The Hope of Our Salvation

Introduction

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Before we begin tonight I’d like to share with you about an experiment I read about in an article I was reading a few weeks back.

A number of years ago researchers performed an experiment to see the effect hope has on those undergoing hardship. Two sets of laboratory rats were placed in separate tubs of water. The researchers left one set in the water and found that within an hour they had all drowned. The other rats were periodically lifted out of the water and then returned. When that happened, the second set of rats swam for over 24 hours. Why? Not because they were given a rest, but because they suddenly had hope!

Those animals somehow hoped that if they could stay afloat just a little longer, someone would reach down and rescue them. If hope holds such power for unthinking rodents, how much greater should is effect be on our lives.

In tonight’s sermon we will look at a very important message given to the early church. It’s a message of the hope that we have in our salvation through Jesus Christ and his resurrection. And as we go we will look at what that hope meant to the church in light of their circumstances and what it means for us in light of ours. For the early church, the living hope Peter talks about is often literally the only hope they had in a life filled with persecution and trials. For you and I, it’s a hope that must sustain us, even in the midst of distractions and trials, in the same way that it sustained Peter’s audience.

Sustained by the Power of God

Written by Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, after a quick greeting, he jumps right into the hope and the joy that we find in Jesus. If you’ll look at the first couple of words of the text here Peter opens this section of Scripture saying blessed be... “Blessed be the God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”

In the New International Version of the Bible the verse begins, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It’s the same way that Paul opens his second letter to the church at Corinth and how he begins the book of Ephesians as well.

And this is significant because this opening, blessed be, praise be to… echoes the same word of praise used for God in the Old Testament, and yet this time it is used to praise God with a name he never revealed in the Old Testament… “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”

Though God was known as creator and redeemer in the OT, He was very rarely called Father

Jesus though, always addressed God as His Father throughout the Gospels, except for during His separation from Him on the Cross.

In doing so, Christ is claiming to be of the same nature, being, and essence of the Father.

And so Peter here addresses God as Father, not to suggest that God created the Son or caused him to exist - we know that the Son as always existed - tells us in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God (the Word being Jesus), but instead he addresses God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to show the relationship of the two:

As the Father plans and directs the Son responds and obeys.

And by establishing this relationship Peter shows us why there is reason for such praise!

And in this praise, in verses 3-4, Peter tells us the reason for

He tells us about the reason for our hope, which isn’t just a shallow short lived emotion, but a living and sustained confidence.

So what is that reason for praise and what is that reason for hope?

Through God’s great mercy (look at the latter part of v. 3) “We have been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

We have been born again

The reason that God provided such a glorious salvation for mankind is that He is merciful. Sinners need God’s mercy because they are in a desperate and helpless situation without it.

Without God’s mercy there is no help. Without God’s mercy there can be no hope.

But with God’s mercy, we have the greatest confidence that there is.

We are born again to a living hope!

What does it mean though that this hope is living?

That is the basis for our hope. That God showed His great mercy for us by allowing us a new birth and a new inheritance, that are only possible through a relationship with Jesus.

It means that it grows and it increases day by day, month by month, year by year. It doesn’t diminish, but it sustains us.

It is the kind of hope that overcomes adversity and trials (we’ll get to that in a few minutes)

And there are two ways in which we are assured, just like the early church, that this living hope will sustain us.

1 - First, not only are we given hope through our new birth through the resurrection of Christ, but we also have the future hope of an inheritance that will never pass away! This inheritance is reserved for us in heaven, it can’t be taken away and it can’t be touched.

Biblical scholars tell us that the book of First Peter was likely written either just before or shortly after July A.D. 64 when the city of Rome was burned. When this happened, the Romans believed that their emperor, Nero, had set the city on fire because he had an incredible desire to build more and more. In order for him to be able to build more, he had to destroy what was already there.

And so in A.D. 64 Rome was burned. It was devastated – many were killed in the fire, but those who remained were left hopeless and helpless.

If you know very much about early church history, or even not much at all, the Roman Emperor Nero might ring a few bells. He was known for his hatred and persecution of Christians.

And and out of this bitter resentment for the Christian faith and in an attempt to clear his name, Nero decided to place the blame instead on the early church. He realized he had to redirect the hostility he was facing and he chose Christians as his scapegoat.

As a result some of the most vicious persecution against Christians began. In the city of Rome itself Nero would put the skin of wild animals on Christians and then let dogs attack them until they wre killed, he would set Christians on fire in his gardens in order to use them as torches for his parties. And he would also have Christians crucified.

This is our share in the heavenly Kingdom. It’s our future heavenly reward.

And the overall persecution of Christians spread throughout the Roman Empire. And it spread to the audience that Peter was writing to.

At this point they were dealing with constant hostility and spiritual oppression.

Do you think they were in need of a message of Hope? Do you think they were longing to find some source of confidence that would sustain them?

Would they despair and give up? Where would they find the hope they need to survive in a world eager to destroy them?

And yet Peter tells the church here, don’t give up hope. Don’t allow the persecution and suffering

So what Peter does here with this text is provide a reminder of the past hope believers have in their new birth, but also the future hope we have in a new inheritance! And this inheritance is reserved for us in heaven, it can’t be taken away and it can’t be touched.

It’s imperishable or incorruptible in that it will never fade away or decay and it’s undefiled and unfading. There is nothing this world can do to pollute it.

It’s also unfading. It doesn’t change. It’s not like a flower that with the changing of the seasons withers and decays, but instead it persists and it sustains.

2 - Secondly it’s a hope that guards or keeps safe those who put their trust in it. This means it is carefully watched. If you’ll notice the word here is being used in the present tense. This means that as a believer you are continually being guarded by God, through His power. And this power works through our faith. God is both preserving believers from escaping out of his kingdom, and he is protecting them from external attacks.

And these two examples of the benefits of our hope stand in stark contrast to the hope that the world provides. The temporary, feel good, selfish kind of promises that are offered to us that deep down we know will not last and will not sustain us, but instead we so often give in to.

Grudem, W. A. (1988). 1 Peter: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 17, p. 63). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Isn’t this a picture of a hope that stands in stark contrast to the hope that the world provides. The temporary, feel good, selfish kind of promises that are offered to us that deep down we know will not last and will not sustain us, but instead we so often give in to.

Don’t let the temptation of sin cloud your vision when it comes to this. There is something much greater to fill us and keep us satisfied. It’s the kind of hope that Isaiah tells us will give us new strength and that Jeremiah reassures us offers a future.

Every believer posses this living hope, which is found in Jesus Christ.

In this world there will be misunderstanding, slander, and persecution for your faith. But those who are born again have a “living hope” that every believer possesses.

But do we really put our trust in it. Do we really let it sustain us?

Are we sustained by the hope found in Christ, or by our families, our jobs, our wealth or our health?

The early church had not choice but to put their faith and their hope in Christ. And we are reminded of this in the next few verses.

1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary 2. Joy in Spite of Suffering (1:6–7)

Peter deliberately employs this analogy to say that situations of testing are occasions when God refines and purifies the faith of his people as precious metal is refined in a fire (cf. Isa. 48:10, ‘I have tried you in the furnace of affliction’). The trials burn away any impurities in the believer’s faith. What is left when the trials have ended is purified, genuine faith, analogous to the pure gold or silver that emerges from the refiner’s fire.

Strengthened Through Suffering

in verses 6-9.

Read v. 6

A number of years ago researchers performed an experiment to see the effect hope has on those undergoing hardship. Two sets of laboratory rats were placed in separate tubs of water. The researchers left one set in the water and found that within an hour they had all drowned. The other rats were periodically lifted out of the water and then returned. When that happened, the second set of rats swam for over 24 hours. Why? Not because they were given a rest, but because they suddenly had hope!

Those animals somehow hoped that if they could stay afloat just a little longer, someone would reach down and rescue them. If hope holds such power for unthinking rodents, how much greater should is effect be on our lives.

This message of hope was crucial to the early church that Peter was writing to.

Biblical scholars tell us that the book of First Peter was likely written either just before or shortly after July A.D. 64 when the city of Rome was burned. When this happened, the Romans believed that their emperor, Nero, had set the city on fire because he had an incredible desire to build more and more. In order for him to be able to build more, he had to destroy what was already there.

And so in A.D. 64 Rome was burned. It was devastated – many were killed in the fire, but those who remained were left hopeless and helpless.

If you know very much about early church history, or even not much at all, the Roman Emperor Nero might ring a few bells. He was known for his hatred and persecution of Christians.

And and out of this bitter resentment for the Christian faith and in an attempt to clear his name, Nero decided to place the blame instead on the early church. He realized he had to redirect the hostility he was facing and he chose Christians as his scapegoat.

As a result some of the most vicious persecution against Christians began. In the city of Rome itself Nero would put the skin of wild animals on Christians and then let dogs attack them until they wre killed, he would set Christians on fire in his gardens in order to use them as torches for his parties. And he would also have Christians crucified.

And the overall persecution of Christians spread throughout the Roman Empire. And it spread to the audience that Peter was writing to.

At this point they were dealing with constant hostility and spiritual oppression.

Do you think they were in need of a message of Hope? Do you think they were longing to find some source of confidence that would sustain them?

Their only source of strength here is Jesus Christ, and Peter reminds them, in the midst of such suffering, REJOICE!!??

You see, the Christian life is not all joy, and yet even when its not, we can rejoice.

And when we do that, when we rejoice when our life isn’t that joyful what happens?

It’s hard for me to rejoice sometimes even in the smallest of things in which God shows his mercy and grace to me, and yet for those suffering the harshest persecution of man and the possibility of being crucified for their beliefs they are to rejoice???

The kind of rejoicing that we see in verse 6 cannot be based on temporary circumstances. It can’t be based on what’s going on around us right now or the situation we are in at this very moment.

You see, the Christian life is not all joy, and yet even when its not, we can rejoice.

1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary 2. Joy in Spite of Suffering (1:6–7)

Peter thus shows simultaneous grief and joy to be normal in the Christian life. Grief arises because of many difficulties encountered in this fallen world, but faith looks to the unseen reality beyond this present brief existence and rejoices

1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary 2. Joy in Spite of Suffering (1:6–7)

Peter thus shows simultaneous grief and joy to be normal in the Christian life. Grief arises because of many difficulties encountered in this fallen world, but faith looks to the unseen reality beyond this present brief existence and rejoices

What we are being shown here is that simultaneous grief and joy are normal in the Christian life. We live in a fallen world, and because of that we can expect difficulties. In the New Testament alone the word for suffering is mentioned 91 times. We are told to expect it, and even welcome the weakness that might arise from it.

Yet in we are told that we should glory in our suffering and here in 1 Peter we are told to rejoice in trials.

This is so different from what the world would tell us and yet Peter explains why it is necessary.

And when we do that, when we rejoice when our life isn’t that joyful what happens?

When we suffer our faith is made genuine.

READ V. 7a

Another word for this is that our faith is proven.

And its the same word that is often used when mentioning the testing or refining of metal.

Peter uses this word deliberately to say that situations in which our faith is tested, through suffering and trials, God refines and purifies our faith. The trials actually burn away the impurities in our faith, and what is left when the trials have ended is purified, genuine faith.

And its a faith that is more precious than gold. For centuries gold has been understood as one of the most precious and lasting material possessions, and yet genuine faith is more precious.

Likewise, even being one of the most durable possessions there is, gold perishes. But our faith, refined by trials, does not pass away.

Genuine faith is more valuable to God

And this is the reason we continue in our praising God for his grace in providing Jesus to us!

READ v. 7b

And so we see that the Christian life is not all joy, and yet even when its not, we can rejoice.

And when we do that, when we rejoice when our life isn’t that joyful our faith is strengthened, it is refined, and it results in our praising of God for how good he has been to us, which is demonstrated in His offering of salvation through Christ.

Solidified in Salvation

In the final two verses we will be looking at tonight, Peter begins with an amazing statement about the nature of the Christian life. Even though we have not seen Christ, we love him.

READ V 8a

In the Greek there are 3 words that are important for us to understand. Most times, when we read the Bible at face value, the word is simply translated "love" but in the Greek text they mean completely different things.

The three Greek words for love are agape, phileo, and eros and they have entirely different meanings.

Phileo: Love between friends, phileo love is a brotherly love - Jesus shared a phileo love with Lazarus. He had a close and personal friendship with Lazarus. They shared a phileo bond—a love born of mutual connection and appreciation. Eros: The sense of being in love; romantic love - it’s the type of love we see when the Bible speaks of marriage

The final Greek form of love is the one we see in this verse.

Agapeo: Unconditional love; a sacrificial love, one that voluntarily suffers inconvenience, discomfort, and even death for the benefit of another without expecting anything in return.

Peter says here, though you have not seen Christ, you have an agape love for him.

You love him unconditionally, you will suffer humbly for him, you will make sacrifices for Him.

And this, once again, is cause for rejoicing.

READ v. 8b

And there’s a clear contrast here between the future rejoicing Peter spoke of earlier and the rejoicing as a result of loving Christ unconditionally.

1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary 3. Inexpressible Joy in Knowing Christ Himself (1:8–9)

The contrast is clear: whereas in the earlier verse Peter spoke of strong rejoicing in future hope, here he says that our personal, daily fellowship with Jesus Christ himself is cause for even greater rejoicing, unutterable and exalted joy

And out of this love,

1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary 3. Inexpressible Joy in Knowing Christ Himself (1:8–9)

Peter says his readers are receiving or ‘obtaining’ the ‘goal’ or outcome of their faith while they are believing in Christ and rejoicing in him. Once again the verb ‘obtaining’ is a present participle, giving verse 9 the sense of a progressive obtaining of more and more of this ‘goal’ or ‘outcome’ to which their faith leads. Salvation then must be used here to refer to the full possession of all the blessings of salvation (see v. 5 for the same sense). The process described in verse 9 is the entire process of growth in the Christian life, the process of appropriating in one’s own life more and more of the blessings of salvation. This process happens, Peter says, as Christians continually believe in Christ and continually rejoice because of that personal trust in him. Such day by day faith and joy produces an unexpected benefit: continual growth toward Christian maturity.

What we see from the text here is Peter’s message to a persecuted people. A people whose only confidence was in the saving grace offered through Christ’s sacrifice, because without it there would be nothing left. It is a message of hope in the midst of trials. It is a hope that is sustained by the power of God, one that is strengthened through suffering, and is solidified in our salvation.

As believer’s tonight what are you placing your hope in?

Are you putting your trust in your own strength or are you completely and wholly dependent on God?

Are you strengthened in the midst of the hard times in life, knowing that your faith is being refined, or are you quick to sulk and complain about your circumstances, feeling helpless rather than turning to the Savior.

And is your salvation found in nothing other than Christ alone?

These are the attributes to a living hope, one that lasts.

Are you a recipient of that hope tonight?

Alter call...

And when we do that, when we rejoice when our life isn’t that joyful what happens?

And when we do that, when we rejoice when our life isn’t that joyful what happens?

And in the Word it is clear what choice is the correct one.

IN ALL THIS YOU GREATLY REJOICE.

When our job falls through, hope gives us reason to rejoice.

When our marriage falls apart, hope in Christ gives us reason to rejoice.

In this verse Peter teaches us several important principles about trouble:

Trouble does not last (it’s only for a little while)

Trouble serves a purpose (you may have HAD to go through it)

Trouble brings turmoil (it might bring you grief)

Trouble comes in various forms (all kinds of trials)

But God’s purpose in allowing all of this, is to test the reality of our faith.

And this is the crucial point of these verses and this point.

The benefits of our hope are not to benefit God, they are to benefit the renewed faith of the believer!

We don’t create some kind of fuzzy feeling and butterflies for God when we put our hope in him?

He gives us a renewed feeling of genuine faith that is of greater worth than gold. A faith that has been tested by troubles but remains true.

And when a believer goes through a trial still trusting in the Lord, he is assured that his faith is genuine and that God will provide.

That is the benefit of our hope.

And Peter witnessed this hope firsthand.

Read v. 8-9

It hard not to see in 1:8–9 the writer’s personal reflections on being an apostle. Peter the apostle was privileged to have been called and commissioned by the Lord Jesus (; ; ). Indeed, kings and prophets would have wished to witness what Peter and the apostles witnessed, yet did not (; ; ). In time the realization of this commissioning would grow, both in terms of

Spoken of by the Prophets

As Peter closes this section of the Scripture he looks at the magnitude of salvation from the multiple divine perspectives that made it possible.

1 - (v.10-11) the OT prophets

2 - (v. 11- and the first part of 12) The Holy Spirit

3 - (second part of v. 12) the angels

In v. 10-11 we are reminded that the Prophets searched very carefully that they might know more about the coming salvation.