The Outcome of Faith (1 Peter 1:3-9)

Message for Centre Union Church, July 25, 2021
1 Peter 1:3-9
The outcome of spiritual rebirth and life lived by faith is the salvation of my soul.
—Starts with God’s mercy accepted.  Every day should start with God’s mercy accepted! (Lamentations 3:22-24)
—The resurrected life of Christ is in me now.  I have a living faith to one day be fully resurrected.  There is a certain way I should be living in light of this
    —“So walk in Him…” (Colossians 2:6-7)
—Because of this inheritance being kept for me, I rejoice, despite trials

What are the trials?  They are connected to residing as aliens and strangers (see vss. 1-2) and obeying Christ.
    —John 3:8…We’ll be misunderstood by other people as Christians.  We also will not know where we are going, or at least the exact course each of our lives are going to take.  Trials help me come to grips with this.
    —Philippians 3:18-21…citizens of heaven should not have their minds on earthly things

Trials prove genuine faith, with the goal of maturing us believers.  The mature recognize everything comes from God.   Proven faith —> maturity —> complete reliance on the Lord —> results in praise, glory and honor at the revealing of Christ (
    Revelation 7:9-17…those who submitted to God and relied on Him for everything during their time on earth will glorify him all the more as they partake of his eternal, everlasting provision—His very presence!     A real estate investor once saw a property with much potential, and he went to scope it out.  On this property was an old warehouse—dark, dank, cold—that had long been abandoned.  He saw it and said, “I am going to pay everything I have to buy this.”  All his friends thought he was insane and could not understand why he would pay everything he had for a building that was condemned.
    After he bought it, he walked inside.  He shone his light in every corner of the building.  The light could be seen from outside through the dusty, half-broken windows and on the inside it revealed a cavernous space—empty except for the scattered moldy boxes, trash, cobwebs, and rusty, now useless machines.
    “I have a lot of work to do,” the man said, so he got to work.  He cleaned the warehouse from the floor to the staircases, balconies, windows and ceiling.  He took out all the moldy boxes, trash, and rusty machines.  Some time later, he called his friends who had been very curious about the work being done in that building.  “We heard a lot of sound,” they said, “We saw a lot of light, but we could not understand what was going on.”
    “Come in,” said the man, smiling.  They came in and saw that the warehouse had been transformed into a palace, with marble columns and staircases.  The floor was pure gold—so pure it was clear as crystal.  The fireplace roared as the feast was brought out to the guests dressed in their finest linen—all the people who were guests of the king.

1 Peter 1:3-9
The outcome of our faith is our sanctification and the salvation of our souls.

—Faith: Starts with spiritual rebirth.  Everything in the Christian life starts with God’s mercy.  Every day should start with God’s mercy accepted! (Lamentations 3:22-24).  We are born again to live a new life.

—The resurrected life of Christ is in me now.  I have a living faith to one day be fully resurrected.  That is the “salvation ready to be revealed.” “Living Hope” implies a way I should be living in light of this (1 Peter 1:13-16)
    —“Holy”—or set apart for God—no longer living for “former lusts.” (expound)  This is Sanctification.
—Because of this inheritance being kept for me, I rejoice, despite trials.  Our inheritance is eternal life—the very life of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself!  Communion with God again.  That is worth suffering through anything on earth.  Our trials are what God uses to clean us out.  It can be hard to let go of those old moldy boxes and rusted machines—we think they are of value! (Letting go of not just what I have, but ways of thinking, doing, what I value, WHAT I OBEY)

What are the trials?  They are connected to residing as aliens and strangers (see vss. 1-2) and obeying Christ.  This is part of the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctifying—or setting us apart for Him.  Are we holding onto our moldy boxes and useless, rusted machines?
    —John 3:8…We’ll be misunderstood by other people as Christians.  We also will not know where we are going, or at least the exact course each of our lives are going to take.  Trials help me come to grips with this.
    —Philippians 3:18-21…citizens of heaven should not have their minds on earthly things
Trials prove genuine faith, with the goal of maturing us believers.  The mature recognize everything comes from God.   Proven faith —> maturity —> complete reliance on the Lord —> results in praise, glory and honor at the revealing of Christ!  We will fully see our King in His amazing palace!
    Revelation 7:9-17…those who submitted to God and relied on Him for everything during their time on earth will glorify him all the more as they partake of his eternal, everlasting provision—His very presence!
    The warehouse is us.  We had lost our worth and our usefulness, but the Lord shone His light in us—He gave us His life through His resurrection and indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  Now we are in the process of being cleaned up and prepared for a feast.   It is the wedding feast of the Lord—of the Lamb—which we will see at the consummation of everything He has promised.  The people are all those who accepted the invitation to come in to the Life of Christ, despite the unseemly appearance.  Now they know eternal life—experienced now and forever.  Praise the LORD!  The Outcome of Faith is our Sanctification and Salvation of Our Souls.
    Jesus didn’t just save us from something, He saved us to something.  Yes, He saved us from Hell, condemnation, and experience of God’s wrath, but He also saved us to an eternal life lived now and forever.
    We cannot save ourselves.  It is all God’s mercy.  The evidence of one being saved is sanctification—a changed life now—as God prepares us for the glories to come.
    What are we holding onto which keeps us from understanding God’s will?
Do I see change in my life—knowing and becoming like Jesus?
Is being with my Lord and Savior—my King—what I desire the most?  Do I have a self-centered view of God and heaven?

(1 Peter 1:7) The proof of our faith will result in praise, honor, and glory to Jesus as we enjoy His presence forever.

The “fires” of testing, trials, and suffering of various forms are worth enduring.

  If we are not experiencing these things with inexpressible joy for the sake of Christ, we need to seriously reflect on our present walk with the Lord.  Let’s let go of our old, moldy boxes and useless machines which were used for useless ventures.  As we live out our salvation, we will realize that our former life before Christ and things of this world have no eternal value.