3. Rest Your Hope Fully

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3. Rest Your Hope Fully

Rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13

These words spoken by the Spirit of God through Peter are a commandment of the New Testament. These words are God speaking directly into me - a word of creation. As such they are Spirit and they are life.

As a New Covenant command, these words are something we "do," though it is not us doing it, but Christ doing it through us. If we forget and find ourselves fearful, no problem; when we remember, we simply place our hope back where God told us to put it. We do not "perform" obedience in order to measure up. On the contrary, the commands of the New Covenant are simply doorways of God's provision through which He releases joy and goodness into our lives.

Peter commands us here to "Rest." Another translation says "Set." But the meaning is the same, as when you set the dishes on the table where they "rest" waiting for food to be placed upon them.

We do not "perform" in order to please God, but there are actions of Christ through us that release the provision of God in our lives. Jesus commanded us to ask. James said that we do not have because we do not ask. I receive whatever I ask God for and expect to receive. If I do not ask with expectation, I will not receive. Whatever a person expects is what that person experiences.

When was the last time you or I raised someone from the dead? Not lately? Could it be because we do not expect to see such a thing? Yet there are precious fellow believers in other parts of the world who see people raised physically from the dead and restored to grieving and needy families because they expect God.

Do not imagine that not seeing God do things in us and through us is an indication that God does not do those things through His people. We do not expect God to do those things, therefore we do not see them. Do not ever limit God, nor put bounds around Him by saying, "This far and no more."

Next, Peter says that we are to "hope fully."

Paul gives us three elements of the reality of Christ in us; they are first love, then faith and hope. Even though hope is third, it is still vital to our lives. These are the "three legs of a stool." Remove any one of the legs and the stool falls over.

Hope is critical to our lives. Paul said in Romans 8 that we hope for something we do not now have. All things spoken by God we possess now in all reality through faith. But there are some experiences from God that we have not yet received. These are future, yet we are to place our hope upon them.

The most significant thing we hope for is the redemption of our bodies, the moment when our present physical bodies are swallowed up in life, made just like Jesus' resurrected body.

The hope Peter commands us to "rest upon" is part of that same experience. Keep in mind that little word "fully." This is a big deal to God and to us.

Third, we set our hope fully upon a "grace that is to be brought to you."

We have already received two levels of grace from God. Here, Peter speaks of a third measure of grace no one on this planet has received or known. First, Peter said "Hope," which means it is something we do not presently have. And second, he speaks this word into the church and into this present age, which means us.

The first level of grace we have received is the reality of Christ our life. I am in Him and He is in me. Christ is my life; I have no other life.

The second level of grace is the power of the Holy Spirit upon us for ministry. That grace, Paul said, enabled him to minister the gospel. Through that grace we see physical healing and provision; we are enabled to speak in tongues and cast out demons, to discern spirits and to know wisdom from God. It is even that second work of grace that enables us to understand the first work of grace and especially, to see the Bible as a Spirit word, Christ, alive and made new inside of us.

But Peter says, here, that there is a third measure of grace that none of us have ever known. He commands us to set our hope, our expectation, our hearts, fully upon the moment when we receive this third mighty grace, this third enablement from God that is even now coming upon us.

We never imagine that our present knowledge of Jesus Christ and of our union with Him means we have "arrived." A million years from now, after 365 million more revelations of Christ, new every morning, we will have hardly begun to know Him or the power and reality that He reveals through us.

More than that, we understand that neither Peter nor Paul nor John could teach us anything about this third measure of grace. They could not because they never experienced any part of this grace in their lives. That is what "hope" means. It has not yet come to the church.

Fourth, we must address this little word, "at."

Most of Christianity has decided that the word "at," here, means two specific things. They believe that it means "in" heaven. That the moment Christians die and find themselves "in heaven," from then on they enjoy fully this grace not yet received. A second thing it means to many Christians is "after." After Jesus reveals Himself visibly to all of the people on earth, coming down out of the sky, then, after that, we will know this grace that Peter is talking about here.

These definitions of "at" are nothing more than the original accusation against God: "Not here and not now."

The word "hope" also contains the immediate immanency of this grace. I expect God to give us this full measure of grace at any moment. The leaping expectancy of my heart, in fervent anticipation, knows that any day now we will receive this enablement from God that no Christian has ever known, save Jesus.

Hope is filled with faith. That means I make the fullness of Christ personal to me, with my expectation continuously raised high.

I reject both of those definitions of the word "at." We know that those who are in heaven do not have this grace, otherwise why would they still be waiting upon us? "In heaven" is just another way to believe not God, not now.

The word "at" as Peter used it means "in the midst of," "out of the operation of," "alongside of," "as part of," the revelation of Jesus Christ. This grace we continually set our expectation upon, any day now, with excitement and faith, is part of the "apocalupsis" of Jesus Christ, the unveiling, the removal of that which keeps the King of Glory in us yet unseen.

What is this third level, this third measure of grace we are expecting?

First, it belongs to all who belong to Jesus, whosoever will. It is the expectation of the normal Christian life. Yet it comes only through faith - it must be believed and received in order to become our experience.

Are you called to receive this grace coming upon God's people in these days? It is an extraordinary grace. It includes the fulfillment of every word God has ever spoken into this world from the beginning in and through us. It means a glory and power far beyond what was seen in Moses or Elijah or even in Jesus. It is not a "superman" grace, but the grace of a God who is meek and lowly of heart.

Are you called to receive a grace that neither Peter nor Paul nor Patrick nor Guyon nor Wesley nor Branham ever knew or received or tasted?

Do you want this grace? If you want this grace, the ability to stand with Him as He reveals Himself in His glory - through you. To be ready and able and willing in the day of His power. If you want it, then you are called to receive it.

If you are not interested, if the grace you have already received from God is all you want to know, you still walk in a wondrous way of life. If that is enough for you, you are blessed.

But I am writing this letter to those who long to be with Him as He reveals Himself in His glory. Those who think only of His triumph and glory.

You have every right in God to expect this grace, this third level of grace, to come upon you as Jesus Himself reveals Himself privately to you. Expect it, soon, any day now, with all the expectation of your heart.