1 Peter 1:3-9 Living Hope

Living Hope

Chair Bible p. 1014

When is living hope most evident? In the face of death and difficulty.

We are considering what really matters.

Illus: Mike Walsh smiling and putting his hands behind his head just hours before his last breath.

Out relationships are both missed and being stressed at the same time.

Our faith or lack there of is more real than ever.

Main Idea: Living hope results from being born again to a sure salvation evidenced by inexpressible joy.

We are finding out a lot about ourselves, one another, and the world.

We are considering what really matters.

Our relationships are both missed and being stressed at the same time.

Our faith or lack there of is more real than ever.

Context of 1 Peter Read v. 1-2

dispersed and suffering…in need of living hope

Living hope results from being born again.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Text begins with praise…Peter calls us to join him in praising God for the nature of our salvation.

Salvation from beginning to end, not simply a moment.

Doxology and Theology ( Of God and salvation)

Salvation from beginning to end, not simply a moment.

Doxology and Theology

Again this week, we dealing with

When theology does not begin and end with doxology, it becomes merely an abstract intellectual exercise in which the heart is not engaged and the soul is not properly moved. (Sproul 25)

“ healthy remedy for those weighed down by discouragement.” (Grudem 55)

So with praise in our hearts and on our tongues, we proceed...

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,

According to his great mercy

nothing in you or me to make us move toward Him or keep Him from moving toward us.

he has caused us to be born again

regeneration…we are as passive in our new birth as we were in out natural birth. We had nothing to do with causing either one.

Regeneration does not happen without our knowledge...

Faith comes by hearing and hearing through the word of Christ…Romans 10:17

1 Peter 1:23 ESV

23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

to a living hope

in the midst of this difficulty, spring has come…new life is all around us, the birds are singing, flowers are blooming, life is erupting. (go outside and see the new life)

As a Christian, we can live all seasons at once. Whatever out circumstances, spring is always at hand because we have a living hope.

A living hope is not a memory of a point in time or a focus on the past, but a growing and increasing hope that matures and strengthens as the years progress.

We have been born again not just to have a better quality of life in this world, not simply to be given a second chance, but to live a life that goes on forever, sustained by the power of the resurrected Christ. (Sproul 30)

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

The past event of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead secures...

our new birth,

new life in Christ,

and our new resurrection bodies.

1 Corinthians 15:19–20 ESV

19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Seed placed in the ground radical transformation to produce fruit…the resurrected Christ is the first fruit of what is to come.

Our hope is anchored in the past: Jesus rose! Our hope remains in the present: Jesus lives! our hope is completed in the future: Jesus is coming! (1:5, 7, 13). (Clowney 46)

All 3 are sure and certain.

Living hope results from being born again to a sure salvation.

4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

inheritance not affected by the stock market.

imperishable not subject to decay, will not wear out. will never die.

undefiled unstained by sin and evil…no need for a mask and rubber gloves.

unfading Illus: beauty of flowers, wisteria and lady banks rose, they will fade in a few day…salvation will never fade.

kept in heaven for you the tense of the verb kept means a complete past activity of God.

5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Our inheritance is kept for us and we are kept for out inheritance. (Clowney 47)

Ephesians 1:11–14 ESV

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Salvation is God’s work.

We are kept, however, through faith. Our faith is his way of keeping us; it is his gift. Why does God use faith as the instrument of his keeping power? Because faith is not our achievement, but trust in God’s achievement; ‘your faith and hope are in God’ (1:21). (Clowney 50)

What is the evidence of faith?

Living hope results from being born again to a sure salvation evidenced by inexpressible joy.

6 In this you rejoice,

Rejoice represents a verb which is not used by secular Greek writers, and which always in the NT signifies a deep spiritual joy, a rejoicing in God or in what he has done. (Grudem 60-61)

My prayer for us today is to rejoice in our salvation…deep spiritual joy.

though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,

Temporary suffering is real and comes in many forms…suffering brings grief.(distress)

Why suffering and grief…Why does God not protect christians from the Corona virus?

7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more(literally much more) precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Illus: more precious than gold. $1,645.58 an ounce

The Lord is refining our faith for the last day...

Faith is refined so that at the last day, at the final consummation of the kingdom of Christ, it will be the occasion for praise, honor, and glory. God values your faith more than he values your gold or your present comfort. (Sproul 38)

Romans 8:28 ESV

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. personal relationship without seeing him.

Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

Our personal, daily fellowship with Jesus Christ himself is cause for even greater rejoicing, unutterable and exalted joy. (Grudem 66)

9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

rejoicing now and in anticipation fo the day when Christ will come and the final application of our salvation takes place.

1 John 3:2 ESV

2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

So What?

During this difficult time, am I experiencing and communicating living hope evidenced by inexpressible joy?

Experiencing living hope

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 ESV

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

experiencing living hope is the opposite of losing heart. Living hope is known in the midst of the outer self wasting away and momentary light affliction(does not seem light) compared to eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.

Living hope will get you out of the bed in morning...

Living hope will see you through this dark hour with or without contracting Covid 19

Living hope will enable you to love and educate your kids.

Living hope will empower you to work at home without losing your mind and damaging your relationships.

Living hope will cause you to move toward others in whatever ways you can and are necessary.

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Communicating living hope evidenced by inexpressible joy

Illus: Donnie Miskely: Always with Jesus.

Pray the text

Giving…rejoice in your generosity

Jobs…needs for your family or others…PCO

Prayer…prayer meetings email and social media

Wednesday night at 7....live for a time of interaction and encouragement.

See you on social media

Live sent

END