Day 382: When angels are excited! - 1 Peter 1 vs 8 - 15

8-9 You love Jesus even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

10-11 This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you.  They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward. 12 They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.

13-15 So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.  Live as God’s obedient children - don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then, but now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 1 Peter 1:8-15 From the New Living Translation paraphrase (English Standard Version link)

Did you ever wonder what it's like for a child of someone very famous? While tens of thousands may gather in crowds just to get a glimpse of the personality, the child may wonder what all the excitement is about. In vs 10-11 Peter tells us of two groups who were very excited about Jesus Christ. Who were they?

A literal translation of vs10 says that the Old Testament prophets “earnestly searched” to know more about the future salvation God told them to announce. Isaiah had prophesied in Chapters 52-53 of the extreme suffering the Messiah would go through. It must have puzzled and amazed him that such suffering could lead to such a great salvation.

But it wasn't only the prophets who were eager to see God's plan unfold - the angels of heaven got excited too! Remember, they knew how pure and holy God is, and they will have seen how some angels had rebelled and the havoc that Satan had brought into God's world. So how was God going to sort it all out, and how could sinful men and women ever be made clean and holy?

This is why Christians have every reason to be very excited about the gospel. The gospel is the answer to what the prophets had been searching for, and which angels had been eagerly waiting to see happen. That's why the people to whom Peter was writing were filled with a joy that was hard to put into words. Even though they'd never personally seen Jesus, they had heard how God had shown He had accepted the perfect once-for-ever sacrifice for sin Jesus had made on the cross by raising Him from the grave. They had found salvation for their souls.

But what next? What should the excitement of knowing that our sins are forgiven and that we have eternal life ahead of us lead to? (vs 13-15)

We are no longer to have the attitude of 'let's just live for to-day' (which often leads to wrong choices based on short term pleasures) but rather to fix our minds on living in the light of the coming day of Jesus' return. The gospel message doesn't only tell the world of God's love and salvation – it also tells the world that God is holy, and that's why we need to be brought out of the sinful ways we used to live in. When Jesus returns the whole world will clearly see the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, sinfulness and holiness. That's also a day that the prophets of old and the angels have been waiting for. And, for Christians, it will be the climax of what has excited them ever since they first believed. Let's keep our minds focussed on these things.