Living Hope
Notes
Transcript
Let’s talk about what Christians believe:
We believe someone’s body can be brutally tortured, suffer severe blood loss, and be declared clinically dead; that a person can be buried in a tomb for at least 36 hours, and then return to life, not just draw breath and have a heartbeat, but actually walk, talk, eat, and show no signs of trauma except for scars on his hands, feet and side.
Not only do we believe that a man walked out of a grave, but with his new body, he could suddenly appear behind locked doors, that his appearance was changed in such a way that at times, the people talking with him did not realize it was him they were talking to.
We believe that because this man, Jesus Christ, is alive, that death has no hold on us either. That one day, we too will receive new, resurrected bodies, that will never perish.
We believe something that logically and scientifically makes no sense - in fact, it sounds foolish.
Even if you were there, some 2000 years ago, and you heard this account, would you not be a bit weary? Even if it was your close friends, people you know very well, insisting that it is true and that it happened - would not your mind be saying “they are delusional”, “they are just not accepting reality - what we all saw happen!”
This very well may have been what Thomas was thinking - one of Jesus’ twelve core disciples. He knew Jesus was dead - there was no question.
We do not know where Thomas went that first Easter Sunday, but he was not in hiding with his friends. He was most certainly in shock and, like everyone else, in disbelief over what had just occurred, anguish over the death of his beloved teacher, confused over what to do next.
At some point, he made his way back to his friends, expecting to commiserate with the rest of them, only to find them excitedly joyful, praising God, and babbling on about how they had seen the Lord!
What are they talking about? It was too much to accept. To even open up to the possibility would be to set oneself up for disappointment and grief all over again.
Thomas responds rationally to their outrageous claim (to paraphrase):
"I’ll believe it when I see it. Show me the scars, let me touch them, until then…there is no way.”
Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Thomas saw and believed. His immediate response was to worship “My Lord and My God!” A declaration of the divinity of Christ. Thomas and the other Apostles would go on to boldly proclaim the resurrected Christ to all who would listen. They saw in Jesus that death had lost its grip - it was to no longer be feared - and so they put their lives out there as a sacrifice and spread the gospel far and wide. As they did, they witnessed people believing in the resurrected Christ by faith - not by sight.
I wonder if Peter was recalling Jesus’ response to Thomas “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” when he wrote this letter we are looking at today.
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Returning to my opening line, let’s talk about what Christians believe.
We believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. We believe that he ascended and now sits at the right hand of the Father, and one day he will return to judge the world. We believe that those of us who, in faith, believe in the saving work of Jesus will not be condemned for our sin, but that we will enter into the fullness of what God has set aside for his children.
As followers of Christ, we live in the now and the not yet. It is an interesting place to be. We are very much still living in a broken world filled with sin, and yet we are called and empowered to live as a people who belong to a world - or a kingdom - yet to come.
And what motivates us to do so is this living hope that Peter speaks about in today’s passage. We have been given a great resource to draw from as we go through our daily lives and we have a God who is protecting us all along the way.
Yet how often do we practice what we say we believe?
I was listening to a sermon by Rev. Timothy Keller a few weeks ago, and he shared the story of a woman who he once met who lived in complete squalor. She was one of his parishioners from a church he used to serve in Virginia and during a visitation to her home, he saw that she lived in an old house that should have been condemned - there were places along the outside walls where you could see light coming in through the spaces between the boards - the house was dangerously hot in summer and cold in winter - so this woman would often get sick and at times had to go to the hospital. Rev. Keller assumed it was because she was poor, but in time he found out that this woman had considerable wealth. She had more than enough resources sitting in her bank accounts to fix her house - but she was scared to touch her nest egg, fearful that the day would come when she would really need it and it would not be there. She had access to the resources, but she would not tap into it.
Keller went on to say that there are many Christians who operate in the same fashion. Never trusting in the power that God has given them through the Holy Spirit to live has He has called them to live.
According to Keller, “we have got access to things that we never draw on. We have intimacy with Christ in principle. We have the love and fullness of God in principle. But it has never broken through into our inner being where it is actually an experience that changes us.”
Peter is writing to early Christians who had been persecuted and forced to flee their homes and find refuge in other cities and towns. They were likely worried, confused, and discouraged. He is instructing them to stand strong, reminding them of their inheritance in Christ, and the hope of His future return. Suffering is temporary, says Peter.
We have a living hope because Jesus Christ lives! Our hope is in Him and He has shown us, through His resurrection, that He is indeed the Son of God and therefore has the authority to forgive sins and to impart eternal life.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In his commentary on 1 & 2 Peter, theologian Peter Davids explains that...
...“this inheritance is described using three adjectives: (1) incorruptible—it is permanent. (2) undefiled—it is morally and religiously pure. (3) unfading—it is eternal. Thus it is better than any earthly reward.
This inheritance is your salvation. You have received this through faith in Jesus. When you believe in heart and in your head, and declare with your tongue, that Jesus is Lord and Savior, and you surrender your life to Him, salvation is yours. God has stored it away in heaven, it is in his books so to speak. It is not realized here on earth yet, because judgement has not yet occurred. But on that last day, when Christ returns and judges those who died in him and those who are still here when he returns - then you will “obtain the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Now if God is currently guarding our inheritance for us, and death has no lasting grip on us, and the Spirit of God lives within us - what is preventing us from doing the works the Jesus did when he walked here on earth?
Let me put it another way:
If Christians believe that we are saved by faith - so there is not future punishment - and when we die we go to be with the Lord and one day, we will receive resurrected bodies just as Jesus did, and right now we are filled with God’s power and presence - why do we spend so much time worrying, or going with the flow, or living fearfully?
When Peter says “Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” - does that describe your Christian faith?
The resources are there, ready for us to tap into. Is the Spirit willing?
Yes…there is no doubt that we have been grieved by various trials. Are you facing them with joy in your hearts? A joy that cannot be shaken by circumstance.
To approach each day this way is to employ your faith. Keeping our mind on what has been revealed to us in God’s Word and what is confirmed by the Spirit of God in us. We must approach each day remembering that the things of this earth are passing away - but God’s promise for our future is secure.
Such a mindset will enable you to deal with the trials of this life. When coming up against obstacles, opposition or any kind of difficulty - you can step back, see it as evidence of the broken world in which we live, and call on God, tap into the great resource you have been given, to help see you through. Always with an attitude of thankfulness. This is faith being purified.
Let me wrap this up with one of Peter’s “therefores” - he has explained the situation, now he says therefore.
Therefore, once you have your minds ready for action and you are thinking clearly, place your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Don’t be conformed to your former desires, those that shaped you when you were ignorant. But, as obedient children, you must be holy in every aspect of your lives, just as the one who called you is holy. It is written, You will be holy, because I am holy.Since you call upon a Father who judges all people according to their actions without favoritism, you should conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your dwelling in a strange land. Live in this way, knowing that you were not liberated by perishable things like silver or gold from the empty lifestyle you inherited from your ancestors. Instead, you were liberated by the precious blood of Christ, like that of a flawless, spotless lamb.
Amen.