Rising, He Justified Freely Forever 1 Peter 1:1-5
Sermon by Don Emmitte, Grace Restoration Ministries
Today we come to the fourth in our series titled Oh, Glorious Day! Each of these messages is built around the theology expressed in the chorus of the song sung by Casting Crowns:
Living He loved me,
Dying He saved me,
And buried He carried my sins far away,
Rising He justified freely forever,
One day He's coming, oh, glorious day, oh, glorious day!
Last week we looked at “Buried, He Carried My Sins Far Away.” Today we see “Rising, He Justified Freely Forever.”
TAKE YOUR BIBLES, PLEASE…
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 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. (1 Peter 1:1-5 ESV).
Today is one of my favorite topics. Anytime I can preach about the wonderful benefit of the resurrection in the life of the believer, I can get VERY excited! The Apostle Peter must have been like that. As he write his first letter to the Jewish Christians who had been driven out of Judea to Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (the area now known as Turkey). It is generally thought to be a hymn of doxology. It centers on the wonderful work of grace accomplished for the redeemed.
There are several things Peter says as he breaks into this hymn of praise at the outset of his epistle. He emphasizes salvation is a spiritual birth. It is being re-born. Further he writes that the result of this new birth is a wonderful heritage. No earthly inheritance can compare with it. And, then he comes to the central truth of our justification. THOSE WHO RECEIVE THIS SALVATION, WHO ARE BORN AGAIN TO A LIVING HOPE, ARE ALSO KEPT. Not only do we have an inheritance that is reserved in heaven, we ourselves are put under special guard.
AN IMPORTANT NOTE: The word translated “kept” is the Greek word tēreō. This word is used only six times in the New Testament, four of those appearing in the letters of Peter. It is a military word meaning to put a garrison of soldiers around someone or something for the purpose of protection. It is a present tense verb which means we are constantly “kept.” Further, Peter modifies this verb with three prepositions. We are kept by the power of God; through faith; and unto salvation. Those three declarations form the basis for our understanding of justification. All of these were accomplished by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead!
Before I unpack these three prepositions and what they mean in our lives. I want us to fully understand the term of Justification. Easton’s bible Dictionary says:
Justification is a forensic term, opposed to condemnation. In its nature it is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law as conformed to all its demands. In addition to the pardon of sin, justification declares that all the claims of the law are satisfied in respect of the justified. It is the act of a judge and not of a sovereign. The law is not relaxed or set aside, but is declared to be fulfilled in the strictest sense; and so the person justified is declared to be entitled to all the advantages and rewards arising from perfect obedience to the law (cf. Romans 5:1-10). It proceeds on the imputing or crediting to the believer by God himself of the perfect righteousness, active and passive, of his Representative and Surety, Jesus Christ (cf. Romans 10:3-9). Justification is not the forgiveness of a man without righteousness, but a declaration that he possesses a righteousness which perfectly and forever satisfies the law, namely, Christ's righteousness (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:6-8). The sole condition on which this righteousness is imputed or credited to the believer is faith in or on the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is called a "condition," not because it possesses any merit, but only because it is the instrument, the only instrument by which the soul appropriates or apprehends Christ and his righteousness (cf. Romans 1:17; 3:25-26; 4:20, 22).
The power of God accomplishes all of this! After all, what good would it be if we knew all that is in God’s treasure chamber unless we know that he will also help our weakness and bring us to possess them? You see, this truth means that every source of our fear and dread can be swept away by the double assurance of the mighty hand of God preserving our heritage for us and we for it! RISING, HE JUSTIFIED FREELY FOREVER!
LET’S UNPACK IT FURTHER…
The First Preposition Declares We Are Kept By Divine Power.
The power of God is a suggestive phrase. Since God is the source of all power, as well as the possessor of all power, those kept by such power are utterly safe. There is no greater power to snatch us away from God! That being the truth of Scripture, it is instructive to understand how God keeps us.
1. First, God keeps us through the intercession of Christ alone. The writer of Hebrews reminds us of this when he writes:
Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25 ESV).
You and I are secured by the very effective intercession of the Lord Jesus on our behalf. This is the power of God working for us.
2. Second, God keeps us through the angels about us. They minister to those who are the heirs of salvation. Again the writer of Hebrews declares:
Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14 ESV).
While we know very little about these wonderful beings, we do know they are agents of God for our good. They seem to minister to the heirs of salvation primarily in the physical realm. They protect us from physical harm and physical need. They are sent by god to keep us. Whatever power they exercise is divine power. Whenever an angel does something, you may be assured God has done it through them. The moment you become a Christian, you come under their care in this special way.
3. Third, we are kept by the Holy Spirit within us. He dwells within us to keep us from sin and to guide us to all truth. Jesus reassured his disciples of this truth as he promised the coming of “another comforter” (cf. John 14:17). Just as Jesus kept the disciples through his daily guidance and care, so the Holy Spirit keeps us today. When the evil about us, or the sin within us, would threaten our position the Holy Spirit is there with his power to work deliverance.
4. Fourth, we kept by the providence of God. God himself makes everything work out for our good. He makes every attack of the enemy to ultimately work for his own defeat. This is the will of God. It cannot be done otherwise.
The Second Preposition Declares We Are Kept By Faith.
Now we come to the human side of this keeping. Make no mistake: the keeping is by God himself. However, one thing that marks those who are kept is their faith. “Faith” means “trust” in this context. We enter into this “kept” position by faith. There is a moment in which one commits himself to Jesus Christ in personal trust. For most people it is an unforgettable spiritual turning point in which they renounce dependence upon themselves and declare their complete, utter dependence on Christ.
AN ESSENTIAL POINT: Those who are kept by the power of God go on believing. Their continual reliance on the Lord Jesus marks them. While they will continually be confessing their shortcomings, they will also be ever affirming that they are looking to Christ alone. They have no confidence in their abilities, works, or person. They glory in the ability, work, and person of Jesus. AND, we can’t even take credit for this faith. God is working within us to keep our faith alive. Just when it looks like we may quit, He intervenes in our lives to call us back to faith. So, we can safely affirm that those who are kept by the power of God go on relying upon the Lord Jesus.
So, we come to a very important question. What are you being kept by? It is not good enough to be able to testify to a prior profession of faith that is more of an emotional declaration. That will soon fade. Those who are kept are kept through their persevering faith. They are not turned back by sin, Satan, or the world. If they fall into sin, they confess and move on in faith. If they face the challenge of Satan, they call the name of Jesus and move on in faith. If they face the trials and challenges of the fallen world, they rest in the presence of the fullness of Jesus within them and move on in faith. They are the kept ones! Real faith is never about us. It is always about Jesus in us!
The Third Preposition Declares We Are Kept Until Our Final Salvation.
The New International Version translates verse five as who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. The preposition “until” is used. It seems to catch the force of the words best. We are kept by the power of God through faith, right up to the revelation of the consummation of our salvation.
The word “salvation” is a great Biblical word. At times it is used of the initial experience of deliverance and thus redemption. This is the initiation of the Christian life as we first put our trust in Christ. It is then that we are saved from the awful penalty of sin. This is history for all those who have been born again. In other places it is used of the process and thus sanctification. This is that glorious process that is now in progress. It is the daily deliverance from the power of sin. Peter is using this word to refer to the final act of salvation and thus glorification. He is referring to the great event that will take place at the Second coming of Christ. It will be the final deliverance and vindication of the saints. It will be their deliverance into the ultimate expression of the rule of God where they will live eternally with God.
It is only a matter of time. The only reason this salvation has not been fully revealed is that the divinely established time has not arrived. But, we are kept, guarded, reserved until that time.
Let me close with this final short illustration…
A group of botanists went on an expedition into a hard-to-reach location in the Alps, searching for new varieties of flowers. One day as a scientist looked through his binoculars, he saw a beautiful, rare species growing at the bottom of a deep ravine. To reach it, someone would have to be lowered into that gorge. Noticing a local youngster standing nearby, the man asked him if he would help them get the flower. The boy was told that a rope would be tied around his waist and the men would then lower him to the floor of the canyon. Excited yet apprehensive about the adventure, the youngster peered thoughtfully into the chasm. "Wait," he said, "I'll be back," and off he dashed. When he returned, he was accompanied by an older man. Approaching the head botanist, the boy said, "I'll go over the cliff now and get the flower for you, but this man must hold onto the rope.” “Why him?” they asked. The boy answered simply, “He's my dad!"
The resurrection of Jesus proves to us that our Dad is holding the rope! NOW… can you sing Rising, He Justified Me Freely Forever? I can!
