1 Peter 1:3-5 - The Father secures our salvation

Introduction

I’d like to start with a little story

In April 2007, the richest woman in Asia died in a Hong Kong hospital. Her name was Nina Wang.

A few years earlier she had signed a will leaving some of her money to family, but mostly to charities.

But, five days after her death, a supposed new will was revealed, leaving all of her money to her feng shui adviser.

For the next three years, the court battle was fought to determine which will was correct. Eventually, the new will was determined to be a forgery.

Ironically, while Nina was successful in her own right, she received her initial fortune with similarly contested events. Her husband’s will would give his inheritance to his family and to her. He later changed it to give everything to his father after he discovered Nina’s marital unfaithfulness. But, again changed it back to her as the sole inheritor shortly before he was kidnapped for the second time and never returned.

In that case too, the courts battle for years. First, they found the last will to be a forgery by Nina and gave all to the father. Nina lost an appeal and was charged with criminal forgery. However, a court eventually overturned the initial ruling and she was restored as the sole inheritor with all charges dropped.

Unfortunately, this is the way it sometimes goes in the world when it comes to large inheritances.

The heirs are often unworthy of the inheritance.

The inheritance itself is often gobbled up, evaporating in a few years time. I read that, statistically, 70% of large inheritances are completely gone with in 5 years.

And the giver of the inheritance is gone, unable to ensure his fortunes are given to the ones he intended to have them.

Peter is writing to believers who are going through trials and suffering and it seems they may have begun to wonder if their inheritance from the Lord was similarly distasteful.

Was this what they’d received from God? Daily trials and suffering?

Was this salvation they’d received worth the effort?

In the end, would God simply take away what He’s given them when they were judged for their many failures?

So, Peter begins the body of his letter by talking about how God’s true grace is revealed in the many aspects of our salvation.

To being, in v3-12, Peter explains how all three parts of the godhead are involved in our salvation.

The Father secures our salvation (v3-5)

The Son validates our salvation (v6-9)

The Spirit reveals our salvation (v10-12)

This morning, we’ll look at verses 3-5, how the Father secures our salvation.

Read 1 Peter 1:3-5

He secures the giving

By us having no part in it

It is by His mercy (we were judged and sentenced, he showed mercy!)

It is a new birth (no one has any part in their own birth!)

It is through the resurrection of Christ (we put Him to death!)

By Him causing it (no other)

Nothing can undo God’s giving of our new birth.

Isaiah 14:27 ESV

For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?

Isaiah 43:13 ESV

Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?”

Job 9:12 ESV

Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

By giving a continual proof

The hope He gives is living

A living thing grows and matures

He secures the gift

Imperishable

Impervious to corruption, decay or death

I had a favorite blanket when I was a boy. It was mine and it had a silk border around it that I loved to run under my nose. I slept with it every night. Over time, it slowly decayed, unfortunately, until there was almost nothing left.

Show the remains of the blankey

My blanket is the opposite of our inheritance from the Lord—it has definitely decayed!

Undefiled

Pure

I used to think very highly of RZIM and Ravi himself. If you don’t know him, he was an excellent teacher, particularly in the area of apologetics. Unfortunately, as has happened to many men in his kind of position, it was discovered after his death that he had many, destructive and hurtful sins he kept secret and unconfessed. As a result, his entire organization’s reputation was defiled and is all but closed down now.

There is no such thing, not even a hint of it that we will ever discover in the inheritance that God has given us.

Unfading

Not losing pristine quality or character

I used to collect baseball cards. For a card to be valuable, it has to be in perfect condition. So, serious collectors by special protective cases for valuable cards that make it impossible for any air, water or other destructive things to get to the card. The most valuable thing I had was an entire set of Upper Deck cards from ‘93 or maybe ‘94. Being the organizer that I am, I opened the box and put all the cards in numerical order. Some years later, I thought of looking up how much that set is worth today. That’s when I found out the huge difference “unfading”—not losing anything of the pristine quality—can make. The sets that were still in their shrink-wrap, completely untouched were worth a moderate amount. The sets like mine were essentially worthless.

When we enter into our full inheritance, it’s not going to be the hand-me-down t-shirt younger siblings get from their older siblings. It will be in its full glory, pristine, unfaded.

Reserved in heaven for us

cause a state to continue, to retain, to keep

It’s wonderful that our inheritance is imperishable, undefiled and unfading. But, none of that would mean anything to us, personally, if we found out our seat was taken by someone else.

Peter applies a person touch here. He uses the second-person “you” for the first time—emphasizing that God the Father is reserving this inheritance for you and me specifically.

The inheritance is worth it. When we finally enter Christ’s presence and obtain the fullness of our inheritance, there will be no way in which we are disappointed in it.

He secures the receivers

God has done everything to secure the giving of our salvation and secure the gift of our salvation.

But what if we, the recipients of it, just don’t measure up?

What if we fail to live up to the standard of this glorious inheritance?

What if doubt under trial and seek to escape instead of endure?

We’re tempted to have these thoughts at times.

Sometimes we pull back from doing what we know is right because we don’t want to fail.

Sometimes we sin again and again, repeating lessons we’ve learned a thousand times.

We are the definitely the riskiest part of this plan of salvation.

Yet, God, by His power secures us as well.

By His power through faith

Somewhat mysterious exactly what is meant.

Does seem that as we exercise our faith, we see God’s power working and it results in a strengthening security in His work.

He guards us

Guarding can be in two aspects

Keep someone from escaping (like a prison)

Keep someone from entering (think a bank or a castle from attack)

Both aspects probably included here: we are assailed by the world and the devil, but also our own flesh.

The Father guards us from “escaping” the inheritance, but also guards us from those outside attacks.

He guards us until the end

Until our salvation is revealed at Christ’s return.

No conditions upon which He removes his protection

Conclusion

Read A Mighty Fortress is Our God

There is nothing that can assail the security of our salvation, including ourselves. The Father holds every aspect of it securely by His mighty hand.