Easter 2021 - Romans 5:6-11 - April 4, 2021

These are the Sermon Notes for our Easter Service on April 4, 2021. We are meeting at the church with specific procedures and protocols that need to be followed. Read our Covid-19 plan here. You can still watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

 Easter 2021 Romans 5:6-11 

Good morning, He is risen!

Every year on Easter we participate in several traditions, we get up early for the sunrise-ish service, we usually have Easter breakfast, our regular service, and then a big lunch with family, maybe you do some egg hunts or Easter baskets in there somewhere too.

One of the traditions within all that is to focus on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Nate read that at sunrise and I’d like to read another version of it for you now.

Matthew 28:1-10

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Let’s pray

Today Christians all over the world are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and I think the celebration in its various forms is for at least two reasons.

Reason #1 that we are celebrating is that Jesus is no longer dead! We serve a Risen Savior, He is alive forevermore! Amen?!

Reason #2 that we are celebrating is that Jesus’ death and resurrection actually accomplished something wonderful for us, for the whole world! And that’s the reason for celebrating that I would like to focus on this morning.

We are going to pause our study on 1 Peter for today and look at Romans chapter 5, verses 6-11, that’s on page 942in the pew Bibles.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

There are a few words used in Scripture that can’t stand alone, they are words that signal that a thought is part of a larger context. I’ve said it before that the word “therefore” is one of those words, you can’t simply begin your study at a place that begins with a “therefore.” It’s a signal that you have to go back and read the text before that word to get a handle on the original author’s intent, what the original author was trying to say.

Another one of those words is the word: “for.” It’s a connecting word, a word that signals the connection between thoughts. So we cannot simply start our study this morning with verse 6 because it needs to stay connected to the whole argument that Paul is making.

Verses 6-11 have been used many times for evangelistic sermons and challenges to show people that God loves them and has made it possible for them to be saved from their sins by the death of Christ on the cross, that forgiveness and reconciliation are available by God’s grace.

All of that is true. It’s all true even though that was not the point that Paul was trying to make.

Verse 6 starts with the word “for,” a connecting word. So let’s go back and see what it’s connected to…

I would like to tell you that it’s quite simple, we just have to read two or three verses prior to these and we will get the larger context and be able to make sense of the whole thing. But that’s not how this letter works at all.

In fact, almost every paragraph in Paul’s letter to the Romans either begins with a “for,” or a “therefore” or a question. This may be a little tricky!

Up until now, in this letter to the Roman Christians, Paul has represented God as holy, righteous, and just. He has represented Him as a keeper of His promises and the justifier of the faithful. And all that is well and good and true but here in this section Paul reintroduces an old attribute of God, the idea that God is loving. Here in verse 5 is the first time in this letter that Paul mentions God’s love and I think that’s significant.

The idea that God is loving was not new. God’s “steadfast love” was mentioned almost 200 times in the Old Testament. But here in this context we can see that salvation AND suffering, like we talked about last week from 1 Peter, salvation and trials are both evidence of God’s love.

So let’s skip back to  verse one of Romans 5.

 5:1Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Last week we talked about about the purpose of our trials because when God is involved pain is productive, we are refined by our trials. Trials and pain produce patient endurance, and proven character, and confident hope and it is evidence that God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. God proves His love for us in our pain.

Through our pain God is making us into something more, making us more like Jesus, more loving, more patient, more dependent on Him.

Paul is saying that God uses pain to accomplish His purposes and His greatest proof of that is at the cross of Jesus Christ.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

When the timing was just right, when it had been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that mankind was powerless to save ourselves from the wrath of God, God stepped in Himself and died on the cross for the ungodly.

Jesus Christ died for those who were powerless to save themselves.

Jesus Christ died for those who had no regard for God, who had given God no place in their lives.

7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

It’s rare that a person would die for his friend. Though exceptions can be found it is still rare. And rare as it is, it is a demonstration of a person’s character and love to lay down one’s life for a friend. 

Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

But God does one better. We were not His friends. We were not the chosen few who were good enough to earn His favor. 

We were His enemies.

While we were powerless to save ourselves, while we had given no place for God in our lives, while we stood opposed to Him and His principles… Jesus Christ died for us.

9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 

Through the blood of Christ we are no longer what we once were, we are no longer weak, ungodly sinners who are enemies of God who are under His looming wrath! Our identity has completely changed!

Do you know what you’ve got? Do you know who you are? Don’t you know that through your pain God is working to make you more like Him?

God had a purpose in Christ’s pain, to reconcile you to Himself, and Christ’s pain ended in death!

Even if your pain ends in death, like Christ, you will be resurrected to live eternally!

We are saved from the wrath of God through the blood of Christ, so whatever you’re going through it has nothing to do with His wrath, and everything to do with His love! Through faith in Jesus Christ, God is no longer angry with you.

10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

We were once weak, ungodly, sinners, and enemies of God but through faith in Jesus we aren’t anymore!

Because of Christ’s death on the cross in our place we are now no longer weak but powerful, not because of any power that comes from us but from the Holy Spirit living and working in us.

Because of Christ’s death on the cross in our place we are no longer ungodly, but we give God the place He deserves in our hearts, the throne, He is our King!

Because of Christ’s death on the cross in our place we are no longer sinners but saints! Our lives are marked by the fruit of the Spirit, by love and joy and peace not by sin and shameful behavior. Our lives are lived for His glory not ours!

Because of Christ’s death on the cross in our place we are no longer enemies of God but we are His adopted children. We are reconciled and made His own! We are His and He is ours!

John Calvin wrote: “[Paul] now ascends into the highest strains of glorying; for when we glory that God is ours, whatever blessings can be imagined or wished, ensue and flow from this fountain; for God is not only the chief of all good things, but also possesses in Himself the sum and substance of all blessings; and He becomes ours in Christ.”

That’s what the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead accomplished for us, we are Christ’s and He is ours, We are the Father’s and He is ours.

Our pain, Christ’s pain, is all evidence of God’s love. By faith in Him we are adopted as His own, no longer enemies but His beloved children.

As Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:8-9, “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. May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Testing... - 1 Peter 1:6-9 - March 28, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for March 28, 2021. We are meeting at the church with specific procedures and protocols that need to be followed. Read our Covid-19 plan here. You can still watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

 1 Peter 1:6-9 Testing…

Good morning, we are back in 1 Peter chapter 1 today, page 1014 in the pew Bibles. Not that it really matters, but I’m not sure how you’re going to feel about this. I hope, in the end, you’ll be encouraged, but it’s going to take a little work, I think, to get there. We’re going to have to wade through the pricker bushes to get there.

Last week we looked at the first few verses of this paragraph in 1 Peter 1, and this week I’m hoping to get through the rest of it. So let’s read that entire text just to refresh our memories together.

3 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, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 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. 8 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, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Let’s pray

So our text here this morning is a little bit like an Oreo cookie, it’s a little sandwich with tasty cookies on the outside but in the middle instead of creamy filling it’s more like liver and onions… Blech!

But we need the first cookie to get us through the liver and onions to the cookie on the other side. Last week we looked at the first cookie, verses 3-5…

3 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, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

We can be encouraged by the worship of God, the reminder of His mercy towards us in our rebirth, rebirth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus, the living hope of an imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance kept in heaven for us. We can be encouraged by the promise that God Himself guards and shields us through faith and He will continue to do so until the return of Christ and the inauguration of His heavenly, eternal kingdom.

These are very encouraging words and thoughts, but the warm fuzzies is not the point. We need to be able to lean on these encouraging thoughts because of the liver and onions on the horizon of our text.

We need verses 3-5 to make it through verses to make it through verse 6-7 to verses 8-9, and that’s exactly how verse 6 starts…

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials

In our living hope of our heavenly inheritance through faith in Jesus, in our living hope of being guarded by God the Father, we rejoice.

This rejoicing is not a theoretical joy either. The word Peter used means to be extremely joyful, often involving verbal expression and appropriate body movement, to exult and be glad! Our living hope should fill us with exceeding joy so that we can face the various trials that we are or will be grieved with.

Though the idea of being grieved by various trials is troubling, the words that Peter uses here, if properly understood, should bring us joy as well. (even though they may taste like liver and onions.)

The main idea is the church being grieved by various trials.

The word translated, “to be grieved,” literally means to cause someone to be distressed, sorrowful or sad.

There is a beauty in this though, I think. The beauty is in the idea that though we rejoice in our living hope, that doesn’t mean that we cannot be distressed or sad when times are tough and when things that we perceive are bad happen to us or those we love. To grin and bear it is lost in this thought. Nowhere in Scripture are we instructed to smile despite the pain, you don’t want to look sad because the Lord doesn’t like frowny faces. There is no faking it, being what the old song calls, “happy plastic people, under shiny plastic steeples.”

Peter is describing the reality of the effects of various trials upon us: grief, sadness, and distress, but yet we still rejoice.

We rejoice, not only in the promise of our living hope, but also in how Peter describes the various trials. Notice the two things that he says about our being grieved by various trials: “for a little while,” and “If necessary.”

The phrase, “For a little while,” should give us hope because we can confidently expect the trials to be temporary. There is no more explaining to do here, the Greek doesn’t hold any secrets here, our trials, no matter how severe, are temporary.

Perhaps our ideas about what is temporary need some adjustment though.

Let me ask you this, because we are all experts at experiencing trials in our lives, if a trial lasts your whole life, is it still temporary? If you’ve dealt with a birth defect or degenerative condition, or some other health challenge that won’t ever just go away, is that trial temporary?

If you have a living hope of a heavenly inheritance and protection by God through faith in Jesus Christ, the simple answer is: yes, that trial is temporary, the trial itself will not follow you into your eternal, heavenly inheritance. 

What will follow you into eternity are the effects of the trial, how that trial shaped you.

The second phrase Peter uses to describe the various trials builds on that thought, the phrase, “if necessary.”

The scholars say that the phrase, “if necessary,” supposes that the trials are temporary as well, and that their lengths and severity have been declared by God. They won’t last one minute more than is necessary.

The phrase, “if necessary,” also points to one major idea, that, if we think about it, we all probably hate: Our trials are necessary. But there is also comfort in that thought, that our trials serve a purpose.

Water, if left alone, will lie perfectly still, but the slightest tremor disturbs the surface. And when a stream flows, every rock or branch in the water directs the path that it flows. Trials function in the same way, sometimes, we experience trials to alter our path.

Growing up, I remember that my Pastor, George Waterman used to say, problems are guidelines not stop signs. This is the same idea, sometimes our trials are necessary. Though they can be difficult, there is still comfort available to us in that idea.

So, being encouraged by our living hope of an eternal, heavenly inheritance, and that God the Father is shielding us, knowing that our trials are temporary, and from time to time necessary, I think it’s time we talked about what Peter meant by, “trials.”

When I think of what a trial is, I immediately think of some random problem or thing that goes sideways that appears just to make my life more difficult and irritate me, like having your hands full and your keys are in the wrong pocket, then catching your pocket on a doorknob when you’re already irritated about your keys, just to walk into your house to find that the cat threw up, and you knocked the stupid empty egg cartons off the shelf as you walked in for the thousandth time…

Well, that might qualify, but the word Peter used that is translated, “trial,” doesn’t mean, just some random difficulty or minor irritation. In fact, in my opinion, the word, “trial,” is a poor translation considering what the Greek word actually means, especially in the light of the purpose of them described in verse 7.

The word should really be: tests.

The words, “various trials,” literally mean, diverse attempts to learn the nature or character of someone or something by submitting such to thorough and extensive testing.

James uses the same word in James chapter one, verses two and three, when he says, “2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials [tests] of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

Even there, the word, “dokimion,” is translated both “trial” and “testing.”

In the Old Testament, Job, who was the king of enduring trials said in Job 23:10, But [God] knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.

So the difficulties that we face are not just random occurrences of things that we think are bad, but they actually have purpose.

James says that they produce steadfastness, the ability to stand firm in hard times, Hebrews 12:11 says that trials and testing are for our discipline and produce fruit, 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

We’ve sung the song over the last few weeks, “Refiner’s Fire.” Purify my heart, let me be as gold, and precious silver, purify my heart, let me as gold, pure gold.

As gold is refined by fire, so is our faith. The heat of the fire separates the dross and alloys from gold, all the impurities rise to the top to be removed. The heat of testing exposes and separates from us the impurities of pride, self-reliance, and worldly wisdom, among a host of other impurities within our hearts. 

Our trials, our tests, tend to discourage us because we don’t see the purpose, and perhaps we never will, but if we can recognize that God is in the process of refining our faith we can rejoice in the face of trials like James said, we can rejoice in the face of discipline like Hebrews said because our testing will produce the fruit of righteousness and steadfastness, our precious faith will be refined as gold.

6 In [your heavenly, eternal inheritance] you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 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. 8 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, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Amen

So Heavenly Minded We're No Earthly Good - 1 Peter 1:3-5 - March 21, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for March 21, 2021. We are meeting at the church with specific procedures and protocols that need to be followed. Read our Covid-19 plan here. You can still watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

 1 Peter 1:3-5 So Heavenly Minded We’re No Earthly Good

Good morning! We are in 1 Peter this morning, verses 3-9, page 1014 in the pew Bibles.

When we first began our study in 1 Peter, we talked a little bit about the author’s intent, what was Peter’s intent in writing this letter to the elect exiles of the dispersion, those Jewish Christians living in modern-day Turkey.

We discovered, as is written in 1 Peter 5:12 that his intent was, to: exhort and declare the grace of God and to instruct the church to stand firm in it, and in verses 3-9 we can see that purpose at work.

Peter’s purpose was to encourage the church. They had experienced and were experiencing trials and difficulties, and even greater difficulties were on the horizon. Nero was the Emperor of Rome and soon persecuting the church would be a policy of the State.

And though we face trials and difficulties at times, being burned at the stake to light the Emperor’s banquets is a long ways off for us. But that doesn’t free us from the burden of discouragement.

If Peter’s original intent was to encourage the church, that purpose remains for this letter, to encourage the church.

Let’s pray.

I am a born and bred New Englander (despite what my accent may indicate). And as a true new Englander I am intimately aware of the concept of hope, especially when it comes to the weather.

It works something like this: I hope it warms up soon so this snow will melt… I hope it doesn’t get too hot this summer… I hope this humidity breaks soon… I hope we have snow for Christmas… I hope this snow melts soon…

It’s a vicious cycle of dying hope, a constant source of discouragement. 

But our text for this morning is not like that, it speaks of a living hope for our encouragement. Let’s look at it together.

3 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, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 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. 8 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, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

If Peter’s intent was to encourage the church, I can’t think of a more fitting text than this to accomplish that work. If you’re in the business of designing inspirational coffee mugs and calendars this should absolutely be a go-to text for you.

Peter begins with worship. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ is the One to be praised, He is worthy of praise. That is what is meant by the word, “blessed.” He is both the God of Jesus Christ and the Father of Jesus Christ. He is God to Jesus in His humanity, and He is Father to Jesus in His divinity, and He is worthy of praise.

The next phrase, according to His great mercy He has caused us to be born again…

“According to His great mercy,” 

This is the expression of the Father’s great kindness to us in our need. 

God the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ caused us to be born again according to His great mercy, not that we deserved it or earned any good will from Him. This statement is a reminder that in our sinfulness we did not deserve to be born again but God showed great kindness to us in our great need and so He caused us to be born again.

Even the phrase, “born again,” is a great encouragement to us. It is a reminder that we have been changed from one thing to a completely different kind of thing.

Peter is remembering Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in John chapter 3, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

What we were before was what Paul called in Ephesians 2:3, “children of wrath,” but according to God’s great mercy he caused us to be born again and now we are what 2 Corinthians 5:17calls, “a new creation.”

But He didn’t just cause us to be born again and then left to figure life out on our own or to cling to the empty and dying hopes of the world, left hoping that the weather is better tomorrow, According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope…

A living hope is a hope that is the opposite of the hopes of this dying world that simply seeks to make this life better for itself but still ends in death. Living hope has life in itself, it gives life, and has life as its object. That life is eternal life that is only available to us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

The living hope that God the Father has caused us to be born again into is not just hope for this life. A life of faith in Jesus is not just so we can have some crutch to lean on to get us through hard times with a dying, worldly hope that things will eventually get better.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 15:19, If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people to be most pitied.

Jesus did not die and rise to life simply to make this life easier, He didn’t do all that to make us better people. Jesus died and rose again to give us a living hope beyond this world and this life.

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, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

I don’t know what kind of inheritance you have waiting for you here on earth, whether it’s houses or lands or money or a sweet Kubota tractor, or what you hope to leave behind to your children or grandchildren, but the inheritance that is kept in heaven for us who have faith in the Lord Jesus is not subject to the same forces as those things.

Houses, lands, money, and property is all temporary, it won’t last forever no matter how good a care you take of it. The stuff of this earth is all tainted by sin and its effects. Just as a valuable classic car will eventually rust way to nothing so will all these other earthly things but the inheritance that is kept in heaven is unfading.

JP Lange wrote, “While here below in the strange country of our pilgrimage all possessions are insecure, the inheritance above is in the surest custody, for it is in the almighty hand of God. As it has been designed and prepared for believers from everlasting, so it is perpetually kept; and believers, on the other hand, are kept for it, so that they can in no way lose it.”

That’s what Peter means when he says, [an inheritance] kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Our inheritance is kept by God in heaven, it is not subject to decay and death, it is untainted by sin and its effects, and it will forever retain its wonderful character. And the same God that keeps it, keeps us.

We are guarded by God’s power, shielded, protected by the garrison through faith. 

“Faith is the means in which salvation is procured and constantly kept up, acknowledging Jesus as Messiah and confidently surrendering to Him.”

It’s been said that, “It is God’s power that saves us from our enemies, and it is His patience that saves us from ourselves.”

So we are guarded by God’s power through faith, but what does it mean to be guarded for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time? Aren’t we already saved through faith in Jesus Christ?

Yes, we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. There is no second salvation, there is only the completion of our salvation.

What Peter means by “the last time” is the return of Christ when this time will end, the age of the church will become the never-ending age of the Kingdom of God. Sin and death and the grave will be destroyed as will Satan and his demons. And we will take possession of our inheritance in God’s eternal kingdom.

Martin Luther wrote, “The inheritance to which you are ordained, has been acquired long since and prepared from the beginning of the world, but lies as yet concealed, covered and sealed; but in a short time, it will be opened in a moment and disclosed, so that we may see it.”

I had every intention of finishing this paragraph but I’m going to leave it there at verse five.

Brothers and sisters, there is no such thing as being so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. The thoughts of what awaits us at the return of Christ should encourage our hearts and lift our spirits, reminding us that this world is not our home, we are citizens of a heavenly kingdom and children of the Heavenly King. 

Next time we’ll look at how these thoughts should hold us up when we face difficulties in this life, but for now let’s beencouraged by these words…

3 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, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  

Amen.