Living Hope

INTRODUCTION: Open by asking your learners if they’ve ever had to endure something difficult because they knew something better was coming. Maybe they were training for a marathon, handling a long work project, recovering from surgery, or going through a season of financial stress.

What helped them push through?

How did knowing what was ahead change how they handled the present?

What excited them?

Peter wrote to believers who were facing hardship. He reminded them that because of Jesus, they had a living hope—an inheritance that could never perish or fade. That future hope was meant to shape how they lived right now.

Key Truth #1: Believers Can be Hopeful and Joyful in Every Circumstance (vv. 3-12)

1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

1 Peter 1:3 ESV

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,

SUMMARIZE VERSE 3

BLESSED BE: God is worthy to be PRAISED! RJOICE!

See Psalm 34 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Because of the risen Christ we have received NEW LIFE and a NEW STATUS through Jesus!

-Begotten again: BORN AGAIN—we are now beneficiaries as Children of God, no longer children of wrath

-ACCORDING TO HIS ABUNDANT MERCY: not because of who we are or what we’ve done

-Made possible through the resurrection of Jesus and His resurrection power!

—LIVING HOPE—rests in the confidence of the risen Christ and His power!

DISCUSS:

• What role does Christ’s resurrection play in our hope? (Christ’s resurrection proves He has conquered death and that we, too, will rise again to eternal life.)

How is a “living hope” different from the kind of hope the world offers? Our hope in Christ isn’t dependent on outward circumstances, but the unchanging and all sufficient work of Christ!

• How does remembering Christ’s resurrection change the way we face disappointment? For the believer we know that disappointments are not dead ends! We know there is a better day coming. We can be completely CONFIDENT in this fact because of the resurrection. Death and suffering do not have the final say.

SUMMARIZE VERSE 4

1 Peter 1:4 “to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,”

-inheritance-not a mere possession of land as was promised in the OT, but a land whose builder and maker is God! New Heavens and a New Earth. It’s also a PERMANENT inheritance...it cannot decay, it cannot be defiled, it will never fade...indestructible and untouched by sin.

DISCUSS

• What are some things believers look forward to in Heaven? Along with the New Heaven & New Earth we will be in God’s presence and enjoy perfect fellowship with Him forever!

Why did Peter emphasize that our inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading? One reason Peter may have mentioned this is due to the circumstances of those he was addressing. Many of these believers may have been cut off from their families’ inheritance because of their decision to follow Christ. Unlike the things of this world they may have been working so hard for, they didn’t have to be concerned with the inheritance God has waiting for His children would ever decay.

• How should the certainty of our future inheritance shape our priorities today? Holy lives should be lived in appreciation for all that Christ has done. We shift from a temporary to an eternal perspective. We are no longer in a stranglehold of temporary concerns.

SUMMARIZE VERSES 5-7

1 Peter 1:5–7 “who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,”

-We are “kept” by the power of God. The word “kept” indicates a military term that means “guarded” or “shielded.” It conveys the idea of soldiers standing watch over something that is precious. This does not mean that we are “kept” FROM problems and difficulties, but rather reminds us that God Himself keeps us THROUGH His own power. He does so on the condition of “faith” and we will fully enjoy the salvation God has waiting for us that He will reveal to us in the “last time.”

THROUGH FAITH: Colossians 1:22–23 “in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

Sadly, before the JOY of this final salvation is realized we know we will face sorrows and difficulties. However, God will use these sorrows and difficulties to REFINE us, SANCTIFY us, STRENGTHEN us, and use our faith to demonstrate that our faith is real and genuine!

DISCUSS

• Why do Christians always have reason for hope and joy? The reality of our hope TRANSCENDS our circumstances! Our present trials are temporary, our eternal reward lasts forever.

How can trials actually strengthen or refine our faith? They can cause us to become MORE DEPENDENT upon Christ. Sufferings increase our hope in a better day.

• What helps you maintain joy when circumstances are difficult?

SUMMARIZE VERSES 8-12

1 Peter 1:8–12 “whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.”

While we have yet to lay eyes on our risen Savior we love Him, rejoice in Him, and have experienced and are experiencing His salvation!

We walk by faith and not by sight!

This salvation was revealed in the prophets, continues to be revealed in and through us and will one day be ultimately fulfilled!

Key Truth #2: Believers Should Display Hope, Holiness, Reverence and Love While Awaiting Christ’s Return (vv. 13-25)

SUMMARIZE VERSES 13-17

1 Peter 1:13–17 “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;”

The word “therefore” reminds us that what Peter has just said about our HOPE, and JOY, leads to ACTION. That action includes

—Girding up the “loins” of our minds—gathering up robes so we will be able to move without tripping...our thought process needs to be focused on God’s future grace.

—REST YOUR HOPE FULLY—fix your hope full on the grace that will be brought at Christ’s revelation...ANCHORED in Him not circumstances

—Be SOBER—we are to have self-control and clarity of mind. We cannot be intoxicated by the alluring world around us.

—SET HOPE FULLY ON FUTURE!

GOD’S TRUTH THAT WE HAVE BEEN STUDYING should control and direct our responses to these things, not the circumstances! Hope and holy fear lead us to live a pure and holy life.

DISCUSS

• What specific truths in this passage help believers face difficulty? We are continually reminded that our difficulties are TEMPORARY! Our attention needs to be redirected to God’s eternal purpose!

• Why is it easy to let our circumstances rob us of our joy? Much like Peter, we tend to get our eyes on the storms, rather than Jesus! How can joy be present even when life is difficult? Joy is not based on circumstances. Joy comes from the knowledge of the risen Lord, His sure promises, and the indwelling person of the Holy Spirit!

SUMMARIZE VERSES 18-19

1 Peter 1:18–19 “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

Peter has reminded his readers that the things waiting for them on the other side are not corruptible, the purchase price of the salvation we enjoy was not made with corruptible things...but rather was made with the precious blood of Christ! Nothing else could purchase our spiritual freedom—not silver or gold, or VAIN TRADITIONS of the past! The UNBLEMISHED, UNSPOTTED Lamb of God paid the price we could never pay so that we could enjoy His salvation!

Let’s go back and look at 1 Peter 1:15–16 “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.””

Christ was pure, and holy, and without blemish...in appreciation for all He’s done for us our lives should be HOLY in all of our conduct! He should shape ALL of our life choices.

DISCUSS

• How does setting our hope on future grace lead to holy living in the present? We conduct ourselves as Christ would; we do what is good and right according to God’s Word; we avoid sin; etc.

• We often talk about wanting the world to see God through us. What does that look like?

SUMMARIZE VERSES 20-22

1 Peter 1:20–22 “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,”

God’s love and God’s plan were already in place BEFORE the world began! His love set the plan in motion, and His love is to continue to flow in and through us to others who need to know Him!

DISCUSS

• How does the gospel shape the way we love other believers? (We choose to do what is best for others; we consider others’ wishes; we put others’ needs and interests above our own; etc.)

• Why is sincere love especially important during hardship?