Sufferings and Glory in Prophecy (1:10-12)
Sufferings and Glory in Practice (1:13-17)
Sufferings and Glory in Picture (1:18-21)
Sufferings and Glory in Prophecy (1:10-12)
Our salvation, spoken of previously (1:10) has been the subject of OT prophecy
In particular Peter identifies 2 great subjects of prophecy:
The Sufferings of Christ (v11)
The Glory that should follow (v11)
In addition, there are 2 aspects of these prophecies identified by the prophets:
'What' - (v11)
When - 'what manner of time' (v11)
cf. the NIV translation:
"Trying to find out the time and the circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glory that would follow" (NIV)
2 great subjects of prophecy:
Sufferings of Christ:
Psalm22
Psalm 69:1-4, 9, 21
Isaiah53
Zech13:6
Zech11:13
Glory that should follow:
Ps2:6 - Royal Glory of Christ
Ps16:10-11 - Resurrection Glory of Christ
Ps22:22 - Resurrection Glory of Christ
Ps14 - The Royal Glory of Christ
Ps68:18 - The Ascension Glory of Christ
Isa9:6-7 - The Personal Glory of Christ
Isa 33:17ff
Ezek 36:24; 37:24ff - Millenial Glory of Christ
Ezek 40
Notice however that these are not the only subjects of prophecy:
Incarnation of Christ: Micah5:2; Isa7:14; Isa53:2; Isa11:1-2
Life of Christ: Isa9:1-2
Person of Christ: Ps45:1ff; Ps110:1,4
If we were to rely on 1 Peter1:11 for a summary of the content of OT prophecy on Christ we think that it only dealt with the sufferings of Christ and then His Glory.
These are only 2 of the many aspects of OT prophetic revelation regarding the person of Christ.
These are the only 2 aspects of OT prophecy which concern Peter and his subject here however.
These are the 2 great themes of 1 Peter:
The Sufferings of Christ
The Glory of Christ
The Cross
The Crown
The Sufferings that lie behind
The Glory that lies ahead
In 1 Peter the Christian life is lived out between the cross and the Glory.
The cross that has gone before, places all of its demands upon my life, my life is lived out in the shadow of the cross.
As I identify with a crucified saviour, I identify with the demands of His cross: Gal2:20; Luke 9:23; Rom12:1-2.
As I identify with Christ, His Cross brings suffering and rejection in my life, I lift up my eyes and look off to His glory!
There is many a Christian who has never identified with the Cross of Christ and they never will for they fail to catch a glimpse of the Glory, of the inheritance, of the reward!
We’ll never get to grips with the cross of Christ till we get a glimpse of the glory of Christ!
2 Aspects of Prophecy:
What (v11)
Many prophecies deal with what.
What manner of time (v11)
Only 1 deals with when, with any precision (Dan chp9).
69 prophetic weeks of lunar years from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem in 444BC till Messiah is cut off, takes us to AD33.
Peter not only points out that the 2 great subjects of prophecy are: the Sufferings of Christ and the Glory of Christ.
He points out that the fulfillment of that prophecy is now (v12) “unto us they did minister.”
And so “unto us” it is given to live out our life between the: ‘sufferings of Christ’ and ‘the Glory that should follow.’
Our life takes its character form the cross and takes its courage form the glory that lies ahead.
The whole epistle is written between the cross and the glory. Chapter 1 begins with suffering (1:6-7,19) and chapter 5 ends with the crown (5:4).
Sufferings and Glory in Practice (1:13-17)
As believers we are called to apply the cross to the world we leave behind:
‘Gird up’ (v13)
‘Sober up’ (v13)
‘Look up’ (v13)
‘Gird up’ (v13)
Leaving Egypt behind you (Ex12:11)
Gather up any loose clothing that would hinder you.
Gather up any loose thoughts, focus your mind.
Recall it is the mind Satan attacks (2Co4:4), it is the “god of this age” he “blinds the minds”. Why the title, “god of this age” here? Why not Satan, the Devil or the deceiver? Because he uses this age as the means by which he attacks the mind, infiltrates the values, twists the thinking, dictates the agenda, introduces permissive morals, promotes the material and the temporal and draws men away from Christ. Most are not deceived by the supernatural but rather are deceived by the natural world controlled by Satan!
Most seem to have no seriously thought out objection to Christ and the gospel but rather are distracted by this world on their way to hell.
His is the method of material distraction.
As believers we must gird up the thoughts, protect and focus our minds.
It is so often the: wandering thought, the stray word, the distracted attention that causes us the problem.
‘Sober up’ (v13)
Focused on the matter at hand.
From this word for sober comes the word for self control, ‘the state of mind that is free from the excessive influence of passion, lust or emotion.’ (zodhiates)
Applicable to alcohol in particular but to the influence of all lusts and passions on the person, this individual is not at the mercy of his lusts, he by the Spirit of God is in control of himself. Note the context of verse 14.
- ‘Look up’ (v13)
“hope to the end” – the Glory
“not fashioning yourselves…” (v14) – note how the lusts mold the man.
We can see it in the extreme; the drug addict who has sold everything for his drugs, even his self respect, his lusts have shaped him, the alcoholic controlled by his lusts, sexual lusts controlling and bringing the downfall of a man caught in a web of adultery or immorality.
What we see in the disaster God is able to see in the details of our ordinary lives, as lusts and passions are left uncontrolled or without mortification and shape and mold our character: sexual desires, self promotion, material desires:
Temper left untamed
Appetite left uncontrolled
Thought left unguarded
Impulses followed without question
Indulgences constantly indulged.
These lusts shape your character, exert their influence upon us.
Note the same truth is presented here as in Rom12:1-2: “Be not conformed” (Rom12:2) is the same word as “not fashioning yourselves”.
Here shaped by our lusts, in Rom 12:2 shaped by the world, they are of course the same thing! “for all that is in the world…” (1Jo2:16).
As we leave the world behind us we press towards the Glory! (v15-16).
Conformed to the character of God (1:15) cf. Rom12:2.
A truth we have already learned (1:4) that our destiny and our inheritance lies in a Relationship (Eph1:4) – adoption by God and in a Resemblance (Rom8:29) – Conformed to the image of Christ.
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