Faith's Reward - manuscript
Faith’s Reward
1 Peter 1:9
The scripture reads, “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”
The greatest blessing we receive is that which is upon us each and every day, our salvation. If I thought as so many professing Christians do today, that I could never be sure of whether or not I was saved, how miserable I would be. I think that would be the cruelest joke God could play. The scriptures tell us that salvation is of the Lord. It was Christ who died on that cross. It was Christ the divine second person in the trinity that shed His precious blood for us. We neither had any part in it nor do we contribute to it now! The passages here in this first chapter of Peter of which I have been preaching on, show us that the faith which we have, has been given by God (Ephesians 2:8-9) and is effected by God (1 Peter 1:5, “Who are kept by the power of God through faith…”). Once we have been “born again” (John 3:3) we have been changed (2 Corinthians 5:17). In other words I believe because God affects my faith, it is not blind faith.
There is a great blessing in understanding our salvation and the comfort it brings, especially when we face temptations or trials. But before we can understand this there is of necessity a surrendering, which must be exercised on our part. When we surrender we trust fully in the ability and power of God and not ourselves. The first thing I would have you see in our text is I. THE SURRENDERED LIFE ANTICIPATES THE RECEPTION OF GOD’S PRECIOUS GIFT. It is the culmination of daily faith. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thy own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy paths.” Oh, how many Christians have memorized this verse, yet still find no real peace in a surrendered life. Yet this is exactly what Peter is getting at. When we trust in the Lord and allow Him to direct our paths, we are surrendering ourselves to Him, allowing Him to be in control. We then find contentment because we worry not nor fret over situations. We are then free to ponder the incredible salvation we have received from God, and anticipate our union with Him. We also find that the anticipation of this precious gift is a complete salvation. We are just as saved now as we were the moment we first trusted Christ, and will be no more saved when we join Him in His kingdom. But, we will be complete, especially after the resurrection of our bodies. The second thing I would have you see is that II. THE SURRENDERED LIFE OVERCOMES THE WORLD AND ENDS IN GLORY. Charles Spurgeon used to say, “little faith will take your soul to heaven, but great faith will bring heaven to your soul.” [1] It overcomes because we are receiving the salvation we long for, now! God does not let us tough it out and if we are obedient and perfect he will judge in some future time whether we are worthy or not. I will never be worthy of my own rite, but in Christ I’m all that I can be. When I’m resting in Him I bring glory to God. Anything that Satan can throw at me is no match for the salvation I am receiving and have received and will receive. We have overcome because we are God’s children (Galatians 3:26), have been paid for with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:19), have been translated from death unto life (John 5:24), and are amongst the living not the dead (Romans 6:11).
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[1] Warren W. Wersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989). 1 Pe 1:8