Enlivened

I want to begin this morning
by thanking this church again for its support of me with regard
to my mother and not just this past week but with regard to
all the visits that she made up to the church over these past
years. I mentioned the other day that
she was literally among the small group that was there the very
first day that we ever met. And then, in all of your conversations
with her, whether they were cards, and then also your graciousness
to me in her decline as you enabled me to take care of her and attend
to her. And then also, on top of all
of that, for this church’s attendance at her funeral on Wednesday,
I needed my church to be there with me, and you were there.
And I’m thankful that, as well, so many of you came to the reception
at my mom’s house after the funeral. That was important for me as
well. And I’ll tell you why as this unfolds this morning. I
think part of it is I just wanted you to see my roots. I wanted
you to see not only my boyhood home, but my family and my friends. My mom has lived in the same
house that I grew up in 55 years. And so I know, I even witnessed some of
these. I heard about many, many interactions
that you had with people there. And that was important to me,
and I thank you. I almost always come away. from
a visit to Denver with a very uncomfortable feeling. I’ve heard this phrase many times.
I’m sure you have too. Survivor’s guilt. It’s the sentiment
that people have when they survive some natural disaster or calamity
or some violent crime where others were not so fortunate. Survivor’s
guilt. And what ensues in this survivor
guilt is, why me? Why wasn’t I also taken? Why did I survive when so many
did not? And I realized to a degree that
that’s what I have so often when I visit. When I visit my hometown and
visit my friends and family, I’m left to wonder, why me? How is it that I escaped? How
is it that I heard and heeded the gospel when others who have
heard the same gospel, even more plentifully than I did, did not? And at times I felt that survivor’s
guilt. And so I wanted some of you to
see my home, my roots, meet my family, my friends. I wanted
you to walk with me. And I wanted you to see what
I would call the remarkable grace of God. Because I was not raised in a
Christian home, far from it. I have no squeaky clean family
pedigree. I have actually quite the opposite. There are believers in our family.
I have believing friends as well, but they’re not plentiful. And
for the most part, true Christians in our family are exceedingly
rare. I’m sure that you saw that the
other day. For those of you who had opportunity
to come, The church was represented and I’m thankful for that. And
so the other sentiment that I typically come away with after a visit
to home to see friends and family in
any context. It’s the sentiment of humble
gratitude that God would take this sinner and pour his grace
into me. and put a call in my heart and
life and place me into his service is beyond all human comprehension. Not only was I not raised for
this, I certainly was not likely for this role, this role as a
shepherd. And so I wanted to provide for
really both of us this morning. This started out as my own search
in the scriptures But I realize in doing so, I’m providing both
of us, both you and I, some biblical perspective. I wanted to review
a text that put things in context for me. I know that without a doubt,
God did not go looking for me because he saw in me some great
human potential. He sought me and he laid hold
of me. But it wasn’t because he saw
in me some great potential that he just so badly wanted me on
his team. That’s not why God saves anyone. God got nothing in me but a sinner. It’s his grace alone that has
made anything out of me. And so while I could have gone
to several different passages to glean and gain some counsel,
I selected 1 Peter 1 as my text this morning. 1 Peter is an incredible
epistle. We’ve preached through it several
times. It basically declares the glories
of salvation. Even Peter’s opening words, his
greeting in verses 1 and 2 are much more than just a greeting.
They boldly present each of the members of the Godhead as fully
engaged in the salvation of sinners. Following his initial greeting,
Peter initiates a discussion about our magnificent salvation
in verses three through five. It serves essentially as a doxology,
a praise, an expression of praise to God for our salvation. Verses 6 through 12 put that
magnificent salvation in context, namely, a life of difficulty,
even persecution, through which the genuine believer can not
only endure, but succeed with all joy. In the latter half of
the chapter, verses 13 through 25, Peter will unfold the believer’s
proper response. to this great salvation. The first of which we see in
verse 13 is a grace filled confidence. In verses 14 through 16, we see
a God like holiness. In verses 17 through 21, there
is childlike reverence. And in verses 22 through 25,
there is born again affection. I need, and I think we all need,
to be reminded of these truths. And I can only take us to review
a few of these verses this morning. We’ll look at verses three through
five, but I want to take the chapter in its entirety as we
read it. First Peter. Chapter one, verse
one, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to those who reside as
aliens scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia,
who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God, the father,
by the sanctifying work of the spirit, that you may obey Jesus
Christ and be sprinkled with his blood. Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his
great mercy, has caused us to be born again, to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain
an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade
away, reserved in heaven for you who are protected by the
power of God through faith, for a salvation ready to be revealed
in the last time. In this, you greatly rejoice,
even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have
been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith
being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though
tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory
and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And though you
have not seen him, you love him. And though you do not see him
now, but believe in him, you greatly rejoice with joy, inexpressible
and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith,
the salvation of your souls. As to this salvation, the prophets
who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful
search and inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the
spirit of Christ within them was indicating as he predicted
the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was
revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you.
in these things which have now been announced to you through
those who preach the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from
heaven, things into which angels long to look. Therefore, gird
your minds for action. Keep sober in spirit. Fix your
hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation
of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not
be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in ignorance,
but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also
in all your behavior. Because it is written, you shall
be holy, for I am holy. And if you address as father
the one who impartially judges according to each man’s work,
Conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth,
knowing that you are not redeemed with perishable things like silver
or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers. But with precious blood as of
a lamb, unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For he was
foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared
in these last times for the sake of you, who through him are believers
in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that
your faith and hope are in God. Since you have, in obedience
to the truth, purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren,
fervently love one another from the heart. For you have been
born again, not of a seed which is perishable, but imperishable,
that is, through the living and abiding word of God. For all
flesh is like grass and all its glory is like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower
falls off. But the word of the Lord abides
forever. And this is the word which was
preached to you. In verses three through five,
Peter’s expression of praise for the salvation that God has
bestowed. He speaks here not only of the
excellence of this salvation, but also of the natural response
of the recipients of this salvation. That’s where we’ll be this morning
in verses three through five. I’ve entitled it enlivened and
I’ll show you why in just a moment. But what Peter lays out there
for us are the common features of the life of the reborn. The
common features, meaning the expected, the things that will
be found in the life of a believer. The life of one who has been
enlivened, let’s begin, if we could. First Peter one, and it
just says there the simple sentence, blessed be the God and father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has caused us to be born again. The word here, and used only
here in Peter twice, refers to the act of giving birth. In a
very real way, God gives birth to sinners. He leads them to
repentance and faith. Peter says it quite plainly.
God has caused us to be born again. We are spiritually dead
in our natural state so that Almighty God, by means of the
Holy Spirit, must step in and do a work not unlike the work
that he does in creation, where he brought literally the dust
of the earth to life and breathed life into it. God has to do that same kind
of a work Only now the Holy Spirit must bring spiritually dead men
to life. So this is entirely an act of
God, this being born again. God must move or we remain forever
dead in our sins. Did we grasp that? Unless God
rebirths you, you’re dead in your sins. But if God does move,
if God does act, if God’s spirit so works in the life of a sinner,
that sinner is brought to life as it was meant to be. He’s brought
to a new spiritual life. He’s renewed. And he immediately
is placed in fellowship with God himself. The spirit so works
in the life of the sinner that that sinner becomes a vibrant.
Spiritual being with vigor restored. In fellowship with his or her
creator. When a sinner is so touched by
God, they come to hate their sin and their sinfulness. They
come to love God and righteousness. Those things are not natural.
They’re God given. And as such, they come willingly
to repentance and wholehearted faith in Jesus Christ, the Savior. They are born again. Now, Paul
excellently lays out this entire scenario, how it unfolds. He
does so in Ephesians chapter two, and we’ll look at this passage
a couple of times. If you would just turn there
now, you know the passage. But I want to interact with a
couple of phrases in that passage, Ephesians chapter two. In Ephesians chapter 2, Paul
gives us unequivocally, holding nothing back, he gives us the
bad news. It’s a reminder, he’s talking
to Christians, he’s talking to people who had already been saved.
But he says in verse 1, and you were dead. Spiritually speaking,
in your trespasses and sins in which you formerly walked according
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons
of disobedience. What he says there is, is you
you live just like the world, you live just like the devil
wanted you to. You live just like the spirit
of the age. It was us. Among them, that is among those
people, we all too formerly lived in the lust of our flesh. No
one escapes. That’s what a sinner does. A
sinner sins, indulging in the desires of the flesh and of the
mind and were by nature. That means we were born this
way. We were by nature children of wrath. We were born deserving
the full penalty of God’s justice. But God, verse four, but God
being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he
loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us
alive. He made us alive together with
Christ by grace you have been saved. In other words, Paul says,
God rebirthed us. Notice Paul’s graphic language
in this passage. You were dead, but God made us
alive. And even though the Greek word
here that Paul uses differs from the one that Peter chooses to
use, the point is the same. God does the work. God brings
dead men to life. Paul’s word here could literally
be translated to enliven. God and only God brings life,
whether it’s physically at creation or birth or spiritually in the
miracle of regeneration. The bringing back of a dead man
to spiritual fellowship with himself is a work of God. We know this passage very well,
but as you know, the apostle John echoes Peter and Paul in
this idea of spiritual rebirth. I’m not going to take the time
to have you turn there, but just listen. John echoes Peter and
Paul in their idea of rebirth, and in John chapter 3, as you’ll
recall, after a brief exchange with the sneaky Nicodemus, Jesus
tells him that in no uncertain terms, unless one is born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God. It’s absolutely impossible
to go to and see God and be in heaven without having previously
been born again. Spiritual rebirth is absolutely
essential for sinners to enter back into fellowship with a holy
God. We must be born again. This action, this action of regeneration
where God brings a dead sinner to life, it’s an instantaneous
work of the Spirit of God. And it touches every aspect of
that person’s life. They’re not made perfect. But
it does begin the work of sanctification in the individual’s life. It
affects the entire person, their intellect. They think differently.
Their will, they make better choices. Their emotions, their
morals, everything is re-centered on God himself. It’s been characterized
as an inner recreating of a fallen human creature. And so we’re
born again. That’s good news. That’s great news. This is the
question that Peter anticipates in these three verses back, if
you would, to first Peter. What is a born again that is
regenerated, spiritually enlivened child of God supposed to do? What does he or she do with the
rest of their life? What do they look like? How do
they respond to this spiritual rebirth? What are the features
of the life of one who has been reborn? I suggested that there
were three and the first of these common features expected. They’re going to be there in
the life of those who are reborn. The first of these common features
is the act of the Regenerate’s worship. The act of the Regenerate’s
worship. Look again at verse three. It’s
a subtle little word that we snuck right past. Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has caused
us to be born again. Look at how Peter begins this
short section, verse three, with the word blessed. That word may sound a bit archaic
to our modern ears. We typically don’t use this word
unless we’re reading it in a psalm or singing it in a hymn. It’s
a compound Greek word, eulogos, eulogos meaning good, logos meaning
word. Or the verb form, eulogeo, from
which we get our word eulogy, to speak a good word about someone. And so what does it all mean?
What does it mean here when Peter uses this word of God? It was a typical Jewish phrase,
and it usually referred to one who was worthy of blessing, one
who was to be praised or well-spoken of, honored. In both the Septuagint, the Greek
translation of the Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament, the word
is used exclusively with reference to God. Only God is truly worthy
of receiving a blessing. And its basic meaning speaks
of one who is inherently worthy of receiving. It’s not just that
we’re going to honor him just today. God is inherently worthy of receiving
such a blessing. And it’s not unimportant to note
that Paul uses this very same phrase. Blessed be the God and
father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And he uses it at the opening
of Ephesians chapter one. That chapter presents so many
of the themes that are here present in first Peter one, three through
five. Paul uses the phrase again in
second Corinthians twice. So what does it mean to bless
God as worthy as he is? To bless effectively means to
acknowledge him in his essential nature, his goodness, his grace,
his sovereignty, his kindness. Worthy is God. Blessed be God. In short, it is to worship him
in his being. It is the believers acknowledgement
of God’s inherent right and propriety of being worshipped. It’s good
and right and appropriate for a believer to come responsibly. So that one pastor speaks of
this when he says we have a view of this in the psalmist words.
Psalm 34, 1, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise
shall continually be in my mouth. And a writer responding to that
says, the blessing of God by men is no mere jubilant worship. A lot of times you’ll hear people
talk about, oh, you know, the worship was just so-so. And what
they really mean, what they really want is some jazzed up, excitable
noise. That’s really what it means to
worship. Well, not what this one respected
author says. The blessing of God by men is
no mere jubilant worship. There’s nothing wrong inherently
with jubilant worship, but that’s not all there is. He goes on
to say, but it’s an intelligent recognition of his abiding goodness
as made known in his past or present acts. It’s acknowledging
who God is. It’s acknowledging all that God
has done. That’s an important definition
to grasp and remember. I’ll repeat it again. It’s an
intelligent recognition of God’s abiding goodness as made present
made known in his past or present acts. In other words, you begin
to see where I’m going with this. The mere fact that we have been
born again is a great cause for worship. Another put it this way, true
adoration for God’s goodness in action. Peter glances back
to The works of God set in motion in eternity past, as God began
to set his love on us, and it’s brought forth in real time, first
in the sending of his son, and then in the enlivening of each
individual sinner. Peter glances back to eternity
past, but these things are magnificently realized in real time. And he
cannot keep from erupting in spontaneous praise to God. This phrase then used word for
word by both Peter and Paul is a humble expression of thanks. Praise to God for his blessings
to us. And even though this phrase is
only used with reference to God in both the Septuagint and the
New Testament, Peter wants to be absolutely clear to whom he
is assigning this enthusiastic praise. He says, blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in so doing, Peter moves
from the act of the Regenerate’s worship That’s what it means
to bless God. He moves from that to that of
blessing or praising to the second feature in the life of the reborn. This is what reborn people do. The second aspect is this focus
on the regenerates worship. The focus of the regenerates
worship. He doesn’t just worship anything.
He doesn’t worship the trees. He doesn’t worship nature. Look
at the way Peter says it there in verse three, blessed be the
God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, instead of the the
focus of the Regenerate’s worship, we could say that we’re referring
here to the object of the Regenerate’s worship. One who has been regenerated
is going to focus on God the Father. God is the believers
focal point in his worship. The regenerate child of God puts
his or her focus on God alone. Not on God plus his church or
his denomination or his mode of baptism or whatever doctrinal
position to which he holds. The regenerate child of God puts
his or her focus on God alone. As Peter states it here, the
God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We’ve already noted that
Paul also uses the exact phrase in Ephesians 1. And in order
to better identify The God that they worship, the Jews often
use this same device. The Jews would often clarify
exactly who they meant. When they spoke of God. They
would often append the names of the great patriarchs, the
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that God. Or perhaps they would
use one of the great deeds that God had accomplished in days
past. He’s the God who brought you
up out of the land of Egypt, that God. But now, now that God
has fulfilled his plan of redemption by the sending of his son, God
is identified now by the apostles as the God and father of our
Lord Jesus Christ. It’s not just any God. He’s not only God, he’s the God
who has provided his only son as atonement and sacrifice for
sin, that God. He’s the God of redemption, and
he’s not only God, he is father, our father. He’s a loving father
in heaven. And this son. He also goes on
to describe in his fullness, he’s our Lord. He’s our savior, Jesus, the meaning
of his name. He’s the Messiah, Christ. So
that now father takes on a much fuller significance than ever
before. God is the father of one who is our Lord, our savior
and our Messiah. But here the father. The Father
himself is in focus as the object of our worship. Even though he’s
described in relationship to his son, the whole focus is God
the Father. Well, there’s a third thing that
we notice about this passage. I said that there were common
features to be found in the life of the reborn. not only the act
of the Regenerate’s worship and the focus of the Regenerate’s
worship, but the cause of the Regenerate’s worship. What prompted
this worship service, a lifelong worship service? We’ll get further into this passage
in this particular point. But essentially, the cause of
the believers worship, Peter explains in verses three through
five, is first of all, the mercy that was displayed toward us.
And then the hope that is imparted to us. And then finally, the
inheritance that is assured for us. First of all, let’s look
at the mercy that was shown to us. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, verse three, who according to his great
mercy has caused us to be born again. We often, as believers, muddle
the distinction between grace and mercy. As sinners, we enjoy
both. We could not be saved without
both of these truths. God is giving us, pardon me,
God’s grace is the idea of God giving us that which we did not
deserve. It was a gracious gift. We didn’t
earn it, we didn’t deserve it, and yet God in his kindness and
favor gave it to us anyway. It’s a blessing. Mercy, on the
other hand, and you know this, mercy, on the other hand, is
God withholding what we do deserve. and justly. We have been indicted. We have been found guilty standing
at the holy throne of God. We deserve his penalty. We deserve justice, his wrath. Thomas Watson so capably described
mercy is that which restrains the speedy execution of God’s
justice. It’s God holding back. on the
punishment that we deserve. That’s mercy. But Peter here
zeroes in on this idea of mercy. Mercy, he suggests, is a major
cause for worship. If God were to withhold his mercy
for a moment, we should all perish. But Peter says here that it was
God’s mercy that led to our rebirth. Instead of casting us aside,
casting us down forever, God brought us back to spiritual
life and the motivating cause was nothing other than his mercy. In the exercise of his mercy,
God exhibits his eagerness to alleviate the desperate condition
of our fallenness. Paul echoes this thought in Titus. 3 5 that our salvation was not
secured on the basis of deeds which we had done in righteousness
remember this It wasn’t Secured by deeds were never saved by
our efforts no matter how good they are from a human perspective
We’re not saved by our deeds, but strictly according to his
mercy did you get that no one can ever earn their way in to
God’s favor At the outset this morning, I
had you turn to Ephesians 2. There, Paul described our fallen
condition, that we were dead in our trespasses and sins, remember? And if the discussion ended there,
we are forever doomed. We’re dead in our trespasses
and sins, but it doesn’t end there. The relief, the word of
hope and life and salvation comes in verse 4, but God. But God
being rich in mercy, that’s the motivating cause, it’s always
the motivating cause. But God being rich in mercy. Not only was our salvation not
on the basis of deeds. It was purely by God’s mercy. If you think of it trespasses
and sins that Paul mentions. Trespasses and sins. That’s the
only sphere in which God’s mercy can be exhibited. Did you realize
that? If you were such a good person. If you had lived such
a perfect life. You could waltz into heaven and
proclaim that you belong there. That’s absurd. We all need God’s
mercy. God’s mercy must be exhibited
in that precise sphere. Trespasses and sins, we surely
wouldn’t want to call out to God for justice. God can only show mercy where
there is great transgression. And so our salvation was in God’s
mind only. God sees mankind languishing
under the penalty of sin, and he takes steps to relieve their
suffering regardless of what they deserve, in spite of what
they deserve. Our salvation is due completely
to God’s abundant mercy, or as Paul says it there in Ephesians
2, God is rich in mercy. This mercy is the practical expression
of his Paul says that his great love with which he loved us.
He loved us and mercy is the result. If any person ever will
be saved, it is only because God has shown him or her mercy,
abundant mercy. No one ever deserves salvation
and mercy by its very definition cannot be shown or granted to
all. That’s what makes mercy so beloved and so thankworthy. God is under no obligation to
show anyone mercy. That’s what makes the reception
of his mercy such an incredible blessing. That it cannot be earned,
it cannot be, God cannot be manipulated into giving us mercy. God’s mercy is oriented in the
heart and mind of God alone. There’s a third cause of the
regenerates. Pardon me, there’s a second cause
of the regenerates worship, not only the mercy that has been
shown to us, but the hope that has been imparted. Look, if you
will, again at verse three. And now we’re deep into the passage.
Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who,
according to his great, great mercy, has caused us to be born
again to a living hope. through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead. Hope. Hope is a great cause for
worship. God has not only displayed his
abundant mercy toward us, an infinitely practical mercy that
caused us to be born again, but he also, through Jesus Christ
and his resurrection, imparts to his children great hope. And hope, according to scripture,
is not just wishful thinking. It’s a firm confidence in the
believer’s soul that takes God at his word in anticipation of
God fulfilling his promises. Hope is the settled conviction. That disallows worry or fear
to replace it, it’s a firmly anchored conviction. In contrast, those who have not
placed their faith in Jesus Christ are characterized as having no
hope. Such people are like those who
are cast adrift, as it were, on the ocean. They have no compass,
no sails, no oars. They’re completely at the mercy
of the winds and the currents. The Christian, however, has his
or her hope or confidence in God himself, they trust him implicitly. And that’s brought about, as
Peter declares here, by the proof of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead. We are Easter people all year
long. This confident trust in God is
variously described as, in scripture, the hope of the glory of God,
Romans 5.2. The hope of righteousness, Galatians
5.5. The hope of salvation, 1 Thessalonians
5.8. The hope of eternal life, Titus
1.2. This hope is among God’s many
gracious gifts to us, and it accompanies all the other graces
of salvation. But this hope is a motivation
to worship. As this hope wells up within
us, what else can we do but praise God for the work that he’s done
in us? The Christian can worship in
peace. She can live in confidence. We
can walk this life in faith with a settled assurance that God
is in complete control. We conduct ourselves in hope. There’s a third and final motivation
for worship, not only the mercy displayed to us and the hope
imparted to us, but thirdly, the inheritance assured for us. Would you look at the passage
once again, and this time we glide seamlessly into verse four.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who,
according to his great mercy, has caused us to be born again
to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead to obtain an inheritance. What? You mean on top of the
pain and the difficulty and the hassle that we escape from this
world simply by living a Christian life? And the salvation, oh,
by the way, that we will enjoy forever, that on top of that,
there’s an inheritance. God’s people are called to worship,
and this third one is just amazing. We have great cause to bring
him thanks and praise, but Peter presents this third motivation
to worship. The fact that God has saved us,
caused us to be born again, in order to bestow upon us an inheritance. God not only displayed his mercy
toward us, that sent his son, he also, through Christ and his
resurrection, imparted to us hope. And if that wasn’t enough,
God assures to us an inheritance. The New Testament assures us
that just like the children of Israel were promised a portion
of the land, remember? They were heirs. So also now
those who have been born again are heirs. They who become children
of God by faith in Christ are made heirs. They have an inheritance. It’s an astounding thought. And
I love the way Peter presents this. This is not some heirloom,
some trinket that’s only going to pass to one individual, right? Look, if you would, at the way
that Peter describes it. It’s an inheritance, as he describes
at the end of verse four, merging into verse five, an inheritance
that is reserved in heaven for you. Who? For you, who are protected by
the power of God through faith. In other words, for all who are
born again, all of God’s children receive this inheritance. And
this idea of God bestowing an inheritance, it isn’t just an
idea that Peter came up with. Paul speaks of such as well,
and much in the same terms in speaking to the Ephesian elders,
Acts chapter 20. We don’t have time to turn there.
But in Acts chapter 20, Paul commends the believers to God,
whom he says will give you the inheritance. What an amazing
thought. This is something that Paul also
assures is the expectation of all believers. Not just a select few. Listen
to the way Paul presented it. He says that God will give you
the inheritance among those who are sanctified. And I know there
are some of you that think, boy, I better get to work because
I’m not there yet. God does the work of sanctification.
When Paul says they are those who are sanctified, he’s not
talking about perfect people. He’s talking about people who
have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. They are sanctified,
set apart for the Lord. They are saints of God. It’s just another way of referring
to those who are born again. They are the redeemed, the faithful
believers, Christians, saints. They are the sanctified. Paul
also sets forth the idea of a promised inheritance in Ephesians one.
In Ephesians one, he says, in him, we have obtained in a very
real way, our name is on the ledger and we’ve already obtained
it. It’s not in our hands yet. Until
the day of glory. But Paul says those who have
been predestined, verse 11, who hope in Christ, verse 12, who
believed, verse 13 of Ephesians chapter one, they are the ones
who enjoy this inheritance. In other words, Christians, believers. And in order to strengthen our
faith, Paul says that we even have a down payment He says, you were sealed in him
that is in Christ. When you placed your faith in
him for salvation, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise
who is given as a pledge of our inheritance. Did you catch that? You know that you have an inheritance. You know that you’ve been cut
in on the will because the Holy Spirit resides within you. And as sure as you are indwelled
by God’s own Holy Spirit, so you can rest assured that God
has a blessing for you to enjoy in heaven. I want you to see this, though,
in 1 Peter. Peter’s using this imagery of
a will, an heirloom, some trinket or treasure passed down from
generation to generation. It’s a plain enough illustration,
but Peter must have been very familiar with such earthly treasures. The passing down of heirlooms
and estates, because I want you to look at the way he describes
the inheritance that God provides. Very different. Imperishable,
undefiled, unfading, reserved. This is no ordinary heirloom,
is it? When he says imperishable, he sets this particular item
over against all earthly treasures. Do you realize that this is a
word that’s used of God himself? Imperishable. Romans 1.23 means
the glory of the incorruptible God. 1 Timothy 1.17, to the king
eternal, immortal. He’s incorruptible. He’s imperishable. When he says imperishable here,
He’s acknowledging that earthly treasures rust, they degenerate,
they burn, they can be stolen. Not God’s treasure. It’s imperishable,
it’s also undefiled, and unlike God’s inheritance, earthly heirlooms
can be sullied. They can be ripped, torn, broken,
mildewed, tainted with smoke and soot and worse. Not only can earthly things perish
and be defiled, but some of them also just, as he says here, fade. God’s treasure is unfading. Earthly treasures become brittle,
ineligible, pardon me, illegible. Whatever the hope was of the
giver for this little trinket, this treasure is now empty. Peter
adds a fourth descriptive to the inheritance that God provides.
And get this, it’s reserved. It has your name on it. It belongs
to nobody but you. Literally, that word is in a
state of having been kept. You know what that image brings
to my mind? It’s better than any earthly
safety deposit box. The inheritance that God provides
is on reserve in heaven under God’s watchful care. Okay, so what is it? What is
this inheritance that may not be given to another, that’s open
to all believers? It’s an important question. What is it? What is our inheritance which
is in a sense owned already yet to be fully enjoyed. What’s the
inheritance that is imperishable undefiled unfading and reserved. It certainly includes our salvation
the glory of Christ the peace and forgiveness that we enjoy.
I would suggest to you that it’s this. Your inheritance is an
eternal place in heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s not
merely eternity in heaven. One of the enduring blessings
of our salvation is the fact that we inherit Christ as our
Savior. We see Him face to face. We worship
Him throughout eternity. We might be saved, sure, as you’re
sitting here, but you’re not there yet. This promised reality, Peter
says, is protected by the power of God. The devil cannot snatch
you out of God’s hands. And one day our full salvation
will be revealed. We will see our Savior face to
face. And we will immediately begin
to worship him for all eternity.