1 Peter 1:3-9

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.  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Rejoicing is not a natural response to suffering.  It is only made possible by the supernatural power of God in the lives of those who trust Him.  The promises of God make it possible for us to look beyond the difficulties we face in this life to the rewards we will enjoy in our eternal life.  Since those promises are secure, our rejoicing should never depend on the circumstances in which we live.

REJOICE IN THE HOPE OF RESURRECTION: In Christ we have a living hope because He is alive.  We rejoice and praise the name of the Lord because Jesus has been raised from the dead to an imperishable, uncorrupted, and never fading inheritance.  We can understand why the Father would raise Jesus to this kind of an inheritance, but what can only be attributed to the mercies of God is the fact that this same inheritance is being kept for us.  God is supernaturally protecting His children for an eternal inheritance through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus.  This living hope may not always seem reasonable during times of persecutions, but we can be assured that it will be revealed to us and in us upon the return of Christ.  We must live now in light of that hope.

REJOICE IN THE FACE OF PERSECUTION: The living hope we have through the resurrection is our reason for rejoicing in the face of trials and tribulations.  Persecution is not always the experience of faithful followers of Christ, but we must be willing to face them if they are necessary.  We can still rejoice in them because we know that they are only temporary.  They will only last for a little while.  When we persevere in these trials it proves that our faith is genuine and feeds into our living hope which is valued greatly above the most precious and pure gold because the result is praise, glory and honor at the coming of Christ.  All these things truly belong to Christ, but by grace He shares them with us!!! 

REJOICE IN THE PROMISE OF SALVATION: This glorious life of rejoicing in a living hope in the resurrection and return of Christ is only made possible by grace through faith.  None of us deserve it and none of us can see it.  People throughout the history of the Church have bees rejoicing in the face of persecution and martyrdom even though they have never seen Jesus.  We do this because of our love for Him that is the only natural response to the love we have experienced from Him.  Jesus remains invisible to us but His transforming power is evident in us.  This causes us to have a joy that is beyond our ability to explain in words because it is full of glory and hope that despite our sin and imperfection, through faith in Christ, we are eternally saved from all sin.

APPLICATION: Rejoice in the truth that because Jesus is risen from the dead, we too have an eternal and living hope.  Remember that any trials we might face on this earth are only temporary and will result in eternal rewards.  Strengthen our faith by loving the Lord and anticipating our glorious salvation and eternal rewards.

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