10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. ~ 1 Peter 5:10-11
Today, we continue our study of 1 Peter 5 where the Apostle Peter has been helping us to view our sufferings from the context of eternity. Our suffering is a part of God's curriculum to mature us in the faith. Having walked with the Lord Jesus, the believer in Christ knows the truth of Romans 8:28, "That all things work together for good to those who are called to God according to his purpose."
In v.10 of today's passage we read, "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."
In this verse, Peter draws our attention to the fact that it is the grace of God that enables us to enter into a personal relationship with Him through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. In John 1 we read, "The law came by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Under the law of Moses, God demands righteousness from man. Under His grace, God gives righteousness to man. Under the law, righteousness is based on our good works; under grace, it's based on His finished work on the cross. Under the law, it only takes one sin to make us sinners; under grace, it only takes one Savior to fix it all. So to put it in its simplest form: grace is how God deals with you. It's not based on what you deserve, it's based on what the Lord Jesus did on the cross.
In 1 Corinthians 5:21 we read, "God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him." In other words, God treated the Lord Jesus Christ like we deserve to be treated, so He could treat us like the Lord Jesus deserves to be treated. That is the covenant of grace. We must know for ourselves God's grace to make it to the finish line. We are saved and secured by God's grace alone.
The second part of v.10 reads, "...who called you to his eternal glory in Christ." Here, the Apostle turns our attention to the call of God upon our lives. God's purpose for our lives goes beyond the grace-filled life and it includes eternal life. When the Lord Jesus prayed that private prayer to His Father in John 17, He said, "Father, I want all those that you have given me to be with me where I am, that they may see my glory." One day, and perhaps real soon, our Father in heaven will answer that prayer when He takes us to be with Him in His glory.
Next, in v.10, Peter writes, "...after you have suffered a little while." This suggests that there is light at the end of the tunnel in the process of suffering. In 2 Corinthians 4, we read, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though we are wasting away outwardly, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. And so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporal, what is unseen is eternal."
The point here s that we are to live this life looking forward to what's beyond life. C. S. Lewis said, "Christians who do the most for this present world are those who think most of the next. Aim at heaven and you'll get earth 'thrown in': aim at earth and you'll get neither."
The last phrase in v.10 reads, "...will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." In this one portion of the verse, we are reminded of those things that God has done on our behalf for eternity through the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The first is "He restores us" which literally means "to repair or mend a net," or "to set back in place a broken bone." When God mends our brokenness we will know the gift of holiness. This mending brings us to the place of being defined more by God and this is where we begin to grasp our wholeness or completeness in Christ.
The second is that "God makes us strong" which literally means "to be as firm as granite or steel." Through our suffering we are solidified and toughened, like fired and tempered steel. We need this type of tempered disposition in order to withstand this world's attacks upon us.
The third is that "God makes us firm" which literally, we will be "filled with bodily strength." It's like bodily discipline through exercise which toughens up a flabby body, replacing fat with muscle. That's what God's doing to and for us through our suffering.
The final thing the Lord did for us is He made it possible for "God makes us steadfast" which literally means "to provide a foundation for a building." Here, Peter uses an architectural term which pictures the believer in Christ running to Him through his suffering. Our troubles have as their design to drive us to our foundation who is the Lord Jesus Himself. In suffering we figure out what is superficial in life, what is unnecessary, and we are driven to THE only One upon whom we can build our lives.
In v.11 of today's passage we read, "To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."
The first is "He restores us" which literally means "to repair or mend a net," or "to set back in place a broken bone." When God mends our brokenness we will know the gift of holiness. This mending brings us to the place of being defined more by God and this is where we begin to grasp our wholeness or completeness in Christ.
The second is that "God makes us strong" which literally means "to be as firm as granite or steel." Through our suffering we are solidified and toughened, like fired and tempered steel. We need this type of tempered disposition in order to withstand this world's attacks upon us.
The third is that "God makes us firm" which literally, we will be "filled with bodily strength." It's like bodily discipline through exercise which toughens up a flabby body, replacing fat with muscle. That's what God's doing to and for us through our suffering.
The final thing the Lord did for us is He made it possible for "God makes us steadfast" which literally means "to provide a foundation for a building." Here, Peter uses an architectural term which pictures the believer in Christ running to Him through his suffering. Our troubles have as their design to drive us to our foundation who is the Lord Jesus Himself. In suffering we figure out what is superficial in life, what is unnecessary, and we are driven to THE only One upon whom we can build our lives.
In v.11 of today's passage we read, "To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."
Through Peter's outburst of praise here, we discover a principle behind it; and that is, when this life is all over, and the trials that shape our lives are all over, and the sufferings that bring refinement is all over, and death is all over, and we are in glory, then, we will all look back and say that everything that God did and allowed was perfectly justified. The proper response of the restored, strong, firm, and steadfast believer in Christ will be to give all the blessings back to the blesser. The Lord Jesus will get the credit for any success that we enjoyed. Therefore, to Him let us yield our lives for His glory because in loves service, only the broken can serve.
