Joy Inexpressible & Filled With Glory

One thing that I love about the Bible—one of the reasons I am so glad that Refuge Church is a people who love this book and let me preach through it for 45 or 50 minutes at a time every week—is that the Bible is a book that is written by actual, real people.

That, for example, this morning, we get to receive from our brother Peter, one of the 12 disciples, one of the foundational Apostles of the Church. That the words of First Peter are actually words in a letter, written by a real person. These words aren’t cold, disinterested, detached data; they are a person poured out on paper.

And that person for us, Peter, is not just an Apostle, not just a leader of leaders, not just one of the 12—but a pastor. And it shows in our text this morning. His pastoral heart for the people of God shows in 1 Peter 1:6–9.

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

-1 Peter 1:6–9