The Living Hope in Christ

PRAY

If every one would please open our Bibles and turn to the book of 1 Peter. Remembering back to last week and what Brother Chris preached on, we learned about the first 2 verses of this book. We learned who exactly Peter was writing the letter to. Which were the sojourners of the dispersion due to the heavy persecution of Emperor Nero. We learned that the church within the Roman Empire was blamed for the fires that burned the city for 6 days and 7 nights. Nero was the one that set the city on fire but afraid of the repercussions, he blamed the Christians. They were sewn up into animal skins and then rabid dogs were released on them. They were made to wear wax shirts, tied to trees, and set on fire to light Nero’s . After knowing who the intended people were, we can put into context what he says proceeding his introduction.

What proceeds his greeting to the church that I would like you to acknowledge, is hope.

Lets all read together (read the scripture out loud). What proceeds his greeting to the church that I would like you to acknowledge and is the main point within this text that we’re looking at today, is hope. What kind of hope do you think Peter was meaning to convey? Was it a hope in which Peter was wishing the recipient’s to feel better, like sending his best wishes and prayers to the Church or was Peter pointing to a hope in which Christians cling to?

Beginning in verse 3 it says “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” How does Peter begin his letter after his introduction? He begins by giving praise to God. This is how all of us should begin with our prayers and our days is with praise and thanksgiving to God. This same saying is spoken by the Apostle Paul in and . It is giving reverence to God. Our true Father who is worthy of praise. He is also the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who sent him to die on the cross for our sins. God is to be praised and known as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as described by Calvin’s commentary on this letter

For, as formerly, by calling himself the God of Abraham, he designed to mark the difference between him and all fictitious gods; so after he has manifested himself in his own Son, his will is, not to be known otherwise than in him. Hence they who form their ideas of God in his naked majesty apart from Christ, have an idol instead of the true God, as the case is with the Jews and the Turks. Whosoever, then, seeks really to know the only true God, must regard him as the Father of Christ; for, whenever our mind seeks God, except Christ be thought of, it will wander and be confused, until it be wholly lost. Peter meant at the same time to intimate how God is so bountiful and kind towards us; for, except Christ stood as the middle person, his goodness could never be really known by us.

Calvin, J., & Owen, J. (2010). Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles (pp. 27–28). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

Lets continue reading in verse 3 “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,” It is made know right here as to why we are born again, because of God’s great mercy. He did not have to do anything for us! When the Scriptures say that “none of us are good, no not one” it means we don’t deserve anything good. Humanity has spit in the face of God over and over and over. WE were “dead in the trespasses and sin in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy,” His mercy is what is amazing. His great mercy is what saves us. God would be completely just in allowing everyone to go to hell because we all have rebelled against him. Then we know that because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope The greek word here for “given us new birth” is ἀναγεννάω which means to “beget again” the sense of the verb is “to renew; conceived of as causing a second birth”

This tells us that we have no say as to our salvation or how we are saved but by the power and mercy of God. The text says that we are has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Our living hope is our future resurrection and it is through the resurrection of Christ. tells us “But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order. Christ, the first fruits; afterward, at his coming, those who belong to Christ.”

Now lets continue reading to understand more about the living hope. Verse 4 says “and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” We are born again to an inheritance. What kind of inheritance is Peter talking about? Everyone please turn to to see what our inheritance is. And it says “He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” Also in it says “There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing” This is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. The kingdom of God will exist forever. Your salvation is kept in heaven for we are heirs of the kingdom. And it is kept in heaven for you. This should bring all of us great joy and comfort to know that what we will be given is eternal. We have been saved, are being saved, and will be saved.

Let’s look at verse 5 “You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” We are being guarded by God’s power! What is being guarded? Our physical bodies or our souls? By what means is God’s power guarding our souls? By faith! Is it faith that we muster up and its synergistic in nature? Are we preserving ourselves? No, for tells us “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift.” God uses the faith that he gives us and causes us to persevere to the end in which our salvation will be revealed in the last time. This is a consistent theme throughout scripture. Christ says in “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.” And the text that I read earlier from said it will happen at Christ coming. This does not mean we cannot be assured of our salvation right now but shows us our future hope for when we shed these carnal bodies and have resurrected bodies that know no sin. When we inherit the kingdom of God in the new heavens and the new earth and reign with our God forever. Knowing how much joy and hope that this brings to me and should bring to you, image how much this impacted the early church who were facing death for the faith. This by no doubt would cause you to persevere. tells us “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because has become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”