A Living Hope Series

Living Hope

OKAY – let’s do this…

SO HERE - is the ‘Powerful Passage’ (1 Peter 1:1-12) that we are going to unpack this morning, in a conversation that I am calling, “Living Hope.”

NOW – I want to encourage you to ‘really’ lean in and follow along in your Bibles/App or on the screen, as we read the Word of God.

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s exiles, scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

QUESTION – did you notice that Peter mentions the trinity in that verse…?

AND – the only reason that you and I can even have a living hope is because…

• God the Father chose us

• The Holy Spirit lives in us, and

• Jesus died for us

AMEN?!

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s exiles, scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia

QUESTION – why does Peter use the words, ‘exiles’ and ‘scattered’ to describe these Jesus followers?

BECAUSE – that is exactly who they were (exiles) and what had happened to them (scattered).

UNDERSTAND – the place in which these first century believers found themselves in… was a very rough place to both come to and grow in the Faith.

I MEAN - the very moment that they chose believers to follow Christ, they set themselves up against the culture of the day…

A CULTURE - that said “Caesar is Lord.” “we live for him, serve him, give our lives for his glory – celebrate his rule and dominion.”

UNDERSTAND – choosing Christ (and declaring… ‘ Jesus is Lord, we live for Him, serve Him, give our lives for His glory, celebrate His rule and dominion)… more often then not meant that:

• They lost their families

• Their friends turned away from them

• Their careers ended or were severely hampered

• Their social standing plummeted

• And that their very lives were in serious jeopardy

YOU SEE – when Peter wrote these words the persecution of the church by Rome under Nero was really beginning to heat up…

LISTEN - there is no doubt that many who would heard these words had already suffered and lost much for following Christ…

AT LEAST – 15 times in this letter Peter referred to suffering, and he used 8 different Greek words to do so.

• A LADY - who lost her husband – he was burned at the stake – read this words

• A FAMILY - whose home was burned down…

• CHILDREN - who were now orphans.

• A FATHER - who lost job…

• A YOUNG MAN – whose family disowned and threatened him… – read these words

YES – things were tough and they were about to get even tougher… BECAUSE – very soon Christians would either be tossed into the Coliseum and torn apart by wild animals…

OR - dipped in tar, tied to a post and lite on fire to illuminate the Roman sky…

QUESTION…

DO YOU THINK – these believers were a little discouraged?

DO YOU THINK – that things were really starting to BOTH wear them out and wear them down?

DO YOU THINK - they could use a little good news, some living hope?

YEAH – no doubt about it.

IN FACT – it is an understatement to say that these believers had it rough.

QUESTION – did discouragement, did hard times, did difficulty, did pain, hurt and suffering end in the first century? LIKE - do believers still get discouraged today and lose their hope in the midst of challenging times?

To be honest – I see discouraged believers all the time…

• I see single moms discouraged because they are worn out from doing it all alone

• I see single people discouraged because they think they will always be alone

• I see people discouraged about their marriage

• I see people discouraged because of family issues (anger, abuse, addiction)

• I see people discouraged because of health, financial and job issues

• I see people discouraged because they stood up for the truth and got burned for it…

• I see people discouraged because they keep falling into the trap of that old familiar sin. I mean – they thought by now they’d be so much further in their spiritual journey…

• I see people discouraged because of all of the hatred and division in our country… and because of the seemingly - never ending, nearly all of life impacting, politically and emotionally charged COVID 19 Virus.

• I see people discouraged – because when they turn on the news or scroll through their social media newsfeed, it seems like so much in our world, and country is heading south…