Remembering Our Saviour

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 medicine.

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 (IPETER 1:8

1 Peter 1:8 KJV 1900

8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

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 (I PETER 1:9

1 Peter 1:9 KJV 1900

9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

"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!