Text: 1 Peter 1:3-9
OPEN:
The key verse in this passage is verse 7:
“so that the genuineness of your faith – being more precious
than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire – may be
found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus
Christ is revealed.”
I’m afraid there is a lot of confusion and even misunderstanding about what the Bible explicitly means when it refers to the security of the believer. Peter believes in the security of the believer in a way that almost no one does today. It believes so strongly in eternal security that it says we verify the fact that we were truly born again in the past if we hold firm to that faith to the end.
What Peter is saying is essentially this: Genuine faith perseveres to the end and, therefore, perseverance authenticates our profession of faith.
I. INCLUDES A STRONG STATEMENT ABOUT GETTING STARTED (vv.3-5) (Starting point is called "salvation")
1. Genuine Salvation is Entirely a Thing of Mercy, Not Good Works.(v.3)
*This is a crucial point and must be kept in mind as we unfold Peter’s meaning of the perseverance of the saints.
a. “By His great mercy. . . “
“Mercy” comes from the Greek word eleos, meaning "clemency, the moral quality of feeling compassion and showing kindness toward someone in need."
“Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Empowered and made possible by the resurrection. The crucifixion was essential but made complete by the resurrection. Never settle for a cross without an empty tomb.
2. Genuine salvation is accompanied by enduring security.(v.4)
a. “Into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you.”
- Cannot/will not diminish, end, lose its power and significance.
- Inheritance never fading – security; kept in heaven – eternal.
Ephesians 2:4-7:
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”
3. Genuine salvation provides divine protection. (v. 5)
a. “who through faith are shielded by God’s power.”
This is why we are called to leave our comfort zones as Christians.
This promise protection is not a protection from harm, disaster, crisis, disappointment, illness, even death – Americans have a false and erroneous concept of God’s promises and obligations. If you take issue with this, talk to Job/Read Hebrews 11:32-38 (emphasis on vv.35b-38).
It is protection from losing your inheritance/salvation which is kept for you in heaven. *Nothing external can steal away your salvation. Satan cannot take it from you.
II. EMPHASIS UPON A STRONG STATEMENT ABOUT FINISHING (vv.6-9)
1. Genuine salvation motivates us to persevere through all kinds of trials. (v.6)
a. “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may
have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.”
This is the Greek term dei, which means required or necessary when connected to a conditional sentence. Peter is stating that godly living will result in persecution. He repeats this theme of persecution often in this letter.
Our eternal security helps us keep rejoicing when all around us we find no natural reasons to rejoice.
Phil. 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice!”
2. Our perseverance or lack of it reveals the authenticity or falseness of our faith in Christ. (v.7)
“so that the genuineness of your faith – being more precious
than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire – may be
found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus
Christ is revealed.”
a. This passage is really all about proof.
Illus:
No doubt you've heard of and probably have used the phrase "the proof is in the pudding." The phrase dates back to at least 1615 when Miguel de Cervantes published Don Quixote. In this novel, the phrase is stated as "The proof of the pudding is the eating." The point of the term is that one cannot determine how good a dessert will be during preparation or based on appearance. How good a dessert will be can only be determined by the final taste.
*What would the conclusion be if you do not hold fast to the end? Not – you stopped being a partaker of Christ. The conclusion that follows is – you never were.
Genuine salvation is fought for, lived out day-by-day, not coasting your way to glory on the basis of some past event you can barely remember.
There are no doubt unsaved church members who are right next to the grace of God. They’ve heard good preaching, been baptized, taken the Lord’s Supper, their lives have been moral externally, been touched and healed by prayers of other people, been lavished with the love of God by people around them, seen miracles, and yet they are lost, never having been partakers of Jesus Christ.
Jesus talked about this in the parable of the soils (Mt. 13:3-23)
- on the path (birds ate), rocky places (quick start but sun withered), among thorns (choked plants)
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:21-23 KJV)
- prophesy (preachers), drive out demons & miracles (miracle workers)
- Not known by Jesus never having partaken of Christ
b. What shall we do to persevere? Make perseverance your life.
The Christian life is not coasting, it is fighting, the fight of faith.
John Piper: “This is the problem with so much teaching about eternal security today. ‘I remember when you were 6, you prayed the prayer.’ The New Testament is filled with the necessity of perseverance. We’re on a long journey of Christlikeness, more to be treasured, desired, counted on, hoped in than anything the world can offer.”
So many of us treat Christianity like a vaccination rather than a lifelong therapy. I receivd a Smallpox vaccination when I was in elementary school. They used what looked like a machine gun, and it left a nasty scar. Do you have one of those? But I haven’t looked to see if it’s still there for about 10 years.
How do you think Christ feels about being treated like a vaccination? “I got saved/vaccinated against hell way back there. I haven’t looked at it for 10 years but I’m secure.” Jesus did not come into this world, live a sinless life, die a cruel death on a cross, spend three days in hell, raised himself from the dead top be treated like a vaccination. He came into this world to be magnified in my life and your life day-by-day, hour-by-hour!
3. Our perseverance greatly glorifies Jesus Christ and is to be the goal of our lives. (v.7b)
a. “may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
Whose praise, glory and honor? Ours? Never! Jesus Christ’s.
Here’s the bottom line :
"All of creation, all of redemption, all of church, all of history is about one main thing: the glory of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. It’s about the supreme value and beauty of Christ, the sufferings of Christ, the power of Christ, the wisdom of Christ."
Now, if that’s true (and it is), if that’s what my life and your life is about, this church is about, this city is about, history is about, all of creation is about, all of redemption is about, does it begin to make sense that Christ would design the Christian life so that you can’t treat security like a vaccination, but like a day-by-day, fight to the finish, in each other’s face exhortation of Jesus to remain unstained by the world and true to Christ?
b. “For you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (v.9)
Salvation is viewed in the NT as a decision made, but also as an ongoing process with a future consummation (called “glorification”)
If we only have a past orientation – I got fixed back there and now I’m safe – Jesus gets no glory from that. And make no mistake about it, He means to be glorified now and the way he is glorified is when we live our salvation openly day-by-day, living like Jesus is great, more than anything else.
CLOSE:
At the end of the fishing, everything comes down to results. This is often called "weighing in" -- calculating the size and number of the catch. Results matter, especially if you went out to catch dinner!
Results matter most when it comes to living out our faith. It matters so much that Scripture tells us that only the real thing, authentic faith, will make it through all the trials of life and endure to the end. Shaky churchgoing that peters out when the going gets tough simply reveals that there was nothing of substance to start with.
So, why not put it to the test right now?
Have you given your life to Jesus Christ?
Are you walking with Him in a love relationship?
Is your heart tender toward the ways & Word of God?
Genuine faith perseveres to the end and, therefore perseverance authenticates our profession of faith.
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