1 Peter 1:6

Amen. Good morning, church. Happy Valentine's Day! May the love of Christ be with you. Would you open your Bibles, if you have them, to the book of First Peter? Please stay standing if you would. If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one. We are a Bible church, and we believe that God speaks through His Word.

First Peter is near the end of the Bible, right after the big books of Hebrews and James, and right before Second Peter. There is a table of contents in the front if you can't find it. We are in First Peter, chapter one, verse six today.

Also, just a few minutes ago, we said goodbye to a group of people from our church who are headed up to central California to serve with a ministry called Gleanings for the Hungry this week. We will pray for them in just a minute when we pray for our service. Please keep in mind that this week, some people from our church are serving at that ministry.

Now, First Peter, chapter one, verse six states: "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

Of this salvation, the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ who was in them indicated when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them, it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us, they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things which angels desire to look into.

Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace.

That is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts as in your ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, so also you be holy in all of your conduct. Because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." Father, that word there is a heavy word: "Be holy, for you are holy." It is a call that none of us could accomplish in and of our own strength. Nothing can for sin atone, as we just sang, not of good that we have done. It's not our own righteousness, not our own holiness that makes us right before You, but Jesus, Your death on the cross in our place gives us grace, salvation, and forgiveness. Lord, we rejoice in that today.

So speak to us as we open the pages of Scripture. We ask that You, by Your Spirit, would speak to our hearts and minds and give us insight and understanding, that we would know You more fully. We desire to show forth Your goodness and Your grace more completely to people who are not here—people in our families and perhaps in our workplaces or schools—that they would see in us Your grace, Your forgiveness, and Your joy. So God, work in us, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but we are now fully engaged in the 2016 campaign season, and I am sure that all of you are very excited about this. It will be a very short time until all of the prescription drug commercials are replaced with political ads on TV. On every corner throughout our nation, not just here, we will see political signs for candidates as they put forth their agenda at the local level, county, state, and then at the federal level.

If you have been paying attention in any way to the crowded race at the federal level, then you know and have seen in this campaign season, and in other campaign seasons, that every political candidate running for office always presents what marketers refer to as a VAP, a value-added proposition. They are speaking to certain groups and constituencies, saying, "If you choose me, if you elect me, then I will do this for you."

This is the value that you will get if you choose me on that day in November. Choose me because this is what you're going to get. It's a value-added proposition.

At the presidential level right now, we're already hearing that Hillary Clinton is saying Barack Obama has done such a wonderful job. She claims that if you choose her, she will continue to move forward with his agenda to bring more jobs, health care, and a better future. On the other hand, Marco Rubio argues that Barack Obama has done a terrible job with jobs, health care, security, and all these things. He asserts that if you elect him, he will do a better job, get rid of all the things Obama did, and you will have a better future.

Then there’s Bernie Sanders, who will say that Barack Obama has not gone far enough. He promises that if you elect him, he will take all the money that Obama gave to Wall Street and give it to you for health care, jobs, and to pay off your student loans, resulting in a better future. Donald Trump comes along and claims that Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, and Hillary Clinton will all impose huge taxes. He states that if you elect him, he will provide a tax cut, better security, and you will have a better future.

At the end of the day, they all ultimately boil it down to the promise of a better future. That's their value-added proposition: a better future. Political candidates do this because they understand that every single human being has an innate desire and drive for a better future, a desire for value in future gains. The 19th-century British author Samuel Butler said, "Self-preservation is the first law of nature." We all desire a better future, even if we articulate what that future looks like in different ways.

Every political candidate has a certain path toward that better future. They may disagree on what that path should be, but in the end, they are all saying this is the better future that we're looking for. That’s the vision they’re trying to convey: this is my vision for our better future, and if you elect me, that’s where we’re going.

In 2008, President Obama, when he was running, wrote about hope for a better future. His one-word slogan, if you will, was "hope." It plays upon the reality that every single human being has a hope for something better, looking forward to a better day.

And apparently, each of these politicians believes that they have the ability, through their agenda, to satisfy that hope for a better future. I'm not entirely convinced. But what if a revolutionary leader came along? Instead of a stump speech like that, he said, "I want you to join my revolution. I want you to follow me. But if you do, it may mean suffering. It may mean pain. If you follow me, it might be difficult. You will not, in this life, experience the health, welfare, security, and safety that every heart desires." No, it's not in this life, he would say, but your health and welfare will actually probably diminish in this life. If you follow me, you will be hated for my namesake and potentially persecuted. You might even need to watch those whom you love suffer because you follow me.

Now, of course, I'm not talking about a fictional character. I'm talking about an individual who lived 2,000 years ago and actually spoke those things. That was, if you will, his stump speech. Why would anybody agree to that? Why would anybody follow that? In fact, some of the most oft-repeated words of this individual go like this. It's recorded in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament, Matthew chapter 10, verse 38. You can write it down and look at it later if you'd like. Jesus said, "He who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake, the same will find it."

In another place, in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 16, verse 24, Jesus said to his followers, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross." Remember, a cross was not jewelry in the first century; it was an instrument of pain and death. "Let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me, for whoever desires to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake, the same will find it."

The Gospel of Mark, chapter 8, records the same words. The Gospel of Luke, chapter 9, verse 23, states, "Then Jesus said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me, for whoever desires to save his life will lose it. And whoever loses his life for my sake, the same will find it.'" In Luke 14, verse 27, it is written, "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple."

Those may be the most oft-repeated words of Jesus in the Gospel. His stump speech, if you will. This revolutionary leader comes and says, "I want you to come and follow me. But if you do, it's going to be difficult." He followed that up right after the verse I just read in Luke 14:27. The very next verse, verse 28, says that you need to count the cost. Count the cost. Following me is costly, Jesus said 2,000 years ago. Why would anyone follow that if that's the pitch?

The amazing thing is that within 40 years of Jesus saying those words, there were tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people who were following him. Fast forward two millennia, 20 centuries later, and there are more than 2 billion people that identify as followers of this one who said, "Come, follow me." You have to take up your cross and deny yourself. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it. Whoever loses his life for my sake, the same shall find it.

How is it possible that you go from 120 followers mentioned in the early chapters of the Book of Acts to 2 billion in 20 centuries when that's the stump speech? When that's the pitch: "Come, follow me," and it is going to mean that people will hate you for my name's sake? The only answer to that question, "Why would anybody follow it?" must be that the guy who promised those things also promised something better after this life.

Of course, he did promise something better after that. He said, "I have come that you may have life and that you may have it more abundantly. I have come that you might have everlasting life. I have come to give reward in eternity, but not here in this life." It's going to come in the next life, but that seems so far away and so hard to grasp, to wrap your mind around. How is that even possible?

I suggest that all of Jesus's earlier followers, when he was here during his earthly ministry, followed him for immediate gain. That's what they were looking for. That's what they were hoping for. That's why all of his immediate or early followers ran away from him when things got hard.

Because they were looking for and hoping for something tangible as a reward, he kept telling them over and over again, "No, that's not what's going to happen now. It's after this life."

But what changed? The same one who promised possible persecution and martyrdom with salvation in the end himself suffered crucifixion and martyrdom. However, three days later, he rose from the dead. This individual is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and he sits at this moment on a throne in heaven. There were over 500 witnesses to his death, burial, and resurrection. They were so convinced of his resurrection that they faced potential suffering, and almost all of them met martyrdom through painful deaths, proclaiming their belief in a man who had died on a cross and rose from the dead. They went to painful deaths, trusting that he would also be good on the promise he made about resurrection in the future.

About 40 years after Jesus died on the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, one of his early followers, Peter, was writing a letter to Christians who lived in what is modern-day Turkey, near the Mediterranean Sea. He was reminding them that there is suffering in this life, but there is a great salvation that is to come after this life.

Why is he doing that? At the time Peter wrote this letter, which we are studying in First Peter, around the year 64 AD, nearly 2000 years ago, a persecution was beginning against Christians that was nationally sponsored and enforced. The ruling empire of the day, the Roman Empire, led at that moment by a man named Caesar Nero, was starting to focus its aggression and anger against the followers of Jesus. Peter knew that this would mean things were going to get hard for the followers of Jesus.

So, he writes to some followers of Jesus and says, "Listen, it's going to be painful. But remember, there is a great salvation." Look at First Peter, chapter one, verse five. He says to this group of Christians, followers of Jesus, "You are kept, that is, preserved and guarded by the power of God through faith, trust unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time."

So Peter is going to talk about suffering, pain, and difficulty for those who follow Jesus. He says, "But I want you to remember, God will guard you by His power in the midst of that for a salvation that will come in the end."

Then he continues in verse six, "In this you greatly rejoice." Where does joy and rejoicing come from in the midst of trial, difficulty, and potential suffering? In this, you greatly rejoice—not in suffering. Nobody rejoices in pain; no one. Those who say they do are sadistic. Our joy and rejoicing are not in the suffering and the pain; they are in the salvation that is to come after that.

So, in this, you greatly rejoice, even though, as he goes on to say at the end of verse six, "even though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials." Listen, Christians there 2,000 years ago were getting ready to face difficulty, already going through hardship for their faith in Christ. He says, "Listen, you rejoice in a salvation that is yet to come, even though you're going through hardship right now."

A little bit on these trials: the trials they were facing were not physical illness, foreclosure on a home, failure of a marriage, or the loss of a loved one. The things he is talking about are not the normal sort of suffering and pain that we all experience in a fallen, sinful world. The suffering, pain, and trials that Peter is speaking of—those that Jesus foretold for His followers—were suffering for the name of Christ. It was intentional hardship imposed upon followers of Jesus because they were followers of Jesus.

He says we rejoice in the midst of that, not because we like to suffer, but because we know that joy and rejoicing come from salvation ready to be revealed at the last day. Peter, in this letter, is constantly pointing his readers, followers of Jesus, to that fact: your salvation is not here. That is the exact thing that Peter's master, Jesus, told Peter and the other disciples when they were following Him: your reward is not here; your reward is heaven.

So, point number one on your outline, which you have in your bulletin, is: the hope of heaven makes joy in trials possible.

The hope of heaven makes joy in trials possible. Joy in suffering seems absurd. Let's just call it what it is: it's absurd to say you can have joy in trials, that your joy would be in that suffering. That's absurd. And yet, nearly all of the early Christian writers—Peter, James, John, Paul—wrote of joy in the midst of trials. Where does the joy in the trial come from? It doesn't come from the trial; it comes from seeing through the suffering to the salvation, which is what Peter is always pointing us back to. Paul, James, and Jesus also always point to that.

The hope of heaven makes joy in trials possible. Now, the question is: is that hope or joy in trials merely theoretical, or is it practical? Is it something we can actually experience, or is it just something that we strive for? I suggest to you that it is not only theoretical. It is not only something that we strive to have; it is something that is truly real and something we can sink our hands into.

Why? This group of apostles—Peter, James, and all of these men who were early followers of Jesus—experienced that joy in trials. It is recorded in the book of Acts, specifically Acts chapter 5, verses 40 and 41. There it says that this group of apostles was beaten by the religious leaders of the day who did not agree with them. They called for the apostles, and when they had beaten them, Acts 5:40 says they commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus and then let them go.

In the very next verse, verse 41, we see that Peter, James, Bartholomew, Thomas, John, and all these followers of Jesus, who had just been roughed up for preaching the risen Lord Jesus Christ, departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. Why would they be rejoicing after being beaten up? It seems completely insane. Let's call it what it is: it's foolishness. Unless they had trust in Jesus for something.

In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, verse 10, Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake." Why? "For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

The blessing is not the persecution; the blessing is the salvation. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. In verse 11 of Matthew 5, Jesus personalizes it: "Blessed are you when they, those who are against Jesus, revile and persecute you." They speak against you all kinds of evil falsely for His sake.

Rejoice! In verse 12 of Matthew, chapter 5, we are told to rejoice and be exceedingly glad. How is that possible? For great is your reward in heaven. Jesus always points His followers, who are going through trial and suffering, to the joy of the reward on the other side of it. He is essentially saying to go through it with joy because of a reward that is to come.

Not just the Gospel of Matthew, but also Luke records this in chapter 6, verse 22: "Blessed are you." That means, "Oh, how happy!" Happy are you when men hate you. Does that not go counter to everything our brain tells us? Happy are you when men hate you and when they exclude you.

Does anyone remember being excluded in grade school when you didn't get picked for the team? That was a happy moment, right? Happy are you when they hate you, when they exclude you, when they revile you—that is, when they gossip against you. They say evil things about you and cast your name as evil for the Son of Man's sake.

You are being persecuted because of Jesus's sake, not because you are a bonehead. If you get spoken ill of because you are a bonehead, that is on you. But if they speak evil of you, hate you, and persecute you because you are a follower of Jesus, that was very real and tangible in the first century. It is not so much the case here in the United States of America in the last three centuries, but it was very real for most Christians throughout history.

When they speak evil of you, hate you, and exclude you, rejoice! In verse 23 of Luke, chapter 6, we are told to leap for joy. What? Why? For indeed, your reward is great in heaven. Jesus always follows this teaching with the reminder that great is your reward in heaven. He is appealing to our desire for reward, and He is not saying that is carnal. I think that is really important for us to recognize.

It is not carnal to serve Christ for the reward that He promises in eternity. In fact, He tells us to do that, which is phenomenal. Many biblical ethicists would say no, but Jesus says yes. This is an interesting thing to consider.

Jesus calls people to follow Him in the face of potential devastating harm. That harm may come upon you because people don't like Jesus. We can see very clearly that people don't like the Jesus revealed in the Scriptures because He is too exclusive, because He speaks very hard sayings, and because He calls people sinners. No one likes to be called a sinner. But the reality is that all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. We have all failed; we have all messed up. When we're honest with ourselves, when it's just us looking in the mirror, we all know we're a bunch of screw-ups. When He says, "You're a screw-up," we respond, "Gosh, that's true." But here He offers grace, forgiveness, and pardon for screwing up. That's good news.

So He says, "Come follow Me in the face of potential danger." Why? There is a heavenly reward. Now, the cynic will say, "How is this not different than the radical Muslim who will take their life to try and get some sort of heavenly reward?" We've all heard that cynical argument, especially in the 21st century. How is this appeal to reward in heaven different from that appeal?

The answer is very simple. This appeal is for you to die to yourself and experience suffering at the hands of others for the glory of Christ. The appeal of radical Islam is for you to take your life, to take the lives of others, to try and gain something from it. There is a very clear difference. One is the denial of self and the potential harm that would come to you while loving other people for their sake and their potential salvation. The other is, "I'm going to take my life to take your life because I hate you."

There is a very clear difference, and don't let anybody try to confuse you with that as a red herring. They may say it's the same, but it's not the same. Future long-term benefits in salvation enable joyful perseverance and personal growth.

Temporal suffering is a significant theme in the Christian faith. Paul, the Apostle, said in Romans 8:18, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us." Now, the question seems obvious: If God is all-powerful, and we believe that the Scriptures reveal God to be all-powerful, why does He not guard us from trials for the name of Christ? He says, "I'm going to guard you in trials." Why not just guard us from them entirely, so we never have to go through them? After all, no one wants to endure trials.

Yet, Jesus, on the night that He would be betrayed, prayed as recorded in John 17. He said, "Father, I don't pray that you take them out of the world," even though the world is going to hate them, "but that you preserve them in the world." Why does He do that?

Peter goes on to explain that the genuineness of our faith is much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire. This faith may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Point number two on your outline is that God allows trials to prove our faith. For a little while, if need be, we have been grieved by various trials and suffering. Why? So that the genuineness of our trust in Christ, which is more precious than gold tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

God allows and even assures the possibility of trials for His followers because they preach the name of Christ. He says, "You will suffer; that is very likely the norm." We should not think it strange when it happens. He tells us that we will go through this so that we are not surprised by it when it occurs.

When we go through trials, we must understand that these experiences will demonstrate our genuine trust in Jesus Christ. They prove to us and to naysayers that we truly trust in Him. It does not need to be proved to God; He knows all things and knows whether or not we will stand in the midst of trials. He is not up there wondering, "Well, I'm not really sure that you're going to make it through this, but I'll just watch and see what happens." That is not what is happening. He allows these trials so that we know our trust and faith are genuine, and so that others know it as well.

You really do trust in Christ. I'm going to allow you to go through suffering. When you read through church history, you find that this is always the outcome of faithfulness under trial. Faithfulness under trial and persecution to the followers of Jesus ultimately causes other people who didn't believe in Jesus to believe in Him. You read through church history, and that's always what it is. Why? Because they see it and they go, "These guys really actually believe what they're saying."

If I can say to you, "Well, I don't believe that you really believe in Jesus," here's what we're going to do: Peter, we're going to crucify you and see if you will recant and say you don't believe in Jesus. And there he goes to his death, saying, "No, I've seen the risen Lord," and he's not going to recant. He must really believe what he decided he believed, and the genuineness of his faith is revealed.

Now, the awesome thing about this verse, verse seven, is that it says the genuineness of your faith will be tested and shown to be true. Ultimately, it is going to produce praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Let me read this verse, verse seven, in another translation. The New Living Translation says, "So when your faith remains strong through trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Christ Jesus is revealed."

This is not necessarily saying that your strong faith in trial is going to bring Him praise, honor, and glory. That is true, but what is being said here by Peter and in other places in Scripture is that you, follower of Jesus, as you remain faithful in the face of persecution and opposition, it will bring to you praise, honor, and glory when Jesus comes again. That's phenomenal.

Jesus says it like this: on that day, when you come before Him, you will hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord." What is that? Praise, honor, and glory for you from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now, that's an incredible reward. It's hard for us to wrap our minds around that.

So, point number three on your outline: our trust in Jesus will be rewarded with praise, glory, and honor in eternity. To be very candid with you, that's hard for me to wrap my mind around, as if going to heaven is not enough. He says, "I'm also going to bestow upon you praise, honor, and glory."

Why? Because your trust in me is rewarded with praise, honor, and glory in eternity at the revelation of Jesus Christ, when He is revealed in all of His power and glory. We have a book in the Bible, the very last book, called the Apocalypse or the Revelation. It is the revealing of Jesus and all His glory. Christians believe that one day Jesus will return and be revealed in all of His glory. He says that when Jesus is revealed, you who have been faithful are going to receive praise, honor, and glory. That's amazing to me, and yet that's what the Bible says. We are simply seeing what the Scriptures say.

In the Revelation of Jesus Christ, look at 1 Peter 1:8. Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love. That word "love" means you are devoted to Him. The Greek word "agape" describes a love that is fully complete, committed, and devoted. He says to these Christians in that region of the world in Asia Minor, 2,000 years ago, "You've never seen this Jesus, and yet you are devoted to Him." Though now you do not see Him, yet believing and trusting, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, which is the salvation of your souls.

So listen, if you are a follower of Jesus today, we normally say that you have received salvation from Jesus. However, understand that this salvation is not really complete. If you are a follower of Jesus, you have been saved from the power of sin over your life. You have even been saved from the penalty of sin, but there is coming a day when you will be saved from the presence of sin, no longer in the midst of a fallen, corrupt, broken world. That is what the Scriptures describe.

Here, He says, "Listen, you've never seen Him, and yet you believe," which is a phenomenal thing because Peter was an eyewitness of Jesus. He got to see the risen Lord Jesus. There was another one of Jesus's disciples who, after Jesus rose from the dead, was told by some of the other disciples, "Listen, Jesus isn't dead. He's not in the tomb anymore. He has risen from the dead." This disciple said, "That's not possible. That's insane." Like a lot of people, he said, "There is no way unless I see the nail prints in His hands, unless I see His side where it was pierced with a spear, and I touch that area. I will not believe."

Well, the next week, Jesus appears in a gathering of disciples, and this guy is there. His name is Thomas. Ever since then, we call him Doubting Thomas.

And so there's Thomas, and Jesus appears and says, "Hey Thomas, here, behold my hands and my feet. Stick your hand in my side." What is Thomas's response to this? It's recorded in John chapter 20. He falls down and says, "My Lord and my God."

Jesus then says something awesome to Thomas: "Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." Now Peter is talking about them and us. You've never seen the risen Lord Jesus, and people might think you're nuts for saying you follow the risen Lord Jesus because, quite frankly, it sounds nuts. Yet all evidence points to the fact that He rose from the dead 2,000 years ago. More than 500 eyewitnesses, who went to their death by being tortured, said, "We saw the risen Lord Jesus."

Now, 2 billion people on the face of this planet identify themselves as followers of a man who died on a cross and rose from the dead. Peter writes to these outcast Christians 2,000 years ago who are about to face difficulty, pain, and suffering because they follow this Jesus. He says, "You trust in Him, even though you have never seen Him. You are devoted to Him, even though you have never seen Him. You are rejoicing in the midst of suffering with inexpressible, unspeakable, glorious joy because you're looking forward to the salvation of your soul."

On this salvation, Peter continues in 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 10. "Of this salvation that causes unspeakable, inexpressible joy in the followers of Jesus, the prophets inquired and searched carefully who prophesied of the grace that would come to you. They searched what manner or what time the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand of the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that not to themselves, but to us, they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things which angels desire to look into."

I love run-on sentences. He says, "Listen, Christian follower of Jesus, you have been promised a salvation so great, so amazing, so awesome that angels and prophets stand in amazement of it."

Point number four on your outline: Christians are promised a salvation so great that angels and prophets long for it.

Christians are promised a salvation so great that angels and prophets have longed for it for thousands of years. The Old Testament of the Bible, which comprises the first two-thirds of the text, is filled with prophetic writings. For a millennium, people prophesied and foretold about this great salvation. They were excited about it and looked forward to its arrival.

Now, if you are a follower of Jesus or a recipient of this salvation, as Peter describes, angels in heaven are amazed by it. Why are they saying this is amazing? Because they look at you and me and wonder, "God, really? You're going to give them an inheritance for eternity? You're going to bestow upon them glory, grace, praise, and honor?" The King of Kings is going to give that praise to these unfaithful, wicked, sinful people. You're going to save them and bestow grace on them. What angels are doing that in heaven? At least that's what Peter says. They observe us and see how much we fail. We all fail, and they question, "Really? That's glory, honor, and praise?"

We are promised a salvation so great that angels and prophets long for it. What is Peter doing here? He is trying, with words, to express how awesome this salvation is. However, this salvation is so great that it breaks the backs of words. Words do not do it justice to describe how amazing and awesome the salvation we have truly is.

In verse 13 of 1 Peter chapter 1, Peter states, "Therefore..." What does that mean? Because you have this promise of great salvation, he instructs us to gird up the loins of our minds and be sober. I know that probably every one of you uses the phrase "gird up the loins of your minds" every week, so you totally grasp what that means. The New Living Translation or New International Version says, "Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober," meaning minds that are fully engaged. He emphasizes that because you have been promised a great salvation that I can't even begin to describe, and everyone who tries to describe it cannot do it justice.

Paul, the apostle, in his second letter to the Corinthians, mentions that he knew a man—speaking modestly about himself—who was caught up to heaven and saw things and heard things that he cannot even put into words. Every time prophets try to articulate what they saw when they had a vision of the glory of God, they give us these strange descriptions, leaving us scratching our heads.

Eyes, wings, and beasts—what in the world is that? People often say, "I don't know; I can't put it into words, but that's what I saw." We try to make up strange ideas about what it means, but all they were expressing was their amazement. Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon Him. Put your hope and your trust completely in Him, not on a political candidate, not on an earthly ideology, and not on some utopia here for generation to generation to come. Rest your hope fully upon Him, upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

If you've already received grace and are a follower of Jesus today, that grace is unmerited, undeserved favor. He will give you more grace when He comes, grace ready to be revealed at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not conform yourselves to the desires and former lusts of this world, as in ignorance, but as He who has called you is holy, so also be holy in all of your conduct. It is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

Peter reveals here point number five: purified faith, which is refined by trials and suffering for the name of Christ. Purified faith produces holiness. Why does God not just take me out of the trial of suffering for His namesake? Because purified faith produces holiness—a life that is completely separated to Him. That is what God has called you and me to: a life that is totally consecrated to Him. The idea of holiness is a life that is completely separate and dedicated to Him. God said, "Be holy, for I am holy," and He is the one who enables us to be consecrated to Him by grace, not by our own works.

As the song says, "Not of works that I have done, nothing but the blood of Jesus." His death on the cross made it possible for you to be forgiven and pardoned of sin and failure, so that He could make us holy and preserve us in the midst of trials for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last days. But it's not here in this life.

And those who say they're preaching the Bible and claim that if you come to Jesus, you won't suffer and everything will be wonderful and great are contradicting the teachings of Jesus. So, you must choose whom you want to believe: Jesus or those who promise no suffering. This perspective is completely against the Bible, against all experiences of following Jesus, and against all church history. You decide. But I am going to align with Jesus.

Our hope for heaven makes joy in trials possible. God allows these trials to prove our faith and to produce holiness. As we stand steadfast and trust in Him through the midst of these challenges, He preserves and protects us. In doing so, we will be rewarded with praise, honor, and glory in eternity. We have a salvation that we cannot even begin to describe with human words, a salvation that prophets and angels looked into and marveled at.

Although, at this moment, February 14th, 2016, Christians in America still receive a social benefit for following Jesus, that is changing. There may come a day when, because you are a follower of Jesus, you will face revilement and persecution. Some of that is already starting, and some of you have experienced it. People have shared their stories with me. Do not think it strange; Jesus said this is what it means to follow Him. But those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, great is their reward in heaven. For so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.

Jesus said to His disciples, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places. Were it not so, I would have told you. 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 to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

Thomas, doubting Thomas, said, "Lord, that sounds great, but we don't know how to get there." Jesus replied, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me."

Amen. Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Lord God, I thank You for Your Word, and I pray that we would take this in our hearts and minds and think about it this week. Use Your Word in our lives to transform us.

Our understanding of the present difficulty that we might be facing is important. Lord, keep us ever mindful of the reality that this life is not heaven and that you have a great salvation prepared for us. Help us to follow you faithfully and to have our hope in you resting steadfast, cemented there with you.

As we stand here in an attitude of prayer today, if you find yourself in a place of hopelessness, if you don't have that hope of eternity and salvation with Christ, and you want that salvation that He came to give, remember that Jesus came 2,000 years ago. God became a man to lay down His life for us, to take care of the penalty, the punishment, and the power of sin. He died in my place and your place to give us pardoning grace and salvation, to give us a future and a hope greater than the political future and hope being espoused in our day.

If you want the pardoning forgiveness of God, would you just raise your hand wherever you are this morning? I want to give you an opportunity to receive His grace. I see you in the back. Anyone else? Right here in the middle, I see you in the back. Praise the Lord. Over here on the left, I see you on my left.

If that's you today and you want to receive His grace, forgiveness, and hope for eternity, would you just, where you're at, pray out loud with me?

Dear Jesus, I recognize that I'm a failure, but I know you died for my failures. When you rose from the dead, proving your power over sin, would you come into my life, give me your grace and forgiveness, and give me a hope for eternity? Help me to follow you faithfully. In Jesus' name, amen.