Assured of Better Things For You
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1 Peter 1:6–7 (ESV)
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.
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If the apostate manifests his cultural and false Christianity by going out from among the saints, then how does the genuine believer manifest his faith? By his staying power, by remaining and by working.
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Main Point: Assured of better things for you. How do we know that we are believers? Its one thing to have faith, its another to know that we have faith.
Notice here what I did not say. I did not say this is how one becomes a believer, but rather how does one manifest their faith. The author says here in verse says that theses are the things that belong to salvation. NASB puts it “things that accompany salvation” How can we know and be assured that we are genuine. BECAUSE OF OUR LOVE AND WORK FOR THE SAINTS. It means that the necessary and good result of genuine faith is works
CAUSE AND EFFECT
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
I want to remind you as we talked about last week, what is it that prompts the apostate to walk away? Its not the mountain top high but the low valley, it is persecution. What happens when the one who is intellectually convinced but does not have genuine faith in Christ, what do they posses that will take them through the hardships of the Christian life? Who do they have if they have rejected Christ by abandoning his saints?
Here the author of Hebrews is sort of softening his tone, tempering his previous harshness with an encouraging and hopeful statement.
My children especially when they were younger I would set them aside and discipline them. Which at the time seemed very harsh to them, but afterwards I would usually spend some time with them down at their level, and reassure them of my love and play with them or hug them or even tickle them to reassure them of my gentleness and love for them. The author is doing the same for us, “We feel sure of better things”
5:11-6:8 milk- get on with it- impossible to remain
That’s not who you are.
Parenting outward obedience don’t touch stove, don’t go in road.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
The Faith of the Saints
The Faith of the Saints
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
Where does faith belong? To whom was it delivered, to the world? No right here among us.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
The hope of the Saints
The hope of the Saints
In Hebrews 11 we see that the men and women who had the faith and the hope of things yet seen were men and women of action. Their patience bears witness to their hope, the fact that we look for what our earthly eyes cannot see but only what the eyes of faith can perceive.
DO NOT BE SLUGGISH - Be quick to serve others. If you are not sure then do it. Rather be accused to doing too much or staying too long, or showing up when you are not wanted then to be accused of not showing up at all.
When you see a need, don’t ask just do it.
Love for the Saints.
Love for the Saints.
God does not overlook your work of love distinguishes between good and evil.
But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
What does love for the Saints mean? Well for these believers it means to identify with the Saints that were suffering. It meant to remain faithful and with the people of God in the midst of persecution.
“persecution is the clash between two irreconcilable value systems.” John Stott
One of the greatest paradoxes in Christian history is that the church is most pure in times of cultural hostility. When things are easy and good, that is when the church most often goes astray. When Christianity seems identical with the culture and even when the church seems to be enjoying its greatest earthly success, then it is weakest. Conversely, when the church encounters hardship, persecution, and suffering… then it is closest to its crucified Lord, then there are fewer hypocrites and nominal believers among its members, and then the faith of Christians burns most intensely. Jonathan Edwards
They clearly had identified with the stigma of Jesus through their public display of love for the saints.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
I come from a Line of Leavers. Out of the garden gate with an apple in their hand. But that's not who you are. Like a race horse with a pedigree that is breed to run, so we are of the seed of God that is born to walk in faith, hope and love.
Why doe we struggle with assurance, because we are so self focused. When we are busy serving others, we don’t have time to mope and complain or even give attention to our woes.
So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.