"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 and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:3-5). 

Yesterday I preached on heaven.  Have you contemplated the subject of heaven much lately? Brooksyne recalls a lot more teaching and preaching on this subject in her childhood years. But here in America it seems the focus of the contemporary church seems to have changed somewhat. Oh sure, we still believe in heaven and certainly find it great comfort when a loved one dies in Christ. But how much do we really contemplate heaven while going about our daily routine?  Has the material prosperity we've experienced in our lifetime clouded the vision of our future home?

I'm very thankful for the inheritance I received from my parents.  They were by no means wealthy; my dad was a pipefitter, my mom a homemaker.  Yet through the years they had accumulated some assets and passed them on equally to their four children. However I am much more thankful for the intangible love and faith they passed onto me than the tangible assets I received.

Peter begins his first letter with a beautiful exclamation of praise to Almighty God: "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 He then lists two blessings from God that are rich gifts to every believer.  Both of these blessings are a result of His great mercy toward us.

1) Our present blessings: "According to His great mercy [God] has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."  We are "born again to a living hope."  That's our present standing, brothers and sisters!  Peter wrote the letter to encourage believers who were undergoing trials and persecution under Emperor Nero.  This reminder of their present standing with God provided much needed perspective and must have been encouraging to these persecuted believers. It should encourage us as well.

2) Our future blessings: "An inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you."  In the same sentence Peter reminds these dedicated believers of a future blessing yet to be rewarded.  The Jews looked forward to an inheritance in the promised land of Canaan.  But Peter reminds believers they could now anticipate a family inheritance untainted by sin in the eternal city of God.  This eternal inheritance is "imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away" which indicates permanence and continuance. What a glorious blessing this inheritance is for every believer in every generation.

This inheritance is "reserved in heaven for you." The word used for reserved has the sense "to guard by keeping the eye upon."  We can rest assured that our future inheritance is in good hands and cannot be tampered with.  For many years an insurance company has had the slogan "You're in good hands with Allstate." I once saw a church sign that stated, "God is like Allstate, you're in good hands with Him!"  Now, brothers and sisters, I chuckled when I saw that message and certainly caught the connection, but of course I'd rather rely on the assurance that God gives than the insurance that Allstate offers.

Today, being mindful of both our present and future blessings in Christ, let us "prepare our minds for action; be self-controlled; setting our hope fully on the grace to be given us when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:13).


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily Prayer:  Father, we thank You for making us joint heirs together with the family of believers in this wonderful eternal inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade kept in heaven for us.  We gratefully claim this inheritance and await the appointed date when we will experience in full the blessings it provides.   Troubles in this life diminish our hope, but rejoicing in the life yet to be revealed gives us a living hope!  Help us to fix our present hope on the future return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in whose name we pray.  Amen.

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The four major points to yesterday's message dealt with the concept of our reservation in heaven:
1) Reservations are required; Unlike many restaurants and hotels where we can walk in unprepared we must prepare for heaven and get our reservations before we die!
2)  Reservations are available to all who will call upon the name of the Lord.
3)  Reservations are paid in full through Christ's atonement.
4)  Reservations are confirmed when we surrender our lives to Christ.

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Last Friday's message prompted a quiz regarding well-known Scripture verses that I wondered how many might be able to identify simply by the numeric reference even without the book title. The answer key is posted below but I will repeat the quiz for any who missed Friday's message.

Just as 3:16 brings to mind John 3:16 what well-known verses do the following numeric references go with?

1. _____________ 8:28
2. _____________ 2:8,9
3. _____________ 29:11
4. _____________ 1:1
5. _____________ 6:33
6. _____________ 1:8
7. _____________ 16:31
8. _____________ 10:10
9. _____________ 3:23
10. _____________ 40:31
11. _____________ 13:1
12. _____________ 11:6
13. _____________ 23:1
14. _____________ 6:8
15. _____________ 119:105

The answer key is below. 

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