{"id":5839,"date":"2019-12-06T19:07:21","date_gmt":"2019-12-07T00:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christskingdom.org\/staging\/8402\/?p=5839"},"modified":"2026-06-03T15:21:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T19:21:14","slug":"1-peter-13-13-living-today-in-light-of-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christskingdom.org\/staging\/8402\/1-peter-13-13-living-today-in-light-of-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"1 Peter 1:3-13 – Living Today in Light of the Future (147)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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1 Peter 1:3-13 - Living Today in Light of the Future<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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By Steven J. Hogan<\/p>\n

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~ A Saturday Morning Post #147 ~

<\/em>God wants you to see the end from the beginning, from that time when you were saved until that time when you see Jesus Christ and are glorified and in heaven. It\u2019s so easy to get stuck in our own little world, in the here and now, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s imperative for you to see where you have come from and where you are going. A passage that explains this better than any I know is 1 Peter 1:3-13<\/a>. What you see is that the future is spoken of in 8 of these 11 verses, using words like \u201cliving hope\u201d<\/em> (3), \u201cinheritance\u201d<\/em> (4), \u201cheaven\u201d<\/em> (4), \u201clast time\u201d<\/em> (5), \u201crevelation of Jesus Christ\u201d<\/em> (7, 13), \u201csalvation\u201d<\/em> (5, 9, 10), \u201cgrace\u201d<\/em> (10, 13), and \u201cglories to follow\u201d<\/em> (11). What God is telling you is clear and convincing, that the only way to live today is in view of the future that He has already planned out for you.

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1 Peter 1:3-5<\/strong> sums up your Christian life, the past, present and future, from when you were born again to your life today to that time when you will receive your heavenly inheritance. There\u2019s direction<\/a> and movement in these verses, for they are not just focused on being born again, but on the fact that you now have a living hope, that which is to excite you and point you to your future in heaven. Your life isn\u2019t just sitting still, but is going someplace, and God Himself is moving you along and taking you to glory, to a \u201csalvation ready to be revealed in the last time.\u201d<\/em> And God\u2019s power will keep protecting you until that time when you will be fully saved, when you will be glorified. Jude 24-25

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1 Peter 1:6-9 <\/strong>talks about your present life, but again in light of the future. Right away you read about trials, and it tells you there are various kinds of them, they last only a little while, they are distressing, and they only happen if God says they are necessary. And these trials are for your faith,<\/a> which is extremely valuable, for it is a means to know God, to experience His grace, and to spiritual growth. Most importantly, it results in \u201cpraise, glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/em> At the end of this age, there will be one grand celebration, for all believers will be gathered together to see Jesus, and will be excitedly and wholeheartedly worshiping Him. Revelation 7:9-12

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These verses also instruct us how to live at this present time. First, we are to love God, and with all our heart. And we are to have faith in this One we cannot see, but soon will see, trusting Him, believing His word, knowing that He is fulfilling His plans<\/a> for us. And we are to greatly rejoice, for we know what\u2019s coming, \u201cthe salvation of our souls\u201d<\/em> and the glorification of our bodies. Do you see this, that your faith, hope, love and joy in the present are in light of the future, in view of that time when this age will come to an end, and Jesus Christ will be revealed for the entire world to see? 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8

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1 Peter 1:10-12 <\/strong>is an encouraging and motivating parenthetical. It tells us about the Old Testament prophets, men writing about 2400-2900 years ago, and they wanted to know more about the Messiah to come. They knew He would suffer, and that His glory would be revealed to the whole world, but they didn\u2019t know the specifics, they didn\u2019t know when, and they really wanted to find out, and so they \u201cmade careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time\u2026\u201d<\/em> And these prophets<\/a> did this for us – they were searching and seeking and writing for Christians, for those of us living in this church age. I must say, I get very excited, knowing that what the prophets wrote, along with the New Testament writers, is for us, especially since we now live in the end times.

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Here we are, thousands of years later, and we can look back<\/a> and see that part of what the prophets predicted has already taken place. We all know that Jesus Christ came to earth, and that He suffered, died, rose again, ascended into heaven, and that He will soon come back to fulfill the 2nd<\/sup> part of these predictions. But unlike the prophets, we now know there\u2019s a 2nd<\/sup> coming, at which time Christ will return to earth with \u201cgreat glory\u201d <\/em>(Luke 21:27), and then glorify us, and after that, the world will be full of His glory (Isaiah 6:3). Another amazing truth is that the angels long to look into these matters about Christ\u2019s 1st<\/sup> and 2nd<\/sup> comings. Just think, if the prophets wrote this for us, and the angels are looking into these things, shouldn\u2019t we be super-motivated to study and learn and tell others what God wants us to know about our glorious future? Mark 13:23

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1 Peter 1:13<\/strong> starts with \u201ctherefore,\u201d<\/em> which means it\u2019s the conclusion to this prophetic passage for Christians. In view of Christ being revealed, in view of being glorified and being in heaven, in view of receiving an incredible inheritance, how should you live on earth? You are to prepare your mind for action. You are to be spiritually awake, aware of what God\u2019s word says, alert to what He\u2019s doing in the world, and actively working for Christ, helping to carry out His end-time plans for the church. And you are to \u201cfix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/em> Don\u2019t get distracted by worldly things, but be focused on the fact that Christ is coming<\/a> soon, and be looking forward to seeing Him, knowing that He will then \u201ctransform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory.\u201d<\/em> Philippians 3:21\u00a0

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You can\u2019t miss the future in this present day, 1 Peter passage for Christians. Don\u2019t skip over it, make light of it, or think it\u2019s not relevant for your life, and especially at this time in history, with the return of Jesus Christ right around the corner. Might 1 Peter 1:3-13, this big-picture passage, help you to love Jesus all the more, and to live today in light of the fantastic future that God has \u201creserved in heaven for you.\u201d<\/em> 1 Peter 1:4

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P.S. I love this subject, the big picture of our lives. Having this perspective is a must if we are to be able to rightly and wholeheartedly live for the Lord. Here are two previous posts that address this same subject: “God’s Time Frame for Your Life,”<\/a> and “An Overview of Your Christian Life.”<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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