Living With Great Expectations Series

We can live with great expectation

We can expect…

1. An inheritance

2. God’s power to protect us

3. Troubles to strengthen our faith

We Can Expect…

The Salvation of our souls

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls… - 1 Peter 1:8,9

NOTICE – that Peter says, you are receiving, (present tense)

UNDERSTAND – we don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to be saved. We are saved right now, today!!! Eternal life has already begun! LIKE – we said on Easter Sunday… ‘Jesus unleashed the newness of life NOW!

you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls…

NOW – Salvation is one of those ‘churchy’ words…

Here is my definition…

Salvation is every thing that God has done, is doing

and will do for us ‘in Christ.’

Has done… Is doing… and will do one day

QUESTION – how does that (how does the your salvation) make you feel?

Does it fill you with an expressible and glorious joy.

Does it make you want to do the 2 & 5 with 7 zeros dance?

HEY – can I be honest for a minute. I don’t dance enough…

I MEAN - the reality that in His great mercy God has saved me does not always move me like it should…

AND – do you know what? I think most of us in this room… don’t dance enough either…

I am convinced that in regards to our salvation for most of us – familiarity has bred contempt. (NOT – that we have contempt for our salvation)

BUT that it does not excite us all that much anymore – at least not as much as;

? going a vacation;

? getting a raise at work;

? that guy or girl saying they will go out with us…

? your team winning the game

? closing on that house

? eating a pint of ‘Ben & Jerry’s’

AND IT APPEARS – that the people Peter wrote to 2000 years ago may not have danced enough either…

I think that is why Peter wrote these next 3 verses…

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,

trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.

It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things… - 1 Peter 1:10-12

OKAY – that’s crazy…

Even angels long to look into these things…

FOR - just a moment try to picture some of the things that angels have seen (like the creation of the universe – the beginning of time – and God the Father/Son/Spirit on a regular basis)… I MEAN – angels see, experience and live in the place that John writes about in Revelation… YET – they long to look in on our salvation.

(Man, I wish I could see and experience what Steve, John, Larry and Laurie do…)