Sunday School Lesson

Would you turn to 1 Peter chapter one. Verse five. who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. It's not revealed yet. It's ready to be revealed in the last time wherein you greatly rejoice Though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptation. That the trial, the trying of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for your word. How we thank you for your son. How we thank you for your salvation that's in your son. Lord, we give thanks for who you are, for the revelation of your person. We're so thankful. Lord, we ask that we might be enabled to hear from you, that you would deliver us from merely hearing the words of a sinful man, but that you would speak from your word to our hearts. Lord, we wait on thee. Forgive us of our sin for Christ's sake. Be with all your people wherever they meet. We pray for those of our midst who are going through these trials. We pray for your blessing upon them. In Christ's name we pray, amen.

Now notice the last part of Verse five, I didn't really touch on this last time much. He talked about the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. It's not revealed just yet. It's ready to be revealed in the last time. Romans chapter 13 verse 11 says, now is our salvation nearer than when we believed? It's not yet. Now somebody says, what's that mean? Does that mean we're not saved yet? Well, according to the scriptures, every believer was saved from before the foundation of the world.

Second Timothy 1.9, he saved us. He called us with a holy calling, not according to our works. but according to his own purpose and grace which were given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, before time. Every believer was saved in eternity. And I mean completely saved. Christ is the lamb having been slain from the foundation of the world.

And my salvation was accomplished by Christ, standing as my surety, dying for my sins, being raised from the dead before time began. Now, nobody understands eternity, I realize that. We're stuck here in time. We're stuck with sequences of events, but not him. I was saved in eternity.

I was saved when Christ came and kept the law for me. I was saved when Christ died for my sins and put them away. I was saved when he was raised from the dead. He was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. I was saved when he ascended back to the Father. I was with him. I was saved in my experience when I heard the gospel and believed. and not a second before then.

Now somebody says, how are all those things so? I'm not real sure, but they are. And I'm not saved yet. I still sin. I still have a sinful nature that's just as sinful as it was the day I was born. It's still there. And I'm not saved until I no longer sin.

I'm perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. I'll be saved when he returns and I see him as he is. And I'll be just like him then. When I stand before thy throne dressed in beauty, not my own, when I see thee as thou art, we don't see him as he is now, do we? When I see thee as thou art, love thee with unsinning heart, then, Lord, shall I fully know, not till then, how much I owe. Salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Don't look at me now. You're gonna see me totally different one of these days, and me you. Perfectly glorified. Salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Now, what salvation is he talking about? Well, it's identified in the context of this passage of scripture. It begins with elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, verse two. You're chosen of God. What a glorious thing election is. You're chosen of God through sanctification of the Spirit. You've been sanctified by God the Holy Spirit. You've been given a new nature. The sanctifying work of God the Holy Spirit.

You're an object of His grace. Unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, verse two. You have the obedience of Christ as your personal obedience. What could be better than that? You've had the sprinkling, the shedding of his blood for the putting away of all your sins. What a glorious and great salvation. He says in verse two, the final line, grace unto you. You've got the grace of God and peace be multiplied.

Verse three, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The resurrection of Christ seals my blessed hope. That's all my salvation. That's all my assurance. Was Christ raised from the dead? I'm in good shape.

Verse four, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved. You've got a name there. In heaven for you who are kept, preserved. How? By the power of God. You know why I'm gonna persevere all the way to the end? It ain't me. It's the power of God, the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, preserves every believer. That's why you're gonna persevere.

The power of God Almighty, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. What we're talking about, we know by faith, not by sight, not by what we see. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. You can't see that I'm perfectly glorified in Christ. You can't see that. Well, how do we know it? By faith. Faith. is the evidence of things not seen.

He said in verse six, wherein you greatly rejoice. You know, I greatly rejoice in God's election because I need his election. If he doesn't choose me, I won't choose him. I greatly rejoice in election. I greatly Rejoice in the sanctification of God the Holy Spirit. It shows me this is his work, it's not something that I do, it's what he does. The sanctifying work of God the Holy Spirit.

I greatly rejoice in the obedience of Christ, in being my obedience, because I know I don't have any in and of my own. Sometimes I hear a preacher say, obedience is the evidence of salvation. I want to be obedient, Do I feel like I've ever obeyed anything, as far as truly obeying in my heart? No. It's the obedience of Christ that is the greatness of my salvation. And His, oh, I rejoice in the sprinkling of His blood, the high priest going in, the Holy of Holies, and sprinkling the blood on the Ark of the Covenant, and I'm accepted because of what He did. That's my full redemption. I rejoice in the Living hope I have through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I rejoice in being born of God. Now these are things we greatly rejoice in. I'm so thankful God saves by his grace, aren't you? Now look what he says next, verse six. Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season. A small, temporary time. Now for a season, if needs be. Don't miss that. If needs be.

You are in heaviness, sorrow, grief, depression. Feeling far off, feeling isolated, feeling like you're on your own. If needs be, aren't you thankful for that word, if needs be? The Lord is going to give you exactly what you need. And anything I'm going through, anything you're going through, there is a needs be. This is exactly what you need. This is a part of what we're commanded to give thanks for, in everything give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Now whatever you're going through, try. There is a needs be.

Now, Notice he says, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations, trials, tests. Now this is not just a reference to temptation to sin, although what a trial that is. That's ever before you, this thing of always being tempted to sin. Somebody says, it doesn't give me any problems. Well, you're not saved then. That's all I can say to you. You've never experienced the grace of God. Every believer is dogged with this thing of temptation to sin, and we hate ourselves because of that.

But he's talking about the trials of life. After these things, God did tempt Abraham. God put this trial before Abraham. Now in the context of this passage of scripture, They were enduring severe persecution. This is the time of Nero, and this is a time where you were in trouble if you were a Christian. If anybody found out about it, they might kill you. They were thrown in lion's dens at this time. They were burned at stakes. I mean, it was a time of great persecution for believers, and what a trial that would be.

But there are so many trials, the trial of sickness, Finding out you have fill in the blank, it's a trial. We think of ourselves as souls in a body, kind of like the, no, we're men. And when your body is sick, it is a trial, the trial of bereavement. All of us are going to lose somebody.

I've already touched on the trial of your sinfulness. What about the trial of a fall? What a trial that is for a believer. A sinful and painful fall. The trial of loss. The trial of gain. Financial problems. Problems of loneliness. Go on. Trials. The trials of life. The trials of a strained relationship. Whatever trial the Lord puts us through is a needs be.

It's exactly what you need. Whatever it is, it's exactly what I need. And it's all a part of Romans 8, 28. And we know that all things work together for good. To them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Now what's going on in a trial? Verse six. Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, for a temporary time.

You know, our life's just like a hand breath. It's time goes by so quick, particularly the older you get, the quicker it gets. And David said, you've made my days like a hand breath. And indeed, that's what they are, a hand breath, just a temporary time.

That the trial of your faith, verse seven, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found into praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. The trial of your faith, your faith is going to be tested and tried by all these manifold trials that God is gonna send your way. He's gonna test your faith. And you yourself, he knows if it's real. He's not testing you to find out if your faith is real. If you've got faith, he gave it to you, but you're gonna find out it's real through these trials.

Now, what came to my mind when I was thinking about this was the parable of the four different hearers. The wayside hearer, he hears, and it's all about hearing the truth. It's not talking about hearing a false gospel. It's all hearing about the truth. And the birds take it away, so on the, hard ground, just didn't mean anything to it. Then you have the stony ground hearers who actually hear the word and receive and rejoice in what they're hearing. This is good news. I love this. I believe this. They receive the word the scripture says with joy.

But when trials and temptations come because of the word, They find out other people don't love this message, and they don't love me for loving it, and it's causing problems in my family. I didn't sign up for this. They leave. And they heard the word, but when persecution came because of the word's sake, they left. And what about the thorn-choked hearers? They received the word with joy. This is good, but The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things is what the Lord says.

Come in and choke the word and they bear no fruit unto perfection. They're not real. They had faith, so they thought. One left, the other's still here. That thorn choked here, I don't think he ever leaves the church. He's just sitting there like a knot on the log and doesn't ever really hear, doesn't bring forth any fruit. Boy, I don't want to be one of those people, do you?

But then the good ground here, he dealt with the same things the other hearers did. He dealt with the persecution because of the word. He dealt with the temptation of the trials of life, the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, the lusts of other things. That's what the Lord called them. But he bore fruit, and his fruit remained. Now, what was the difference? He had real faith. That's the trying of your faith. It perseveres through these trials and afflictions. The trial of your faith.

Now for a season, if need be, you're in heaviness through manifold temptations that the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold. perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." Now, the trying of my faith is much more precious than silver and gold. That's what men want, silver and gold. And the thought of the trying of the faith is not a precious thing to them. but hope it is to a believer. Turn with me to back a few pages to James 1. Verse two, my brethren counted all joy when you fall into diverse temptations, trials. Now, wait a minute. Joy? Joy. Joy. Now, notice he says when you fall, not when you're looking for them.

I'm not asking the Lord to send me trial. I'm all for getting out of it, aren't you? I'm not asking to be tried. There was a man who sang a song, don't spare me heartache if that is what is good for me. Don't spare me loneliness thou. I can't remember the words, but the point is this man wrote this song and what trial he experienced, his daughter killed herself. I mean, he went through all these different things. I knew this man. And he wrote this, don't spare me this, don't spare me that, Lord spare me.

I don't want to be tried. I want to have health. I want to have enough money to pay my bills. I want to have people liking me, friends. I'm not, I'm not looking for trials, but when he, when I fall into him and he sends them my way and he will, Abraham was tempted when he was an old man.

Your greatest trials are probably ahead of you, not behind you. Think on that for a moment. Oh, I've been tried, not like you will be. The trial of your faith being much more precious than that of gold might be found, verse seven that the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perishes though it be tried with fire might be found and to praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

Now let's talk about that just for a couple minutes the appearing of Jesus Christ. I love to think of his appearing in so many different on so many different levels. I love to think of his appearing before the father's my surety before time began. When the father gave me to him and he said, I'm going to take full responsibility for his salvation. Don't you love to think about that? I love to think of his appearing here on earth when he, God was manifest in the flesh.

What an appearing that was. Scene of angels. Have you ever thought about the significance in 1 Timothy 3.16, the great mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh and justified in the spirit. One of the lines is scene of angels. I love to think of him being born in the angels or what's going on.

They knew who he was. Watching him as he walked upon this earth and grew up, the angels just were astonished when they saw people mistreating him. They were ready, you want us to go get him? How did they, what do you think they were like when he was nailed to a cross? And they were just, what is this? Which things angels desire to look into.

His appearing on this earth, oh I love to think of his appearance on the cross when he put away my sin. I love to think of his appearance when he walked out of that tomb, resurrected from the dead, my salvation completed. I love to think of him going back to heaven and all the angels clapping their hands as he returns.

He returns with his people. I love his appearing for me right now. Interceding for me. These things write unto you that you sin not, but if any man sin, we have right now an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous. And I love to think of his second appearing, when he shall come with trumpet sound, oh may I then in him be found, dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before God's holy throne. What an appearing! Now What does he say about those people who persevere through these temptations, these manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, the trying of your faith, through these manifold temptations to prove whether or not you really have faith, that the trial of your faith being much more precious than that of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Now, upon his last appearance, you will find that faith, the gift of God's grace that was tried through these manifest manifold temptations, will be found to praise and glory and honor at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

And it won't be your praise and honor and glory. Get that. Don't you know that? It won't be to your praise and honor and glory. It'll be to his praise and his honor and his glory. What glory he's gonna get to himself that you're saved. You're gonna see that, I'm gonna see that for the first time then. That's when I'm really gonna see it. I have such a little understanding of it now, but then I will. And I'm going to see the fact that He preserved me, kept me, gave me His obedience, shed His blood for me, sent these trials my way. By His grace, I was able to persevere. That's to His praise, His honor, and His glory at His appearance. Faith doesn't glorify us. It glorifies Him. saved us. Isn't that everything we believe? He saved us. Amen.

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