Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I Peter 1:3–13.
Peter concentrates on a theme of suffering. “After you’ve suffered for a little while, the Lord will establish, strengthen and settle you” (I Peter 5:10). He is concerned about the people who have lost everything that this world counts as possessions. Consequently, there is a key word in the epistles of Peter—“precious.” Seven exceedingly precious things are outlined for those who lost everything that can be taken away. These are the people who are really wealthy, for they have the true riches which fade not away. They are given exceeding great and precious promises that by these they might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (II Peter 1:4).
I want to call your attention to certain verses in the preceding passage in I Peter 1. Verse 5: who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Verse 6: In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith … (like being tested in the fire). Verse 8: and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.
The disciples learned how to rejoice when they were going through trials, even though they were tested by fire. They sought to know the will of God and pressed in to obtain, as the outcome of their faith, the salvation of their souls. How they pressed in!
God has done a marvelous thing for you. The prophets of old who prophesied about it wanted to inquire into it. The angels desired to look into it, but didn’t get a chance to see how wonderful it was really going to be. God saved all of this for you, yet you labor along, going through the fiery trials of testing, as though some strange thing were happening (I Peter 4:12). Yet Peter says to rejoice.
There has been too much complaining, too much murmuring, too much unhappiness in this walk, and there is no occasion for it; God has favored you too much. You must joyfully pursue the will of the Lord. It is a principle that the whiners and complainers don’t get anything from God. I call you to remember what happened to the murmurers in the wilderness, as recorded in the Old Testament. God was very displeased with them. I see too much of this in the Body, and I rebuke you for it. Press in with all joy.
No matter what happens to you, you must rejoice in the Lord, because there is no reason for it outside of the fact that you give yourself to an awareness on the wrong plane. People who are big in their spirits have a way of putting things in proper proportion, for they evaluate things properly.
Keep things in perspective. A large object across the room from you may appear small, and a small object close to you will look as big, thus you tend to exaggerate a situation when you’re in the middle of it. You allow little things to become big, instead of rejoicing in the Lord because the great things are those which are eternal, those which are in the process of coming forth. Yet one can’t always see the great things; their present size doesn’t seem to be proportionate to their importance.
You must sense that it’s your mistake when you evaluate things wrong, because it’s a matter of your own choice. You receive and manifest in your life exactly what you dare to believe for. If you want to limp and complain all the way into the Kingdom, that’s your privilege. But Peter says that qualities can be added, so that an abundant entrance is given into the Kingdom (II Peter 1:11), and that’s what I would rather have. By adding all diligence you can have an abundant entrance into the Kingdom, you can walk right into it.
You should learn to anticipate things. God can give you a spiritual anticipation which will produce a present joy. Jesus had this. He endured the cross, despising the shame for the joy that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). He could pass through the greatest of agonies because He had an anticipation, and He seemed to be able to draw on it. You can do this too.
Everyone should have something to look forward to. The anticipation of a holiday is what makes it so important for children; they look forward to it so much. We have so much to anticipate. The Lord has set so many promises and blessings before us, and we’re walking in things which were only dreams a year ago.
Looking back, we see all the blessings; so when we feel miserable why can’t we relax, why can’t we be joyful?
Sometimes I feel as if we were taking our first flight. Are you getting a little jittery, a little nervous, and thinking, “Oh, I don’t dare let all my weight down. Can I really trust God in this walk, can I really go all out on it?” You’ll make the Kingdom if it kills you, you can count on that, and some will even come that route. But no one will get there ahead of the others. We which are alive and remain shall not precede them that are asleep in Christ (I Thessalonians 4:15).
We will have to learn to enjoy the days ahead of us, because this world will be a miserable place in which to live without the joy of the Lord. This walk isn’t easy; no one said it would be. Yet the Lord said, “These things I have spoken unto you that your joy may be full” (John 15:11).
The joy of the Lord has to come in your life. You say, “I’m so lonely.” Sometimes I wish I’d get a chance to be lonely. Everyone constantly complains about his own condition and thinks the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
You must learn to rejoice in the Lord. We will go through this time ahead of us with a joyful pursuit after the will of God. There will be times when you will be heavy, but you have to decide what you want to create in the atmosphere of the church. This is a principle. You are responsible for the spirit you bring into the church.
What kind of services do you want to have? “Well, all the people are going through trials, so we must be sympathetic with them.” All of us have come to the house of God with our hearts broken at one time or another; we all know what misunderstanding a heartbreak brings. That’s not the issue. The important thing is to learn to rejoice in the Lord in everything that happens.
The response of being altogether joyful is a matter of learning how to respond to the greatness of God. We express littleness when we let the things around us become big in our sight. We’re walking with the King into the days of the Kingdom! Why do we magnify our own personal situations to such an extent that we let them nullify all that God is beaming toward us, until there is no worship or praise left in our hearts? This must not be. Stop those grunts and groans and whines, and let’s bring forth some shouts of victory, in the name of the Lord! Begin to rejoice in all the goodness of the Lord. When the going gets a little rough, just keep rejoicing; remind yourself to be cheerful.
Even in this walk there are those who will put a gloom over you when you talk to them, because their emphasis is constantly upon discouraging circumstances, upon things that reach them. It shouldn’t be that way.
Whatsoever things are true and of good report, these are the things to think upon (Philippians 4:8). You can determine the level of joy you will have in the Lord. It is a matter of repentance and dedication on your part. The joyful pursuit of the will of God must be the dedication of your heart.
Lord, the conviction must be brought deep in our minds, so that we never abandon it, to rejoice in You and learn to walk with You with joy and peace in our hearts. If we have reacted to little circumstances, if the footman hath wearied us, how will we contend with the horsemen? If in times of peace we’ve been wearied, what will we do at the overflowing of the Jordan? We must have the grace of God—we believe, appropriate, and take it. We will learn to rejoice in You, Lord, and never look at a hostile circumstance without believing in the grace and victory of God which is our portion in it. Our constant reactions of depression, discouragement, and despondency must be broken.
Lord, You must deal with us because we want to be able to take correction without being discouraged. We want to be able to thank our brother when he smites us. We want to rejoice when we are criticized. O Lord, we want to take joyfully anything You bring without edginess, depression, and discouragement. We want to react correctly, as Christians should react, and walk with You victoriously in all things. We don’t want to prophesy that we’re more than conquerors and constantly be singing the blues.
We’re determined to rejoice in You, Lord. Help us, one step at a time, until it becomes a habit of our spirit to rejoice in You, and to be filled with Your Spirit. We want the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, and peace.
We know the days will come in which people will survive because we share the joy we have with them. Isaiah prophesied that everlasting joy shall be upon our heads (Isaiah 35:10), and that’s what we believe for and appropriate now. If our old nature is against this, then to the cross with our old nature.
These are the days, Lord, when You’re opening up a whole new realm to us. If there were nothing pleasant in our lives, we still have the precious promises of the Lord. We want to rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Lord, send it. Amen.