Loving God through Faith

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

So we have tried to look at passages of Scripture that give us a little more insight into this.

We have seen that we need to Love God exclusively, through tangible and active ways: giving, praying, forgiving others, and so on.

We saw that we are to love Him first and foremost, more than our love for things, our family, our comfort, or even our own selves.

Then last week we saw how we need to love God His way.

We can’t love God like he tells us to love him, we don’t have the capacity for that much love.

But when we yield to His Holy Spirit, we learn that we can love Him, His Son, His Children through obedience.

Today I want to look at one more passage of Scripture: 1 Peter 1:6-9

This passage is taken from the introductory remarks of Peter to the Christians who are scattered around the gentile nations.

He says in verse 3

1 Peter 1:3–5 KJV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

We have this lively hope - the resurrection that we will one day experience, just as Christ raised from the dead.

we will receive our inheritance that will never fade, never corrupt, never be defiled!

Money may be lost, homes decay but our inheritance from God will never go away!

It is reserved for us in heaven!

How?

Verse 5 tells us they are kept by the power of God.

Then beginning in verse number 6 He brings it back to earth and our present day.

He says that there is heaviness through manifold temptations.

In other words the trials of this life can way us down.

Anyone ever experienced that?

I want to look today at three statements about our trials that are true because of our love for God.

Verse 8 tells us whom having not seen, ye love…This is of course talking about our love for God.

We haven’t seen Him, but we love Him through faith!

We will see today, that that love, through the faith we have in God, will enable us to make it through these trials.

First of all, Let’s see that...

I. Trials Should Not Remove Joy

The verses begins wherein…when you see wherein, or therefore, look to see what has come before.

Our rejoicing ought to be based upon the fact that the trials of this life cannot touch what God, by His power, is reserving for us in heaven!

We rejoice...

A. Because of Our Inheritance

When the Apostle Paul was speaking before king Agrippa, he told him of his salvation on the road to Damascus.

He told him he was sent to the Gentiles...

Acts 26:18 KJV

18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

We have an inheritance along with all those who are sanctified by faith, all those who believe.

God loved us so much that He even gave us His Holy Spirit as a down payment of our inheritance.

Ephesians 1:13–14 KJV

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

This Holy Spirit helps us, enables us and teaches us as we go through this life of trials.

And He gives us peace that passes understanding

Paul told the church at Philippi, just keep moving forward and doing what you know is right, and he gave them a promise...

Philippians 4:9 KJV

9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

So our inheritance, both the down payment of the Holy Spirit, but also future reality that awaits us gives us joy.

But also...

B. Because We Are Protected

We are kept - This word is phrouroumenous it means to be guarded for safety.

So we are guarded, or protected by the power of God through our faith.

The Bible Says...

Romans 8:31–32 KJV

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

We are protected by an almighty, all knowing God!

Does this mean that nothing bad will ever happen to us, of course not!

Psalm 37:23–24 KJV

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: And he delighteth in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: For the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

C. Because We Will See Salvation

This isn’t just talking about the salvation that happens when we trust in Him.

This is the final salvation that will be revealed in the last time.

We can rejoice because one day the trials of this life will be over!

The Choir sang until then…that third verse said...

This weary world with all its toil and struggle May take its toll of misery and strife; The soul of man is like a waiting falcon; When it's released, it's destined for the skies. Chorus But until then my heart will go on singing, Until then with joy I'll carry on, Until the day my eyes behold the city, Until the day God calls me home.

One day we will see the final salvation, but until then we keep serving the Lord!

So we see that Trials should not remove our joy…secondly we can rejoice because...

II. Trials Brings Purity

The trial of our faith - our faith is tested and gone through the fire!

Have you experienced this?

Maybe you have said things like, “Lord I don’t know if I can take this anymore!”

We must realize that our faith is first of all being...

A. Tried by Fire

The Bible tells us here that our faith when tried will be more precious than gold.

Our faith is just like gold.

Gold has to be put to the fire in order to clean out all the impurities and dross and to make it pure and clean.

Note what this verse says: we are much more precious than gold.

Gold perishes,

It is stolen,

lost,

degraded,

defiled, but

Believers live forever.

Therefore, if gold has to be put to the fire to be made clean and pure, how much more do we?

The point is striking: God uses the fire of trials and temptations for a good purpose.

He uses them to make us clean and pure and to make us trust Him more and more.

And the result of gold being tried is a beautiful, pure alloy.

For our Faith the...

B. Result in Praise

This is the purpose - that we might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

Just stay faithful in the midst of trials!

The Bible says...

James 1:12 KJV

12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Oh the praise we will be able to pour at His feet one day, as we thank Him for His help, His protection and His cleansing!

Until then, just keep the faith!

There is another fact that should be noted as well.

When our faith is tried and proven, when we walk strongly through the trials and temptations of life, the world sees it.

They see the power of Christ in our lives and the rejoicing of our hearts in Him.

Some are attracted and want to know Christ for themselves.

Standing fast through the trials and temptations of life wins people to Christ.

God uses the trials and sufferings of life to pour His strength into us and to attract the lost to want Him in their lives.

Lest we think that God is putting us through these trials just so He can receive our praise, the truth is it goes much farther than that!

It is to witness to this World that life is different when walked with the Lord!

This passage continues and this is the third thing I want to point out, that...

not only should trials not remove our joy

and not only should trials purify us, but thirdly that...

III. Trials Are Conquered by our Faith

8-9

The trials and temptations of life should not defeat or discourage us!

We are to conquer them!

They are stepping stones to a stronger life in Him!

How?

How can we conquer trials and temptations when they are so devastating, destructive, powerful, damaging and threatening?

A. By Our Love for God

We do not see God, but we love Him

We love Him, because He first loved us and gave himself for us!

When we were enemies of God, Christ came and gave himself for us.

When we were exiles from God, Christ made a way of reconciliation.

When we were to be punished, Christ bore the price on Himself on teh Cross.

We love Him because He first loved us!

We have not seen Him, but we love Him!

We love Him, so we

Obey Him

Keep His commandments

turn away form temptations

walk through the trials with Him

It is our love for Christ that stirs us to stand up for Christ against all the trials and temptations of life, no matter how severe and ferocious they are.

True love does all it can to keep from hurting the person loved.

In fact, when we love someone, we do all we can to please that person, no matter what it may cost us—even if it costs us our life.

So it is our love that conquers trials, but also it is...

B. By Our Belief in Jesus

Look at verse 8 again, We do not see Him, yet we believe in Him!

The word believing(pisteuontes) is in the present continuous tense.

That is, it is continuous action, continuous belief—a belief that continues on and on in believing and trusting in Jesus Christ.

The point is clear: if we are continuing to believe in Jesus Christ, then we are following Christ.

We are doing what He says …

rejecting and turning away from all temptations.

standing firm and relying upon His presence and power to conquer and to carry us through all trials.

So it is our love for Him, and our belief in Him that helps us conquer our trials, thirdly we see it is...

C. By Our Choice to Rejoice

The unspeakable joy of Christ is not always present, but it often is.

We are creatures of emotion, creatures who do not experience any one feeling for more than a brief period.

But every genuine believer experiences the unspeakable joy here and there.

Words cannot describe it: it is just being full of glory, just as Scripture says in this verse.

We have periods of other emotions too, Pain, grief, anger, but when we choose to rejoice even in the midst of the trials.

The trials are conquered.

The point is this: joying and rejoicing in the Lord and His presence will stir us to stand against temptations and trials.

Joy and rejoicing will help us to focus upon Christ and His glorious power.

So, our love for Him, our Belief in What he has told us, our choosing to rejoice all help us conquer our trials, and then fourthly we see it is...

D. By Keeping Our Eyes on Him

Trials and temptations are to be conquered by keeping our eyes focused upon the salvation of our souls.

This is the end, the very goal toward which we are moving, the salvation of our souls.

As in any work or task, we must keep our eyes upon the goal.

The more focused we are upon the goal, the stronger we become to stand against all obstacles.

So it is with salvation.

The more we focus upon the salvation of our souls, the stronger we become …

to reject and turn away from temptation, and

to conquer the trials of life

Yes, we will have trials and tribulation in this life!

But we can come out the other side still rejoicing

We can come out the other side pure as gold

We can come out the other side more than conquerors through Him that loved us!

Mark 12:30 KJV

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.