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December 18, 2022
1 Peter 1:10-12

Title of the sermon: The Hope Of Future Grace

Last week we saw the importance of genuine faith; known to be genuine due to its being tested by God through the the crucible of trials. Peter explained that tested faith is more precious than gold and will result in praise to Jesus. He also explained that for one to have hope in the things God has planned for for the Church should result in an internal, inexpressible joy in the believer. Peter taught that all of this was assured because Jesus had rose from the grave. ¶ This week we are going to see Peter instruct his audience on the correlation between Jesus sufferings and His glories that were predicted throughout time via the prophecies of the ancient writers. One of Peter’s driving points is that the Church’s glorification correlates with their suffering. ¶ After today, we will have seen “faith” expounded on four times and “hope” expounded on three. Here, we will begin to see Peter start the process of weaving the three supreme Christian virtues together into a primmer of practical theology for the Church. For he knew that the Church needed “adequate internal resources”¹ to face the trials coming their way and to accomplish God’s plan for their lives. So, today, we will see Peter move more towards the application that the Church needed to busy themselves with. ¶ As we read these words to the Asia Minor churches, we will continue to be instructed on exactly what to think and how to respond in our lives as we suffer well.

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.

• 10 Concerning this salvation, = Glorification here
  • We know this from…
  • … verse 7 here, “at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
  • … verse 9 here also, “the salvation of your souls.”

Peter reminded his audience that there was more salvation to come and that—verse 10, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be [the churchs’]

• It’s important to note here: Peter does not separate his largely Gentile audience from the exclusive Jewish prophets in any way. (Michaels, p 39)
• Paul’s theology comes to mind here: Christians are spiritual Jews. Romans 2:29, But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
• “The fact that the prophets were Jewish while Peter’s readers are Gentiles is irrelevant. The biblical Jewish past is the readers’ past; the Jewish prophets ministered to them no less than to the people of their own time.” (Michaels, p 40)… However this is not without qualification: " Like Ignatius …, he knows that the prophets’ experience was not comparable to that of Christians in his own day in every respect." (Michaels, p 41)
• All the way back to Moses, Messiah’s coming to earth is replete in the OT.
• All the Hebrew writers “expected a Davidic Messiah to break into history at a specific God-appointed time.” (Utley)

ABOUT THE GRACE THAT WAS TO BE YOURS

• There are many layers to this word grace in our text:
• “grace” is used in many manners or actions, abstract or concrete, literal, figurative or spiritual; …
• grace = that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm (Thayer) partiality, favour (LSJ)
  • … especially the divine influence upon the heart,
  • … and its reflection in the life; including gratitude:
  • … acceptable, benefit, favour, gift, joy, liberality, pleasure, thank(-s, -worthy). (Strong)
  • In other words a very complex benefit of Jesus’ work!

Grace that was not the authors??

Before we get into that, we remember here that ALL of God’s people throughout time are saved through faith (cf. Romans 4). But the grace that was the Church’s in Peters day had its advantages:

#1 The churches of Asia Minor enjoyed the grace of having Messiah walk the planet in their day.

• Marshall wrote that, “The remark underlines how fortunate are those living to see and experience personally the fulfillment of the prophecies…” (p 47)
• Jesus spoke to this privilege in Matthew 13:17, For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
• Imagine if Paul and John were making the rounds here. Tens of thousands had benefited from the in person ministries.

#2 The churches of Asia Minor enjoyed the grace of being the first generation Christians of NT grace.

• Some of them may had been at Passover and witnessed Passion Week and later the birth of the Church at Pentecost.
• They were the first to benefit from the simplified, grace covenant we enjoy today. >> Jeremiah 31:31, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

#3 The Church enjoys the grace of of the indwelling in the Spirit

• Grace of the NT differed from OT salvation substantially also in that the Holy Spirit’s indwelling ministry became a permanent work of God in all believers. Jesus said in John 16:7, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”

#4 The Church enjoys the grace of greater wisdom and understanding. We look back.

• Paul articulated about the wisdom we enjoy. In Ephesians 1:7-10, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

#5 There are plenty of specific “grace” benefits now. E.g., 400 years after Jesus the NT was finalized. I could go on…

But those same prophets look at verse 10b searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.

• The prophets wrote the Scriptures; then they searched the Scriptures.
• “searched” is just an okay translation
• also to “i.e. (figuratively) investigate, crave, demand” (Strong) “scrutinize” (Thayer) also “demand an account of” (LSJ)
• One gets the picture: They were carefully auditing the Scriptures.
• and they did this work “carefully.” Carefully actually modifies the term “searched” (BLB: interlinear)
• They also “inquired” = to search out, search anxiously and diligently (Thayer)
• They were students of the word of God as they wrote the word.

What were they searching for? Again verse 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.

• They were hungry to find out more about Emmanuel, God With Us.
• Firstly, few passages have more to tell us more about how the prophets wrote the Scriptures and about how they were inspired by God. (Barclay)The were looking for Messiah and His life details!
• But they were interested in the “Who, What, When, Where, Why”
• They wanted all the details!
• Man always wants to know what will happen in their lifetimes.
• NOTICE: the “Spirit of Christ” = Peter wrote here, Jesus is God.
• The writers “were people through whom God spoke.” There were times when they did not fully understand what they were communicating. But at other times they must have thought that they understood what they communicated fully, but they did not completely see the full significance of it … (Constable)

when he [the Spirit of Christ] predicted the sufferings of Christ

• “[Peter], who wanted to hear nothing of it [Christ’s sufferings] during the lifetime of Jesus, made Jesus’ suffering and death the very centre of his explanation of Jesus’ earthly work.”[69] … Peter now knew better.
• The result of Jesus’ sufferings and how they related to the Church’s sufferings are THE CENTRAL THEMES OF CHAPTER ONE.
• Timeless truth: The Church suffers because Jesus suffered, both to glories.
• How did Jesus suffer? …
• … born human, cross, betrayal, all true, but some theologians point to what happened on the cross as the most difficult of suffering for Jesus:
• Matthew 27:46, And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
• Jesus had been separated for a time the Father–in some way–as he hung on His cross. (cf. Allen)
• Jesus’ eternal bond with the Father was “modified” in some way for some time.
• And this was the most excruciating suffering a person could go through.
• We caution ourselves not to say or think too much regarding the reality in experience of Jesus on the cross.

We are still in verse 11, and the subsequent glories.

• subsequent modifies the word glories = denoting association, union, accompaniment (Thayer)
• His glories were directly correlated to his sufferings.
• Right hand of the Father. /// The earth His footstool.

ILLUSTRATION

• "Dr. George Sweeting once estimated that “more than a fourth of the Bible is predictive prophecy…Both the Old and New Testaments are full of promises about the return of Jesus Christ. Over 1800 references appear in the O.T., and seventeen O.T. books give prominence to this theme. Of the 260 chapters in the N.T., there are more than 300 references to the Lord’s return—one out of every 30 verses. Twenty-three of the 27 N.T. books refer to this great event…[But for] every prophecy on the first coming of Christ, there are 8 on Christ’s second coming.”²
• Much should be and has been made of these OT predictions of Jesus.
• Peter explicitly explains that the predictions of Jesus should bring to the Church much confidence in tangible ways.

Odds of …

• … being killed by lightning in a year = 2 x 106 or 1 in 2,000,000
• … a meteorite landing on your house = 1.8 x 1014 or 1 in 180,000,000,000,000⁴
• Dr. Peter Stoner researched "The odds of Jesus fulfilling just 8 prophecies, Born at Bethlehem, Preceded by a Messenger, Enter Jerusalem on a Donkey, Betrayed by a friend, sold for 30 pieces of silver, money thrown into God’s house and used to by the Potter’s field, Silent before His accusers, and crucified between two thieves are 1 in 10 to the 17th power. Or 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. That number is 100 quadrillion in case you want the name for it."³
• Or that’s the same odds of a meteorite hitting your house 555 times in your lifetime.
• " Now, there are [something like] 48 major prophecies concerning the Messiah. … The odds of Jesus fulfilling 48 major prophecies are in 1 in 10 to the 157th power. That [is] a 1 with 157 zeroes behind it …"³
• In other words Jesus predicted His entire earthly ministry and only He could have delivered it.

THREE APPLICATION POINTS

• #1: We need to study the Scriptures well.
• MBS intro: God does not reward the lazy.
• #2 The prophecies of Jesus advent, life, sacrifice, suffering, death and resurrection were all foretold. Every detail came to pass. God has prophesied about our inheritance and glories to come (our salvation to come); therefore we can have the UTMOST CONFIDENCE in our future promises.
• This confidence is not on the mark until we are able to calmly suffer.
• #3 Jesus’ glories were directly related to His suffering. Our salvation too is tied both to Jesus’s ministry (J. S. G.) and our ministries of suffering (our sanctification).
• Constable wrote, “Many Christians do not realize that God intends our experience … to include both suffering and glory.”
• This is the TRUST of chapter 1 of 1 Peter.
• Paul knew this well. In Romans 8:16-17 he wrote, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

Verse 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

• The unbelieving ancient world did believe in their gods but "it believed that such gods existed but the were largely “unknowable and totally uninterested in” humankind and the cosmos. (Barclay)
• But here we see the exact opposite to be true: God is involved in every detail of the message to the world.
• Also, the “Holy Spirit has a ministry of illumination as well as inspiration. He enables others to understand God’s revelation as they read it, [and] as preachers and teachers explained it …” (Constable)
• Imagine, these writers got to write about the Messiah, His sufferings, and the subsequent grace and then knew it wasn’t for their time.
• In verse 12, see the phrase, through those who preached the good news to you the Holy Spirit sent from heaven,
• “preaching the good news” = one word in the Greek = one who brings good news / announces glad tidings (the gospel)… .
• … Peter is saying they “evangelized you.” (Peshitta)
• Who are “those” in verse 12? We read, it was “though” those …
• … “though” is a preposition = the evangelists of their day.
• From 1425-400 BC Jesus wrote the gospel about Himself to the world through Israel (via the hands of the writers); the gospel was put in force by Jesus’ death and resurrection; evangelists proclaimed Jesus’ gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit to save people; the Asia Minor churches were the benefactors of this 1400 years of God inspired events.
• Verse 12 again things into which angels long to look.
• "This is literally “to stoop over to see” … (Utley)
• Micheals wrote, “The curiosity of ‘prophets’ (v 10) and ‘angels’ (v 12) underscores the mystery of the divine plan…” [COMMENT] (Michaels, p 38)
• The angels, the OT writers, and NT believers, have something in common: we all do not get to see as clearly as we would like.
• We read in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”
• God has now enticed every created being to look into what He is doing in the life of His Bride, the Church!

APPLICATION

• The mysterious divine plan continues, We experience the same type of mysteries today with the book of The Revelation for instance.
• All of creation anticipates The Revelation of Jesus and the end of this life as we know it.
• Advent 2 is what is on the docket.
• And we grown for it this morning:
• Romans 8:22-23, For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
• With all these great predictions and promises, we have been equipped to suffer well.
• As we celebrate his first Advent this week, let us continue to look forward to His second.

Notes

¹ “The Scottish preacher Murdo MacDonald used to speak of the necessity of having ‘adequate internal resources.’” (Marshall, p 49)

² Today in the Word. Moody Bible Institute, December, 1989, p 40.

³ “Odds of Christ Fulfilling Prophecy.” GoodNewsDispatch.org.

⁴ “The Odds Of Jesus Fulfilling Prophecy.” SpreadingLight.com. See also here, here and here.

Works Cited

Scripture quotations [unless otherwise noted] are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Allen, Ronald. “BE109: Ruth, Psalms, Jonah, and Selected Letters” (class lecture), Dallas Theological Seminary, 2022.

Marshall, I. Howard. 1 Peter. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, Ed. Grant Osborne, et al., InterVarsity Press, 1991.

Michaels, J. Ramsey. Word Biblical Commentary: 1 Peter. Ed. David Hubbard, et al., Word Publishers, 1988.

Most Works Cited. Please click here to access the web-page for all of the works cited, save those above–if any. Most of the works cited on the linked web-page correspond to the verses they are outlined with. In the case of background information and other general reference citations, one will find cited material with the Bible books the citations are associated with.

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