And Gives Me Peace

The Peace of An Imperishable Inheritance

4.16.23 [1 Peter 1:3-9] River of Life (2nd Sunday of Easter)

Grace and peace are yours, now and forever, because your risen Christ Jesus lives and reigns now and forever. Amen.

Matt and Hannah spent their early married years as most young couples do. Bouncing around from crummy rental to crummy rental. There was the studio apartment that looked cute and cozy and safe during the day but sounded like a war zone at night. The duplex that was infested with cockroaches. And the house where major things were always broken and they could never get ahold of their landlord. With each passing month—and each rent check—their resolve grew. Matt and Hannah were bound and determined to buy their own place.

Finally—after years of eating in, stay-cations, and side-hustles—they had saved up enough for a downpayment. But the market was rough.

Each time they found a house they loved, someone else beat them to the punch. Finally, they heard those magical words: Accepted offer.

There were a few unanticipated hiccups with the financing, inspection and not getting their security deposit back. But they were still excited when they closed. It wasn’t perfect, but it was theirs. She had dreams of renovating the kitchen. He wanted a man-cave/workshop/gym in the garage. They both agreed the master bathroom needed to be updated.

But it seemed like every couple of months, something broke. First, it was the dishwasher. Then the HOA jacked up their fees to keep up with inflation. When Matt started renovating the bathroom, they discovered the project was more than what some Youtube-trained weekend warriors could tackle. The air conditioner started making clunking & screeching noises every time it kicked on. Then they got their water bill and found out they had a major leak somewhere. Homeownership wasn’t all sunshine and puppies. Matt & Hannah were so excited when they closed, but now they were weary and worried. They wondered if everybody was overselling homeownership. Maybe it wasn’t for them?

Sometimes, as Christians, we feel like Matt and Hannah, don’t we? We have these joyful moments, like Easter Sunday. Everyone is dressed up and smiling and singing beautifully and boisterously shouting he is risen indeed! And then your joy fades. You get back to real life.

And in real life, you have real problems. You have money problems. Work problems. Health problems. Family problems. Spiritual problems. You’ve had seasons of grief and hardship, sadness and sufferings.

You know that you’re not alone. You know that your fellow believers have their own challenges. But sometimes, it feels like you have a few more than most everybody else. Sometimes, you wonder if you didn’t do something different than the rest. Sometimes you fear that maybe you messed something up along the way that is making your walk with Jesus just a little bit tougher than everyone else. Everyone else seems to not have any of your fears, your worries, or your doubts. So, you wonder, maybe it’s just not for me?

If you’ve ever thought or felt like that, it’s good for you to look at the disciples today. Thomas is the one who grabs our attention. He speaks what we’re thinking. We want to see the risen Jesus in flesh and blood.

But don’t stop with Thomas. Today, our readings from Acts 2 and 1 Peter 1, focus on Peter. Peter boldly tells the crowd that Jesus, the one they (Acts. 2:23) nailed to the cross, is (Acts. 2:31) the Messiah and (Acts. 2:32) was raised to life by God. Peter is the one who talks about (1 Pt. 1:3) God’s great mercy that has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter speaks with confidence and clarity, with hope and joy. And it’s easy for us to think that he’s just different. That his faith is a little more robust and that’s why he’s an apostle and we’re not.

But that misses what Peter tells us about us and what the rest of Scripture shows us about Peter. Listen to what Peter says about you: (1 Pt. 1:8) Though you have not seen him, you love him. Even though you do not see him now, you believe in him. Peter has never met you. but he is describing you to a T! You haven’t seen Jesus. But you know he loves you and you love him. You don’t see him now, but you don’t doubt he really is the Son of God and your Savior. Like Peter, you do love Jesus. Like Peter, you do believe he is your Savior.

And let’s put to bed any notion that Peter was something special on his own. When Peter was most sure of himself, he was most wrong. Peter was quite sure of himself when he rebuked Jesus and all that talk of suffering, death, and resurrection. But Peter was very wrong.

Peter was quite sure of himself when he told Jesus even if all fall away, I won’t. I’ll die by your side. But Peter was very wrong.

Peter, and all the other disciples, seemed to be very sure of themselves when on Easter Sunday they dismissed what the women said about Jesus rising from the dead as (Lk. 24:11) nonsense. They were sure the doors needed to be locked, not just on Easter Sunday night, but a week after that, too. So what changed?

Well, Peter and the other disciples, began to recognize what made their faith of greater worth than gold. Peter’s faith was not of greater worth than gold because he was such a good believer, because he was so strong, so staunch, or so steadfast. Putting your faith in being faithful is actually what got Peter into so much trouble.

And it does the same thing for us. It’s really easy for us to think that we need to prove that our faith is the real McCoy. To live and act as if we need to show God how genuinely we are committed to him. When that becomes our aim, we will often find ourselves discouraged, disappointed, & disillusioned. Because if we have to prove to God that we really do believe in him, that we are truly believers, then what are we to make of our weak moments? What are we to do with all those times when we complain instead of praise, when we doubt instead of trust, when we are filled with reservations instead of rejoicing?

In these moments, when we are assailed with doubts, worries, and fears, we must consider what God is actually telling us here. God tells us that the reason we can rejoice greatly, even when we are suffering, is because of what God has done, is doing, and promises to do for us.

First, look at what God has done for you. He has given you a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. God has created something new in you. Because of his great love for you, which he demonstrated in sending his Son as your Substitute and Savior, you now love God. This is a radical transformation.

By nature, we were hostile to God. We were suspicious of everything he said and wanted. We hated what he loved and loved what he hated.

But that is not the new you! Because of his sacrificial love for you, you have been made alive. You have been made his own beloved child through the waters of Baptism. You have a desire to do what is good, even when it means you might suffer for doing the right thing. You strive to love your enemies. You seek to be self-disciplined and selfless. You try to live a life of contentment and generosity and give glory to God. Why? Not because of you. God made that happen.

And that same God who birthed in you this desire for goodness and righteousness and sacrificial love, promises you two important things.

He is keeping an inheritance for you and he is shielding you until you receive it. Grasping both of these promises is crucial for us. We need both of these truths to help us process and navigate the here & now. Consider what an inheritance is. It’s a gift from someone who cares about you. It’s something that has been promised to you, but you have not yet received. It’s something that’s yours, but not now.

This is how God describes heaven for us. Eternity with him is his gift to us. Christ secured this gift for us through his sacrificial death and his glorious resurrection. When he died, he died in our place, but he didn’t stay dead. God raised him up again. When we die, we won’t stay dead. On the last day, God will raise our bodies up from the grave, he will reunite our souls with our gloriously transformed flesh and blood. On that day, heaven will rejoice to welcome believers into inexpressible and glorious joy. Heaven will exceed everything we can think or imagine. This is what God has promised to us. But we haven’t received it yet. It is ours, but not now.

Now, for a little while, God, in his wisdom and love has determined that all kinds of trials and griefs serve to our benefit. How can that be?

Well, think back to Matt and Hannah. What made them eager for a place they could call their own? Living in rentals. Living in places that looked cute, cozy, and safe, but we're really not. That’s life in this world for the Christian.

Many do not see the dangers we do. They tell us it’s fine, that we are overreacting. But we see the spiritual warfare going on. We know this world is not safe for our souls. But God promises our inheritance, us being in heaven, will never perish. Through his Word, he will keep us safe from the attacks of the evil one. You are shielded by God’s power.

Others have grown used to the defiling impact of the wicked world. They see spiritual cockroaches and tell us we shouldn’t be concerned or grossed out. God loathes that lack of righteous backlash. He also promises that our spiritual inheritance, cannot be spoiled or defiled by the wickedness of this world. It is being kept in heaven for you.

And for now, we are always confronted with the brokenness of life in this world. Communities, workplaces, relationships, and people we love are broken in ways we cannot fix. We grieve over this brokenness. We also find comfort that it only lasts a little while. The brokenness will be done away with. (Rev. 21:4) God will wipe away every tear from our eyes and there will be no more pain, or mourning, or brokenness or death. That old order of things will pass away. The sufferings we experience in this life strengthen our resolve and intensify the anticipation of our inheritance.

And our inheritance is different than Matt & Hannah’s first home. In heaven, there won’t be renovation projects or surprise bills. things won’t break down. Praise be to God for giving us this great gift! Amen.