The First Epistle of Peter

by Richard St.James

The Trial of Your Faith

Bible 1611.Com / Old Paths Baptist Mission © 2011

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Peter 1:7 “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”

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1. More Precious Than Gold
2. Whom Having Not Seen
3. The End of Our Faith

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1. More Precious Than Gold

Verse seven: “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”

On this earth, what is more precious than gold?

Gold was the de facto standard for the major monetary systems from 1717 to 1933. [It is no longer the standard today … to our own hurt.] It was the standard during the time of the greatest economic growth ever experienced in the nations of the world.

The answer to this question: [what is more precious than gold?] … is the FAITH of the Bible-believing Christian. It is the faith that we have in Jesus Christ that brings “praise and honour and glory” to HIM. Amen!

You see, even though, the entire world’s gold … though precious … will be burned up [or perish], we will persist [or live] through the upcoming fire destined burn up the heavens and the earth. Yes, the born-again believer in Jesus Christ will live forever in eternity because he or she will survive that fire.

Now, the trial of our faith [while we wait for the LORD Jesus Christ in this life] is tried by a figurative fire. This figurative fire is the fire that will test our faith in Jesus Christ. More than this, all the temptations that come into our life [that God allows to come into our life] is for the purpose of trying, or testing, our faith in Jesus Christ. Why is this so? I will tell you why it is so. So that God can get the praise and honor and glory … by seeing our faith and love persist for HIM … though it is tried.

This truth of the value of a tested love is proven over and over again … on our level in our human relationships while running the concourse of our life. Let me explain it this way. Consider for a moment the marriage between a man and a woman. What is more precious to see than when a husband is proven over and over to being singular in his sight for only his wife? Let me develop on this thought. If this husband avoids all other women … in order to be faithful and true to his wife, then his faithfulness to her is found to be a tested and a tried relationship. It can then be stated to all who witness it, that it is a pure and true relationship. This relationship [being pure and true] can only be a comfort to a wife, when she sees her man drinking only from her cistern. Amen! Now, what does the Book say in Proverbs chapter five, verse fifteen? It says this: “Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.” [Proverbs 5:15]

Now, likewise, when we as believers [the Christian] drink out of the cistern of God’s holy word [which is walking in the Spirit], we will be found to be true to Jesus Christ even though all the while we be in the midst of all our trials of our faith in HIM. What can be more pleasing to God than to see how singular [or true] we are to the SON of GOD.

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2. Whom Having Not Seen

Verse eight: “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:”

Now, look at this. If you are saved, then you love SOMEONE with all your heart without ever having seen HIM. Imagine that, without ever seeing HIM with your eyes, you believe in HIM. This is FAITH! Now, what does the Bible say in Hebrews chapter eleven, verse one, and six about faith? It says this: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” [Hebrews 11:1] “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” [Hebrews 11:6]

• By FAITH, we see HIM whom we have never seen with these physical eyes.

• By FAITH, we have trusted HIM for our all, even for very our salvation.

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3. The End of Our Faith

Now, verse nine, we have this: “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”

The end of our faith … will see the sure salvation of our souls from the wrath of God to be very soon revealed. Read with me Colossians chapter three, verse six, and see that the wrath of God hangs over the heads of the “children of disobedience.” “For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:” [Colossians 3:6]

Brethren, you need to consider the end of your race. The time is fast passing us by at a blazing speed. Before we know it, you and I will be standing before the One Who went to the Cross of Calvary … to make our appearance at the judgment seat of Christ. We can see this in Second Corinthians chapter five, verse eight through ten: “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” [2 Corinthians 5:8-10]

It will be at the judgment seat, that we will receive our incorruptible crowns.
 
[1 Corinthians 9:25] “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”
The salvation of souls will result in us receiving “the crown of life”. Let us look at this crown. Look with me in James chapter one, verse twelve: “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” [James 1:12] Do you see that crown of life? It’s for you!

You see that crown of life one more time in Revelation chapter two, verse ten. Are you ready to see it? “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” [Revelation 2:10]

At the end of our faith, after receiving the salvation our souls, we will also receive yet another crown. It will be the “crown of righteousness”. Here it is in Second Timothy chapter four, verse eight: “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” [2 Timothy 4:8]

Now, here is yet, another crown. Are you ready for this? If we have been faithful [until the end of our faith] [as the fishers of men] we shall receive the “crown of rejoicing” over the souls that came to Jesus Christ because of us.

Look at with me in Philippians chapter four, verse one: “Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.” [Philippians 4:1]

Now, do you see how that soul that came to Jesus by you, may be a “crown” to you forever? Look with me at First Thessalonians chapter two, verse nineteen and twenty: “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.” [1 Thessalonians 2:19-20]

And lastly, there is a “crown of glory” for the elders that feed the flock of God in First Peter chapter five, verse four: “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” [1 Peter 5:4] Do you see that crown of glory? It’s for you, if you are a faithful pastor! Amen!

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The Great Inquiry

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The First Epistle of Peter

1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

1 Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

1 Peter 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

1 Peter 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:

1 Peter 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

1 Peter 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

1 Peter 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

1 Peter 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

1 Peter 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

1 Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

1 Peter 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

1 Peter 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

1 Peter 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

1 Peter 1:24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flowerthereof falleth away:

1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.