The Promise Of Hope

2. Christians are kept for glory (1:5)

Not only is the glory being "reserved" for us, but we are being kept for the glory! I have sometimes gone to a hotel or motel in my travels, only to discover that the reservations have been confused or canceled. This will not happen when we arrive in heaven, for our future home and inheritance are guaranteed and reserved.

"But suppose we don't make it?" a timid saint might ask. But, we will; for all believers are being

"kept by the power of God." The word translated

"kept" is a military word that means "guarded, shielded." The tense of the verb reveals that we are constantly being guarded by God, assuring us that we shall safely arrive in heaven. This same word describes the soldiers guarding Damascus when Paul escaped (2 Cor. 11:32). See also Jude 24-25 and Romans 8:28-39.

Believers are not kept by their own power, but by the power of God. Our faith in Christ has so united us to Him that His power now guards us and guides us. We are not kept by our strength, but by His faithfulness. How long will He guard us? Until Jesus Christ returns, we will share in the full revelation of His great salvation. This same truth is repeated in verse 9. It is encouraging to know that we are "guarded for glory." According to Romans 8:30, we have already been glorified. All that awaits is the public revelation of this glory (Rom. 8:18-23). If any believer were lost, it would rob God of His glory. God is so certain that we will be in heaven that He has already given us His glory as the assurance (John 17:24;

Eph. 1:13-14).

The assurance of heaven is a great help to us today. As Dr. James M. Gray expressed it in one of his songs, "Who can mind the journey when the road leads home?" If suffering today means glory tomorrow. dhen settings. become a, blessin vi be followed by eternal suffering away from the glory of God (2 Thes. 1:3-10). In the light of this, ponder 2

Corinthians 4:7-18 and rejoice!

3. Christians are being prepared for glory

(1:6-7)

We must remember that all God plans and performs here is preparation for what He has in store for us in heaven. He is preparing us for the life and service yet to come. Nobody yet knows all that is in store for us in heaven; but this we do know: life today is a school in which God trains us for our future ministry in eternity. This explains the presence of trials in our lives: they are some of God's tools and textbooks in the school of Christian experience.

Peter used the word "trials" rather than “tribulations” or "persecutions" because he was dealing with the general problems that Christians face as unbelievers surround them. He shared several facts about trials.

A. TRIALS MEET NEEDS. The phrase "if need be" indicates that there are special times when God knows we must go through trials. Sometimes trials discipline us when we have disobeyed God's will (Ps. 119:67). At other times, trials prepare us for spiritual growth, or even help to prevent us from sinning (2 Cor. 12:1-9). We do not always know the need being met, but we can trust God to know and

to do what is best.

B. TRIALS ARE VARIED.

Peter used the word "mani-fold," which literally means "variegated, many-colored.” He used the same word to describe God's grace in 4:10. No matter what "color" our day may be- -a "blue" Monday or a "gray" Tuesday- God has grace sufficient to meet the need. We must not think that because we have overcome one kind of trial that we will automatically "win them all." Trials are varied, and God matches the trial to our strengths and needs.

C. TRIALS ARE NOT EASY. Peter did not suggest that we take a careless attitude toward trials, because this would be deceitful. Trials produce what he called

"heaviness." The word means "to experience grief or pain." It is used to describe our Lord in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:37), and the sorrow of saints at the death of loved ones (1 Thes. 4:13). To deny that our trials are painful is to make them even worse. Christians must accept that there are difficult experiences in life and not put on a brave front to appear "more spiritual."

D. TRIALS ARE CONTROLLED BY GoD. They do not last forever; they are "for a season." When God permits His children to go through the furnace, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. If we rebel, He may have to reset the clock; but if we submit, He will not permit us to suffer one minute too long. The important thing is that we learn the

It's Glory All the Way! / 25

lesson He wants to teach us and that we bring glory to Him alone.

Peter illustrated this truth by referring to the gold-smith. No goldsmith would deliberately waste the precious ore. He would put it into the smelting furnace long enough to remove the cheap impurities, then pour it out and make a beautiful article of value from it. It has been said that the eastern goldsmith kept the metal in the furnace until he could see his face reflected in it. So our Lord keeps us in the furnace of suffering until we reflect the glory and beauty of Jesus Christ.

The critical point is that this glory is not fully revealed until Jesus returns for His church. Our trying experiences today are preparing us for glory tomorrow. When we see Jesus Christ, we will bring

"praise and honor and glory" to Him if we have been faithful in the sufferings of this life. (See Rom.

8:17-18. This explains why Peter associated rejoicing with suffering. While we may not be able to rejoice as we look around in our trials, we can rejoice as we look ahead. The word "this" in verse 6 (NASB) refers back to the "salvation" (the return of Christ) mentioned in verse 5.

Just as the assayer tests the gold to see if it is pure gold or counterfeit, so the trials of life test our faith to prove its sincerity. A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted! Too many professing Christians have a "false faith" and this will be revealed in the trials of life. The seed that fell on shallow soil produced rootless plants, and the plants died when the sun came up (see Matt. 13:1-9, 18-23). The sun in the parable represents "tribulation or persecution." The person who abandons "his faith" when the going gets tough is only proving that he really had no faith at all.

26 / Be Hopeful

The patriarch Job went through many painful trials, all of them with God's approval; and yet he understood somewhat of this truth about the refiner's fire. "But He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10. And he did!

It is encouraging to know that we are born for glory, kept for glory, and prepared for glory.

But the fourth discovery Peter shared with his readers is perhaps the most exciting.

4. Christians can enjoy the glory now (1:8-12)

The Christian philosophy of life is not "pie in the sky by and by." It carries with it a present dynamic that can turn suffering into glory today. Peter gave four directions for enjoying the glory now, even in the midst of trials.

A. LovE CHrIST (1:8). Our love for Christ is not based on physical sight, because we have not seen Him. It is based on our spiritual relationship with Him and what the Word has taught us about Him.

The Holy Spirit has poured out God's love into our hearts (Rom. 5:5), and we return that love to Him.

When you find yourself in some trial and hurt, immediately lift your heart to Christ in true love and worship. Why? Because this will take the poison out of the experience and replace it with healing medi-

cine.

Satan wants to use life's trials to bring out the worst in us, but God wants to bring out the best in us. If we love ourselves more than we love Christ, then we will not experience any of the glory now.

The fire will burn us, not purify us.

B. TRUST CHRISt (1:8). We must live by faith and not by sight. An elderly lady fell and broke her leg while attending a summer Bible conference. She said me to the conference. But I don't see why this had to happen! And I don't see any good coming from it." Wisely, the pastor replied, "Romans 8:28 doesn't say that we see all things working together for good.

It says that we know it."

Faith means surrendering all to God and obeying His Word despite circumstances and consequences. Love and faith go together: when you love someone, you trust him. And faith and love together help to strengthen hope; for where you find faith and love, you will find confidence for the future.

How can we grow in faith during times of testing and suffering? The same way we grow in faith when things seem to be going well: by feeding on the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). Our fellowship with Christ through His Word strengthens our faith and deepens our love. It is a basic principle of Christian living that we spend much time in the Word when God is testing us, and Satan is tempting US.

C. REJOICE IN CHRIST (1:8).

You may not be able to rejoice over the circumstances, but you can rejoice in them by centering your heart and mind on Jesus Christ. Each trial experience helps us learn something new and wonderful about our Saviour. Abraham discovered new truths about the Lord on the mount where he offered his son (Gen. 22). The three Hebrew children discovered His nearness when they went through the fiery furnace (Dan. 3). Paul learned the sufficiency of His grace when he suffered with a thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12).

Note that the joy He produces is "unspeakable and full of glory." This joy is so deep and wonderful that we cannot express it. Words fail us!

Peter had seen some of the glory on the Mount of and Elish Hie own imponding ouffort. and Elijah His own impending suffering and death (Luke 9:28-36).

D. RECEIVE FROM CHRIST (1:9).

"Believing . .. Receiving. .." is God's way of meeting our needs. If we love Him, trust Him, and rejoice in Him, then we can receive from Him all that we need to turn trials into triumphs. Verse 9 can be translated "For you are receiving the consummation of your faith, that is, the final salvation of your souls." In other words, we can experience today some of that future glory.

Charles Spurgeon used to say, "Little faith will take your soul to heaven, but great faith will bring heaven to your soul." It is not enough that we long for heaven during times of suffering, for anybody can do that. What Peter urged his readers to do was exercise love, faith, and rejoicing, so that they might experience some of the glory of heaven in the midst of suffering now.

The fantastic thing is that this "salvation" we are awaiting--the return of Christ--was a part of God's great plan for us from eternity. The Old Testament prophets wrote about this salvation and studied what God revealed to them closely. They saw the sufferings of the Messiah and also the glory that would follow; but they could not fully understand the connection between the two. In fact, in some of the prophecies, the Messiah's sufferings and glory are blended in one verse or paragraph.

When Jesus came to earth, the Jewish teachers were awaiting a conquering Messiah to defeat Israel’s enemies and establish the glorious kingdom that was promised to David. Even His own disciples were unclear about the need for His death on the cross (Matt. 16:13-28). They were still inquiring about the Jewish kingdom even after His resurrection (Acts 1:1-8). If the disciples were not clear about God's program, indeed the Old Testament prophets could be excused!

God told the prophets that they were ministering for a future generation. Between the suffering of Messiah and His return in glory comes what we call

"the age of the church." The truth about the church was a hidden "mystery" in the Old Testament period (Eph. 3:1-13). The Old Testament believers looked ahead by faith and saw, as it were, two mountain peaks: Mount Calvary, where Messiah suffered and died (Isa. 53), and Mount Olivet, where He will return in glory (Zech. 14:4). They could not see the

"valley" in between, the present age of the church.

Even the angels are interested in what God is doing in and through His church! Read 1 Corinthians 4:9 and Ephesians 3:10 for further information on how God is "educating" the angels through the church.

If the Old Testament prophets searched so diligently into the truths of salvation, and yet had so little to go on, how much more ought we to search into this subject, now that we have a complete Word from God! The same Holy Spirit who taught the prophets and, through them, wrote the Word of God, can teach us its truths (John 16:12-15).

Furthermore, we can learn these truths from the Old Testament as well as from the New Testament.

You can find Christ in every part of the Old Testament Scriptures (Luke 24:25-27). What a delight it is to meet Christ in the Old Testament Law, the types, the Psalms, and the writings of the prophets. In times of trial, you can turn to the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, and find all that you need for encouragement and enlightenment.

Yes, for Christians, it is glory all the way! When we trusted Christ, and we were born for glory. We are being kept for glory. As we obey Him and experience trials, we are prepared for glory. When we love, trust, and rejoice in Him, we experience the glory here and now.

Joy unspeakable and full of glory!