Sermons

Joy is elusive in our lives. How many of us truly experience inner contentment and satisfaction with our lives? We may want to rest a moment from the busyness in our mind and think about where we find our joy. For sure, there is little joy to be found in the things of the world. The Apostle Peter would want us to know that true joy is "out of this world." Read on to find out more.

Series on 1 Peter
Last week we started a new series on 1 Peter. The first two verses of the letter Peter wrote to Christians scattered in Asia Minor tells us a lot about the letter. Peter calls Christians "strangers in the land." Other words we could use instead of strangers are sojourn or journey. Christians have been chosen by God to participate on a journey through this world. C.S. Lewis understood the Apostle Peter's point when he says…

Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns but will not encourage us to mistake them for home. 
C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)

Christians live in this world, but they are just passing through. We do not take up residence here on earth because our Citizenship and our Hope lie elsewhere-in Heaven with God. Centuries later Peter's letter still applies to us today.

The question that Peter answers in his letter is How to Live a Christian Life in our Journey through this World. We'll examine this question over the course of the book in upcoming sermons. 

Let's start off by turning in our Bibles this morning to 1 Peter 1:3-12. If you have not read this letter or have not read it recently, I suggest you do so in the coming weeks.

Background to 1 Peter

As we begin our study in 1 Peter, we need to understand a bit of the background of those Peter is writing to. We already alluded a few moments ago that they are strangers in the land. When someone is different, what usually happens to him or her? Many times they are singled out, picked on, etc. That was true of the kind of persecution the early church faced.

We often associate martyrdom with the early church. When we read about suffering and persecution in the New Testament, then, we think it does not apply to us. We are not facing certain death because of our faith. But the persecution the early church faced was mostly not state organized persecution. Rather, it was a general sentiment and atmosphere surrounding the culture that was anti-Christian. Some people did face physical persecution. Others were ridiculed and outcast. 

Tolerance Today

We can relate to their persecution in a similar way. Think about one of the greatest virtues of our culture: Tolerance. Tolerance demands an acceptance of others no matter what--no matter what your ethnic, religious, sexual orientation, gender, and so on. But there is something that Tolerance does not Tolerate or Accept: What it considers Intolerant. I have certainly talked to people who believe that basic Christian beliefs are beliefs that are intolerant of others. 

You can catch this sentiment in the media--I saw a Larry King interview of Franklin Graham where Larry King questioned the younger Graham on this very question. When a Christian says that Jesus is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life, and there is no other way to the Father, that is considered intolerant. What about those of other religions?

Tolerance is just one example of where we experience a pressure or trial. It just doesn't seem fair that God would judge someone harshly for something he didn't know about. But we do not need to feel sorry for our God. We do not need to compromise our beliefs.

Franklin Graham did not compromise. He said that He believes in a God who is Just and the God of the Bible. He took a Stand for His beliefs even in a cultural climate that does not appreciate his beliefs. He wasn't whipped for it, nor was he put in jail. Yet, by taking a stand, there will be some who do not approve.

And there will be times when those who do not approve will lash back at us: it may take the form of ridicule, ostracizing, anger, surprise, argument, mocking, making fun of, or other forms of persecution.

That is exactly what happened to those in the early church: They were tested by similar trials. For some of the Christians in Peter's time, they learned to express their joy in God, but there were consequences in doing so in public. Peter in verse 6 speaks of the trials the Christians had to face. In fact, they have even had to suffer grief for their beliefs. The idea of suffer grief is to have even physical pain and suffering brought upon themselves as persecution.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
--1 Peter 1:6

How can a Christian find joy in a society and culture that does not encourage, even singles us out, Christians for their faith?

The New Testament speaks of a kind of joy that lasts--one that should be part of our every day experience even in the midst of persecution and suffering. The word that Peter uses here in his letter for joy is used only in the Greek Scriptures. It is not the most widely used word for joy, but it has a specialized meaning. New Testament joy has its root in the religious experience. It has its root in the experience of God.

For example, when Elizabeth had her baby John the Baptist, the neighbors rejoiced with her. Why? Luke tells us Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. (Luke 1:58)
When God took my sin away, I felt a weight was taken off my shoulders and I experienced great joy. We can define New Testament Joy this way:

Joy: a deep-seated satisfaction that leaves one's heart content in what God has given and done for us.

That definition sounds pretty good already. But the Apostle Peter adds two qualifiers to the joy we can experience in verse 8. It is a Joy that is both Inexpressible and Glorious/Exultant. Inexpressible means there are no words to describe it. What he is saying is that what has happened to us is so exciting, so awesome, we are speechless.

How can we experience this kind of joy?

I. Testify to His Greatness (3-6a)

Peter tells us the purpose of the letter at the end of the letter: 

1 Pet 5:12
12 With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.

Encourage us and testify to the true Grace of God.
What does it mean to testify or bear witness to something? 

We can begin to understand what it means to testify about something by thinking about What gets us excited. What makes you say "Yes!" inside when it happens and want to tell others all about it?

Watching and Playing Sports: I like watching and playing sports. For sure I get excited about winning or about my team winning. When the Sharks score a goal, I put my arms up high or I say, "Yeah!". Then I spend a few minutes telling Lori about what happened. I am bearing witness to what happened in the game.

Medicines that Work-There are some people that testify to medicines that have worked for them. They think they will work for others and help them. So they tell them about it. They describe the symptoms that the medicine can cure. And they want you to try it at any cost. Since I have been sick a lot recently, various members of the staff share Chinese herbal medications with me. They talk about how Chinese herbal remedies have a long history of use. And they are even willing to go out and buy it for me since I don't know the Chinese names to go buy it myself.
They are testifying about the medications they feel are great and work.

People with Great Virtue: Many people the world around praised Mother Teresa for her humility and selfless service to the downtrodden and outcast. They testify, or tell about, what she had done and the sacrificial life she lived.

Praising God
The section of the letter starting at verse 3 is called the Thanksgiving section. Peter begins this section in verse 3 with the word Praise! Or Blessed Be (in some versions). Praising someone is simply honoring a person for what they have done (their works) and who they are (their character).
When Peter writes this section on Thanksgiving and Praise, He is testifying about His Heavenly Father's Grace and Mercy. He is telling us about someone that is worth talking about. He is talking about someone who has done great things for him.

In verse 6 he tells us, in this you greatly rejoice. What is THIS? We need only look to verses 3-5:

From verse 3:

• God is our Father
  - Amazing that the God of the universe would care for me
  - Same Father of Jesus
• Acts according to Great Mercy
  - Without this mercy to cancel our debts, we have no opportunity for salvation
• Given us New Birth
  - Jesus told this to Nicodemus in John 3. He said you must be born again-and He made it so that this would be possible.
• Given us a Living Hope
  - Hope is future focused and focused on God. Last minute hope can die quickly (like a Hail Mary Pass at the end of a football game). Our hope never dies. 
• Resurrected the Lord Jesus Christ on our Behalf
  - Speaks of God's great power and authority.

From verse 4:

• Given us an Inheritance: never perish, spoil or fade
  - Something for us to enjoy forever.
• Keeps the Inheritance in Heaven for us
  - We know that it will be safe in His care.

From verse 5:

• Shielded by God's Power

My Joy? Where Does it Come From?
I sometimes have to ask myself why I get so excited when my team scores, but when I think about God and what He has done, my relationship with God does not move me. That's not to say I need to scream and holler when I think about God. The expression of Joy may come in different ways. But it should be expressed in some way or another. It is to think about Him and smile. And to think about Him more and more, and have that smile broaden in our hearts.

We may ask ourselves in the same way how can we testify to and find joy in things like PERSONAL TRIUMPHS, MEDICINES THAT WORK, PEOPLE WE ADMIRE, STOCKS WE INVEST IN, OR EVEN SPORTS TEAMS WE FOLLOW but not so much in God.

Peter has given us a great start here to meditate and take in the Greatness of God. And when we do, we will experience a joy that moves us so much we won't be able to express ourselves in words.



II. Know God Personally (vv. 8-9)

Do we Know this God so that we can TESTIFY about HIM and PRAISE HIM? J.I. Packer, in the book we are studying in Sunday School, called Knowing God, makes a distinction about those who Know God and those who Know About God. In his second chapter he says that those Know God will Express their Knowledge in four ways:

The Apostle Peter certainly has all these attributes!

The final characteristic caught my attention. Contentment--an inner peace--that is part of our definition for Joy.

Do we know God?
Peter describes those who are facing persecution in the churches in verses 8-9:

1 Pet 1:8-9
8 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,
9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

We may not see Him, but we can KNOW HIM in a personal and powerful way. We can KNOW HIM in a way that makes us overflow with thanksgiving. In a way that we'll want to tell others about Him, even in the midst of our suffering for doing so.

II. Take the Test of Faith (6b-7)

The last point we will actually cover more completely in later sermons. But I wanted to introduce the subject today.

The third way we can experience An Inexpressible Joy is to Take the Test of Faith. What do I mean by this?

There are times when we just do not express our faith in public, where it is not encouraged--at work, at school, even at home. But it is actually in those times where we stand up for what we believe we find the true nature of our faith.

Why have these trials and pressures come?

The definition for trial/test is this: to try to learn the nature or character of someone or something by submitting such to thorough and extensive testing.

The trials show how true and pure our faith in God's salvation truly is. It points us to Home and Father. It shows us our Hope lies elsewhere--not in this world. So we should not be pressured into silence by the world. If you want to experience Joy, then TAKE A STAND for God. Whatever the consequences that might come--in them we will find just how valuable our faith is. 

And we find our greatest joy in having that which we find most important to us: our relationship with an awesome God.

Conclusion:

Listen to a quotation from a much respected Christian author:

I have a friend who radiates joy, not because his life is easy, but because he habitually recognizes God's presence in the midst of all human suffering, his own as well as others'. ... My friend's joy is contagious. The more I am with him, the more I catch glimpses of the sun shining through the clouds. Yes, I know there is a sun, even though the skies are covered with clouds. While my friend always spoke about the sun, I kept speaking about the clouds, until one day I realized that it was the sun that allowed me to see the clouds. 
Those who keep speaking about the sun while walking under a cloudy sky are messengers of hope, the true saints of our day.

-- Henri J. Nouwen in Here and Now: Living in the Spirit. Christianity Today, Vol. 40, no. 13.

May we be people of joy because we believe our God is so Great!

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