Hope Through Trials

Corona Sunday Service Number 6

This is the 6th Sunday of Church in isolation and mostly for posterity I want to go over what we have been going through.

Nov 2019 1st possible case of Covid-19 in China

Dec 2019 cluster of cases in Wuhan, China

Jan 19, 2020 1st case of covid-19 in US after traveling to Wuhan to visit family and going to hospital only after seeing a report from the CDC.

From there to today there is severe tragedy that has not been matched since WW2 has crossed not just our nation but our world.

As of 4/18/2020 reported numbers are as follows 2,331,892 cases, 160,763 deaths. Those numbers have a large margin of error due to under reporting and not enough testing.

On March 15th, we shut our doors for the safety of ourselves and other people based on the recommendations of the government.

On the 20th Cuomo established NY-Pause which shut the state down except for essential services.

Today if we go out into public where it’s highly likely the 6ft minimum distance between you and the next you must where a face covering.

There are stories of this being the end times - could be. Jesus come quickly.

There are stories of this being the beginning of a great revival - could be. Jesus come quickly.

Watching the news and politicians on both sides… seems like the world has gone crazy.

Why do I bring this up?

All around us is suffering. With the exception of internet and media we are isolating… which is never healthy for long periods of time. My personal opinion is that there is never going to what was normal, but there will be a new normal that has yet to define itself. Governmental precedents of control are taking route that can change the way we do things forever. Hugs and handshakes now come with greater risk.

Today and for the next few weeks I want to discuss suffering. Hopefully this will be the last week I preach to and empty room, but either way we will be spending the next few weeks in 1 Peter.

Don’t switch away.... this is not a message of bad news it’s all good news full of encouragement.

Today we will talk about:

Our Blessed Lord and the great things he did for us.

How precious our faith is in him.

How what he did gives us a path to love and joy.

When all is wrong, the Christians Salvation is their glory.

1 Peter 1:3–9 ESV

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, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 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. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Hope through what He did is bigger than the present suffering we are experiencing.

Hope Defeats Suffering.

1 Peter 1:3–5 ESV

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, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Who Peter is writing to…

the elect exiles, strangers, aliens.... people who do not fit in and were being persecuted as such… the suffering Christian..

MAY GRACE AND PEACE BE MULTIPLIED TO YOU.

Said in verse 2 let these word be the THE words we hear today.

MAY GRACE AND PEACE BE MULTIPLIED TO YOU.

Blessed

Term is a comparison between whatever is blessed and whatever is normal.

Mary… blessed art thou amoung women (Why am i so favored)

Blessed is the fruit of thy womb (JESUS)

Blessed be the Name of the LORD

Peter is proclaiming that God is the highest of all and there is nothing and no one higher.

What’s interesting here also is that Peteris proclaiming that God is Blessed specifically in his eyes because of the marvelous things He did.

Born Again

This born again is NOT the typical born again where we are a new creation, old thngs have passed away and behold all things have become new. 2 Co 5:17.

Not the same born again where Jesus tells Nicodemus you must be born again

This born again does not just say you don’t have to sin and your sins are forgiven and you have a righteousness that is not your own.

This born again is not a salvation from a thing it is a salvation to a thing.

If you were about to be hit by a car and someone saves you by pushing you out of the way, you will be grateful and maybe more careful next time you crossed the street. You were saved but in all actuality it’s no going to change your life that much.

When Christ saved you, it was much bigger. His salvation is so big that even if you get hit by a car… doesn’t matter. His hope defeats any suffering

That’s why in the middle of whatever struggle we are in … we are really okay.

MAY GRACE AND PEACE BE MULTIPLIED TO YOU.

This Hope

Imperishable

Undefiled

Unfading

Kept in Heaven - not there yet

By God’s Power it is guarded - no man can mess it up

Comes through faith - which He has given you.

Will be revealed (we only have hints at how great it will be… however great you think it is, it’s way better)

MAY GRACE AND PEACE BE MULTIPLIED TO YOU.

Rejoice though Grief?

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.

Sometimes people can make the mistake of telling you that you should be happy all the time.

Some of the greatest people I know have this fake it til you make it mentality. They appear to be smiling all the time.

Can I say that behind closed doors they’ve cried.

To quote our president yesterday… “Sometimes people cry, and that’s ok.”

Peter writes “You have been grieved with trials.”

Can we stop saying and acting that our trials aren’t supposed to get us down? The entire world knows that everyone struggles, everyone gets sad and afraid and angry

What the world want’s to know is what is the answer to all that. In the end, their trial comes and they have no sure and permanent hope to look towards.

imperishable, undefiled, unfading, guarded by God himself and kept in heaven for you and it’s so great that we only have a piece of an imagination of how good it will be.

Trial by Fire.

Our suffering purifies out faith… makes it stronger.

Last summer I tried throwing something into the back of a trailer and part of it caught on the edge and I injured my finger. Now my grip is weaker and sometimes when I shake peoples hand it hurts.

In this world gold increases its value by being melted down and all the impurities come to the top to get removed… Unfortunately, the purer gold is the softer it becomes.

Faith isn’t like that. When trials come we may grieve but if we hold on we are stronger. Lessons are learned. They become a testimony of what God has done and will continue to do. That’s why it’s so important to tell your story… it brings strength. God kept me.

Though you haven’t and don’t see Him....

1 Peter 1:8–9 ESV

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

This part of scripture is really the heardest part to describe because the scripture tells you you can’t describe it. So let me try.

When my son was about to be born, I was filled with great worry. I did not want to be like my father (who wasn’t really as bad as I thought he was.) and it didn’t want to be like the father before him. I was pretty convinced I was going to be horrible. In the moments before my son was born I felt the Lord say to “I got your back.” I was filled with joy because I knew that no matter what, even in my failures God would protect my son.

For a while, I didn’t know if my mother was really saved. She said she was but I didn’t see a passionate I love Jesus coming from her. I was afraid that she was going to church just to be nice to me. Then one day during worship I left the room to use the restroom and when I came back there she was all by herself raising her hand to Jesus. and I was filled with Joy.

My relationship with my father was strained my whole life but one year I got an opportunity to go to Promise Keepers event with him. So I did. I was pretty sure he was just going to be nice to me but again I had to use the restroom and by some ice cream dots… it was very hot. and when I was going back to our seats, there he was singing his heart out to God with hands raise to Him. I was filled with joy.

When I see my kids raise their hands.... I am filled with joy.

Those moments are memories that I can look back on and you probably have your own stories. But here is what I want to say..... My description doesn’t even come close. You see, I expressed it and what that means to me is there is joy that’s coming that is even more inexpressible.

That is our hope. That is the joy he gives. That is the faith we hold onto....

MAY GRACE AND PEACE BE MULTIPLIED TO YOU.

MAY GRACE AND PEACE BE MULTIPLIED TO YOU.

MAY GRACE AND PEACE BE MULTIPLIED TO YOU.