I'd like you to open your bibles to 1 Peter chapter 1, and we're going to be looking at verses 3 to 9. The first letter of Peter, and it's found on page two hundred and sixteen, in the New Testament section of your pew bibles. It's kind of a liturgical statement.. in the New Testament section of your pew bibles..

Last summer, I was out in the park with my three little kids, and a middle-aged man came up to me, and said, ah, he asked me whether these three little kids were mine. And I said, "Of course.. They look like me.." (laughter) Ha, ha, ha. "They have to be mine." An' he said, "Well, you're very lucky." I said, "Why is that?" An' he said, "Your daughter.." "What about my daughter?" He, he. An' he said, "Your daughter is your security and your hope in your old age." An' I said, "What about my boys?" (more laughter) An' he said, "Well, I hate to tell you the truth. But a, these boys, when they grow up, when they are teenagers, they are going to run off with the girls and that's the last time you'll see them." Heh, heh, heh. I got a bit offended, you know? 'Cause probably I've run off with my wife anyway. Um, heh, heh, heh. He.. you know, he finished by saying that you should be very, very thankful for your daughter. Well, ah, while there may have been some truth to that, what really struck me was our human tendency.. to seek and to look for security.. to look for hope in temporal things. To him, security and hope in old age has to do with your daughter. For other people, security, and joy and hope, in the future and in the present, lie in all sorts of things: Like our careers, our friends, our family, our money, our, our temporal inheritance. In a sense, I think that we need to be joyful and grateful to God for all of these things. But a consistent witness of scripture is that: We must not put our hopes, we must not put our confidences, in any of these things. The joy, and the security and the hope that we need, desperately as human beings, do not come - from any of these things. None of this things has any intrinsic power in themselves.. to give us ultimate satisfaction or enduring hope. In fact, if any of this, if, if anything at all, all of this things or some of this things, can vanish.. in a matter of minutes or hours. The events in the past few weeks are a reminder to all of us, that, if anything is true, this fallen world is: marked by suffering, marked by difficulty, marked by disappointment, marked by decay, disintegration, and of course, disorientation. These are consistent parts of the order of things in a fallen world. And if you are a Christian, you have some more addition to that.. we not only suffer because we are a part of human creation in a fallen world, we suffer because of our faith, and in our faith. As a believer in Jesus Christ, the Bible says, if you live godly in Christ Jesus, you will suffer persecution. And the persecution comes in different ways; you are maligned, you might be ignored and opposed, and all sorts of things can come as a result of your faith. Also, in this world, you and I cannot find lasting joy enduring hope or everlasting security because God has not designed any of these things to provide the hope that we need.

And here is a question: Where then can we find lasting hope and joy and security? What is it that has the capacity to fill our lives with praise and gratitude to God, no matter how difficult and bad our circumstances might be? What is it that can move you and I to say with Peter, 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ'? What can make us do that?

For us, as believers, Peter points out three eternal realities that engender hope, joy and gratitude in the life of the believer, no matter what the circumstances might be.

The first thing that Peter points out for us here is what God has done for us in Jesus Christ - what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Verse 3: 'By his great mercy, we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.' What has God done for us in Christ? He has given us new life. We have been born anew. The old life of sin and lack of hope has been taken away from us. One of the ways that Paul describes the old life, in Ephesians chapter two, is that we are dead in sins and trespasses, we are without God, and without hope in this world and in the world to come. But, what God has done for you and for me, by His mercy, is to give us new life. He has quickened us from the life of death and sin and trespasses and given us the life of God Himself. Also, each and everyone of us here, who believe in Jesus, is alive. You may think you are dying, but the truth of the matter is that you are coming alive day by day. Because the life of God is resident in you, and God's life is everlasting life. It is the quality of life that belongs to God, Himself, alone. And, the beauty of this new life is not just a past experience or present experience in our lives, it is a life that has a present and future orientation.

Peter says that we have been born anew to a living hope. In other words, when you are born anew to God, when you are given new life, you are born into the sphere and into the reign of a living hope.

We do not have a dead hope. Our hopes are not uncertain. Our hopes are certain. It is a living hope.

One of the most enlightening experiences in my life, and continues to be in my life, is to be at funeral services. Ah, if anything has helped me in my spiritual growth, and discipline, it is to be at funerals, because when you are there it is fairly easy to see the difference between life and death in the context of a living hope - and life and death in the context of no hope. I've been at funerals, ah, back home in Nigeria, where everything is absolutely depressing: Because there is no hope, there is no sign, whatsoever.

But, Peter says that, for you and for me, we have been born anew to a living hope in this world and in the world to come. And, why is this a living hope? It is a living hope because it is grounded in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is only a living Lord, who has risen from the dead, that has the power to give a living hope. Nothing else can give a living hope. The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ has transformed everything. It has transformed the present, and it has transformed the future, and that future, for you and for me, is the hope that God has set before us. And therefore, you and I can now face death, we can face disappointment, we can face the pain and the deprivation that arrives from our sufferings in the context of trials and tests of our faith - with this vision of a living, dynamic hope that is given life by the risen Lord, Himself.

And here is a question: What is the content of this living hope? Is this living hope just a philosophical reality - that we need to hang onto just to survive? Or, is there some content to it? Paul says, Peter says to us, in verse 4, that this living hope is an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and unfading, kept in Heaven for you. The inheritance; the living hope is the inheritance that God has kept in Heaven for us.

One of the wonderful things about this inheritance is the characteristics of it. It is imperishable. In other words, it is not subject to decay. While the earthly possessions that we have in this world will decay, and will disintegrate, God says that this inheritance, kept in Heaven for us, will not decay. It will not be destroyed. It will not perish. It is not subject to the bondage to decay. And he says, it is unfading. In other words, while the inheritance that we have in this world, all earthly things that we have in this world, will lose their beauty and their glory, the inheritance that God has set before you will never lose its beauty or its glory - because its beauty and its glory are the beauty and glory of God, Himself. And, the God Who will never change will not allow the inheritance He has for us to lose its wonder and beauty. But, if that is wonderful, there is still something more wonderful than this. Peter said that, our inheritance, our reward in Heaven, the living hope that we have, is kept in Heaven for you. In other words, it is totally secure. Your adversaries cannot destroy it. And, nothing, in this world has the power to destroy the inheritance that God has for us.

Ah, several years ago, when I decided to make a personal commitment to Jesus Christ, I got into serious trouble for that because I belonged to a family and to a village that preferred religion to personal commitment to Christ. And so what happened was that, ah, I was summoned to a family meeting. This is an African way of making an important declaration. And, so, I was invited to it, and I came. All my uncles and relatives were sitting in the living room, and my father said to me, "Because you have chosen to leave the faith of the family, today, I am making a public announcement that you're going to lose your inheritance in this family." Now, I am the first son in this family, and by culture and law, everything belongs to me. And here is a public announcement that, because of your faith, you have lost it all. And this passage was very helpful to me as I thought about the implications of this. God is saying to you and to me that, though you may lose the material things of this world, that, though we may lose the wonderful things, our inheritance in this world, there is an inheritance that is kept for you and for me by God, and nothing will deprive us of this wonderful inheritance. It is untouchable. Well, I think, ah, the good news is that I got my inheritance back. Ah, I got it here, and I got the other one that is up there. So, it's good. Ah, ha, ha, heh. (laughter) So, while I might enjoy this one, I know that it's going to perish, but there's the one in the future that won't perish. And, for those of you who do not have any inheritance in this world, this is a word of hope for all of us, there is an inheritance, kept in Heaven, for us.

The second eternal reality that gives us hope and joy in this world is: What God is doing now for us in Christ. What God is doing now for us in Christ. Verse 5: 'Who, by God's power, are guarded through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.' You see, God is not only protecting our inheritance. God has not only given us new life, or to a living hope. God is also protecting you and I for that inheritance. It is one thing to be promised an inheritance. It is another thing for you to be alive to receive that inheritance. Ah, those of us who are parents, and those of us who have kids, remember promises that were made in the past and promises that we make. And, sometimes, we do not live long enough to receive those promises. The Bible says, that the promises of God are kept for us, and we, ourselves, are kept guarded by God, so that we may receive that inheritance. There may be many of us here this morning, who are, who feel, that we are on the edge of falling over. We feel, because of the tests of faith, that we are going through, we feel because of the problems that we are experiencing in our lives, that we are going to lose our faith, we are going to lose our salvation. And, we feel so vulnerable, we feel surrounded by the enemy, we feel the absence of God. But God's Word declares, God is preserving us, God is protecting us, He will kept us until the final day. And, that's what Jesus said, that, those who believe in me will never perish. It is the promise of God. He said to His disciples, in Matthew, that the gates of Hades will not prevail against His Church. God is the One Who has the power to uphold us. And, when you feel weak, and begin to look at the things that are seen, Peter, the Apostle, wants us to see the things which are not seen. And, the things that we cannot see is the keeping power of God, which is at work in your life, whether you feel like it or not. See, God is at work in your life. God's keeping power is powerfully at work in your life and my life. You did not save yourself, and you cannot save yourself, and you cannot uphold yourself. The God Who saved you is the God Who continues to save you, and He will save you to the end. And how is this keeping power of God available to us? Peter says, it is through faith. It is through consistant faith in Jesus Christ: A continued commitment of ourselves and trust to Christ. This is the means, that God uses, to sustain us, and to help us to apprehend His power. And, the purpose of all of this is that you will receive the full salvation of God when Jesus Christ comes back again.

And so, the contemplation of all of these realities; our new birth, our living hope, our eternal inheritance, that is kept for us, and the fact that we are kept for this inheritance, causes joy in our hearts. And that is why, in verse 6, Peter says, "In this, you rejoice." In this, you rejoice. "Though now, for a little while, you may have to suffer various trials and tests in your life." You see, the ground of our rejoicing, the ground of our hope, in the present and in the future, is in what God has done for us, in Jesus Christ, and what He continues to do for us - all of these are untouchable, they remain steadfast. Even though, we go through trials and tests - and this brings me to my last point.

The third reality that evokes joy in our hearts is: What God accomplishes through our various trials. I don't think that there is anybody in this sanctuary, this morning, that has not experienced tests of faith, or that will not experience tests of faith. And, each and everyone of us, experience tests in different ways and that's why Peter uses the word 'various', 'various tests'. The trial that I might go through in my faith may not be the trials that you go through. And, Peter says, it doesn't matter what kind of test that you go through; whether it is upholding your faith as a Christian in the context of what you are going through in your family, the suffering that you have to go through in being faithful to your partner because of your faith, or the test or the sufferings that you go through, um, in your body that is testing your faith. A great example is the case of Job. Job was not experiencing persecution from people around him, but his faith was being tested by Satan. His health, his children, his property - everything was removed from him, and those were tests of faith. And, as you go through that yourself, God is accomplishing something wonderful. And, the first thing that He is accomplishing is a reminder to you that it is for a while. Your test, and my test, will not last forever. There is no eternal dimension to tests and trials. The only eternal dimension belongs to the redemption and the power of God. Your tests and your trials will be only for a while. But, above all, God is using the tests in your life to purify your faith. He is using the tests to strengthen and perfect our faith, and to demonstrate to us, not to Himself, but to us, the genuineness of our faith. So, our sufferings are neither fruitless, nor purposeless. It is a test of our faith. And, when our faith is proved genuine, on that day, the Bible says, it will result in praise, and honour, and glory. God will be praised for keeping you and keeping me. God will be honoured and glorified for what He has done for us, in the midst of our tests. You and I will be praised by God. We will be honoured by God, and we'll be glorified with the glory of God, Himself - that's what Romans chapter two, and Matthew chapter 25, say to us. See, on that day, God is saying to you, "Well done." You will be praised for standing steadfast and faithful to God in the midst of your trials and temptations. And so, I want to encourage you this morning: Stand firm. Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.

And, I want to conclude with two things here. First, true and lasting joy, a life that is filled with the praise of God and with thanksgiving to God, come from the realisation of what God has done for us, what God is doing for us, and what God is accomplishing through the trials that we go through. That is why Peter praises God at the beginning of verse three, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." He was looking at the things that God has done and what God is doing, and this is the way that joy and everlasting hope comes to us. And, lastly, not only is great and continuing joy possible for us, as we contemplate all of these truths - joy, unutterable joy, and exulted joy will come to us as we continue with a life of love and faith in Jesus Christ, Whom we have not seen. Verse 8, "Without having seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy, and as the outcome of your faith, you obtained the salvation of your souls." There is joy, there is great joy, there is unutterable joy as you and I continue in steadfast faith and steadfast love towards Jesus in the midst of our trials and temptations. And, in a sense, it is an expression of the genuineness of our faith. Peter says, we have seen Jesus and we believe in Him. We have seen Jesus and we love Him. But, you have not seen Him, yet you love Him and yet you believe in Him, and this is a sign of the genuineness of your faith. And, through this sort of faith, and love, that is not dependant on what you can see, God is able to fill your hearts with joy that cannot be explained and joy that is infused with a glory of Heaven. And, the final outcome of such faithfulness and such love is the receiving of the goal of our faith which is the salvation of our souls.

I pray that God would grant you grace to fix your eyes on Him, to continue in your faith and love in the midst of the trials and tests of faith, and that God would fill your heart with joy, and hope. Amen.

Transcribed by Sid Matheson - Edited for the Net by Shido
For the last recorded special sermon see: Saint John's (Shaughnessy) Anglican church