3.1 Reasonable Worship

The Reasonableness of our Praise to God

Introduction: Last month we looked at Peter’s doxology (Blessed be the God and Father o our Lord Jesus Christ) in the opening of verse 3. We saw that Peter was ascribing blessing to God, but rather it was pronouncement of God’s inherent worthiness of all praise, honor, and glory. We saw the example of Jesus in the proclamation of God in both word and deed. And the application that if God the Son did so in willing submission to the God the Father, can we do any less. The of the question of the doxology at this point is why? Why is it here and why now? The thrust of the matter is the reasonableness of it. It is positioned between two great and glorious theological and Biblical truths of God’s Divine Election and God’s Divine Salvation. As Peter, through the inspiration of the Spirit, launches into his letter he cannot help but be overwhelmed. This teaches us something important. The basis of our personal, private doxologies and public worship rest not upon a worked up emotional fervor. It is and always should be based upon the blessed, clear, concrete, scripturally sound doctrine and theology. It is studying and meditating on these objective truths that should move us to spontaneous doxologies of praise to worship. That is the goal this morning. As we have looked into God’s divine election we will now turn our attention to His divine salvation.

1Pe 1:1-5  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,  (2)  elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.  (3)  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  (4)  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  (5)  who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

This morning we will look at God’s Divine Salvation in three points.

It’s Origin

It’s Destination

It’s Path

God’s Divine Salvation

It’s Origin – who according to His great mercy has caused

Just as in election, we see God is the originator of His salvation. Peter mentions an attribute of God; His great mercy. Mercy is defined by Webster’s dictionary as that benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. Judgement is certain until mercy is displayed. All throughout Scripture attributes are ascribed to God to help us understand the greatness of who He is. But God’s attributes are indistinguishable from His being. We use these words as a means of defining who He is, but we have it reversed. It is God who fills these words with meaning. These attributes like, glory, majesty, love, mercy, goodness are defined in God’s perfection. As God fills each of these words with meaning they take on another attribute: His infinitude. When we consider the infinitude of God we find ourselves plunged into the vast ocean of who God is which knows no height, depth, or breadth. Rather than being satisfied with the tidal pool or shallowness of our own limited understanding of God and His salvation; let us be explorers who by the Holy Spirit search the depths for the riches of knowing Him and understanding His great salvation. You are neither to young to begin or too old to start

You may ask, ‘If the mercy mentioned here finds it’s ultimate definition in God, why does Peter, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit use the adjective ‘GREAT’ here? It is to encourage us that God’s mercy is not limited, not just adequate, but great, super abundant, as limitless as God is infinite. Paul in Eph 2:4 uses the term rich. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us. Rich means wealth beyond measure. And God’s mercy has to be in light of God’s righteous judgement. He is infinitely just and righteous as His is infinite love and mercy. His perfect righteousness demands the penalty for sin. And those apart from Christ will drink from that cup of God’s wrath for eternity. 2Thess 1:7-9  when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,  (8)  in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (9)  These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

-The implication of it is this: if the riches of God’s mercy were a river, there’d be no dam large enough to diminish its flow. It is greater than the tsunami that crushed the shoreline of Japan years ago, or Hurricane Katrina’s storm surge that lifted homes off their foundation, scattered containers from cargo ships like so much kindling ½ a mile inshore. These were forces of destruction and death, but God’s mercy is for good and is so powerful, so deep, the gravest of sinners who has God’s mark for salvation upon them cannot hope to repulse it. And we see in the next few words that it isn’t repulsed.

-Has caused us to be born again. When we study the scriptures both the repetition of words is important but also the rarity. Here we have a word in the Greek that is only used twice in the NT and both in this letter. It is here in verse 3 and in 1Pe 1:23  having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.

In verse three is an Aorist Active Participle. Meaning that it was a completed act in the past with ongoing consequences.

Peter pictures man as dry, shriveled, and dead in sin until God implants the principles of the new life. When this happens, we sprout, leaf out, and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Eze 37:1-14  The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.  (2)  Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.  (3)  And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know."  (4)  Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!  (5)  Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.  (6)  I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD." ' "  (7)  So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.  (8)  Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.  (9)  Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." ' "  (10)  So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.  (11)  Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!'  (12)  Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.  (13)  Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.  (14)  I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.'

Note that to describe someone as a "born-again Christian" is redundant as there is no such thing as a "non-born-again Christian". An unregenerate (non-born-again) Christian is a contradiction in terms. By the power of God we have been given new life, making us partakers of His divine nature (2Pe 1:4) and thus children of God. Joh 1:12-13  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  (13)  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And so now we are waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons. Rom 8:23  Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

Pastor Steven Cole makes a good point writing that "We live in a culture which has taken some biblical words and used them in a way that redefines and cheapens them so that they no longer mean what the Bible means. But then they seep back into the vocabulary of Christians with their devalued meaning. Take the term “born again.” The media uses it to describe anyone who makes a comeback or gets a fresh start in life. A baseball team that has been in the cellar and suddenly starts winning is called “the born again” Dodgers. Chrysler under Lee Iacocca was a “born again” corporation. And so it’s not surprising when over 50 percent of Americans say that they’re “born again Christians.” They mean that they had some sort of religious or emotional experience that resulted in a fresh start in life. It may have involved praying to Jesus or “inviting Him into their hearts.” But in most cases, they have no idea what the Bible means by being born again. (Sermon) (Bolding added)

It’s Destination – to a living hope

Hope defined is a desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. Biblical hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy;

In our country today there is an epidemic of suicide among our veterans and our youth. I read an article where a 12 year old girl killed herself. Unbelievable that one so young would choose to end her live before it really began. Why do people commit suicide? At its most basic root it is because there is no hope for the future of hope of relief from whatever may be afflicting them. Ex: Tennis star Boris Becker was at the very top of the tennis world—yet he was on the brink of suicide. He said, “I had won Wimbledon twice before, once as the youngest player. I was rich. I had all the material possessions I needed. . . . It’s the old song of movie stars and pop stars who commit suicide. They have everything, and yet they are so unhappy. How many other examples can we think of? Having no hope is not limited to the poor or the infirm. Think of the many celebrities who seemingly had it all only to end their life early. Jimi Hendrix at the top of his career overdosed on barbiturates and drowned in his own vomit. Maybe we have people who were close to us lose hope and end their life. This world offers nothing, no answers to life’s most pressing questions. In my own life just before God saved me I had the same struggles.

But Peter takes it a step further. It is not just hope but a living hope, it is a living hope versus a dead hope. We consider the disciples of Jesus while still in the grave. They had the hope initially that Jesus would be the king that would deliver them from the hand of the Romans. Luk 24:21 "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened.

The NT also shows us that there is a vital need for us to have hope. NT hope has not only an objective content but also a subjective impact. When we fix our eyes on the future that God has in store for us, we taste the wonders of his transforming power. 1Jn 3:3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.. We are told that “faith and love (Col 1:4)…spring from the hope that is stored up for [us] in heaven” (Col 1:5) and that faith rests “on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised” (Titus 1:2).

What is more, hope brings us a deep sense of joy Rom 12:12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer. With hope we can maintain an optimistic outlook even when things go wrong (1Pe 3:15; cf. 1Pe 3:13-17). Our life will still have its stress and its personal tragedies. But the believer whose hope is in the Lord and who has a grasp of God’s plan will not be overcome.

We have a living hope:

Which Embraces. . .

A. the assurance of an incorruptible inheritance. (1Pe 1:4) ) to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you

B. a redemption purchased with a price of incomprehensible and incorruptible value (1Pe 1:18) knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

C. a life begotten of incorruptible seed. (1Pe 1:23) having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

Which is Contrasted with . . .

A. grief, which is for a season. 1Pe 1:6  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,

B. silver and gold, which perishes. 1Pe 1:18  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

C. the glory of man, which falls away. 1Pe 1:24  because "ALL FLESH IS AS GRASS, AND ALL THE GLORY OF MAN AS THE FLOWER OF THE GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND ITS FLOWER FALLS AWAY,

The surety of our hope is not based on a precept but a person Jesus Christ.

It’s Path – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

Often when we doubt the love of God for us we need to go to the Scripture to see the visible demonstration of His love. It is objective, it is codified in God’s word.

The word “Through” identifies the means or agency. The means and agency of God causing us to be born again to a living hope is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In his resurrection God confirms for us:

The Resurrection proved that Christ was divine.

Jesus proved His deity by fulfilling the prophecies of His death and by His return from the grave. Rom 1:4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,

The Resurrection proved Christ's power to forgive sin. The Bible asserts 1Co 15:17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. But verse 20 says 1Co 15:20  But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. The first fruit of anything means there is more to follow.

By rising Christ from the dead, Jesus proved His authority and power to break the bonds of sin and to assure forgiveness and eternal life to all whom God has called.

The Resurrection revealed Christ's power over death. Rom 6:9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him..

The Resurrection secured our victory over death as well Eph 2:6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus,

We have a living hope because Jesus has gone before us. God was well pleased to make Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that might become the righteousness of God in Him. God being pleased with the sacrifice of His Son was pleased to raise Him and all those whom He has caused to be born again through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

So then is reasonable for us to be overcome with praise and adoration of our God? When we have a right understanding of God, the sinfulness of sin, and the glory of salvation we cannot help but be over come.