Continuing our look at the first chapter of Peter's letter, we're going to think about verses 5-9, but to put them in context I will start at verse 3, and include last week's reading:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may prove genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Why did our Lord teach in parables? He told stories with a meaning, didn't he? But, so far as the crowds were concerned, he left them unexplained. Why did he do that? He did it because God wants to feed only the spiritually hungry – not those who feel no humger. The spiritually hungry would chew over the parables, until they had extracted the nourishment within. But those who weren't hungry would just spit them out unchewed – and be none the better for it. In effect they were passing judgement on themselves. But all the time they were being challenged to do what the spiritually hungry were doing.

In verses 5-9 I see 3 examples of paradox – 3 seemingly contradictory statements. To arrive at truth for our lives we have to chew these over. Or, to change the metaphor, we have to dig for treasure. Either way, we have to work at it. I do commend this effort when you read the Bible. It will become much more than just a book to you, if you do that. Were we to read on to verses 10-12, we would see that the prophets of old had to do that about the messages God gave them – and even the angels desire to understand what they see unfolding before them! We really learn what we have found out for ourselves – we really digest what we have chewed properly – and we get rich ourselves from treasure that we've discovered.

What then are these 3 paradoxes?
1. Peter says we're shielded by God's power – but then he adds that this is through faith.
2. Peter says his readers greatly rejoice – although they are suffering.
3. They, and we, haven't seen Jesus – but we love him, trust him and are filled with joy because of it.
Let's take these one at a time.

1 Shielded by God's power, through faith.

There's no doubt that the first paradox is a great statement for true Christians – a real encouragement. I've just read that I'm an heir to a great fortune – and that it's being kept where no thief can get at it. It won't melt away or be ruined by being kept. It's quite safe. But the thought comes – the treasure is safe in heaven – but am I safe on earth? Am I really going to make it? What if my spiritual enemies overcome me here, and I lose my faith? Can I be sure of ever receiving my treasure. Isn't that the kind of doubt that potential converts sometimes express? I don't think I could keep it up!

Here's Peter's answer. We are guarded or shielded by God's almighty power. The word is a military one. Do you know the story of Elisha's servant, when they were in Dothan and it was besieged by the Syrian army? (2 Kings 6:15-23) Alas, my master! What shall we do? Elisha replies, Don't be afraid – those who are with us are more than those who are with them! And Elisha prayed, O Lord, open his eyes that he may see. And when the servant looked he saw the hills around the city were full of horses and chariots of fire.

All through the Old Testament the same confidence in the Lord is expressed. The name of the LORD is a strong tower – the righteous run to it and are safe. (Prov 18:10) The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock in whom I take refuge... (Psa 18:2) When David wrote such words he'd already proved them true in his experience – and they are true.

When the devil is getting us down – we are to cry to the Lord and he will deliver us! We can have peace in the midst of trouble. We all remember the story of the storm on the lake, with Jesus in the boat. (Mk 4:36-41) When he said, Peace, be still! he took away both the danger and the disciples' fear. That's one way the Lord may answer us. He can actually remove the source of trouble. But in that story there's another kind of peace – that which Jesus had, asleep in the midst of the storm.

David Watson tells the story of a Christian woman wonderfully and dramatically healed of cancer, in direct answer to prayer. But one week after returning home, her husband suddenly collapsed and died. Her first reaction was, Lord, you can't do this to me! How could you possibly let that happen when I need him most? But, she was able to kneel down and pray, and discovered as she did so – in her own words – the most wonderful comfort I have ever experienced. The Lord can keep us in the midst of trouble.

Why then does Peter add the words, through faith? In a way I've already answered it, haven't I? We actually need to cry out to the Lord, to trust in him. Would you expect a beleaguered outpost not to call up reinforcements?

But there's another danger. Do you remember how – when the devil tempted the Lord in the desert, the devil quoted Psalm 91, in which confidence in the Lord is very clearly expressed: He will give his angels charge of you, to guard you in all your ways – on their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. Jesus answered him, It is also written, Do not put the Lord your God to the test (Deut 6:16). There is such a thing as presumption. The devil was asking Jesus to presume on the basis of his being the Son of God. Now we can do likewise.
We can walk into spiritual danger, thinking that, as Christians, we're secure. We can think of doing things of which the Lord may not approve, and think it doesn't matter. We're only to go to places of evil and temptation if the Lord sends us, and not otherwise. How many of us have been disobedient, and grieved our Lord by not consulting him – perhaps by reading, listening or watching what we should not?

To be kept in God's way we mustn't put ourselves on autopilot and then expect God to save us from the rocks. God is very gracious, and he may indeed rescue us. But we've not been exercising true faith – and that's why Peter has this paradox. God's power is there to shield and guard us – and, in fact, he won't let us go, if we're really his. If we go astray, he will bring us back to the place of repentance and renewed faith. (1 Jn 2:1; 3:9) We are to trust and obey. To spend time with the Lord, not neglecting to read the Bible, or to have fellowship with other Christians. We are to be guided, not by our feelings, but by God's clear instruction. Then indeed God will guard our every step.

2 Rejoicing, yet suffering.

That brings us to our second paradox – rejoicing, yet suffering. The first thing to say – indeed I've already said it – is that God's protection against our enemy will not keep us from suffering. It was in God's plan for our Lord to suffer – for our sakes. And the pupil is not better off than his teacher. (Mt 10:24) We are told that Jesus himself was made perfect by his suffering. (Heb 2:10;17-18) Although he was the Son of God, he could not be our perfect High Priest, unless he himself had known testing, suffering – even death on our behalf. How can we learn to trust him, become like him – unless he teaches us by experience, by practice, to exercise trust in him? We ourselves are put to the test to strengthen our faith and deepen our relationship with our Lord.

Would David have written half the psalms he did, if he'd not experienced the enmity of Saul, and suffered all kinds of hardships as a result? We heard Hannah's song of praise and faith, after she'd parted with her only child, Samuel. Wasn't that praise born of a deep experience of God's loving mercy?

So many of God's people are today undergoing unremitting persecution, yet they experience God's upholding presence and can even rejoice in the midst of it all. Typical would be the story of Mirza Paulos, although he lived 100 years ago. He was an Iranian imam who became a Christian and suffered greatly at the hands of other imams. "At last, finding that chains nor torture could move him, he was cast into the streets almost naked and told to be gone, and on pain of death never to go near missionaries again. Paulos went straight to the man who had baptized him and said, bruised and torn as he was, Sahib, I have thought that I was one of Christ's sheep but, now that he has counted me worthy to suffer for him, I know I am."

Peter tells us the reason why God allows all this. Our faith – our trust in God – is very precious to God. Gold is precious to men – although it will perish along with all the rest of this created world. So when men get what they think is gold – what do they do with it? They test it with fire. They heat it in a crucible. What is genuine survives the test and is purified – but what is rubbish is destroyed.

God does the same with us – because our trust in him is often mixed with what is not real trust. As he tests us, we discover the truth about ourselves, and others see what genuine faith is really like. At the Last Day – when all secrets are revealed – God wants our genuine trust in him to shine out, free from dross. No doubt, to his faithful ones, the Lord will give praise and honour. But it will also be seen then, that it was by his grace and power alone that they were upheld – and so all the praise, glory and honour will redound to him alone.

Yes, God is in the business of purifying and changing us. Indeed, he's not merely the goldsmith, placing us – ever so lovingly – in the furnace. He's also the alchemist – changing, replacing our base metal and turning it into gold. We haven't really got gold of our own, that he has not given us – we owe it all to him!
We spoke last week of our inheritance, our future treasure, kept in heaven for us. We said this was not less than fulness of fellowship with our Lord and Saviour. (Psa 73:25-26; Phil 1:21-23) That's what our treasure is – fellowship with God our Father and Christ himself – and indeed with all God's people – in an intimacy we cannot even imagine. If that is God's plan and purpose for everyone of us who trust in him – then he is working to that end now. Why does God want to rid us of sin and self? Because it was these very things that came between us and him, and between ourselves. He wants to fill our lives with love – and to do that he must expel our self-centredness and disobedience.

The wonderful thing is – as we see that God is dealing with us as his loved sons and daughters – as we realise that we enjoy his love and presence even in the midst of present trials – we experience joy. Not a superficial happiness – but a deep, deep inward peace and strength arising from our Lord's companionship, and that living hope, which I talked about last week.

3 Jesus unseen, but we love him and trust him.

And that brings us to our final paradox. Peter had seen and known Jesus day by day for 3 years. But his readers – and we ourselves – have not seen Jesus. Yet we love him, believe in him – and this brings us an inexpressible joy.

Peter explains this by saying we are already receiving – the word could mean laying hold of – the goal, the final outcome of our faith – even the salvation of our souls. Actually there is another paradox here, for in verse 5 Peter says our salvation is ready – to be revealed at the end of time, at the last hour. So – are we to receive it when the Lord returns – or are we receiving it now? I believe we can resolve that difficulty in this way:

Already we have now a taste, a foretaste, of that final salvation that God has in store for us, and which must await Christ's appearing. Then we shall see him in his glory, and all will acknowledge him for who he really is. Now Christ remains hidden, veiled from our sight. His appearing doesn't imply his arrival from a distance – but an opening of our eyes to see things as they really are, even now – Christ reigning, sovereign in his Father's glory – but also in intimate union and fellowship with his people here on earth. Our love for Jesus and our trust in him is the work of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, indwelling our hearts.

That is why what we experience now can be a foretaste of the future, and that brings us true joy. But our full salvation awaits the removal of all sin, the redemption of our bodies, the full number of the elect. So we still await that great day. But the confident hope of it, and the experience of something of it already, transforms our lives.

So, I ask – does it really transform our lives? Are we really filled with inexpressible joy? And if not, why not? I said at the beginning that we needed to chew on God's truth, ponder and meditate upon it, if we're really to benefit from it. And that will include preaching to ourselves. Do we ever do that? Asking ourselves those awkward questions preachers ask of their hearers. And asking God to show us the truth about ourselves.

If what I've been saying has no answering echo in your soul – then ask if you've got genuine faith. Better that we should find that out now – and go and ask our Lord for real gold (Rev 3:18) – than discover we lack it when it's too late. (Matt 25:1-13)

But if, like me, you know a little of what Peter is talking about – but you want much more – then let's ask our Lord for that, even if it means we are taken through testing. Have you noticed that these verses speak about hope, faith and love? – all directed towards our Lord. If the greatest of these is love, love to him – and therefore to others, for he comes to us so often in the solid reality of other people – then let us ask him to pour his love more and more into our hearts. Then we shall experience that over-whelming joy, even in the face of present suffering.

I leave you with some thought-provoking words of a Kenyan Christian evangelist living in a drought-stricken, strongly Muslim area:
We are also affected by the drought even as we attempt to feed them with what we have in the way of the Gospel and the little food in our homes...
Most believers here are living on less than a dollar a day...
We are living with a desperate and hostile people. They don't care much about us. You feed them today and tomorrow they will be leading protests against you in town. But the love of the Lord compels us to continue serving among them...
We (Christians) are a community here; we are family. We look out for each other. We look out for each other's interests, for one can never tell when he or she will need other believers...