Hope and Joy through Trials

Prelude

In verses 1-5, Peter has been building the foundation of Christian faith, and by standing on that foundation we are able to stand up under the trials that come our way. Peter’s focus in verses 6-9 is still on the blessings God bestows on us because of future glories, in verses 3-5. Now Peter demonstrates how these truths relate to suffering in the present, v6, the grieving caused by various trials. Peter, not wanting believers to dwell on the suffering, instead encourages them, and us, to look at the various trials of life as God’s way of refining faith and preparing them, and us, for eternity. Peter doesn’t take away the pain and trauma caused by suffering, but desires his readers to refocus their attention to what really matters.

What really matters is our faithfulness to Christ and His promises in all circumstances. The result is eternal life. This is what verses 1-5 demonstrate; that what is most important is our eternal security in Christ. And because God is the One who preserves us for eternity we give Him all the praise, and honour, and glory.

Knowledge of our eternal security in Christ helps us to glory in God and continue the daily battle of suffering this life brings.

But first let us pray.

Introduction

This passage speaks about the joy we have in our secure salvation and how God uses various trials to both strip away our false beliefs and strengthen our genuine faith. Now the trials mentioned in this passage are not the everyday troubles every person goes through. Peter is more particularly referring to the persecution Christians were facing in first century Asia Minor, modern Turkey. Though Peter is speaking to suffering caused by living for Christ, we can apply this principle to the suffering we go through because as we go through the various sufferings in the life, we do so as Christians. Christianity is a 24/7 reality for us. Therefore we are to look at the suffering differently. Like Peter, we need to keep our focus on the end of our faith, the salvation of our souls, in verse 9.

Great Joy in Our Eternal Inheritance

Peter begins in v6, saying, “in this.” The word ‘this’ refers to all that Peter has told us in verses 3-5. That we are begotten to a living hope, a permanent and perfect inheritance. Verse 5 is particularly important to understand what is going on in verses 6-9, because through the suffering we endure we would do well to remember that God is keeping us for His eternal Kingdom.

I know that sometimes when we go through suffering we feel alone, separated from God. We might even question whether God really loves us, or wonder what we have done wrong. This is where knowing the promises of God, like 1 Peter 1:1-9 help. they remind us that God is in protecting us, purifying us, so that we may give Him all the praise and honour and glory.

And because God protects us for our eternal inheritance we can “greatly rejoice.” He carries on in verse 6, “In this you greatly rejoice.” Peter doesn’t tell the believers to be joyful, but to greatly rejoice. This rejoicing is not merely temporal happiness, but spiritual and comes from the heart. The rejoicing we have is the outward expression of the hope we have in Christ. We greatly rejoice as a result of the salvation wrought by Christ, and is a certainty. As certain as getting wet if you jump into water. We know that what God promises comes true: when God says that He will keep you, you are kept. For how long? Peter answers this question in verse 5, “kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time,” and at the end of verse 7, “at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” We greatly rejoice because of God’s faithfulness to His promise of preserving us for eternal life. No matter what temporary suffering we go through now we will get to our destination.

God is Sovereign

We are reminded in this passage that God is sovereign. It is He that brings blessings upon us and it is He who brings various trials and allows tribulations to come upon us. How long do we go through various trials? Verse 6 tells us that they are temporary, and only if need be. Ultimately all the suffering Christians face comes to an end at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Trials come upon us for several reasons.

Firstly, according to Psalm 119:67 trials may be disciplinary if we disobey God’s will. We see this in 1 Corinthians 11:29-30.

Secondly, they may prepare us for greater service in His kingdom. David’s early life throughout 1 Samuel is a prime example.

Thirdly, they may be given to prevent us from sinning. The example here would be of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9, where he relays that a thorn was given to him to keep him humble.

Fourthly, they may be given for some unknown reason. Sometimes we never find out the reason for our suffering. My wife was diagnosed with cancer only 2 and a half years into our marriage. She has suffered great distress ever since. This not only affects her, but has had a profound effect on myself. Not always for good.

While we are suffer it hurts, and suffering can cause scars on our minds, anxiety, depression and such. But the overriding reason for trials coming upon us, whether it’s for discipline (punitive), preparation, prevention, or some other unknown reason, is that we learn to depend on God, to trust His Word.

Genuine Faith

This is what verse 7 talks about, 1 Peter 1:7 (NKJV):“that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honour, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Only genuine faith will pass through the fiery trials. Only genuine faith will make it to the end. Only genuine faith will praise, honour, and glory at Christ’s second and final coming.

Genuine faith is being refined in preparation for the revealing of the Lord Jesus, and Peter compares the refining of our faith to the most precious of all metals, gold. It is said that ancient goldsmiths kept the gold in the furnace until they could see their reflection in the molten metal. This means that all the dross, all the rubbishy material, has been taken off and burned up. In the same way God keeps us in the suffering of trials only until we reflect the glory and beauty of Christ.

This is how our faith is refined. I am reminded of that beautiful hymn, “turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” What this hymn is saying is that as we spend more time praying, reading, and pondering on God’s word and talking about His word, we will love the things of this world less and less. I am not saying that we cannot enjoy anything in this life. This is still God’s creation and He has made it very beautiful and for our enjoyment. The things of this world will pass away, But the things of God are of far more importance, and will last forever. They are of eternal value.

To us Christians in Australia, various trials may mean waking up on the wrong side of the bed and having a miserable day. You may have bad eyesight, heart problems, digestive problems, and memory problems. Or, you may be suffering in some terrible tragedy, whether it is a serious long-term problem or someone you love has been diagnosed with cancer or has chronic illness. God uses the suffering in our lives to purify our faith, to remove anything not of faith.

The Good works of God

Paul reminds us in Romans 8:28, “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” God uses the pain and suffering in our lives to refine our faith, so that only the genuine faith remains, which is more precious than gold, that perishes. This is part of the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. He is taking our faith and testing it through various trials, which burns away false faith, leaving us with a pure faith. It is this pure faith that praises, honours and glories at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Peter shows how highly valuable their faith in Jesus Christ is, in verse 8, “whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” The believers, in 1 Peter, had never seen the Lord, either while He was on earth or after His resurrection. Yet, verse 8 tells us, they love and they believe, and they rejoice in Christ. And so are filled with unexplainable joy and the glory of the risen Lord Jesus. And the ultimate goal of our faith is the salvation of our souls.

OT Witness

In verses 10-12 Peter backs up what he has said in the preceding verses, “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven” Peter tells the readers that the Lord Jesus Christ’s suffering and glory was foretold by the prophets. God placed these things into the mouths of His prophets, who then wrote them down, searched them and made inquiries for their meaning. They knew the Christ would suffer, die, and be raised to glory. They just didn’t know when. The Old Testament prophets didn’t always know the full meaning of what they were instructed to write. They were messengers of God - His voice. Only after the Holy Spirit came and gave insight into the true meaning of the prophecies could God’s people understand what they wrote about.

Angels Rejoice

Verse 12,"things which angels desire to look into.” The whole work of salvation within history is marvellous and rich, even the angels desire to watch the progress. Jesus tells us in Luke 15:10,“’there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’” I liken this to watching a baby begin to crawl, then walk and talk, and finally to grow into an adult. There is so much joy when we watch our children grow up and I think this gives us some idea of how much joy it is for angels to watch us grow up in our faith.

Conclusion

You may be having a terrible time at the moment, but your eternal reward, given you by God through Christ’s death and resurrection, is superior to all this life may throw at you. Your faith is even more precious than everything this world offers. Your faith in Christ is so definite that Peter tells you that it will outlast gold, lasting to the end. And the angels rejoice at the outworking of God’s salvation, from beginning to end.

Until the time when the Lord Jesus Christ returns we will suffer grief in various trials. God’s promise to bring us to the end helps us to trust and obey Christ. To persevere in the suffering we experience. If there is found genuine faith in us then we will praise, honour, and glory at our Lord Jesus Christ’s return. AMEN.