Long's Chapel Christian Church

The Best is Yet to Come                                 February 5, 2012
I Peter 1:3-4

There was a baseball player Darryl Strawberry, plagued by drug addictions, jail time, and cancer, stood before a judge in Tampa and confessed. “I’m an addict; I go out and use drugs. I figure the drugs may kill me. “He continued, “Life hasn’t been worth living for me. The basic truth is I just wanted to die”. I would rather go ahead and kill myself. I couldn’t   kill myself because of the fact of my five children. “I started to look at them and that wouldn’t be fair to them to kill myself that way”. We all go through times of severe depression and dark nights of the soul. Simon Peter had such a night. The friend he denied three times had been crucified, and his heart was shattered. He must have been thinking back with the words of our text. We can observe five great truths from I Peter 1:3.

1.  Let us observe the abundant mercy that God has toward us. Mercy is compassionate treatment for those who don’t deserve it. The two blind men in Jericho cried out, “Have mercy on us, O Lord”. The Canaanite woman in Matthew 15 cried, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David”. The ten lepers in Luke 17 cried, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” The publican in Luke 18 said, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” Warren Wiersbe puts it this way: “Grace is what God gives me that I don’t deserve; mercy is what God doesn’t give me that I do deserve. “ Have you cried out to God for mercy?

2. Let us look at the amazing salvation. God through His abundant mercy has begotten us again. WE are born again, saved people who have a great future and we know that the best is yet to come. Born again means we are new creations in the Lord Jesus Christ, Old things pass away and all things become new. Jesus   gives us eternal life and we will not perish. Having a new life we can start living, walking with our God and enjoying the good things that God gives to us.

3. Let us consider the awesome hope that we have. Our hope is built on our relationship with Jesus. This is a living hope that all Christians have. Ours is built on Jesus Christ and His righteousness. Jesus makes some promises in John 14. He tells us that we do not need to have a troubled heart. In His Father’s house are many rooms. He is going to prepare a place for us. Then He is coming back for us that we might be with Him in glory. We have a new body waiting for us, all of heaven awaits us, joy forever more as we fellowship with God. The best is yet to come!

4. Let us remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. He lives and because of that we live too. We will have a glorified body just like His. Our hope is centered in Him. The best is yet to come!

5.  Let us be assured of our inheritance! Christians have an inheritance waiting for them. It is reserved, incorruptible, undefiled, kept reserved in heaven by God. The future looks so bright for us. We have trial and tribulations here, but the best is yet to come.
Let us think about all the things that awaits us, we have hope, and the best is yet to come.