Salvation And Suffering Series

Sermon Brief

Date Written: June 19, 2007

Date Preached: June 03, 2007

Where Preached: OZHBC (PM)

Sermon Details:

Sermon Series: A Study in 1 Peter

Sermon Title: Salvation and Suffering

Sermon Text: 1 Peter 1:3-9

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

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

7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

8 whom having not seen[a] you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

Introduction:

First Peter is an epistle written to people suffering some form of persecution. They were facing dark and difficult days. Trials and temptations were the daily diet of their lives. So Peter wrote to encourage these scattered and confused Christians with the assurance of their salvation and suffering.

Perhaps this is a good time to talk about suffering. It’s something that’s been on my mind for quite some time now to talk about. And it’s something that all of us deal with – though we may not talk about it readily. Oh, we may complain and murmur about the suffering we go through and endure, but we never stop to really talk about it and look at the root causes and reasons we may be experiencing the particular difficulty at the present time. To intentionally talk about our suffering today I want to share with your “The Assurance of Our Salvation and Suffering.” So let’s begin by talking about:

I. The Assurance of Salvation verses 3-6

The first thing we need to be able to do in our suffering is to honor and praise God in our suffering because it’s in His mercy that He’s given us the privilege of being saved, born again. God initially has held back the punishment of death we rightly deserved and has provided new life for our suffering souls! So that, in whatever you may be going through as a child of God just remember you have the assurance of salvation and nothing can get to you that doesn’t go through God first because verse 5 says you’re shielded by God’s power. In the assurance of salvation, God has given us new birth into:

A. A Living Hope verse 3b

In spite of the frequent suffering and persecution Peter refers to in his letter he assures us that we have been born again into a hope that is alive, sure, certain, and firm. It’s a hope that’s grounded in God himself and in his promises. In fact, this letter could be called a letter of hope in the midst of suffering; a hope which is able to survive the various trials which you and I suffer. Yes, suffering is sure to come, but don’t lose sight of the living hope we have been birthed into. Always keep your expectation and desire for better days ahead alive! Why? Because, “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” we have been resurrected with him. That’s why it’s a living hope. We have hope that things will be better and that even if we die we will live on, we don’t really die in Jesus because we’ve already been resurrected with him. The Assurance of Salvation is seen also in:

B. An Enduring Inheritance verse 4

Our inheritance is in Christ and in Him we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. But don’t think that the term inheritance applies only to heaven in the future. No it applies to our inheritance in Christ now. This inheritance is not material. And to emphasize that Peter uses 3 adjectives that it can never perish, spoil, or fade. That is, our inheritance is imperishable, it can’t be defiled or stained by filth, and it is unfading. Our inheritance is like a perennial flower.

The background for our enduring inheritance is the OT Hebrews possessing the land of Canaan all because God promised it to them. The focus for them however came to be on God’s faithfulness to His promise together with the rich blessings that He gives as their inheritance, not the physical land. It became spiritual. Our living hope causes us to look forward to an enduring inheritance. Because we have a new life, we have inherited a whole new identity and a host of other spiritual blessings – every spiritual blessing!