Joy to the World – Striving for Joy

Transcript

JRS 38
12/17/2023
Joy to the World – Striving For Joy
I Peter 1:6-9
Jesse Randolph

If you haven’t familiarized yourself with the life of Darlene Deibler Rose. I’d encourage you to do so. Because she was a remarkable woman. Darlene Deibler Rose, she was born into a Christian home in Boone, Iowa, in 1917. She was saved at the age of nine. At the age of 13, she already had the conviction that she was called to serve as a missionary. At age 20, she married a young, similarly missions-minded man named Russell. In 1938, having been married for less than a year, Russell and Darlene left the comforts of their American upbringing, and the American way of doing things. To head overseas to Dutch-controlled Papua New Guinea. That’s where they were committed to serve and to spend the rest of their lives serving Christ as missionaries. Their path to Papua New Guinea, first took them to Holland, where they spent many months immersing themselves in the Dutch language. From there, they proceeded to Indonesia. That was a typical launching pad, in those days, for missionaries who were seeking to get to Papua New Guinea. Soon thereafter, after she and Russell landed in the place that they wanted to minister, the place they wanted to go to a long, Papua New Guinea. Darlene was thrilled. She had arrived, and they had arrived. In fact, in her journal, she wrote of how privileged she was to, quote: “join the long line of intrepid missionary pioneers who had walked into the unknown to lift up His ensign on the mountains and lay a claim for the Lord.” Well, sadly, their time on the mission field in Papua New Guinea was short-lived. Because soon after they arrived there. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor took place. The effect of which was to expand the theatre of War, in World War II . . . beyond the European continent, into Southeast Asia, and all the way down to their new home in Papua New Guinea. Soon after Pearl Harbor, both Russell and Darlene were captured by Japanese forces. With Russell being sent off to a men’s labor camp. Darlene being sent off to a women’s labor camp. Little did she know, at this time, this newly married bride. Young, and with her whole missionary life to look forward to. That she would actually never see her husband again. Because Russell eventually died a year or two later in the camp that he was sent to. For her part, in the camp she was assigned to, the conditions that Darlene was forced to endure were simply awful. She was placed in solitary confinement, because it was feared that she was an American spy. She was regularly interrogated. The small rations of rice that she was fed were frequently maggot-infested. On account of the heavy labor, she was assigned to perform, her body just wore down. She became sickly, shriveling down, ultimately, to less than 80 pounds. Exposed to diseases like malaria and dysentery; this young woman danced with death on multiple different occasions. Including the time that she was supposed to be given her last meal. Before they executed her for being an alleged spy. Only to have the guard change his mind and say I’m going to stay the execution for now.

There’s no doubt. That Darlene Deibler Rose went through incredible suffering. From the date of her original imprisonment to her eventual release at the conclusion of World War II. But there’s also no doubt . . . that Darlene Deibler Rose was an incredible example of perseverance in her faith in the midst of it all. She was known to lead prayer meetings and bible studies with the other women that were in prison alongside her. She was known as being an example of the one who would regularly serve the needs of others. She was known as somebody who repeatedly shared the gospel with her Japanese captors. She was unwavering in her faith.
Not only was Darlene Deibler Rose unwavering in her faith, though. She was unwavering in her joy. A deep-seated joy that the Lord allowed her to experience as a fruit of her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, she would later report that the prayer that she would pray during the deepest and darkest valleys of her imprisonment was this, this was her prayer, regularly: “Lord, I trust You. I give this back to You. I’m still going to rejoice in You. I’m still going to follow you.” Rejoice she did. As she resolutely and consistently sought to faithfully honor and serve the Lord throughout her period of imprisonment. In fact, after the war ended. When she was finally released. Just a shell of herself, at least on the outside. She made this statement, Darlene did, which sheds even more light on this eternal, joyful perspective she held. She said this: “I handed over eight long years of my life into the faithful, wise hands of a gracious God who alone could help me to understand the mysteries of deep pain and suffering.” Many years later, in fact, many decades later, as she would go on into old age; after her release, whenever she spoke of being captured, and separated from her husband, and the grueling years of captivity which followed . . . Darlene always offered the same response. She would say, without fail: “I would do it all again for my Savior.” Darlene Deibler Rose, as I mentioned at the top, was a remarkable woman.

We’re in the middle of a series titled Joy to the World, and what we’ve really been trying to do in this series is drill down on this subject of joy . . . as we look forward to, especially next Sunday . . . celebrating Christmas and the joy, the fact that true joy has come into this world. If you’ve been here the last two Sundays. You know that notwithstanding all the bright decorations and the red ties. The songs that we’ve been singing. I’ve been actually painting, through the texts I’ve selected, a very bleak picture of the lack of joy. In fact, the total impossibility of obtaining joy exclusively from this world. A world which does not know God. Because it has rejected the Son of God. The very Son of God whose human birth we are celebrating right now at Christmas.

In the first sermon in this series. Which was titled “Starved for Joy.” We went to Titus 3:3. A single verse. Where we saw that for each of us, in a previous life. Anyone in the world today who has not put their faith in Christ; they are: “foolish . . . disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending [their] live[s] in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.” Those we saw were the seven traits of the joy-starved soul.

Then last week, in a sermon titled “Seeking Joy.” We headed over to the Old Testament, specifically, to the Book of Ecclesiastes. Where we encountered the journey of one “joy-seeker.” King Solomon of Israel. Where we saw this otherwise-wise man seeking to extract . . . as part of this grand experiment . . . all of the joy he possibly could from this world. In that sermon, we saw how Solomon’s life . . . though it was his life, and he lived it. It does, in some sense, represent each one of us at some point in our lives. As we were entertaining ourselves to death, laughing our way to hell and pouring all that we had into the empty cisterns that Jeremiah mentions in Jeremiah 2. So, we share Soloman’s conclusion, ultimately, in Ecclesiastes 2:11 when he says:
“. . . all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.”

This week, as we continue on in this “Joy to the World” series, we’re back in the New Testament, specifically, in the book of I Peter. You can turn to I Peter, if you’re not there yet. Where we’re going to see how it’s the follower of Christ; and only the follower of Christ, who can experience true joy. He or she can do so even under, as we’re about to see, the most trying and difficult circumstances. Whether you’re Darlene Deibler Rose. Or you’re Joe Smith from Lincoln Nebraska. If you’re not there yet, let’s turn to I Peter 1:6-9
I Peter 1:6-9, God’s word reads:
“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so 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.”

The sermon title this morning is Striving for Joy. Last week it was Seeking Joy. The week before was Starved for Joy. I’ve broken down this morning’s message according to five points.
First, we’re going to see The Root of True Joy, and to see that, we’ll go back to verses 3-5. Then we’ll see The Reality of True Joy, in verse 6. The Revealing of True Joy, in verse 7. The Reaction of True Joy, in verse 8, and The Result of True Joy in verse 9.

Now, before we get there. Because we’re not in the middle of a regular expositional study of I Peter, just a bit of background. I Peter was, in human terms, written by the apostle Peter. He identifies himself right there in I Peter 1:1: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.” We know that this Peter was one of the first disciples called by our Lord, to serve Him and to follow Him. Matthew 4:18-20 tells the story so plainly. Where it talks about “. . . Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, [it says] Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they [one of whom was Peter] left their nets and followed Him.” We also know from Mark 1:14-19 that Peter was not only a disciple of Christ, but he was also an apostle of Christ. He was one of the original Twelve, in fact. It’s here in the letter of I Peter, that we see this same Peter, the apostle Peter writing some 30 years after the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord. He’s addressing his audience this way, as we read in verse 1. It says, “To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.”

Now, those places that he writes there, places he addresses there, are provinces in Asia Minor. This would be an area that was north of the Taurus Mountains and south of the Black Sea. In what we would know now as modern-day Turkey. The “aliens” that he’s writing to here, not little green guys. These are “those” who are “scattered” throughout the region. These “scattered” ones were Jewish converts. These were those who, before they came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, were nationally, culturally Jewish. But had since recognized Jesus as the promised Jewish Messiah. In fact, that verb there, “scattered”, the verb is diasporas. Which can be translated diasporas or “dispersed” or dispersion”. Which is a term with very distinctly Jewish undertones. We see more of those Jewish undertones as we look throughout this letter. In fact, if you would just drop down to, I Peter 2:9. We’re going to see Peter here drawing intentionally from several Hebrew Scriptures as he addresses his culturally Jewish audience.

I Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession.” That language there is pulling from a number of different Old Testament sources and scriptures, as he very intentionally is referring to cultural Jews here. Then, verse 10, he goes on to say, “. . . for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” If you were in our Sunday evening study a year or so ago, you know that’s pulling from the book of Hosea. Also addressed originally to the people of Israel. Then there’s I Peter 2:12, as we look just a bit further down the page. Where Peter makes a point of distinguishing his audience from the Gentiles around them. He says, “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” That would be an odd choice of language, which . . . “keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles” . . . if Peter were writing to Gentiles. The more likely scenario here, is that Peter wrote this letter to Jews. Specifically, to Jewish Christians. Those who had put their faith in the Jewish Messiah.

Next Peter, at the end of verse 1, here in chapter one, going back to I Peter 1 and into verse 2. He now provides the chief identifying trait to those he found himself writing. Note that their chief identifying trait was not that they were culturally Jewish. Their chief identifying trait was not which of the five provinces they came from: “Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” Rather, their chief identifying trait is picked up at the end of verse 1, on into verse 2.
Where he says, they had been “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood.” For these Jewish Christians here in “Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” and for any Christians sitting in this auditorium here this morning. Their chief identifying trait, the root of their identity, was their salvation. Note the Trinitarian foundations of the salvation they had been given, as it’s laid out here.

First, they had been: “Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.”
For those who wrestle with this whole notion, or those who have objections to the whole notion of the sovereignty of God in salvation. Divine election. Predestination. Note that your quibble is not with John Calvin, and your quibble is not with Calvinism as a system. Your quibble, rather, is with the Word of God. John Calvin invented nothing when it comes to election. Election is written all over the pages of scripture. Like here, you have been “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.” Peter also mentions God the Spirit as he moves on. He says, “by the sanctifying work of the Spirit.” In other words, God the Father chooses, and God the Spirit sanctifies. God the Father sets the believer apart. He appoints them. He chooses them. So that they might be holy. Remember I Peter 1:15. It says, “the Holy One who [has] called you.” That’s God the Father. Then God the Spirit sanctifies them s He conforms them into the image of Christ and purifies them. Helps them to live out the second part of I Peter 1:15, which says, to “be holy yourselves also in all your behavior.”

Next, we see, moving on in this text, I’m still in verse 2 now. That they had been “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.” By the sanctifying work of the Spirit. Now we see a reference to God the Son, to “obey Jesus Christ.”
Not to give the Lord the obligatory hat tip. Not to give Him the occasional wink and nod. Not to call Jesus our buddy or our wingman. But instead to obey Him. To recognize Him, not only as our Savior, but as our Lord. As our Master. As our Ruler. As our Sovereign. Then, come these words: “. . . and be sprinkled with His blood.”
To obey Jesus Christ, and to be sprinkled with His blood. This language again solidifies the real Jewish nature of this book. Peter’s Jewish manner of expression and Jewish Christian audience he’s writing. This takes us back to that scene in Exodus 24:4-8. Where Moses sprinkles blood, animal blood on the people of Israel. As he’s doing so, they are covenanting, they are agreeing to honor God and be faithful to Him.
As followers of Christ, of course, we’re not sprinkled with animal blood. We’re not sprinkled with the blood of bulls or with goats. But we do know down in I Peter 1:19, that we’ve been redeemed with blood. We’ve been redeemed “with precious blood, [it says] as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” In light of that redemption and in light of that, if you want to call it this, a spiritual sprinkling. We pledge to live for Him. To honor Him and to obey Him in all that we do.

Last, and this is all background and stage-setting. He gives this language at the end of verse 2, this standard greeting language “May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.” In other words, may all who receive this letter, and read this letter abound in the knowledge of the grace of God. Be fueled by the provision of the power of God and the peace of God. Which comes only from trusting in the Son of God. So that’s the contest here: The Apostle Peter. Is writing to these early Jewish Christians. From these different provinces in Asia Minor.

Now we get back to our text. Here in I Peter 1:6. A text that gives us so much to consider. About the biblical concept of joy. How the follower of Jesus Christ can experience true joy. Look again, at verse 6. He says, “In this you greatly rejoice.” In what do we “greatly rejoice”, Peter? He says, well, in “this”. Well, what’s “this”? What’s the reference here? The “this”, the reference that Peter has in view here, is all that he said now in verses 3-5. That’s our first point this morning, by the way. If you’re a notetaker. You can write it down this way: The Root of True Joy.

Peter’s going to identify the root of true joy, here in verses 3-5. Now, I’m not going to do a full-fledged exposition of 3-5 here. But I am going to do, kind of a little mini sermon within the sermon here. You’re getting two for the price of one. Before we get back into verses 6-9. Because the reality is, the root of true joy sinks down into the soil of these three verses here in verses 3-5. Let’s read it. It says:

“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.”
Now, from these three verses, that I just read. We’re going to see several key truths. This is a mini sermon about where true joy is found. The roots of true joy. As we go through this, I want you to note how starkly different these are from what we saw last week in Solomon. As he sought to seek joy and happiness and contentment with the various things the world offers. I want you to note how starkly different these sources of joy and happiness are. From what the world offers. Or from what we came from, as once non-believers.

First . . . our joy is rooted in the fatherhood of God. Our joy is rooted in the fatherhood of God. Look at verse 3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Though God was referred to often as the Creator in the Old Testament and the Redeemer of Israel in the Old Testament. You rarely see Him addressed in any way as Father. When we get to the New Testament, though. We see Christ regularly addressing God as His Father.
John 5:17 – “My Father is working until now, [He says] and I Myself am working.”
Or Matthew 11:27, Christ says, “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father . . .” The Fatherhood of God was not only mentioned by Jesus, but we also know it was mentioned by the apostles, Paul does it. II Corinthians 1:3, he says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort . . .” The Apostle John does it in II John 3, he says, “Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.” Then here, we have Peter, in I Peter 1:3 saying, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

God is not only the “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He is our Father. We have the privilege of addressing Him and approaching Him as such. That’s exactly what Paul says in Galatians 4. In fact, you can flip over with me to Galatians 4, just a few books to your left. This is a Christmas verse. This is an incarnation verse. But it also speaks to the Fatherhood of God for all who believe. Look at Galatians 4, we’ll start in verse 4. It says, “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” Our joy, then, is rooted in the fatherhood of God. Now, surely in a room of this size, and an audience of this size, there are several here who had no father. Or there are several here who had a bad father. An abusive father. An aloof father. A drunk father. A disengaged father. I’m also certain, in a room of this size there are many of you who had good fathers, great fathers. No matter what type of father you had, whether your father was good or bad, present or absent. A father who brought you happiness or sadness. Our relationships with our earthly fathers are but a dim outline; and in many cases dimmer than others, of the joy of knowing God as Father. The joy that knowing God as father brings. That’s because for followers of Jesus Christ, we are in a relationship with God the Father who never withdraws His love from us. Or His affection from us. We’re in a relationship with God the Father who is never inconsistent or unpredictable. We’re in a relationship with God the Father who could never be accused of being flaky or not following through. He will never leave us nor forsake us. No. He’s a good Father. The perfect Father. True joy is found in knowing that we are His children.

Next, we see that true joy is rooted in the mercy of God. Look at the next part of verse 3. It says: “. . . who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again . . .” We’ll leave it with the words, “According to His great mercy . . .” His abundant mercy. Through His abundant mercy. God has offered a glorious salvation to all of mankind and sinners like us need God’s mercy because . . . in our natural state . . . we were in such a pitiful and desperate and wretched condition.
Ephesians 2:3 says, “we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath . . .”
The very next verse, verse 4 says, “But God, being rich in” . . . what? “Rich in mercy . . .” “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 together with Christ.” Titus 3 says it similarly. Titus 3:5-6 says, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to . . .” . . .what? “His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” We were born children of wrath. We were born by our very nature destined for eternal death. God had every right to destroy us. Go give up on us. To strike us. To smite us. To punish us. To pulverize us. But He didn’t. Instead, our God is merciful, and He displayed His mercy. He demonstrated His mercy. Through the sending of His Son into the world. The very thing that we are celebrating now at Christmas. According to God’s rich mercy. Through the crushing of His Son in our place, ultimately at Calvary. We’ve been restored to God. We’ve been granted eternal life. Not because of anything in us. Not because of anything that we deserve. Or that we deserved it. But instead, entirely, because of God’s mercy. And note, it’s His “great mercy”, it says. There’s an old hymn written in the late 1700’s. Not sure if Andrew’s found this one yet. But it was written by a man named John Stocker. As I could find it, maybe he wrote four or five published hymns back in those days. And the hymn is titled, simply, this, “The Mercy of God,” I’m going to read just the first couple of stanzas.
It says:
“Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song, the joy of my heart, and the boast of my tongue; Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last, has won my affections, and bound my soul fast.
Thy mercy, in Jesus, exempts me from hell; its glories I’ll sing, and its wonders I’ll tell; ‘Twas Jesus, my Friend, when he hung on the tree, who opened the channel of mercy for me.”
So, our joy is found in the fatherhood of God. Verse 3, we’ve seen that our joy is found in the mercy of God.

Next, we’re going to see that our joy is rooted, true joy is rooted in the wisdom of God. The means by which God chose and decided to reveal and show His mercy and His love and His favor . . . to underserving sinners like you and me . . . is articulated in this next part of verse 3. Peter says this, still speaking of God the Father. He says: “. . . 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.” God has “caused us to be born again.” He has caused us to be born again. Spiritually reborn. Brought to life. When a sinner comes to Christ and puts his faith in Christ. He’s made new in Christ. He receives a new nature and it’s all a gift of God. It was all according to the foreknowledge of God. The eternal decree of God. The divine plan of God. It was ultimately rooted in the wisdom of God. It’s through all of that we become children of God. John 1:12 says, “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.” Again, we saw earlier. Peter here does not say that it’s “we” who caused ourselves to be born again. Not does he mention regeneration here being the product of any sort of partnership or joint venture between us and God. Rather, he says God “caused us to be born again.”
Salvation is not synergistic. It wasn’t partly us and partly God. We didn’t meet God in the middle. We didn’t meet Him halfway. No. We were “dead” says Ephesians 2:1. “Dead in [our] trespasses.” Dead in our transgressions. Dead in our sin, and dead men don’t call meetings. Dead men don’t meet anybody halfway. In fact, R.C. Sproul once said it so colorfully, “the one thing dead men do is stink.” That’s who we once were. Dead. Decaying. Rotting spiritual corpses. Needing a miracle. Depending on God to move. To intervene. To bring us back to life and that He did.
James 1:18 says, “In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
We most certainly don’t have grounds to boast. There’s nothing in us to boast about. Far be it from me but to boast in the cross of Jesus Christ. But we can rejoice, and we should rejoice. As we appreciate how, in the wisdom of God, He brought us back to life.

Still in verse 3, our joy is rooted in the provision of God. That’s our next one. We see that we’ve been born again, it says, to a “living hope.” Now, the “hope” that’s being described here . . . when Peter mentions a living hope . . . isn’t the blow-on-the-dandelion, or blow-out-the-birthday-candle or make-a-wish type of hope. No, this type of “hope” is anchored in confident optimism. It’s rooted in reality and it’s specifically, rooted in the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. Look at the end of verse 3. He “has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Our hope of where all this goes and where all this is headed. Our future hope is anchored in the past. It’s tethered to the truth of what Christ has already done. Our future hope is sure . . . because God has already accomplished our salvation by raising Jesus Christ from the dead.

Moving on into verse 4. We see that this future-oriented “living hope” is further defined in verse 4. He says: “. . . to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” The Jewish Christians that Peter is addressing here were being persecuted. What Peter’s doing here is encouraging them to look beyond their earthly troubles . . . and toward their eternal inheritance. He’s encouraging them to remember . . . what Paul would say to the church at Colossae, in Colossians 1:12 . . . that God the Father “has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.” Then Peter, here in verse 4, goes on to flesh out some of the details of this inheritance.
First, he says, it’s “imperishable.” Meaning, it’s incorruptible. It’s not subject to passing away. It won’t decay. The word for “imperishable” there is the same word that Paul would use to describe the “imperishable” wreath, in I Corinthians 9:25. The eternal wreath that the believer will lay claim to. It’s the same word Paul uses in I Corinthians 15:52, when he speaks of the fact that one day our perishable bodies will be put off and we will put on the “imperishable.” Our “inheritance,” as believers, then . . . is immune . . . immune from corruption and decay. It’s permanent. It won’t spoil. It won’t go bad. It’s also, as we see here in verse 4, “undefiled.” It’s unpolluted. It’s unstained with evil. Uncorrupted. James 1:27 speaks of the world being stained and corrupted. Believers are to keep ourselves unstained from the world. But our inheritance is pure and undefiled. We have a high priest, Hebrews 7:26, Jesus Christ . . . who, Himself is “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens.” Just as He is . . . so our eternal inheritance is. It’s “undefiled.” Then, verse 4, it says, it “will not fade away.” It’s imperishable, it’s undefiled and it will not fade away. Unlike the withering grass and the fading flower we see in Isaiah 40, for instance. Unlike in the earthly inheritance which can be frittered away through an unsavory executor or a careless heir. The eternal inheritance of the Christian will never decay. It will never lose its luster or its beauty. It will never fade away. Peter here is impressing upon our minds the excellency of the inheritance which awaits us. That in turn is tethered to the excellency of the salvation that’s been given to us. This “inheritance,” he says, end of verse 4, is kept or “reserved in heaven for you.” Our eternal inheritance is preserved. It’s beyond the reach of danger. It’s kept safe by God’s sovereign and protective hand. So, true joy, we’ve seen, is rooted in: The fatherhood of God. The mercy of God. The wisdom of God. The provision of God.

Last, we see, I’m not even to the main text yet. That true joy is rooted in the protective power of God. Look at verse 5. He says: “. . . who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” So, though we have this eternal inheritance to look forward to. That doesn’t change the fact that today, and now . . . we are very much living in this world. We live in these bodies of flesh in this world, and we see, and we grieve all of the sin that still exists in this world – including our own. There are some days – are there not? – when our eternal inheritance seems awfully far away and distant and far off. There are those days where we feel like maybe we have fumbled it and flubbed it one too many times. We’ve blown it. There are sometimes where it feels like our sin might be too great for God to forgive. That God is suddenly now, going to change His mind and revoke His promises; and deprive us of the inheritance that He’s promised His children, in the word. Well, verse 5 is a balm for any true believer who’s ever experienced thoughts like that. Because it’s telling us that if we have genuinely put our faith in Jesus Christ. Our salvation is certain. Our hope is sure. Our eternal inheritance is secure. Our salvation is not sustained by our performance; rather, our salvation is sustained by God’s power. That’s what verse 5 says. We’re “protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” We don’t maintain our salvation. God does that. What we do is we prove our salvation and we do so, as it says in verse 5 here, “through faith.” God give us faith. He provides us with faith. He energizes our faith. He continues to preserve us in faith. Then we, in turn, are to exercise that faith. To demonstrate that faith. To show that faith. Faith, it says, that will “be revealed in the last time.” More on that thought in just a moment.

But all that we’ve seen here in verses 3-5 . . . God’s fatherhood. God’s mercy. God’s wisdom. God’s provision. His protective power. All of that falls under this first heading of the root of the true believer’s joy. Which allows us, verse 6, to rejoice. Not only that, but it also says to “greatly rejoice.” “In this you greatly rejoice.”

That leads us back into our text. Where we’re now going to get into our second point. Which is: The Reality of True Joy. So, we’ve seen the Root of True Joy, in verses 3-5. Now, in verse 6, we see the Reality of True Joy. Let’s continue on here, it says:
“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.” So, we have this soaring statement of who God is and what He’s done for us in verses 3-5. Now here in verse 6, Peter brings us right back down to earth. After saying “in this you greatly rejoice.” The next few words out of his mouth. The next few strokes of his stylus. Are about trials: “even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.” It’s been very well-documented and very well researched that the early Jewish Christians that Peter was writing to here, were facing major trials. This was a highly persecuted group. Peter wrote somewhere likely around A.D 64 to A.D. 65 . . . during the days of Nero. During these times, early Christian converts were being tortured and executed for no other reason than that they had put their faith in Jesus Christ. Peter here, in other words, is not merely dispensing platitudes about putting on a happy face in all circumstances. No. He has real scenes of murder here and torture here and suffering, persecution here, in his lens. Having just helped his audience see that their joy is rooted in what’s already been done for them. That’s verses 3-5. He doubles down here in verse 6 and shows how true joy cannot be obtained by relying upon one’s changing, temporal circumstances.
That was true for Peter’s audience . . . they couldn’t find joy, ultimately in whether they lived a long and prosperous life or whether they died an early martyr’s death. That’s true of Darlene Deibler Rose . . . who, her joy wasn’t ultimately found in whether she was one day reunited with her husband. That’s true of you and me; our joy is not rooted, ultimately, in how we feel on any given day. Or how we’re being treated on any given day. Or where our emotions are taking us on any given day. Rather, the Christian’s joy comes from our unchanging, eternal relationship, our secure relationship with the living God.

What Peter says here, is illustrated in a letter that the Athenian philosopher Aristides wrote to the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the early second century, somewhere around the year 120. He writes this, Aristides, to Hadrian . . . about what he observed in the early Christian churches of his day. He says: “Every morning and all hours on account of the goodness of God toward them, they render praise and laud Him over their food and their drink; they render Him thanks. And if any righteous person of their number passes away from this world, they rejoice and give thanks to God and they follow his body as though he were moving from one place to another. And when a child is born to them, they praise God, and if again it chances to die in its infancy, they praise God mightily . . .”

Those early believers understood the meaning here of verse 6 . . . to “for a little while, if necessary . . . [endure these] various trials.” Peter’s words here, by the way, also remind me of John Bunyan. John Bunyan famously wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress. He wrote Pilgrim’s Progress, the second-best selling book of all time, I believe. He spent twelve years in prison, infamously, for preaching the gospel. He lived in this little hut of a prison, with his family nearby in the same village. All he had to do was recant and retract and promise never to preach the gospel again and he would be released. He refused to do so. He kept preaching. He wouldn’t retract his desire to preach. He was estranged from his family in this little cell for twelve years. Well, while he was in that little prison cell, he wrote books, and works and poetry. In fact, one of his Prison Meditations turned into a poem. He writes this: “I am, indeed in prison now in body, but my mind is free to study Christ, and how unto me He is kind. For though men keep my outward man within their locks and bars, yet by the faith of Christ I can mount higher than the stars. Their fetters cannot spirits tame, nor tie up God from me; my faith and hope they cannot lame, above them I shall be.” Bunyan knew what it meant to “greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, [he] you have been distressed by various trials.”

Now, before we leave verse 6. I do want to note that this verse, this text here, does pack a bunch of power, as it relates to what God teaches us about trials here, through Peter. First, Peter notes our trials bring us distress. I just love how Peter was so human. He was a real man . . . for better or for worse, right? In real flesh, he was a real man. Who realistically understood, at this phase of his life in his ministry. The real suffering that real people go through. I just appreciate the reality of his assessment here in verse 6. That trials hurt, and trials sting, and trials actually do bring “distress.” There is no biblical basis for burying our head in the sand, in the midst of a trial and pretending like it’s not happening. There’s no biblical basis, in the midst of a trial, to give the token platitude, ‘I’m fine.’ ‘I’m good.’ Find that in scripture and let me know if you see a reference for that, or support for that. No. Peter here is realistic. He knows that trials stress us. He also knows that trials come in “various” forms. This word “various” there, that means that, you know, one man walks through a trial of poor health. One woman works through a trial with infertility. One family walks through a trial of infidelity. We encounter “various trials.”

Third, we see that our trials are short-lived, relatively speaking. Our trials have an eventual expiration date. Especially when they’re weighed on the scales of eternity. They really will only be, as it says here, “for a little while.” It reminds us of Paul’s words in II Corinthians 4:17, when he talks about the “light affliction” we experience. Compared against the “eternal weight of glory . . . beyond all comparison.”

Fourth, our trials serve a purpose. Peter here says, we encounter trials “if necessary.” Now, we might not deem our trials necessary. In fact, we don’t want our trials at all! But God has seen fit to appoint those trials for us. So, they are necessary from His perspective, and Him working out His perfect plan of redemption and sanctification. Ultimately, glorification. Which why Spurgeon’s colorful quote is so apropos here, where he says, we need to learn to “kiss the wave that crashes us against the Rock of Ages.” Peter here is reminding us of one of these delightful paradoxes of Christianity. This possibility of joy in the midst of our sorrows. For the unbeliever, this is an impossibility. In fact, we’ve seen over the past two Sundays. That even when an unbeliever is seemingly sitting on top of the world. They don’t have true joy. Let alone when they go through seasons of difficulty. But for the follower of Christ. Peter here is so realistic. He gives us a reality check. One the one hand . . . he shares with us his realistic perspective that, as Christians, we will walk through trials. But on the other hand, he gives us this equally realistic perspective that we can experience true joy, in the midst of those trials. He’s not talking about circumstantial happiness. Like when the pantry is full. Or the stockings are full. Or when the whole family is gathered around the table on Christmas day, like a beautiful Norman Rockwell painting. He’s talking about true joy. True joy. Lasting joy. Because of what God has done for us, and who God has already made us. Through Jesus Christ.

Here’s our third point. Verse 7, this is The Revealing of True Joy.
He says, “. . . so that the proof of your faith, [the revealing of true joy, note takers] 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.” The trials that the Lord allows us to walk through. Whether it be the persecution that Peter’s audience faced. Or the “various trials” that we go through in our day. They refine our faith. Faith which is “more precious than gold which is perishable.” Faith which is “tested by fire.” Our trials prove the reality of our faith. Our trials reveal where our joy truly rests.

We know that of all the substances known to man, gold is one of the most imperishable. But we also know that though gold can take intense heat. Though it may seem like it’s indestructible. You can eventually melt it. You can’t break it down, chemically. But you can cause it to take a different form through different pressures in the hottest of fires. By contrast, true faith is indestructible. The true believer might go through various trials and various tests. But instead of destroying his faith. Those trials will confirm his faith; and they’ll establish his faith. That’s what Peter is getting after here in verse 7. Not only will genuine faith not perish though. It’s also going to result in the believer receiving praise, honor and glory when Christ returns. When Christ is revealed. That’s what’s meant by those words at the end of verse 7. Where it says, you “may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” That simply means that the Lord is going to reward every instance of faith which stood the test. We do know that from scripture. That the Lord is going to, on a future day, issue rewards. Eternal rewards. At the judgment seat – the Bema seat – of Christ . . . after the Rapture, in heaven, before He comes back with His church. We know that from II Corinthians 5. That’s what’s being referred to here.

For the unbeliever. For the ungodly. The sufferings they experience in this world, those are merely the foretaste of the pangs in hell that they’re going to suffer eternally. Any so-called “happiness” they experience in this world . . . is all the happiness they’ll ever get. Not so for the follower of Christ. That’s the point that’s being made here. For the Christian, as we walk through this world, and navigate the bumpy roads and walk through the fire. We know that in doing so, we are proving our faith, as it says here in verse 7, to be genuine. We do so knowing that this future day of commendation is coming.

Our fourth point, verse 8. Is the Reaction of True Joy. Look at verse 8. He says: “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.” How powerful and profound are those words! What they’re telling us, ultimately. As what Paul said so concisely in II Corinthians 5:7 when he says, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” Though Peter’s original audience here. I mean, they lived much closer in time to the birth of our Lord, and the life of our Lord, and the death of our Lord. But we share this common trait with them. Which is that we, like they, we walk through this world. Living this life of faith in the One whom we are entrusting our eternal souls to. We do so, never having even seen Him.

There have been many, throughout history, church history and otherwise, who just don’t get that. Paul, in I Corinthians 1:22 talks about Jews needing a sign. They needed something tangible to believe. We think of Thomas, in John 20, who wouldn’t believe that the Lord had been risen until he could put his hand on the Lord’s side and feel what was there. Of course, the modern atheist ridicules us for believing a God who’s out there somewhere, that we can’t see. But Peter here in verse 8, is giving his original audience, and by extension us – such simple and basic reminders. He’s saying though we have not seen Him with our eyes. We love Him. Though we don’t see Him at this time. We believe in Him. Peter here, very well may have had the words of Jesus, in John 20:29 in mind here. When Jesus said, “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” That’s us. We don’t see Him. But we believe in Him. and not only do we believe in Him. But we love Him. The result of that belief and the result of that love is that we are able to, as it says here in verse 8, “Rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.”

I mean, when you really think about it. Our whole hope. Our whole source of trust and belief. Our whole bases for where we’re banking our eternal existence. All comes down to who Christ is. What He has done; and our belief in what He has done. Believing that Christ came. That’s what we celebrate right now, at Christmas. Believing that Christ died. The spotless Lamb of God, becoming a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. Believing that Christ rose. Testifying to His victory over Satan and sin and death. Believing that Christ ascended. To sit victoriously at the Father’s right hand. Believing that Christ is returning. As He comes for His church. To wrap up this period in history. To finally and forever defeat Satan and bring His people into His eternal kingdom. Where we will worship and glorify Him, forever.

Really, what else do we need to bring us joy? Then those very truths? Well, one more gift under the tree bring it? Will a ladies Husker volleyball championship today bring it? I mean, that can bring happiness, but not ultimate joy, right?

Well, last, and for our fifth point, we see verse 9: The Result of True Joy.
He says, “. . . obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”
For those who love and believe in Jesus Christ. We know that salvation, we’ve seen it this morning. Salvation has past components. I Peter 1:3 – He “has caused us to be born again.”
We know that salvation has future elements. When I Peter 1:4, he speaks of that eternal “inheritance” . . . that we have yet to formerly lay claim to. But here in verse 9, Peter is dealing with the present outcome of our faith. We are presently – today – “obtaining as the outcome of [our] faith the salvation of [our] souls.” We are presently – today. This means experiencing the blessings and the benefits of having already been saved. This happens, as we walk daily in the Spirit. This happens as we’re constantly, with the Spirit’s help, being delivered over from temptation to sin. This happens, as we grow, as II Peter 3:18 says, “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Getting back to our topic of joy here . . . the reason Christians are able to rejoice. Christians like you and me. Christians like Darlene Diebler Rose. Christians like the Jewish believers here in Peter’s time. The reason they can do that, in seasons of persecution. Or seasons of difficulty. Is that God has eternally secured for us our salvation. Not only that, He grants us daily the grace that we need, to as it says here in verse 9, “obtain”, it’s a present tense verb – “the outcome of [our] faith the salvation of [our] souls.” Who we are, in Him. What He is making us, through Him. Gives us all the reason that we need, as Christians . . . and this time at Christmas, to rejoice.

Alright. We’re three sermons in. So far, in the three sermons. We have seen how we were starved for joy. We’ve seen this path of seeking joy. Now, we’ve looked at how as pilgrims, we are to strive for joy. But how? What is the impetus? What is the means by which we live this life of true joy?

Well, so far, if you haven’t noticed already. Because we’re getting real close to Christmas. This whole series has, so far, been a whole lot of build-ups to what we’re going to celebrate next Sunday, on Christmas Eve. Where we’re going to see how we have been supplied with joy. Through the incarnation. Through God sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into the world. To be born in flesh. To walk in humanity. To ultimately die in victory. So that we would experience the forgiveness of sin. Then, enjoy an eternity worshiping around His throne. I’ll look forward to that time with you next Sunday morning, on Christmas Eve. Where we’ll go to one of the more “conventional” Christmas passages . . . and explore what they say about the joy that we now have through the God-Man. As Spurgeon once said, “the Infinite who became an infant” . . . the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s pray.
God, thank You so much for this time together. Thank You for the time spent in Your word and profit of Your word. God, we know that Your word has all that we need pertaining to life and to godliness. We know Your word is truth. We know Your word is infallible and perfect. Without error; and sufficient. We praise You, for giving it to us. We thank You for Your Son Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ and the mission You sent Him on. To seek and to save that which was lost. We thank You, again, for the wonder of incarnation. The Word becoming flesh. That infinite becoming infant. Coming on a mission to save and to rescue, to redeem. God, I do pray, as we look ahead to Christmas. Over the next week, that we would have continual thoughts of praise and joy. As we think about who we once were. Now, who we are, in light of Your great love for us. God, if there is anybody here, who has not yet experienced that great love. Who has not yet experienced that true joy. Has not truly put their faith in Jesus. I do pray that they would be honest with themselves. Honest with You and repent and believe in the gospel of grace. We love You. We thank You. In Jesus’ name. Amen