THURSDAY August 17th
1 Peter 1:20-21
‘He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.’
We continue today where I left off yesterday in our wonder at the miracle of God’s plan of redemption. Jesus willingly came into this world to be the Lamb who would be sacrificed for the sin of the world, that is your sin, my sin. He obediently went to the Cross and we have recorded in John 19:30 ‘When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.’ The Lamb really was slain for our sin, he did die, he gave up his life so that we may live again. But this incredible plan (remember the angels longed to look into it) had another incredible twist, for back in the Old Testament God had made this declaration in Psalm 16:10 ‘For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption’ and in the latter part of Isaiah 53:10 ‘he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.’
The Lamb that was slain would live again! The Lamb that was slain would not see corruption! The Lamb that was slain would see his offspring! And how? Three days after he had given up his spirit, the Lamb slain was raised to life again and he was raised as the One who had conquered the devil, sin and the grave. And for it all to happen it would take the Lamb, not any lamb, but the Lamb who had been prepared before the foundation of the world.
And as a result of his obedience, God not only raised him from the dead but also gave him glory. We could spend a lot of time considering what this word glory means but sufficient for now to conclude that it means that Jesus ascended back into the place of glory, he has the highest place that heaven affords and holds the highest name, he is the one to whom every knee will bow and every tongue confess saying that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2) and ‘But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone’ Hebrews 2:9.
Then finally from these verses in 1 Peter as a result of the whole outworking of God’s plan of redemption through the Lamb, Peter says our faith and hope are in God.
In other words we have entered into a real, personal and dynamic relationship with the true and living God, we have been made alive again, we have been reconciled to him, we have faith that is based upon fact and a hope that is guaranteed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.