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Colin Smith: Everyone has something in their life that they wish was different. Peter says, covering the whole range, you have been grieved with various trials. You can fill in the detail of what that means for you. Now here is the question: Why? What purpose could God have in these trials? What good might we hope would come out of them?

Steve Hiller: Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m Steve Hiller and Colin, I can just imagine over the many years that you’ve served as a pastor, you must have been asked that question why? Why does God allow this trial in my life? You've probably been asked that hundreds of times.

Colin Smith: It’s the number one question and it’s always the most pressing question, isn't it? People who suffer have a sense of, I can endure this but I need to know that there's some purpose, that there's some good that's going to come out of it. If I thought that it was just random, then it would be completely unbearable. Give me some rationale, why?

And we're going to look in the Scriptures today at some very clear statements that the Apostle Peter makes about what comes out of the trials that God's children suffer, the good purposes that God accomplishes in them and through them. And I hope that this is going to be really encouraging for a person who's saying, why am I going through this today? That you'll get some glimpse of what you can look to God to do in and through the things that you wish were different in your life. But God has a bigger purpose and he's going to accomplish it in you and through you.

Steve Hiller: Let’s open our Bibles together to the book of First Peter. We're in chapter one, focusing on verses three to nine as we continue our message, Tested Faith. Here is Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: How do you know that your faith is genuine? And that is a real question because there are many people who at one time profess some kind of faith and then turned back. So how do you know that your faith is genuine? Well, Peter has the answer. He tells us that when you are grieved by various trials and despite them, you continue to love and to trust and to obey the Lord Jesus Christ, then you have decisive proof that your faith is genuine.

And here's why. If your faith was simply a human decision, if it was simply a religious interest, if it was simply a passing phase, then you would renounce your faith as soon as it became too costly. If God did not do what you wanted, if he did not give you what you asked, if your faith was simply a human decision, you would turn away from worship, you would turn away from the word of God, you would give up on prayer, you would no longer believe, and you would no longer obey the Lord Jesus Christ.

The natural response when Jesus Christ leads a person into hard places would be to turn back and no longer follow him. But you see, Peter is writing here to people who have endured great trials and they did not turn back. And he's saying to them, well, there can only be one explanation. You have been born of God. You have a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The life of God is in you. The Spirit of God indwells you. Your faith has been proved genuine. You belong to Jesus Christ and he is yours forever.

Tested faith is genuine faith. And now Peter goes on to tell us why that is so important. Because tested faith is more precious than gold. The tested genuineness of your faith, he says, more precious than gold that perishes. Now, do you see that Peter is talking here about the value of a genuine faith? Now the world looks on with condescending disdain in regards to faith. Well, faith is a good thing, especially for those who feel that they need it. That's the way in which the world views faith. It's something of very little value indeed. The world sees faith as a crutch for weak people.

But you see, Peter tells us here that far from being a crutch, genuine faith is a gift of infinite value. And to press home how valuable it really is, he makes this comparison. He puts it alongside money. Not just a little money, but a lot of money. He talks about pure gold.

Suppose a man has millions of dollars, millions. He is blessed. There are many joys of life that he can savor because of his money, but only for a short time. Very soon he will have to kiss his money goodbye. Gold is a finite value. But genuine faith, Peter is telling us, is of greater value by far. It is more precious than gold. Gold will give you access to many pleasures for a short while. Genuine faith will give you access to the presence of God where there is fullness of joy and pleasures at his right hand forevermore.

Steve Hiller: You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called Tested Faith. And we've been seeing how tested faith is genuine faith, how it's more precious than gold. And when we come back, we're going to look at how tested faith will result in praise, glory, and honor. So I hope you'll stay with us.

Colin Smith: So faith that is tested and proved genuine is more precious, Peter says, than gold. Spurgeon says, if you have faith, you don't need to ask for much more, except that your faith will grow. And then Peter takes this comparison between faith and gold a step further. Notice that he speaks here about gold that perishes though it is tested by fire.

He's talking, of course, about the way in which gold is purified or refined in the fire. And he's saying in the same way, faith is strengthened, faith grows, faith is refined when it is tested and when it is tried. Amy Carmichael was an Irish missionary who started a rescue home for young girls who had been trafficked in India. And she tells of an occasion when she went with the girls under her care to visit a goldsmith who was refining gold in a charcoal fire.

And they watched as he put the gold into a curved tile and then put this crucible into the fire. And then he'd take it out and have a look at the gold. Then he'd put it back in. Then he'd take it back out and have a look at the gold again. And someone asked him, how do you know when the gold is refined? And the goldsmith gave this answer, "When I can see my face in it, then it is pure."

When your faith is tested, it will grow. It will be refined. And when the refining is done, God will produce a reflection of his own image and likeness in you. And that is why faith is of greater worth than gold. Faith that is tested and proved genuine is of infinite value.

Steve Hiller: Well Open the Bible is a listener supported program. We're able to be on the station because of your generosity. And as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to say thank you by sending you a copy of Pastor Colin's brand new book based on this series. It's called Grow in Faith. We'd love to send you a copy again as our way of saying thank you for your financial support. You can find out more or give online when you come to openthebible.org or call 1-877-OPEN-365. That's 1-877-673-6365. Or again, the website is openthebible.org. If you joined us a little bit late, we're in the book of First Peter chapter one, looking at verses three to nine as we get back to the message. Here is Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: Tested faith is genuine faith. Tested faith is more precious than gold. And then Peter tells us that tested faith will result in praise, glory, and honor. Look at what he says here. You have been grieved by various trials, so that, here's what will come out of it, the tested genuineness of your faith may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Now, the obvious question is, whose praise, glory, and honor are we talking about? And there are two answers to that question. You remember that Jesus tells us that faithful servants will be praised by the Master himself. Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your Master's joy.

And in Romans in chapter two, Paul says of a person who's come to love God from the heart and a person who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, that his praise is not from man but from God. Then as we think about honor, in First Corinthians chapter four and verse five, Paul speaks about the great day when God will bring to light the things that up until that point have been hidden in darkness. And then God will disclose the hidden purpose of every heart. What a day that will be.

And then the Apostle says this: Each one will receive his commendation from God. Now, you read that and you may find it very hard to imagine God himself commending you. But look at what it says. If you are in Christ, if by faith you persevere through trial, the Bible says that God himself will commend you, honor you.

And then Peter uses the word glory. And later in this first letter that he writes, there are some words given to elders that can rightly be applied to all who extend themselves in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is what Peter says: When the Chief Shepherd appears, here's what will happen, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Glory. Praise, honor, glory.

And here Peter brings the three together. Faith that is proved genuine, he tells us, will result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Now, who are these people who are praised and honored by the Lord Jesus Christ himself? Well, they are those who in the face of great trials, great darkness, grief, suffering, and loss, they have loved and trusted Christ still. The greatest honor that you can give to the Lord Jesus Christ in all of your life is to love him, trust him, and obey him in the midst of sorrow and loss that you do not understand.

Now, what will those who have endured great trial do with this praise and this honor and this glory? Well, you know what they will do. They will lay any praise, any honor, and any glory that they receive at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. And they will say any strength that we had, and any perseverance that we showed, and any faithfulness that we sustained was by your grace and by your grace alone.

John tells us in the book of Revelation that the elders cast their crowns before the Lord Jesus Christ. And picking up on that, Charles Wesley wrote these words: Finish then, your new creation, pure and spotless let us be. Let us see your great salvation, perfect in eternity. Changed from glory into glory till in heaven we take our place, till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder and love and praise.

And notice that Peter says that this praise, glory, and honor will come at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now Peter, of course, is speaking here about the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the Bible often speaks about this as his coming. But that's not the word that Peter uses here. Here Peter speaks of his being revealed. He uses the word revelation.

Now, what is the difference between Christ's coming and Christ being revealed? They clearly refer to the same event, but there's a different emphasis and there's a different focus. And Peter chose his word carefully under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. Revealed.

When you have a reveal at the end of a show or at the end of a project, it is the unveiling of something that is already there. And a scholar by the name of Alan Stibbs has made this very beautiful comment. He says the revelation of Jesus Christ is not the coming of someone hitherto absent, but the visible unveiling of someone who has been all the time spiritually and invisibly present.

When Amy Carmichael took her girls to watch the goldsmith at work, she pointed out to them that the refiner never leaves the gold when it is in the fire. In every trial that you have faced, your Savior has all the time been invisibly present. Brother, sister in Christ, your faith will be tested. When your faith is tested, it will be refined. It will grow. Tested faith is genuine faith. And a tested faith that proves genuine is more precious than gold. And a tested faith that proves genuine will result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. The same trial that brings you pain, grief, and sorrow right now will bring praise, glory, and honor when you see Jesus Christ face to face.

Now I want to end with a very simple parable to press the main point of the message today home. It's a parable that I'd call the parable of the pit. And it's a very simple analogy to remind us that there are discoveries of God's grace that we can only make in the darkest places. There's something that you can gain in the hardest places of your life that you will not gain anywhere else.

Imagine then with me for a moment that you are told that you will be in a pit for one week. You're told that after that week in the pit, you will never ever go there again, never in all of your life, and that while you are there, you are to use the time and the opportunity to make a life and a future. You're lowered into this pit. It's dark, it's damp, and it smells. You feel around. The walls are like glass. You cut your finger. You think, what can I do here to make a life and a future?

You sit miserably in the darkness. You think, well at least I'm only going to be here for one week and I have been promised that after one week I will never be here again. And so you count the hours, you count the days. You simply wait for the time to pass. You do nothing. You just sit there. And finally, one week later, the day comes when you are lifted out of the pit. And you rejoice because you know that you will never be there again.

But as you leave the pit, you look backwards and you see a sign that tells you that the place you have been for an entire week was a diamond mine. There are gems of grace that can only be found in the darkest of places. So when your faith is tested, make sure that you don't come out empty-handed.

Steve Hiller: Pastor Colin Smith with a message today called Tested Faith, part of our series called Grow in Faith. And if you ever want to go back and listen to a broadcast again, or maybe one you missed, you can do that when you come to our website, visit openthebible.org. You can stream the program or download an MP3 for free. You can also listen through the Open the Bible app. That's like listening on demand whenever it fits your schedule. You'll find the app for free at your App Store. And in addition to this daily radio program, you'll find our weekend broadcast, our daily devotional, and a lot more. So again, find the app at your App Store, just look for Open the Bible, or come and connect online at openthebible.org.

Well Open the Bible is a listener supported ministry. It's your generosity that allows us to bring you Pastor Colin's teaching, whether you listen online, on the radio, podcast the program, or however you've connected with us. And as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to send you a copy of Pastor Colin's brand new 30-day devotional. It's called Grow in Faith. And Colin, why did you write this book?

Colin Smith: Well, the Bible speaks to us repeatedly about the central importance of faith and of hope and of love. At the end of First Corinthians 13, Paul speaks about everything else is going to pass away, but these things are going to remain: faith, hope, and love. So they're of central importance. And of course, they speak to the needs of our world today. I mean, we're living in days where so many people experience fear and a sense of gloom and where there's so much conflict. We need faith, hope, and love.

And so Grow in Faith is actually the first of a series of three books that are coming out beginning this month and then in the two months that follow. Really excited and grateful for the opportunity to do this. If God's people can grow in faith, grow in hope, and grow in love, then the world is going to see something distinct about us that is very powerfully attractive. And so I hope that these books are going to be a means of God's blessing and encouragement to many. Start this month with Grow in Faith and follow up next month with Grow in Hope and the month after that with Grow in Love.

Steve Hiller: Well we'd love to send you Grow in Faith this month to say thank you for your financial support. You can give online at openthebible.org or when you call 1-877-OPEN-365. That might be easier to remember as 1-877-673-6365. And again our website is openthebible.org. For Pastor Colin Smith, I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening and I hope you'll join us next time.