We have a Living Hope!
1 Peter 1:3-5
Introduction
To a church that is being severely persecuted for being a follower of Jesus Christ, not only do they need to know that they are held secure by God in there day to day lives no matter how bad life gets, but they also need to know that there is hope. This is great news for us today, not only did we learn last week that God, as His children, that He is holding us secure in our day to day lives, but that there is hope.
Hope is what keeps us going, hope is what says I know that things are bad now, but one day they will be better. Hope says I know my life is racked with sin, and sickness, and problems, and insecurities, but one day none of that will matter.
The apostle Peter in this passage will speak of the great hope of all believer’s. The hope that we have in Jesus Christ is a living hope, and that is significant because a living hope means that it is not a dead, or lifeless hope. It is not the kind of hope that gets us to think positive for the moment but does nothing for us beyond the grave.
A living hope means that it is not a probable hope; it is not the kind of hope that may or may not come to pass.
The hope that God gives is a living hope, a hope that is real and true, that actually exists. Eternal life is a living hope because it is reality; it is a life that really exitsts in another world, in the spiritual world that we do not see. The things that the apostle Peter want us to understand today is that this living hope that we have is that we will someday live face to face to God forever and ever. We will learn truths about this living hope today as we study this passage together.
Read Scriptures: 1 Peter 1:3-5
I. The source of our Living Hope.
Vs. 3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”
The source of our living hope is The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I want us to notice who our Lord Jesus Christ is to us who have this living hope:
A. He is our Lord. He can’t be your mama’s Lord, He can’t be your Daddy’s Lord, He can’t be your grandparent’s Lord. In order for this living hope to be yours He has to be your Lord. That is a very personal statement. When Jesus is your Lord, then you have made the decision to surrender your life to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit has drawn you, someone else can’t coerce you, it is not just an emotion are feeling, but it is a conscious decision that you make to repent of your sins and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
B. He is Jesus. The carpenter from Nazareth, the man who claimed to be God in the flesh, who was sent into the world to be the savior of all people. He is not just a another prophet, not just a good teacher, not just another god of many God’s. He is who He claimed to be. If this living hope will be yours your must believe that Jesus is who He say’s He is.
C. He is Christ. He is the Messiah. He is the one promised by God to save men from the wrath of God on sin. To escape the wrath on God on sin, then you must be saved from that wrath, and the savior or Messiah is Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ alone. Not by works, not by our own power or strength, but only through the Blood of Jesus our Messiah.
This verse teaches us so much about the how to obtain this living hope, in our world today we need this living hope that comes through Jesus. When we look around at our world today all we see is corruption and death. We are born, and then before we know it, it is time to die. There is so little time between birth and death.
If we jump into reality and we are absolutely honest, we would see that we are all dying. It seems like a vicious cycle. We born to die every single one of us. So the question is how does God stop this process of corruption and death? How does God give us this living hope. We know it comes through Jesus, but how does that happen?
1. This Living hope through Jesus comes by the Mercy of God. Just as verse three says “In His great mercy”, this is the basis of our hope; it could be no other way. We are just too sinful, and God is too perfect, the only hope that we have is that God will have mercy on us. Mercy means that God withholds His judgment, God provides a way for us be saved.
Jus imagine how we treat God, we ignore Him, we neglect Him, we fail Him, we rebel against Him, we curse Him, we disbelieve Him. The list could go on and on, we desperately need His mercy. How could anyone be so bold to say that they have done enough good things in there life, so they believe they will be in heaven, you are a fool if your think that, we all need the Mercy of God, that we receive through and only through our Lord Jesus Christ. We are given this living hope because of the mercy of almighty God.
2. This Living Hope through Jesus comes by the New Birth. The scripture says “has begotten us again”, this is “born again” or “rebirth”. There is no hope for eternal life, unless a person is born again by the Spirit of God. You must be regenerated and made into a new person. If you walk an isle pray a prayer, and you walk out with the same outlook on life, with absolutely no spiritual desire for anything spiritual then the question must be asked were you truly saved. When you are born again, you should have a desire to act different, and talk different. This living hope comes by the New Birth.
3. The Living Hope through Jesus comes by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Verse three says “unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead has set Him apart from any other person to walk the face of this earth and had claims of being divine. Jesus Claimed it, to be God, and it was proven by His resurrection from the dead. Indeed His greatest miracle.
This was the great source of our Living Hope, Through Jesus Christ, and God’s great mercy, the new birth, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
II. The Inheritance of the Living Hope.
Vs. 4 “and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you,”
What is this inheritance for you and I as believer’s. I want you to see how it is described for us in verse four.
1. Our inheritance “Can never Perish”; in is “incorruptible”. The word means that it does not age, deteriorate, or die.
2. Our inheritance “Can never Spoil”. It means that our inheritance in Heaven, will be free from sickness, disease, infection, accidents, suicide, all these things that we suffer with on this earth, will not exists in Heaven.
3. Our inheritance “Can never fade away”. It will last forever and ever. Our new and perfect bodies will never wear out, they will last forever.
4. Our inheritance is in Heaven. It is kept there for us. It is actually being held there by God Himself for us as His children. God is simply waiting for us to finish what He has given us here on this earth to do, then go to Heaven and receive our inheritance. I thank God that it is in heaven, because everything here dies, or fades away, however our inheritance in Heaven will never fade away.
What a blessed Living Hope.
III. The Assurance of This Living Hope.
Vs. 5 “who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”
How do we know for sure that we will receive the inheritance? The temptations and trials of life are so forceful and threatening, how do we know for sure that we will receive the living hope of eternal life? How do we know that we will not fail and come short of the great day of redemption? In this verse there are two answers.
1. There is the assurance of God’s Power. God’s Power shields us. The word shielded means to guard or to protect. God’s power is protecting us throughout our journey of life—through all the trials and temptations of life—and God will see to it that we reach that glorious end of life, salvation.
2. There is the assurance of faith. We are kept and shielded not only by the power of God, but by our faith in the lord Jesus Christ.
No person will ever receive the hope of eternal life or of God’s glorious inheritance unless he truly believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
This Living Hope is only in Jesus Christ. Maybe today you would define you life as being or feeling hopeless. Well God wants to give you a living hope, a living is one that will not fade away, it is active and real.
