Living Hope

Living Hope

1 Peter 1:3-5

Foundation of 1 Peter – Foundation of our faith

Great thoughts as we prepare for Easter.

Know what Jesus has done for us.

Let that thought always be close to us.

The essence of our faith

Not trying to get to heaven but get to the Father

Heaven is not our Goal – the Father is

Bless – thanksgiving – God the Father of Jesus

Vs. 3 is a traditional greeting – giving God thanks (Often seen throughout the OT)

Ephesians 1:3

Why are we thankful? Because it was of his great mercy

His mercy – we deserved one thing but received another – mercy

Not something we did on our own – he saved us – do you get this?

But what is his great mercy?

A new birth into a living hope

God does not love us the way we are – he gives us a new life – a new birth.

John 3:1-6, 16-18

Born of spirit – Back in 1 Peter 1:3 he has given us a new birth. The ESV says he caused us to be born again.

Nicodemus would assist Joseph of Arimathea bury Jesus.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and Jospeh was a Sadducee

We come to him and he washes us clean, and he saves us. Because of his great mercy – Titus 3:4-7

Saved by the Resurrection- our living hope

Death of Jesus – forgiveness of our Sins (sprinkled with his blood 1 Peter 1:2)

Resurrection – destruction of death – saved for eternal life

Living hope – why is it a living hope – because Jesus is alive

And we have the promise a hope that we too will live forever with him.

1 Corinthians 15:12-19

1 Corinthians 15:20-22

Jesus is first fruit – first means there will be more

We are the more

Death came through Adam – so Life Comes through Jesus

He is alive!

Jesus is alive – so he is our living hope

A great inheritance

An Inheritance is passed on when someone dies

Tied to the OT thought of inheriting the promised land – or the family of each tribe maintaining their land generation after generation

Now Peter takes that thought and expands it t now we inherit salvation – there by inheriting the Kingdom of God – a new heaven and new earth.

Even though Jesus came back to life through his death we have a great inheritance.

Imperishable (Peter)

My 5th great grandfather’s desk

No decay, moth or rust

Matthew 6:19-21

Notice back in 1 Peter, Peter says we have an inheritance kept in heaven for us.

We not only build up treasure we are given the greatest treasure of all

Undefiled – not marred by sin (Peter)

In the OT – if you touched something unclean you became defiled

Or defiled by sin

We are made clean by the blood of Christ – sprinkled with his blood - our inheritance is not defiled by our sin

Unfading – as glorious as it is now as it will be in eternity

Even in eternity we will still relish in the salvation we have through the work of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 21:1-3

Just like we are made a new creation if Christ – all creation will be made new – creation will be born again

Revelation 21:22-27

Nothing unclean will enter it – nothing defiled.

We are being guarded by God’s power

Kept in heaven – again we are not inheriting heaven but the promise is kept in heaven – God’s presence

We are being guarded Active -being guarded – through faith

For a ready salvation

Ready to be revealed at the last time – a term of the last days or final judgement

John 10:27-30 (can’t be taken out of is hand – says it twice)

Imagery is of a military fortress – we are in

The enemy is outside trying to attack us but we are guarded by God himself.

Peak forward 1 Peter 1:6-7

We are fully saved but the fullness of Christ’s work of his death and resurrection is not fully realized in this life on the old earth.

So we suffer grief as exiles waiting for our promised land – God’s kingdom lived out fully in his presence on a new heaven and new earth

Peter want’s us to see beyond our current struggle to the great inheritance – our living hope that we are promised

Wrap up

By God’s great mercy he has given us a new birth through blood of Christ and by his resurrection

We have a living hope because Jesus is alive – the cross was not the end of his work but was the beginning.

We walk through struggles of this world but we have an inheritance of eternal life with God and with God in his kingdom that will never fade away and cannot be taken away of us.

Always looking forward to that living hope – Jesus Christ

(share gospel)

And like Peter we live a life of always declaring, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” – always giving him thanks for the great mercy

Prepare for lent – preparing for Easter.

2 Timothy 4:8

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