Sermon can be heard First Baptist Church of Rocklin Website
Two years ago I had the opportunity to go to Disneyland. I grew up with Disney, as most of us did. Every Sunday night at 7:00 PM was Disney movie of the week. I would look at the castle and think about how big it was and what a wonderful place it must be. While stationed in Germany I went to the castle where Mr. Disney got his idea for his castle. Neuschwanstein is an amazingly beautiful sight, one I will never forget.
Two years ago I had the opportunity to go to Disneyland. I grew up with Disney, as most of us did. Every Sunday night at 7:00 PM was Disney movie of the week. I would look at the castle and think about how big it was and what a wonderful place it must be. While stationed in Germany I went to the castle where Mr. Disney got his idea for his castle. Neuschwanstein is an amazingly beautiful sight, one I will never forget.
So you can image the expectations I had for the Disney Castle! When I got to Disneyland I was looking for the castle, I though it has to here somewhere. Then I saw it, it was so small! It’s a miniature castle! I was disappointed. Have you ever had that experience? Something just didn’t meet your expectations?
Well this morning’s passage is just the opposite. The prophets of the Old Testament had no idea what the fullness of the Messiah—the fullness of His grace poured out on the world would have looked like—they only had ‘clipping’ of the bigger picture.
This morning we will finish this section of scripture the “Living Hope” and move to how the gospel should impact our lives daily. So for now we are looking at verse 10-12 and again look at our reasons for hope and rejoicing no matter what our situation is.
There is a recurring theme in the New Testament. As I continue to study and look at the teaching of the apostles, I see them again and again take us to the cross of Christ. Back to the gospel, back to the resurrection, back to the work of Christ for a lost sinful world.
This section of scripture is exactly that, Peter laying out the work of God the Father, through the Son, with the Holy Spirit, working together to bring salvation to those who did not know God. This is God taking the initiative, God providing the way for us to experience His love for us.
Trust in Christ
We learn through Christ to trust in this “Living Hope”—we trust in a Christ we cannot see, we love Him. That love is based on a spiritual relationship through the work of the trinity.
The more we learn about Him the deeper, this love grows. As we face life’s trails we learn to depend on Him to see us through. God want us to grow in Christ, to bring out the very best in us to the bring glory to God.
Warren Wreisbe said this, “Satan want to use life’s trials to bring out the worst in us, but God wants to bring out the best in us”
We are to trust in Christ, have faith in Him and His work in us and through us.
Rejoice In Christ
By doing this, through time and maturity we learn to rejoice in Christ. As He gives us victory through the various trials we face, we learn to rejoice. This rejoicing is deep, unspeakable, inexpressive and glorious. Words will escape us in describing Christ. I pray that we would all experience Christ in this way!
Experiencing this we taste some of the future glory. Charles Spurgeon said this, “Little faith will take your soul to heaven, but great faith will bring heaven to your soul”
Peter is urging his readers to exercise love, faith, and rejoicing, so that they may experience some of the glory of heaven in the midst of suffering.
Which brings us to our verses this morning. To set this up we have to understand Peter wants his readers to understand the spiritual blessing they have now are greater than anything that was ever envisioned by the Old Testament prophets or even the angels.
Salvation v.10
-The Prophets
The Old Testament prophets understood salvation somewhat. It was a mystery to them for the most part. They had glimpse of it as God filled them with the Holy Spirit and guided them. Like looking in a key hole into a room they tried to understand what was happening behind the door.
They prophesied to the people about a situation they were about to face in the near future, or something they needed to know now. At the same time God was pointing them to the future event, a future grace, a future salvation.
The prophets were moved by this and they actively searched for more information---this searching, this investigating and inquiring can be likened to a miner looking for gold. They mined the scripture for clues—they left no words undone and yet they could not connect all the dots.
They searched their own writings and the writings of other prophets—the scriptures of old—Peter doesn’t say every where they looked—but they understood that their writings where also for some future event that would take place.
All the while the Holy Spirit was pointing them to Christ—when Peter talks of the Spirit of Christ he is most likely referring to the Holy Spirit doing just that making Christ known to them, pointing to the coming Messiah. In fact we see this all through the Old Testament. Just as the New Testament points to Christ’s return.
-Suffering Messiah
One of the parts probably most misunderstood by the prophets was the idea of the ‘suffering Messiah”. Isaiah 53, Psalm 22 and the earliest Genesis 3:15 all present the suffering of the coming savior.
Peter talks about this several times once in this letter:
He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth; when reviled, He did not revile in return; when suffering, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to the One who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounding you have been healed. ~1 Peter 2:22-24 HCSB
And in a sermon at the Temple Complex, after healing the crippled beggar at the gate beautiful and the people were amazed:
When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: "Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked to have a murderer given to you. And you killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this. By faith in His name, His name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. So the faith that comes through Him has given him this perfect health in front of all of you. "And now, brothers, I know that you did it in ignorance, just as your leaders also did. But what God predicted through the mouth of all the prophets--that His Messiah would suffer--He has fulfilled in this way. Therefore repent and turn back, that your sins may be wiped out so that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, ~Acts 3:11-19 HCSB
-Glories
Knowing all of this brings us to the “glories that would follow”, Christ resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of God the Father, the coming of the Holy Spirit into believers and the building of the Church, His coming again, the glories of his coming kingdom that has no end.
The glories of his grace and mercy poured out on the world. That by His suffering, His sacrifice on the cross, I could stand before God justified, forgiven of my sins.
By putting my faith in Christ and by the repenting of my sin I could by grace have salvation. That in Christ I am given a new hope, a living hope, a lasting hope, a hope that can never disappoint. All of this to bring glory to the Father, all of this is truly glorious! In fact it is so amazing, the Angels want to know more!
All of this was predicted and sought after from the beginning. Reading through the Old Testament we get to see this coming Christ, I get excited when I come across a verse or story where I can see Christ in the passage and so did the prophets.
-Revealed by the Holy Spirit v.12
All of this was being revealed by the Holy Spirit—who was stirring the hearts and pointing the prophets to Christ
The word used here is “revealed” and it always refers to God’s activity and never human activity. So God was giving them prophesies about the Messiah and the idea that what they were saying was more than something for the people at that time—but also a future prediction.
This future prediction of the gospel was being revealed to Peter and the Apostles—this mystery was salvation was for everyone.
The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above. By reading this you are able to understand my insight about the mystery of the Messiah. This was not made known to people in other generations as it is now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: the Gentiles are co-heirs, members of the same body, and partners of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. ~Ephesians 3:3-6 HCSB
The mystery of the Messiah was being made known by the Holy Spirit—the Gentiles are co-heirs through the gospel—the gospel wasn’t just for the Jewish people but for everyone.
This gospel was being made known by the Holy Spirit who was sent from heaven and fills every believer.
“In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation--in Him when you believed--were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” ~Ephesians 1:13 HCSB
* We all have the same measure of the Holy Spirit—He didn’t half fill some and fully fill others—we are all filled and sealed. This filling is the down payment of your inheritance for the redemption of your soul.
-The Living Hope
The living hope—the glorious hope—Jesus Christ. Who was given to us by the Father—by his great mercy, to give us a new birth through the resurrection and into a inheritance that is imperishable, incorruptible and unfading—kept in heave for you.
Christ who never leaves you, guides you through various trials to build your faith—Christ who you love though you have not seen Him. Christ in whom you rejoice in with inexpressible words—because of the salvation of your souls.
This salvation was made known through the prophets, who knew of a future grace, but could never have imaged it in its glorious fullness. This gospel has been revealed to you through the Holy Spirit.
This incredible gift the Angels look at with awe—and want to see more of—this is the Living Hope we are to share with the world to the glory of God!
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