BACKGROUND:
Even as these believers faced persecution, they could remember God’s grace and continue to live as God desired.
Peter explained that, in spite of persecution and even violent death, God, in his mighty power, will protect them. The word translated protect is a military term used to refer to a garrison within a city (see also 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Jude 1:24). It’s an inner area of protection. No matter how the world persecuted or killed believers’ bodies, God was guarding their souls. Peter gave a double-locked security for believers.
First, the inheritance is protected (1:4); second, the believers are protected to receive that inheritance because they were trusting him. Believers have already received salvation through their acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior, but the fullness of that salvation, its complete rewards and blessings, will be revealed on the last day—that is, the judgment day of Christ. What has started will be fully disclosed when he returns.
Because of the promises of the inheritance, believers can be truly glad—referring to deep, spiritual joy. This type of rejoicing remains, unhindered and unchanged by what happens in this present life. Believers would have to endure many trials. When Peter wrote of trials, he meant the response of an unbelieving world to people of faith. Christians became the target of persecution for four main reasons: (1) They refused to worship the emperor as a god and thus were viewed as atheists and traitors. (2) They refused to worship at pagan temples, so business for these moneymaking enterprises dropped wherever Christianity took hold. (3) They didn’t support the Roman ideals of self, power, and conquest, and the Romans scorned the Christian ideal of self-sacrificing service. (4) They exposed and rejected the horrible immorality of pagan culture.
Grief and suffering do not happen without cause or reason. While it may never be clear to us, God must be trusted to carry out his purposes, even in times of trial. All believers face such trials when they let their lights shine into the darkness. We must accept trials as part of the refining process that burns away impurities and prepares us to meet Christ. Trials teach us patience (Romans 5:3-4; James 1:2-3) and help us grow to be the people God wants. In comparison to the wonderful joy ahead, the trials last only for a while. Because of this they could rejoice, even as they suffered grief.
While God may have different purposes in the trials that face his people, one overriding result of all trials is clear: they test people’s faith, showing that it is strong and pure. To God, believers’ faith is more precious than mere gold, the most valuable and durable substance of the time.
How do trials prove the strength and purity of one’s faith? A person living a comfortable life may find it very easy to be a believer. But to keep one’s faith in the face of ridicule, slander, persecution, or even death proves the true value of that faith. Such faith results in praise and glory and honor bestowed upon the believers by God himself when Jesus Christ returns (is revealed) to judge the world and take believers home.
We, like Peter’s audience, have not ever seen Christ in the flesh, but one day our faith will be rewarded when Christ returns to take us home. On that day and for eternity, we shall see him face-to-face (Revelation 22:3-5). Until then, we live by faith, with hope and joy. This ought to give us glorious, inexpressible joy.
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)
What kind of people is God looking for?
#1. GOD IS LOOKING FOR HOLY PEOPLE.
Hebrews 12:14 says, “Make every effort to live in peace with all men, to be holy for without holiness, no one will see the Lord.” That’s pretty clear. Without holiness no one will see the Lord. And this is sadly lacking today in our lives, this emphasis on holy living. God said, “Be ye holy even as I am holy.”
When the Holy Spirit comes into your life and fills you, what’s the primary characteristic? Some people would say you’d speak in tongues. No. Some people would say you’d feel a certain way. No. Some people would say when you’re filled with the Holy Spirit you have additional power. All of these things could be true but that’s not the primary characteristic.
When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you want to be holy. That’s the major difference. You want to be holy. You want to be like God. If you’re going to be like God, if you’re going to be like Christ, you’ve got to learn to be holy.
What does it mean to be holy? Psalm 24:3-4 says, “Who may ascend to the hill of the Lord and who may stand in His holy place?He who has clean hands and a pure heart who does not lift up his soul unto an idol nor swear by what is false. He will receive the blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his savior.”
What he’s saying here is these are the characteristics of a person who gets blessed by God. Who gets to be that holy person? Who gets the blessing? He says there are four characteristics of holiness. If I were to ask you, “How many of you would like to receive the blessing of the Lord?” You’d all raise your hand. How do you have the blessing of the Lord? Four things:
You’ve got to have clean hands. Clean hands simply mean a clear conscious. I taught once on about tabernacle -as you go into the court, the first thing you do is wash your hands in the brazer laver, the brass washbasin. This symbolized the cleansing. The starting point to living a holy life is we must live a cleansed life. Does that mean perfect? No, because none of us are perfect. What it means is to keep short accounts with God.
1 John 1:9 says,“If we confess our sins He’s faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” So when I sin, I just say, “God, I was wrong. I confess it.” I keep short accounts with God, clean hands, a clear conscious. There is no power without a clear conscious. I saw a sign at a gas station that said, “A clean engine produces more power.” That’s true in your life too. So we must have clean hands.
The second thing we need is a pure heart. This is talking about motives, integrity. Clean hands means a clear conscious. Pure heart means integrity. Pure motives. God can do tremendous things through the person who doesn’t care who gets the credit. So we keep our motives pure before the Lord. We talk to Him in the private moments, not in front of other people, but in the private moments we say, “God, examine my heart and clear out the dross and make my motives pure before You.” There’s a verse in the King James, Jeremiah 48:10, it says, “Cursed be he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully.” That means with mixed motives.
The third thing it says regarding holiness: “Does not life up his soul to an idol.” He’s talking about humility. Humility is the third characteristic of holiness. Pride goes before destruction. There is no sin God judges faster than the sin of pride. Pride was the sin that kicked Satan out of heaven. Pride was the sin that caused Pharaoh to loose his nation. Pride was the sin that Herod was stricken and died on the spot. So we have to be aware of the power of pride in our lives. The Bible says, “Before honor is humility.”
The fourth thing: “Nor swear by what is false.” Honesty. Even greater than that he’s talking about having right words, having holy language. We watch what we say. Psalm 39:1 says, “I said, I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin. I will put a muzzle on my mouth.” I’ve needed a muzzle on my mouth sometimes! One of the greatest areas where we sin is in talking too much. We don’t watch our words.
Did you know you loose spiritual power by talkativeness? It’s like a steam engine. If a steam engine is always letting off steam through the whistle, it builds up no power and it has nothing to move with. But if it stores up that steam, when it lets it loose it moves an engine. I remember my grandmother on my mom’s side never did talk a whole lot but when she talked, like E. F. Hutton, everybody listened. When she spoke, she had thought what she was going to say. The Bible says we’ll give an account for every idle word. The Bible says, “In the multitude of words there is sin.” Someone said some Christians are like old shoes: they’re all worn out except the tongue. I think we need to ask ourselves, “God, where do I need to watch my words?” Do I tend to share angry words? Sarcastic words? Put down words?
So to be holy we clear our conscious, we purify our motives, we live with integrity, we live in humility and we live in honesty watching our words. That’s what it means to be holy. And God uses holy people.
Ponder these things in your heart today. I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course.
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