Joy Filled Tested and Saved - April 19th, 2026

With that, I would invite you if you're able to stand up, and I want to read 1 Peter 1 6 to 9, our passage for this morning, and it reads, in this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you've been grieved by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found a 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 rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. Please pray with me.

Father, we're very thankful that you have gathered your people again for feeding and for worship. And I pray, especially this morning, for those of us who are in the midst of trials, uh, or who are caring for people in the midst of trials, perhaps even strong persecution. Would you do a mighty work in the souls and in the hearts of those people, especially for great encouragement to persevere and to worship through, even if it is a lot of tears? And for those of us who are doing fine without anything necessarily difficult, would you train up our spiritual muscles so that there is resistance built in? So that in the event things fall apart, we would know how to respond in appropriate faith and worship.

So would you feed your people? Would you take center stage? And would you be magnified through the proclamations of your word? And would your people really grow to delight in you even more so this morning to get through our time together? We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Please go ahead and take your seeds. Well, our family, uh, we joined the beacon in October 2024. And I don't know how many of you remember this, but when we first came to the church, my son Maddie, uh, he had a mouthful of metal. We had just gotten braces for him during the summer, right before our transition here. And so now it's been almost two years, and he's since had them taken off. And now he's braces free with good teeth.

So if you look at his teeth, um that those aren't genetic. Okay. So we didn't get braces for Maddie because of aesthetic reasons. He needed them. And Maddie's teeth were a little bit too big for his mouth, and because there was a lack of space, his adult teeth were being pushed funny, and they were coming in severely crowded and quite crooked. And we were told that there could be uh misalignment, biting issues, and then even future jaw pain. So, as loving parents, we made the decisions to put braces on his teeth. And he was not happy about this one bit. And so we had to have multiple conversations about this with him, and not a single conversation did away with any of his unhappiness. First, Maddie did not like that there were things that he would have to forgo.

He would not be able to chew gum or eat any sticky candy for about a year. We also told him that he could not have popcorn, and that's a problem because our son really loves popcorn. If we take him to the movie theater, he can finish a tub by himself. Embraces meant that he couldn't enjoy popcorn for that one year. And you guys know for a young child, a year is an eternity. So Maddie wasn't happy about all the plans that we had for him because all the stuff that he would have to forego, the things he delighted in, he was not happy about this season that was coming up. And then he was really unhappy on the day we took him into the hospital, and they surgically cut into his gums and inserted widening spacers into his gums for preparation.

So he was in pain. He was miserable, and he let us know it. So that whole day, recovering from oral surgery, he sat on the couch just whimpering and crying from the pain. And at the time he was nine years old. Through this, we actually discovered that he's pretty eloquent and articulate. And he was saying things like, Why did you decide this for me? I regret all the circumstances of the junctures that brought me to this point in my life. This is a horrible, miserable existence, and he's just sitting there whining. He was very dramatic. He used big words. So he was very articulate. And so it was a little comical listening to him actually give voice to his displeasure, but it was mostly sad watching him endure the pain and the discomfort.

Now, his pain and discomfort were a byproduct of a conscious and deliberate choice made on our end. We were responsible for his pain and discomfort.

But it was a deliberate, thought-filled, and expensive choice. The pain just happened to be an unfortunate byproduct. We chose the pain for him. We did this to him. But it was a decision made out of love for him, and ultimately it was a hundred percent a decision made for his good. So it was purposeful short-term unhappiness for long-term good. And it's been two years since he got that invasive surgery into his gums. And in his short life, that was the most excruciating pain that he has ever experienced. And I know this as a fact because that's what he told me on Thursday. I asked him just to make sure, and that's what he said. And he told me this with a big smile. So I don't think he really cares anymore that he endured that very painful day, even though it was miserable and excruciating.

I don't think it bothers him that he spent a year without candy, chewing gum or popcorn. And even now, in his immaturity, I'm sure he is glad that he has straight teeth and that he doesn't have jaw pain. And I'm assuming that as he matures, he actually will become thankful. And I'm confident that he will remember this pain-filled experience as love. So was it painful? Yes. Was it perhaps even traumatic? Yes. Was it necessary? Yes. Did it lead to good? Yes. Will he love us for the pain that he had to temporarily endure? Yes. So Maddie, he trusts us. And his trust in us has grown over the years, and I'm going to hope that it continues to grow going forward as he matures. And Maddie is still growing in his faith in the goodness of our plans for him.

And I'm sure he has faith in our love as his parents, even if at times we make decisions that lead to his discomfort or even excruciating pain. Now, you all understand things like this. But for some reason, there is sometimes a logical disconnect when we see God ordaining seasons of pain for us. Are they painful? Yes. Are they necessary? Yes. Does our heavenly father who ordained this season? Does he truly love us and desire for our good? Yes. But there is a disconnect at times. So the bulk of 1 Peter is about the faith that the children of God have in their heavenly Father as they endure their seasons of God ordained pain. So we're going to talk about suffering quite a bit over the next several seasons, sessions, okay?

So we may not understand it, we may not like it, we may kick and scream and try to escape from it. But as we grow to understand who God is, as we mature in trusting in his goodness, we will stop needing to understand the why. We just trust and simply submit ourselves. So human parents, when necessary, allow for the pain, uh, allow for pain in the lives of their children for their good or for good. So God, even more so in his love ordains for his children short-term trial for the purpose of long-term good. Okay, so before we jump into our passage for today, I'm gonna start us off with a preview of a later chapter. 1 Peter 4, 12 to 14. And I want you guys to pay attention to the wording. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trials among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you.

But to the degree you are sharing the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing so that at also at the revelation of his glory, you may rejoice with exaltation. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests on you. You're gonna notice a few few things through these verses about trials. First, the trials that God ordains for the Christians in Asia Minor are fiery. So the word fiery that you see there in the Greek is the word perhosis, and that's where we get the English root pyro, meaning fire. And that root is a very strong root used only three times in the entire New Testament. The other two times are used in the book of Revelation to describe the wicked city of Babylon completely being engulfed in flames.

So this is an all-consuming fire. God ordained trials may often be fiery. Second, the Christian is not to be surprised by these fiery trials. Do you guys see that in verse 12? A fiery trial should not be a strange thing. And it means the trial coming upon a Christian is to be normal and to be expected. The fiery trials are on purpose for the testing and refining of the Christian. Do you guys see that? And the undergoing of these trials makes one even Christ-like. Verse 13. And our Christ honoring. So these trials, even fiery trials, are to evoke a rejoicing with exaltation and glory.

And here's an important thing to remember. These trials are not an indication of God's punishment, but rather they are evidence of his blessing. Verse 14. Do you guys see that? Because our instinct oftentimes is, why are you doing this to me? Why are you punishing me? The trials are evidence of the spirit of glory resting on a person. They are evidence of his love. So at the very center of all the engulfing flames of these fiery trials is the believer's faith. So faith literally is like gold being purified in the midst of fires. Faith is actually often the reason for the trials. Faith makes trials necessary. And faith is central to the epistle of 1 Peter that we're we're in. And faith is central to the Christian life.

And that's what we're going to be looking at through verses 6 to 9 of chapter 1 today. So here's a question. Do you have faith? And like we looked at last week, or is it a superstitious religious participation at church? Do you have faith? So faith is central to the four verses we're looking at today, so it's going to be central to our sermon. And the outline is provided for you here. First, through verse 6, we're going to be looking at the posture of faith. What does faith look like? You will be able to tell because it's actually a perceivable and a visible thing. Okay. So you will be able to tell if someone has faith or not. So it's perceivable. So what is that posture? Second, we're going to be looking at the proof of faith through verses through verse 7.

The Bible is very clear that faith will be tested and proven. How is it proven? Why does it need to be proven? And we're gonna be looking into all of that. So if you say you have faith, brace yourself. It will be tested. Okay, and third, we're gonna be looking at the reward and the outcome of faith. And we're gonna be calling that the prize of faith in verse 9. So the posture, the proof, and the prize of faith. So beginning with the posture of faith, I want to read verse 6 again. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials. Here are three preliminary things to mention before we jump into the meat of the passage. They're highlighted all of their uh in yellow for you.

And I'm gonna touch upon the latter two first, alright? God ordained fiery trials are temporary. Hallelujah. If they're not temporary and they're permanent, that's called hell. All right, so they're temporary, and he will not ordain them beyond what you can handle. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can handle. And I also believe he won't be on, he won't put that in you beyond what you can handle. And so trials, once they've served their purposes, he will grant relief. And that's a theme of 2 Thessalonians that we're studying in Bible study, right? Also, he will ordain them when he sees them necessary. He won't always explain to us why they're necessary, but may we trust that there is always a reasoning behind why God allows for them.

So trials are for a little while, and then trials are ordained when the Lord deems necessary. Now, what is the this that we see at the beginning of verse 6? This includes all of the stuff that we looked at in verses 3 to 5 in the previous sermons. The this is the saint's testimony. This is not in reference to the trials, okay? Although the Bible is clear, you are to rejoice in the trials, but the this is not the trials. This is in reference for the future inheritance. Okay, and it's a testimony of the Christian, it's his standing. He was once an enemy of God, but living in darkness. Now he's become a child of God and he's an heir of God's kingdom. This means God has caused the saint to be born again, verse 3.

God has given the saint a living hope, and he's promised a perfect inheritance. And the saints' faith and salvation are permanently protected by the power of an all-powerful God. Verse 5. So heaven, and more importantly, the bridegroom of heaven, he permanently awaits the saint. And what's really awesome is that this salvation cannot be undone. Amen.

I don't understand, I don't, I wouldn't understand why you would want to, but you cannot.

Okay. God doesn't lie. Amen. He doesn't change his mind. He doesn't get fickle out of anger towards you. He doesn't do that. He is a keeper of his promises. And pay attention, he does not tease, nor is he cruel. Okay, so the saints' future of a real and a literal permanent, happily ever after, they're gonna be perfectly secure. Will the saint die physically? Yes. But spiritually and even bodily, he will permanently and eternally live. So that's the this that's being referred to in the beginning of verse 6. So the Christian who has faith in the promise keeping God, his posture is first one of joy. It is a perceivable posture of joy. So what kind of a joy is this?

Look at verse 8. It describes a joy that is inexpressible and full of glory. What did that just think about what that means? It is one of astounding, mysterious, and inexplainable, difficult, impossible to communicate, a great rejoicing. So greatly rejoice is actually just one word in the Greek.

It is not ever used by secular Greek writers. It's used in scripture, often in man's encounters with the supernatural. Okay, so the word for greatly rejoice is used of Mary's response in the Magnificat when she is told she's going to be carrying the Messiah and give birth. It's used of the Philippian jailer when his entire family comes to faith. So agaliaste means to greatly rejoice. Biblical joy is a gift. It's a supernatural gift. So this joy is not of the flesh. And here's something to remember. Joy is not possible for the non-Christian. I guess tracking here. The non-Christian's joy, which can be faked and deceiving, it never perseveres. Okay, so true joy is also something that you cannot acquire through training or effort.

So if I were to try to tell you, hey, be more joyful, I am telling you something that you cannot do. You guys, you guys following? Joy is a byproduct of the Holy Spirit. It's the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5.22. It only belongs to those who are walking in the Spirit, Galatians 5.24. So the non-believer cannot and does not understand joy because he does not have the joy of the Lord. Why does he not have the joy of the Lord? Because he does not have the Lord. Okay. Biblical joy, what's interesting is it's a joy that can simultaneously grieve. Do you guys see that in verse 6? It's a joy that may grieve. So let me define this for you. It is the posture of the heart found only in kingdom citizens that delight in and willingly submits to the goodness and the sovereign purposes of God.

And I'll read that again. It is the posture of the heart found only in kingdom citizens that delights in and willingly submits to the goodness and the sovereign purposes of God. It is not primarily an emotion. Joy is a posture. Joy is the posture of faith expressed. So joy can be expressed, of course, in the emotion of happiness, but joy can still be accompanied by emotions of sadness and weeping. Visualize a funeral service of a great saint of God. You have tears, but you have joy. So joy can also be filled with great discomfort, heartache, and even loss. Jesus had perfect joy. Amen. But what did he do at the tomb of Lazarus? Right before he's actually gonna raise the dead man to life.

He wept. In joy, Jesus still wept over the sins of Jerusalem. So the posture of faith expressed in joy can be filled with pain. Joy does not pretend that sin doesn't sting or hurt. That's pride. When someone's trying to pretend that they're above a trial spiritually, that's arrogance. That's not real joy. That's counterfeit. So someone who's weeping and screaming in pain can very well be joyful. Joy doesn't pretend to be giddy or happy when an occasion calls for grief. Because joy is not rooted in circumstance. Amen. Repeat after me, joy is not rooted in circumstance.

It is anchored upon the sovereignty and the goodness of God. So in his sovereignty and in his goodness, when he deems it necessary, God may ordain trial and loss. God may ordain humiliation and even shame. God may ordain shameful nakedness and crucifixion. That's not only about Jesus either. It's about many of his saints that we find in Hebrews 11. But if there is full confidence and faith in the purposes of God's plans, there will be unwavering joy, no matter what the circumstance or how hot the fire. Okay? Now, pay attention here. Hebrews chapter 12, verse 2. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him. You think he enjoyed the cross? You think he looked forward to it with excitement?

No. But for the joy set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and he has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. So on this side of eternity, our joy will be imperfect. In heaven, it'll be complete and perfect. So the posture of faith is one of joy. The expression of faith, the posture of faith is joy, and it will be strengthened. You will know when someone is joyful. Okay, and it doesn't mean that they can't cry. There will be joy. And there are two other aspects of the Christian posture that Peter makes mention of here: love and belief. Do you see that in the yellow? These are things that they are doing. That's what those aren't things that he's telling them to try.

These are things that are being done. The Christians of Asia Minor also steadily loved Jesus. There was a growing affection and agape unconditional love for Christ. So no matter what the circumstances, that agape unconditional love persisted. Because what's another fruit of the Spirit? The fruit of the Spirit is love. Joy. Okay. Belief also continued to persist. These people, like us, have never seen Jesus. They had never heard his audible voice. But because of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, they had belief. So most saints in the history of the church, have they seen Jesus? No. But faith in this Jesus has always led to belief and trust. There has always been confidence in the saint that God is not only faithful to his promises, but that everything he ordains is for good.

Joy, love, belief. That is the Christian's base posture. That is in the DNA of the Christian. If an individual who goes to church doesn't have that, he proves himself over the long term, actually, not to have the Holy Spirit. These are the base postures of the Christian. And Peter writes about this posture in verses 6 to 8. Verse 7, we're told about how faith is both proven and strengthened. So joy will be proven and strengthened, love will be proven and strengthened, belief will be proven and strengthened. Verse 7, so 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.

So secondly, we see through 1 Peter, the proof of faith.

There will be evidence. So you don't need to pray, God, please keep me from trials. Lord help my life to be suffering free.

You know who he says, okay to? The non-Christian who is just given over to his sin. Hebrews chapter 12 tells us that God is a faithful father. If there is something to be corrected, he will address it. So faith, like gold, will be tested and proven. Faith, the apostle Peter says, is actually far more precious and more valuable. Now I want to pause here. Do you believe that? That your faith is more precious than gold. This is where actually the disconnect happens. Because theologically we will all agree. Amen. But I want to take a moment to think about this together. Is faith truly more precious than gold? This isn't saying that faith is a means to gold. Some people think that.

That's not what it means. Faith is simply more precious, it's far more valuable than gold. In the ancient Near East, gold was considered the most precious metal. I don't know if that's how we would consider that today, but everything is called the gold. There's a gold standard, right? It's stood the test of time. And we can understand this. Gold is a beautiful metal. It's a resilient metal, and yet it's soft and malleable. Gold is actually one of the easiest metals to shape. But it actually remains highly durable. Gold is durable against corrosion, against rust, against any tarnish. So gold is the only real jewelry ideal for a lifetime wearing. And gold, it can be passed down in very good condition.

So gold in the ancient Near East was the equivalent to what we call generational wealth. Alright, so people have gold and they pass it down. So physical gold was precious to the people in biblical times. But in scripture, both in the old and the new testament, there are many passages that actually speak of things that are way more valuable than gold, infinitely and eternally more valuable than gold. And you guys are familiar with some of these. Like knowing the law of God, living according to the precepts of God, having a reverent and fear-filled relationship with God, they're all more precious and more desirable than gold. Psalm 1910. Verse 10. They are more desirable than gold. Even boatloads of 99%, 24 karat, pure gold.

That's what it's actually saying. Even more than much fine gold. Boatloads of pure gold. Now, the purer the gold, the more valuable and useful. Did you guys know this? Pure gold, 24 karats, which is 99.9% pure, it never tarnishes or rests. I didn't know that until my sermon prep, but I know it now. Okay? And in ancient times, to get a purer gold, people put gold into the fire. And the purification through the fire made that gold more precious, more valuable, more beautiful to the eye, and actually more shapely and useful. Did you know that you can actually make little thin sheets of gold? It's amazing. Okay. So faith, like gold is tested. Faith, like gold is purified. And faith, like gold becomes visible.

So the tests will come, and the substance of what is genuine will rise and become evident. And that's what it says in 1 Corinthians 3, 12 to 13. So the quality of each one's faith will become evident. So how do I know if I have faith or if I'm just a superstitious person engaging in some wishful thinking? Real faith bears fruit and perseveres. Real faith bears fruit and perseveres. Amen.

And that's called the parable of the four soils. Parable of the sower. Have you guys heard of that before? Jesus describes four qualities of soil. The first of the four soils isn't actually even a soil, it's a path. It's like a sidewalk. We serve a God who is so generous, he will scatter precious seed even onto the sidewalk. That's our God. Okay. Now, no normal farmer would ever waste that on the path, but God is no normal farmer. And that path is actually very easily distinguishable. Right? And then what do the birds do? They come and eat the eat the eat the seed. The second, third, and fourth soils are not easy to discern. The fertility of the soils is proven through time and circumstance.

The latter three soils all look similar on the surface. You guys have a visual? Just dirt soil. Alright. So you give it a little bit of time, all three look promising. All of them have some green leaves. So initially, all three soils look elect. But given a little bit more time and circumstantial testing, the quality of the soil, whether it is truly erect or not, is made evident by its perseverance and the production of actual fruit. So for the purposes of sermon today, I'm just gonna draw our attention to the second soil. And Jesus calls this second soil the soil of rocky places. And I'm gonna trust that you are familiar with it. Mark 4, 16 to 17, and in a similar way, these are the ones being sown on the rocky places, those who, when hearing the word, immediately receive it with what I call fit joy.

It's just emotion. And they have no root in themselves, but are only temporary. And then when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. So the rockiness isn't in reference to the surface.

The rocted underneath prevented the roots from spreading out. You just can't see that from the surface. So the afflictions and the persecutions are like the sun that comes to blaze, but because they didn't have a root, it died. Afflictions do not kill faith. Afflictions did not kill faith. It just revealed a lack of faith. Are you guys tracking here? Trials, persecutions, and sufferings do not kill a person's faith. They actually reveal the lack of roots underneath. The lack of roots underneath become more evident by the withering away of whatever was visible on the surface. So trials always reveal and prove. Always. If you're thinking in the Bible, who suffered the most trials outside of Jesus in the Bible?

Anybody? Job. Okay. Job, the righteous man, was not happy when he was undergoing all the trials. Right? Was he like giggly? No. He's like, cursed is the day I was born. I hate my life. But what he discovered through all of his fiery trials, we actually see a confession is that first he didn't blame God or curse God, Job chapter 2 verse 10, even though his wife told him to do that. Two, he found himself still standing on the path of life. And he came out of it. And you'll see an interesting illustration. Job 23, 10. But God, Yahweh, he knows the way I take. When he has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to his path. I have kept his way. I have not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of his lips.

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food. And that's after the trials, right? So Job was tested. His feet held fast. He was not diverted. He remained committed and submitted. He continued to feed. He was sanctified by the word of truth. And God knows. We don't know where we really are in the faith. We often come to know by how we have held fast, by how we have kept his way and not departed from the commandments of the Lord. Now, Job, he's a hero and a great encouragement to many in the scriptures. So Job's faith is mentioned in the Old Testament prophets. Job is mentioned even in the New Testament epistles for the edification of others. But in likewise, the testing of our faith is actually used by God as a witness and encouragement to those around us.

So if God is putting you through a trial, it's very likely he's putting you on display for all the non-Christians that you've been praying for for your life. Because your testimony is way more powerful when those closest to you know you are suffering, but you're praising God anyway. So he is often going to ordain trials for the good of others around you. But also like Job, the proving of our faith, God uses for our edification. Have you guys heard of the peace that surpasses all comprehension? Or in NIV puts it, like the peace that transcends all understanding. Have you guys heard of that before? This almost indescribable peace is not perceivable in times of ease. It is only really perceivable in times of distress.

And even though I I knew God could heal me, I also knew he could be glorified in and through my early death. I was only 41 at the time.

But I was very excited about that. I strategized at how I could witness to the unbelievers in my life through my cancer treatment. So I was very proudly sharing about my cancer and how good God has been and how thankful I was for this cancer. I even started writing my final earthly sermon. And I it was kind of exciting. I could choose the final content, make everybody cry, this is the hope of heaven, and then preach my last sermon and then go out in glory.

It would be like a cool heavenly mic drop. God bless you. And then I go, right? Unfortunately, I didn't die. Unfortunately, anyway. And it was weird that early that first week, I committed not to lose my smile and my praise, even if I lost all my hair and all my weight. I didn't, unfortunately, I didn't lose any weight. And early on I prayed, God, I know you can heal me. But what I'm gonna pray for, what I'm gonna devote this time for is that I would be useful even as I get weaker. So I was expecting to get weaker. But I knew he could heal me, but I just said, I will not pray for that because I have a church full of people praying for this. I will leave my results to him. I just will look to be useful.

And I was also surprised that there was no fear of death. The only fear that I had was like, oh man, my kids are gonna not remember me, and I'm gonna leave a Becky a widow before 40. All this stuff. So those are the things I did feel, but I had no fear. All the stuff that I've been preaching leading up to the diagnosis, I realized I actually believed. So I feel like I had a spiritual bazooka. Normally, as a pastor, it's like a little spiritual dagger. Bink, love Jesus. Bick, believe in the cross. But at that time, I had a spiritual bazooka because the testimony of a cancer patient is very powerful compared to a testimony of a cancer survivor, right? Trial has never weakened a true Christian.

Are you guys paying attention? Trial never weakens a true Christian. It has smoked out religious people who have no faith, but it has never weakened a true believer. Amen. Persecution has never hurt the church. Are you guys tracking here? Persecution historically has always resulted in the strengthening of the church. Persecution can fill an entire congregation of saints with supernatural joy because all of a sudden they're all simultaneously emboldened and encouraged by what they actually see in their faith. And God comes in a perceivable way and in a nearness that is not normal in the time of distress. You can feel God in the times of persecution.

So when our faith is not tested, we don't long for heaven because we're too distracted by gold. So the Lord gifts his people with seasons of pain-filled home sickness. Hopefully, that's a source of great encouragement. And remember, it's not a sign of his punishment. Is the proof of your faith more precious than gold? You too will find yourself either greatly rejoicing at the realness of your faith or abandoning the author of faith when these trials come. Because you don't know what kind of a soil you really are on the surface.

You shall see. Remember, faith is not a means to gold. Faith is actually of infinitely greater worth. But some in the church may regard 80 years of living in luxury. Actually worth spending eternity facing the wrath of God. People choose that. Mark 8 34 to 38. And you guys have to pay attention here because of the context, okay? The verses are going to feel familiar. He summoned the crowds with his disciples, and he said to them, If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it. Whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospels will save it. Amen. You've heard this before. Now, for what does it profit a man to gain the whole whole world and forfeit his soul?

What will a man give in exchange for his soul? That's connected. And then he goes on to say, whoever is ashamed of this testimony of me, in my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man is gonna say, I never knew you.

Amen. We've seen it through both first and second Thessalonians. The Son of Man's in a return. I preached this, Titus chapter 2, verse 13 when we were in Titus. Here it is on the screen in Mark. Okay. And we see it all over 1 Peter. When the Lord returns, there will be a prize. You guys know this? He is coming bearing gifts. He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good by his grace. And he's coming with gifts. Real gifts. And what is that gift? 1 Peter 5 4. When the Lord, the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. And that's going to bring us to our third and final point. The prize of faith in verse 9. You're receiving as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

The end prize of faith is what? Salvation. Now I have to unpack this because you've heard this a lot. Okay. Verse 7 gives us three things that will also be very present at the return of Christ. There will be praise, there will be glory, there will be honor. Amen. Do you see that? Now, this feels almost blasphemous to say or to read. The praise and glory and honor being mentioned there in verse 7 are not in reference to the praise and glory and honor for Christ. The praise and glory and honor mentioned here in context is for you. Now that feels a little strange, right? I don't know if I'm comfortable with that.

John 12 43, 2 Corinthians 10 18. The saint will be praised and lauded with, well done, my good and faithful servant. That actually wasn't meant for funerals. That's often said at funerals, and it's not incorrect, but that actually was meant for the coming of the Lord Jesus and those who have been faithful, well done. Enter into the joy of your master. There will be praise. The saint will also be glorified. What does a saint receive in 1 Peter 5 4? A crown.

There's a crown. Romans 8 29 tells us that those whom God foreknew, he predestined. Those he predestined, he also called. Those he called, he also justified. Those he justified. What did he do with them? Glorify them. We have become co-heirs with Christ. We've been seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Ephesians 2 7. You are royalty. Yes, the Lamb of God is eternally at the center, deserving of all of worship, but there is a glorification, not just of the body, even though that would be awesome, but there is a glorification that awaits the saint. And that glorification will be made very visible at your coronation. And if you reject salvation, there is nothing but eternal shame and dishonor, right?

But what happens if you have faith in Christ? Honor. So the prize, the great reward of faith is a salvation of the soul, and this is a prize of unfathomable worth. Unfathomable worth. A true faith causes a person to joyfully invest in the future, even if it causes him to forego the present. Correct. It's like sacrificing in the present and investing all your extra money into a Roth Ira. Do you guys know what a Roth Ira is? It produces the most return. You guys know this, right? So a lot of people wisely and shrewdly say, invest in the Roth Ira, maximize that. It's okay if you don't have Starbucks every day for a month. Because what you will get at the end of all of that investment is exponential.

The sacrifices in the present are of very little consequence compared to the exponentially large payout in the end. So we all understand the math and the logic of this, right?

That's actually what the kingdom of heaven is like. Matthew 13. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again. And from joy over it, he goes and sells all that he has and he buys that field. And my assumption is he's uncomfortable for a while. Because he got nothing. Right? The momentary discomfort is fine because he's joyful because that payday is gonna be big. Verse 45, again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls. And upon finding one pearl of great value, he basically gets rid of the rest of his inventory. This is enough.

So do we have faith? Or are we just superstitious religious church attendees? Do we have faith? And if you answer yes, the follow-up question is, is it perceivable? When people see you, people at your work, at your homes, they know you're a Christian, but is your joy? Is your love for Jesus? Is your unwavering, unshakable trust in Jesus perceivable? Or are we in the way? Does our spiritual posture give evidence to the realness of our faith? Does our faith really cause us to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness? If so, whenever the Lord deems trials and even persecutions necessary for the strengthening of our faith, we are going to welcome them as joy-filled processes.

Amen. This is not going to be easy, but God is good. So this is good. And the end will be good. I welcome this. I count it all joy, knowing that the testing of my faith produces perseverance. James 1 4. I want to close with our passage one more time so that in context, you see everything that we looked at today. In this, you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you've been grieved by various trials. So 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. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not see him now, but believe in him, you rejoice with joy, inexpressible and full of glory.

Receiving as the outcome of your souls, or outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. The tense is interesting. Do you know eternal life has already begun for the Christian? John 17 3, what is eternal life? That they may know you, the only true God in Jesus Christ whom you have sent. You already know him. You already have access to him. It's like an engaged person. You know him. You have a relationship, you have access. It's just not fulfilled yet with a wedding, with a marriage. Eternal life is already begun. And you are at present receiving glimpses into your future. You are receiving at present the outcome of your faith and the present salvation of your souls, which will one day be completed at the return of Christ.

Praise God. Let's pray together. Lord, strengthen our faith. Help us to truly believe this. And help us, Lord God, as the seasons of trials and persecutions may come. Help us to grow strong in the present so that in those situations we can give you praise. And that we could point to others for your glory. And again, I pray, Lord God, for those who are currently going through a trial and a season of very difficult fire. Strengthen them. Help them to persevere. Help them to cling to your promises even more. And more than anything, give them a taste of your nearness as you carry them through this entire process. And so we entrust our community to you. Raise up people of faith. We pray all this in Jesus' name.