they see the lamb without blemish
and without spot they believe in him. This is who Peter is writing
to. You are strangers and you are pilgrims. But part of the
reason, if not the reason, you are strangers and pilgrims is
because you believe in Jesus Christ. And the world sees nothing
in him. And the world sees no worth in
him. And the precious blood of Christ is nothing to them. It is not precious. Because they
don't feel the need of it. And Christ isn't a one thing
need for, because they don't need him. But you do. And because you see
him so differently, you now see yourself so differently, and
your whole life so differently, that you are a stranger in this
world. This is what it is, the fundamental
point to be a real Christian. Then Philip passed the eunuch
traveling back to Ethiopia for his testimony. And the eunuch
said, what does hinder me to be baptized? If thou believest
with all thy heart, thou mayest. And so he gives his testimony.
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He was a real Christian. That
fundamental point, that I believe. Not just I believe what you've
told me, Philip. Not just I think that's a historical
record and that was accurate what you said. I believe in Jesus
Christ. I believe that he is that suffering
servant of Isaiah 53. I believe that he did carry my
sins and my iniquities. I believe that he was smitten
for me. I believe that the Lord looked
on the travail of his soul and was satisfied as he stood in
my place. I entrust myself by faith to
him. I believe that Jesus Christ is
the son of God. That's what a Christian is. But another mark, as we move
on in this chapter, is the apostle says that the Christian is someone
who loves the Lord Jesus. Verse seven and eight, that the
trial of your faith be much more precious than of gold that perisheth,
or it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor
and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom, having not
seen, ye love. These strangers scattered hadn't
met the Lord like Peter had, but they loved him just like
Peter did. He was their Lord. And so, they
had received the truth, they had believed the truth, they
knew the impact of that truth, and that truth had an emotional
response on them. Not that their religion was simply
emotional, but it did have an emotional response. They loved him. And they loved
him because they knew that he had first loved them. And they were so overwhelmed,
their heart flowed out in love to him. They considered what
he had done in this precious blood that had been shed. And
as they learned and they grew and they understood more, that
love grew as they saw more of the preciousness of that Savior.
And as they understood more of themselves, and saw more of their
own sin. And as he dazed, they were more
and more disappointed in their own weakness. They were more
amazed at the continued love of Christ to them. They had not
seen him with their eyes, but they loved him. You may worry this evening that
your love, as the hymn puts it, is cold and faint. Lord, it is
our chief complaint that my love is cold and faint. Do we worry that if we really
were a Christian we would love him more? Do we worry that we
do not love him enough? Do we worry that, well, if we
did love him then we would be more faithful and more diligent
and more sacrificial If we loved him, would we sin? How can we
sin against someone we love? I know you tried by this. How can I be a Christian? How
can I say I love the Lord and yet I continue to sin? Remember the author of this book.
Who is writing? This is Peter. And Jesus came
to Peter three times, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?
Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. Three times. There was no doubt that Peter,
though he had seen the Lord, loved the Lord. And yet Peter
is the one who not so many days before had denied with oaths
and curses that he had even knew who Jesus was. Did his fall, did his sin mean
he didn't love the Lord? No. Did it mean he was still
a sinner? Yes. Did it mean that he had
lost his salvation? That he was no longer loved by
God? No. But did it mean when left
to himself he was capable of denial? Yes. And aren't we just
the same? Yes, we do sin. And yes, we are
ashamed of ourselves. And yes, if not actively, sometimes
passively, we deny the Lord Jesus Christ. We may not say we do,
but when we do not speak up as we should or we do not defend
his name, we give the impression and we're ashamed of ourselves. But we still love him. because
he is still merciful. He still receives sinners like
he did for Peter. Lovest thou me? Lord, thou knowest
all things. Thou knowest me better than I
know myself, and that's been proven. I thought I would be
willing to die with you, and it's been made very clear that
the Lord knew me better than I knew myself. Lord, thou knowest
all things, but thou knowest that I love thee. And so the
Christian is someone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, but
someone who loves the Lord Jesus Christ. Their heart has been
turned to him. But Peter also tells us that
the Christian is someone who is tried in their faith. The trial of your faith, he says.
Or in verse 6, you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need
be, you are in heaviness through manifold or many or various temptations. This temptations here isn't really
speaking actually of temptations to sin, though of course God's
people are tempted to sin, but they are speaking of tests, rather
like how Abraham was tempted, we're told, but it really means
he was tested by God when he was to offer Isaac. And there
are many times in the Christian's life when we face, well, we prove
our weakness. Like Peter, we just referred
to. And we prove our hardness of heart, when we prove our unbelief. And we prove we're not what we
thought we were. And we're not what we would be. And we know that there are many
trials and tests and we think we will stand again like Peter
thought he would. And we don't. And we think we'll
stand for his glory and we'll be faithful and we're not. We'll
think we'll be a good example and before long we are overwhelmed
with unbelief and we wonder where we are because God's people were tried
they're tested if you can think of examples of this in the life
of our Lord you remember the occasion when there were five
thousand men plus women and children on the mountainside been listening
to the ministry of Jesus And Jesus turns to his disciples
as the day draws in and everyone's growing hungry, and he says to
them, give them food. And they say, how could we possibly? How could we? How could we feed
this great number? But we read that Jesus said this
to try them, for he himself knew what he would do. He knew that
he could take the few fishes and the few loaves and distribute
it to the thousands there. And there was a miracle that
would be of ease, if I can use that word, to him. But his disciples, they couldn't
see it. They were thinking naturally,
but he knew what he would do. You can go back into the time
of the children of Israel in the Old Testament, where we read
of them at the Red Sea. And they've just come out of
Egypt, they've just come through the Passover, they've just known
an amazing, miraculous deliverance, but there's the sea and they're
overwhelmed with unbelief. Why did you bring us out here
to die in the wilderness? Or when they have finally come
through the Red Sea and they haven't got food? Or when the
water of Mara is bitter and their immediate response is unbelief
and complaint and aren't we the same? The trial of your faith. But you see, the Lord speaks
to us here of how that trial is of blessing. It is, in fact,
more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried
with fire, though it be painful, though it be humbling. It is
precious because the Lord is dealing with you and teaching
you about yourself and about himself. So can you see that a Christian,
simply put in this chapter, although there's so much more you could
say, is someone who believes in that fullest sense in the
Lord Jesus, someone who loves him, but someone who is tried
and tested and has difficulties. As Jesus said, you shall have
tribulation. But the apostle doesn't leave
us there as Jesus doesn't. I have overcome the world. And
here in these verses that we've read, he directs us. Of course,
he's told us something of the uncertainty of life, of the trials
of life, but directs us to the certainty of a reservation made
in heaven. The certainty of that final destination. Sometimes People speak of the
assurance of glory as something that only some special Christians
have. Only the particularly blessed
ones have any assurance of glory. Some always consider that to
know, to have assurance, that certainty of heaven, is something
that's too high for Christians to attain to. But that's not
scriptural. I know we might feel like that
sometimes, but it's not scriptural. Because here the apostles by
inspiration speaks to the strangers who are scatters, but he gives
them absolute assurance of glory. A certainty of what is at the
end of the pilgrimage. And so we do know of the trials
of this world. But let us never forget the certainty
of what God has promised beyond this world, that hope for the
Christian. And look at the certainty of
this hope. So let's look there. How can we see the certainty
of glory? What is it based on? Well, of
course, it's not based on what we do. We know, as he said, you're
redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. Neither is it set
on how we feel because we know that in this world we have trials
and tests and temptations. But it is only, but it is right
grounded in what God has said and done. And what God has said
can never fail. And so what is the basis of assurance
of glory? Well, firstly, he tells us, It
is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according
to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Christ is risen. An undeniable
historical fact, Peter knows because he was there. He saw
the tomb empty and he saw the risen Christ. And he knows, as
we know, that the resurrection of Jesus has a wonderful message
to his people. It speaks of the first fruits
of the resurrection. In other words, if the beginning
of the harvest has been gathered in, so will the rest. If Christ has been gathered in,
if Christ is risen, then all in Christ must rise in him. There's no doubt. There is no
question that his people will rise. If Christ has risen and
his people do not rise and his resurrection is in vain, or his
resurrection didn't happen, But it did. He is the first fruits
of that resurrection. And here he says the basis of
this assurance is the fact that that tomb is empty and death
in Christ has been defeated. He has power over the grave. He has power over that curse. He has suffered and borne it
to the end. And his people are more than
conquerors. through him that loved them.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This is such a
pivotal doctrine of the faith. We love to come to the cross.
We love to consider Calvary, and quite rightly, sweet the
moments, rich in blessing, which before the cross I spend, as
the hymn says, and it's wonderful to see there the suffering Saviour
in the sinner's place, but let's not just stay at the cross. Let's
come to the tomb. Let's come to see its emptiness. Let's come to see that it is
void, that Christ isn't here, He is risen, because in Him His
life. Do we have questions over the
security of the saints? Can we be sure of eternal life? We can because it is in him who
is risen. The resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead. But he goes on. And he speaks
of this as an inheritance. A lively hope by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance. We know what an inheritance is,
I expect. An inheritance is something that
we receive. It's given to us. by someone
who has, of their own choice, their own will, their own decision,
bequeathed us that inheritance. They didn't have to. They could
have given it to any, but they chose us. And we didn't have
to pay for it. We received it. It was inheritance. God, in his amazing goodness
and grace, of his own choice and will, has written the names
of his people in his inheritance. Those whom I love. Those, as
Peter says, are elect according to the foreknowledge of God.
Those whom he chose through his will, not through any merit in
them, and he wrote their name that that inheritance of life
might go to them, given by His grace, His will, and His choice. Do we think that we can lose
an inheritance that has been given by God? Do we think that somehow we can
lose an inheritance that we never deserved in the first place?
If it was His amazing choice, His will to give us the inheritance
when we were yet sinners, do we think we will now lose it? It's His gift, an inheritance. No, we never deserved it. I'm
not justifying sin. I'm not saying we shouldn't worry
about continued sin. We should seek for holiness.
But let us never think that we can lose an inheritance. And then he goes on about this
inheritance. It cannot be corrupted. It cannot be defiled. It's incorruptible. It's undefiled and it fadeth
not away. It can never lose its power. It can never lose its worth. People can offer us gifts, you
know, and whatever it might be, it will lose its worth. However
valuable it might be, as time goes on, it loses it. Someone
can give you a very expensive car, but in the years to come
it will depreciate, it will lose its value, or it will get a dent,
it will be marred in some way. But not this. It is incorruptible. It is always
perfect. It is always complete. It is
always there. And it's undefiled. And it cannot
fade away. The Lord says, I go to prepare
a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself. I have
prepared. It is ready. And no sin and the
devil himself cannot break in in any way to defile what I have
prepared. And it's just waiting for me
to come and take you home. It's an inheritance. incorruptible,
undefiled, that fadeth not away, and it is reserved. This means it's kept, it's protected,
it's guarded. No one else can take it. No one
can take it from you. No one can have it instead of
you. We all know what a reservation
means. You book a holiday home and you've
got a reservation. And you know that you are to
be there on those dates. And if you turned up after your
journey, your holiday home, and you found another family there,
well, it wouldn't be a very secure reservation. The people wouldn't
have been faithful to you. What you expect is for the home
to be empty, for it to be ready, for it to be prepared, for you
to stay there for the time of your holiday. It's yours. It's reserved. Oh, the Lord Jesus put down that
payment. I've reserved this for my people.
And it is for them. And no one can take it from them.
Reserved in heaven for you. And what a price was paid to
reserve it. The precious blood of Christ. Can you see again
the security of this eternal hope? It's kept, it's guarded,
it's protected by the Lord himself. And it is for those who are kept
by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed
at the last time. Kept by the power of God. This
doesn't mean that they don't sin. This doesn't mean that this
is a people who will be kept sinless. Often I know this word is used
in reference to Peter himself, kept by the power of God, thinking
back to the time that he fell. I'm not too sure if that's quite
right, because this isn't talking about our Christian walk, it's
talking about that inheritance that is kept. And that we will
be kept as God's people to the very end. Not that we'll be kept
perfect, but we will always be one of his children. Because we know our sin, because
we know our propensity to fall and unbelief in these trials
and temptations, the worry can often be that we will somehow
fall out of salvation, fall away from God's grace. But this inheritance, this place
in Christ is kept by the power of God. by His power. And we know that this power overcame
death itself. We know that the scope of His
grace overwhelms sin itself. We know that faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ that has been given will be kept to the end. That's
what's kept. Kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation. Ready to be revealed at the last
time. To be revealed. In the book of
Revelation, in chapter 21, we read of the vision that John
saw I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down from
God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband,
prepared and now being revealed. Here is my bride. She is prepared
for the marriage supper. She is prepared for the place
that I have prepared for her. She is beautiful, adorned. She is clothed in garments of
righteousness. She is complete. And she is revealed as John sees
this bride. Ready to be revealed. And there is the day coming when
his people, having passed over the sea of death into glory,
are revealed. And they are revealed in those
courts of heaven, washed and clothed like this bride adorned
for her husband. They are revealed as those who
are sinners saved by grace, but as those who have been elect
according to the foreknowledge of God, and those who walked
through this world as strangers and pilgrims, and those who knew
trials and temptations, and yet love the Lord, and they are revealed
as his people. And they will know him and his
love, in a way that they have never known before, revealed
in the last time. The reality of the Christian
life. In this world you shall have tribulation, but the certainty
of the hope of heaven in the last time. And here is the basis
of assurance, the basis of certainty. What he has done, the resurrection
of Jesus Christ, and what the unerring Word of God says, an inheritance, incorruptible,
undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you who
are kept by the power of God. And this power can and will never
fail. May God bless us each with that
fundamental faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that we thought
of earlier. And may God lift up our heads in a time of tribulation
to him who has overcome the world.