Praise God For Our Present Joy

We find our text today in verses 6 through 9.

I think it might be helpful if we start back in verse 3.

Remember, we're breaking a section apart into bite-sized chunks,

like the mini-sized candy bars most of our kids got.

If they went trick-or-treating this week, they got the little tiny ones.

Okay, there's a king-sized Hershey bar that's running from verses 3 to 12.

We're breaking that down into mini-sized portions.

We did 3 to 5 last week.

We'll do 6 to 9 today.

So let's start at verse 3.

We're going to take 6 to 9 as our primary text, okay?

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.

In this you rejoice,

though now for a little while, if necessary,

you've 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.

though you have not seen him,

you love him.

Though you do not now see him,

you believe in him

and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible

and filled with glory,

obtaining the outcome of your faith,

the salvation of your souls.

Amen.

It's estimated now that there are about 8.2 billion people

who now inhabit the earth.

That is an enormous amount of people.

A number that I'm not sure that we can really fully comprehend

and begin to grasp even.

It's a lot of people.

And of course, that 8.2 billion people

is represented by an enormous number of characteristics

and defining characteristics and cultures

that vary significantly from one to the next.

And yet there are some things that we can look at the world

and we can look at every other human being in the world

and say despite all the many differences that we do have,

there are a few things that all of us have in common.

And one of those things

is that we're all trying to be

and want to be happy.

We want to be happy.

If you don't want to be happy,

you're weird.

In the United States,

this is even written into one of our most important documents, isn't it?

We hold these truths to be self-evident

that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their creator

with certain unalienable rights,

that among these unalienable rights

are life, liberty,

and the pursuit of happiness.

Even our founding forefathers recognized

that there is a consistency in the human condition.

It's a consistent longing

and what they framed as a longing

and a pursuit of happiness,

they believed that in the establishment

of even our nation,

they wanted to provide a culture

and a situation

where people could be free

to pursue what would make them happy.

And as citizens of this great nation,

we are grateful for that,

that we do live in a place

that we can pursue that kind of life.

But everyone's pursuit of happiness

looks different.

Because what makes a person happy

or what produces happy feelings,

it all depends on the individual, doesn't it?

And then it can get really complex, right?

Because what makes one person happy

can be the very thing

that makes the next person sad.

If you're a baseball fan,

perhaps you stayed up last night

to watch game seven of the World Series.

I wish both teams could have lost.

I know Andy was pulling for the Blue Jays last night

and it was looking pretty good for them

until the ninth inning

and then he would have been really happy

had the Blue Jays won,

but the Dodgers come in

and the Dodgers win the World Series.

Their happiness is his sadness, right?

It's the weird thing about happiness.

There's other things about happiness

we could say.

Happiness is circumstantial.

It lives and it dies

on individual circumstances and situations.

And it's fleeting.

What we want in life

always seems to be just out of reach.

And then the things that we actually have,

we tend to have this sense of insecurity about them

that at any moment,

it can all just kind of unravel.

That if the thing that makes us happy is money,

there's a fear that comes along with that

once we get the money.

That, you know,

if the market turns

or something tragic happens in my life,

I'm going to lose this thing that makes me happy.

Or if the thing that really makes you most happy

is certain relationships,

there's this fear that, you know,

if I don't do this and I don't say this

and I don't follow this kind of path

then I'm going to lose this relationship

that makes me so happy.

Or career, whatever.

We fill in the blank.

It's fleeting.

It's here one moment

and it's gone the next very often.

So the pursuit of happiness,

it tends to go on and on.

Achieved by God's grace in part,

but never really ultimately satisfying.

Now how's that for the start of a sermon?

Y'all want to be happy

and none of you are going to be.

Well, there's something important

that we need to understand

about the pursuit of happiness.

And that is that happiness

is not actually the fundamental desire of your heart.

It is the outworking of a greater desire.

And I think by way of definition,

we can help ourselves here.

We all certainly want to feel happy,

but what our hearts really,

truly crave is something that the Bible calls joy.

Now there's synonyms to be sure,

but they're different.

They're distinct from one another.

Happiness is based on circumstances.

Your team either wins or your team loses.

You either get the job or you don't.

Joy, however, is something different than that.

It persists even in the most devastating of situations.

In tremendous grief,

you cannot be happy,

but you can have joy.

And that's really the longing of our hearts, isn't it?

We want something that can transcend brokenness.

Something that can transcend sadness.

Something that's stable and secure

that will carry us through the dark moments of life

that we know are inevitable.

And through his word,

God affirms again and again

that you can actually possess a joy

that is overflowing and abundant

even when you cannot possibly feel happy

about your life and its circumstances.

It's something you can possess today

and it's a source that is so stable and secure

it can never actually be destroyed.

And it is this present joy

that Peter calls us to remember

and praise God for

in verses 6 through 9.

Remember, these verses,

they come to us right in the middle

of a larger call to worship

that spans verses 3 to 12.

And everything Peter writes here in 6 to 9,

everything that he writes about Christian joy

is meant to direct our hearts and praise to God.

That's its function.

So we see the heading is actually in verse 3.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And when we get down here to these statements of joy,

we realize that it's fitting underneath this umbrella.

So everything Peter's saying about joy,

he means for us to then acknowledge

and then turn it back to praise to God.

He sees God as the source of it all.

He sees God as the reason for it all.

And he's directing us to praise him

on account of this.

So the function then of 6 to 9

is a call to praise God

for all the ways that he is working in us

to produce and display this present joy.

And I want to point out three facts

about our present joy

that Peter says should be at the heart

of our sincere worship.

Here's the first one.

Our present joy is focused

on our future inheritance.

Our present joy is focused

on our future inheritance.

We get this from the very first phrase of verse 6.

In this you rejoice.

In what?

In everything that he just said

in verses 3 to 5.

He's building an argument.

In this you rejoice.

Joy is a disposition of the heart.

It's given to us as a gracious gift from God.

God, to rejoice, the verb form,

means to give voice to the joy

that God has put there.

To express it.

And you'll notice in Peter's language

that's what he's actually saying

that these people are doing.

He's saying in this you rejoice.

There is something God has put in them

and they are expressing it

because they've realized the goodness of God in it.

Now, interestingly,

there are no explicit imperatives

or commands here.

He doesn't say,

in this you must rejoice.

That's not the words that he could have said that.

Certainly that would have been

a fine command to give.

But there's no imperative here.

He's not writing an imperative.

What is he doing?

Well, he's not instructing

these Christians to rejoice.

He's assuming that they already are.

It's present tense.

In this, we might say,

you are rejoicing.

In this, you are giving voice

to the joy that God has put in your heart.

That's not because he thought

the Christians in Asia

were more mature than other Christians

in other places.

No, he makes this assumption

because he understands

joy to be a gift from God.

a gift that is implanted

into the heart

of every believer

at the new birth.

Peter knows that.

He's experienced that.

He's seen it now

for three decades of his life

as he's watched the Lord

come in and bring life

to dead sinners.

And he's watched that joy

be expressed again and again

and again.

He knows this is true.

He's at least aware

that the Christians

were engaged in expressing

that joy

even in tremendous hardship.

But I think he might be

also assuming that they are

not because they're better

than anyone else

but just because

they're Christians.

And he understands

that to say you're a Christian

and not to actually possess

this joy

is not really

to be a Christian.

Those would be

in contradiction

in Peter's mind.

Now notice what he says

that Christians' joy

is focused on.

Christians express

a present joy

that's rooted

in their hope

of their future salvation.

That's where it builds.

In this?

In what?

In verses 3 to 5.

That inheritance

is what Peter covered there.

God has given us

the right

to this inheritance

by causing us

to be born again

through faith

in Christ's resurrection.

That's verse 3.

Our inheritance

is unlike anything

that we can comprehend now.

It is imperishable.

It is undefiled.

It's unfading

being kept in heaven for us.

That's verse 4.

And God is keeping

that inheritance secure

as he is keeping us

secure by faith

until Jesus returns

to take us home

at which time

we will receive

that inheritance in full.

That's verse 5.

So in what

do Christians rejoice?

In this

they rejoice.

In their future

hope

they rejoice.

And that is

a transcendent joy.

It can't be taken away.

And it is very real

no matter what

the circumstances

of our life may be.

Tim Keller

is really helpful here.

He said

the opposite of joy

is not sadness.

The opposite of joy

is hopelessness.

Isn't that what Peter is saying?

The presence of their joy

flows directly out of

the presence

of their hope.

You can take the Christian

and put them

in devastating circumstances

now

and joy will persist.

Why?

Because the opposite of joy

is not sadness and grief.

The opposite of joy

is hopelessness.

And the hope

of the gospel

is stronger

than anything else

that you will ever experience.

you can be joyful

even when you're sad.

Christians ought to be

experts

in joy

because of what

we have in Christ.

No matter how

grievous life gets

in this

we rejoice

that Jesus

has paid for our sin

that he has risen

from the dead

that he ascended

and sits on the heavenly throne

that he will return

to bring us home.

In this

we rejoice.

In this

we rejoice

that God is keeping

our future inheritance

in heaven

as he is sustaining

our faith

on earth.

In this

we rejoice.

No circumstance

in life

can take that away.

If you are in Christ

today

nothing

can remove

that hope.

It is secure.

Therefore

we praise God

for our present joy

that is focused

on this future hope.

That is the first thing.

The second thing

our present joy

endures

in present grief.

Our present joy

endures

in present

grief.

And we get this

of course

in verses 6 and 7.

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 prove

to be

and result

in

praise

and glory

and honor

at the revelation

of Jesus Christ.

Peter affirms

here

present joy

does not

exclude

present grief.

We need

to get that

right

lest

a sinful

prosperity gospel

take hold

that tells us

that as long

as you do

all the things

the right way

the Lord

will give you

happiness

and nothing

but blessing.

That is not

the gospel

of the Bible.

Peter reminds

us of that.

I don't even

think Peter

means to speak

here of

occasional moments

of grief

or a particular

season of grief.

We understand

that the intensity

of our grief

it ebbs and flows

doesn't it?

We have

some times

that are more

significantly grievous

than others

but I think

Peter's intent

here is to

characterize

all of life

in exile

as a time

of ongoing

grief and trial.

though now

for a little

while he says

that's being

set in contrast

to the future

eternal hope

that we have.

So he's not

saying that you

may have a couple

of weeks where

things are just

rough at work.

That's not what

he's saying.

He's saying no

while you are here

in exile

it's going to be

bad.

It's going to be

rough and there's

going to be seasons

of grief through

various trials

and you already

know that he says

to the people

that he's writing

to.

He's talking

about our time

of exile.

And the point

is that no

matter how

intense our

grief greater

still is our

joy in Christ.

The point

is that what

is coming

is far

greater than

what is.

And it's in

this we

rejoice.

Paul says it

this way in

Romans 8

for I consider

that the

sufferings of

this present

time are not

worth comparing

with the

glory that

is to be

revealed to

us.

The glory that

Peter says in

verse 4 he

can't really

tell you exactly

what it is.

He can only

tell you what

it isn't.

And that is

it's imperishable

and it's

unfading and

it's undefiled.

And certainly

Paul knew

suffering.

How many times

was he left

for dead?

And yet he

says there's

nothing I've

experienced in

this life that

can even

compare to

what is

waiting for

me in

glory.

He never

denies that

that suffering

will continue

to take place

here.

It will.

That's life

in exile

isn't it?

Now I want

to say

something about

the necessity

of this

though.

Isn't that

what Peter

brings our

attention to

in verse

7?

That now

for a little

while you

have been

grieved by

various trials

if necessary.

What is

the necessity

here?

Sometimes we

rationalize that

grievous trials

are nothing

more than

Satan's attacks

against us.

That if

something bad

happens to it

it must always

be Satan

that's doing

it.

And certainly

that's true

in many cases.

Peter's going

to tell us

in chapter 5

be watchful

be sober.

your enemy

is like a

roaring lion

walking about

seeking whom

he may

devour.

Of course

that's true.

We need to

frame our

minds here

appropriately.

The context

of this

passage

suggests that

the necessity

of grief

is laid

upon us

not by

the work

of Satan

it's laid

upon us

by God

himself.

Peter isn't

talking about

the devil

here.

He isn't

even talking

about fallenness

here.

He's

talking about

the necessity

of taking

us through

difficulties

and whose

necessity

is it?

Well in

context here

it's God's

necessity

that he

leads us

through it.

Well let's

think about

this for

just a

moment.

Certainly

doesn't mean

that evil

isn't working

against us

of course

it is.

But what

Christians

affirm is

that God

is sovereign

over all

things and

will even

use the

tactics of

the evil

one to

accomplish

his good

purposes.

What Satan

means for

evil God

uses for

our good.

And we

see this all

over the

scriptures don't

we?

We need only

look at

Joseph in

the end of

Genesis.

Goes through

tremendous

suffering and

then at the

end of the

story you

remember his

brothers come

and over

and over

they continue

to apologize

because they

think that

Joseph's going

to kill

them once

his dad

is dead.

And remember

what Joseph

says to

them.

He says

I'm not

going to

hurt you

and you

can stop

apologizing.

Why?

Because what

you meant

for evil

God meant

for good.

What's

Joseph saying?

That was

your evil

you shouldn't

have done

it that

was sin

that was

evil that

you brought

against me

but God

is sovereign

even over

your works

of evil

and he uses

all things

for the good

of those

who love

him.

I think

Peter is

reminding us

of that

here at

least in

part.

What exactly

is God's

purpose in

this though?

Of course

we understand

that present

joy does

endure grief

but we

don't always

understand why

the grief is

necessary in

the first

place.

Why does

God make

it necessary?

And Peter

helps us

with this

here.

Two things

I think are

worth noting.

One,

God uses

trials

to prove

our faith.

He uses

trials to

prove our

faith.

That's his

necessity

laid upon

us.

We see it

in verse

seven.

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

which is

more

precious

than

gold

perishes

though it's

tested by

fire he

says.

What is

God doing

with this?

What is

the necessity

of it?

It's to

prove our

faith.

The analogy

here of the

refiner's

fire is so

good isn't

it?

It's so

helpful that

Peter uses

this particular

picture.

The refiner

doesn't put

gold in the

fire to

punish it.

God doesn't

take you

through the

fire to

punish you.

Your

punishment

was endured

on the

cross.

All of

it.

There's

nothing left

for you to

pay.

He may

let you

face

consequences

for your

sin in a

refining

way but

he doesn't

put you

in the

fire because

he's mad

at you.

He doesn't

put you

in the

fire so

that you

can maybe

fulfill

something that

Christ left

unfulfilled

earlier.

No, the

great gospel

that we

have is

that Christ

bore it

all.

God doesn't

take you

through the

fire to

punish you.

Neither does

he take you

through the

fire to

weaken you

in that he

desires to

discourage you

and tear you

down.

No, that's

not what he's

doing either.

Rather, the

fire, the

refiner's

prior, it

proves the

authenticity of

the gold.

gold.

It shows

this is the

real thing.

This isn't a

counterfeit.

This isn't

fake.

And then it

brings to the

surface certain

impurities.

It's called

dross.

That the

refiner, after

having put the

gold in the

fire, can

begin to

remove the

impurities so

that he might

increase its

quality and

its value.

Peter says,

this is God's

purpose.

He takes his

people through

the fire.

Why?

To prove the

authenticity that

this is not a

counterfeit.

Now, Jesus

helps us with

this, doesn't

he?

Jesus, do you

remember the

parable of the

sower and the

seed?

Jesus says the

sower goes out

and he's

spreading the

seed and it

falls on four

different types

of soil.

Remember, one

of those soils

was the rocky

soil.

It sprouts up

immediately and

it shows, at

least for a

little while,

that it is

real and that

it's going to

bear fruit, but

then the sun

comes out and

it can't handle

the heat and

it burns up.

What's Jesus

saying?

Jesus is saying

the same thing

Peter is saying,

that you can put

a Christian in

the fire, at

least a professing

Christian in the

fire, and it's

going to prove

whether or not

they're really a

Christian.

God takes us

through the fire

to separate the

sheep from the

goats, to show

who is his and

who isn't, but

then he takes us

through the fire in

order that he

might purify his

people.

It brings out

those impurities,

doesn't it, our

suffering.

And God wants to

purify his people.

So what is the

necessity of the

trials?

Well, God uses

them to prove

our faith.

Of course, Peter is

arguing there from

the lesser to the

greater.

If we're concerned

to do this for

gold that perishes

anyways, how much

greater value is

your soul that God

would do this with

you?

Second thing here I

think we see is

that God uses

trials in order

that he might bring

us a great reward.

He uses trials in

order to bring us

a great reward.

And we get this

year at the

end of verse

7.

So that the

tested genuineness

of your faith may

prove to result in

praise and glory and

honor at the

revelation of Jesus

Christ.

Now, whose praise and

glory and honor is he

talking about?

That's the question,

isn't it?

Does Peter mean that

for those who are

faithful and they

endure the suffering

and God proves their

faith that when Christ

comes it will be

will produce an even

greater praise and

glory and honor that

we then give to the

Lord Jesus at his

return?

That could be what he

means.

I think he's actually

referring to a praise

and a glory and honor

not that Christians are

giving to Christ at his

return but that Christ

is giving to his

people when he returns.

I think that's what

Peter means to say

here.

That God takes us to

this trial in part to

prove our faith and

purify us.

And those who have

a tested genuineness of

faith when the Lord

returns, he's going to

say, well done.

Well done, good and

faithful servant.

Enter now into the

everlasting joy of the

Lord.

Why does God take us

through this?

He takes us through it

to prove us.

He takes us through it

in order that he might

reward us.

All Christians endure

the fire and all

Christians receive the

rewards.

It's amazing.

Now why is Peter going

through all of this?

Here's what I think he's

doing.

I think he means for

this to be a comfort to

us.

Our present joy, it does

not just endure this life

of trial but it is

strengthened by God's

grace because of the

life of trial.

Now, this present grief,

it increases our longing

for the future

inheritance and the

security of that

inheritance brings

incredible joy in the

here and now.

And for this, we must

praise our great God.

Maybe I can just say

one more thing before

we move on.

And this is for those

of you who maybe you're

not a Christian.

Or you're trying to

sort out exactly what

you think and what you

believe and you're not

exactly sure where you're

going to land.

And I want to give you

something to think about

and it's this.

The fact that true joy

exists in tremendous

grief is part of what

Peter means to say about

the goodness of Christ.

Christ.

In this section, Christian

joy is far more

profound and

meaningful than the

temporary and fleeting

feelings of happiness.

It's greater than that.

There's no such thing as a

life on this earth that

isn't touched by

grievous trials.

Everyone experiences that

in a fallen world.

And those who spend

their lives chasing

after a hopeless

happiness

that's entirely based

on individual

circumstances

will in the end

still feel

unsatisfied.

But whatever it is

that you're chasing,

whatever that brings

those temporary

fleeting moments of

happiness,

happiness,

it's never going to

satisfy.

But what Christ offers

us in the gospel

produces a profound

joy that not only

exists in grievous

trials but is

ultimately strengthened

and more vibrantly

displayed in them.

Only Jesus can give

true hope.

Only Jesus can bring

this joy to the

longings of your heart.

So what do we find

here from Peter?

We find that our

present joy, it's

focused on a future

inheritance.

We find also that it

exists and it

endures in present

grief.

There's a third thing.

Our present joy is a

sign of God's

gracious work in us.

Our present joy is a

sign that God is

doing something in

you.

Verses 8 and 9.

Though you have not

seen him, you love

him.

Though you do not

now see him, you

believe in him and

rejoice with a joy that

is inexpressible and

filled with glory.

Obtaining the result of

your faith, the

salvation of your

soul.

Now essentially what

Peter is doing here

is saying that faith

in and love for

Jesus for these

Christians and by

extension us doesn't

make a lot of sense.

It doesn't make a lot

of sense.

We would look at

someone like Peter and

we would say it

makes sense that

Peter loved Jesus and

that Peter believed in

Jesus.

That makes sense to us

doesn't it?

Why?

He was one of Jesus'

closest friends.

Hand selected by

Jesus to be an

apostle and a

disciple.

He spent three years

of his life following

Jesus around Israel.

He listened to

every sermon.

He heard every

discipleship lesson.

He saw every

miracle, even the

ones that some of the

disciples didn't get

to see.

Peter got to see

them.

He'll say later in

chapter 5 that he is

a witness, an

eyewitness of the

sufferings of the

Lord.

He watched him from a

distance suffer leading

up to the crucifixion.

He was a witness of

the empty tomb.

He saw Jesus even

after his resurrection.

He saw the things

that Jesus was doing

even before his

ascension.

We would look at

Peter and say,

that makes sense.

It makes sense that

Peter would be so

sure.

It makes sense that

Peter would love him

so much that Peter

would believe in him

and have all of this

joy.

He was there.

He saw it.

He heard it.

None of these people

that he's writing to

had any of those

experiences.

They didn't see

Jesus.

They didn't see him

suffer.

They didn't see him

raised from the dead.

They didn't see him

ascend to heaven.

They didn't see any

of that.

They weren't even like

Paul who didn't see

those things but at

least experienced a

post-ascension appearance

of the Lord Jesus

Christ.

They didn't have that

either.

And yet Peter says,

you haven't seen him

but you love him.

You don't see him now

but you believe in him

and you rejoice.

And the question is,

how is this even

possible?

Isn't this some of the

struggle with some of the

people that we try to

evangelize and our best

apologetic efforts?

We can give all of the

best arguments for Christ

and all of the best

arguments against

whatever it is that

they believe.

And still yet they may

say, well, if he would

just show up, that would

just make things a lot

easier, wouldn't it?

The problem is the next

time he shows up, it's

going to be too late.

What is it that Jesus

says?

He says it to Thomas.

John chapter 20.

John 20 · chapter mention

Blessed are those who

believe though they have

not seen.

And that is almost every

Christian who has ever

lived.

And that's who these

people are that Peter's

writing to.

But the question is,

how is this even

possible?

How is it that they can

have this assurance and

joy that the people that

we're trying to evangelize

that have not yet come to

faith in Christ don't seem

to possess that they don't

have?

Peter's saying the joy

that you have is coming

from God.

It's not coming because

things just make sense to

you in a way that they

don't make sense to others.

It's coming from God, he

says.

Now two words I think

stick out here.

One is you're rejoicing

with a joy that's

inexpressible.

Now remember, joy is the

disposition of the heart.

It's something that God

puts in us.

To rejoice is just to

give voice to that.

So it's almost a paradox

here.

Peter is saying you are

expressing something that's

not possible to express.

What does he mean?

It means that it's impossible

to really fully articulate

and grasp and even fully

understand exactly why you

believe and your friend

doesn't.

God is doing something in

you, which is where the

second word I think helps

us.

He says this joy that you

rejoice with, it's

inexpressible and it's

filled with glory.

It's touched by the

divine.

It comes from God.

And then he wraps it all

up in that last phrase.

Obtaining.

Present tense.

A lot of people take this

as future tense.

But that's not what Peter

says.

He doesn't say, and you

will obtain the outcome of

your faith, the salvation of

your souls.

He says, no, you are

presently obtaining the

outcome of your faith, the

salvation of your souls.

And what does all of this

mean?

That these believers, they

may not be able to

understand everything that's

happening in their hearts,

but what they can understand

is that this is something God

is doing in me.

And even now, as I look

ahead to that future

inheritance, even now, I'm

already receiving in part what

God has waiting for me in full

in heaven.

And the reason I know it is

because of this faith and hope

and joy that is in me.

It's not self-generated.

God puts it in us.

And he gives it to us as a

gift at the new birth as we

come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Why do you believe Jesus?

Well, yeah, it's certainly

credible.

But even Jesus said some

people could see me raised

from the dead and still not

believe.

Faith isn't ultimately about

the evidence.

What's happening in your life?

God is being merciful.

And he is being gracious.

And he is awakening you by

faith to the Lord Jesus

Christ.

And he is putting this joy in

you that is inexpressible and

it is touched by the divine.

It is filled with glory.

And even now, if you're in

Christ, if you're trusting

Christ and you have this joy,

even now, you're already

receiving this salvation that

you will receive in full in

heaven.

And so Peter says, so why don't

we just take some time to

praise God?

Let us bless the God and

Father of our Lord Jesus

Christ for our future

inheritance but then also for

our present joy.

God is doing this in us.

We are being saved.

Now Peter's argument in these

verses, it's not just to say

that you can have a present

joy.

It's to say that if you're in

Christ, you already do have a

present joy.

It's there.

There's no explicit command.

There's no explicit challenge.

If there's an implicit command,

it's this.

It's that we need to give voice

to the joy that God has put

there.

This should affect the way you

sing on a Sunday.

This should affect the way that

you view the trials around you.

It doesn't mean that you

shouldn't feel grief and that

there's not going to be lots of

times where you're overwhelmed by

that grief.

That's not what it means.

It just means that there's going

to be a persistent joy that you

can give voice to genuinely in

the midst of it.

It should affect the way that you

live with your wife.

I mean, you should be the ones

that are leading in these

expressions of joy in your home.

It should affect the way that

you're parenting your kids.

Does not this present joy give us

reason to temper our anger and our

frustration?

We could go on.

If there's a command that's

implicit, it's that.

Express what God has put in you.

If there's a challenge that's

implicit here, it's this.

Don't ever let the grief of this

life mute the expression of your

joy.

Praise God anyways.

And I want to close by giving you an

example of that.

Many of you have probably heard the

story many times of Horatio Spafford.

Spafford was an American lawyer in

Chicago in the mid-19th century.

Successful.

Very wealthy.

He had built a great business.

He was also a Christian, a faithful

Christian.

He was even an elder in the

Presbyterian church there.

In 1871, in the spring of that year,

Horatio Spafford invested most of his

fortune in real estate in the northern

part of Chicago.

And those of you who remember your

history lessons know that it was in

October of the same year that the great

Chicago fire took place and basically

wiped out the city.

Everything Horatio Spafford had invested

was gone, was lost.

And he was basically left starting over.

But the thing with Horatio Spafford is

that is not the, that is certainly

probably the least of his hardships that

he endured.

Two years after that, as he's building up

his business, he and his wife decide to

plan a trip to Europe.

They're going to go and they're going to

hear his friend D.L.

Moody preach there.

Just before they're due to leave, business

emergencies came up.

Spafford decided to stay back a little bit

longer, but he sent his wife and his

daughters on ahead of him.

He boarded the ship.

They headed out across the Atlantic Ocean.

And the middle of the night, they were hit

by an iron vessel.

The ship sank.

Spafford's wife survived.

All four of his daughters died.

She finally makes it to Wales and she sends

a message back.

All it says is, saved alone, what shall I do?

A few weeks later, Spafford gets on a boat and he

heads to meet his wife in Wales.

His daughter said that on the way over, the

captain of this particular ship, it was a later

daughter that he had, was very kind to show him

where his daughters had died as they were passing

over.

And as you can imagine, he's overwhelmed by grief

and that.

He can't sleep.

So in the middle of the night, he gets out pen and ink

and he just begins to write what's in his heart.

And the first thing that he wrote, when peace like a river

attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll,

whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, it is well.

It is well with my soul.

Spafford's life didn't get any easier from there.

He and his wife were blessed to have a few more kids, but just a

few years later, his four-year-old son tragically died.

He lived the rest of his life under immense grief that impacted him

significantly.

There are even times that we can discern biographically that he

didn't really make great decisions all the time, even great theological

decisions on the basis of his grief.

And yet, his faith and his hope was in the Lord Jesus.

And the point in sharing this story is just to remind us that though all of us

will endure suffering, some of us will face ongoing and at times

excruciating grief during this life.

And Peter doesn't mean for us to acknowledge that just for a moment or for a

season.

He means for us to recognize that all of life here is going to be like that.

The intensity will ebb and flow, but there will always be grief.

But even then, those who know the joy of God in Christ can sing with Spafford.

At least it's well with my soul.

That was true for the Christians to whom Peter wrote this letter.

That is true for you and me who are in Christ today.

And it can be true for those of you who will repent and turn to Christ now or in

the future.

So let us praise God for this present joy.

Amen.