Years ago, when I was an assistant pastor in Wisconsin, a couple met with me about issues of distrust that had come into their marriage. The usual “Well, pastor, she did this…” was followed repeatedly by “But he did that…” It was clear that each one felt that the other was living a life of deception. Finally, as her “trump card,” the woman said to me, “Just to show you how deceitful he is, last week, my jeweler told me the ‘diamond’ ring he gave me is made of cubic zirconia (CZ)! How can I trust him with anything if the very symbol of our vows isn’t what he said it is?” The issue for her was not so much that the ring wasn’t a diamond but that her husband had fooled her—and the ruse had gone on for seven years.
|
{hwdvideoshare}id=88|width=601|height=338|tpl=lightbox|thumb_width=200{/hwdvideoshare}
|
{hwdvideoshare}id=132|width=601|height=338|tpl=lightbox|thumb_width=200{/hwdvideoshare}
|
| Series Introduction | Week 14 Introduction |
This encounter came to mind as I was preparing for my message from 1 Peter 4:12–19. The main point I want us to consider after many months of studying Peter’s first letter is this: How can we tell whether our faith is real or not? Churchgoers say that we have been “born again into a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3) and that, thereby, Jesus has become the “cornerstone,” the center of our existences (1 Peter 2:4–7). But, how do we know that our claims are real? How can we be sure that we are not fooling others—and even ourselves—with regard to our faith?
A jeweler told me that cubic zirconia stones are so well produced that it is very difficult to tell one from a diamond. The best tests, he said, are pressure/abrasion (because diamonds are 500 times harder than CZ) and heat (because a genuine diamond does not hold heat). He said that experts can always tell the real thing with tests related to these characteristics. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be good if God gave us tests to help us know if our faith in Jesus is real?” And, Peter tells us that God does. God’s tests are…pressure and fire.
As you prepare to worship, meditate on two verses, 1 Peter 4:12 and 1 Peter 1:7:
Dear friends, do not be astonished at fiery trials you suffer as though something strange is happening to you.
Trials have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine...
To His Glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor