Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new
life and a hope that lives on. God has something stored up for you in heaven,
where it will never decay or be ruined or disappear. You have faith in God, whose power will protect you until
the last day. Then he will save you, just as he has always planned to do. 1 Peter 1:3-5
(CEV)
In this week after Easter it
is only appropriate that we focus on the hope we have in living because of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Yesterday we discovered the great gift we receive with the believer’s
hope, the inheritance. The
inheritance is the eternal life that God gives us. With that inheritance comes the Assurance of
the Hope.
How do we know for
sure that we will receive the inheritance?
The temptations and trials of life are so forceful and
threatening, how do we know that we will receive the living hope of eternal
life and its glorious inheritance? How do we know that we will not fall and
come short of the great day of redemption?
There are two answers.
·
First, there is the assurance of God’s power. God’s power keeps us. The word "kept" means to guard; to garrison; to
protect.
It is a military term; therefore it has the idea of might
and strength. The might and strength of God’s power protect us throughout our
journey in life—through all the trials and temptations of life—and God will see
to it that we shall reach the glorious end of life: salvation. God Himself, in His sovereign and omnipotent
power, will see to it that we receive eternal life and the inheritance that is
being reserved for us.
·
Second, there is the assurance of faith. We are kept not only by God, but by our
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and by our faith in God’s power.
No person shall ever receive the hope of eternal life or of
God’s glorious inheritance unless he truly believes in God’s Son, the
Lord Jesus Christ. Belief in Christ is absolutely essential. But once
we have truly trusted Christ as our Savior, we are saved; we shall receive
eternal life and the great inheritance of God’s promise.
1Peter 1:3 says Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living
hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead… If we believe that the shed blood of Jesus on
the cross covers our sin, then we can believe that the resurrection of Jesus
can open the door to our resurrection to a new life
and, along with it, the assurance of our inheritance. Praise God!
We can rest assured that He provided the assurance we need at the same
time He provided the inheritance!
A true faith is a continuing faith and trust in God’s power
and a continuing faith is diligent and vigilant. It is a faith that loves
Christ with all its heart and life. It is a faith that seeks to follow Christ
and to please Him in all that it does. The
person who has this kind of faith has the assurance that he will receive
eternal life and the promise of the inheritance. God gives the true believer
this kind of assurance.
Scripture to Claim:
For the LORD loves justice and will not abandon His faithful ones. They are kept safe forever, but the children of the wicked will be destroyed. Psalm 37:28
For the LORD loves justice and will not abandon His faithful ones. They are kept safe forever, but the children of the wicked will be destroyed. Psalm 37:28
