As part of a Bible Study at my Church we are reading through the end of the New Testament and getting together once a week to discuss it. Currently we are working on 1 Peter. As I was reading it today, a couple sections reminded me of an insight shared in our Pastor's sermon about a month ago. It was (and is) rather challenging to me, so I wanted to share it with you. Oh, and if you are looking for a section of Scripture to camp out in for a while, 1 Peter is excellent! I'll have to devote some time in a future post to cover some of the main ideas which keep jumping out at me while I'm reading...but in the meantime, you ought to dive in yourself!
Back to the challenging idea. Our hope should stem from the Resurrection proof that Christ has won the victory over sin and evil. It should not be based in our circumstances being fixed up the way we want them. Peter touches on this idea at the beginning his first epistle: "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...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 1:3-7 ESV)
If this is true, if my hope should be based in Christ's victory over evil, then my joy should not flow from my present circumstances. Further, if my life were filled with misery from now to its end, I should still be able to hope and have joy in and through Christ. Right now I know that my hope easily ends up being placed on my present trials ending instead of Christ's Kingdom being fully established. That kind of thinking shows my pride. Me and my happiness are at the center of the universe, not God and His glory. Father, please keep directing my gaze back to You, your Kingdom and Your glory.
Jeff, you're right; your hope should be based on Christ's victory over sin. Would it be that Christian's would trust in Christ's provision even in the darkest of times. But in the battle over temptation and sin it is not just proper theology that gives us an understanding into the victory Christ purchased for us; we also need each other. Paul wrote,"Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). We need the community of believers that are found in the church, in addition to a right understanding of Scripture.
ReplyDeleteJeff, that's great...good encouragement.
ReplyDeleteAmen! Right on Jeff. Thanks, I really needed that.
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