11/21/2021 - Thankful for Salvation - 1 Peter 1:1-12 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Are you ready for Thanksgiving next week?! I will exercise an additional 15 minutes and the sweat pants are already laid out!

Perhaps above all else, we should take time to thank God for our salvation. Peter gives us a starting point…

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,​ ​to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,​ ​who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5

Peter is writing to Christians who he terms as, ”strangers in the world.” You will be a stranger in the world if you choose to follow in the footsteps of Jesus because the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world are very different. The kingdom of this world says to look out for number 1. The kingdom of God tells you to think of others as more important than yourself. The kingdom of this world tells you to live in unrestrained passions; the kingdom of God tells you to exhibit self-control. The kingdom of this world is ruled by Satan, the kingdom of heaven is ruled by God. A good question to ask yourself is this – Does this world seem strange to me? If not, then perhaps you have bought into it a little too much.

Notice the reason for our hope according to Peter. It is because Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Why is there hope in that? His resurrection (the historical evidence for this is overwhelming) leads to your resurrection. Jesus has the power to raise you from the dead unto eternal life. This is what sets Jesus apart from all other religious leaders. You can visit the graves of Mohammed and Confucious; you can see the ashes of the Buddha, but you cannot unearth the bones of Jesus because they are not here.

But there’s more...When a person places their faith and trust in Jesus, they are destined to receive an inheritance. I don’t know if you have ever received an inheritance but the inheritance that Jesus has secured for you is unlike any other because it will never perish. It’s already there, waiting for you. So what is the Christian response to all of this? The answer is found in verses 6-8.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,​ ​so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.​ 1 Peter 1:6-7

Peter has been forthright in telling us we will face trials that cause us to grieve. He also says this suffering is necessary​ because it makes our faith stronger if we allow God to do his work in our hearts. Best yet, there is praise and honor to be received when we see Jesus face to face. So we can be thankful for our salvation and our suffering. Let’s let both have their proper place in our lives during this season of gratitude.