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the outcome of your
You Are
"THE CHOSEN "
A Bible Study
- Lesson 3 -
Preface to Lesson 3
The Bible is not a textbook. It is God's Breath, God's Voice calling to you. It is The Portal into His glorious, yet mysterious, Kingdom. This Kingdom is our Promised Land. A place of restoration and the salvation of our lives now and our souls for all eternity, and it is more real than the earth you stand upon.
1 Peter 1:6 "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
WHY?
7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—which is 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.
WHAT?
8 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,
WHY?
9 for obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:6 "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
1. You expect me to rejoice while I am being "grieved by various trials"? What is the point of that and what kind of mystery is this?
v6 "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
2. How can I "rejoice" while enduring trials? Isn't that a bit crazy? And, is that even possible?
3. If God is such a loving God, why does he allow us to suffer fiery trials?
7 so that the genuineness of your faith is tested (which is more precious than gold, which perishes when it is tested by fire) may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
4. So, I must suffer to prove my faith?
8 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,
5. What is the significance of loving and believing in someone you have not seen? Why would loving and believing Jesus bring with inexpressible joy filled with glory?
9 for obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
8. What is the point of all of this? What does it mean that "the outcome of my faith is the salvation of my soul"?
Back to Lesson #2 Go to Lesson #4
1 Peter 1
First, Peter's circumstances were dire. His life was under threat, he was imprisoned, alone, on the island of Patmos, his friends are dead, his Leader, Lord and Master, was gone and Christianity was under a great siege.
But Peter was certain of his Hope. It seems that Peter finally understands His Master's Plan. So, who better could offer hope and advice to future Believers and those in "dire circumstances"?
Peter understands that the trials you are facing, no matter how difficult, no matter how deep the grief of your suffering, it is all temporary. It is coming to an end and there is a Reason to rejoice. Your rescue is on the way and it is permanent. It is Eternal!
We must grasp the meaning of what Peter is saying. This is more than just encouragement. Trouble will come upon us. But these troubles are nothing compared to what God has in store for the Believer!
Please trust me when I encourage you to read, mediate & memorize these words until you believe:
The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Grieved by various trials
1 Peter 1
Peter doesn't simply say "rejoice" while enduring trials, he says to "greatly rejoice". The word Peter uses means "to glorify, exult in, rejoice exceedingly, be exceedingly glad, to leap and to gush up"! What's up with that? First, how am I to be exceedingly glad when my health is collapsing or my finances have dried up or I have suffered the death of a loved one? Well, you can relax. Peter is not saying you will be neglected in any of this life's trials.
Peter's message is written to
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those who are scattered, downcast, persecuted and being killed for their faith.
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He is writing to those who are chosen by God, born again to The Living Hope of Jesus Christ
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in order to obtain their inheritance in heaven.
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And this includes all faithful Christians through all the ages.
The context of Peter's message is not about a temporal inheritance but an eternal inheritance. OK, but, what about the here and now? What about the troubles and trials I face each day? On another occasion Peter said to Jesus, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” 28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life." Matthew 19:27-29
We have a reason to "greatly rejoice for, "everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life."
The righteous cry,
and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all. Amen.
Rejoice greatly, indeed!
Rejoice while suffering various trials?
1 Peter 1
Peter answers the question of "Why must I suffer fiery trials?" "It is so that the tested genuineness of your faith—which is more precious than gold, which perishes, though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ".
The Apostle Paul encourages us also, with these words from Romans5:3 "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that
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suffering produces endurance,
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4 and endurance produces character,
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and character produces hope,
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5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
You see, God's Grace and His Salvation is costly. It's value is incalculable. But, there is a price to be paid and we share in that price, sometimes, by sufferings which prepare us to receive such a great gift.
But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Why suffer various trials?
1 Peter 1
Like an assayer who tests ores and minerals and analyzes them to determine their composition and value, "It is so that the tested genuineness of your faith—which is more precious than gold, which perishes, though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ".
We are not required to prove our own faith. This is the way God proves to us, the ultimate quality of our faith and to bring Him glory and praise. But, don't be surprised, even Jesus endured a similar testing:
Matthew 4:1 "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”
More precious than gold, is the praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ
The Apostle Paul encourages us also, with these words from Romans5:3 "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that
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suffering produces endurance,
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4 and endurance produces character,
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and character produces hope,
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5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
You see, God's Grace and His Salvation is costly. It's value is incalculable. There is a price to be paid and we share in that price, sometimes, by sufferings which can prepare us for such a great gift. We must endure the trials and testing with endurance, greatly rejoicing at the outcome of our testing!
Matthew 24:13
The one who endures to the end will be saved.
Suffering Proves my faith?
1 Peter 1
It is like the treasure which is hidden in a field, which a man finds and covers up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
John 20:30 tells us that Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
Mark11:22 "And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. 23 “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 24 “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you."
Loving and Believing in Jesus to the extent that it brings joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, comes with a cost. He is saying to us that we must leave the life, friends and family we once knew, take up our cross, and follow Him. And once we are free from the encumbrances of this world, and only then, are we able to truly love and believe in Him and enter His Kingdom with a joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.
Inexpressible joy filled with Glory!
1 Peter 1
The "goal" Peter is talking about is the "outcome of your faith". And, you should have worthy "goals" in your Christian journey.
The Apostle Paul says, "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14
Again, "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." 1 Timothy 1:5
And again, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing." 2 Timothy 4:7
The "goal"
the outcome
"The salvation of your soul"
The word "Soul" in the Greek language as used here, is the word "psuche" which means "life, the mind, the heart or the core of your being. It is the breath of life and the vital force which animates the body. It is the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions. The soul is not dissolved by death." An easy way to describe the "soul" as Peter is using the word, is your "mind, will and emotions".
The word "salvation" in the Greek language as used here, is the word "soteria" which means "Deliverance, preservation and safety from the molestation of our enemies. This Salvation is the present possession of all true Christians. We are saved from the penalty, the power, the presence and most importantly the pleasure of sin, in this life.
Then, in the future, it is the sum of benefits and blessings and the redemption from all our earthly ills after the consummation of this age, in the eternal kingdom of God.
And easy way to remember Salvation is this: "To be made safe, to be made whole, to be given a purpose and to be made healthy in your mind, will and emotions which extends to all of your life now - even is the presence of suffering and trials - and then, for all eternity
"The outcome of your faith is the salvation of your soul"
Amen!