Living Hope In Trials

[Read 1 Peter 1:3-12]

We live in a world of longing—a world looking for salvation. Especially in the midst of this pandemic. We all find ourselves in the midst of some particular struggle right now—each person with their own unique difficulty. Along with the particular difficulty, come our search for salvation—for rescue from the pain and suffering. 

As we look around our country right now, we see people looking for salvation in many different places. Some are looking for salvation from our government. They are hoping that the government can bring about our salvation through its policies and programs. Many are placing their hope in this false messiah. Others are placing their hope for salvation in science. They are basing all of their decisions on the science of the day, finding their hope and comfort in this “data.” Others are looking for salvation in the medical field. They look at the doctors and nurses for their salvation. They look for vaccinations, medicine, and medical equipment for their salvation. 

Others are just fed up with all of this. They are fed up with the government. They are fed up with science. They are fed up with the medical professions. So, where do they look for salvation? They look at themselves. That’s what the protests are about, right? People looking to save themselves from possible economic disaster and government overreach. If they can only gather enough people, exert enough force, get angry enough, then they can bring about salvation for many. 

The Old Testament is also a long story of people longing for salvation. Peter writes: “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…” (1 Peter 1:10–11, NIV). God’s people longed for a clearer picture of salvation. They had a glimpse of the Gospel, but they longed for a clearer picture. They really wanted to SEE and HEAR the fullness of God’s salvation. So, they searched intently with great care.

As they searched, the Holy Spirit empowered them to make predictions about this salvation. Peter says, “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.” (1 Peter 1:11, NIV). The Spirit worked in them to predict that the Messiah would suffer in this life. But the Spirit also worked in them to predict that there would be glory on the other side of his suffering—something great and powerful would result from his suffering. Salvation would come through his suffering. 

Yet, their predictions were only a glimpse. As the prophets made these predictions, it was as if they were peeking into the future through a keyhole. They could catch bits and pieces—enough to get them excited—but they couldn’t quite get the whole picture. Peter says, “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 1:12, NIV). These prophets were not serving themselves through their predictions. These prophets weren’t serving some future version of Israel either. They were serving us—those who have heard the true preaching of the gospel by the Holy Spirit. 

They were serving us, who have can now more fully SEE and HEAR the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. We no longer have to look for this salvation through a keyhole. We can SEE and HEAR this salvation clearly and powerfully in Jesus Christ through the preaching of the Gospel. We can clearly SEE and HEAR that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. That he lived, died, and rose again so that all who turn to him in faith would be forgiven of their sins and receive his righteousness, and would enter into eternal life. 

Because of this, Peter opens up in praise of God. He says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth…” (1 Peter 1:3, NIV). That’s why we can SEE and HEAR the Gospel now, because we’ve been given new birth—because we’ve been born again. 

Do you remember the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus that one night? Nicodemus sneaks over to Jesus’ place to talk to him. Jesus says to Nicodemus, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3, NIV). No one can SEE the kingdom of God unless they are born again. No one can truly see the salvation God is offering them unless they are born again. They will continue to walk around blind until God works powerfully in their life to give them new life. Then, they will SEE and HEAR the salvation he offers. 

Then, we will see that we have a living hope in this world. Peter says, “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1 Peter 1:3, NIV). When God works in us to give us new life, he opens our eyes to SEE and HEAR his salvation. That salvation leads to a living hope—not some wishful thinking, or positive optimism, or some dead hope—but a living hope. This living hope comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You see, our hope is living because our Savior lives. Our hope is living because we serve a Risen Savior. Our hope is living because our Savior has conquered death. Our hope can never be taken away from us or destroyed. 

Our hope rests in our salvation—which is also described as an inheritance. Peter says, “…into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you…” (1 Peter 1:4–5, NIV). This inheritance will never perish, spoil, or fade. It is an everlasting, eternal inheritance. It can also never be taken away from us because it is guarded in heaven. That’s what the phrase “kept in heaven” means. It means that our inheritance is in heaven and is surrounded by the power of God so that nothing can take it away from us. The God who created the universe with the breath of his mouth is in heaven guarding our inheritance. Who’s going to overcome him? No one. No thing. 

This is powerful stuff, especially in times like these. At the beginning I mentioned that the world is looking for salvation. They are looking for salvation in government, in science, in technology, in medicine, in themselves. Guess what? All of these things will fail. All of these things will perish. All of these things will fade away. All of these things will be corrupted. We know that. We know that governments are easily corrupted and fall into disarray. We know that science changes with the winds. We know technology fails us. We know that medicine cant fix all our problems. We know that we aren’t really strong enough to save ourselves.

If we look to these things for our salvation, we are putting our hope in an inheritance that will fade away, that will be corrupted, that will eventually die. What hope is that, really? When we put our hope in these things, we have a dead hope—a lifeless hope that has no power to pull us through difficult times.

Yet, when our eyes are opened to see our salvation—our inheritance guarded in heaven for us—an inheritance that will never fade, will never be corrupted, will never perish—an inheritance that is being guarded by God himself. Then we can have hope. Who can take away this hope? Who can take away this salvation? Nothing. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is revealed to us through Jesus Christ. Nothing. That’s our living hope. 

Yet some of you may feel too weak to grab hold of this promise. Some of you may feel too downcast to live your eyes to heaven. Some of you may feel so surrounded by enemies that you can’t see beyond the cares of this life to our inheritance in heaven. So, Peter reminds us of this powerful truth: “…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.” (1 Peter 1:5, NIV). Not only is our God protecting our inheritance but he is shielding us well. We don’t have to be strong enough to hold on to these promises. We don’t have to be strong enough to fight off all these enemies. Our God and Father in heaven is fighting for us on our behalf. He is shielding us with His power to bring us through all the way to the end until we get to receive our inheritance in full. 

As I thought about that truth this week, I thought about a story from the Old Testament. There’s a story about the prophet Elisha and a servant. Elisha had ticked off the king, which resulted in the king sending his army after him. Elisha and his servant are surrounded in a small house. The servant is afraid. He sees his enemies surrounding him. He has no idea how they will ever escape. Then Elisha looked at the servant and said, ““Don’t be afraid…Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:16–17, NIV). The Lord is protecting us in the same way, holding onto us and bringing us all the way to the fullness of our inheritance.

That’s why we can rejoice in the midst of trials. Peter says, “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” (1 Peter 1:6, NIV). Suffering and difficulty have a way of lowering our eyes, causing our vision to get fuzzy, and our ears to get plugged. In the midst of suffering and difficulty, it’s easy for us to see the trouble. It’s easy for us to see the armies surrounding us—to see trials on every side of us. It’s easy for our vision to become focused on the things right in front of us. Yet, Peter keeps reminding us that we need to lift our eyes beyond the present suffering, to our eternal inheritance. We need to splash some water on our face, clear up our vision, so that we can SEE the salvation that God has brought us. We need our ears opened so that we can hear the promises of God through the Gospel in the midst of our trials. When that happens. When our eyes are opened to see our inheritance in heaven and the angel armies surrounding us in protection, we can rejoice in the midst of trials—even this trial. We can truly begin to SEE and HEAR the living hope we have through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Suffering and difficulty, also have a way of clearing up our vision. Peter says, “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 honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:7, NIV). Scripture repeatedly tells us that suffering is a purifying fire. Suffering will not consume us or overcome us, but it will cause many impurities to be removed from us. Suffering will cause the fogginess of our vision to clear up. It will cause the cotton in our ears to be removed. Then, we begin to SEE and HEAR our God more clearly and the salvation he has brought us, and we begin to praise and glorify and honor him more fully.

When everything is going “well,” we fall into the trap of thinking that we are in control. And, when we think that we’re in control, we tend to rely more fully on ourselves and on the things of this world. Our vision begins to blur and our hearing fades. Then difficulty comes. All of a sudden we realize that we’re not in control, we don’t have things together, and all the things we’ve relied upon and found comfort in have disappeared. They’ve been burned up in the fire. So, we turn away from ourselves and rest more fully in God and in his salvation. We finally begin to rest more fully in things that are eternal and will never pass away. Our faith is strengthened and purified. Our vision clears us and our ears open. We begin to rejoice and praise and honor God because He is good—even in the midst of trials. 

That’s why Peter wraps this passage up saying, “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…” (1 Peter 1:8, NIV). We do not physically see our God right now. Yet, we can SEE him through the eyes of faith. We can SEE the salvation he offers. We can SEE the protection He brings. We can SEE the eternal inheritance he has for us in heaven. We can see these things through faith, and they can fill us with inexpressible and glorious joy. Inexpressible and glorious joy in the midst of trials.