Our Living Hope

1 Peter 1:3-9

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

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 honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8Though 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, 9obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Jesus Christ has risen. The tomb is empty. The body of Jesus cannot be found.

• An angel appeared and announced: “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” (Matt 28:6)

• The stone has been rolled away, not for Jesus to get out but for men to see.

Two things the angel said: (1) He has risen, and (2) just as He said He would.

• It is a fact and a fulfilment of what He had earlier said.

• At least 3 times, according to the Gospels, Jesus said He would suffer, be killed and on the third day be raised.

• Jesus is the only man who predicted - not just His death and the kind of death He would die - but also His resurrection. No one can.

• Jesus did that because He is the Son of God and He knows God the Father.

So we are here today celebrating Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

• Not commemorate a tragic event but celebrate a living hope, Peter said, in the text that we read this morning.

• Jesus Christ is alive and He is with us today. He died for the sin of man and paid the penalty that was required of a righteous God.

• With His sacrifice on our behalf, God’s wrath against sin has been appeased and the debt we owed God paid in full.

• God accepted His sacrifice and raised Jesus to life. Our faith in Jesus Christ means our sin is forgiven and we are reconciled to God.

• We receive a new life in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

We read what Apostle Peter said here in 1 Peter 1.

• 1:3 “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…”

• Peter was the first disciple of Jesus to step into the tomb and saw the empty tomb.

• Peter and John were the first disciples to run to the tomb that first morning.

• John outran Peter but he did not enter the tomb. He stooped outside and looked in. Peter ran straight into the tomb and saw the evidence.

We have here the words of an eyewitness, who has seen and heard Jesus personally, before and after His resurrection, and whose life has been transformed.

• Listen to him. We need to hear him because he is not ordinary person.

• Peter was the earliest disciple called to follow Jesus. He was closest to Jesus, among the inner circle. He was the first to confess Jesus as Christ, the Son of the living God, aided by the Spirit. Peter was martyred for proclaiming Jesus.

• Peter tells us here the impact of Jesus’ resurrection. His own life has been changed because of it, and so can everyone who believes in Jesus Christ today.

THREE WAYS Peter says our lives have been transformed because of Jesus:

(1) We Have A Living Hope (1:3)

(2) We Have An Eternal Inheritance (1:4)

(3) We Have An Enduring Faith (1:6-7)

• Our faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection gives us a living hope NOW, and an eternal inheritance in the FUTURE, and in between the NOW and the FUTURE, we have an enduring faith through the trials of life because of His presence and help.

1. We Have a Living Hope

The Word of God says we are “born again to a living hope” because of the resurrection of Christ. Peter said specifically that it’s a LIVING hope because Jesus is alive.

• It’s one thing to have hope, it’s quite another thing to have hope that’s alive.