Hope Wins - 1 Peter 1:3-9

Introduction

What I see scares me. Everywhere I look is bad news. Last week, a tornado dropped down on the north end of our county, and five precious souls were taken into the next life. It could’ve been my family, my house, my kids. It’s scary. On Wednesday, protestors marched around our state capitol advocating that children be empowered to choose a gender other than the one they’ve been biologically assigned. In our community, teachers are already having to learn how to navigate families the pronoun choices that children are choosing to go by. As my children grow up in this generation, it scares me. The Equality Act that was passed by the House on February 25 would penalize religious institutions who refused to capitulate to modern beliefs on sexuality and gender. When the government seeks to make theological decisions on behalf of their people, it scares me.

1 Peter is written to a group of Christians who could more than relate to seeing bad news everywhere. The emperor of Rome was Nero, and he was wildly unpopular because of ruthless and ineffective reign. Rome caught on fire, and a rumor began to spread that Nero had set the fire himself just so he could rebuild the city in his own image. Sensing a revolt, Nero decided his best chance was to find a scapegoat to take the fall for him, and so he decided to pin the fire on a burgeoning group of disciples who followed a recently crucified teacher in Galilee. The persecution of the Christians became intense. No one welcome them into their towns, let alone their homes. The government would round them, and Nero would put them on poles outside of his palace, cover them with wax, and light them on fire as human candles. Christians were placed in the midst of the Roman Coliseum where they were ripped apart by lions for sport. Friends were betraying friends. Fathers were forsaking their sons.

God’s Word

Yet, in spite of what they saw, in spite of the terror all around them, these early Christians persisted in their love for Christ. They rejoiced in him and trusted in him and refused to change course.

1 Peter 1:8–9 ESV

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Their realization is our hope: There is greater reason to hope in whom you can’t see than there is to fear what you can see.

This is what’s crazy to people who know us. This is what your coworkers can’t understand about you. But, maybe, in the midst of these tumultuous days, this is what you need to be reminded of. Maybe you’ve never understood it for yourself.

Why we trust whom we can’t see in spite of what we do see: (Headline)

Our “eyes” are “open.”

1 Peter 1:3 (ESV) 3Blessed 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...

It appeared as though Jesus had made everything worse for these believers. Peter flips perception on its head with reality. God changes our predicament — but for the better. Peter’s praise = born again. God interrupted your hopelessness; He didn’t introduce it (as the persecution seems to imply). Your first birth was into death. But, there has been a second birth into hope. Regeneration.

Narrowing in on nature of new birth to solidify hope: “According to his great mercy, he has caused...” You are no more responsible for your second birth than you were your first birth. Our salvation is a miracle of mercy, not merit. It’s “caused” by God’s mercy, not your morality. It’s “given” (alternate translation) to you, not earned by you.

This is the solid rock upon which Christians build their hope. We don’t have to fret and worry like everyone else because our hope is not dependent upon us. Our hope is traced to God’s mercy.

ILL: Many think of attaining salvation like paying a mortgage. I feel like my mortgage is never going to be paid off. So, I just pay and pay and pay and hope that some day it’ll actually be mine and the debt will be cancelled. Many live like they’re trying to pay off some invisible debt to God in hopes that one day salvation will actually be theirs. But, here’s Peter’s point: this house was given to you. Jesus paid off your note. In fact, Jesus filled your account. You OWN the house, and there’s no one left to owe. It was a gift.

You cannot default on a debt that you do not owe. Your footing is secure. Your hope is not up and down with how good or bad you are in a given day or week or season. Your hope is as solid as God’s mercy is abundant.

God changes our perspective.

John 3:3 (ESV) 3Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

We can see what the world can’t see. That’s why we love and believe the one that we can’t. He’s given us eyes to see his Kingdom before we come face-to-face with him. Being born again is a miracle that is the result of a series of miracles. You see and realize your hopelessness before God — miracle. You see God’s word and are cut and encouraged by simultaneously — miracle. You see Jesus as Savior and recognize him as being worth the totality of your life — miracle.

God gives you eyes to see so that you can see past where you are right now and what you’re facing right now and who you’re missing right now to see his Kingdom that is coming. That’s why our lives look crazy to our friends and family. We’re living for a kingdom that’s invisible to them. Can you see it? Then, don’t worry about all the other things you see. They’re fading quickly.

Our “hope” is “living”.

Our new birth lays two cornerstones for us so that we can build a life that won’t crash down in all the chaos. The first is “a living hope.”

1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)3Blessed 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,

I’m using the word hope a lot today. It’s because a lot you are looking for hope. You feel hopeless. What do we mean? The type of hope we’re talking about is not the type we’re used to talking about. We’re used to talking about hope as an aspirational desire for the future. “I hope I get a big, fat tax refund.” “I hope I meet a handsome dude who loves Jesus.” “I hope that my truck lasts another 100k miles.” That’s not what Christian hope looks like. We’re not aspirational about the future; we’re certain. Our hope has been verified. Jesus was raised from the dead. Death has been defeated. The earth is being renewed. The Kingdom is coming. Jesus is reigning and coming soon. That is, our hope is living, and it will live as long as Jesus does.

Jesus’ resurrection is not just about one day; it’s about today. Your hope won’t spring to life some day; your hope is living right now. It’s the elimination of suffering and struggling and cancer and betrayal one day. And, it’s the certain, living, verified hope of that reality that produces the energy and perseverance to make it through cancer and divorce and politics today.

The quality of your life is determined by the source of your hope. Living hope is meant to be contrasted with all of the dead hopes that are out there. Your morality. Your success. Your reputation. Your financial security. Your good health. Your children. All of these are dead hopes. They are uncertain. They’re vanity. They can abandon you in a second. The percentage of your hope that is found in these dead hopes is the very same percentage in which you will experience fear and anxiety.

This is about vain aspiration versus substantiated hope. Christ has already risen. Christ’s future is already secure. He lives! So, hope in him lives today! Where is your hope found?

Our “inheritance” is “secure”.

The second cornerstone that our new birth lays for us is a secure inheritance. Born again “TO a living hope” and “TO an inheritance that is imperishable.”

1 Peter 1:4 (ESV)4to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you

Security for the future = golden parachute coming

Unlike earthly inheritances - families get weird at death, especially when money and heirlooms are on the line. More than one person thought they had an inheritance that would secure that future, but didn’t get it. Why? When someone’s dead, they can’t actually ensure their things are divided as they might have wished. There’s an insecurity in our minds when it comes to inheritances.

Our hope is not in this type of flimsy inheritance. Our inheritance is not the dead leaving something to the living. Our inheritance is rooted in the resurrection; it’s rooted in the dead coming to life. The gospel is the dead receiving an inheritance from the Living. It’s not the dead leaving something for us; it’s the Living calling us into a share in his very life. It’s where the dead are given life. Our hope is as imperishable as the resurrected Christ.

It’s contrasted with the greatest inheritances received on earth.

The Promised Land is the greatest inheritance this life has known. (presence/provision/protection)

Perishable - Every Roman soldier walking the streets of Jerusalem was a reminder of the perishability of the Promised Land.

Corruptible - The people of God defiled their inheritance from the very beginning. Worshiped other gods/murdered the Lord’s prophets/went their own way

Fading - Where was David’s might? Where was Solomon’s glory? This kingdom was a shell of its former self.

As great an inheritance as it was, it was insecure. The resurrection makes the same offer to us of God’s presence, provision, and protection, but in contrast it secures these realities for you forever. They tried to eliminate Jesus, but He was imperishable. If you’re in him, you’re just as imperishable. His presence is with you and in you, and nothing can change that. On the cross, Jesus bore the fullness of your corruptibility on himself; so, when He was raised, He showed that it had been defeated. And, you’re in him. Your corruptibility has been displaced by his righteousness. You can’t do anything about it. You can’t change it. You can’t mess it up. You can’t ruin the promise. You can’t lose your life. His provision for you is permanent. We’re used to our hope fading and losing its luster as time passes on, but with every passing day, with every confronted trauma, with every step toward death, our resurrection comes closer. Our joy is guarded from all of the threats it faces because our life is protected by the reality of the resurrection. Jesus is alive, and it becomes more relevant, more spectacular, more beautiful with every passing day.

Israel had lost its birthright in the Promised Land, but we have been born again in to a birthright that is imperishable.

Exact opposite: Your inheritance is kept for you, and you’re kept for it.

“kept” = “reserved” Jesus has prepared a place for you. You have a reservation in eternity, and it’s held by your resurrected King who sits at the right hand of the Father. And, he’s escorting you (“guarded” military term) to your mansion through these choppy water with his own resurrection power (v. 5).

Our “pain” is “momentary”.

And, that’s what makes this so relevant to us today. That’s what brings us to Peter’s point. Your pain loses in the end. Hope wins. Your pain doesn’t lead to defeat; your pain leads to praise.

1 Peter 1:6–7 (ESV) 6In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7so that the tested genuineness of your faith—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.

As Peter looked at this suffering church, his mind must’ve went back to where he saw this story before. He saw his hope appear to die on a bloody cross. He had turned away from Christ and abandoned all hope. But then, Sunday came and Jesus rose, and the cross turned out to be a testament to the genuineness of Jesus as the Savior. So, the cross became a source of praise. Pain had lost. Hope had won. The pain had only lasted for a little while, but Jesus’ glory was going to last forever.

If you love him and believe him though you do not see him, your pain will lose too. It feels like forever right now, but it’ll only be a memory then. One day, from the perspective of eternity you will look back over the betrayal of your divorce and the pain of sickness and the loss of your job and the rebellion of your children so that you can saw with Paul: “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.” There is far greater reason to hope in whom you can’t see than there is to fear what you can see.