Fierce
Joy and Hard Providences
Introduction – We considered
carefully the first five verses.
Foreknowledge, election, sanctification, perseverance, forgiveness of
sins, regeneration, and heaven, just to mention a few. But now, we must consider two topics which
are very difficult to get your hands around – especially both at the same
time. Joy and trials
The Christian’s Experience – (v6) “In this you
greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been
grieved by various trials,”. A
Christian can experience both a fierce joy in the mercies of God and, at the
same time, the turmoil of human grief due to the difficulties and trials of
this life.
“In this” – This joy is rooted in
what the power of God has done and revealed (vv1-5). Contrary to what we do as modern evangelicals, this joy is not
something we whip up.
“greatly
rejoice”
– It is possible that this verb is a command (Matt 5:17), and even if it is
not, we can find this commanded elsewhere (Phil 4:4, James 1).
“grieved” – We live in a world of
hard providences, and there are times of real grief. We are to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who
weep. We are not to take our doctrine
of absolute sovereignty and smack it in the face of one who is hurting. At the same time, we are called to rejoice
in the trials because of what we have been promised. Our inheritance is untouchable (vv 4-5), and our trials are
ultimately producing glory (v7).
“a little
while”
– Everything here withers away (v24), including the difficulties. Peter is contrasting this to the description
of our inheritance.
“if need be” – One who thinks he
doesn’t need trials either thinks too highly of himself, or does not understand
the purpose of trials.
“various
trials”
– They are numerous (Psalm 42:7) and of such a variety we are tempted to think
God has forgotten us (Is 49:14). There
will be temptations of the flesh, the hard thorns of this fallen world, hatred
(John 15:18-20), and persecutions for your faith (2 Tim 3:12). But a healthy view of our depravity, God’s
holiness, and our inheritance by grace will keep us from trying to figure out
‘what did I do to deserve this?’
Making ‘Good’ Even Better - 1 Peter 1:7 “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, honor, and glory
at the revelation of Jesus Christ,”.
If you were told that your gold was being made more pure and valuable,
would you want to stop the fire?
Another
Contrast
– Gold, riches, perishables are the wrong place to seek comfort and joy. Nothing wrong with riches, but realize how
little they compare to your incorruptible inheritance. Is it all despised for the sake of Christ?
(Phil 3:7-8).
Faith Well
Tested
– This keeps us from the sin of presumption (Matt 26:33-35), which Peter knew
well. The truth of our weakness in
faith is made evident, and that faith is strengthened through the practice of
it, just as the gold is made more pure through the fire.
Praise, Honor,
and Glory
– The reward is yours as you pass through the trials. Once again, kept by God’s power, and with an eye to His reward,
you are called to persevere by faith.
Your name will be confessed before God and angels (Rev 3:5). You will be set on thrones (Rev 3:21). His inheritance will be yours.
Seeing is Not Necessary to Believing - 1 Peter 1:8-9 “whom
having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you
rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your
faith—the salvation of your souls.”
Peter had seen Jesus, but these believers, like you, have not seen Him
face to face. What matters, though, is
not what you can see, but whom you love.
Joy
Inexpressible
– How do we describe it? That’s the
point. Especially to the man of reason,
without the Spirit of God, it never makes any sense (1 Cor 2:14). But to the believer this joy is ‘full of
glory’ – it is weighty, full, and all-encompassing. It produces love which is manifest in obedience to Jesus from the
heart in everything and at whatever cost.
The Goal – The end of your faith
is your salvation. It will be the final
consummation of all things. Everything
we hope for, everything we strive for, finds its end in this. And we are to think of this corporately and
covenantally, not simply individually.
The Making of Revival – Christianity is ‘an
experimental religion’, as the puritans put it. Do not let our doctrines of God’s full sovereignty ‘from faith
to faith’ keep you from believing, pursuing, and working out your salvation
with fear and trembling. A consummated
marriage still finds the marriage-bed a holy and delightful place. So too, at our meetings of covenant renewal
and in the sacraments we seal our love to Christ. But all of this is only efficacious by the work of the Spirit and
not by anything we can bring to it.
The
Objective/The Subjective – True revival must
be rooted in the objective truths of the faith. True revival must also be rooted in the work of the Holy Spirit
upon the hearts of sinners as those truths are proclaimed. We have not seen this kind of revival for
some time.
No Joy? What Do We Do? – Repent and believe (Psalm 51:12). Patiently persevere and plead with the Lord in humility for the fire of revival.
Dave Hatcher – November 4,
2001