Theology and Doxology

Introduction

LET’S PRAY. Today Text: 1 Peter 1:3-5 Please rise for the reading of God’s word. (read) Please be seated. Theme: The God of our salvation is worthy of our praise, because he gives us new life, keeps our inheritance, and preserves us to the end. Main Points 1. Gives us New Life (v3) 2. Keeps our inheritance (v4) 3. Preserves us to the end (5) The opening sentence in our text is where we draw the theme from. So, before we get into the main points, we are going to open our passage this morning by briefly considering the beginning of verse three. Thinking about the blessing Peter proclaims here and what it means will help us understand what he’s doing with the rest of this text. Our passage opens with Peter proclaiming a blessing: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” Blessing isn’t a concept we are super familiar with anymore, and it’s used a few different ways in the Bible. A blessing is not a magical spell. A blessing does not carry with it power that causes it to be true. When the angel says “Blessed art thou among women” to Mary, it means favored or happy. He’s declaring something that’s true about Mary. She is favored among women. When Isaac blesses Jacob, his act of blessing doesn’t cause Jacob to have a great life. Isaac is prophesying about how the Lord will fulfill his covenant promises and show his favor to Jacob. He is merely speaking what is already true. When you see Scripture proclaiming “blessed be the Lord,” it’s another way of saying “praised be the Lord.” Peter is praising God by proclaiming what is already true of God. One of God’s attributes is that he is unchangeable. When we praise the Lord, we don’t make the Lord more glorious. We don’t add to his glory. We simply magnify the glory he possesses. Think about how a magnifying glass works. When I look through a magnifying glass at something, it helps me see details that are already there by making them clearer for me. My eyes aren’t strong enough to see what’s already there. That’s what Peter’s praise and our text is doing this morning. It magnifies God’s praiseworthiness by making who he is and what he has done for us in our salvation more clear to us. Our passage this morning is a doxology. Think of how the doxology we sing at the end of our worship service opens: “Praise God from whom all blessings flow” Peter praises God, and then speaks of the blessings of salvation that flow from him—and the purpose of speaking of the blessings of our salvation is to strengthen us, and cause us to praise God too. And that brings us to our first point.

1. Gives us New Life (v3)

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, (1 Pet. 1:3 ESV) See how the logic of the passage works? Praise, then the reason for praise: Who God is and what he has done for us in salvation. And the first reason for praise this morning is that God has caused us to be born again. He gives us new life. Within this point, we are going to consider 1) the REASON God saves us, 2) the WAY he saves us, and 3) the EFFECT the new birth has in us. REASON. God the Father causes us to be born again. Why does God the Father cause us to be born again? Peter says it’s according to his great mercy. God does what he does because God is who he is. God is a God of great mercy. Therefore, he acts with great mercy. God is not only merciful; he is most merciful. God possesses all of the qualities of mercy within himself, and whenever we show one another mercy, we are simply imitating him—he’s the original. Micah 7:18-19 18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. 19 He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. God is merciful! Why does he not retain his anger forever? Because he delights in steadfast love. It’s not because of anything in US. It’s because of something in God—his abundant mercy. Let’s apply this briefly before we continue with the rest of this point. We must recognize that God’s mercy alone is what causes him to save us, and not anything in ourselves. We need to be careful not to sneak anything in that makes us merit some sort of help from God. I was praying one day for the Lord to forgive my sins, and paused as I thought of how to describe myself. Given the choice between saying that I was a sinful man or that I was a broken sinner, I chose broken sinner. That moment of decision stuck with me. I choked on saying “I am a sinful man, Lord,” but felt free to confess “I am a broken sinner, Lord.” That was a problem. So here’s why I came to the conclusion that that was a problem. Here's the problem that comes from thinking of our sinful natures primarily as brokenness. Who deserves help? The weak. The helpless. Victims. The oppressed. Sin is something I do. But brokenness as understood by our culture is different. You see, something bad happened to me and now I am broken. A just God punishes sin. But a just God should also help someone who’s broken and can’t help themselves, shouldn’t he? If you like to think of your sin as brokenness… Make sure you aren’t giving yourself a dash of virtuous victimhood that makes you deserving of a little help. To do so denies that it is God’s great mercy alone that caused him to set his love on you. Now that we’ve considered the reason God gives us new life—let’s consider the how. HOW. How did God cause us to be born again? Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Jesus overcame death by his resurrection. 1 Cor 15:21-22 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Cor. 15:21-22 ESV) Adam brought death into the world when he sinned; the wages of sin is death. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, he really and truly died in his human nature. His body was buried. His body and soul continued in the state of the dead, under the power of death, until the third day. He took the full wages of sin on himself—including death. But he rose again. Death could not contain him. He conquered death. He conquered death so that he might give you life! Now, some of you may be wondering why Peter says the Father is the cause of our new birth, when Scripture is clear that the Holy Spirit is the one who applies to us the benefits of redemption. When we come to something that’s difficult to understand, we have to look elsewhere to help us understand it. Scripture interprets scripture. Like I just said, Scripture is clear that the Holy Spirit is the one who gives us the new birth. I’m not interested in proving that this morning, but I can help resolve the tension. One of our neighbors asked for a cup of milk the other day. So Katie gave her a cup of milk. Also, Ellie gave her a cup of milk. How are both of these things true? The neighbor asked for a cup of milk. Katie gave her a cup of milk by having Ellie run over to her house and hand her a cup of milk. Don’t press the analogy too far, but I hope you get the idea. The Father causes the new birth through the resurrection of Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit. Now we are going to consider the EFFECT of the new birth God gives us. The effect of our new birth is that we are born again to a living hope. Consider Romans 8:24-25 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Hope in the New Testament is certainty; it’s confidence; it’s trust in something that you know is going to happen but hasn’t happened yet. How do I know I’m going to get home from church today? I have hope that my car will start. My hope is grounded in the fact that I know my car will drive me home. It isn’t driving me home right now, but it’s waiting for me outside and is ready for me to drive. This is a reasonable hope. I hope I will win the lottery. This is an unreasonable hope. I can have no expectation or confidence that this will happen, least of all because I haven’t purchased any lottery tickets. Our living hope is our confidence in the promises of God; that what he has done he has done for us, and that will do what he has said he will do for us. Christ is the grounds for this hope, and the Spirit is the one who gives it life within us as part of our new life. There are at least two good reasons to call our hope living hope. First, because it is a fruit of Christ’s resurrection and our new birth. If faith is our receiving and resting upon Jesus Christ alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel, hope is our believing that the future promises of God are ours as well in Christ. When we look at what Jesus has accomplished for us, at the new birth alone that we have in him because of his resurrection from the dead, we can trust that he’s not going to suddenly take that away from us. Second, because it drives us to action. This hope causes us to live for those promises in the patient expectation that they are ours. No matter how what happens in our lives, we have grounds for continuing to live and act faithfully knowing that we are striving toward future promises that we know will one day be fulfilled. All of this should point us back to the one who is worthy of all praise. This brings us to the end of our first point this morning. Summary: 1. Gives us New Life (v3) Summary: The God of our salvation is worthy of our praise, because he gives us new life.

2. Keeps our inheritance (v4)

Our text tells us that we are born again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to two things: The first is a living hope, which we discussed as part of our previous point. It’s a grounded and reasonable expectation that God will fulfill his future promises to us, and it drives us to action. The second thing our text tells us that we are born again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to is an inheritance. The inheritance is the future promise our living hope points us to. So far in our passage Peter has stressed the unilateral action of God in our salvation. Now we come to an inheritance, which hammers this theme home further. I am born into an inheritance. Unless the Lord returns first, my parents will one day leave me an inheritance when they die. I didn’t work for it or contribute to it; I didn’t do anything to deserve it; it belongs to my parents and they are keeping it for me until the appointed time. Yes, there’s always the possibility, that they could lose everything, or that we could become estranged, or that I could pass away first and my share could go to someone else. But that’s not how it is with God’s promises, is it? Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Peter ascribes four qualities to the inheritance we have born again to. It is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, and it is kept for us. The first three words Peter uses to describe our inheritance should really catch our attention. He doesn’t tell us what our inheritance IS; he tells us what it ISN’T. Let me try to illustrate why this is important by describing Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza to you. I can try to tell you what it IS by comparing it to things you’re familiar with. A Mexican Pizza has two crunchy taco shells, but they’re flat, and one is on each side of the filling, kind of like a sandwich, and you really need to eat it with a spork, like a salad, but it doesn’t have lettuce, although it is topped with diced tomatoes, and it tastes extra good when you put at least two packs of hot sauce on it. If you’re familiar with those things, you might have a general idea of what a Mexican Pizza is. But I’m still having to compare it to something else you’re familiar with to give you an idea. But what happens when it’s so incredible that there’s really nothing else to compare it to? At some point you’ll understand better what it is by me telling you what it isn’t. Let’s revisit the Mexican Pizza and describe it by what it isn’t. It isn’t Mexican, it isn’t a pizza, and it isn’t half bad. This may be a silly illustration, but the point is simple: How do I describe something to you that’s incomparable? How do I tell you about something that you can’t even begin to imagine properly? One more brief illustration— this time using the opening of Lewis Carrol’s poem “Jabberwocky.” Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimbel in the wabe. All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. You can’t imagine that because you have nothing to compare it to! I can really only tell you what it is by telling you what it isn’t. It’s nonsense. It’s not sense. If you’re still hung up on this idea and it matters deeply to you, come find me afterward. Consider 1 Cor 2:9: But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him" Peter describes our inheritance as sons and daughters of God primarily by what it isn’t, because it’s so good nothing else compares and we can’t really even begin to imagine it. It is imperishable. It’s not perishable. It doesn’t perish. Impervious to corruption and death; incorruptible, immortal. It is undefiled. It’s not defiled. It is unspoiled. It is pure. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore. It is unfading. It’s not fading. Think of a flower that has just bloomed, and remains in that perfect beauty forever without losing its pristine beauty. To be unfading is to be eternally fresh. Elsewhere in Scripture we see various terms being used to describe this inheritance. In Colossians, it’s the hope laid up for you in heaven, and the inheritance of the saints in light; in Timothy, it’s called the crown of righteousness; in Matthew, it’s the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; in 1 Corinthians, it’s an imperishable wreath, a trophy awarded to the first place athlete. It's a new heavens and a new earth. A mansion with many rooms. A heavenly city. One of the clearest pictures we get in all of Scripture helps to explain why it’s better than we can imagine. Let’s look at Revelation 21:2-4 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." We can’t describe our inheritance by comparing it to things that exist now because the things that exist now will have passed away. But more importantly, we will be in the presence of God. Not now, where we see him dimly, as though a veil, but we will see him clearly. Can you imagine standing face-to-face with Jesus Christ? The words used in our passage—imperishable, unfading, undefiled—are true of God himself. The reason our inheritance will be so wonderful is that God himself will dwell among us. Sin, death, and sorrow will be no more. And it’s being kept for us. God, the one who began the work of salvation in us, is saving the end of our salvation for the day we come to it. Brothers and sisters, if you have placed your trust in Jesus Christ this morning, he has saved you from your sin. It is an accomplished fact. But your salvation is not yet complete. It is not yet perfected. This is not all there is. In your life you are being made more like Christ. And there is still an inheritance, imperishable, unfading, and undefiled, being kept for you for the right time. There’s more to come, and it’s better than you can possibly imagine. So, what do we do with this? How can we apply the knowledge of what’s coming to how we live today? Here’s a very basic application. Let’s check our attitude toward being in the presence of God by checking our attitudes toward corporate worship. That’s what we are doing this morning—we’ve gathered together, with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are in the presence of God and the angels this morning. When we worship in spirit and in truth, when our hearts are most turned toward the Lord, we have a foretaste of our coming inheritance. So how do we feel about church? Is this a chore? Is this something that we do when other, more important things don’t come first? If gathering with the saints, coming into the presence of the Lord, and worshipping him now is a chore… What makes you think you’re going to like it for eternity? Our attitude should be one of praise, and the greatness of our sure inheritance and the foretaste we receive now is exactly what we need, because it is what God has given to us. So what’s the point? Summary: 2. Keeps our inheritance (v4) Summary: Our souls should sing God’s praises today, because he keeps our inheritance.

3. Preserves us to the end (5)

The inheritance we just considered is being kept for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Verse 5. You’ve heard this alluded to a few times indirectly. God began the work in you by his mercy. He gave you the new birth through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. He keeps an inheritance for you that is better than you can ever possibly imagine. And—to our third point this morning specifically—he guards you by his power through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. God’s power is engaged on your behalf. Think about that for a moment. If God is for us, who can be against us? God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God made all things of nothing. Everything that exists apart from him he spoke into being. God governs the universe. He’s not the god of the Deists, who made the world and is content to sit back passively and watch gravity do its thing. The only reason the law of gravity is in effect this morning keeping us from flying off into space is because God is actively governing the universe by his power today. I read the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy many years ago. I read the whole series. I don’t remember which one of the books it was in, but there was a torture device that nobody could endure without going instantly insane. They’d strap you in inside this device, close you up in it, and leave you alone for a few moments. All the device did was show you the true size, majesty, and complexity of the universe, and then a sign would pop up that says “YOU ARE HERE” with a little helpful arrow that shows you where you are. When people saw how small they truly were in context against the backdrop of the entire universe, they couldn’t handle it. The same God who controls supernovas and keeps subatomic quarks spinning at the speed of light has engaged his almighty power—for his sons and daughters. For you. And what is he doing with this power, the same power he upholds the entire universe with, for you? He is guarding you. He is watching over you. He is keeping you safe. He is preserving you. He never slumbers, nor sleeps. He will never leave nor forsake you. He is your rock, your refuge, your high tower, your shield, your hiding place. He keeps you beneath the shelter of his wings. He’s guarding you through faith—not his faith, but your faith. This tells us what kind of guarding God is doing. It’s not discomfort, or hardship, or suffering God is guarding us from. In fact, part of the reason this letter was written was to provide comfort to the believers who were suffering for their faith. I suspect we will hear more about this next week. We see Saul breathing threats and murder against the Church in Acts. We know from our own experiences that to follow Christ faithfully means you will suffer. If the world hated Christ, why would the world love his people? 2 Timothy 3:12 says that all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But God guards you—through faith. In faith, we receive and rest on Christ alone for salvation, as he is freely offered to us in the gospel. We know the Lord, and we trust in him. Your very faith is a gift from the Lord, and it is the gift through which he guards you by his power. He’s guarding us. He’s preserving us for a purpose, and that purpose is to bring us to the salvation which is ready to be revealed in the last time. We already know what this salvation ready to be revealed is, because we looked at it in our last point. It’s the inheritance he is keeping for us. This doctrine we are discussing is frequently called the Preservation of the Saints. It’s one of the doctrines of grace that the Reformers re-discovered. Cardinal Bellarmine, one of the great Catholic thinkers of the counter-reformation, said this doctrine was one of the worst heresies to come out of the Reformation. What made him say this? Well, the thinking went that if we know we can’t lose our salvation, we will be less motivated to live for him. We will feel freer to sin and live scandalously, because we know we are safe and there’s nothing we have to do. Brothers and sisters, if this is your reaction to the knowledge that God will bring you home to him safely, you have completely missed the point. We are not to sin that grace may abound. We are told to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Trusting in the Lord bears fruit. We saw this over and over again in our study in 1 John. We need to be reminded of this truth because we, like children, so often fail to appreciate what the Lord is doing for us, and why he is doing it. When we go places in the van as a family, my children don’t always trust me to get them to their destination. We’ll pass a random stoplight in the middle of a place we’ve never been before and suddenly I get grilled: “Are you sure that wasn’t our turn? That looks like it was our turn.” I mean, I’m following GPS, and I know for a fact you’ve never been through this intersection before. I am your father. I put you in the car. I buckled you up. I am driving the car. I got you from America to Japan to America to California and did a lot of driving on the way. I will finish what I started and get you where I’m taking you because it’s what father’s do. Isn’t this us sometimes? Aren’t we doing something very similar when we wonder if God is going to bring us home to himself? He started the work of salvation; Jesus accomplished redemption; the Spirit indwells us and is conforming us to the image of Christ… but is God really going to finish what he started? Yes, he is. That’s why this doctrine should give us cause to praise the Lord. YOU, believer By God’s Power Are being Guarded Through Faith For a salvation Which is already ready to be revealed in the last time Summary: 3. Preserves us to the end (5) Summary: God will finish the work of salvation he began in you. He preserves us to the end. Praise the Lord.

Review and Conclusion

Theme: The God of our salvation is worthy of our praise, because he…

Main Points

1. Gives us New Life (v3)

2. Keeps our inheritance (v4)

3. Preserves us to the end (5)

So, in conclusion, what now? What do we do with this knowledge? Well, for starters, I hope it drives us to praise the Lord. That’s where Peter started this morning; that’s where we should finish this morning.

If it doesn’t give you cause to praise the Lord because you haven’t been born again to this living hope, what’s stopping you from placing your trust in Jesus Christ?

Brothers and sisters, when you leave here this morning, my desire is that your hearts sing Peter’s doxology with him:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Pet. 1:3 ESV)