Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1: 3-9 ESV)
This week also we will be talking about hope. This is the first advent and the portions that churches around the world read is
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.(Isaiah 9:2-7 ESV)
The last week we saw what hope is and saw the difference in between living and dead hope. We also saw that God works in the mundane parts of our life. Today we are going to the serious part. There is a reason for this. I was listening to the song "it is well" by Horatio Spafford and that it has a line "there will be a day when my faith shall be sight". We need to remember this in our daily life and press on these truth.
I want to remind you that your perspective of eternity will shape how you walk your daily life. Hope is not a wish fulfilment. We can wish many things and we can hope in many things. Only at the place where faith is working would wish become hope. Let me explain it and we will go into the application section soon.
In the Indian context, it is very common to hear "you will only know my value, worth when I die and am no more". Let us analyse this statement. The statement means that there is an intrinsic value in that person. A value that is timeless. Really? A value that does not change, as if you are God? Before I was a dad I was happy to spend time to be with teens and kids and tell cute bible stories. But to change diaper and be contently on the feet to run and serve kids was not my virtue. I have made my cousins who annoyed me stand on top of tables and be stuck there as i was irritated - at the least for a moment. So, no our virtues change. The second issue and that is the topic of today is that the person expects the recipient to see that their actions made sense after they died. This did not come from a Christian source. It came from sad romantic movies where the heroine or hero after a few years find this love letter that explains everything and they are moved by tears. This is the issue with too much media consumption. We are corrupted by their message. What is my point? Is it that we should not enjoy a movie or two? No, this is the point. So listen up. Hope and wish are different. Hope is the action of faith. In practical examples, when you as a parent correct and disciple your child, although you do it for a future betterment, it is useless to say the catch phrase. You see Christians do not return as ghosts to haunt their loved ones and see that they have mended their ways. Christians do good things and correct their children not on a wish that somehow their kids get better but on a hope that God would enable them to be better. See, If Christ said that you will know Him only when you are without him, do you realise how thin his love is. He loves you that he is active here and now to change you. So when you do acts of love, the hope is not that in the future there would be a realisation but there would be fuller realisation of what our kids would understand in parts now. That is the end of my parenting tip.
How does all of this tie into todays portion? It is in this manner. Hope is what makes us alive. Last week we said there is reason to hope in the mundane. Today we are hoping in the painful. The times where we are exhausted and hurting are places to hope for.
See the words .. in this you rejoice ... in what? In hope, you rejoice in hope. You rejoice in hope - how can Peter say that? Peter is an apostle, an ambassador, the trust worthy representative of the heavenly Kingdom who does not life - Peter is telling by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He is saying what God tell him to say to you. So take this portion seriously. There is a happy reason and meaning and value to the pain and hurt and God knows and cares and is active in it. Paul echoes the same thing in 2 Corinthians 4:16-17
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,(ESV)
Paul calls the pains momentary and light ... All the pain and anguish that their hearts have borne are called light … Peter says that they have been grieved for a little while ... really Peter? Someone would say, Nero killed my brother, then his soldiers raped and killed his wife and smashed the babies to death ... and you call that pain light? little? No, they are not. They are saying that these pains are light in terms of eternity, that the joy in eternity and the hope in eternity is so large and vast that their pain would not hurt them no more. There is a statement that says in Revelation 21:4, that he will remove their tears and they will cry no more. It is like the tear ducts are removed. This does not mean Christians are not to cry. Psalm 56:8 says that God sees our pain and our hurting - our wandering - our long walks to work the pain out ... and then what God stores our tears in a bottle. He knows your every tear. He collects it. He is in the pain and suffering and that is why he can say that there is a reason to rejoice. This joy has to be your hope.
Lets turn to 1 Peter 4:12-13 -- in our deserts, in our pain Peter echoing the words of Jesus is telling us that our prayer is not just for survival
How do we work it out....
1.
1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxieties on me because I care for you." We must argue with our soul and say, "Soul, Jesus Christ died for my sins, it has been certified to me by his resurrection. God is not against me but for me. Why are you downcast, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God!" And in that way we fight the fight of faith, and drive away the greed and self-pity of hopelessness, and open the gates of love. And so hope is the power for holy love.
2.
A person who hopes intensely in Jesus Christ, who longs to see him and be with him, will inevitably start to think and feel and act like Jesus. "Everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure" (1 John 3:3). Strong hope to see Jesus is a strong power for holy love.
See the verses ...
If necessary ... God Has a Design for Our Distresses ...
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials." What kind of necessity is this? Who or what is making the distress of these trials "necessary". The answer is God. Peter makes it plain that Christian distress only happens if God wills it. For example, in 3:17 he says, "It is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong." You might suffer for doing what is right; you might not. The ultimate choice is God's. "If God should will it so," we will or we won't. Or again in 4:19 he says, "Let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right." (Desiring God)
So that ...
God designs our pains so that our distresses would refine the genuineness of our faith the way fire refines gold so that when Christ comes back, the quality of our faith would win praise and glory and honour.
So here is the summary ..
Our pains are
- many trials
- short while
- cause us deep pain
- they are like a refiners fire
- they result in praise and glory to God.
Comments