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Volume. XXVII, No. 10 A Living Hope (1 Peter 1:3-4) - Part 3 (Final)Continued from last Lord’s Day.....
What is glorification? Glorification can also be seen as the culmination of the work of sanctification God is working in us. Romans 8:29-30 says, “29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” Notice that Paul mentioned the word predestination in verses 29 and 30. Predestination means that when God saves you He is going to see you through: “whom He foreknew, He predestinated, and whom He predestinated, He called, and whom He called, He justified, and whom He justified, He glorified.” Sanctification, in a nutshell, is God\'s eternal purpose. It just simply means when the Lord who is the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Good Shepherd of the Sheep, and Chief Shepherd of the Sheep starts out with one hundred sheep, He\'s going to come home with one hundred sheep; He will not lose one of them. This amazing section of Scripture on sanctification, no doubt contains the most comforting words Paul could write to the Christians who were being persecuted throughout the Roman Empire! Thirdly and lastly, we also have a living hope because of the nature of our inheritance! The Apostle Peter says, “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.” (1 Peter 1:4) Notice that the degree of hope we have is directly related to the inheritance we have. In the preceding verse, Peter says, God has given us “a lively (or living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and in verse 4a, he says “to an inheritance”! (1 Peter 1:3a) In other words, our future inheritance is something we all should look forward to and it is directly tied in with our eternal and glorious hope! The argument goes like this: if our inheritance is a good one, our hope is strong, or "lively" (1 Peter 1:3b), our hope is also strong and lively! But if our inheritance is a poor one, then our hope is weak, or "dead." Yet, what is the nature of our inheritance in heaven? Peter says it is “…incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.” (1 Peter 1:4) It is incorruptible The Greek word translated incorruptible is aphthartos meaning "not liable to corruption or decay, imperishable." So "an inheritance incorruptible," meaning that it is non-destructible! It cannot be damaged in any way – no rust, no moth, no germ, no fire can touch it. Unlike the present heavens and earth in which now live, and which will one day be destroyed! (2 Peter 3:10-13) It is undefiled The Greek word translated undefiled is amiantos meaning “not defiled, unsoiled.” "Undefiled" indicates that it is not stained or defiled by anything. It is unlike the earthly Canaan, which could be and was defiled by its inhabitants. Our hope pertains to that where the defiled are not allowed to enter! (Revelation 21:27) It fadeth not away The Greek word translated fadeth not away is amarantos, meaning "non-fading, perennial.” The word is a variation of another Greek word amaranth which was the name of a mythical flower whose bloom was perpetual and whose loveliness never faded. The fact that Peter says that heavenly inheritance fadeth not away signifies that we will not inherit it and then find it to be worthless, like the paper money or stock that once had value and then became completely valueless – such is our heavenly reward! It will not rust, fade, or wither like so many things do here on earth! Reserved in heaven for you The word translated reserved comes from tereo meaning "to watch, to observe, to guard, protect, to reserve, set aside.” It means that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are taking care of our inheritance for us. We could not have it in a better safety deposit box than that! Therefore, our inheritance is safely guarded in heaven itself. No one, not even Satan himself, can steal it from us! Conclusion Dear brethren, may we be reminded that we have a living hope because God is merciful and bestowed His mercy unconditionally toward us and made us into a new creation. That hope is securely founded upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ and it guarantees the justification, access and adoption of His elect. The promise of the same hope will be culminated in the day we receive our inheritance which is incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for us – come Lord Jesus! Pastor Weng |
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