Archives for 2016

Do you know for sure if you are “saved?” (A Christian, a believer, a child of God, born again?)

“If you believe that you are saved, How do you know?” On what do you base your faith?

Wouldn’t you definitively like to know?

The answer that I am going to give today is not the answer I usually give. I usually ask people if they believe in Jesus (acts 16:31). Have you trusted Christ as Savior (Ephesians 1:13)? Have you repented (Acts 26:20)? Have you heard the still small voice of the Holy Spirit confirming your salvation (Romans 8:16)?

And certainly those are good answers. I can even give you Bible verses backing up each one. But these are, sort of, answers for babies or shall we say, the basics for beginners. After you have been a believer for a little while, every one of you should be familiar with these simple, yet profound ways of gaining assurance. You should know those simple answers. They are what give you confidence.

But there comes a time in your Christian life when we must give you more than just simple answers. Today we are going to go a little deeper, and we are going to help you analyze your relationship with Jesus… and my hope is that you will come to a deeper level of passion, purpose and blessed assurance by the time we are done.

But I must warn you that this message may also be a little unsettling to some of you. Up until now you may have been content to sit in your pew, resting on your Blessed Assurance, but it is possible that I’m going to shake your complacent little world. So hang on to something, the meddling is about to begin.

There are certain steps every Christian must be willing to take to make their election sure. In fact, It is urgent that you take the steps to gain the assurance that you are truly a child of God. If you don’t settle this once and for all, you will always have nagging doubts about your salvation. I am going to give you four tests today which will be extremely revealing, for it will tell you if you truly have new life in Christ.

I want you to remember this one thing throughout our study; Salvation is always by Grace, it is a free gift. …but there are some tests we can perform to see whether or not you have that new life, and that takes a little work and intense self-examination on your part.

When you look at the world around you, how do you know if something is living or non-living? Science has several tests they have developed that give them the answer. #1 Animation – does it move? All living things move in some way. #2 Does it breathe? If it has no reparation it’s not living. #3 Does it grow? All living things grow. #4 Does it reproduce. #5 Does it respond. Is it able to detect what’s going on around it and respond to its environment. #6 does it feed. #7 does it get rid of waste. These are tests of life. They don’t make things living, they just tell us if they are living.

Do you want to know if you are alive in Christ? Take the test. Here are four things that will tell you the answer:

1. Urgency.

5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith.

Am I diligent and serious about my relationship with Jesus? This has to do with the level of my interest in spiritual things. If you are one of those people who just doesn’t really think that this is a big deal, then, I hate to break it to you, for you, this is a really big deal. If you don’t give much thought to Jesus, or put much effort into spiritual things, it may be because you are spiritually dead. The dead don’t care, the living always care.

In the language of Peter’s day, the Greek word σπουδή spoude means to have a diligence, haste, an earnest care, and carefulness about it. It is about urgency! This concept is repeated and expanded in verse 10

“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure”

Verse five is telling us to press the gas pedal. Verse ten is telling us to floor it! If you’re driving on I-5, you’ll want to give it some gas. But if you are planning to pass a log truck on Hwy 38, you’ll want to floor it. This is the height of urgency. It is absolutely essential that you put the same urgency into your faith that you do into that gas pedal.

This is very interesting that Peter uses the words “call and election.” When I originally asked you if you were saved, we talked about the human side of salvation; You need to trust Jesus, you need to believe, you need to repent, you need faith… But Peter expresses the divine side of salvation; God calls us! God elects us! We need both the human side and the divine side working in concert for Salvation.

But what Peter is saying is this: It’s not enough to say you believe, it’s not enough to tell yourself you have faith, it’s not even enough to claim repentance… the question is this, are you one of the called, are you one of the elect? In an objective sense, has God truly saved you? That’s what we want to know today. It is urgent that you find out. Do you have a sense of urgency and diligence to discover it?

2. Growth

Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

Here is the second test: Am I growing more Christ like in my character?

All living things grow, or they are not alive. I want you to notice what is conspicuously absent from this list. What Peter does not say is this; add to your faith church attendance, and to your attendance, Sunday School, and to your Sunday School, Growth Groups, and to your Growth Groups, Worship Team, and to the Worship Team, teaching, and to your teaching, visitation. I wish he’d said it! We measure things that way. But remember, my dog can do all those things, and he will still just be a lousy, unspiritual dog!

Of course we want you to do those things, but it is absolutely critical that you develop your character in Christ! Let me put it this way, if you are not growing, you’re dead. Only living things grow! If you are alive in Christ, you will grow! Let’s review these one at a time:

Faith: This is where the Christian begins, by placing his faith in Jesus for eternal life. But this is never where the Christian ends. If all you want is a fire escape from Hell, you’ve come to the wrong place. Jesus wants to be Lord of your life.

Virtue or Moral excellence; ἀρέτη arête is the desire to live purely. Do you have that desire? Pursue it diligently.

Knowledge; γνῶσις gnosis is speaking of an intimate relationship with Jesus. It is more time and more love for Jesus in prayer and in the Word.

Self control; ἐγκράτεια egkrateia is a word that means saying know to the passions of the flesh. We must never let anything master us but Jesus.

Perseverance; ὑπομονή hupomone is the characteristic of a believer who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to Jesus by even the greatest trials and sufferings.

Brotherly love; philadelphia fil-ad-el-fee’-ah refers to the care we have for our church family. It means we love each other as if we were family.

Love; ἀγάπη agape which is not just love for our brothers, but the highest form of sacrificial love that makes us willing to be devoted to God and one in other unconditionally.

These are the changes we are looking for in your character. Have you seen growth in any of these seven ways? Good! You’re growing! If you find yourself virtually unchanged and stymied in your growth in the last five years, it should make you diligently seek to make your calling and elections sure. There can be no assurance without growth.

3. Motivation

8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

Here is the test. Am I seeing these changes in my life or am I completely lacking in motivation? There is a contrast in these two verses. Verse 8 is the motivated Believer who is neither barren or unfruitful, and Verse 9 is the shortsighted and blind churchgoer who is unmotivated and apathetic. Verse 8 is talking about an abundance, verse 9 is talking about a deficiency.

A person who is motivated to seek Jesus will neither be barren nor unfruitful. Interestingly the word barren ἀργός argos can also mean lazy, slothful, unwilling to work. The opposite of barren is lively, energetic, growing. The opposite of unfruitful is fruit bearing. You have heard of the fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, self control. That’s in Galatians 5. This list of fruit; virtue, knowledge, self control, perseverance, brotherly kindness and love could be known as the fruit of faith in Jesus Christ.

If you have faith in Jesus, true faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ will always motivate you to maturity.

4. Action

10 …if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Here is our final test question; Am I doing these things or am I stumbling. Here is the key; as far as actions go, you can either do things for Jesus, or you can stumble through life. It is difficult to do both at the same time, though I’ve been known to do it a time or two. You are either expressing purity, self control, patience and love or you are stumbling! Do you want to stop stumbling as a way of life? Start living for Jesus as a way of life!

The sobering thought of verse 11 is that every believer gets to walk through the entrance into the everlasting kingdom, but some will have an abundant entrance supplied to them! Some you are happy just to slip through the pearly gates unnoticed; “whew, I made it.” Peter suggests that others will get a fanfare, a ticker tape parade, while the band plays on. And who doesn’t want to hear the words, “well done, you good and faithful servant, enter into the presence of your Lord with joy!”

If you want to assurance of faith, I suggest that you take action, take this list home and begin to work on the Fruit of faith, one at a time. Be a doer of the Word, not a hearer only. Are you really living? Are you really alive? Are you living the abundant life? Here are four characteristics of a Christian who is really living. 1. He’s serious. There is an urgency to his faith. 2. He’s growing, he is making changes in his character. 3. He’s motivated. He wants to be a fruit bearing Christian. 4. He takes action. He does the things that need to be done to produce the life that he’s always wanted.

Those are four characteristics of a person with eternal life. You want assurance? Believe of course, because the only way a person is saved is through faith, but don’t stop there; prove to yourself and everyone else around you that you truly have new life in Christ. Grace Works, no doubt about it. And that will make you sure of your salvation.

When was the last time someone made a promise to you… and broke it?

“Yes, honey, I’ll take out the trash after dinner.”

“I promise we’ll give you a promotion in six months.”

“I’ll be there. I promise.”

If you are like most people, you make commitments to others all the time. Question is – how often do you keep your promises? When you don’t keep a promise, even a small one, it communicates to that person that you don’t really give a rip about them and that they cannot count on you. A promise is a promise after all.

When someone else breaks a promise to you, doesn’t that make you feel violated or cheated? You wonder whether you can ever trust that person again. When you break a promise it can damage a relationship or your reputation. Tiny fissures develop in your relationships marked by broken promises.

Scripture is clear on the importance of keeping promises. “If a man . . . takes an oath to bind himself . . . he shall not violate his word” (Numbers 30:2). King Solomon wrote, “It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:5).

If you can’t keep a promise, don’t make it. If you can’t deliver on something because of an uncontrollable event, such as an illness or accident, most people will understand. On the other hand, breaking a promise due to laziness, lack of planning or doing so intentionally is different.

So what happens when God makes a promise? This is a no brainer; when God makes a promise, he will always come through. The Bible is full of promises. The word promise appears 111 times in the Bible. One person suggested that there are 3573 promises in the Bible. Another Bible student, a school teacher named Everet Storms, came up with 7487 promises. Bible Scholar, Herbert Lockyer wrote a book called “all the promises of the bible” and listed some 8000 of them.

I don’t know how many promises there really are in the Bible… but you can bet one thing. God always fulfills all his promises. Count on it! Depend on it. Believe it! That is really what Peter is saying in these verses. God has some very precious promises, and one of the most important is that He will carry you though. Listen to just a few of his promises:

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said it, and will He not do it? has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.

2 Timothy 2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

Joshua 21:45 Not one of the good promises which the LORD made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.

2 Cor 1:20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!”

With God’s promises on your side, things are good! Let’s examine one of God’s precious promises deeply so that we come away encouraged. The first thing we should ask is, “to whom were these promises made? Did God promise me?”

Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,

This is

A Promise to those with like precious faith

Peter wrote this book. He called himself a servant and an apostle. He had the highest rank in the church, and yet, following the example of Jesus, he took the most lowly position. Apostle and servant.

In one of the clearest statements in the New Testament, Peter calls Jesus both “God and Savior.” You might want to underline it. Jesus IS God. As Christians we believe in what is called the Trinity. The Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God. Three persons; one God.

In verse two, Peter writes a common greeting to believers; Grace and peace be multiplied to you. We have noted before that Grace is the common Greek way of saying “hi” and “bye,” (charis or charin), while Peace is the common Hebrew way of saying “hi” and “bye,” (Shalom.)

But what I really want us to see today are the recipients of this letter. Verse one; “To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

How do you obtain this “like precious faith.” The first thing we need to understand is that the like precious faith in this verse is a noun, not a verb. What is the difference, if I have faith in Jesus – that’s a verb. Faith is an action that I take; I believe. However If I say that all of us in this room subscribe to “the faith,” that’s a noun. In this case, faith is the sum and substance of what we believe.

Peter is writing to a group of people who have subscribed to the truth that Jesus is our God and Savior and that his death on the cross made us right with God. Sometimes we urge people to have faith, and forget that faith must be in something! It must have an object. We don’t just have faith in faith! We don’t just have faith in a generic god, or whatever you choose to believe in. If you want the precious promises in this book, you need to have faith in THE faith!

3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

A Promise of Divine Power for life

Like precious Faith in Jesus ignites God’s divine power that will transform your life!

So how powerful is God? Business insider claims that hypernovas are the most powerful thing in the universe. A hypernova occurred in 2008 when a star, 150 times the size of our sun exploded producing the brightest light and most powerful energy release in the universe. In 23 seconds it put out more energy than our Sun will ever produce in its entire lifetime, or about the same amount of energy in 10 trillion trillion billion megaton bombs! If your home planet is in the way, say hello to a complete mass extinction. Scientist worry that events like these could be sterilizing the universe.[i]

That explosion didn’t even make God flinch. It didn’t surprise him, and didn’t affect Him. And as powerful as it was, it isn’t nearly as powerful as the God who created the entire universe.

So read the verse again; God’s divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Just in case you are in depression, God has enough power to conquer it. And if you are struggling, it’s nothing for God to strengthen you. And if you despair of ever being able to live a life of godliness, peace and joy, just remember this, Jesus has enough power to give you the life you have always wanted to live and to give it more abundantly, and that with so much divine power to spare that it is beyond all that you could ask or think! Just so you know.

And how do you get this power? “Through the knowledge of him who called you!” How does knowing him give you that power?

Let’s just say you are writing a book. And you’d like to get the endorsement of Billy Graham. Can you imagine the power you would have to sell books you’d have if Graham endorsed your book? But the problem is, you don’t know Billy Graham. And it is unlikely he’s going to endorse your book. But can you imagine what would happen if you did know him and he knew and loved you? You could sit next to him and say, “Dr. Graham, would you do me a favor? Would you endorse my book!”

That is like the power you have when you know Jesus. “Jesus, would you give me everything that pertains to life and godliness!” Done! The more you know him, the more power you can claim. Faith unites the weak believer to the Mighty Savior! What a precious promise.

4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

A Promise to partake in His Divine Nature

We have been given exceedingly great and precious promises. that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature.

I want to show you a couple of parallels in these verses. Here is our first one: Our like Precious Faith, in verse 1 – obtained through Jesus, grants us exceedingly Precious promises in verse 4 given by Jesus. If you have the precious faith, you get the precious promises! Nice? Huh?

Here is our second one. His divine power in verse 2 makes us partakers of his divine nature in verse 5. If you have his divine power, you partake of his divine nature! Incredible!

This is an exceedingly precious promise. Verse five tells us that we were sinners at birth. The corruption that is destroying the earth was destroying us. We were born with a sin nature, and because of that nature, we hated and lusted and bent toward pleasing self (Romans 5:12; 7:14). No matter how hard we may try to do good, our motivations and underlying desires are to please and promote self. That sin nature keeps us from fellowship with God, keeps us in bondage to sin, and leads eventually to spiritual death (Romans 6:16, 23; 7:14; 2 Peter 2:19). We cannot free ourselves from sin because we cannot change our own natures, just as a tiger cannot change its own stripes.

When we come to Christ in faith, accepting His death and resurrection as our substitute, we declare Him to be the Lord of our lives (Romans 10:8–9). At that moment, the Holy Spirit “births” us into the family of God. Our old nature is defeated, and we receive a new, divine nature that desires the things of God (2 Corinthians 5:17). When Christ died for us, He became our sin, so that when we come to Him in faith, we gain His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).

It is a divine exchange: Where once you had nothing but a sin nature, you now have a divine nature! God’s Holy Spirit in you is the way of escape from this planet of corruption!

You can be pure! How? The closer you draw to the Savior, the deeper your relationship with Jesus, the more you know the Father, the further you will escape from all that corrupts you! This is your promise for today, and for life! Claim it! Believe it! Trust in your Savior God and spend serious time every day with Jesus. He will give you life and give it more abundantly!

That’s what Jesus said. “I promise you!” Trust Him.

[i] http://www.businessinsider.com/hypernovas-are-the-most-powerful-thing-in-the-universe-2014-9

What can shake your faith?

During terrible trials of seemingly unanswered prayer and unrelenting pain, many are shaken to the core. It could be the loss of a loved one, a financial disaster, a relationship break-up, or a job loss. This can become so severe that we wonder if we’ve been betrayed by God himself. This may lead to a crisis of faith.

What constitutes a crisis of faith? It is when we come to a pivotal point in our Christian life when events cause us to believe that we are losing faith. It is a time of intense doubt and internal conflict that takes place when you reach a dead end, then think you simply have no faith in your faith.

In preparation for this message I read several difficult first hand stories of folks who’s faith was shaken or shattered. There seemed to be several themes in these stories.

The first is that they felt let down or disillusioned by God. One man asked, “where was God?” God is supposed to love me, and protect me, and keep me from harm.” [i]

A second theme also developed. It had to do with the hypocrisy of the church. One man said, “I started noticing how few places of true honesty and relational vulnerability were available in church. After a significantly painful experience as part of a church staff, what began as a small rumble of doubts and questions intensified and became a huge landslide.”[ii]

A third theme has to do with the truths taught in the Word of God. More and more, people are making comments like this one, “I grew up in a rigid faith system with a long list of doctrinal statements, dos, don’ts, and tenets I needed to believe to belong. Over the years I began to notice a shift in my heart related to church and God. What once seemed certain and clear became fuzzy. I had new reservations about the inerrancy of the scriptures, and began questioning what I had been taught about hell and homosexuality. I began to doubt much of what I had been trained as a Christian to never question.”

Is your faith unshakable? Jesus asked it this way, “Will the Son of man find faith on the earth when he comes?” When the floods break upon your bright shore, where will you find staying power to weather the storm? Is there a way you can prepare for the onslaught? Is there an unshakable faith that will carry you through? The answer? 2 Peter. You need the divine power and precious promises of God’s Word so that you can ride out the tempest.

The book of 2 Peter addresses three big issues that often shake our faith. #1 – What if I stumble? How to live the pure life. (chapter 1) #2 What if I’m confused and don’t know what I believe? How to stay true. (chapter 2) #3 What if I’m a doubter? How to maintain your faith. (chapter 3). Each chapter answers a Question, gives a Warning, and leaves us with a Promise.

What if I Stumble?

Chapter one of second Peter is for everyone who thinks that they just don’t measure up. Some of you are struggling with godliness. You are not doing very good at it. If people know the evil in your heart, they would give you the stare. You know that you are an ineffective Christian and you are unproductive for Jesus. You may fool others, but when you are by yourself, you know the truth.

WARNING: Here is the chapter 1 warning.   It is found in verse 10. “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure.” In other words, if you find it impossible to live the Christian life, there is always the possibility that you are not a child of God. If this is true, you need a crisis of faith, so that you can fully embrace Jesus as your Lord and Savior. This is a stern warning.

PROMISE: But chapter one also has a powerful promise in verse 3-4

“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Let me let you in on a secret; we all struggle; every one of us. Even Peter and Paul had their struggles and failures. It is not about perfection it’s about direction. It isn’t about rules as much as it is about a relationship with Jesus. The very fact that you struggle with your shortcomings is a wonderful indication that the Holy Spirit is dealing with you. And this is the promise he has for you:

“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” That is an exceedingly precious promise. And it turns out, that if you are struggling, what you really need is to cling to the promises of God. By claiming God’s promises, clinging to His word, and growing in Christ like character, you too can live a pure life.

What if I’m deceived?

Chapter 2 of 2 Peter is for everyone who is confused about what and who to believe. There are so many wonderful teachers on television and radio… and then one day someone tells you that the preacher you admire believes some outrageous, destructive heresy! And it sends you into a tail spin. What if you have been wrong all along about what you believe? How do you know if you are right or not?

WARNING: Here is the chapter 2 warning.   It is found in verses 1-2

“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways.”

While chapter one is about being pure, chapter 2 is about being true. Let me tell you the thing that makes being true to God’s Word so difficult; There are so many who stray. Many follow their destructive ways. And there is often a price to pay for being true. So that is what leads up to the promise God has for you if you stay true to His Word:

PROMISE: Verse 9 “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations.” Just like He delivered Noah and Lot, so He’ll carry you through.

What if I’m a doubter?

Chapter 2 of 2 Peter is for everyone who has doubts. And the doubt that we are talking about specifically is about the Lord’s soon return. That doubt is expressed in verse 3: “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

WARNING: 10-11

“the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness.”

Chapter one is about being PURE. Chapter two is about being TRUE. Chapter three is about being SURE. Do you want to be settled and sure in the faith and belief that Jesus is coming soon? Just watch Israel. They have reestablished the Sanhedrin. They have the temple ready for construction. They have appointed a high priest for the first time in 2000 years. They are once again practicing and learning how to do the Old Testament Sacrifices. They have called on Russia and the US to rebuild the Temple.

IN 2012 Putin visited the Wailing Wall. The Russian leader stood in silence for several minutes, offering up a personal prayer. An Israeli bystander called out in Russian, “Welcome, President Putin.” and explained the importance of the Temple Mount and the Jewish Temple. Putin supposedly responded, “That’s exactly the reason I came here – to pray for the Temple to be built again.”[iii] I don’t know what Putin will do, but I do know about the promises of God.

PROMISE: 13, “Nevertheless, according to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

Is your faith unshakable? Perhaps you have stumbled into sin and need to make your election sure. Maybe you are confused or deceived and need Jesus to rescue you. Or it could be that you have doubts about Jesus coming and need to claim the promises of God.

Let me tell you WHAT’S TRUE; If Jesus has saved you, he’ll carry you through. Let me tell you WHAT’S FALSE; if what you are listening to doesn’t line up with God’s Word, you need a solid foundation of truth. Let me tell you about THE END; Jesus is coming again soon. Are you ready for Him? If not, you need Staying Power to Weather the Storm. You need Unshakable faith you can rest your life upon!

Everybody experiences stress and anxiety on a daily basis. When stress and feelings of worry or anxiety build up to an impenetrable level in the form of a crisis of faith, you need Jesus more than ever.

[i] http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/jessie-golem/leaving-the-church_b_4816252.html

[ii] https://www.onfaith.co/onfaith/2014/10/21/4-reasons-its-okay-to-lose-your-faith/34651

[iii] Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/78372/bin-exclusive-sanhedrin-asks-putin-trump-build-third-temple-jerusalem/#4cpkVIwUWegp5a8V.99

An evangelist once preached a message on holiness.  After hearing it, the pastor said something to him that rattled his cage. “The Lord has dealt with me about preaching more on love than holiness,” The statement didn’t sit well with the evangelist.  He pondered,  “Is love more important than holiness?”

One of the main reasons why the church is in such a mess today is because we have managed to uncouple the love of God from the holiness of God.  Some churches have veered too far toward what they say is holiness, while other churches have veered too far toward what they say is love. If a church has abandoned holiness, it has abandoned love, and if it has abandoned love, it has abandoned holiness.

Modern Western Christians have regrettably managed to convince themselves that God’s love can be celebrated, promoted and extolled, while we can simply ignore or downplay his holiness. But of course this just cannot be done.  There is no such thing as holiness apart from love, and no such thing as love apart from holiness. God’s love is holy love.  God’s holiness is loving holiness.  They cannot be divided.

God is Holy. That means that He has an infinite aversion to sin, and all that is false. He utterly hates rebellion, unbelief, immorality, and all forms of sin. He will and must destroy all forms of iniquity forever. His very nature demands it.

In Isaiah 6:1-8, we see Isaiah’s vision of God in the temple. He sees the Lord “sitting on a throne lofty and exalted” (vs. 1). Seraphim surround Him calling to each other, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory” (vs. 3). This triple repetition of a divine attribute is without parallel in the rest of the Bible. Scripture never says that God is “justice, justice, justice” or even “love, love, love,” but it does say that He is “holy, holy, holy.” The Hebrew does not have a grammatical way to express the comparative (holier) or the superlative (holiest). The way it stresses the importance of something is by repetition.

Yet, God is love. He abounds with compassion and mercy for sinners. The nature of God is to be gracious, forgiving, forbearing. As a Father pities his children so the Lord pities those who fear Him, says Psalm 103. He is “slow to anger, and abounding with tender mercies…” According to Exodus 34:4-8.  While the Bible says that God is “holy, holy, holy,” and you can’t get any higher that, it also says, that without His love you are nothing.

God knew all about the holiness / love debate long before it happened.  In fact, in 1 Peter 1, this passage was penned specifically to say that Hope leads to holiness, and holiness leads to love.

Holiness makes us love one another 22

22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.

Did you notice that this verse began with purity of soul and ended with a pure heart? You start with purity, you add love in the middle, and you end with purity.  What makes sincere love of the brethren possible?  Let me give you an interesting answer:  a pure heart.  How do you get a pure heart?  By obedience to the truth.

Here is the secret of loving one another:  A Christian doesn’t follow his inner urges, or allow personal feelings or prejudices to get in the way of love… we obey the truth.  This excludes all pride, grudges, and bitterness.  It means getting rid of it, and cleansing those things that get in the way of true love.  That’s why love demands holiness!  You just can’t love well without purity!

This verse is what I’m going to call a “double, double.”  There are two mentions of purity, one at the beginning and one at the end, and there are two mentions of love, both of them sandwiched in the middle; “Sincere love of the brethren,” and “fervent love one for another.”

At first glance, you might thing that Peter is just repeating himself.  But upon closer inspection you will notice that the “sincere love of the brethren,” is the Greek word philos, meaning brotherly love.  And the “fervent love one for another,” is agape, a term used of God’s unselfish, unconditional love.

So what’s Peter trying to communicate?  Perhaps it is this:  no matter the kind of love you are talking about, whether it is the comradery of brotherly love, or the compassion for the unlovely of God-like love, all genuine love comes from holiness, and all genuine love comes from God.

Do you want to love well, you need to be holy.  Do you sincerely want sincere love?  Do you fervently desire fervent love?  If you want your love to be genuine and passionate, you must begin with purity.  If you take love to any other place it becomes warped and selfish.

The Gospel makes us love one another 23-25

23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,  24 because “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, 25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

I think you have to ask the question, as I did, why did Peter suddenly turn from purity and love to the new birth?  What is the connection?  “Love purely, having been born again!”

Here is the connection; Selfless love does not come naturally.  Love and romance on the human level are about as dependable as tumbleweeds in the wind, as durable as green grass on a hot summer day, as lasting as a beautiful flower that wilts away.  That’s human love, for you.  Our old nature kicks in with all kinds of excuses:

• I can’t love someone who acts like that!
• I don’t have the patience!
• I’m too busy!  I haven’t got time for this!
• I tried loving them, but they don’t love me back!

That is where the Gospel comes in.  We can love like God loves, because we have been regenerated.  Regenerated is just a big word meaning “born again!”  We have the capacity to have divine love because God is our father, and we are all brothers and sisters!  We have a new family and a new nature.

This is the gospel that was preached unto you.  We are different.  We’ve been born again.  Our love needs to reflect that reality.  Our love is meant to be as incorruptible as Jesus love and as enduring and eternal as the Word of God itself.  It is supposed to be the forever and ever and happily ever after kind of love.

Brothers and Sisters!  We need to love one another! 2:1-3

Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,  3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

So you want to love like God loves?  That is what we are supposed to do.  How about five practical ways to put that into practice, one sure route to sustaining love, and one simple test to let you know if you are a genuine lover.

Five practical steps to pure live:

1. Lay aside all malice: This is a malicious spirit.  Stop wishing ill will on others.  Stop trying to hurt those who hurt you.  The Greek word “Kakia,” even sounds disgusting.  True love does not seek revenge.
2. Set aside all deceit:  The Greek word “dolos” means treachery, trickery, lying, being disingenuous and being two faced.  True love does not deceive.
3. Put aside all hypocrisy:  Hypocrisy is pretending to be one thing on the outside, but is another thing deep inside.  You can fool some of the people, but God knows if you are being two faced.  True love must be genuine.
4. Get rid of all envy:  Envy or jealousy is resentment for what others have and the desire to have what does not belong to you.  Be content and joyful with the gifts and abilities God has given you.  You cannot truly love until you are content.
5. Stop all evil speaking:  Evil speaking refers to speaking ill of one another, of slander, of rumors and gossip.  You can say that you are a loving person all you want, but true love speaks well of others.

One sure route to sustaining love:

“As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow by it.”  If you are going to learn to love others, you have got to learn to love God’s Word first.  If you desire to be a lover, you must desire the simple truths of time spent with the greatest lover of all; the living Word, Jesus.  There is no shortcut nor substitute for daily time spent with the Lord Jesus Christ in His word.  It is the only way you are going to grow in love.

one simple test to let you know if you are a genuine lover

3 “if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”  Here’s what I know; if you are a true believer, you will have a insatiable appetite for the Word, just like a baby has a hunger for mama’s milk.  Once you have truly tasted Jesus, and are a saved individual, you can’t help yourself, you will have a voracious craving for more.  Jesus tastes so good; you can’t take just one bite!

O taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who trusts in him!

If you’re motivated, you can do amazing things.

What would motivate a person to get out of bed in the middle of the night and read with avid interest, a boring, technical book when he should be sleeping? Every parent of a sick child who has read a medical handbook for baby at 3 a.m. knows the answer!

What would motivate a person to go sit out in an icy wind for two hours on a Saturday morning when there are other pressing things to do? Every loving parent who is a soccer mom or dad has done that very thing. Something motivated them to do what would normally be unnatural.

What would make a college student stay up all night banging away at his computer? Surely his body is crying out for sleep! Surely he’s not so intrigued by his subject that he just can’t quit! He’s motivated by a professor who said, “The term paper will count for 25 percent of your grade. No late work will be accepted. No exceptions!”

So here’s a question: Why don’t we read our Bibles with the consistency and fervency of a college student? Why don’t we pray with the tenacity of an athlete? Why don’t we strive to be holy people in every area of life? Why do our hearts grow lax toward the things of God?

The answer is that, we lack proper motivation. If we can kindle the right motivation, we will be fervent in spirit and all-out for the Lord.

Today we are going to look at the motivation for holiness: Hope makes us holy. In the first section of this chapter, Peter emphasized walking in hope, but now his emphasis is walking in holiness. The question of the first section was, “How can I smile while suffering?” the question in the next is, “How can I live a pure life in a corrupt society?”

One powerful answer is that “hope makes holy.” Holiness and hope go together like peanut butter and jelly, like the Lone Ranger and Tonto, like abbot and Costello, like ice cream and chocolate syrup. But more to the point, hope makes us yearn for holiness like the smell of thanksgiving dinner to a hungry man, like a shining oasis to a parched Bedouin, like a hot fire on the hearth when it’s 10 below zero outside, like a twenty dollar bill when you are flat broke.

Hope motivates us to be holy when it captivates our mind. Those who hope and dream of the soon coming of the Lord are highly motivated to live for Jesus. His coming is alive and vivid to their soul. Those who spend little time pondering the Christian hope of the future have little motivation to be holy. Much hope, much holiness; little hope, little holiness. Cause and effect.

Listen to what Peter said in verse 13: “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Now listen to what the Apostle John said in his letter; “every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself, even as Jesus is pure” (1 John 3:3). It sounds like Peter and John hung around together, doesn’t it?

Hope captures the mind – 13

“Gird up the loins of your mind” simply means, “Pull your thoughts together! Keep your mind on Jesus return!” The image of girding up the loins is a little old fashioned. It is Bible time man wearing a robe who needs to run free, so he can be seen tucking his rub up under the belt, so that it won’t trip him up. When you center your thoughts on the return of Christ, you escape the many worldly things that would trap your mind.

Not only should we have a disciplined mind, but we should also have a sober mind. The word sober means “to be calm, steady, controlled; to weigh matters.” Unfortunately some people get worried by prophetic studies and start looking at tribulation rather than Jesus return. The fact that Christ is coming should encourage us to be calm and collected.

The most passionate, stable people I know are the people who are spellbound by Jesus coming. Hope makes them holy. This is why I begin virtually every morning by saying, “Lord, I set apart my mind for You today. I set apart my passion, my eyes, my ears, my lips. I set apart my motivations, my attitudes, my disciplines. I set apart all these things to You.” This kind of simple reminder has kept me moving toward that goal of holiness Peter mentions in 1 Peter 1:15-16. I would urge you to do the same.

Hope delivers from ignorant sin – 14

“as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance.”

The argument here is logical and simple. Some people are ignorant of their sin. They think that there is nothing wrong with how they are living. In fact they flaunt it. Sinful ignorance that leads to foolish indulgence. Unsaved people lack spiritual intelligence, and this causes them to justify their sin.

But hope awakens obedience in us, because when we believe, we awaken as a child of God. Children inherit the nature of their parents. A lamb will naturally grow up acting like a sheep. It’s in his nature. And a piglet will wallow like all other pigs. We are children of God! If you have this hope in you, will live a holy life. God is holy; therefore, as His children, we should live holy lives.

Peter reminded his readers that they had also been imitators of the world, “conforming themselves” to the standards and pleasures of the world. Romans 12:2 translates this same word as do not be “conformed to this world.”

Hope imitates a Holy God -15

15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

God’s holiness is an essential part of His nature. “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Any holiness that we have come from God.

What does it mean for Christians to be “holy”? Ask around and you’ll get a host of answers, most of them erroneous. The term, in its basic sense, means to be set apart, separated for a special, unique purpose. This is why marriage is sometimes called “holy matrimony.” A husband and wife separate from their former family commitments as they commit themselves to each other in a unique and intimate relationship. We also call the Bible “Holy Scripture” because these writings, are set apart from the common writings of the world.

The words “holy,” “holiness,” “saint” and “sanctify” come from a Greek root meaning, “to set apart to God.” The believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is set apart for God by the Holy Spirit, with the obligation of living a holy life (1 Pet. 1:15-16).

A holy person is not an odd person, but a different person. His life has a quality about it that is different. His present “lifestyle” is not only different from his past way of life, but it is different from the “lifestyles” of the unbelievers around him. It involves separation from that which is unclean and complete devotion to God (2 Cor. 6:14—7:1). We are to be holy “in all our behavior,” so that everything we do reflects the holiness of God.

To a believer, there is no such thing as “secular” and “sacred.” All of life is holy as we live to glorify God. Even such ordinary activities as eating and drinking can be done to the glory of God (i Cor. 10:31). If something cannot be done to the glory of God, it should not be done at all!

Hope results in reverence – 17

17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear (reverence)

Most people are motivated by appreciation and love. Hope is the highest form of motivation. If you are going to use fear as a motivator, use it sparingly, and when you give a warning, make sure you carry it out, or negative motivation loses its effect.

God also uses negative motivation. “The Father, without partiality judges according to each one’s work.” If I can get you to think deeply about the judgment of God on sinners, you are sure to turn your life over to Jesus. Who wants to eternal judgment?

But this verse is not just about the eternal judgment on unbelievers; this is about the judgment of Christians. Let me paraphrase verse 17. “If you are going to call yourself a Christian, conduct yourself like one, reverently, for God is watching and is going to judge everyone impartially, not just by what comes out of their mouth, but by how they live!”

Now there is no question that the believer’s judgment is different than the unbeliever. The non-Christian receives the sentence of eternal hell for his sin. The Christian received discipline here for misbehavior, and loss at the Judgment seat of Christ for disobedience.

Now there’s some motivation for you. Don’t sin, because sin results in chastisement. Do live for Jesus, for that results in great reward.

Now we come to the concluding verses of this little section, where Peter tells us why hope makes us holy:

Why Hope makes us Holy: we were redeemed, so we believe!

18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Let me explain what this means. All those who don’t know Christ are like the merchandise in the slave market of sin. Whether they realize it or not, they are in bondage to desires, impulses, and ignorance—alienated from God, the one source of true freedom. They live in a condition in which they cannot help or change themselves. Their only hope is help from the outside.

Christ provided that help at the cross, where His own blood paid the penalty for sin—death. He didn’t pay in silver or gold—worthless scrap metal compared to the price of a human soul. No, Christ paid with His blood, breaking the chains, opening the door, and calling the unredeemed to step out of the bondage from which they had been purchased. And the only thing keeping any person from receiving this freedom is his or her own decision to accept the free offer of eternal life, stepping from the darkness of futility into the light of a joyous, meaningful life.

Christ didn’t purchase us with His precious blood to let us drift aimlessly through life. We are meant to be motivated to be Holy. How can we stay motivated? I have four suggestions I would urge you to remember.

First, pay close attention to what you look at. Your eyes are the closest connection to your mind. They capture images that are alluring, attractive, sensual, and pleasurable. Take care what you allow to pass through the gates of your eyes, especially when you are alone.

Second, give greater thought to long-range consequences than to immediate pleasures. You’ll notice that one of the characteristics of the world is that nobody ever mentions the disastrous consequences of lust, or feeding your greed. Walk through the consequences of your actions, thinking through the effects, naming the people whose lives will be harmed, and reminding yourself of the high cost of a ruined reputation.

Third, start each day by renewing your sense of reverence for God. Don’t limit that to the church. Start each day spending time with the Lord. Sometimes I simply say, “Lord, I’m here. I’m yours. I give You my day. As inadequate and fragile as I am, I need Your help this day.” Start each day by renewing that Father-child relationship.

Fourth, refocus on Christ throughout the day. As people, events, and temptations cross your path, you’ll begin to drift from that original course. Whatever happens, realign your focus upon Christ. Even if it means regularly scheduling short times of prayer or reading your Bible or devotional during breaks or lunch. Take time to focus on Him throughout the day.

What amazes you?

A gentleman named Agur, who lived during the times of Solomon once wrote: “There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand:   the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maid.” Proverbs 3:18-19

In our hectic, mile a minute existences, it’s easy to forget just amazing our world truly is.  Let me give you some amazing data that seem more like fiction then fact.

1. If you drilled a tunnel straight through the Earth and jumped in, and if you fell at the rate that skydivers fall, it would take you exactly 42 minutes and 12 seconds to get to china.
2. A medium-sized cumulus cloud weighs about the same as 80 elephants.
3. A single bolt of lightning contains enough energy to cook 100,000 pieces of toast.
4. In an average lifetime, human skin completely replaces itself 900 times.
5. A red blood cell can make a complete circuit of your body in 20 seconds.  During the hour and a half that you sit in church, your blood has been running over 150 laps!
6. According to Amazon, the most highlighted Kindle books are, the Steve Jobs biography, and The Hunger Games, and #1, the Bible

Amazing.  We are still talking about why we smile while suffering.  We smile because we have discovered that where there is Christ, there is hope.  We smile because to God, we are “keepers;” we dance because we are bound for glory.  And today we will be amazed at what God has done for us.  Before we are finished I hope to leave you overwhelmed at how incredible it is that we have so great a salvation.

Let me tell you something.  We all are privileged people.  We live in an incredible time, and I’m not talking about technology.  Let me tell you why you should be overwhelmed with gratitude and why you are so privileged; it is because the best of men in history past, and the best of angels in heaven above, wish that they could see what you have seen, could have what you have.

We among all men and angels are privileged, and it ought to amaze us.

The Prophets Sought it Out!

Verse 10 notes “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully…”

What the prophets sought, we possess.  Moses sought it, as did Isaiah, as did King David the prophet.  Elijah searched for it, and so did his counterpart Elisha.  Even John the Baptist didn’t get it.  His desire was just to be the least  in the kingdom.  He asked Jesus, “Are you the one we’ve been expecting, or should be look for another?”  (Matthew 11:3).

When Jesus was born, the prophet Simeon prayed; Now Lord, let your servant die in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation.”  (Luke 2:29)

Many have earnestly longed to see our day, and have not seen it.  We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, who want to tell us one amazing truth: we are among the most privileged in all of history, for we get to experience so great a salvation!

But it isn’t just prophets who longed to have what we have,

The Angels Desire to Look into it. 

This is the only place in the Bible where angels and prophets are mentioned together. That’s fascinating because the Bible says a lot about angels and a lot about prophets, but only here do we have them in the same text.

Look at the closing phrase of verse 12.  It says, these are “things which angels desire to look into.“

If I told you that I had a special window that let me look into the realm of the angels, all of us would crowd around to get a glimpse of “the other side.” But who would have thought that the angels long to look at us and understand our salvation.

The words “look into,” Παρακυψαι· speak of one who is stooped down, or stooped over to better glimpse of something.  It is the posture of a sleuth like who Sherlock Holmes is intent on examining important evidence.  It’s the same word used for Peter and John stooping to look inside the empty tomb on Easter Sunday morning.

Someone suggested that this is an allusion here to the cherubim who stood at the ends of the ark of the covenant, in the inner tabernacle, with their eyes turned down towards the mercy-seat in a bending posture, as if looking attentively. Even the holy angels are struck with astonishment at the plan of human redemption.

What do angels what to know?

Did you know that there has never been an angel that has ever been forgiven?  And did you know that there never ever will be even one single angel that will ever experience salvation?  And did you know that God never sent His son Jesus to pay the penalty for their sins.

Here is Peter’s message made plain: God loves you so much, the angels are amazed. They know nothing about grace and mercy and forgiveness. They’ve never experienced new life, the new birth, regeneration, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, or the wonder of deliverance from sin. That which we have experienced in Jesus Christ, the angels never knew and will never know. We are far more privileged than they.

No wonder Jesus told His disciples, “blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;  for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men (and may I say angels) desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”  Matthew 13:16-17

We among all men and angels are privileged, and it ought to amaze us with gratitude and make us smile.  We know what the prophets never knew, and we experience what the angels wish they knew.

And what is that?  The prophets saw it coming…

The Prophets Prophesied of it!

Back to verse 10, “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you.”

In one simple sentence, Peter tells us what we should be so amazed about; we should be amazed at Grace – Amazing Grace.  What’s so amazing about grace?  If you don’t know, you need to ask; you need to find out!  Unfortunately, the discussion of grace has become so commonplace to Christians, so every day, that to some of us it is so ho-hum!

It is like the healthy man who doesn’t appreciate walking until he is paralyzed.  It is like the wealthy man who takes abundant food for granted until he is lost and starving in the wilderness.  It is like the wise man who takes his powers of reasoning for granted until dementia begins taking them away.

Grace is even more amazing.  So what is Grace? “It is the undeserving gift of God, in which he offers lost sinners unmerited favor.”  We sinners deserve God’s wrath and instead in Jesus Christ we get love; we deserve punishment and get forgiveness—all because of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.

Read the stories in the Gospels. “I was blind but now I see” (John 9). “[My son] was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15). “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16). The news is spectacularly good, especially when held up against the bleak view of hopelessness that has a stranglehold on our world.

If you don’t have grace, you need it!  If you do have grace, you need to be amazed by it!  It keeps you smiling even if you are suffering.  It is the hope that brings comfort to the needy.

The Spirit Predicted It

11 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.

The prophets were the men in the Old Testament whom God chose to be his spokesmen on earth.  The spirit of Christ was in them.  It was the Spirit who moved the prophet to prophecy.  The prophets had two primary jobs: 1) They proclaimed God’s Word, and 2) They predicted future events.   Peter’s concern is with #2, the prophets as predictors of the future.

According to verse eleven, there are four amazing things about prophecy.  #1 Prophecy explains what is going to happen.  #2 Prophecy explains when it would happen – or what manner of time it would occur.  #3 Prophecies main focus is on Christ and his sufferings.  #4 Prophecy details the glories that are yet to follow.

Bible prophecy is one of the most amazing and unique characteristics of the Bible.  It is impossible to find anything like it anywhere else in history.  God has a track record of keeping his promises.  You can hang your hat on that!

The prophets predicted the coming of a Savior who would bring hope to this heartbroken world. Did you know there are over 300 separate prophecies in the Old Testament relating to the coming of Christ? And did you also know that Jesus fulfilled 33 prophecies on the day of his death.

Here are a few of those predictions the prophets made about Jesus:

1. That he would be born of a virgin—Isaiah 7:14
2. That he would be born in Bethlehem—Micah 5:2
3. That he would be born into the tribe of Judah—Genesis 49:10
4. That his ministry would begin in Galilee—Isaiah 9:1
5. That he would work miracles—Isaiah 35:5, 6
6. That he would teach in parables—Psalm 78:2
7. That he would enter Jerusalem on a donkey—Zechariah 9:9
8. That he would be betrayed by a friend—Psalm 41:9
9. That he would be sold for 30 pieces of silver—Zechariah 11:12
10. That he would be accused by false witnesses—Psalm 35:11
11. That he would be wounded and bruised—Isaiah 53:5
12. That his hands and feet would be pierced—Psalm 22:16
13. That he would be crucified with thieves—Isaiah 53:12
14. That his garments would be torn apart and lots cast for them—Psalm 22:18
15. That his bones would not be broken—Psalm 34:20
16. That his side would be pierced—Zechariah 12:10
17. That he would be buried in a rich man’s tomb—Isaiah 53:9
18. That he would rise from the dead—Psalm 16:10

These are only a few of the hundreds of prophecies about Jesus Christ given by the Old Testament prophets.  And let me just say something about Jesus.  Although prophecy predicts many different things; famines, earthquakes, plagues, the antichrist and the coming tribulation, the main purpose of prophecy is to point to Jesus.  Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

If you want to understand the Bible, look for Jesus!  Better to see him on every page than not to see him at all. The Bible is one book with 66 parts—all pointing to Jesus.

• He is the Prophet greater than Moses.
• He is the Priest greater than Aaron.
• He is the King greater than David.
• Jesus is the theme of the Bible.

1. A) Jesus is the meaning of history. History truly is His Story. History is not about men and nations, or the rise and fall of empires. It’s not about building or buying or getting. History is not about who wins the election in November—as important as that is to most of us. History is about Jesus Christ! How do I know this? Because when he was born, he split history in two—into BC and AD! Every time unbelievers say 2016, they unknowingly confess the supremacy of our Lord. History is all about Jesus, and apart from him, history has no meaning.
2. B) Salvation is the purpose of history. I don’t just mean salvation in the limited sense of you coming to Christ. I mean salvation in the larger sense of all that God intends to do to bring deliverance to this sin-cursed planet. Salvation is the story of the greatest rescue mission in the history of the universe. It’s about God sending his Son to redeem a rebel race, at the cost of his own Son, and then offering forgiveness and freedom to all who will believe in him. That great drama of salvation will come to its appointed culmination when Jesus returns to the earth.  And as I thought about this, my heart raced to the amazing words of the book of Revelation:  even so Lord Jesus come!  Amazing.  And he shall reign forever and ever.  Amazing!

The Apostles Preached It

12 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.

The prophets were not speaking to themselves, the prophets were speaking to us!  The Apostles were not just preaching the gospel to the people of the 1st century, they spoke to men and women of every century.  The Bible is not meant for men of some other nation, or people of some other time; the Gospel is meant for you.

The Bible is God’s love letter to you.  If you doubt that, listen to what God says:

I love you! (John 3:16)  I created you in my image (Genesis 1:27) and I called you “very good” (Genesis 1:31).  I knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13).  I know the number of the hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30) and I am familiar with all your ways (Psalm 139:3).  My precious thoughts of you are as countless as the sand on the seashore (Psalm 139:17-18).

“… I will always love you; …. You are precious to me.”  Jeremiah, 31:3-4),  “… I can’t let you go. I can’t give you up. … My feelings for you are much too strong. Hosea 11:8).  “Could a mother forget her child who nurses?  Even if a mother could forget, I will never forget you.” Isaiah 49:15)

You see I’ve loved you from the beginning, long before you loved me (1 John 4:19).  I sent my son Jesus, the exact representation of myself(Hebrews 1:3), to die on the cross in your place (Romans 5:8), to take upon Himself the punishment that you deserved (Isaiah 53:5), and to take away your sin (John 1:29).  For you the mighty Lion sacrificed his life as an innocent Lamb (Revelation 5:5-6).

One day soon I Jesus I will return to bring you and all my followers to the heavenly home that I have prepared for you (John 14:2).  I will wipe away your tears and take away your pain forever (Revelation 21:3-4) and I will reward you for all the you’ve done in my name (Revelation 22:12).  Heaven will be more beautiful and wonderful than you can imagine (Revelation 21:10-27).  There we will sing to God with angels (Revelation 7:9-17), feast at banquets (Matthew 22:14), and rule over cities (Luke 19:11-26).  Love, God

Does that not amaze you?  No wonder we smile!  We are the most blessed people in history. We know things the prophets never knew. We experience salvation the angels never experience.

Everyone wants joy.

All of us, I think, want to live fulfilled lives.  But joy means different things to different people.  It can be pretty difficult to maintain a positive attitude when all hell breaks loose in your life.  Who do you know that is good at smiling while suffering?  It’s tough.

One person wrote, “Finding joy is a challenge for me. I’m not naturally an upbeat person; I’m more of a melancholy. When I talk about joy, I’m not doing so from the perspective of a generally peppy person who never has a bad day.  Joy is the settled assurance that since God is in control of all the details of my life, everything, eventually is going to be alright, so I make the choice to praise God in every situation.”

So what is joy?

Joy is more than happiness, just as happiness is more than pleasure.  Everyone wants pleasure – pleasure makes me feel good. More deeply, everyone wants happiness – it makes my life brighter. Most deeply, everyone wants joy.

Generally speaking, Pleasure is in the body. Happiness is in the mind and emotions.   While Joy is deep in the heart, the spirit, the center of the self.  The way to pleasure is indulgence.  Your body craves the pleasure of good food, human touch, hugs, kisses and the warmth of a fire.  The way to happiness is lightheartedness. Your mind and emotions desire the laughter of friendship and the fun of good times.  But your spirit, the deepest well of the human, craves the presence, and the light of the joyous Holy Spirit.  The way to joy is the Holy Spirit.

Pleasure and happiness are not necessarily bad, but they are often a substitute for spiritual joy.  Thomas Aquinas once said that, “No one can live without joy. That is why one deprived of spiritual joy indulges in personal sensual pleasures.”  People substitute other stuff for the joy of the Lord.  If Jesus does not consume your life, something else will!  We must choose Joy: Because neither happiness nor pleasure is ever enough.

Again let me ask, “What is joy?”

There are three words we need to discuss in order to understand Joy.  The first is the word “joy” itself.  In the Greek New Testament Joy is χαρά (chara).  The second word is Grace.  In the Greek it is xáris (charis) (they are cognate words meaning that linguistically they come from the same original root word), meaning “good will;”  Because God is favorably disposed toward us he offers us grace.  The third word is Gift.  In the Greek it is χάρισμα (charisma), meaning “a gift, or favor.”

Let me see if I can put it all together for you.  The origin of joy is the Grace of God, which he offers as a gift… because of Jesus Christ, God looks favorably upon us and grants us the Gift of grace and the Holy Spirit.  When we experience God’s Grace and receive God’s Gift, God enables us to experience joy in the deepest recesses of our soul!  Joy comes as a gift directly from the Grace of God.

So how do you get the gift of joy?  You must surrender your soul to the Holy Spirit.  You should try it.  Millions of people for thousands of years have tried the experiment, and not one of them has ever been cheated.  All who seek, find—this is not just a promise about the next life, to be believed by faith, but a promise about this life, to be proved by experience.

In the very act of self-surrender to God there is joy.  We’ve all known people who are cold, suspicious, mistrusting, unable to let go. These people are miserable, wretched. They can’t find joy because they can’t trust.  You need faith to receive the gift of God’s grace, in order to find joy.

Here’s why we smile while suffering: We smile because we have received God’s gift of grace and we are bound for glory!  That is why

We Dance, Even in Our Trials!  1 Peter 1:6

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials”

I want to introduce you to another Greek word.  .  The first is the word was “joy” χαρά (chara).  The second word was Grace;  xáris (charis).  The third word was Gift; χάρισμα (charisma).  But the fourth word is what this message is all about.  The fourth word is Rejoice.  In the Greek it is xaírō (chairo), meaning “to be glad and rejoice.”

But, if you’ll notice in verse six, we don’t just rejoice, we “greatly” rejoice.  When I say “greatly,” I’m talking about a rejoicing that is walking and leaping and praising God!  In the original language, greatly means “leaping, springing up, bubbling up!”  I don’t mean to go all Pentecostal on you, but I think I see the Apostle Peter dancing in the isle!  It’s a jubilation!  The Spirit of the Lord has got a hold of Peter!

1 Thess. 5:16 commands us to “Rejoice always.”  Joy is the inner glow in our spirit, while rejoicing is the outer expression of Joy.  Abiding joy in the Lord should be the aim of every Christian.

Philippians 4:4 commands us to “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.”  This is a commandment, repeated twice for emphasis, so that we will not shrug it off. It is a command that we must deliberately choose to obey, especially when we’re in difficult circumstances. It has to do with our attitude which depends on submission to the Holy Spirit. The choice to rejoice often goes deliberately against how we feel. When we go through trials, we are faced with a decision: Will we obey this command to rejoice in the Lord or will we allow ourselves to be swept along by our feelings?

Let me give you three pointers for smiling while suffering and rejoicing in trials.

#1.  Remind yourself that your trials won’t last much longer.  In verse 6, Peter phrases it this way.  Dance with me, rejoice greatly, because trials are only “for a little while.”  Just remember, this won’t last forever.  This too shall pass.  Trust in Jesus and wait it out.  There is hope for tomorrow, because on our tomorrow, Jesus is coming again.

#2.  Remind yourself that trials are God’s tools to meet your needs.  That little phrase in verse six, “if need be,”  indicates that there are special times when God knows that we need to go through trials. Sometimes trials discipline us when we have disobeyed God’s will (Ps. 119:67). At other times, trials prepare us for spiritual growth, or even help to prevent us from sinning (2 Cor. 12:1—9). We do not always know the need being met, but we can trust God to know and to do what is best.  Therefore we dance with Jesus, through trials.

#3.  Remind yourself that it’s OK to weep and still rejoice.  Peter was not unrealistic about how difficult our trials may be.  In our verse, he calls them “grievous trials.”  The word means “to experience grief or pain.  It’s interesting that the shortest verse in the Greek New Testament is, “Rejoice always” (1 Thess. 5:16). The shortest verse in the English New Testament is, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). They are not contradictory! Our Savior could weep and yet have the fullness of joy, even as He faced the cross (John 15:11).

We would misapply Peter’s words if we took him to mean that a Christian should never feel sadness or grief.  To rejoice in the Lord does not mean that we deny our feelings or that we stoically endure our trials by ignoring how much we hurt.  To deny that our trials are painful is to make them even worse. Christians must accept the fact that there are difficult experiences in life and not put on a brave front just to appear “more spiritual.”

Here is something you may, or may not know.  Rejoicing is a spiritual weapon to fight off attacks on our mind.  It’s like anti-venom from a poisonous snake bite.  Rejoicing is not about trying to pretend you’re not in pain.  It’s believing that when you do rejoice … the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will visit you when it would not otherwise.

We Dance Because We are Growing Deeper 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”

Nobody knows all that is in store for us in heaven, but this we do know: Life today is a school in which God trains us for our future ministry in eternity. This explains the presence of trials in our lives. Do you want to know why you should dance for joy when trials come?

Trials test us.  Trials test the genuineness of our faith.  Do you want to know who the real Christians are?  They are the ones hanging tenaciously to their faith when trials come.  Too many professing Christians have a “false faith,” and this will be revealed in the trials of life. I’m not saying you won’t doubt or struggle, or even question God.  But once you walk through the fiery trial and make it out the other side, you can say, “hey!  I just learned something about myself!  My faith is genuine!”

Testing is precious.   Our tested faith is much more precious than gold.  Peter illustrated this truth by referring to the goldsmith. No goldsmith would deliberately waste the precious ore. He would put it into the smelting furnace long enough to remove the cheap impurities; then he would pour it out and make a beautiful article of value.  That’s why testing is precious because of God is making something precious of us.

Testing is glory.  When we pass the test; when we see Jesus face to face; then our faith will receive praise, honor, and glory.  Our trying experiences today are preparing us for glory tomorrow.  While we may not be able to rejoice as we look at our trials today, we can rejoice as we look ahead.

We dance because we are born for glory, kept for glory, and being prepared for glory.

We Dance Because We are Going for Glory!  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,  9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.”

We don’t have to see it to believe it!  I love the way Peter wrote this verse.  I’m pretty sure he had doubting Thomas in mind when he wrote it.  Our love for Christ is not based on physical sight, because we have not seen Him. It is based on our spiritual relationship with Him and what the Word has taught us about Him.

Some people cannot believe in a God that they cannot see.  But it turns out that our ability to grasp abstract ideas like an invisible God and the power of invisible faith, are marks which only the highest functioning hearts and minds possess.  It also turns out that our ability to maintain a love connection with a God we cannot see is also a mark which only the deepest hearts and minds possess.  We don’t have to see it to believe it.

So here is what happens to average, everyday folk when they believe in a God they cannot see, and love a Jesus whom they have never met… Their hearts are filled with an unexplainable joy!

We don’t have to see it to rejoice in it!  Read verse 8 again, and you’ll see Peter dancing in the aisles!  “yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”  Let me tell you about the kind of Joy that Jesus gives.  It is Joy inexpressible.  It is so powerful that we can’t even explain it!  We are dumfounded by it.  But there is more!  Our rejoicing is full of glory!  This is a superlative word which means incredibly glorious, filled with splendor; It is a word which describes incredible happiness like praising Jesus, extolling God, celebrating the Holy Spirit.  This joy is the most potent antidote to depression, the most amazing supplement to health, and the most incredible ride of a lifetime!  You have got to get some of this.  It turns out, there’s enough to go around for all of us!

Though we don’t see it now, we will get it in glory!  One of these days soon we are going to experience the end of our faith.  We are going to see Jesus face to face, and the joy that we experience then will make the trials in this life pale in comparison.  There is nothing like seeing Jesus!

To rejoice in the Lord always is an attitude of contentment and hope that transcends circumstances.   The joy Paul is exhorting us to is decidedly not the kind of joy the world offers.

Some days, it’s easy to smile. You wake up to the sounds of birds chirping, with the warm glow of the morning sun cradling your face. You take several deep, cleansing breaths standing beneath a perfectly cascading shower, just before drawing a smiley face on the steamed-up glass with your index finger.

You pick up a perfect cup of coffee, just the way you like it. You hit every traffic light. You sing to your favorite tunes. And you arrive at work refreshed, excited, and anxious to create and collaborate.

But not every day starts this way. Sometimes you wake up to chaos, in your head or in the world around you. You hit snags, and bumps, and roadblocks at every turn. You try too hard, or don’t try enough, and things fall apart, or things fall short.

You struggle, you fight yourself and other people, and you find yourself wishing you could stop the world so you could get off for a while.

But there is an alternative. When things go wrong, you can fall down or look up. You can shut down or wake up. You can accept that the days won’t always look bright, but commit to finding something worth smiling about. Not sure what that might be? No worries, I have a few ideas….

Today I am going to share with you why we smile. You see, when you have Christ, you have hope, and that makes it possible to smile even while suffering. And today we are going to talk about 1 very important reason we have to smile.

But first, let’s have some fun. I want you dig down deep into your happy place and tell me in a word or two, what makes you smile: (give time for interaction)

Did you know that smiling is good for you?

Did you know that your face has 44 muscles in it that allow you make more than 5,000 different types of expressions, many of which are smiles. But smiling happens without much thought. Like when you watch a friend do something silly or embarrassing. Or when a police officer lets you off without a ticket. But did you know that smiling triggers important and healthful activity in your brain? Yep, there’s a serious mind-body connection there.

Let me give you seven reasons why smiling is good for you![i]

1. Smiling can make you happy (even when you’re not). It turns out that the simple act of smiling sends a message to your brain that you’re happy. And when you’re happy, your body pumps out all kinds of feel-good endorphins. So the next time you feel sad or upset, try smiling. It just might make your body—and therefore you—feel better.
2. Smiling can make others happy. “When you’re smilin’, the whole world smiles with you.” Research shows that smiling is contagious. Studies show that something as simple as seeing a friend smile can activate the muscles in your face to make that same expression, without you even being aware that you are doing it. Crazy, right?
3. Smiling makes you more attractive.   Ever wonder why we always smile in photos? Because people usually look their best—when smiling.
4. Smiling can help you de-stress. Smiling helps reduce symptoms associated with anxiety. When that smile signals to your brain that you’re feeling happy (even though you’re not really feeling happy…yet), your body will usually slow its breathing and heart rate. Smiling can lower blood pressure, improve digestion and regulate blood sugar. smiling can do wonders!
5. Smiling can help your heath. Some have enen suggested that you should laugh yourself well. This concept was popularized most spectacularly by Norman Cousins who became very ill with a collagen disease in the mid-1960s. Even though he was in constant pain and felt like crying all the time, he embarked on an experiment using laughter to stimulate his healing. He found movies, jokes, and stories that were funny, hilarious, and just plain silly. The more he laughed, the less pain he felt. He used joy to activate his immune system and endocrine system into proper functioning.[ii]
6. Smiling can help you land a job. If you’re about to go on a job interview, you may think that your appearance is just about wearing nice clothes. Wrong! you have to wear a smile. In a study published in the December 2009 issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, interviewers think people who smile are more likeable, confident, conscientious and stable.
7. Smiling can lead to laughter. Have you ever laughed without smiling? It’s pretty impossible to do. Numerous studies have been done on the health benefits of laughing, including how it acts like a mini workout that burns calories and works the abs. Laughter also helps blood flow, lowers blood sugar levels, reduces stress and improves sleep. It may also raise the level of infection-fighting antibodies in the body, which helps boost your immune system. So the moral of this story is smile—and laugh—often!

Smiling just feels good. Go ahead, smile now. Doesn’t it Make you feel happy to be alive? It sure does beat the heck out of a frown.

So the next time you’re feeling down or out of sorts, try a smile. If you can’t find a reason to smile I’m going to give you one today. Here it is; We smile because we are born for glory!

When we were born the first time we were not born for glory! But verse 2 tells us that as sad as we were, God was smiling, because He had a plan for us:

“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.+ 1 Peter 1:3

Here is God’s plan of salvation for lost sinners. – We were chosen by the father, purchased by the son and set apart by the Spirit. As far as God the Father is concerned, I was saved when He chose me in Christ before the foundation of the world. As far as the Son is concerned, I was saved when He died for me on the cross. But as far as the Spirit is concerned, I was saved one summer day in August 1962 when I heard the gospel and received Christ.

Here is how to get a smile to spread across your face: Thank the Father that He chose you. That is election. Election and foreknowledge means more than just knowing or planning in advance, in the Bible it’s all about God setting his love on us! Deuteronomy 7:6-8 opines:

“The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you.”

Your smile should spread when you thank the Son for dying for you. He shed his blood to give you grace and peace.

And the smile should keep spreading when you thank the Spirit for sanctifying you! Now the word “sanctification” doesn’t mean anything to most of us, but it should. It comes from a Greek word which mean “to make holy.” We should smile because the Spirit is bound and determined to make us just like Jesus!

But we are just getting warmed up. You see it is because of the work of the Trinity that we are so blessed that we smile! The work of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit makes verse 3 possible!

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

We smile because we are Blessed!

There are three blessings that I see in these verses: Let me list them so you can smile with me:

Blessing #1! We smile because we have a living hope. 3.

Blessing #2! We smile because we have an incorruptible inheritance. 4.

Blessing #3! We smile because we are kept safe by the power of God. 5.

Are you smiling yet?

We smile because we have a living hope! 3

The first reason we can rejoice is because we have a “living hope.” It is not simply a “hope so,” but it is as alive as the resurrected Jesus! Believers in Jesus Christ have been “born again” to a living hope because of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. When we realize that the ultimate destination on this long, difficult journey is eternity in heaven, it makes the potholes and breakdowns in life worth bearing.

To the unsaved, hope is nothing more than wishing upon a star. But our hope is alive because Jesus is alive! We smile because our hope is alive!

We smile because we have an incorruptible inheritance! 4

The second reason we can rejoice in suffering is that we have an incorruptible inheritance that does not fade away, which is reserved in heaven for us.

It is totally unlike any earthly inheritance! Have you ever had the privilege of traveling? Have any of you, on any of those trips showed up a little late and found that your guaranteed room reservation had been given away? You show up at 9:30 at night exhausted from a long day of travel, give the guy your name and credit card, and wait while he does some voodoo on his computer, then stares through you like you’re a ghost. If your name isn’t on their little screen, you don’t exist! You then give him your confirmation number, but it does no good. In the end you wind up in a flophouse two blocks down with nothing but a halfhearted apology because somehow your reservation just vanished!

When you make reservations to the greatest place in the universe, that is not what happens! They are guaranteed! They are incorruptible – that means that your name will always be legible in the book of life. They are undefiled. In other words, the vacation booking in heaven is better than described. It will exceed your expectations. It is a permanent reservation.

We smile because we are kept safe by the power of God! 5

The third reason to rejoice in suffering is that we “are protected by the power of God.” No matter how acute the persecution, you and I will never be lost in the process. God’s hand of comfort and strength will remain with us. No matter the calamity, no matter the cause of death, the depth of pain, the horror of catastrophe—God is in control. And He is all-powerful, all good, and all knowing.

And here is something that should make you smile. Your salvation is not up to you. If it was, you’d have lost it long ago. Your salvation is up to God. The joyful promise is this; that your salvation is kept secure by God’s power. What did Jesus say about that?

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” John 10:27-29

No one can tell us all the reasons we go through such hard times. Nobody can explain it to our complete satisfaction. But because we know the kind of God we have, we can accept the mystery of suffering and know for sure that God will protect us by His power from now throughout eternity.

So smile, because you have the greatest reasons in the universe to rejoice.

Now, I can think of some crazy ways to make you smile.

Pop in a funny DVD, read the Sunday comics, buy a hula hoop and act like a kid, Bake something that has a silly face on it, Blast your favorite music and dance around with absolutely no regard for rhythm or appearance, go to your favorite spot, whether it’s a beach, bike trail, or mall, Tell someone how much they mean to you, Create a gratitude list for the day…

Heck, you may be able to even read the word smile and feel better. According to research published in Psychological Science, simply reading certain words may even make you feel better.

But, as good as those are, I don’t just want to give you temporary, fading, short term reasons to smile; I want to give you lasting permanent joy. Here’s why we Christians really smile: We smile because we have a living hope. We smile because we have an incorruptible inheritance. We smile because we are kept safe by the power of God.

Smile on that!

[i] http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=1529

[ii] http://www.theherbsplace.com/content/364-ahmlaugh