Resurrecting Hope

1 Peter 1:1–9 NASB95

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

INTRO: How many of you watch the news? Lots of bad stuff going on, huh? A report from last year noted that 95% of all news stories are sensationalized and the negative stories produced more readers than positive ones. One newsroom phrase reads, “If it bleeds, it leads”

It seems like our tendency is to drift toward the negative, and that is reinforced in our society. But to be fair, there are many folks who are truly suffering. Sickness, loss, physical abuse and oppression, psychological disorders, etc. I mean, this world is a mess.

But in the midst of this mess, there is the hope of Jesus Christ. And on this Resurrection Sunday, there is no better time to take note of how our God resurrects hope for His people when they need it most.

Early this morning, we gathered to praise God for the empty tomb. Pastor Josh reminded us of the importance of the resurrection and how Jesus defeating the grave is the evidence of God’s promise to redeem us. [Elaborate? Thank folks for participating]

You know, when Jesus was placed in the tomb, his disciples were pretty hopeless. They were, as you can imagine, pretty despondent. That is, until Mary and the other ladies came back from visiting the grave with news that the tomb is empty!

Jesus is alive, and so their hope was also resurrected!

Likewise, the letter that Peter wrote was written to a bunch of Christians who were displaced. Even those who lived in their hometowns were like foreigners because their lives had been re-ordered. They had new priorities and values.

For instance: the culture was very much polytheistic. That means that they worshipped all kinds of idols or gods. They made sacrifices to gods of sex, gods of war, gods of rains and harvests, gods of prosperity, gods of vitality and health, and even the political figures were worshiped as gods.

That kind of environment frowns upon those who say that there is one God. That kind of culture makes it uncomfortable for Christians who refuse to bow the knee to worship these idols and who no longer take part in the rituals of acceptance in their communities. This kind of society is unfriendly to those who profess allegiance to Jesus and thus they fear the holiness of God and seek to please God rather than men.

Peter writes to these believers with a full acknowledgement of their sufferings, yet he writes with the Resurrection of Jesus in view. Because Jesus is raised from the dead, Christians can live free from the failures of our past, faithful in the challenges of our present, and certain in the future God has promised.

And so Peter begins his letter to the Christians spread about the northern parts of Asia minor who maybe were struggling to be hopeful. Look with me again to the first 2 verses (READ)

I first want to speak to believers in the room- Christians by profession. That is the audience for which this letter is intended.

As followers of Christ, you have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God.

You see, God, before the foundations of the world were ever laid, looked ahead and saw you. And He saw that you would hear the good news of Jesus and respond in faith and repentance! Your name was written in the blood of Jesus as he drank the cup of God’s wrath. Your sins were forgiven even before you were born because God, in His infinite being looked ahead and saw you.

He knows your name. He knows your heart- what you struggle with and what you excel at. He knows… and every sin was nailed to that old cross! Forgiven! As Peter writes, He chose you. For what?

You were chosen to obey Christ and be washed in His blood.

How? The Holy Spirit, working in you, set you apart so that you would be able to obey.

Oh, I’m so glad that my salvation is not dependent upon me obeying God in my power! I’m too weak! I’m too sinful! But God has placed in me His Holy Spirit power! He has called me to be cleansed and built up into the image of Jesus Christ!

Hey, that’s pretty good, huh? You and I can have HOPE because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ because we are His! But you know, sometimes, we just need more, don’t we? We are, after all, only human.

Thankfully, God is so gracious and He knows exactly what we need, and He meets us there every time. So, in our time together this Resurrection Sunday, I want lead you through how God resurrects Hope in His people. I’ve titled the sermon, “Resurrecting Hope” and I’m going to highlight the hope that we have because Jesus is alive. (Don’t count the points, count God’s blessings...)

First, we have:

An Undeserved Hope (3a)

Our hope is ‘according to His great mercy...’

We don’t deserve hope. We deserve the wrath of God. In fact Hell is our default position because we are sinners who cannot save ourselves. People struggle with this concept because we do not understand the absolute holiness of God.

He is perfection. Unholy things cannot survive in the presence of a holy God- that’s why Moses was prevented from seeing God on the mountain- God had to hide him in a rock and cover him so that he would survive the encounter!!

But God is merciful- He looked at you and me and made a way for us to be born again, not in flesh but in spirit so that we could be holy as He is holy!

Friends we deserve the cross, but instead we received Christ!

Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

You and I can boast in nothing but the mercy of our Lord. I was studying this week and God reminded me of something: I will never impress God. I will never preach a sermon good enough or do enough mission work to contribute to what Christ has done. My best is filthy rags! BUT, in His great mercy, He called my name. He knows me and loves me in spite of that!

Because Jesus is alive, because that tomb is empty, because the Holy Spirit lives in me, because His mercy is great, we have an undeserved hope. And if having an undeserved hope doesn’t get you excited about the resurrection of Jesus, perhaps it will do you good to acknowledge that our hope is:

A Living Hope (3b)

Our hope is living because Christ is alive! That may seem so simple, but don’t miss how significant this is! As Josh pointed out in our Sunrise service, if Christ is not raised from the dead, then we are most of all to be pitied!

We have a living hope! Now, contrast this to the hope of those who do not know Jesus. All the false gods are dead… pieces of wood or stone that cannot save. They might be gods like money or fame, but all this is here today and gone tomorrow.

Psalm 115:4–7 NASB95

4 Their idols are silver and gold, The work of man’s hands. 5 They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see; 6 They have ears, but they cannot hear; They have noses, but they cannot smell; 7 They have hands, but they cannot feel; They have feet, but they cannot walk; They cannot make a sound with their throat.

When Jesus showed himself to his disciples, he showed them his hands and his side… yes, He is alive. He showed them that the sufferings he faced - the lies, the abuse- were all temporary. He demonstrated to them that they need not fret- darkness did not win! Death has been defeated, Oh death where is your victory?!

Friends, we have an undeserved hope, a living hope!

A Future Hope (4a)

Peter points us to the inheritance that we will obtain. Have you ever dreamed of having a rich distant relative that left you a fortune as an inheritance? Listen, there is nothing in this world as marvelous as what lies ahead for followers of Jesus!

In John 14:2-3, Jesus gives us this promise.

John 14:2–3 NASB95

2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

Our inheritance is to live in the very presence of God almighty. Free from sin. Free from death and disease. And think- we will look around and will not be able to improve anything. All things will be made new and we will live in perfect harmony with our King.

An Eternal Hope (4b)

“Imperishable and undefiled”

ILL: Have you ever bought a brand new car? It’s exciting, huh? Until someone dings it with their car door or a shopping cart!

You know, everything we have here in this life can be messed up. Your perfect yard gets messed up by your neighbor’s dog. Your perfect house gets messed up by storms and falling trees. Your perfect family gathering gets messed up by your crazy uncle.

Peter tells us that our hope in Jesus will never fade. It will never get less exciting. It will never tarnish and nobody can ruin it for us! It is forever glorious!

Hey, aren’t you glad that Jesus’ resurrection does not just mean that you get some comfort or nice things while we’re here in this world? It doesn’t mean that we get to go to heaven for a week or a year.… No, it’s an eternal hope! My God paid the highest price so that I could look ahead and know that eternity is a loooong time and it’s gonna be awesome because Jesus is alive!

A Secure Hope (4c-5)

ILL: Several years ago, I booked a flight to KC and was all ready to go. At the airport, I handed the agent my ticket and was told that they did not have a seat for me. But I paid. I have a ticket. I have a seat number. I have a reservation. Well, someone more important got my seat.

Peter tells us that our hope in Christ is Reserved and Protected by the power of God. Nobody is gonna take my seat! Nobody is going to come along and bump me. No, my hope is reserved and protected by God himself! That’s better than AMEX black!

Look here, because Jesus is alive- because he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, you and I can know that in Him, we are secure! He who holds eternity in His hands holds my reservation in heaven!! He who conquered death and the grave, has secured my entry into His eternal kingdom!

Look, I don’t have to hope that my credentials are enough or that my name means anything because Jesus has saved my spot! In Christ, you and I don’t have anything to worry about, we have a secure hope!

A Confident Hope (6-7)

(READ)

What Peter is getting at is that all the sufferings and junk that we face in this life, God uses to allow us to see the genuineness of our faith.

ILL: I want you to picture a sponge. (Our kids are probably picturing Spongebob Squarepants..- that’s ok) If you put a sponge in milk, and then take a squeeze the sponge, what comes out? Milk. The same is true if you place the sponge in water, juice, or whatever.

The point we ought to see is that we are kinda like that sponge. If we are truly in Christ, Christ will come out when life squeezes us. When trials come, it will be revealed whether our hope is in Jesus or the president. Whether our love is for our Savior or for the stock market…

And so we can reflect upon our life and see that our trials prove our faith- that we really do belong to God! And let me tell you, that’s a great place to be! Peter says it’s more precious that all the riches in the world! And he’s right- there is no greater hope than Jesus! When we have trials, we can have a more confident hope because we see the authenticity of our faith.

A Joyful Hope (8)

(READ)

There’s something about a Christian’s faith that does not make sense to unbelievers. How can we have joy amid suffering? How can we trust in something we cannot see?

Well, here’s the thing: Our trust is in the testimony of God- The scriptures testify of His promise, His Holy Spirit testifies of His presence!

There is no hope like the hope in Christ.

There is no other salvation.

There is no other fulfillment.

There is no other lasting purpose.

You and I are joyful because we know that Christ has not only rescued us and redeemed us, but that He also is refining us and preparing us for eternity.

God is sovereignly leveraging every circumstance in our life to shape us and to shine through us to the world.

Joy… Inexpressible Joy.… IOW, true followers of Jesus don’t even know how to express the joy of our hope in Jesus... But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try! And look, don’t get caught up in whether you look silly or feel silly trying to express joy in the Lord.

Jesus bore your shame on the cross- naked and beaten and bloody… so that you could have joy inexpressible.

A Saving Hope (9)

(READ)

Now, here’s the thing- salvation means that unless a radical, supernatural intervention happens in your life, then you will bear the penalty of your sinfulness. You and I were born sinners in the flesh. The answer to our sinfulness cannot be found in us or any other sinful man. We cannot save ourselves.

Friend, you cannot make yourself righteous any more than a cat can make itself a penguin. You can’t be holy enough, make enough right choices, earn enough good credit… no, you need something GREATER!

Praise the Lord, we have a hope that saves.…Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

You see, Scripture tells us that the perfect son of God, who knew no sin, became sin for us. He stood before the judgment of God the Father as if he committed every sin that you committed. And He bore the penalty for you so that you could be wrapped in His righteousness.

This is a hope like no other. Because Jesus is alive today, sinful men and women can have hope beyond despair! Because Jesus is alive,

And that hope is offered to you- everyone who has ears, let him hear the offer of Hope; that God sent His son to die the death and endure the penalty that you deserved. He was buried and raised to life again on the 3rd day so that you could be redeemed. All you have to do is repent- agree with God and turn from your sins, and believe in faith and you will be saved. Saved from sin, and unto a life of devotion to the God of creation.

Discuss: What encouragement can we take from knowing we are “chosen” by God?

Discuss: How would you describe the inheritance mentioned in verse 4? How does it contrast with earthly inheritances?

Discuss: “Though you have not seen him, you love him.” How does this verse speak to our relationship with Jesus today?