I thank the Lord for your faithfulness. You know, I had to drive out
this past week, past Katy, Texas, on Interstate 10. And you know,
we have a family that comes from out there. Three families, actually. Three families from Katy. We
have a family from Hilltop Estates. and then several from Spring,
Texas, and the Woodlands, and Tombaugh, Cypress area. And you folks come a good distance
to come, and I'm certainly appreciative and thankful that the Lord has
raised up this church and given us this place where we can come
together. And I know it's not possible
for some. Pasadena, I just saw Craig and
Karen back there. Deer Park or Pasadena, they come
from. And I'm thankful for your faithfulness. I know it's not easy to make
the long drive, but we're blessed to be able to come together to
worship the Lord. Now, if you will, let's open
our Bibles again to 1 Peter chapter 1. And tonight we're looking at
verses 6 through 9. 1 Peter chapter 1 and verses
6 through 9. wherein you greatly rejoice,
though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through
manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much
more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried
with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at
the appearing of Jesus Christ. whom having not seen, you love,
and whom though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice
with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of
your faith, even the salvation of your souls. I want you to
notice in these verses, the Apostle Peter wrote of the trial of your
faith in verse seven, that the trial of your faith And then
the end of your faith in verse nine. Faith is a gift of God. For by grace are you saved through
faith and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God. God gives
faith to his people when he calls them, when he regenerates them. And as the scripture here tells
us, faith is to be tried. And then there's the end of our
faith, which we know is salvation. You know, he speaks of, in these
four verses, Peter speaks of a believer, a child of God, as
greatly rejoicing, and yet at the same time, in heaviness. Greatly rejoicing, and yet at
the same time, in heaviness. The Apostle Paul wrote something
very similar in 2 Corinthians 6, in verse 10, when he wrote,
as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. That seems a paradox, doesn't
it? As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. And then the Apostle
James, of course, wrote a very similar statement when he said,
my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers. Temptations. Now, as we go through these verses
tonight, I trust the Lord will speak to each one of us and help
us and build up our faith. First, in verse six, in what
does the Christian rejoice? Wherein you greatly rejoice. Notice the verse begins with
wherein. Wherein you greatly rejoice. What is it in which Christians
greatly rejoice? Well, in the things that the
Apostle Peter, these are not all, but the things that the
Apostle Peter had mentioned in these previous five verses. The
believer rejoices in these truths, these wonderful truths. First
of all, and we'll just look at them, there's five of them that
I'll mention here. But first of all, the election
of God. The truth about God's sovereign
election is a cause of rejoicing on the part of the people of
God. It's not a cause or it doesn't
promote distrust or anger or grief for the child of God, but
the truth about God's sovereign election is a great source of
joy, a source of thanksgiving. I was speaking with one of the
men of our church, I believe last Wednesday evening, and I
just mentioned the fact that unbelievers, those who hate the
doctrine of God's sovereign election, religious people who dislike
this wonderful truth in which a believer rejoices, they start
from the wrong point. They do not recognize that if
it were not for God's election, no one would be saved. They don't
see man as the Bible reveals that we are, by nature, dead,
dead in trespasses and sins. And they would picture man as
desiring, all men desiring to be saved, desiring to know God,
desiring to have their sins Forgiven, and then you say, preacher, that
God won't forgive them. You've never heard me say that.
And by the grace of God, you never will. No, election, God's
sovereign election is a source of joy for the believer. It was
a source of joy for the Lord Jesus Christ. Now he was in this
world and he went about doing good, the scripture says, and
teaching and preaching and very few people did follow him. And
when he did have a large group of people who followed him, they
went away. They went away after he spoke
about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. They said, this is
a hard saying, who can bear it? Who can hear it? The Lord Jesus,
he rejoiced in God's election. Look with me in Matthew chapter
11, just a moment. And the Apostle Paul, every time
that he writes in his epistles about God's election, it's always
a cause of great joy, of rejoicing. Matthew chapter 11, if you will hear the words of
our Lord, Matthew chapter 11, verse 25. At that time, Jesus answered
and said. Don't you love the way this verse
reads and there's several other verses that read the same way.
Jesus answered and said. The father was speaking to him
and he was speaking to the father, that continual fellowship and
communion that he enjoyed with his father. At that time, Jesus
answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and
the prudent. The wise and the prudent. They
know everything. They don't need God's help. They're fine. They can take care
of themselves. They're wise and they're prudent.
They know more than God, know better than God, I should say.
I thank thee, O Lord, that thou hast hid these things from the
wise and the prudent and hast revealed them unto babes, unto
those who confess our weakness, our need, our inability, unto
babes. Even so, Father, For so it seemed
good in thy sight. It seemed good. It seemed good
in the Father's sight, and it was good in our Lord's sight. And it's good in our sight. It's
good in our sight. Because we know that our God
and our Father works all things after the counsel of His own
will. And whatsoever He doeth, it's
righteous. It's holy, it's good. All things,
our Lord here went on to say, all things are delivered unto
me of my Father. All things. And no man knoweth
the Son, but the Father. Neither knoweth any man the Father,
save the Son, now watch this, and he to whomsoever the Son
will reveal him. He to whomsoever the Son will
reveal Him. That's one thing that is offensive
about the gospel, the true gospel. It tells men the truth that salvation
comes by revelation. It's not by decision. It's by
revelation. Another thing back in our text
here that we see above this verse this word, rather, wherein you
greatly rejoice, first of all, the election of God, and secondly,
the new birth. We've been begotten again, been
born of the Spirit of God. Remember our Lord told Nicodemus,
the wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof,
but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth.
So is everyone. So is everyone that is born of
the Spirit. In other words, it's a sovereign,
it's a mysterious work, yes, but it's a sovereign work. And
these men, these individuals to whom this letter was written,
they had been born of the Spirit of God, wherein you greatly rejoice
that you've been a participant, that you've been born of the
Spirit of God. You say, well how does a person
know that? And Peter goes on in this letter, we know to make
your calling and election sure. And that's always the order,
always. Make your calling sure, and when
you make your calling sure, you've made your election sure. You
don't start off like some people try to, don't they? Well if I
just knew I was elect, well do you believe in Christ? Have you
been born of the spirit of God? Do you have faith in Him tonight?
Has He granted you repentance unto life? Make your calling and election
sure. You've been born of the Spirit
of God. Everyone that believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born
of God. Another thing that the living
hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You know the various
philosophers, famous philosophers, they were before Christ and they're
still studied even to today. And many of them did believe
that life went on after a person died. But not any of them ever
thought that the body, the physical body in which we live, after
it has died and been buried and been destroyed by the worms,
that God was going to raise up this body. But by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ, we've been begotten again unto a living hope, a great
expectation that this body, yes, it's sown in dishonor, but we
know one day it's going to be raised in honor and glory. It's sown in weakness, but it's
going to be raised in power. The living hope that we have
tonight. And we have that hope because
we know that our Savior has conquered death. He came out of the grave. And number four, the eternal
inheritance which is reserved for them. You've got an inheritance. Believer, child of God, you've
got an eternal inheritance. And it's reserved for you. It's
not for anyone else. It's for you. And you rejoice
in that. A believer, and many of God's
children have gone through this world poor, as far as material
things are concerned, and barely scratch out a living. But we
have an inheritance, an eternal inheritance. And can you imagine
what it is to be an heir, a joint heir, with Jesus Christ, what
that must be, what the inheritance must be. And we can't think of
it in terms of riches, but we know that it is going to be a
rich inheritance. And then the last thing that
I would point out, the preserving grace. You rejoice wherein you
rejoice of God's preserving grace, kept by the power of God through
faith The scripture here says, we greatly rejoice in knowing
that we are kept. We don't trust in ourselves.
We don't trust in our ability to keep ourselves, but we have
an anchor, we have a refuge. The Lord Jesus Christ, he is
our strength. We're kept by the power of God,
and we believe, as the scripture says, that nothing can separate
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. Wherein you
greatly rejoice. Notice that in verse six. Wherein
you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be. Now
notice the heaviness, the heaviness. Though now for a season, and
it's just a season, it's not forever, the trial, The affliction,
whatever it is, is for a specific time limit, and God's in control
of that. Though for a season, if need
be, and if it wasn't needful, we would never have any trials.
We would never have any trials, and we know that it is needful. All of us confess that. Because
we've become too attached to this world. And the things of
this world, we need the trials. There's a needs be, as the apostle
says, through manifold, or through heaviness, through manifold temptations. The word manifold, of course,
just means many, doesn't it? Many temptations. And we recognize
once again that this word temptations, though most of the time, When
we think of a temptation, we think of a temptation to commit
sin, a temptation to evil. But this same word is used in
two ways in the New Testament, we know that. Temptation may
mean temptation to sin, yes. But also, it has reference to
the trials, the heaviness that God allows his people to go through. Now, one thing to recognize that
not every Christian experiences the same trial. What might be
a trial to you and what trial God may have ordained for you,
some believer, some brother, some brother in Christ that you
are familiar with, they may not go through that same trial. They
may not have that same trial. God knows what is best for you
and what is best for the other person. John Gill, his comments
here on this verse, he gives a number of trials, of trials
that would be included here, what Peter might mean by this
heaviness through manifold temptations. First of all, according to Gill,
hard and difficult things for the flesh. And he gives the example
there of Abraham. Abraham was tried when God told
him to offer up his son. That's a hard thing. That was
a hard thing, wasn't it? That was a difficult thing. And
yet that was the way that God ordained to try Abraham's faith. There are many ways. Suffering
afflictions, like Job. He certainly suffered afflictions,
didn't he? All kind of afflictions. Physical afflictions when there
wasn't a place on his body that was not covered with boils. And no help, and no friends to
encourage him, really. Of course, we're all familiar
with the fact that God took all of his things away, his family,
his children. Left him his wife. His help made,
but even she turned out not to be a blessing, didn't she, when
she said, does thou retain thine integrity? Curse God and die. That was a trial, wasn't it?
That was a trial when the wife of his bosom, his other half,
told him to do such a thing. That was a trial. Another thing, he said, allowing
wicked men to reproach a believer's character, person, his properties. We know from experience, and
we know from watching others and seeing others in God's providence,
that God's children are sometimes in heaviness through various
trials. Christians are not Stoics. We're
not Stoics. like they speak of the British,
you know, they give the stiff upper lip, you know, just bare
it, just grit your teeth and bare it. No, believers, when
in heaviness, they feel, we feel, we feel the trial. It hurts,
it hurts. All right, verse seven. That the trial of your faith
be much more precious than of gold that perish it, though it
be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and
glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. What end? What end? What's God's purpose in this
great heaviness, these trials? What's his purpose? Surely he
doesn't do anything that he doesn't have a purpose for. We know that,
he's too wise. What's his purpose for his children
in these trials? That the trying, The trial is
rather for the trying of a believer's faith. Now we know from the scriptures,
or I know from the scriptures, there's different kinds of faith.
There's only one saving faith, but there's different kinds of
faith. There's dead faith. The devils
believe and tremble. James speaks about that faith.
Faith without works is dead. There's dead faith. There's faith to work miracles.
Judas had that faith. When our Lord told his disciples
that night that one of them would betray him, they didn't look
at Judas and say, I know, I know it's you. Because when we were
sent out to heal and cast out demons and devils, you couldn't
do that. No, he didn't. He had faith to
work miracles. There's temporary faith. We read
about that, don't we, in the parable of the sower, that plant
that springs up, but it doesn't have any root. And when afflictions
comes, it withers away. Look with me in John chapter
eight, just a moment. John chapter eight and verse
30, we read, as Jesus, as he spake
these words, many believed on him. Well, hallelujah. Oh, we've got a great awakening
now. Many believed on him. But notice
the next verse. Then said Jesus to those Jews
which believed on him, If you continue in my word, then are
you my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free. A lot of people quote that
last verse, don't they? A lot of people of the world,
and they don't understand at all that Jesus is the truth.
He said, I'm the way, the truth, and the life. You shall know
the truth if you continue in my word, if you continue. They believed, but it was probably
temporary faith because where were they? Where were they when
the Lord was crucified? Most likely they were among the
crowd which was crying that night, crucify him, crucify him. As I said earlier, the sower
and the parable of the sower, every plant springs up, doesn't
bring forth fruit. But every seed or every plant
that came out of good ground, and who prepares, who makes that
good ground? Well, we know that's the work
of God the Holy Spirit, isn't it? He's the one that makes His
people willing in the day of His power. It's His anointing. We have an anointing, John tells
us. Every child of God has an anointing. And we don't need anyone to teach
us. Why? It doesn't mean we don't
need teachers and preachers, but we have an anointing of the
Holy Spirit teaching us that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God. And we could never be convinced
any different, those who are born of Him. Peter says, that true faith,
notice in the text here, true faith is more precious than gold. The scripture doesn't say without
gold, it is impossible to please him. It doesn't say that, does
it? You don't have to be rich. Without
gold, it is impossible to please him. The word of God doesn't
say that, but it does say without faith, It's impossible to please
Him. Without faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ, a man is lost. He's lost. He's under the wrath
of God, no matter how much gold he has. Faith is much more precious than
gold, Peter says. Gold is precious. It's been around
for a long time, recognized by men for many, many centuries,
millenniums, as valuable. But the finest of gold is perishable. It's perishable. When faith is
purged, purged by heaviness, by these trials, put in the fire,
it produces that which does not perish. That is true saving faith. One writer said the reason for
the trial is the result of the trial. That the tried faith will
be found to praise and honor and glory in Christ. Faith always
ends here, always. Faith ascribes all glory to Christ. Faith puts the crown on the deserving
head, on his deserving head. The end or purpose of the trial
is to turn our eyes off of everything and fix them only upon Jesus
Christ. Verses eight and nine, we'll
look at these together just briefly. whom having not seen you love,
in whom though now you see him not, yet believing you rejoice
with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of
your faith, even the salvation of your souls. This letter was
written to men and women. Unlike Peter, Peter had seen
the Lord. Peter had seen the Lord, Peter
had eaten with the Lord at the table, Peter had walked with
the Lord, he had stood up as the Lord spoke and taught, but
He's writing to men and women like you and like me. They'd
never seen the Lord with these physical eyes, but yet they loved
Him. They loved Christ. Even though
they'd never seen Him, they loved Him. You know, the Scriptures
are clear that it is through the preaching of the gospel that
men hear of Christ, believe in Christ, and love Christ. Don't talk about being saved
if there's no love for Christ. There's no love for him, no love
for his word, no love for his people, no love for his church. No. Whom having not seen ye, this
is personal, you love. How do you explain that? Faith. establishes a personal relationship
with Christ. He's real. He's not just some
historical figure like others that we could read about and
know about and hear about. No, he's real. We know he's real. We have an interest. We have
a vital union with him. It is by faith that Christ is
real to a believer. He's not just some One who lived
2,000 years ago, no. It's faith. It is by faith that
Christ is real to the believer. We commune with Christ. We talk
to Christ, don't we? We sing to Christ. We fellowship
with Christ. We walk with Christ. We talk
with Christ. I like the words of that one
hymn that said, you ask me how I know he lives. He lives within
my heart. He walks with me and talks with
me along life's narrow or weary way. The believer knows Christ
and this Christ is his life. This is life eternal that they
might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou
hast seen. Believers have not seen Christ.
And now, we don't see him. I've never seen him. You've never
seen him. Believer does not now see Christ,
but we believe. If we're believers, we believe
in him. The object of our faith, notice,
in whom, notice those words here. Having not seen, you love, in
whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice,
with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of
your faith, even the salvation of your souls. The object of
our faith is Christ. In whom? And this is what those
who are in him do. They believe. They believe. The believer is in Christ. Chosen
in Christ. Redeemed in Christ. Accepted
in Christ. Lives in Christ. He is our life. Because He lives, we live. The believer in heaviness through
manifold temptations believes, believes that Christ is real
and that Christ loves him. Through it all, no matter how
dark and how difficult and how heavy the burden is, the believer
believes Christ and loves Christ. Look at Paul's testimony. I'm
almost finished, but look at Paul's testimony in 2 Corinthians
chapter four. Chapter four of 2 Corinthians
verse 16. For which cause we think not.
But though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed
day by day. For our light affliction, which
is but for a moment. You know, if a person is afflicted
all through his life here, and he lives a very long life, in
comparison to eternity, it's just a moment. It's just a moment. It's just one tick on that clock. One second. It's just here. We're gonna be here. We may think
we're here a long time, but in comparison to God, to eternity,
we're here just a little while. And even if a person, as I said,
suffers all through life, as the apostle Paul here said, it's
but for a moment. And in that moment, that affliction
worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things
which are not seen. For the things which are seen
are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. And then look in chapter 12 of
2 Corinthians and verse 7. Chapter 12. Verse seven, his grace is sufficient. Verse seven, and lest I should
be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations,
there was given to me a thorn in the flesh. Now who gave him
that thorn? Who gave him that thorn? You
know who gave it to him. There was given unto me a thorn
in the flesh. the messenger of Satan to buffet
me, lest I should be exalted above measure." Now, if Paul
needed a thorn in the flesh so that he would not be lifted up
in pride, don't you know that all of us need trials, afflictions? We do. For this thing, he said,
I besought the Lord three times that it might depart from me,
and he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my
strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will
I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may
rest upon me. Verse six began with greatly
rejoicing, and now we come to the end again of rejoicing in
the last part of verse eight, to rejoicing with joy unspeakable
and full of glory. Have you ever tried to explain
your joy? If you're a child of God tonight,
you have joy. The fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace. You have joy, but can you explain
that joy to someone else? How would you explain the joy
which you have? It's unspeakable, isn't it? You try to explain it, try to
speak it, and it just doesn't happen. It is a spiritual experience
that you have with your Savior, with your Lord. And it can't
be explained. to try to express it, but only
diminish it. And the only way anyone can know
about this joy is to have this joy. Because there's no way we
can explain it to someone else. But if they are saved, they have
that joy too. And they know exactly what you're
talking about. The end of your faith, the purpose
of your faith is the salvation of your soul. The purpose or
the end of the trial is to not make you doubt. It's not make
you to question God's love. It's not to make you have hard
thoughts about God. It's designed, the trial, the
heaviness, it's designed to have you believe in Christ and rejoice
in him and give glory to his name. And this is the only way
that a believer can truly give thanks in all things. And that's
what we're told to do. We're told to give thanks in
all things. How's that possible? It's possible
because we rejoice and we have the joy of the Lord in our heart. I pray the Lord would bless these
words and these thoughts to each one of us here tonight.