How Should We Then Live

Old Testament Reading – 1 Chronicles 29:10-13
New Testament Reading – Jude 17-25

How Should We Then Live
“The Assurance of Our Salvation” #1
1 Peter 1:3-5

   Peter’s letters were to Christians living in the mountains of what was then Asia Minor but what is now, modern-Turkey.

• The purpose of his first letter was to encourage his readers to persevere in their faith and endure whatever persecutions they encountered without becoming bitter or losing hope, always trusting in the Lord and looking for His return.
• Peter said that since God had elected them to such a ministry, the Holy Spirit would empower them to accomplish it.
• Peter said God would vindicate them in the end, and by living such obedient and victorious lives under such duress:
  • They would prove that their faith in Jesus Christ was not just another religion but rather a reformation of the truth and the transformation of a way of life.
  • God had reserved a priceless inheritance in heaven which could never be taken from them.

FIVE FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS
THAT ASSURE US OF OUR SALVATION

• Our salvation was given to us through the grace and mercy of God the Father. (Vs. 3)
  • This goes back to our “election” – God chose us because of His grace and His mercy, not because of our desires.
• Our salvation was obtained through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Vs. 3)
  • His physical resurrection from the grave proved His death was the sufficient payment for our sins.
  • If Christ was not raised from the grave, we are still dead in our trespasses and sins and without hope of heaven.
• Our salvation includes an inheritance in heaven that is incorruptible, undefiled, and will never fade away. (Vs 4)
  • In 1 Corinthians 2:9, the Apostle Paul said, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

• Our salvation includes God’s power to keep us faithful to our calling, even to the end. (Vs. 5)
  • In Jude 24-25, we read this promise: “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”
  • That does not mean we will not be persecuted for our faith.
  • However, when persecution comes, the Holy Spirit will empower us to remain faithful to our calling, even to our death.
  • Herein lies the assurance of our eternal salvation – we have been saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved, by God’s grace and His grace alone.
• Our salvation will be revealed in the last time. (Vs. 5)
  • In John 14:19, Jesus said, “Because I live, you will live also.”
  • The value of our Christian life must not be measured by the success or failures of this temporal life but rather by the destination of our eternal life.

   After Peter told these Christians they had been called to endure such suffering, he burst forth into a glorious doxology of praise unto the Lord. 1 Peter 1:3-5

• Peter urged them to lift their eyes above the circumstances of their lives and focus on what God had promised them in the future – an eternal life filled with joy, blessing, and peace.
• In Revelation 21:4ff, the Apostle John described our heavenly inheritance when he said:
  • We will dwell with God in peace.
  • God Himself will wipe away every tear from our eyes.
  • There will be no sickness, no sorrow, no suffering, no death, no crying, and no pain.
  • We will live in the New Jerusalem forever.
  • We will drink from the River of Life.
  • We will eat from the Twelve Fruit Trees.
  • The Lamb of God will be our light.
  • We will be the reflectors of His glory.
  • In 1 Peter 1:3, the Apostle referred to God as the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
  • Through Whom all the blessings of God flow.
  • From Whom all the blessings of God are received.
  • Therefore, our inheritance is neither earned or deserved; rather it is the gift of God and the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

1. Our salvation was given to us through the grace and mercy of God the Father – Verse 3: “Who, according to His abundant mercy, has begotten us again to a living hope.”

• God’s grace is applied to our guilt; therefore, we are delivered from the eternal consequences of our sin.
• God’s mercy is applied to our misery; therefore, we are rescued from the temporal consequences of our sins.
• Titus 3:5-7 – “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.”
• Ephesians 2:4 – “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, has made us alive together with Christ.”
• God’s purpose is to display us before the heavenly host as the evidence of the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness.

   These 1^st Century Christians were suffering persecution from every source.

• Peter assured them the persecution they were enduring was for God’s purpose, which meant He had ordained it.
• Rather than complain about their circumstances, they were to keep their eyes upon the prize of their eternal inheritance.
• Additionally, they were to receive such news with such joy they would praise the One who had trusted them to be so-called, and to be so used.
  • Acts 5:41 – after being beaten for preaching the gospel, the Apostles rejoiced that they were “counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.”
  • 2 Timothy 4:1-18 – Paul considered his martyrdom an offering unto God and a transition into the next life.

   This “life” is not ours to “keep,” but instead it is ours to “guard” and to “invest” in the advancement of God’s kingdom.

• When we stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, we will give an account of how we used our lives. 2 Corinthians 5:9-11

• For those who have not confessed Jesus Christ as their Savior, not only is this their best life, but it is their only life because in their next life, they will die forever, without hope of relief.
  • Their next life will be in hell for all eternity.
• For those who have confessed Jesus Christ as their Savior and submitted unto Him as Lord, regardless of how good or bad, how long or short, this life is nothing compared to the next life, for we will live forever, in joy and in peace.
  • Our next life will be in heaven for all eternity.