Death To Life

Death to Life

1 Peter 1:1-9

Through the resurrection of Christ, we have a living hope, that sustains and strengthens the believer in all circumstances.

SLIDE #1

INTRODUCTION

• What a joy it is to be able to be together online for this joyful holiday!

• I am so thankful for the technology that FCC has been employing for the past three years to be able to join you in your home today.

• COVID-19 has stopped us from being in the same room together, but it has not prevented us from worshipping together today!

• Easter is alive and well today, just as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is alive and well!

• On behalf of the staff at FCC, I want to thank all of you for your prayers, and calls, gifts, and cards of support!

• One thing this difficult time has shown me is just how strong this church is, I have seen how loving this church is, and I an so encouraged by how helpful and thoughtful the FCC family is! God bless you all!

• If you are on Facebook today, consider starting a watch party so we can reach more people with the gospel this morning!

• Today, I know there is a great deal of anxiety over what is happening in the world today. There is a virus that is not only taking lives, but it is also ruining lives.

• We feel a bit helpless as we watch what is unfolding before our eyes, I pray this ends soon, and I pray that we all keep our focus where it needs to be, that we use this anxious time to have discussions with people about Jesus.

• Why would we want to talk to people about Jesus? We are in the middle of a global pandemic! Shouldn’t we be in a panic of over it, and besides, if there is a God, then why did this virus hit us from China?

• What could this Jesus stuff possibly do for me today amid a global pandemic in 2020?

• Well, stick with me this morning, and I will try to answer those questions for you.

• Today we will be in the letter of 1 Peter as we dive into our message, DEATH TO LIFE.

• The letter of 1 Peter is written to the suffering church as a message of hope.

• Peter begins his letter with a greeting to the varying Jewish believers who had been displaced and were now scattered throughout the cities of Asia Minor.

• Peter immediately lays out foundational truths for the believer.

• He reminds them that they have been chosen (they are valuable to God) that they are being sanctified (God is still with them) and that the blood of Jesus purifies them (the suffering they are enduring is not a punishment).

• Peter distinctly highlights the three members, of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit (v. 2).

• When trials come, it is sometimes difficult to feel that God is present.

• Natural consequences catch up with believers and unbelievers alike when we choose to live our lives independent of God, but for the believer who is in a relationship with God through Jesus, we can be confident in the fact that God does not leave us to fend for ourselves.

• The BIG idea of the message this morning is simple. Through the resurrection of Christ, we have a living hope that sustains and strengthens the believer in all circumstances.

• One of the main reasons we can have hope is because Jesus defeated death. Death to life brings us some wonderful things; today we will examine three of them.

• Let’s turn to 1 Peter 1:1-5

SLIDE #2

Bible Verse

1 Peter 1:1-5 (CSB)

1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ: To those chosen, living as exiles dispersed abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen

2according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

4and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

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

SLIDE #3

1. I. Death to life inspires hope.

Explanation

• In the introduction, I alluded to whom 1 Peter was initially addressed.

• The letter was written to Christians’ particularly Jewish Christians, who were driven out of their homeland because of their decisions to follow Jesus.