Grace to You Weekend

John MacArthur: We're protected because God has given us a living hope. That is to say, it's a hope built into our faith that cannot die. God has given us a faith that is energized by divine power that cannot be assaulted. No force is its equal. And God also protects us through a faith that is tested and tried.

Phil Johnson: Welcome to Grace to You Weekend with the Bible teaching of John MacArthur. I'm your host, Phil Johnson.

In the decades that Grace to You has been on the radio, airing thousands of John MacArthur's sermons covering hundreds of topics, an issue that always gets a huge response, the doctrine of election. Why do you suppose that is? Well, if you've ever wrestled with the idea that God chooses whom he saves, or whether sinners have free will to choose or reject Christ, or if you can lose your salvation, then you've wrestled with issues of God's sovereignty and salvation, what are known as the doctrines of grace.

John is helping you sort out those questions from Scripture in his current series called The Doctrines of Grace. We'll continue that study in just a moment. But first, the Grace to You staff recently returned to the office from the holiday break, and many of them have been doing nothing but digging through piles of letters that we received in December. And I simply want to take a moment to say thank you for your amazing support.

Your generosity allows us to keep doing what we're doing, broadcasting verse-by-verse Bible teaching that changes lives. Your support also helps us make free resources available month by month, by mail, and much more. So, thank you for partnering with us in our work of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time.

And know that we are committed to broadcasting John MacArthur's Bible teaching for as long as the Lord allows. And now, let's get to today's lesson to continue our current study on the doctrines of grace. Here's John.

John MacArthur: Let's go back to our text, 1 Peter chapter 1. And let me go back just to what we said last time. First of all, we're protected by a living hope, protected by a living hope. Verses 3 and 4, 1 Peter 1.

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, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, will not fade away. I love this word, reserved in heaven for you.

Secondly, we are protected by God's own power. We just simply said last time, that phrase in verse 5, "protected by the power of God," is intended to remind us that we are protected by the greatest power there is.

Thirdly, and this is very important for us, we are protected by hope, we are protected by power, we are protected by trials. We are protected by trials. This may seem to be sort of counterintuitive, against the grain of what seems reasonable at first, but I want to show you how important this is. If you don't get anything but this, you will get the heart and soul of this wonderful truth here.

Look at verse 6. In this you greatly rejoice. Sure, of course we rejoice that we're protected by God's power, protected through a living hope. We do rejoice in that. We rejoice even though now for a little while, if necessary, if God determines that it's necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.

Trials strengthen faith and they reveal true faith. Look at James chapter 1. James chapter 1, verse 2 says essentially the same thing. "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials."

You know, I guess there's something wonderful about getting to the age I'm at. People ask me, "Do you question your salvation?" Sometimes young people ask me that. "I'm struggling with whether I'm really a Christian or not." Do you struggle with that? And my answer honestly is no. When I was very young, you know, the devil would hammer me with doubts. But the truth of the matter is, I don't question the true character of my saving faith because it's withstood so many trials.

Every time you go through a trial, you see the nature of your faith. The trials don't help God find out what kind of faith you have. He gave it to you. It's not that He needs information about your faith, but they become a joy to you. When you encounter various trials, verse 3, "knowing the testing of your faith produces endurance and endurance has a perfecting result."

I mean, what is more wonderful, what is a greater gift than to have the assurance of salvation? Anything better than that? If you've ever lived with doubts and fears and all of that, it's wonderful to know you've got the real thing. It's wonderful to see its capability to survive disaster. In fact, I have found in my life that the more severe the trial, the stronger my faith is. The more my confidence in God rises.

2 Timothy is another text that is helpful on this. 2 Timothy 1:8. Paul says, "Join me in suffering for the gospel, according to the power of God." Verse 9, "God who saved us, called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity." There is that doctrine of election, predestination, which is foundational to our security.

But he says in verse 10, "now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher." For this reason, I also suffer. But I am not ashamed. He's saying, I survive amazingly. In fact, I rise to the occasion.

The greater the suffering, it seems as though the brighter the shining testimony. And now Paul can say from personal testimony, middle of verse 12, "I know whom I have believed." How do you know Him? Because He's manifested Himself. He's manifested Himself in all my suffering, in all my trials. And I know whom I have believed. I know that I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. What is that day?

Redemption Day, the day of Christ, the day you see Him face to face. I know whom I have believed. I know that I have believed. I know He is able, that is *dunatos*. He is powerful to guard what I have entrusted to Him.

And by the way, that's paratheke, that's deposit. What I've deposited with Him. My life, my soul, my eternity. I know He's able to guard it. I know He can guard it through my faith because no matter what the trial, my faith never fails. He has given me a faith that survives it all. Real faith emerges from trials stronger than ever.

You know, back to Romans 8 again. You just can't stay away from that chapter talking about this. But in Romans 8, Paul says in verse 35, "Who's going to separate us from the love of Christ?" Is there anything that can happen that can cause Christ to stop loving us? Or you could flip it over, either way in the Greek, "Is there anything that could happen that could cause us to stop loving Christ?"

Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword? You think he just sort of grabbed those words out of the air? No, that's autobiographical. Been there. Tribulation? Daily plots against my life. Distress, without food, without clothing, cold, in the sea. Persecution, constant. Famine, often. Nakedness, as a prisoner, beaten with whips, rods. In peril of robbers, in peril of my own countrymen, in peril of the Gentiles, he gives a whole list in 2 Corinthians 11. Sword? Been there, seen that, waved at me.

And I'm telling you, in it all, though we are put literally on the brink of death all day long, we were considered a sheep to be slaughtered. Verse 37, "But in all these things we overwhelmingly" what? "Conquer." That's where the word Nike comes from. Nike, the conqueror. See, this kind of faith that God gives us rises in the trial. It rises.

I've never faced persecution. I've faced some pretty hostile environments. You have to put your faith on the line in some environments. I find, I find a level of energy and a level of commitment and a level of conviction and a level of boldness in those environments that perhaps is even greater than others.

And there is that, that work of the Holy Spirit so that that trial becomes for me the affirmation that the faith not mine, but that He's given me is the real thing. Trials do, back to our text, produce distress for a little while. They come like fire to burn off the dross.

And that's the point. Not only do they reveal your faith, but they purify it. And what emerges, 1 Peter 1, is a faith that is more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire. When you get your faith tested, it comes out purer, more precious.

And I will tell you, you know, with that in your mind, you, instead of asking for God to protect you from trials, you should ask Him to make sure He puts you through all the trials necessary to give you the confidence that your faith is real.

So we're protected. We're protected because God has given us a living hope. That is to say, it's a hope built into our faith that cannot die. God has given us a faith that is energized by divine power that cannot be assaulted. No force is its equal. And God also protects us through a faith that is tested and tried.

There's something else here that I must mention to you, 1 Peter. Number four in my little list, we are protected by eternal purpose. By a living hope, divine power, trials, and eternal purpose. Look at verse 7. We are headed for something, the end of verse 7, "to be found in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

Our faith is designed to survive to the end. This is an amazing premise. We have a faith that hopes, a faith that is unassailable, protected by divine power, a strength of faith that is only made stronger through trial. We have a proven, tested faith that finds its fulfillment in the purpose and plan of God in a union with the Lord Jesus Christ at His appearing, at which time we receive glory, praise, and honor from God.

That goes right back to the reason we were saved in the beginning. We were chosen so that we would be brought to eternal glory. You know what the Bible teaches us about this? We'll be like Him, we'll have a body like unto His body. We have a heavenly home. He's preparing a place for us. We're just passing through this world. We're not citizens here. This momentary light affliction that we suffer is not to be compared with that glorious weight of glory that awaits us in His presence.

We cry out for the redemption of our body because we know what God has prepared for those that love Him. You know all those verses. We are already, as it were, heavenly citizens. Our Father is there, our home is there, our life is there. The pledge of God is to bring us to eternal glory.

And by the way, that was His pledge, not at the time of our hearing the gospel and believing it. That was His pledge to us in eternity past, long before we ever, or anybody ever was even created. God predetermined then that we would be brought to eternal glory. That is to say, you don't understand salvation at all if you don't understand its three dimensions. There is the point at which you believe, there is the process by which you are kept, and there is the final salvation in which you are glorified. And when God predetermined to save you, He predetermined that all three would take place, not some part of them.

That's why in Romans 8:18 Paul says, "I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the glory that's to be revealed to us." Whatever we might suffer here, we rejoice because it shows us we have a real faith and strengthens that faith. And none of that suffering is to be compared with the glory that God has predetermined for us.

So we are protected by a living hope, divine power, trials, and the promise of eternal glory. Can I just give you one more? Number five, we are protected by undying love. We are protected by undying love. Verse 8. "Though you have not seen Him, you love Him." "Though you have not seen Him, you love Him."

That's the bottom line. We have a love for Jesus Christ. If anybody doesn't love the Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 16:22, "let him be accursed." This is a profound statement about the nature of true salvation. It is characterized not only by faith in Christ, believing in Him, but loving Him. You heard somebody in baptism say, "Just because I believed the facts, I assumed I was a Christian." You can believe the facts and not be saved. The devil believes the facts, the demons believe the facts, they know them to be true. The issue here is loving the Lord Jesus Christ. And you love me if you keep my what? My commandments.

You love me if you desire my glory and my honor. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. If you were to define Christianity in its purest sense, you would have to use that word love. You could talk about believing in Christ, but you really wouldn't get there because so many people say they believe in Jesus Christ. In fact, I read a man said that there are three billion Christians in the world.

Well, there are probably three billion people who believe in Jesus. But I'm quite sure there aren't that many who love Him, who love Him sacrificially, who love Him totally, who love Him obediently, who love Him worshipfully, who love Him righteously. And because we love Him, though we do not see Him now, verse 8 says, "but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory."

You can tell a Christian because they love Christ so much, it comes out in joy. It comes out in joy. Why do we sing? We sing because we're filled with joy. About whom do we sing? We sing about Christ.

I like praise choruses, you know, but I guess 90% of the praise choruses are sort of drawn out of the Old Testament. I like to sing about Jesus Christ. I don't mind singing about the Old Testament, but I like to get to the good part. That's Christ. We love Him.

What did Jesus say to Peter in John 21 when He wanted to restore him? At the Sea of Galilee, He said, "Peter, do you" what? "Do you love me?" That's the way He defined his relationship. "Do you love me?" And Peter says, "I love you." He said, "Well, then do what I tell you." Feed my sheep. And He knows if we love Him. 1 John 4:19 says, "We love Him because He first loved us."

You know, a true human relationship requires love and trust. Love and trust. So does our relationship with Christ. That's how it's really defined. And there's no such thing as a Christian who doesn't love Christ. And all your life long as a believer, you grow in your love for Christ. You grow in your affection for Him.

That's why the Apostle Paul says, "that I may know Him." Because the more you love someone, the more you want to know them. Paul knew he was loved, and back to Romans 8 again, he knew nothing could separate him from Christ's love for him, but he also knew nothing could separate him from his love for Christ.

I mean, isn't that the idea? You can hit me with whatever you want. You can hit me with tribulation, distress, persecution, nakedness, famine, sword, and nothing will change my love for Christ. Nothing. I love Him with a love that He gave me. Romans 5:5, "the love of Christ shed abroad in your heart." It's a gift from God just like faith. You've been given a supernatural faith, you've been given a supernatural love which never changes.

And so it is that undying love that holds on to us. It's a component of our faith. So, we're kept through faith, verse 5, and now verse 9 finally. What is the end? Obtaining, listen to this, "as the outcome of your" what? "Your faith, the salvation of your souls." That's why we say this, folks, that this doctrine should be called the perseverance of the saints, or better yet, the perseverance of faith.

You have been given a faith that never perishes. You have been given a faith that is protected by the power of God, a faith that has a hope that never dies, a faith sustained by a divine power that can't be overthrown, a faith that is proven, tested, strengthened through trials, a faith that is designed for the fulfillment of eternal glory which was promised before the world began, a faith that contains within it an undying love for Christ. And the outcome of that faith will be the obtaining of the final salvation of your souls.

And simply, folks, there is no escape from this reality. No escape. The result of this saving faith is your final salvation. The present salvation which you're now experience is a result of this faith. The initial salvation was the result of this faith. And the final salvation will be yours because this faith will persevere and endure to the very end. That is the nature of this faith. It is nothing less than a permanent gift from God.

Phil Johnson: You're listening to Grace to You Weekend, featuring the Bible teaching of John MacArthur. John's current study is titled The Doctrines of Grace. Now, friend, this ministry exists to help people like you know God's word and avoid the dangers of false doctrine. That's why we offer thousands of Bible study resources free of charge at our website, including all of John MacArthur's sermons from his decades of pulpit ministry. That's over 3,600 sermons available in MP3 and transcript format.

So, take advantage of those study tools when you contact us today. Our website is GTY.org. There you can read blog articles or catch up on any radio broadcasts that you may have missed. You can also follow along with the reading plan from the MacArthur Daily Bible, and you can work through multiple daily devotionals written by John. Again, it's all free of charge at GTY.org. Our web address one more time, GTY.org.

And to really dig deeper into God's word, I would encourage you to pick up the MacArthur Study Bible. It has 25,000 footnotes that explain virtually every passage of Scripture. The MacArthur Study Bible comes in the New American Standard, the New King James, the English Standard, and the Legacy Standard versions. To place your order, maybe pick up a late Christmas present for a loved one, call us at 800-55-GRACE, or view all of the Study Bible options at our website, GTY.org.

Now, for our entire staff, I'm Phil Johnson. Remember to watch Grace to You Television Sundays on Direct TV Channel 378, or check your local listings for station and times. And make sure you're here next week when John MacArthur looks at one of the most controversial truths in the Bible, Divine Election. It's another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on Grace to You Weekend.