We find our text today in verses 6 through 9.
I think it might be helpful if we start back in verse 3.
Remember, we're breaking a section apart into bite-sized chunks,
like the mini-sized candy bars most of our kids got.
If they went trick-or-treating this week, they got the little tiny ones.
Okay, there's a king-sized Hershey bar that's running from verses 3 to 12.
We're breaking that down into mini-sized portions.
We did 3 to 5 last week.
We'll do 6 to 9 today.
So let's start at verse 3.
We're going to take 6 to 9 as our primary text, okay?
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you,
who by God's power are being guarded through faith
for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you rejoice,
though now for a little while, if necessary,
you've been grieved by various trials,
so that the tested genuineness of your faith,
more precious than gold that perishes,
though it is tested by fire,
may be found to result in praise and glory and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
though you have not seen him,
you love him.
Though you do not now see him,
you believe in him
and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible
and filled with glory,
obtaining the outcome of your faith,
the salvation of your souls.
Amen.
It's estimated now that there are about 8.2 billion people
who now inhabit the earth.
That is an enormous amount of people.
A number that I'm not sure that we can really fully comprehend
and begin to grasp even.
It's a lot of people.
And of course, that 8.2 billion people
is represented by an enormous number of characteristics
and defining characteristics and cultures
that vary significantly from one to the next.
And yet there are some things that we can look at the world
and we can look at every other human being in the world
and say despite all the many differences that we do have,
there are a few things that all of us have in common.
And one of those things
is that we're all trying to be
and want to be happy.
We want to be happy.
If you don't want to be happy,
you're weird.
In the United States,
this is even written into one of our most important documents, isn't it?
We hold these truths to be self-evident
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their creator
with certain unalienable rights,
that among these unalienable rights
are life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness.
Even our founding forefathers recognized
that there is a consistency in the human condition.
It's a consistent longing
and what they framed as a longing
and a pursuit of happiness,
they believed that in the establishment
of even our nation,
they wanted to provide a culture
and a situation
where people could be free
to pursue what would make them happy.
And as citizens of this great nation,
we are grateful for that,
that we do live in a place
that we can pursue that kind of life.
But everyone's pursuit of happiness
looks different.
Because what makes a person happy
or what produces happy feelings,
it all depends on the individual, doesn't it?
And then it can get really complex, right?
Because what makes one person happy
can be the very thing
that makes the next person sad.
If you're a baseball fan,
perhaps you stayed up last night
to watch game seven of the World Series.
I wish both teams could have lost.
I know Andy was pulling for the Blue Jays last night
and it was looking pretty good for them
until the ninth inning
and then he would have been really happy
had the Blue Jays won,
but the Dodgers come in
and the Dodgers win the World Series.
Their happiness is his sadness, right?
It's the weird thing about happiness.
There's other things about happiness
we could say.
Happiness is circumstantial.
It lives and it dies
on individual circumstances and situations.
And it's fleeting.
What we want in life
always seems to be just out of reach.
And then the things that we actually have,
we tend to have this sense of insecurity about them
that at any moment,
it can all just kind of unravel.
That if the thing that makes us happy is money,
there's a fear that comes along with that
once we get the money.
That, you know,
if the market turns
or something tragic happens in my life,
I'm going to lose this thing that makes me happy.
Or if the thing that really makes you most happy
is certain relationships,
there's this fear that, you know,
if I don't do this and I don't say this
and I don't follow this kind of path
then I'm going to lose this relationship
that makes me so happy.
Or career, whatever.
We fill in the blank.
It's fleeting.
It's here one moment
and it's gone the next very often.
So the pursuit of happiness,
it tends to go on and on.
Achieved by God's grace in part,
but never really ultimately satisfying.
Now how's that for the start of a sermon?
Y'all want to be happy
and none of you are going to be.
Well, there's something important
that we need to understand
about the pursuit of happiness.
And that is that happiness
is not actually the fundamental desire of your heart.
It is the outworking of a greater desire.
And I think by way of definition,
we can help ourselves here.
We all certainly want to feel happy,
but what our hearts really,
truly crave is something that the Bible calls joy.
Now there's synonyms to be sure,
but they're different.
They're distinct from one another.
Happiness is based on circumstances.
Your team either wins or your team loses.
You either get the job or you don't.
Joy, however, is something different than that.
It persists even in the most devastating of situations.
In tremendous grief,
you cannot be happy,
but you can have joy.
And that's really the longing of our hearts, isn't it?
We want something that can transcend brokenness.
Something that can transcend sadness.
Something that's stable and secure
that will carry us through the dark moments of life
that we know are inevitable.
And through his word,
God affirms again and again
that you can actually possess a joy
that is overflowing and abundant
even when you cannot possibly feel happy
about your life and its circumstances.
It's something you can possess today
and it's a source that is so stable and secure
it can never actually be destroyed.
And it is this present joy
that Peter calls us to remember
and praise God for
in verses 6 through 9.
Remember, these verses,
they come to us right in the middle
of a larger call to worship
that spans verses 3 to 12.
And everything Peter writes here in 6 to 9,
everything that he writes about Christian joy
is meant to direct our hearts and praise to God.
That's its function.
So we see the heading is actually in verse 3.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And when we get down here to these statements of joy,
we realize that it's fitting underneath this umbrella.
So everything Peter's saying about joy,
he means for us to then acknowledge
and then turn it back to praise to God.
He sees God as the source of it all.
He sees God as the reason for it all.
And he's directing us to praise him
on account of this.
So the function then of 6 to 9
is a call to praise God
for all the ways that he is working in us
to produce and display this present joy.
And I want to point out three facts
about our present joy
that Peter says should be at the heart
of our sincere worship.
Here's the first one.
Our present joy is focused
on our future inheritance.
Our present joy is focused
on our future inheritance.
We get this from the very first phrase of verse 6.
In this you rejoice.
In what?
In everything that he just said
in verses 3 to 5.
He's building an argument.
In this you rejoice.
Joy is a disposition of the heart.
It's given to us as a gracious gift from God.
God, to rejoice, the verb form,
means to give voice to the joy
that God has put there.
To express it.
And you'll notice in Peter's language
that's what he's actually saying
that these people are doing.
He's saying in this you rejoice.
There is something God has put in them
and they are expressing it
because they've realized the goodness of God in it.
Now, interestingly,
there are no explicit imperatives
or commands here.
He doesn't say,
in this you must rejoice.
That's not the words that he could have said that.
Certainly that would have been
a fine command to give.
But there's no imperative here.
He's not writing an imperative.
What is he doing?
Well, he's not instructing
these Christians to rejoice.
He's assuming that they already are.
It's present tense.
In this, we might say,
you are rejoicing.
In this, you are giving voice
to the joy that God has put in your heart.
That's not because he thought
the Christians in Asia
were more mature than other Christians
in other places.
No, he makes this assumption
because he understands
joy to be a gift from God.
a gift that is implanted
into the heart
of every believer
at the new birth.
Peter knows that.
He's experienced that.
He's seen it now
for three decades of his life
as he's watched the Lord
come in and bring life
to dead sinners.
And he's watched that joy
be expressed again and again
and again.
He knows this is true.
He's at least aware
that the Christians
were engaged in expressing
that joy
even in tremendous hardship.
But I think he might be
also assuming that they are
not because they're better
than anyone else
but just because
they're Christians.
And he understands
that to say you're a Christian
and not to actually possess
this joy
is not really
to be a Christian.
Those would be
in contradiction
in Peter's mind.
Now notice what he says
that Christians' joy
is focused on.
Christians express
a present joy
that's rooted
in their hope
of their future salvation.
That's where it builds.
In this?
In what?
In verses 3 to 5.
That inheritance
is what Peter covered there.
God has given us
the right
to this inheritance
by causing us
to be born again
through faith
in Christ's resurrection.
That's verse 3.
Our inheritance
is unlike anything
that we can comprehend now.
It is imperishable.
It is undefiled.
It's unfading
being kept in heaven for us.
That's verse 4.
And God is keeping
that inheritance secure
as he is keeping us
secure by faith
until Jesus returns
to take us home
at which time
we will receive
that inheritance in full.
That's verse 5.
So in what
do Christians rejoice?
In this
they rejoice.
In their future
hope
they rejoice.
And that is
a transcendent joy.
It can't be taken away.
And it is very real
no matter what
the circumstances
of our life may be.
Tim Keller
is really helpful here.
He said
the opposite of joy
is not sadness.
The opposite of joy
is hopelessness.
Isn't that what Peter is saying?
The presence of their joy
flows directly out of
the presence
of their hope.
You can take the Christian
and put them
in devastating circumstances
now
and joy will persist.
Why?
Because the opposite of joy
is not sadness and grief.
The opposite of joy
is hopelessness.
And the hope
of the gospel
is stronger
than anything else
that you will ever experience.
you can be joyful
even when you're sad.
Christians ought to be
experts
in joy
because of what
we have in Christ.
No matter how
grievous life gets
in this
we rejoice
that Jesus
has paid for our sin
that he has risen
from the dead
that he ascended
and sits on the heavenly throne
that he will return
to bring us home.
In this
we rejoice.
In this
we rejoice
that God is keeping
our future inheritance
in heaven
as he is sustaining
our faith
on earth.
In this
we rejoice.
No circumstance
in life
can take that away.
If you are in Christ
today
nothing
can remove
that hope.
It is secure.
Therefore
we praise God
for our present joy
that is focused
on this future hope.
That is the first thing.
The second thing
our present joy
endures
in present grief.
Our present joy
endures
in present
grief.
And we get this
of course
in verses 6 and 7.
In this you rejoice
though now
for a little while
if necessary
you have been
grieved
by various trials
so that the
tested genuineness
of your faith
more precious
than gold
that perishes
though it is
tested by fire
may prove
to be
and result
in
praise
and glory
and honor
at the revelation
of Jesus Christ.
Peter affirms
here
present joy
does not
exclude
present grief.
We need
to get that
right
lest
a sinful
prosperity gospel
take hold
that tells us
that as long
as you do
all the things
the right way
the Lord
will give you
happiness
and nothing
but blessing.
That is not
the gospel
of the Bible.
Peter reminds
us of that.
I don't even
think Peter
means to speak
here of
occasional moments
of grief
or a particular
season of grief.
We understand
that the intensity
of our grief
it ebbs and flows
doesn't it?
We have
some times
that are more
significantly grievous
than others
but I think
Peter's intent
here is to
characterize
all of life
in exile
as a time
of ongoing
grief and trial.
though now
for a little
while he says
that's being
set in contrast
to the future
eternal hope
that we have.
So he's not
saying that you
may have a couple
of weeks where
things are just
rough at work.
That's not what
he's saying.
He's saying no
while you are here
in exile
it's going to be
bad.
It's going to be
rough and there's
going to be seasons
of grief through
various trials
and you already
know that he says
to the people
that he's writing
to.
He's talking
about our time
of exile.
And the point
is that no
matter how
intense our
grief greater
still is our
joy in Christ.
The point
is that what
is coming
is far
greater than
what is.
And it's in
this we
rejoice.
Paul says it
this way in
Romans 8
for I consider
that the
sufferings of
this present
time are not
worth comparing
with the
glory that
is to be
revealed to
us.
The glory that
Peter says in
verse 4 he
can't really
tell you exactly
what it is.
He can only
tell you what
it isn't.
And that is
it's imperishable
and it's
unfading and
it's undefiled.
And certainly
Paul knew
suffering.
How many times
was he left
for dead?
And yet he
says there's
nothing I've
experienced in
this life that
can even
compare to
what is
waiting for
me in
glory.
He never
denies that
that suffering
will continue
to take place
here.
It will.
That's life
in exile
isn't it?
Now I want
to say
something about
the necessity
of this
though.
Isn't that
what Peter
brings our
attention to
in verse
7?
That now
for a little
while you
have been
grieved by
various trials
if necessary.
What is
the necessity
here?
Sometimes we
rationalize that
grievous trials
are nothing
more than
Satan's attacks
against us.
That if
something bad
happens to it
it must always
be Satan
that's doing
it.
And certainly
that's true
in many cases.
Peter's going
to tell us
in chapter 5
be watchful
be sober.
your enemy
is like a
roaring lion
walking about
seeking whom
he may
devour.
Of course
that's true.
We need to
frame our
minds here
appropriately.
The context
of this
passage
suggests that
the necessity
of grief
is laid
upon us
not by
the work
of Satan
it's laid
upon us
by God
himself.
Peter isn't
talking about
the devil
here.
He isn't
even talking
about fallenness
here.
He's
talking about
the necessity
of taking
us through
difficulties
and whose
necessity
is it?
Well in
context here
it's God's
necessity
that he
leads us
through it.
Well let's
think about
this for
just a
moment.
Certainly
doesn't mean
that evil
isn't working
against us
of course
it is.
But what
Christians
affirm is
that God
is sovereign
over all
things and
will even
use the
tactics of
the evil
one to
accomplish
his good
purposes.
What Satan
means for
evil God
uses for
our good.
And we
see this all
over the
scriptures don't
we?
We need only
look at
Joseph in
the end of
Genesis.
Goes through
tremendous
suffering and
then at the
end of the
story you
remember his
brothers come
and over
they continue
to apologize
because they
think that
Joseph's going
to kill
them once
his dad
is dead.
And remember
what Joseph
says to
them.
He says
I'm not
going to
hurt you
and you
can stop
apologizing.
Why?
Because what
you meant
for evil
God meant
for good.
What's
Joseph saying?
That was
your evil
you shouldn't
have done
it that
was sin
that was
evil that
you brought
against me
but God
is sovereign
even over
your works
of evil
and he uses
all things
for the good
of those
who love
him.
I think
Peter is
reminding us
of that
here at
least in
part.
What exactly
is God's
purpose in
this though?
Of course
we understand
that present
joy does
endure grief
but we
don't always
understand why
the grief is
necessary in
the first
place.
Why does
God make
it necessary?
And Peter
helps us
with this
here.
Two things
I think are
worth noting.
One,
God uses
trials
to prove
our faith.
He uses
trials to
prove our
faith.
That's his
necessity
laid upon
us.
We see it
in verse
seven.
In this
you rejoice
though now
for a little
while if
necessary
you have
been grieved
by various
trials
so that
the tested
genuineness
of your
faith
which is
more
precious
than
gold
perishes
though it's
tested by
fire he
says.
What is
God doing
with this?
What is
the necessity
of it?
It's to
prove our
faith.
The analogy
here of the
refiner's
fire is so
good isn't
it?
It's so
helpful that
Peter uses
this particular
picture.
The refiner
doesn't put
gold in the
fire to
punish it.
God doesn't
take you
through the
fire to
punish you.
Your
punishment
was endured
on the
cross.
All of
it.
There's
nothing left
for you to
pay.
He may
let you
face
consequences
for your
sin in a
refining
way but
he doesn't
put you
in the
fire because
he's mad
at you.
He doesn't
put you
in the
fire so
that you
can maybe
fulfill
something that
Christ left
unfulfilled
earlier.
No, the
great gospel
that we
have is
that Christ
bore it
all.
God doesn't
take you
through the
fire to
punish you.
Neither does
he take you
through the
fire to
weaken you
in that he
desires to
discourage you
and tear you
down.
No, that's
not what he's
doing either.
Rather, the
fire, the
refiner's
prior, it
proves the
authenticity of
the gold.
gold.
It shows
this is the
real thing.
This isn't a
counterfeit.
This isn't
fake.
And then it
brings to the
surface certain
impurities.
It's called
dross.
That the
refiner, after
having put the
gold in the
fire, can
begin to
remove the
impurities so
that he might
increase its
quality and
its value.
Peter says,
this is God's
purpose.
He takes his
people through
the fire.
Why?
To prove the
authenticity that
this is not a
counterfeit.
Now, Jesus
helps us with
this, doesn't
he?
Jesus, do you
remember the
parable of the
sower and the
seed?
Jesus says the
sower goes out
and he's
spreading the
seed and it
falls on four
different types
of soil.
Remember, one
of those soils
was the rocky
soil.
It sprouts up
immediately and
it shows, at
least for a
little while,
that it is
real and that
it's going to
bear fruit, but
then the sun
comes out and
it can't handle
the heat and
it burns up.
What's Jesus
saying?
Jesus is saying
the same thing
Peter is saying,
that you can put
a Christian in
the fire, at
least a professing
Christian in the
fire, and it's
going to prove
whether or not
they're really a
Christian.
God takes us
through the fire
to separate the
sheep from the
goats, to show
who is his and
who isn't, but
then he takes us
through the fire in
order that he
might purify his
people.
It brings out
those impurities,
doesn't it, our
suffering.
And God wants to
purify his people.
So what is the
necessity of the
trials?
Well, God uses
them to prove
our faith.
Of course, Peter is
arguing there from
the lesser to the
greater.
If we're concerned
to do this for
gold that perishes
anyways, how much
greater value is
your soul that God
would do this with
you?
Second thing here I
think we see is
that God uses
trials in order
that he might bring
us a great reward.
He uses trials in
order to bring us
a great reward.
And we get this
year at the
end of verse
7.
So that the
tested genuineness
of your faith may
prove to result in
praise and glory and
honor at the
revelation of Jesus
Christ.
Now, whose praise and
glory and honor is he
talking about?
That's the question,
isn't it?
Does Peter mean that
for those who are
faithful and they
endure the suffering
and God proves their
faith that when Christ
comes it will be
will produce an even
greater praise and
glory and honor that
we then give to the
Lord Jesus at his
return?
That could be what he
means.
I think he's actually
referring to a praise
and a glory and honor
not that Christians are
giving to Christ at his
return but that Christ
is giving to his
people when he returns.
I think that's what
Peter means to say
here.
That God takes us to
this trial in part to
prove our faith and
purify us.
And those who have
a tested genuineness of
faith when the Lord
returns, he's going to
say, well done.
Well done, good and
faithful servant.
Enter now into the
everlasting joy of the
Lord.
Why does God take us
through this?
He takes us through it
to prove us.
He takes us through it
in order that he might
reward us.
All Christians endure
the fire and all
Christians receive the
rewards.
It's amazing.
Now why is Peter going
through all of this?
Here's what I think he's
doing.
I think he means for
this to be a comfort to
us.
Our present joy, it does
not just endure this life
of trial but it is
strengthened by God's
grace because of the
life of trial.
Now, this present grief,
it increases our longing
for the future
inheritance and the
security of that
inheritance brings
incredible joy in the
here and now.
And for this, we must
praise our great God.
Maybe I can just say
one more thing before
we move on.
And this is for those
of you who maybe you're
not a Christian.
Or you're trying to
sort out exactly what
you think and what you
believe and you're not
exactly sure where you're
going to land.
And I want to give you
something to think about
and it's this.
The fact that true joy
exists in tremendous
grief is part of what
Peter means to say about
the goodness of Christ.
Christ.
In this section, Christian
joy is far more
profound and
meaningful than the
temporary and fleeting
feelings of happiness.
It's greater than that.
There's no such thing as a
life on this earth that
isn't touched by
grievous trials.
Everyone experiences that
in a fallen world.
And those who spend
their lives chasing
after a hopeless
happiness
that's entirely based
on individual
circumstances
will in the end
still feel
unsatisfied.
But whatever it is
that you're chasing,
whatever that brings
those temporary
fleeting moments of
happiness,
it's never going to
satisfy.
But what Christ offers
us in the gospel
produces a profound
joy that not only
exists in grievous
trials but is
ultimately strengthened
and more vibrantly
displayed in them.
Only Jesus can give
true hope.
Only Jesus can bring
this joy to the
longings of your heart.
So what do we find
here from Peter?
We find that our
present joy, it's
focused on a future
inheritance.
We find also that it
exists and it
endures in present
grief.
There's a third thing.
Our present joy is a
sign of God's
gracious work in us.
Our present joy is a
sign that God is
doing something in
you.
Verses 8 and 9.
Though you have not
seen him, you love
him.
Though you do not
now see him, you
believe in him and
rejoice with a joy that
is inexpressible and
filled with glory.
Obtaining the result of
your faith, the
salvation of your
soul.
Now essentially what
Peter is doing here
is saying that faith
in and love for
Jesus for these
Christians and by
extension us doesn't
make a lot of sense.
It doesn't make a lot
of sense.
We would look at
someone like Peter and
we would say it
makes sense that
Peter loved Jesus and
that Peter believed in
Jesus.
That makes sense to us
doesn't it?
Why?
He was one of Jesus'
closest friends.
Hand selected by
Jesus to be an
apostle and a
disciple.
He spent three years
of his life following
Jesus around Israel.
He listened to
every sermon.
He heard every
discipleship lesson.
He saw every
miracle, even the
ones that some of the
disciples didn't get
to see.
Peter got to see
them.
He'll say later in
chapter 5 that he is
a witness, an
eyewitness of the
sufferings of the
Lord.
He watched him from a
distance suffer leading
up to the crucifixion.
He was a witness of
the empty tomb.
He saw Jesus even
after his resurrection.
He saw the things
that Jesus was doing
even before his
ascension.
We would look at
Peter and say,
that makes sense.
It makes sense that
Peter would be so
sure.
It makes sense that
Peter would love him
so much that Peter
would believe in him
and have all of this
joy.
He was there.
He saw it.
He heard it.
None of these people
that he's writing to
had any of those
experiences.
They didn't see
Jesus.
They didn't see him
suffer.
They didn't see him
raised from the dead.
They didn't see him
ascend to heaven.
They didn't see any
of that.
They weren't even like
Paul who didn't see
those things but at
least experienced a
post-ascension appearance
of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
They didn't have that
either.
And yet Peter says,
you haven't seen him
but you love him.
You don't see him now
but you believe in him
and you rejoice.
And the question is,
how is this even
possible?
Isn't this some of the
struggle with some of the
people that we try to
evangelize and our best
apologetic efforts?
We can give all of the
best arguments for Christ
and all of the best
arguments against
whatever it is that
they believe.
And still yet they may
say, well, if he would
just show up, that would
just make things a lot
easier, wouldn't it?
The problem is the next
time he shows up, it's
going to be too late.
What is it that Jesus
says?
He says it to Thomas.
John chapter 20.
Blessed are those who
believe though they have
not seen.
And that is almost every
Christian who has ever
lived.
And that's who these
people are that Peter's
writing to.
But the question is,
how is this even
possible?
How is it that they can
have this assurance and
joy that the people that
we're trying to evangelize
that have not yet come to
faith in Christ don't seem
to possess that they don't
have?
Peter's saying the joy
that you have is coming
from God.
It's not coming because
things just make sense to
you in a way that they
don't make sense to others.
It's coming from God, he
says.
Now two words I think
stick out here.
One is you're rejoicing
with a joy that's
inexpressible.
Now remember, joy is the
disposition of the heart.
It's something that God
puts in us.
To rejoice is just to
give voice to that.
So it's almost a paradox
here.
Peter is saying you are
expressing something that's
not possible to express.
What does he mean?
It means that it's impossible
to really fully articulate
and grasp and even fully
understand exactly why you
believe and your friend
doesn't.
God is doing something in
you, which is where the
second word I think helps
us.
He says this joy that you
rejoice with, it's
inexpressible and it's
filled with glory.
It's touched by the
divine.
It comes from God.
And then he wraps it all
up in that last phrase.
Obtaining.
Present tense.
A lot of people take this
as future tense.
But that's not what Peter
says.
He doesn't say, and you
will obtain the outcome of
your faith, the salvation of
your souls.
He says, no, you are
presently obtaining the
outcome of your faith, the
salvation of your souls.
And what does all of this
mean?
That these believers, they
may not be able to
understand everything that's
happening in their hearts,
but what they can understand
is that this is something God
is doing in me.
And even now, as I look
ahead to that future
inheritance, even now, I'm
already receiving in part what
God has waiting for me in full
in heaven.
And the reason I know it is
because of this faith and hope
and joy that is in me.
It's not self-generated.
God puts it in us.
And he gives it to us as a
gift at the new birth as we
come to faith in Jesus Christ.
Why do you believe Jesus?
Well, yeah, it's certainly
credible.
But even Jesus said some
people could see me raised
from the dead and still not
believe.
Faith isn't ultimately about
the evidence.
What's happening in your life?
God is being merciful.
And he is being gracious.
And he is awakening you by
faith to the Lord Jesus
Christ.
And he is putting this joy in
you that is inexpressible and
it is touched by the divine.
It is filled with glory.
And even now, if you're in
Christ, if you're trusting
Christ and you have this joy,
even now, you're already
receiving this salvation that
you will receive in full in
heaven.
And so Peter says, so why don't
we just take some time to
praise God?
Let us bless the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ for our future
inheritance but then also for
our present joy.
God is doing this in us.
We are being saved.
Now Peter's argument in these
verses, it's not just to say
that you can have a present
joy.
It's to say that if you're in
Christ, you already do have a
present joy.
It's there.
There's no explicit command.
There's no explicit challenge.
If there's an implicit command,
it's this.
It's that we need to give voice
to the joy that God has put
there.
This should affect the way you
sing on a Sunday.
This should affect the way that
you view the trials around you.
It doesn't mean that you
shouldn't feel grief and that
there's not going to be lots of
times where you're overwhelmed by
that grief.
That's not what it means.
It just means that there's going
to be a persistent joy that you
can give voice to genuinely in
the midst of it.
It should affect the way that you
live with your wife.
I mean, you should be the ones
that are leading in these
expressions of joy in your home.
It should affect the way that
you're parenting your kids.
Does not this present joy give us
reason to temper our anger and our
frustration?
We could go on.
If there's a command that's
implicit, it's that.
Express what God has put in you.
If there's a challenge that's
implicit here, it's this.
Don't ever let the grief of this
life mute the expression of your
joy.
Praise God anyways.
And I want to close by giving you an
example of that.
Many of you have probably heard the
story many times of Horatio Spafford.
Spafford was an American lawyer in
Chicago in the mid-19th century.
Successful.
Very wealthy.
He had built a great business.
He was also a Christian, a faithful
Christian.
He was even an elder in the
Presbyterian church there.
In 1871, in the spring of that year,
Horatio Spafford invested most of his
fortune in real estate in the northern
part of Chicago.
And those of you who remember your
history lessons know that it was in
October of the same year that the great
Chicago fire took place and basically
wiped out the city.
Everything Horatio Spafford had invested
was gone, was lost.
And he was basically left starting over.
But the thing with Horatio Spafford is
that is not the, that is certainly
probably the least of his hardships that
he endured.
Two years after that, as he's building up
his business, he and his wife decide to
plan a trip to Europe.
They're going to go and they're going to
hear his friend D.L.
Moody preach there.
Just before they're due to leave, business
emergencies came up.
Spafford decided to stay back a little bit
longer, but he sent his wife and his
daughters on ahead of him.
He boarded the ship.
They headed out across the Atlantic Ocean.
And the middle of the night, they were hit
by an iron vessel.
The ship sank.
Spafford's wife survived.
All four of his daughters died.
She finally makes it to Wales and she sends
a message back.
All it says is, saved alone, what shall I do?
A few weeks later, Spafford gets on a boat and he
heads to meet his wife in Wales.
His daughter said that on the way over, the
captain of this particular ship, it was a later
daughter that he had, was very kind to show him
where his daughters had died as they were passing
over.
And as you can imagine, he's overwhelmed by grief
and that.
He can't sleep.
So in the middle of the night, he gets out pen and ink
and he just begins to write what's in his heart.
And the first thing that he wrote, when peace like a river
attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll,
whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, it is well.
It is well with my soul.
Spafford's life didn't get any easier from there.
He and his wife were blessed to have a few more kids, but just a
few years later, his four-year-old son tragically died.
He lived the rest of his life under immense grief that impacted him
significantly.
There are even times that we can discern biographically that he
didn't really make great decisions all the time, even great theological
decisions on the basis of his grief.
And yet, his faith and his hope was in the Lord Jesus.
And the point in sharing this story is just to remind us that though all of us
will endure suffering, some of us will face ongoing and at times
excruciating grief during this life.
And Peter doesn't mean for us to acknowledge that just for a moment or for a
season.
He means for us to recognize that all of life here is going to be like that.
The intensity will ebb and flow, but there will always be grief.
But even then, those who know the joy of God in Christ can sing with Spafford.
At least it's well with my soul.
That was true for the Christians to whom Peter wrote this letter.
That is true for you and me who are in Christ today.
And it can be true for those of you who will repent and turn to Christ now or in
the future.
So let us praise God for this present joy.
Amen.