1
Peter 1:3-21
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On my past few visits to the local stores,
I noticed the magazine cover stories about a woman who has done something
remarkable, almost unprecedented if the headlines could be believed. You might even be tempted to believe she is
one of only a few women to accomplish this feat. Her name is Kim Kardashian and she’s had a
baby.
Of course, the truth is, pregnancy and
birth are remarkable, bordering on the miraculous—if they weren’t the outcome
of natural processes. In any case, its’
certainly fair to say bringing a new human being into the world is a wondrous
thing. And it is wondrous whether the
woman giving birth is a Hollywood celebrity or a young woman living quietly in
“flyover” country.
That wondrous quality to the event is
why so many feel so distressed at the thought of a pregnancy ending with
anything other than the birth of a child.
Still, we sometimes take the whole
thing for granted. Unless the expectant
mother is someone we know and care about, we may scarcely notice.
This brings me to the angels. Imagine for a moment what the angels have the
chance to see. The Bible suggests they were
witnesses of the earth’s creation. That would
have been an impressive thing to see. Yet,
Peter tells us they marvel at Christ’s work in and for us. One translation says,”It is all so wonderful
that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.”
Sometimes we take professions of faith,
conversions, accepting Christ almost as a matter of course. Among those who grew up in our churches it’s
become a rite of passage. Yet, Peter tells
us angels stand in awe when a person is touched by the gospel.
Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a
party. He even pictured the angels rejoicing,
celebrating, partying when just one sinner repents. In our churches, when someone makes that profession
of faith, we shake their hand, wish them well, and fill out paperwork.
When Peter wrote his first epistle, he
was writing to a band of believers who were beginning to face some hard
times. Persecution was beginning to
intensify and some Christians were wondering if somehow God had abandoned
them. Peter’s message was one of hope, a
hope which called believers to adopt an attitude of joyous celebration.
In his opening words he tells them that
the wonders of what Christ has done for us ought to transform our perspective
on everything in life, even on persecution and trial.
In short, he tells us that what Christ
has done for us is a marvel even to the angels.
If
We Were to Listen, Those Angels Would Tell Us We Should Marvel at the Nature of
Our God-given Hope.
Listen to how Peter describes the hope
we have.
1.
We have an enduring hope.
Peter describes this hope as
“imperishable”. The word has a military
background and refers to the capacity to withstand the assaults on an
enemy. Peter’s readers were being assured
that no matter how fierce the onslaught of their persecutors the hope of
salvation they had in Christ could not be overcome.
Peter describes this hope as
“undefiled”. This word comes from the
world of temple worship and refers to things which are ceremonially clean. Such hope may be seen as withstanding the
power of evil; it cannot even know defilement.
We live in an evil world but that world cannot diminish the godly
character of our hope.
Peter describes this hope as
“unfading”. The finest silver will
eventually begin to lose its luster. Our
hope withstands the power of passing time.
It remains the same.
2.
We have an enabling hope.
This hope enables us to undertake
perilous tasks. In a world that wants to
forget God, we are called to present his case.
This hope enables us to undergo painful
trial. Peter’s readers were beginning to
face those trials; hope kept them from running away.
This hope enables us to understand
purifying tests. Tough as such tests may
be we are left like fine gold.
If
We Were to Listen, Those Angels Would Encourage Us to Look for Ways to
Celebrate Our Hope.
In this Peter helps.
After reminding his readers that this
salvation was the object of the prophet’s message, Peter then speaks of how we
ought to live in light of what Christ has done for us. In a sense it is a call to celebration.
1.
We celebrate what Christ has done by having a clear head. That’s the idea behind the call to “be
alert,” a command the ESV translates as “preparing your minds for action.” Another translation puts it, “put your mind
in gear.”
Christianity is not to be
mindless. Alan Stibbs said, “Conversion
ought to be accompanied by mental awakening.”
We must apply our minds to living for
Christ in a new world. And, we must use
our minds to answer the challenges to the Christian world-view.
Evangelism and witness today has to go
beyond handing a stranger a tract or a copy of the Four Spiritual Laws. People have questions and they want our
answers, even if that answer is “I don’t know.”
2.
We celebrate what Christ has done by being balanced. The call to be sober does not refer to
abstinence from alcohol. It is a call to
avoid unhealthy extremes. We should
exhibit neither irresponsible self-indulgence nor religious ecstasy. The person who exhibits this quality is not
going to panic in the face of a changing and challenging world.
3.
We celebrate what Christ has done by looking ahead. This is the hope which looks ahead to how
Christ will finish his work in our lives.
It’s the faith which allows us to tell a skeptical world, “God isn’t
finished with me yet.”
4.
We celebrate what Christ has done by being reverent. This is a reverence which reflects upon God’s
character and activity on our behalf. On
our trip, we went to St Paul’s Cathedral.
As you stand in the sanctuary, you are surrounded by great beauty in the
midst of silence. No one talked about
the important cricket matches going on.
No one complained about tired feet or the English weather. Even those who probably hadn’t been in a
church in years felt they should remove their hats and speak in hushed
tones. I don’t want to be stuffy but
there are times when we should be silent, when we should stand in awe, when the
nattering should stop and we should just think about the amazing grace of God.
It’s a reverence which also allows us
to look beyond the immediate and see God at work in the world.
Real reverence prompts to us to live
with a God-awareness as we move through the world. Peter pictures this kind of living as a
personal revolution. Here’s what he said
from the New Century Version.
So while you are here on earth, you should
live with respect for God. 18You know that in the past you were living in a
worthless way, a way passed down from the people who lived before you. But you
were saved from that useless life. You were bought, not with something that
ruins like gold or silver, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, who was
like a pure and perfect lamb. [1]
Men and women living in that new way
shocked the ancient world.
Conclusion
In their travels as God’s special
agents, angels must see some pretty remarkable things. God’s work of salvation on our behalf is
truly wondrous if even angels are amazed by it.
Perhaps we need to rediscover our
wonder. Letting our hearts be filled
with that wonder might inspire us to talk about our faith. Our living in the light of that wonder might even
inspire other to ask about our faith.
[1] The
Holy Bible: New Century Version, Containing the Old and New Testaments.
Dallas, TX : Word Bibles, 1991, S. 1 Pe 1:17
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