3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. – 1 Peter 1:3-5
Dose of Reality
Every so often we need a good dose of reality. Life on earth, which too often feels more like existence, is so full of problems and anxieties. Death and decay are a part of our daily existence. We are often so overwhelmed with the worries of the world that we cannot see clearly. When we are young we worry about our future. As we age we wish we could bury the mistakes of our past. When we are young we are filled with lofty notions of changing the world. As we age we are saddened by the “worlds changes”. The aches and pains that come with age are nothing more than a not so friendly reminder that this world is not our home. Life and age have a way of reminding us we are dust and to dust we will return. But dust isn’t our end. It is not the final word.
When Peter wrote to the church they were under considerable persecution. Their sufferings and their worries were real. Peter did not try to deny them. He did, however, want to give them a good dose of reality. The dark clouds may block our view of the sun, but the sun is still in the sky. It is good to be reminded of the Truth of God’s Word so that we can have our hope rekindled even in the darkest of days and the greatest tempest. When we are “down”, what can me more uplifting than to be reminded that our inheritance is kept in heaven?
Encouragement
Look closely how Peter chose to encourage his troubled brothers. Although they were dispersed, he begins his letter by reminding them in the first two verses that they are God’s elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. He also reminds them that they have been sanctified by the Spirit and sprinkled (cleansed) by the blood of Christ for obedience to Jesus their Savior. Did the blessings of the Trinity make them immune from suffering? Obviously not. But in the midst of their dispersion and their trials Peter prays that Grace and Peace would be multiplied to them. And then he proceeds to praise God for their living hope.
Need a dose of reality today? Look how Peter describes your regeneration. Our hope isn’t in a a world marked by death and decay, it is a living hope anchored in the reality of the resurrection of Christ. Death couldn’t hold Him and decay would never touch his body. Because sin could not contaminate our Savior, it cannot touch our inheritance. Notice how Peter describes it. It is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, and kept in heaven. For YOU!!
Imperishable
Our inheritance is imperishable. It will not rot or decay. Paul tells us in First Corinthians chapter nine that athletes vigorously train and discipline their bodies in hopes of obtaining a wreath that is perishable, but as Christians, our reward will be a wreath that is imperishable. In chapter fifteen of the same letter, the great resurrection chapter, Paul goes on to tell us that what is perishable cannot inherit what is imperishable. Therefore, we as Christians, will be changed. In the twinkling of an eye our perishable bodies will become imperishable and our mortality will become immortality. Then we will say, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” Our inheritance is imperishable!!
Undefiled
Our inheritance is undefiled. It is not compromised. It is pure, morally and religiously. It must be to be in heaven. In Hebrews chapter seven, when writing of Christ our great high Priest, the author tells us that He is holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens. When James, the brother of Christ, wrote about religion that is pleasing to God, he said it is pure and undefiled (James 1:27). When John wrote about Heaven, he said this; “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). Our inheritance is undefiled!!
Unfading
Our inheritance is unfading. It will not age or wither. Later in chapter one Peter reminds us that our regeneration is from the imperishable Word of God which he contrasts to our flesh. He compares our temporal flesh with grass and the flower of grass which wither and fall (1 Peter 1:23-24). Later Peter encourages us that when Christ, the chief Shepherd comes, He will reward us with a crown of glory that is unfading (1 Peter 5:4). Our bodies may age and our health may wither, but not our inheritance. Our inheritance is unfading!!
Our inheritance is kept in heaven. Think about that!! Our inheritance is in heaven where sin and it’s consequences can not touch it. Our inheritance will know no death. It will know no pain. It will know no tears. It will not be acquainted with persecution, stress or anxiety. It is eternally out of reach of everything and anything that might contaminate it or compromise it. Our inheritance is secure. Christ Himself tells us that we need not fear the destruction of moths or rust or the threat of thieves. They are confined to the realm of dust, they have no place in heaven where our treasure is kept.
The best thing about our inheritance kept in heaven is that it is waiting for us. Like the dispersed Jews Peter addressed his letter to, we are not home. But we will arrive there. The Trinity will see to it. As Peter has reminded us, the Father has elected us, the Spirit has sanctified us, and the Son has sprinkled us. We have a living hope because of our living faith, given to us by the mercy of God. Peter tells us not only that our inheritance is kept in heaven for us, but also that we “by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time”.
How is that for a dose of reality? We have a living hope because we have a living Savior. While our inheritance is being kept in heaven, we are being guarded here on earth by God until we arrive safely home!