HOW FAITH IS PURIFIED – 1 Peter 1:6-9
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on March 15, 2020 under 2020 |
Bethany Bible Church Sunday Message; March 15, 2020 from 1 Peter 1:6-9
Theme: God uses our present trials to refine our faith—so that our faith will result in future glory.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
Click HERE for the live-stream archive of this sermon.
This morning, I’d like to turn your attention to a passage in the Bible that teaches us about trials. It’s a passage that’s found in the first chapter of 1 Peter.
In 1 Peter, the apostle Peter was writing to Christians who were undergoing a great trial. Their trial was quite a bit different from the one we’re all going through right now. For us, it’s the trial of adjusting to the impact of a global pandemic. For them, it was the trial of suffering persecution for their faith in Jesus. But what Peter said to them about their trial very much applies to us in ours.
In verses 3-5, Peter started off by describing the glories of the heavenly inheritance God has preserved for those who trust in Jesus. He wrote;
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, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).
That’s the future of someone who has been born again by faith in Jesus. It’s very important, dear brothers and sisters, that you and I make sure that we keep that future expectation in view during our present time of trial. It’s a rock-solid reason for joy that nothing will ever be able to take away from us.
And that’s when Peter wrote how that future glory can sustain our joy during times of present trial. Peter then went on to say these words;
In this [that is, in that promise of that future glory in Christ] you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 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, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls (vv. 6-9).
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Now; look very carefully at Peter’s words in verse 6. Do you notice those words, “if need be …”? Peter encouraged those suffering believers to rejoice in the glory of their inheritance in Christ, “though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials …” And do you notice that he follows it up in verse 7 with a word that indicates purpose; “that …”? They, if need be, were grieved by various trials; but it was “that the genuineness of your faith … may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ …”
This raises an important question for us as Christians. Are times of trial really ‘necessary’ in God’s plan for us? Do those trials meet some kind of need in us that is vital to our faith in Jesus and to our hope in future glory?
And the answer that Peter gives us in this passage—and that we also find in other places in the Bible—is yes. Take the first chapter of the New Testament Book of James for example. At the very beginning of his letter, Pastor James wrote,
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:2-4).
James—who was the first pastor of the first ancient church in Jerusalem—was a very wise pastor. He taught the people under his care that they were not to be surprised by the fact that trials come; or to be angry about those trials, or to somehow resist the fact that they happen. Rather, they were to rejoice whenever they “fell into various trials”. And it wasn’t because they were to rejoice in the trials themselves. That would be a rather strange thing to do. Instead, they were to rejoice in what those trials produced in them. They were to know that the testing of their faith was something that God permitted in order to produce patient endurance in them. They were to let patience do its work of perfecting them and maturing them in their walk with Jesus. The trials, then, were very necessary to their faith.
Or think of what the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5:1-5. Paul—who was, himself, a very seasoned sufferer of trials—was writing to people who his fellow Christians. And in very similar words to those of Peter, he said;
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:1-5).
So ; like James and like Peter, Paul wanted his fellow Christians to keep their eyes on the future glory that God had promised them in Christ; and then, to have joy in present times of trial. Those Christians were to know that “tribulation” produced some necessary spiritual qualities in them as followers of Jesus. And because of what those trials were producing, they could rejoice and “glory” in them.
Times of testing—such as what the ancient Christians were going through; and such as what we are going through together today—are, in some way, necessary to genuine growth in Jesus. God permits His people to go through such trials, because doing so fills a genuine need in their faith. It refines that faith and makes it stronger.
And that’s what makes this morning’s passage in 1 Peter 1:6-9 so important and practical. In it, the Holy Spirit is showing us that our trials—including this big one that’s all heavy on our mind’s this morning—are allowed by God in order to refine our faith; so that our faith will result in glory in the future. Our trials are very much like the fire that heats up the crucible of our trust in God’s promises, and that purifies it so that it will bring glory to God when those promises are fulfilled.
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Now; that’s the amazing thing that’s being affirmed to us in 1 Peter 1:6-9. But none of it would make any sense—and it would, in fact, sound like crazy talk—unless you and I will have first fully believed what it says in verses 3-5.
Look again at what Peter wrote in those verses. He said;
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, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).
That’s our future destiny in Christ. That’s the rich inheritance that is reserved for us in heaven—and for which we ourselves are being kept by God. Even in trials! And it’s in that great, glorious, future inheritance that we are to “greatly rejoice” right now. Peter uses a remarkable word to describe that rejoicing. It’s not just any ol’ ‘rejoicing’. It’s an exceedingly great level of rejoicing. We’re to ‘super-rejoice’ in the prospect of that future, glorious inheritance that is ours in Christ. As he says in verse 8, we’re to “rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory”—a joy that can’t be put into words—a joy that is truly out of this world.
And let me stop and ask you right now: Do you rejoice in that inheritance? Have you made sure that it’s even yours? A trial like the one that we’re all going through currently is a very good time to stop and ask where it is that we have our ultimate hope. Is it in this world—and in the things of this world that we might keep or that we might lose all because of a virus? Or is it in an “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you”?
That secure heavenly inheritance is ours only through a relationship with Jesus Christ by faith. It’s ours only by trusting completely in what Jesus has done on the cross. He has taken away all the guilt of our sins by shedding His own blood on the cross for us. That glorious inheritance belongs to Jesus; and He shares it with us freely as God’s gift—but only through our having put our full trust in what Jesus has done for us on the cross.
And so, this is an excellent time to make sure of our faith. Have you have placed your trust in Him—in His life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension? And having done so, do you now have your hope set on that glorious inheritance that He has lovingly obtained for us? The secret to having an overwhelming joy—even in the midst of the hard trials of this world—is to make sure you have your faith in Jesus, and your hopes fixed upon an eternal inheritance in heaven that can never be lost to you.
And so, I hope that you have placed your faith in Jesus and now have the hope of that inheritance. That’s the very first step in being able to rightly process the trials we go through in life.
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And having taken that first, all-important step—and having our hopes set, by faith, upon the glorious inheritance that is ours in Christ—look again at verse 6. That’s were we see that …
1. OUR FAITH NEEDS TO UNDERGO REFINEMENT (v. 6).
Peter has spoken about our future inheritance that’s reserved for us in heaven through Christ. And he says, “In this you greatly rejoice …” But Peter is also very realistic. He goes on to say that we rejoice in it “though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials …”
That phrase “if need be” isn’t meant to simply say that it might just be that—due to circumstances outside of anyone’s control—you or I will just happen to experience trials. It’s not saying, “Que sera, sera; whatever will be, will be …” Peter is using a word that refers to a necessity. Our faith allows us to rejoice in our future glory; even though it is currently necessary—even though it is presently essential—that we be grieved by various trials along the way. In the loving providence of God our Father, He sees that those trails are a real necessity to us; and that they must happen to us. They are what help our faith grow as God wants it to grow.
But I hope you’ll notice how carefully Peter put those trials in perspective. He goes out of his way to stress how temporary those trials are in the light of our eternal inheritance. He says that we go through them “now for a little while”; and only “if need be” for the purpose of preparing us for glory. God allows us to go through them only so long as they will accomplish His good purpose of refining our faith.
This reminds me of what the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. He and his co-missionaries labored hard for the cause of the gospel. They suffered greatly for it. But he wrote;
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
Did you notice Paul’s words; “while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen …”? So long as we keep our eyes fixed that eternal glory, our trials will end up refining our faith and making it stronger.
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So; the first thing to remember—as verse 6 teaches us—is that our faith actually needs refinement. And then, as we go on to look at verse 7, we see that …
2. THIS REFINEMENT HAS A PURPOSE (v. 7).
Why does God allow these times of trial in our lives? Why does He allow our faith to be tested—sometimes severely? As Peter says, it’s “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 …” (v. 7).
Did you know that our faith is something very precious to God the Father? He loves it when we trust in Him and believe on His Son. He values that faith very much; and He is very protective of it and is eager for its growth. In fact, Peter used the most precious thing we can think of on earth—gold that has been refined in the fire, removed of all its impurities; tested and proven pure and genuine—as an illustration to show that our faith is of even greater value to God than that!
Look carefully at what God does in those various trials. First, Peter tells us that God proves that our faith is “genuine” through them. The word that Peter uses, when he says that our faith is “tested”, is one that referred to the way that precious metal had been passed through the refinement process and ‘proven’ pure. The refining fire of trials reveals a faith that is “genuine”—a faith that, though imperfect at times, still nevertheless clings tightly to Jesus when the times are tough, that still seeks to obey Him, and that still rejoices in the inheritance that is ours in Him. This isn’t so that God Himself will know whether or not our faith is genuine. He already knows. Rather, it’s so that we will know that our faith is genuine—and also so that the watching world will know it as well. The genuineness of faith is proven by the trial of hard experience.
And once our faith is proven to be genuine, there’s a second thing that God does through our trials. He goes on to purify that faith so that, on the day of Jesus’ return, it will be found “to praise, honor, and glory”. Sometimes, our faith is being tested in such a way that we don’t receive any “praise” or “honor” or “glory” in this world. But there is nothing in this world that could possibly be greater than to hear the Lord Jesus—on the Day of His glory—turn to us and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
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And that leads us to one more thing …
3. THE PURPOSE OF OUR REFINEMENT IS ETERNAL GLORY (vv. 8-9).
Peter says that our refined faith will result in praise, honor and glory in the day of the revealing of Jesus, “whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls” (vv. 8-9).
You can see this outcome in two respects. First, you can see it in respect to our present walk with the Lord Jesus. Every trial of your faith that you faithfully undergo—while keeping your eyes fixed on the eternal inheritance Jesus Christ has purchased for us—makes you love Jesus even more. Have you ever met an older, seasoned Christian who surprises you with the greatness of their love for Jesus?—someone who, over many years, has become completely set free from any doubts about who Jesus is, and who is completely given over in love to Him as their Savior? Well; that didn’t happen by accident. That happens to someone only through a long process of having their faith in Him refined in the crucible of many, many trials.
Peter put it this way: “whom having not seen you love” (v. 8). The suffering Christians that Peter wrote to had never laid eyes on Jesus when He walked on this earth. They had only seen Him by the eyes of faith. But they nevertheless loved Him. They believed in Him and rejoiced “with joy inexpressible and full of glory”.
Do you remember when we’re told about the resurrection of Jesus in the Gospel of John? We’re told that He appeared to the disciples and presented Himself to them. But the disciple Thomas was not present. The other disciples told Thomas that they had seen the Lord; but Thomas wouldn’t believe them. He felt that he needed to touch Jesus for Himself.
We’re told that they were all gathered together—this time with Thomas among them. Jesus appeared to them again;
Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:27-29).
When our faith is refined by trials in the way that it should be, you and I are in a more blessed condition than Thomas was back then. We end up being able to say, “Whom I have not yet seen, I very much love.” That love and belief becomes strengthened in us through the refinement of our faith by means of trials.
And second, you can see the outcome of our refinement in respect to the full completion of our salvation in the future. Peter writes, “receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls” (v. 9). The “end” of our faith simply means the “goal” or “outcome” of it; and the goal or outcome of our faith is our full salvation—being brought into full glory—being made sharers together in the rich heavenly inheritance of Jesus forever.
As Paul put it at the end of his long life of faith;
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
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Now; let’s go back and think again about this big trial that we’re all going through right now—or perhaps, along with it, some other painful trial you may be going through personally. I hope you can now see that it has not come upon you by accident. If it’s there at all, it’s because, in the loving wisdom and care of our heavenly Father, He saw that it “need be” there. We should trust Him and count it all joy that it is there. Our sovereign heavenly Father is at work through it—perfecting in us the faith that He values so highly.
So; let’s encourage one another with what Peter tells us in this passage.
First, let’s make very, very sure that we have trusted in Jesus as our Savior and are rejoicing in the eternal inheritance that He has secured for us. The glory of that inheritance is where our trials are leading to; and we will never regret anything that God used to prepare us for it.
Then, let’s remember that—on the way of getting there—our faith needs to be refined. God allows trials into our lives—big ones and small ones—to make our faith pure. Let’s remember that this ‘refinement process’ is purposeful. It’s to show our faith to be the real thing; so that on the Day we stand before Jesus Christ, we will have the joy together of hearing Him say, “Well done!” Let’s remember that the end goal of our refinement is to help us to grow in our love and trust for Jesus in the present, and to enjoy eternal salvation through Him in the future.
And let’s put it into action by asking some questions in prayer: “Father, what is it in my life that you are trying to get rid of in this trial?” “What is it about Yourself—that you have already taught me in Your word—that You want me to remember?” “What is it that You want me to start doing more effectively—or saying differently—or believing more correctly?” “Father; what is it that it would please You to see in my life as a result of going through this trial faithfully?”
Let’s not complain or be bitter in this time of trial—or in any other. Instead, let’s truly rejoice in what God is accomplishing in us through it. And let’s let it do its work in us to His glory.
Click HERE for the live-stream archive of this sermon.
EA
