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Starts partway into the welcome. Ends before the closing prayer.
morning and we're so grateful that you decided to worship with us this morning. Hey, whether you're here for the first time or you consider living up to your home, I just want to say that we're so excited to really step into this season together and step into our series together as we continue where we left off in 1 Peter chapter 1. So please take your Bibles with me this morning and turn in your Bibles with me this morning to 1 Peter chapter 1.
Now as you turn there, I want to invite you to take a couple of moments to think with me about a phrase. A phrase that we've all said, a phrase that we've all heard. Maybe it's to encourage ourselves or to encourage others. That everything is just going to turn out okay. Like everything's going to go according to plan. And then there's another phrase that we've all said, and there's another phrase that we've all heard, whether it's to prepare ourselves or to prepare others, if things don't go according to plan, right?
And if things don't turn out okay. And those phrases that we've all said and we've all heard are prepare yourself for the best i'm sorry wow can i rewind yes absolutely is that allowed can i absolutely okay okay hope for the best and what prepare for the worst right you you probably have all heard that You probably have all said that. It's a very human phrase. It's a very common phrase. Hope for the best.
One more time with me since I got it right this time. Prepare for the worst. And I feel like depending on who you are, you might lean in one of those two directions, right? You might lean into one of those two perspectives depending on maybe your personality or your experiences or Depending on whether or not you see life and the glass as half empty or what? Half full. Raise your hand if you're kind of a glass half full kind of person.
I'll raise both hands for that one, the glass half full. Raise your hand if you're willing, if you're more of a glass half empty kind of person. Maybe you less hope for the best and maybe you more... prepare for the worst like you probably lean in one of those directions throughout your life um and you know all of us at one point in time in our lives we do hope for the best right i think all of us everyone at one point or another hopes for the best hopes for the best outcome um right we hope that the weather cools down can i get an amen what a week we had right we had
Rain on Monday, we had thunder on Tuesday, and we had 100 degrees on Wednesday. We hope the weather cools down. Or maybe we hope the traffic clears up. Ever driven on the 405 freeway before? You hope that the traffic clears up. You hope that the flight isn't delayed. You hope maybe the meeting does get canceled or doesn't get canceled, depending on what the meeting is. You hope... That your kids sleep through the night.
Any young parents? Can I get an amen? You hope that your car turns off its own check engine light. Anybody with me on that one? Just hope that that thing just turns off on its own. We hope for all kinds of things. Kids hope that they have ice cream for dinner or pizza for dessert. Kids hope that mom says yes or that dad says yes when mom says no, right? I asked my kids at the dinner table this week, what are you hoping for?
And my son, who's five years old, says, I hope that we have a baby brother after we have our baby. So there you go. I'm not sure what to do with that one. I asked our daughter, who is eight years old, and I said, what are you hoping for? And she says, I'm hoping I get a car on my 16th birthday. Well, we've got big hopes in the Axon family. There's all kinds of things that you and I look for. And here's the question I want to ask you to consider with me today.
Is that what true hope is? And that's what I want you to ask yourself today. That's what I want you to consider with me today. Is that what true hope is? And what does it look like to hope for the best from a Christian perspective? And what is true biblical hope? And if I may, can I ask, what are you hoping for? Today I want you to think with me about what it means to truly hope. to hope for the best in the truest sense of the word and what i want you to do with me today is consider how hoping for the best it's not wishful thinking about desired outcomes right when we hope for the best as a christian we're not just wishfully thinking about things that we we desire would take place but we have no control over whether or not they take place hoping for the best
as a Christian, is an eager expectation of guaranteed results, right? That might be a good definition for you to write down today. Hope is an eager expectation of a guaranteed result, right? Christian hope, biblical hope, is not wishful thinking of desired outcomes, but biblical hope is an eager expectation of a guaranteed result, And this morning, I want to assure you, I want to inspire you, I want to challenge you to think about that as a Christian, as a Christian who has faith in Jesus, you can truly hope for the best.
And you want to know why? Because Jesus is the best and Jesus is yet to come and the best is yet to come. And through faith in Jesus, here's three things we're going to see in 1 Peter chapter 1 today. We can hope for the future because Jesus gives us hope for the future. We can hope in the fire because Jesus gives us hope in the fire. And we can hope through the faith that we have in him. Three ways, three reasons that we can truly hope for the best as Christians today.
This morning in first Peter chapter one is Jesus gives us hope for the future. Jesus gives us hope in the fire and Jesus gives us hope through the faith that we have in him. Today is all about hope and I want to help you discover what it means and what it looks like to truly hope for the best because the best is yet to come. Are you with me today? We're going to dive into God's word. We're going to study 1 Peter chapter 1.
We're going to consider what it means to hope for the best and the fact that the best is yet to come. So let's consider 1 Peter chapter 1. I'll read verses 3 through 9 and pray and we'll consider these verses together today. 1 Peter chapter 1. This is what Peter has to say to us today. 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. And you know where it is? It is kept in heaven for you. And who are you? Those who are being guarded. Guarded. By God's power, through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Oh, it's ready. It is ready to be revealed in the last time. 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 be found to result in praise and glory and honor forever. At the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you have not seen him, you believe in him. And rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.
And then finally Peter says, obtaining the outcome of your faith. The salvation of your souls. Would you pray with me this morning? Father, thank you so much for this day. This amazing day, God, that you have made. I pray that we would rejoice and that we would be glad in it and that we would consider in the midst of every context, every circumstance, every season, every situation that we may find ourselves in, we can truly hope for the best because the best is yet to come.
We have been born again to a living hope. And we have an inheritance that is being kept for us in heaven. God, give us hope as we consider these things. Give us joy as we consider these things. And let us discover what it means to hope for the best. Because the best is yet to come. Father, we thank you for this time. We just ask that you really speak to us today. God, I pray that nobody would leave this place
untouched by your Spirit, and untransformed by your Word. Lord, let the work of the Spirit and the Word have its way in His way today. We pray all these things in Jesus' name and all God's people said. Amen. I really genuinely want to welcome you to our church and welcome you to this series. And take a moment as we step into our series and step into our study of 1 Peter this morning. Just to acknowledge where we are in this series, and this letter, and the storyline of Scripture, and think a couple of moments about who Peter is, and who Peter is writing his letter to.
I want to think a little bit about Peter, I want to think about his audience, I want to think about what is this letter called 1 Peter in our Bibles, and I want to take a moment to acknowledge that last week we set up this series, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 1, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 2, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 3, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 4, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 5, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 6, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 7, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 8, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 9, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 10, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 11, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 12, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter chapter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter 13, and we looked at 1 Peter 13
Verse 1 in which Peter identifies who he is. And he calls himself an apostle of Jesus Christ. We know he's a disciple or follower of Jesus Christ. And we know throughout the New Testament, particularly the four gospels in the book of Acts, Peter is described as the first disciple that Jesus called to follow him. He's the first person that Jesus said, come and follow me. Peter, I believe, is also, and I resonate with this a lot, I think Peter is the most relatable disciple that Jesus called to follow him, right?
Has anybody yet to begin to relate to Peter's life and Peter's story? I think he's the most relatable disciple, partly because he has seasons of up and seasons of down, seasons when he gets it, and seasons when he, what, doesn't quite get it, does he? There's moments where Peter walks on the water, fixing his eyes on Jesus. And then there's moments where Peter takes his eyes off of Jesus and he begins to what?
Sink into the water, right? There's moments where Peter confesses Jesus is the Christ. And then there's moments where Peter denies that Jesus is his friend. Like there's moments where Peter is arguing that Jesus is the greatest. Right? And then there's moments where Peter is arguing which of the disciples is going to be the greatest, right? Like, what a bonehead. I relate to Peter. And I think Peter's life and story is actually a model of the Christian life.
Because the Christian life, it's not about our successes or about our failures. It's about our faith in Jesus. And it's certainly not about perfection, but about progress, right? The Christian life is not about perfection, but about progress in our pursuit of Jesus and walking with him and following him through the ups and the downs. And so Peter's life is such an example for us. And I resonate so much with him.
And, you know, it's his parents that call him Simon, right? But then it's Jesus who calls him Peter because Jesus gives him a new purpose. Jesus gives him a new identity. He names him Peter, which means rock. And he's going to use Peter to play a foundational role in his church. It was actually Peter who left behind fishing nets in Galilee to fish for men among the Gentiles. And so Peter begins planting churches in Acts chapter 2.
And then we journeyed with Peter this last summer all the way through Acts chapter 12. And where do we leave off with Peter's life and story? Peter's escaped from where? Prison. Prison. So Peter's in prison. He's being persecuted for his faith in Jesus. Peter had his fair share of trials. And that's actually the occasion for which he's writing 1 Peter, is he's writing to the churches in Asia Minor who are experiencing persecution for their faith and who have had their fair share of trials.
And so Peter's purpose in writing is this, He's writing 1 Peter to establish them in believing, to direct them in doing, and to comfort them in suffering. I think that's the best purpose statement of the letter of 1 Peter. He's writing to them to establish them in believing, to direct them in doing, and to comfort them in suffering. And that's why we have what has become, I think, the most complete and the most concrete depiction of hope in the Bible.
And the most exuberant and triumphant depiction of heaven in the Bible in verses 3, 4, and 5, which we'll take a look at now. Now, actually, my favorite depiction of heaven outside of the Bible is actually a children's book written by Johnny Erickson Tada. And the title of this children's book describes heaven as the super awesome, fantastic forever party. You like that? The super awesome, fantastic forever party.
It's how John Erickson Tata describes heaven. And what I love about first Peter chapter one is how Peter celebrates how God has included us in that party and God has invited us. To that party. And in 1 Peter chapter 3. Or chapter 1 verse 3. He begins describing how super. And how fantastic. And how awesome. And how forever that party truly is. And that's where we pick up in 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 3.
When Peter says. Blessed be. The God and Father. Of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's celebrating how good God is. How generous God is. That he would invite us into this forever party. Of hope. And of heaven. And how amazing it is. That God has given us hope for the future. By causing us in verse 3. To be born again. To a living hope. And I want to fix your attention on those two phrases. For just a moment.
Born again. To a living hope. Both of those phrases describe life. Life in the present by being born again and life in the future through our living hope. Being born again is what we call regeneration. God has given us new life. And living hope is what we call resurrection. God is going to raise us to life. And what Peter's doing is he's celebrating the life that God has in store for us in heaven today.
And on earth, because we've been born again, Peter says, to a living hope. Now, if you were with us last week, raise your hand if you were with us last week. I introduced or reminded you of a series of educational videos from the 80s. and they help teach children math and grammar and different concepts through animated videos with rhythm and rhyme. And those videos from the 80s are called what? Schoolhouse Rock, right?
And there's a song called I'm Just a Bill. And there's a song called what? Conjunction? Junction? What's Your Function, right? And then I taught you a less familiar, less popular song from Schoolhouse Rock about prepositions. You remember? No. You probably don't remember, though. So I'm going to tell you again this morning. Here's how it goes. It says, busy prepositions, always on the go. The location, the direction, prepositions give us specific information.
And now you know why it's one of their less popular songs. Because it doesn't have the rhyme and the rhythm of conjunction, junction, what's your function. But I love how that song points out busy prepositions. They're always on the go, the location, the direction. They do give us specific information. Look at how busy our passage is with prepositions. And look at all of the specific information that those prepositions give us about our living hope.
Like what does it mean to be born again? What does it mean to have a living hope? How is it possible to be born again? How is it possible to have a living hope? Well, just look at the prepositions. We're told, according to his great mercy, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, from the dead, those are just the first three, you go on to the next verse in verse four. What's the next preposition in verse four?
To an inheritance. So I hope you now understand what prepositions are. Through, to, According to, from, by, for. These are important little words that give us specific information. Our being born again, our having a living hope, our having life in the present, and our having life in the future is according to mercy. We don't deserve it. Oh, but we've been given it because our God loves us. And he has not just mercy, but great mercy that has caused us
to be born again. We've been given a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus. You realize that Jesus is not risen from the dead. We have no hope in this world. But Jesus is risen from the dead, so we have all the hope in this world. And our living hope has nothing to do with the great enemy of humanity. Death itself, because death has been vanquished and death has been conquered once and for all.
Which preposition would that be? Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And so we begin seeing this abundant mercy has given us a living hope. And I just want to remind you of the Christian story, the Christian gospel, and how this living hope is possible. God sent his son Jesus to live on this earth for 30 years. Three years. And God sent his son Jesus to lay in a grave for three days. Not one minute more than three days.
In order to demonstrate his power and his authority to conquer the grave, not just for himself, but for his people. And the Christian story, the gospel story, is about how Jesus lived, died, and rose again. And he ascended into heaven and he's going to return and he's going to bring with him for those who have faith in him resurrection life for all of eternity because the grave could not hold him. Death could not keep him.
But Jesus triumphantly rose from the grave three days later. How is it possible that we have been born again to a living hope for the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead? We have been given the hope of eternity and the hope. Peter goes on to say, well, let me quote Johnny Erickson Tata. We've been invited into a super awesome, forever fantastic party. And it's truly forever because nothing can stand in the way of us and our future.
Not even death itself, because Jesus has conquered it. And Jesus has defeated it. We have been invited into God's super awesome forever fantastic party. And let's begin to unveil just how super awesome, fantastic, and forever and truly is. Look at verse 4. We've been born again to a living hope. Verse 4, the next preposition in our passage is to what? To an inheritance. And how does Peter describe this inheritance?
It is imperishable, it is undefiled, and it is what? Unfading. And then he goes on and says, kept in heaven for you. Our inheritance, according to 1 Peter, is a living hope that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. Now, I don't know about you, but I think it is difficult to grasp what our true hope is. And it's difficult to grasp what heaven is going to be like because it's unlike anything we've ever seen before and unlike anything we've ever experienced before.
Are you with me? Like, have you ever been in a situation where, you know, you spilt milk on the carpet? Like, that doesn't go very well, does it? Have you ever left your... leftovers in the fridge a few too many days. That doesn't go so well, does it? Have you ever spilled spaghetti on your favorite shirt before? Have you ever discovered smudges on your brand new pair of shoes before? How is it possible that my kids' shoes look like they've gone through war after two weeks of buying them?
How do they tear up those shoes so quickly? Have your flowers ever lost their scent? Has your car ever lost its shine? Do you realize what kind of world we live in? We live in a world where food spoils. We live in a world where clothes stain. We live in a world where flowers fade. We live in a world where cars depreciate. Like we live in a world that is perishable. We live in a world that is defiled.
And we live in a world that is fading. Which is why I have to get a new fade every two weeks. Right? Because this thing just keeps growing and growing. I hope it keeps growing, I suppose. I've got to keep getting a new haircut because this world, it's just, it's fading. And it's fading fast. And I think it's hard to comprehend what heaven is like and what our hope is like because we live in a world that is perishable, undefiled, and unfading.
But what is our inheritance like? It is imperishable, it is undefiled, and it is unfading, which means it cannot be destroyed, it cannot be corrupted, and it will never lose its beauty or its value. Your inheritance that God is keeping alive you in heaven cannot perish will not fade cannot be corrupted will not be destroyed will always possess its eternal beauty and glory and value and it is being kept in heaven for you this is incredible like i'm getting goosebumps right now have you ever had the hairs on the back of your neck stand up before
Like that happened to me this week. Because you realize we're going to live forever. Like you realize that death has lost its sting. Like you realize that we will enjoy for all of eternity the glory of God in the presence of Jesus and this imperishable, undefiled, unfading inheritance. Like this is real, guys. And we're going to enjoy this together for all of eternity. And so Peter is celebrating this.
This living hope, he's celebrating this eternal inheritance. And maybe you're asking, well, what about me? Am I being kept? I thought I was perishable. How do I know that I'm going to receive this inheritance? How do I know that I'm going to be able to enjoy this inheritance? Well, look at what the end of verse 4 says. You are being what? Guarded. Right? You are being guarded for this inheritance. The word guard, it means to protect, to watch, to provide security for.
Think about some of the most heavily guarded facilities in our country, right? Things that are being watched, things that are being guarded, things that are being provided security for, whether it's physical barricades or video surveillance or armed guards or limited access. You think of places like Fort Knox, right? or the Federal Reserve, or Area 51, or the White House, the Pentagon, or the Capitol.
These are high-profile facilities, high-defense and security facilities that are being heavily guarded. I tried to look up how Fort Knox is being guarded. They didn't want to tell me. So I looked up how the Federal Reserve is guarded, and they actually publish it on their website. I thought that was an interesting idea. The Federal Reserve in Manhattan, New York, it has a gold vault, right? And there's a 90-ton steel door sealing its only entrance into the vault.
And then it's 80 feet below a street level, anchored to Manhattan bedrock, right? It is being guarded 24-7 by video surveillance, by armed police. by access codes. It is one of the most heavily guarded facilities or compounds in our country. And why would it be so heavily guarded? Because it's protecting something of value, isn't it? I think the current market value of what's held at the Federal Reserve is $490 billion of gold.
It's heavily guarded because there's something valuable inside. And as heavily guarded as those facilities are, can I just remind you that you are the most heavily guarded place on earth because God himself is guarding you. God himself is watching you. God himself is protecting you and providing security for you. He is keeping you for your inheritance and he is keeping your inheritance for you. And nothing will jeopardize your status as a child of God.
And nothing will be able to rob the inheritance that God has kept for you in heaven because you are his child and he loves you and he is guarding you and protecting you and you have an inheritance in heaven that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. Right on. Amen? Guys, you are saved. And you are secure. And you know what this inheritance is? It is ready to be revealed. Did you see that? It is ready, guys.
Like God is not mining Bitcoin trying to get more inheritance ready for us, right? God is not building houses trying to prepare the place for us. Like God is ready. Heaven is ready. Hope is ready. Your inheritance is ready. And it's waiting to be revealed. When Jesus comes. To make all things new. And that is the hope that we have for the future. And then we see that we not only have hope for the future, but we have hope in the fire, right?
Jesus gives us hope for the future, and Jesus gives us hope in the fire. And you know what I love about Peter in these verses? Look at verse, I think it's six with me. Six and seven. Here's what I love about these verses. Peter doesn't have his head in the sand. And Peter also doesn't have his head in the clouds. Peter doesn't have his head in the sand and Peter doesn't have his head in the clouds, but Peter is down to earth and he brings hope down to earth.
And he helps you see how your present impacts your future, but how your future impacts your present. And he wants to give you hope here and he wants to give you hope now. And so he acknowledges that there are all kinds of things that we are going through and that we are experiencing. He says, in this you rejoice. Your eternal inheritance, your living hope, in this you rejoice. Though now for a little while, if necessary, you've been what?
Grieved by various trials. All right. So verse 6. Peter acknowledges that we experience trials. He acknowledges some things about those trials, that they're necessary, that they're temporary, that they grieve us. And they're various, right? All of us have experienced one form of trial or another. Peter's head is not in the sand. Peter's head is not in the clouds. He is down to earth and he brings hope down to earth and he wants to give you that hope in the midst of your trial.
And so in verse six, he says, in this we rejoice, though if now for a little while we have been grieved by various trials. And I thought maybe it'd be helpful just to pause here. Just to take a moment here and acknowledge the various trials that you may be experiencing. Maybe it was a tough week. Maybe it's been a tough year. Maybe you're going through some tough things. Maybe you're facing some hard things.
Maybe there are some trials. Maybe there is some persecution. Maybe there is some uncertainty. Maybe Maybe there is some anxiety. And I just want to acknowledge with Peter that those things grieve us and those things grieve God. And if you're in the midst of a trial, let me just share. God loves you. And God sees you. And God has not forsaken you. And God has not abandoned you. And God is certainly not punishing you.
But God may be In his goodness and wisdom, using that trial to refine you. And I want to point out what Peter goes on to say in these verses. First Peter chapter one, verse six. He describes why God allows trials temporarily in our lives. And the first reason he says is to purify us. Now, I want to back up. I want to acknowledge two things about trials. Number one, it says for a little while. Can I just remind you that your trial is only going to be for a little while.
Like relatively speaking, in light of eternity, your trial, whatever it is, whatever you're going through, it is only for a little while. Like friends, hang in there. Have hope. Like don't give up. Your trials, I promise you, are for a little while. And then what does Peter say about these trials next? He says, if necessary. Okay, if absolutely necessary for a limited, relatively short period of time, God might allow us to experience trials.
And he's going to allow us to experience those things to purify us, but ultimately to glorify us, the passage says. And I want you to think about how verse 7, the purpose of those trials, it's to test and purify and strengthen the genuineness of your faith. And the preciousness of your faith. Okay, so God loves you. And he wants to strengthen your faith in him and your walk with him. And so he allows some of those things in our lives to strengthen, to purify the genuineness of the preciousness of our faith.
And he does it through a process called pyrometallurgy. And maybe you need to look that up. I looked that up this week. And pyrometallurgy, here's kind of how it works. What you do is you take a precious metal, gold or silver, and you turn up the heat. And you turn up the heat into the excesses of 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, right? And that extreme heat begins melting that metal, right? And so it melts it from a solid state to a liquid state, right?
And so now instead of solid gold, you have liquid gold. It's still gold. It's still precious. It's still valuable. But it's transformed from solid to liquid state. And it's in that process of heating that what begins to happen is it oxidizes and it separates the different contaminants and different impurities that are present in the gold in order to make that gold pure, in order to make that gold more precious.
And so those impurities, those contaminants, they actually rise to the surface of that liquid gold and they create a top layer of waste, right? Waste materials and waste contaminants and waste impurities that don't belong in that gold because it's gold. And it creates a layer that we call dross. There's another word for it. Yeah, I've got it in my notes. Let me just pause. Hold on. Slag. It's called slag.
That top layer, that gold, it's called slag or dross. And you know what they do? The refiner, whoever's in charge of this process, that refiner skims it off the top. It just slides it right off the top. And it takes all of those impurities and all of those contaminants and it just makes that gold even more beautiful. And it makes that gold even more precious. And that refiner just very graciously just skims that off the top, right?
Because it's been separated. It's been purified. It's been heated. It's been transformed into its true beauty, right? And the result is you have 24 karat gold, right? 99.9% pure gold, right? I mean, my ring off and was just curious what kind of cold do i got here um i've only got 14 carat guys i got a ways to go um nowhere near 100 pure gold but but that's the that's the truth of our christian walk isn't it we got a little ways to go and god wants to purify us he wants to separate that that top layer of slag and dross and skim it off and
Use those trials to purify the preciousness of our faith. And he ultimately uses trials not just to purify us, but to glorify us. Look at verse 7. You've got to get verse 7. Please don't go this morning without getting verse 7. What is the result of that refining process? What is that result of that fiery process? What is going to be happening to us today? At the end of time when our faith is finally made perfect and pure.
Verse 7. It says that we may be found to... Our faith may be found to result in what? Peter uses three words. What are those three words? Praise, glory, and honor. At the revelation of Jesus Christ. Praise, glory, and honor. Yeah. Yeah. who deserves praise glory and honor? God alone. But you realize that verse seven actually says that while God alone deserves the glory, he is going to share his glory, praise and honor with you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
When your faith becomes sight. Like I had to, I looked at every commentary to see if I could prove myself wrong, that that praise, honor and glory is for God, not for us. But you know what everybody told me? It's for us. Because as much as we're going to glorify God when he returns, scripture says that God is going to glorify us when he returns. He's going to share in his glory with his people that he loves.
Which is why Peter says in 1 Peter 5, verse 1, that he is a fellow partaker in the glory that is to be revealed. Peter says that he's a partaker in In the glory that is going to be revealed. And you know what he goes on to say in 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 4? You will receive the unfading crown of what? Glory. Guys, God is using your trials to purify you. But God is ultimately going to use your trials to glorify you.
And he's going to give us a massive upgrade. Alright? It's going to be glory. It's going to be praise. It's going to be honor. We're not going to deserve it, but we're going to receive it by virtue of our faith in Jesus. Because when we share in his sufferings, we share in his glory, right? When we share in his sufferings, we share in his glory. Ah, this scene. I've got to wrap up here. They always keep telling me to wrap up, so I'll try, guys.
I'll try, but I've got to tell you this first. There's this scene at the end of... The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Any C.S. Lewis fans in the audience today? There's a scene at the end of the book, certainly at the end of God's book. You realize that the answers are always at the back of the book. You remember growing up as a kid and you get a book and it says in fine print, look for the answer key in the back.
The answers are always in the back of the book. And when it comes to scripture, the answer is in the back of the book because there is glory in store for us. But listen to the back of this book. It says at the end of, it's in Claire Paravelle. And it's with the Pevensey siblings after Aslan's conquered the White Witch. And Aslan is unquestionably the king of Narnia who deserves all the glory for what he's done for his kingdom.
But what does he do for the Pevensey siblings at Claire Paravelle in the final scene? It's okay if you've watched the movie. I've watched the movie too. But it says this. But then in the great hall of Kirperevel, that wonderful hall with the ivory roof and the west wall hung with peacock's feathers and the eastern door which looks towards the sea and the presence of all their friends and to the sound of trumpets, Aslan solemnly crowned them.
Aslan solemnly crowned them and led them to the four thrones amid deafening shouts, It went like this. Long live King Peter and long live Queen Susan and long live King Edmund and long live Queen Lucy. Once a king or queen in Narnia, always a king or queen in Narnia. And you know what the beauty of that story is? It's an allegory of the Christian life and the gospel story. And the truth about you as a child of God is that you are his son and you are his daughter.
And he longs to share his glory with his children. And he is going to crown you and he is going to give you glory forever. Not in Narnia, but in heaven for all of eternity. And once a king or queen in heaven, always a king or queen in heaven. And we all know that God is the ultimate king. And we all know what we will do with those crowns that he gives us. We will lay them where? At the feet of Jesus.
Because when we share in his sufferings, we share in his glory. And he delights in sharing his glory with his children. And we will return him the ultimate glory in heaven for all of eternity. God gives us hope for the future. Jesus gives us hope for the future. Jesus gives us hope in the fire. And then lastly, just look at these final concluding verses. Jesus, he gives us hope through the faith that we have in him.
And let me just remind you that the best definition of faith in the Bible, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. You know where that comes from? Hebrews 11.1. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. And here's the reality about faith. Though you do not see him, you love him. And though you do not see him, you believe in him, which is what Peter says in 1 Peter 1, verse 8.
And then he says that we rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. Oh, the steam of glory comes back again, right? Through faith. We can rejoice with inexpressible joy and through faith we will ultimately receive indescribable glory. That's why Peter started in verse 3 saying, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is incredible. Do you have goosebumps yet?
Like God is going to give you an indestructible inheritance. He's given you a living hope. He's going to raise you with joy and with glory. And you can experience that joy and that glory here and now. How? Through your faith in him. Right? What kind of joy does Peter promise we can experience? Joy that is what? Inexpressible. Inexpressible. And I don't know if I'll ever be able to express the joy and the gratitude that I have in my heart for who Jesus is and what Jesus has done for me.
But you know what? I can try, can't I? And you know what? You can try, can't you? So this week, here's what I want you to do. I want you to say a prayer. I want you to sing a song. I want you to tell a friend. I want you to talk to God. Whatever it looks like for you, I want you to take a moment to think about heaven and And the incredible inheritance that is in store for you. And just express your gratitude to God.
Express your joy to God. Maybe thank him for that joy that you have. Maybe ask him for that joy that's lacking. And just say a prayer. Sing a song. Talk to God. Tell a friend. Take a moment this week to try to express that joy and that hope that you have in Jesus. Because finally, verse 9 says the... The end result is that we are going to obtain the outcome of our faith, which is the salvation of our souls.
Guys, this is real. And Jesus is alive. And he's coming back. And we are going to live forever. And we can hope for the best. Because Jesus gives us hope for the future. He gives us hope in the fire. God, he gives us hope through the faith that we have in him. Let me tell you one final verse. It's in 1 Corinthians 1, verse 29. Oh, it's a good one, guys. It's a good one. It says in 1 Corinthians 1, verse 29, it says, No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for.
For those who love him. Oh, isn't that good? No eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. Oh, and in Christ, God loves you. And in Christ, God has prepared for you an eternal inheritance in heaven. That is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. And you are being kept and guarded for it. Until Jesus returns. Jesus is our hope. And Jesus gives us hope.
For the future. In the fire. And through the faith that we have in him. And that means, truly, that we can hope for the best. Because the best is yet to come. Amen? Let's pray together.