I invite you to turn with me this morning to 1 Peter, 1 Peter chapter 1 as we read together verses 1 through 12. Last Sunday evening we began our consideration of 1 Peter, an introduction to a series on this book. Considering Peter's address to the church, to God's elect, he says, strangers in the world. This morning we consider together verses 3 through 5, 3, 4, and 5 as our text this morning. 1 Peter 1, reading together the 12 verses, hear now the Word of God, the first 12 verses. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through the sanctifying work of the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood. Grace and peace be yours in abundance. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In His great mercy, He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. kept in heaven for you who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. And even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. For you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who spoke of the grace that was to come to you searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you when they spoke of the things that you have now been told by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. Beloved, may God add His blessing to the reading of His Word. May He bless it and also add it to the preaching of His Word. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, Peter, as we know, is addressing chosen or elect strangers. Boys and girls, you remember we're talking about strangers in the sense of pilgrims, those who are wanderers, those who are traveling from place to place. They do not have a particular home, but they're traveling through, spending a little time here and a little time there. That's what describes Christians or strangers traveling through this life on our way to a better place. or as we described them last week as privileged pilgrims. These are those who are elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, as Peter says, who are sanctified by the work of the Holy Spirit and who have been consecrated or set apart by the blood of Jesus Christ for obedience to His will. And again, these pilgrims have a privileged position because of their election, their choosing by the triune God. And remember, this includes you and me, those who believe in Jesus Christ by true faith. But this morning in this text, we see that Peter continues to speak about this privilege. He describes it. He tells what's included in it. He talks about how wonderful it is. You see, your privilege and my privilege includes salvation. We are elect unto salvation. And we know this, don't we? We've heard this, many of us, all of our lives. But Peter, as it were, wants to inscribe this truth and the beauty of this truth upon our hearts. We have been saved. We have the promise of eternal life. We need to notice that Peter speaks of this privilege of salvation by singing praises to God. And therefore, I preach to you this Word of God, singing of salvation still to come. And even though this text this morning does not include the word grace, Peter sings of this salvation as it really is. It is the amazing grace of God. Our salvation is the work of God from beginning to end, and therefore Peter speaks of the heavenly source, the heavenly sphere, and the heavenly security of this salvation. And he begins this song of praise by addressing the heavenly source of the privileged pilgrim's salvation as he says, praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now to praise God is to acknowledge His greatness, His excellence. To acknowledge that apart from God there is no blessing. And therefore God Himself is blessing. And why is God to be praised? Again, because He is the heavenly source of our salvation. Peter says in the second sentence of verse 3, in His great mercy. He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. You see, God has caused you and me to be born again. In other words, God has given birth to us spiritually. He has done it. We had nothing to do with our spiritual birth. Just as you and I were passive, we might say, when we were born as infants. We didn't make ourselves be born. In the same way we were passive when we were born again spiritually. It is totally and completely God's work. But that's not all. Notice then the measure of God's work of causing us to be born again. It is in His great mercy. Or as another translation says, according to His great mercy. Such a wonderful measure of God's work. God didn't have to do it, you see. And we didn't deserve to be born again. We deserve to go straight to hell, each and every one of us. But when we think about God's mercy as we have done in the past couple of weeks, we think, again, of God not giving to us what we deserve. Again, because of our sin and misery, we deserved hell. But God looked upon you and me and in His great mercy, instead of giving us what we deserve, He caused us of His grace to be born again. Remember that, beloved, the next time you're tempted to complain about the struggles and the tough situations of this life, thinking that you deserve better. And sometimes we hear people say that, don't we? If you've ever heard an interview on television after someone has been involved in a catastrophe, maybe the fires of last fall, and someone's lost their home and they say, well, we didn't deserve that. Or someone else might say of one who has gone through troubles and trials, Well, they don't deserve that. Well, really, who's to say? You see, we have already gotten much more than we deserve. But notice also, beloved, the goal of God's work of spiritual birth. Peter says, God has caused us to be born again into a living hope. That's a wonderful truth. Most often when we talk about hope, we're talking about something that is not yet a reality. something that we do not yet have, we might say, in our possession. Hoping seems to refer to something that is in the future, something that is not yet certain at this moment in time. For example, boys and girls, you might say, well, I hope I get this or that for my birthday, or I hope that we get to go here or there for vacation, or I hope that I get to do this or that with my friends. But you really don't know until that time comes. It's uncertain until then. And when it comes to that kind of hoping, which we all do, there is a difference between the way the world hopes, the wicked world hopes, and the way Christian pilgrims hope, or at least there should be a difference. Because the hopes of the world are often built on discontent. The world is not content with the way things are. They are not content with their lot in life. They hope that things will change. They hope that things will get better. They hope for more money or a better job or a higher standard of living or a higher social or professional status. And you say, well, I hope for those things too. And it's okay to hope for these things to be sure. There's nothing wrong with wanting to better yourself and your situation. But the difference, you see, is that the wicked world hopes for these things for the wrong reason. They hope for these things because they are not content as you and I are called to be content in any and every situation. And often these kinds of hopes never become real and they fade away and die. And when the wicked die, their hopes die right along with them. As Job says in Job 27 verse 8, For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off, when God requires his life? And the point is, there is none. It's gone. When the godless dies, all hope is gone, both for this life and the next. but when it comes to these kinds of hopes we've been talking about, it's not that way with the Christian, or it shouldn't be. For the Christian, hoping is disciplined waiting. It's being content in this life because of the living hope that Peter says we have, even in the midst of trials and temptations. Peter says that God has caused us to be born again into a living hope. It is a hope that is alive. It is a hope that is real right now. And it is a hope that brings life. The Christian's hope strengthens. It makes alive. It supports. It leads us through this life. A Christian's hope is certain and it will be accomplished. You see, we hope for salvation. We hope for eternal life. We don't say, well, I hope that I am saved in an unsure sort of way. No, instead, our hope is in the fact that we are saved already now our salvation is certain and that living hope moves us through this life with the certainty that eternal life is real for those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and how do we know that all of this is certain because Peter says that God has caused us to be born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead the resurrection of jesus is the means by which god gives new life our hope you see is just as certain and just as much a fact as christ's resurrection is a fact do you understand what this means without the resurrection of christ there is no being born again without the resurrection of Christ, our hope is meaningless. There is no living hope. The resurrection is the basis of the Christian faith. In the Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 17, the question asks, what does the resurrection of Christ profit us? And the answer includes three things. First, that it makes us partakers of His righteousness. That's justification. You see, the fact that Jesus rose again from the that it's confirmation that His work was sufficient, that it was complete. It's accepted by God. He has lived that perfect life. Therefore, He was the only sacrifice that would do for us to go to the cross, to take our sins upon Himself. Our sins are removed, forgiven. And He gives to us His righteousness. We become partakers of His righteousness because He lives. Secondly, we participate in new life because of His resurrection. Because He lives, we are raised again, raised to new life, born again. And then third, the Catechism says His resurrection is a pledge, a promise, a guarantee that we also will be raised from the dead one day. Romans 6 verse 4 says, Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. first corinthians 15 there paul says that if christ has not been raised from the dead then our preaching and we might say that our worship is in vain it's good for nothing and therefore we are to be pitied more than all men for wasting our time believing that he did rise from the dead which he couldn't have if the resurrection isn't true but of course paul goes on very quickly to say but it is true and that's our comfort And in Acts 1, we see how important being a witness to Christ's resurrection was for being an apostle. The church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. He of whom the prophets foretold and the one of whom the apostles witnessed. Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church, including his resurrection. The man who replaced Judas Iscariot had to be a witness to that very fact. Very simply, apart from the resurrection of Christ, being born again is impossible. Salvation is not real. And eternal life is nothing more than a hopeless dream. But the truth is, because He lives, all fear is gone. And we can face today, and we can face tomorrow in the strength of the Lord. But now, congregation, for those who try to tell you and me that Jesus Christ, while He is not the only way of salvation, we say, read this text. Pick it up and read this text. And for those who try to teach that the historical fact of the resurrection, that it doesn't matter, that it doesn't matter if Jesus actually, literally rose from the dead, that what matters is that if you believe nothing else at all, that you at least believe that Jesus died for your sins. You must believe that. But that's all you need to believe, they say. You don't have to worry about the rest. We say, that isn't enough. Read this text. God says we are born again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It doesn't get any clearer or any plainer than that. There is no other way. Peter sings of salvation still to come and he sings it so confidently and we know that he could, couldn't he? You see, he experienced this new birth. He had this living hope. Remember, he denied three times that he knew Jesus before Christ died. But then after he arose, Christ reinstated Peter to His place among the apostles. Peter knew firsthand of this living hope. He knew that the source of this new life, of salvation, is God and God alone in heaven. And of course, God never does anything without a reason. There's always a purpose. In this case, Peter says, we are born again to a living hope through Christ. And then in verse 4, he adds, into an inheritance. That's the reason that we are born again according to God's great mercy. Now, we're familiar with an inheritance, aren't we? For some, an inheritance is a real pleasant thing. In fact, some of us might even be looking forward to receiving an inheritance one day from our parents. Unfortunately, in most cases, there is a trade-off, isn't there? Because in order to receive the inheritance, the one who has the inheritance to give has to die. And as well, sometimes we know an inheritance leaves one, the one who received it, a lot better off, at least financially, than he was before he got it. In our human relationships, you see, an inheritance is understood in the context of death. But here, Peter talks about an inheritance in the context of life. These privileged pilgrims, those who are strangers and aliens here on this earth, whose citizenship is in heaven, they have an inheritance. Why? Not because Jesus died, but because He lives. Oh, indeed, by His death we are brought in. He takes our place. He opens the way into God's family for us. But that inheritance is real because He lives. If you believe in Jesus Christ, that's you and that's me. We have a living hope for an inheritance because Jesus lives. That's the salvation that Peter sings of. It's the inheritance. But where is it then? In the second place, we know it's in the heavenly sphere. Again, when we think of an earthly inheritance, we recognize the fact that there can be many problems associated with it. Maybe some of you in your families, maybe you've had difficulties splitting up an inheritance. For one thing, though, an earthly inheritance is temporary. It's only good in this lifetime. But not only that, once it's spent, it's gone. Never to be seen again. And also, an earthly inheritance is subject to the effects of sin. It can change people. An inheritance can bring out the greed in people. It can cause brothers and sisters to quarrel and fight. One might claim that the other got more than the first did. I heard once, I think a radio minister say, that the best thing Christian parents can leave for their children, as far as this kind of inheritance, is nothing. Give it away for kingdom work. Let the children take care of themselves. An earthly inheritance is also subject to invaders and to outsiders. Once you have money and wealth, then it seems like everyone wants a piece of the action. And we remember the Israelites. They had an earthly inheritance. We know it was the land of Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey. That land was first promised to Abraham, you recall, and that promise was handed down from generation to generation until the land, the people finally received their individual portions. And you recall that each tribe received a geographical area except for the Levites. But the land wasn't totally safe, was it? Because of their sin, God allowed the nations around them to invade the promised land, to plunder it, to take their goods, often leaving the Israelites scared and afraid and in fear for their lives, as we consider it in the book of Judges. But notice how Peter describes this inheritance for privileged pilgrims. He says it can never perish, spoil, or fade. This inheritance, you see, is of such great value that the best way Peter can describe it is in a negative way. Another translation says it's imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away. Sometimes the best way to describe something is to tell what it is not. For example, if you buy a used car, it's new for you, but it's a used car and you're telling your friend about it. What kind of condition is it in? Is it in good condition? There's nothing wrong with it. There's nothing wrong with it, you see. That's how good it is. That's what Peter does here. He describes this in a negative way to explain the beauty of it. First of all, it is imperishable. Again, the other word used is incorruptible. We're talking about the same thing. Corruption, we know, is a change from better to worse. But this inheritance is not subject to a change from better to worse. Also, it's not subject to death or destruction. It is imperishable. It will not perish. And therefore, this inheritance remains living. It remains real. And second, this inheritance can never spoil. It's undefiled. This means that it can never become rotten or polluted, only to be thrown away sometimes like some of the food we find in the back of our refrigerators. It's become spoiled. It's no good. Throw it away. Sin and misery, you see, are the things that spoil and defile and we could add taint and tarnish and stain this world. But this inheritance that Peter speaks of is free from blemishes. Positively, we can say that it is pure. In the world of diamonds, gemologists, I think they're called, they rate diamonds using letters and symbols, A's and pluses. The more A's and pluses, the purer a diamond. And this inheritance, you see, is purer than the purest diamond. And third, then, this inheritance can never fade. When we think of flowers, we know that they're beautiful, but only for a time. A few days, maybe. And the beauty of the flowers fades away. Or we get some new clothing, bright clothing, bright colors, and after a certain amount of washings, the color fades away. I remember my mom polishing her silverware because they became a little bit dull. The sparkle, the luster wasn't there, so she polished them up. But not this inheritance. You see, it keeps its beauty. It keeps its luster. It is not subject to the adverse effects of time, like you and I. It's endless. Beloved, this inheritance is imperishable, unspoiling, and it will not fade away. Isn't that the kind of inheritance that you want? And it's all of these things because it can only be found in the heavenly sphere. The text says it is kept, or we might say reserved in heaven for you. It's there right now. Kept safe in heaven for you and for me. that inheritance is protected. That means Satan cannot touch it. Satan cannot ruin it. Our inheritance is not lost somewhere up in an attic, but it is being carefully guarded by God Himself in heaven. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroy, where thieves do not break in or steal. For where your treasure is there will your heart be also. That inheritance has been kept in heaven ever since the resurrection and the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. Don't forget, this inheritance that we're talking about is salvation. Peter says it's kept in heaven for you. In heaven. You see, heaven has an attraction, a lure, a pull for Christians, or it should, does it have an attraction for you? Are you attracted? Are you lured to heaven? As privileged pilgrims, we must always be looking up. How far, boys and girls? All the way to heaven. And finally then, just as this inheritance is kept secure in heaven, you and I also have heavenly security that we will receive and enjoy this inheritance. What a blessed promise. What a guarantee. You know, again, that with an earthly inheritance, there is no guarantee that you or I will ever get to enjoy it if there is one. It's always kind of funny to see a motorhome driving down the road with that bumper sticker that we've all seen. We're spending our children's inheritance. And if your parents have that kind of an attitude, then there might not be a whole lot left for you to enjoy. That's okay. But the truth is, you and I also might not live to enjoy it, right? You and I might die before the one who has an inheritance to give to us gives it. If you die first, then of course you will never receive it. And sometimes inheritances can get all tangled up in the courts of our fair land, but that's not the case with this heavenly inheritance. It is kept in heaven, as Peter says, for you. Not someone else. But for you, and you, and you, and you, and me. For each one of us who believes. You might say again, well, who does Peter mean when he says, for you? Well, he's talking about those who love God. He's talking about those who have been called according to God's purpose. He's talking about pilgrims. You see, beloved, we are not underprivileged strangers, but we are privileged pilgrims. And if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ by true faith, God has put your name, inscribed your name on that inheritance. It's carved in as your name is recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life. And you are guaranteed to receive it. You say, well, how can I be sure? Peter says it is kept in heaven for you. And then listen to how he describes who you are in verse 5. Kept in heaven for you who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. We call that perseverance or preservation of the saints. Canons of Dort, fifth head of doctrine, article 3 says this, By reason of these remains of indwelling sin and also because of the temptations of the world and of Satan, those who are converted could not persevere in that grace if left to their own strength. But God is faithful, who having conferred grace, mercifully confirms and powerfully preserves them therein even to the end. That's heavenly security. Protected by the power of God, there's nothing greater. That word translated as shielded here can also be translated as protected or guarded. It's a Greek term that is a military term and it's used two different ways in Scripture. For example, boys and girls, it can mean, on the one hand, to guard someone, to prevent them from escaping. Right now we think probably most of all of Saddam Hussein. Since he's been captured, he's been guarded, no doubt. He's been guarded heavily so that he cannot escape. We think of the inmates in prisons. They are guarded so that they cannot escape, both by human guards, but also by bars and gates. The second way it can be used is to guard or protect someone from danger. We think of our president, President Bush. He's got His secret servicemen who surround Him, who go with Him wherever He goes to protect Him, to keep Him from danger. Or we as parents who protect our children to keep them from danger. And that's how it's used here. Pilgrims or believers are shielded by God's power to protect them from danger. And again, do you know what that means? That means that Satan is allowed to have us. Even if sometimes you feel his breath upon your neck or His claw upon your shoulder, the truth is He cannot have us. We are protected by the power of God so that we will have the assurance that we will be led safely to the possession of that inheritance. We will possess it. We possess it today, don't we? We will possess it in all of its fullness and all of its glory one day. And how does God protect us? The text says through faith. We are to live lives of faith, which the Bible says is also a gift of God. We confess with Paul the words of Philippians 1, verse 6, for I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. God, you see, will complete that work. He will finish what He started. And therefore, fellow pilgrims, we don't live paranoid lives constantly thinking about losing our salvation or living in anxiety of whether or not we have it. But we also don't sit back on our duffs doing nothing while on this pilgrimage, thinking that we have nothing to do with our faith. Faith is a gift from God. But He gives us the responsibility to exercise our faith. James says, faith without works is dead. Put it into practice. In Ephesians 6, Paul talks about putting on the armor of God. And in verse 16 there he says, Taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. You and I have a responsibility to take up that shield of faith. To use it, indeed, to put it into practice. And what does that responsibility include? To have an earnest desire for salvation. Faith desires salvation. To rely and trust in Christ's invitation and promises. as well to have a desire to do everything pleasing to God and not to offend Him to earnestly hate sin and temptation as well to be diligent in prayer to be diligent in teaching our children in the way of God at home in church, at school to be diligent in spreading the gospel even as Peter says in chapter 3 verse 15 but in your heart set apart Christ as Lord always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. That's a huge responsibility, isn't it? Can you do it on your own? Can I? Absolutely not. Does this mean that we will never fail? Does it mean that we will never become discouraged along the way? Of course not. But by the grace of God, we have the guarantee from this text, from this Word of God, that He will protect us by His power through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. That salvation is ready to be revealed now because it's real today. But it won't be revealed until the last time. Until God calls each one of us home individually or ultimately when Jesus Christ will come again and our pilgrimage will be over. Beloved, do you have this assurance of salvation? Do you have the confidence that this inheritance that we have in principle now we will one day have in reality? You should have it. How can you have this assurance? Is it because of some supernatural experience or some special revelation or vision of some sort? In my previous congregation, I dealt with a number of sincere Christians who said, well, the Lord has to speak to you through a particular verse of Scripture. It can be as obscure as the day is long. It doesn't matter. just so somehow the Holy Spirit speaks to you through that verse, only then can you have the assurance of salvation. Is that what it takes? No. I have the assurance of the salvation. And I've never experienced anything like that. Is it because you deserve this salvation or because you have earned it? Again, most definitely not. I am just as confident of what I really deserve as I am of having salvation. Is it because you or I have chosen to make a decision for Christ? No. It is not that I did choose thee for Lord that could not be. This heart would still refuse thee. Hast thou not chosen me? I sought the Lord and afterward I knew. He moved my soul to seek Him seeking me. He took hold of me. Praise God. I didn't take hold of Him. He took hold of me. See, if you believe in Jesus Christ by true faith, you can be assured of salvation. You can have that assurance. Why? Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead because He lives and works today. Jesus said, In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. For I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself. That where I am, there you may be also. If you don't believe, you don't have this assurance, and you can't and you won't have it until you believe by the grace of God. Beloved, Peter sings of salvation still to come. A most beautiful song. A most comforting song. A wonderful song of praise. Are you singing with him? Amen. Shall we pray? Father, we thank You again for Your Word of truth. We thank You, too, that in confidence we can sing, "'Tis not that I did choose Thee for, Lord, that could not be. This heart would still refuse Thee, had Thou not chosen me.'" We thank You that You have not allowed us to refuse You, O Lord, but You've given to us new hearts that desire to know You, to love You, to live for You. May we live in the joy of that salvation today. May that joy be evident to all with whom we have contact. Father, may we indeed look forward to that day when we will enjoy it in all of its fullness in your presence face to face. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray these things. Amen.