Making Our Way to Calvary - Pt. 1

 

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. (1 Peter 1:10–12 ESV).

 

We are but three weeks away from Easter. In these days I pray that looking through the lens of some of the great reformers we may be able to see the glory of this great gift God has given us through the work of Christ. The first of these takes us to our reading today and a quote from Thomas Brooks, who lived from 1608 to 1680. He was a prominent English non-conformist Puritan preacher and author known for his vivid, practical, and highly illustrative writing style. Often referred to as a "doctor of the soul," his works are celebrated for their deep spiritual insight and simple, accessible language that continues to influence Reformed thought today. He wrote in A String of Pearls the following:

 

“A believer’s inheritance, his glory, his happiness, his blessedness, shall be as fresh and flourishing after he hath been many thousand thousands of years in heaven as it was at his first entrance into it… There is a worm at the root of all earthly inheritances that will consume them in time. All earthly comforts and contents are but like a fair picture that is drawn upon the ice, which continues not; or like the morning cloud, that soon passes away. But a believer’s inheritance endures forever. When this world shall be no more , the inheritance of the saints shall be fresh, flourishing, and continuing.”

 

The Apostle Peter speaks of the things that await us as a result of our redemption as “things into which angels long to look” (v. 12). Can you imagine? That which is our gift because of the work of Christ are things the angels long to look at. These great celestial creatures who surround the throne of God have a desire to see these things because of their greatness. The Greek language is especially helpful here. Literally Peter writes the “eagerly peer into or study” the mysteries of the Gospel, specifically the salvation of humanity, the sufferings of Christ, and the subsequent glories. This signifies an intense angelic interest in God's grace, mercy, and wisdom in redemption, which they witness from an outside perspective. We have been given all of the benefits of that work of grace! That is the measure of God’s love toward us.

As your journey seems to be filled with difficulties and challenges, spend a moment and remember that which awaits you. It is so incredible, even the angels long to see it!