The Grace Zone Part 2 - The Hunt for Joy

Amen, we are in the book of One Peter. And you were here last week, I’ve begun a series, and we’ll probably be there for quite a few weeks.

 Peter is a beautiful book; Peter was a fisherman like many of you who are here in Richards Bay. Peter was a man’s man, he didn’t grow up in a very churchy type of environment, and he met Jesus when he had grown up probably as an older teenager or in his twenties, he left the fishing business and he began to passionately follow after Jesus. He was one of those larger than life, say what he think and he was bold. Jesus worked on him, changed and transformed him, and so he became that outstanding leader, full of the Holy Spirit, and began to lead that early church and I believe God wants to do the same thing in our hearts as well.

 This morning I will be reading from One Peter, a couple of verses, starting at One Peter chapter one verses three through twelve. And it says this: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In His great mercy, He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. Kept in heaven for you who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice and now, for a while, you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even when refined by fire, may be proved genuine and may be result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love him. And even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are folded with an inexpressible and glorious joy. For you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come, to you searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the suffering of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that were not serving themselves but you when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the Gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.” What a beautiful passage of scripture. It’s so rich, there’s so much here we are not going to get through all of it, there is really two things I want to point out and high light from the passage this morning.

 But remember our series is called the grace zone. You see, right at the end of the letter, Peter sums it up and tells us exactly why he wrote this book. He says: “I wrote these things to you to testify, to encourage and testify that this is the true grace of God. Now I want you to stand fast in it.” And what we are going to attempt to do, week after week as we study this letter of Peter is point out this is the grace zone, this is God’s grace, and the challenges that would move our lives we would change and transform, to stand right there in the grace zone. Because in God’s grace, that’s where we’ll find strength, that’s where we’ll find His blessing. That’s where obedience is, and I mean to encourage us to stand in it and to stand fast.

 So there are two things that we will look at this morning. If your car has been driving along and done about six hundred kilometres, what do you probably will have to do next? Somewhere along the line, you will have to get to a petrol station. Because after driving for too long, your tank is going to need to be filled up, otherwise it’s going to run dry, and you stop. What about your body? What does your body need to keep going? I suppose you will have food, you are going to need to drink; you are going to need to breathe. You have to keep on filling those tanks. If your body needs to keep going. But what about your soul? What does your soul need to keep on going? See, what I believe that Peter reveals to us today is actually we were created and designed; our souls need encouragement, and hope to keep going. When you actually think about it, if someone is full of courage, if they have hope, actually pretty much they can do anything, they can keep on going. God has designed us from Adam and Eve; He has designed us to live in a new and a good news environment. He wants us to be surrounded if fact, I love this one scripture in the book of Hebrews chapter three verse thirteen it says: “But encourage one another daily as long as it is called today. So that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” In other words, we have been designed to encourage each other and to receive encouragement from each other, to be surrounded by good news, every single day.

 But here’s the thing. The devil knows that as well. And I believe he has strategically gone out to create an environment which we live, which is dominated by a whole lot more bad news than the good news. And for many of us, you sit through half an hour of news, and you struggle to find any good news, because the news is always bad news. But Jesus knows, God knows that we need good news. So, what Peter does right at the beginning, is he gives us this beautiful douse he reminds us. Do you know that word Gospel? Do you know what it means? It’s a Greek word, it simply means good news. God’s word is full of good news. In fact, here’s my little challenge for all of you news junkies who need to watch the news every day. How about trying to balance the amount of time you spend watching the news with the amount of time you spend studying God’s word just to keep the balance right. Because your soul needs good news and encouragement if it’s going to thrive and prosper and do well. So, Peter launches into this letter and he reminds us three things, good news.

Number one; He says: “you have been given new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Friends, this is the Gospel right here. Do you know what? To become a believer, it’s not a question of; I’m going to try this out. To become a believer, like, I’m going to stop smoking, I’m going to start exercising and I’m going to try and be a Christian. It’s not that. It’s not about trying to impress people, the Christian rules, or the Christian lifestyle. To become a Christian means a new birth. Jesus said it straight. Unless you have been born again. And here’s the reality. What happens when someone is genuine in their heart and says: “Jesus, I’m putting my trust in you. I’m going to open up my heart, I’m going to stop trusting in myself, and depending on myself, I’m going to lean on and I’m going to trust in you. I’m going to humble my heart enough to give you the steering wheel and say Jesus;” I trust you.”

When that happens, The Bible says supernaturally, we are born again, you have a new birth. You have been given a brand new start, a fresh beginning, a clean slate, the old has gone, and it says we are born, in the new birth, into a living hope. You know before, the reality is: if there’s going to be a new birth, there also has to be a death. It’s not like we have this split personality, what happens is, when we put our faith like we saw in those baptism videos, as someone goes down into the water, it doesn’t just celebrate the cleansing, it celebrates that we are united with Jesus in His death, so that we can be united in His life. So in other words, that old you, the old sin, the past, the guilt, the shame, is gone. He says the old is gone, the new has come. And all God’s people say: “Good riddance!”

 We have been given a new birth into a living hope. You know the beauty of the fact that our saviour, He didn’t just die on the cross for our sin, He was raised to life again to give us hope of eternal life. You know that saying, where there’s life, there’s hope. The fact of the matter is, even in death as believers we have hope, even in death. Here’s the truth, I preach this little verse last year over and over, and the Bible tells us that we are prisoners of Hope. If you are a believer in Jesus, there’s no escaping hope for you. Because our saviour was raised from the dead, that means any situation, no matter how hopeless it looks, no matter how dead it looks. And that might be your finances, your job, it might be a marriage, it might be a relationship, it might be anything that looks absolutely dead, buried. But if you have faith and hope in Jesus, you’re a prisoner of hope, because our saviour was dead, rose again, so we are prisoners of hope, amen. And that’s good news; we need to hold onto it. It carries on, it says, we are given birth into a new hope, but we are also born into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.

 Now, I have to walk this one delicately, my dad is here today .But if you are a good dad, a good parent wants to leave a good inheritance for their children. Did you get that? Here’s the reality. A good father always wants to set his kids up. He wants to leave an inheritance; we have the perfect heavenly father. Now, an inheritance is a huge thing.  As we read the stories of scripture as we look at the culture that this was written into. Inheritance the father left everything, he passed it on, he wanted his sons to carry on, his very life, there was a transfer. In the same way, our heavenly father is setting us up for a glorious inheritance. But it’s important that Peter wrote this because Peter didn’t die of old age. Peter lay down his life, he was crucified, and apparently the tradition says he chose to be crucified upside down. He died for his faith, he was writing in a time when Christians were persecuted and under attack. Their inheritances, their land, their possessions, their families, their very lives were being taken from them. So what do you say to someone who has been losing everything? Peter says “Remember this. You have an inheritance; you have been born into an inheritance way beyond anything you could ever have here. The inheritance your heavenly father has for you surpasses anything you could have here and here on earth, where moths and rust, thieves break in and steal.”  Jesus said it like this: “Don’t store up for yourselves treasure on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, where thieves do not break in and steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

 Believers, if you understand this, which our true inheritance the Father has for us one day, it changes the way we live. It changes or priorities from just trying to buy the biggest car, the biggest house and have the most money, and we begin to realize that’s not what it’s about. I would rather give my life for an inheritance that lasts forever. I would rather live to give than to store. I would rather get to serve than just to be served. It changes the way we live completely. You know the way cartoonists love to lie to us about how heaven is going to be like. Have you ever seen the harp player sitting on a cloud? And you think; I don’t even like the harp. And if that is heaven, this is not much of a motivation. God has an inheritance for us that’s way beyond what we can ever imagine. I love this verse in Psalm sixteen, verse eleven. It says: “You have made known to me the path of life, and you have filled me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” That’s the God we serve, and that’s where we are going. Our heavenly father is not going to get us playing harps on clouds. At His right hand there is joy in His presence, and at His right hand are eternal pleasures. I don’t know about you, but I would rather spend my life investing in what we can never lose for eternity than putting all our energy and effort into the here and now.

 That is good news. God has an inheritance for us. And the third thing is he says, not just you are born into a living hope, not just you are born into an inheritance, but you are also born, you also have a shield, it says you are shielded through faith by God’s power. Have you ever watched those Star Wars movies? Whatever forces they have, they have this force field around them. The enemy would shoot that kind of laser things, and it would just hit the force field and not be able to penetrate. Our God says that you are going to be shielded by God’s power. The question is, shielded from what? Does that mean for a believer, no more trials, hardships or difficulties. It doesn’t. And he addresses here at the moment. Paul wrote this, in Ephesians chapter six verse sixteen, he said: “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you will extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

 Here’s the reality. We have an enemy who will do everything he can to attack the mind, the thinking of the believer. Have you ever been bombarded by those thoughts of accusation, or lies, or temptations, you have hardships, difficulties, you get bombarded with thoughts; “God where are you? God, are you real? God why aren’t you doing this and that?” The enemy shoots those flaming arrows, and here’s a thing the sharpness of the arrow can knock someone down, the fact that it’s flaming can start fires and cause mass destruction. But the beauty of the fact is that God has given us a shield. When we have an understanding of faith, we interpret the world completely different. When we look at the world, we look at the world through the eyes of our father, what scripture reveals. I know that my God loves me, so however the situation looks, my starting point is; God loves me and I know this is going to work out for my good. I know that my God is with me. No matter how terrifying this might be, and the enemy is trying to hit me with all kinds of thought s of fear and anxiety and stress, my faith tells me God is with me. I’m going to make it through, and that shields my heart, it shields my mind, they have strong shields which the arrows couldn’t penetrate, and they would douse those shields in water. Do not just stop the penetration, but also put out the flames. Our faith can absorb everything the enemy throws at us as we stand strong in Him.

 This leads me to the real main point that I want to focus on today. There is a particular flaming arrow that the enemy sends at the believers’ day in and night out. And if you get hit by that arrow, every single time, you face difficulties, trials or hardship. And here is the bottom line. All of us have this in common. We all go through times of trials and difficulties and suffering. And right now, you might be in that very place where you are in that area in your life, struggling through, and you are saying; “God where are you? God what are you doing? “And what Peter wants to do in this passage is he wants to help us stop and extinguish that flaming arrow that comes at us when we face those times of difficulty and trial. I’m going to read again verses six to nine. “In this you greatly rejoice though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold which perishes even though refined by fire may be proofed genuine and may be result of praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. And even though you did not see Him now, you believe in Him and are fold with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

 Parents, let’s be honest. Probably the hardest thing in life is to see your kids suffer. It’s true isn’t it? I can remember from the first days, I have two boys, Sam and Adam, I remember those first days when you received those perfect bundles in your hand, and every two weeks, you have to go back to that horrible nurse at the hospital. And she would have this horrible needle, and every month or two weeks, she has to go get these little injections. And you have this perfect baby that is calm and quiet and then this nurse comes along. It’s horrible to see your kids suffer. And you have to pick up your child at school, and they come out crying because there’s some bully at school who’s tormenting him. You want to get in there and smack little Johnny. Have you seen when your kids are sick? You say if only I could take their place and take their suffering for them. Any parent would feel that way. Yet sometimes, as parents, we know that actually the suffering now is worth it for the game. That’s why I took the kids to that horrible nurse every couple of weeks to get those injections. Because rather one minute of crying now is a whole lot better than getting small pox or polio or any one of those things at the vaccination covers. So, rather take the suffering now, because it produces something down the line.

Here’s a thing; Our Heavenly Father believes that the quality of our faith in Him. That the genuineness and solidness of the trust we have in Him, He believes that it is so vitally important, so crucial, so valuable, that as a Perfect Father, He is prepared to allow His children to go through the furnace here, now. To achieve something that will be valuable to eternity. If we don’t understand that, our hearts rage against God, saying: “God where are you?” If we do understand it, if we can swing our thinking to line up with God’s thinking, when we recognize as Peter said, we have a faith as precious as His, When we understand, then we can come in agreement that God is saying “Your faith is so much more valuable than your comfort and convenience now.” If we got that, it would completely change our attitude and understanding, as we go through these difficult times. I’m convinced that when we get to heaven one day, that we begin to see with our understanding of God, the processes went through, I think many of us would go to the Father and say: “Why didn’t you put me through more? Why didn’t you give me more trials and struggles? When we realize just how valuable it is.

The furnace of refining our faith, we can get faith, we can get potential faith as we read God’s Word, as we hear it preached, as we go to conferences, as we read a book, we get filled up with potential faith. This is what God has said, and it strikes us in our heart, but that potential faith turns into a real, living, actual trust in God. Only when it’s tested in the fire of trials, tribulations and suffering. And God says: “It’s worth it.” James said exactly the same thing. He said in James chapter one verses two to four: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work.” In other words, we don’t give up in the midst of this saying: “God, where are you? Why aren’t you doing what I think you should be doing?” But we persevere and keep trusting God. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. And you’ll know when you’re not lacking anything. There are no more holes in your faith. There are no more cracks in your faith when you can walk through difficulties, trials and struggles. With a heart at peace, trusting, resting in the goodness of God. Paul said exactly the same thing.

 Romans Chapter five verses three and four, he said: “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope.” I know my God is good. I know my God is with me, I know my God has a plan, and I’m going to keep walking this through until the end. Sufferings are the processes God uses to mould, mature and shape us. That’s the faith, that’s the shield I want to take up today to extinguish every one those flaming arrows of doubting God. Questioning, where are you? What are you doing? And that’s why the verse for me that just as I was meditating and pondering this the whole week. This verse has taken me by surprise, and what I want to leave you with today, because I think God is amazing goodness and grace. Because He knows as a dad, I’m going to have to put my kids through these things. I think God in His grace, have hidden something in the midst of those trials, suffering; He has hidden something which we can find if we know about it. It says in One Peter chapter one verse eight, our key verse is: “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. And even though you don’t see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”

 God hides joy in trials. Think about that for a moment. Call the whole sermon “The hunt for joy.” Because the reality is I’ve spent my life looking for joy, in the wrong places. I always thought I would find joy of places of happiness and serenity where the angels are flapping and the birds are singing, and the sun is shining, and the world is at peace, and there’s a song in my heart, and the hills are alive with the sound of music. I thought that’s where we will find joy. The Bible says God has hidden joy in the midst of trials, difficulties and sufferings, the scriptures are clear, there’s an inexpressible and glorious joy when we choose. It says though you don’t see Him, you love Him. And even though you don’t see Him now, you believe in Him. How do we unlock that grace zone? We don’t get to see Jesus this side of heaven.  One day we will see Him face to face, but the reality is, sometimes we get to see Jesus at work. A prayer is answered, the provisions comes,” Thank you Jesus, this could only be you.” God protects you, God heals you, God does something, and you see Jesus at work. But there’s sometimes it doesn’t happen. Sometimes the prayer is not answered, the provision doesn’t come, and God doesn’t do what you think God should have done. And even though you don’t see Him, you love Him. And even though you see Him now, you believe in Him to love Him, and to trust in Him, even though God’s not doing what you think God should do that is called choosing to praise Him in the midst of the storm. And here’s a thing.

1.       One: Joy is hidden in trials and suffering.

2.       Two: The key that unlocks that glorious and inexpressible joy is when we choose to praise Him in the midst.

 We choose to make a decision, “I’m going to love you, and I’m going to trust you in spite of what I see around me. And when we do that, as tough as that might sound, that’s really putting our faith out there. What happens when we do that is we discover, God is hidden in the midst of this hardship, a joy that doesn’t make sense, it’s a joy that sustains us, and it’s a joy that strengthens us. In the Drakensberg, as we go hiking, you come to some of those valleys, you walk passed the waterfalls. And sometimes it gets really hot, I love standing under a waterfall and being pounded by the water. I’m talking about the grace zone today. I believe that there’s a waterfall of God’s joy that we can stand under in the midst of the trials and hardship. There’s a joy, a supernatural joy available, and we can step into that grace zone when we make a choice. “Jesus, I don’t see what you’re doing, or where you’re at right now. But I’m going to choose to love you, and I’m going to trust you. I’m going to choose to praise you.” And it says then we are receiving the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls, not just we will receive one day a ticket to heaven. That’s not going to motivate you now, but right now you are receiving the maturing of God as moulding and shaping you to wholeness and completeness and fullness in Jesus. This is the grace zone; let us stand strong in it. Amen.

Senior Pastor: Brent Brading

Web address: www.outlookchurch.co.za