Living Hope

Intro

Happy Canada Day long weekend!

I hope you enjoyed celebrating Canada Day

We went to MHV

Whether you are here in person, catching the livestream at the cottage, or watching this on our website later, thanks for listening in

Today we are going to start our summer series on the book of 1 Peter

Author of this book is the apostle Peter

Remember the stories we recounted from Acts

Day of Pentecost, trial for preaching, vision to include Gentiles, miraculous escape from prison…

Don’t hear much else about Peter; he fades from view

When we encounter his letter, things have gotten only more difficult for the church

Persecution is ramped up; the church is largely forced to meet in secret

Peter himself is likely keeping a low profile, but speaks truth to those who are facing suffering

Read 1 Peter 1:1-9; pray

We Are: Chosen Exiles

Re-read verses 1 - 2

Peter uses a LOT of OT illustrations to explain things in his letters

In order for us to understand him properly, we need to draw on our knowledge of the OT

“elect exiles of the Dispersion” is one such case

Elect

We automatically go to the idea (or argument) of predestination vs. free will

Does God choose or do we choose? Does He override our will? Is free will just an illusion?

Certainly, Peter is emphasizing God’s choice in his address

God has chosen the elect according to His “foreknoweldge”

We will continue to see Peter’s emphasis on God’s activity in our faith, salvation and hope (this is just the beginning)

But more to the point, this isn’t an argument about God’s sovereign choice and individual free will, but of God choosing a group of people as His own

This is where our OT references come in handy:

Cf. Deut. 7:6 ““For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

Just as Israel was God’s elect (His chosen people), this now becomes true for the church of Jesus Christ

In Christ, we are God’s chosen people, grafted into the promise of Israel as God’s chosen people; this is who we are (chosen)

We are not only chosen, but exiles of the Dispersion

“The Dispersion” was used to describe the scattering of God’s people (the Jews) across the known world

Peter adopts this distinction to also include the scattered church

James does the same thing, and drives home the point that the church has been grafted into the identity and promise of Israel

Read James 1: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.”

Whereas the Jews and church were exiled and dispersed among the different regions of the earth, there is a deeper meaning here

Peter lists areas that make up modern day Turkey

But the focus is spiritual; he teaches that as believers in Christ, we are exiles from our heavenly home

This world is not our home! We are sojourners; here for a temporary time, making our way through

Peter goes on to describe more of the hope of where we truly belong

We are chosen exiles: Where is your home?

This world will not offer the true rest and peace we long for

The church found this out through persecution and suffering; we often can ignore the shortcomings of the world for a time

But when our citizenship is in heaven, we have a greater fulfillment awaiting us

Cf. Philippians 3:19-20 “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,”

There is something greater than what the world can provide, and Peter goes on to explain what we have in Jesus

We Have: Living Hope

Re-read verse 3

First, notice Peter’s emphasis on God’s work in the hope that we have

He “caused” us to be born again

This is something we cannot achieve on our own, it is a work of God

To be “born again” goes back to Jesus’ teaching Nicodemus in John 3.

A spiritual rebirth; a new creation; it redefines who we are

Second, we have a LIVING hope in Jesus

Because Jesus is ALIVE (through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead)

Yes, Jesus took on flesh and entered our world. Yes, Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. But our eternal hope REQUIRED Jesus to be raised from the dead

Since Christ is alive, our hope is alive

We do not love, trust and believe in a historical figure who was once alive and is now dead and gone

We love, trust and believe in Jesus who conquered death and offers us the ability to have a relationship with Him today

This living, relational hope can get us through all sorts of difficult times

Talk about Christianity vs. other religions that do not have life

Peter goes on to describe the nature living hope as an eternal inheritance

Re-read verse 4

Paul also often refers to our hope as our inheritance, or being a co-heir with Christ

Remember, Peter uses an OT lens with his teaching; if we are chosen exiles, than our inheritance refers to an eternal Promised Land (like the divvyed it up during the Conquest)

Only the inheritance we have in Christ cannot be taken away

It is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading

Use the story of buying Karen’s engagement ring/analogy of 4 C’s: cut, colour, clarity, and carat

Undefiled = Flawless clarity

Unfading = Perfect in cut and colour (for light)

Imperishable = Even diamonds will not last forever, but our hope in Jesus does

We have a living hope. Where is your treasure?

Peter points out that our earthly inheritance will never be enough

Everything here disappoints and fades away

But the living hope of Jesus - our inheritance - does NOT fade away

Jesus teaches this

Read Matthew 6:19 - 21 ““Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Jesus proves this to be true (because He is ALIVE and eternal)

We Live: By Faith

Most of the focus has (rightfully) been on God’s saving activity

He chooses His people according to His foreknowledge; He causes us to be born again; He raised Jesus from the dead; He keeps our eternal inheritance in heaven, and he guards us during difficulty (v. 5)

What can we say? Salvation is God’s work, and not our own

Peter describes how we respond to this work of God (salvation), and that is through faith

We live: by faith

Re-read verses 5-7.

Specifically, our faith is crucial during difficult times; something Peter’s audience needed to hear

It is through faith that God guards our salvation (v. 5)

He keeps our inheritance, and He also helps us reach it

Difficult times tests our faith and refines it (v. 6 - 7)

Explain refining of gold in ancient times; scrape impurities away; pure gold

Being “grieved by various trials” is something necessary; something that will make our faith more genuine and pure (like pure gold)

Cf. James 1:2-4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Peter calls trials a temporary inconvenience, James calls them pure joy, but the result is the same: A genuine, steadfast faith in Jesus Christ who is our living hope

What does this genuine, steadfast faith look like? It looks like love

Re-read verses 8-9

We live by faith: Where is your love?

Cf. John 20:27-29 “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.””

It takes faith to love what you do not see

Make fun of finding it hard to believe about Australia

But it is possible because even though we do not see Jesus, He is alive

He loves you unconditionally, and offers you a living hope and eternal inheritance that will never fade. Do you believe in Him?