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.
• The word dispersed is a technics term that was used since the Babylonian captivity to identify Jews who lived outside of Israel.
• These people lost it all for the sake of following Jesus. Life for them was difficult at best, yet, they were faithfully following Jesus.
• What is one thing they needed to be able to carry on faithfully? What is one thing we need right now in life? HOPE!
• When times are difficult, we need hope! When you do not have Jesus, where do you place your hope?
• Hope is such an essential part of life.
• In the book Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl chronicles his experience living as a prisoner in an Auschwitz concentration camp during WWII.
• He makes the connection between hope, strength, and spiritual fortitude as he watches his fellow prisoners.
• He observes that a person’s ability to survive is intricately linked to their hope or the loss of hope.
• He writes, “The prisoner who lost faith in the future—his future—was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline and became subject to mental and physical decay. … Those who know how close the connection is between the state of mind of a man—his courage and hope, or lack of them—and the state of immunity of his body will understand that the sudden loss of hope and courage can have a deadly effect” (Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning [New York City, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1985], 96–97).
• These believers lost it all for the sake of following Jesus! What kept them faithful?
• It was hope, hope that they were not following a dead savior.
• How can one place their hope in someone who is dead? Where is the hope of following a person who was dead?
• The disciples saw Jesus die, and with His death, the disciples lost hope. Peter was one of them. The disciples were afraid to show their faces until something changed.
• And then He appeared to Peter! The disciples transitioned from fear to full faith in Jesus when he appeared to them alive and well!
• Look at verse 3.
• 1 Peter 1:3 (CSB) — 3 Blessed 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.
• There are two basic words for mercy. Both terms involve the concept of sympathy, the idea of fellow-feeling with hurting people, or compassion.
• One of the words speaks of compassion, which abides in the heart.
• The word used here is the word that speaks of sympathy that moves one to act. This word used in verse three centers on actions rather than words and feelings.
• God got involved with the human race by sending His Son.
• God has given us the opportunity for NEW BIRTH into a LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead!
• The hope is living because Jesus defeated death! Our hope is grounded on the promises of God; therefore, His promises are not empty and void. God proved His power to keep them by raising Jesus from the dead!
• God’s promises are living because Jesus is alive!
• Verse 4 tells us…
• 1 Peter 1:4 (CSB) — 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
• We are given a new birth into a living hope into an inheritance! This inheritance is extraordinary for four reasons!
• 1. The inheritance is imperishable! It is not subject to destruction or ruin. It is not like our retirement plans, here today, gone tomorrow.
• The word IMPERISHABLE also denotes something that is unravaged by invading armies!
• Jesus speaks of this subject in Matthew 6:19-21 when He speaks on the issue of where you invest yourself.
• 2. The inheritance is undefiled! There is no spot or pollution to ruin the inheritance.
• What happens if you purchase an expensive garment, and then a moth eats a hole in it? Or what happens when you spill something on the garment that you cannot get out of the garment? The garment is ruined. The nation of Israel corrupted themselves in Canaan when they followed false gods.
• In heaven, nothing that defiles will be allowed entry! Revelation 21:27!
• 3. The inheritance is unfading. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord endures forever. Heaven will last forever!
• 4. The inheritance is reserved! You possess the inheritance NOW! Verse 5 tells us that God is guarding the inheritance!
• Many of Peter’s readers had their land confiscated, not so with our inheritance; God is protecting it!
• The word GUARDED in verse 5 is a military term that denotes protection from an enemy. The implication is that Christians need to be protected from the enemy!
• We hold the key right now, our faithfulness to Jesus, we will get to enter into the inheritance when He returns!
• Let’s turn to verses 6-7!
SLIDE #4
Bible Verse
1 Peter 1:6-7 (CSB)
6You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials
7so that the proven character of your faith ?—?more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire ?—?may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
SLIDE #5
2. II. Death to life inspires faith.
Explanation
• This area can get confusing. If these Christians of Jewish heritage were to come to America, there would be some who would say their issues came from a faith or sin issue.
• Some think that trials are a punishment, and there are times when that is the case. However, this is not the case here.
• Verse 6 says IF NECESSARY, you will suffer great trials.
• The trials some would face would be as a result of following Jesus. Peter tells the readers it would be for a short time. This is about the eternal glory the readers would enjoy in heaven when this life was over.
• The word GRIEF speaks of inner feeling of unrest caused by external circumstances.
• Peter wrote to these Christians of Asia Minor, who had suffered greatly, to encourage them to stay faithful amid their struggles.
• As the letter progresses, we will learn that in this particular case, the various trials of these Christians are not from things like natural catastrophes or plagues, but were persecutions inflicted by their pagan neighbors. These Christians are specifically suffering for their faith and are under constant pressure to be unfaithful. (Black, A., & Black, M. C. (1998). 1 & 2 Peter (1 Pe 1:6). Joplin, MO: College Press Pub.)
• Verse 7 explains what can come out of trials. James 1:2-4 speaks on the same subject.
• 1 Peter 1:7 (CSB) — 7 so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
• Those who were persecuting these Christians meant it for evil; God intended the trials to be used for good!
• The potential results of such trials are comparable to the process of refining gold.
• Gold ore is smelted in order to remove the impurities and expose the precious metal.
• Trials serve to refine the Christian and test his or her faithfulness. This analogy is common in the Old Testament: e.g., Psalm 66:10 (“For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver”) and Zechariah 13:9 (“I [God] will refine them like silver and test them like gold”).
Black, A., & Black, M. C. (1998). 1 & 2 Peter (1 Pe 1:7). Joplin, MO: College Press Pub.
• Peter’s analogy to refining gold places emphasis on the concept of the Christians faithfulness to God.
• The testing of faith is of higher value than the purification of gold because even the purest gold will not endure forever.
• Hearing WELL DONE GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT will have longer-lasting effects than gold will ever have!
• When our faith stands firm, we will be able to enjoy the praise of the Father one day!
SLIDE #6
Bible Verse
1 Peter 1:8-9 (CSB)
8Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy,
9because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
SLIDE #7
3. III. Death to life inspires joy.
Explanation
• Peter is praising his readers, most of whom had probably never seen or heard Jesus.
• Peter walked with Jesus for three years. Peter saw all the miracles; Peter saw the resurrected Jesus!
• John 20:29 (CSB) — 29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”
• Peter says that even though the readers had not seen Jesus, they loved Him. The word LOVE speaks of intelligent, purposeful love.
• The type of love that is a drive of the will more than one of the emotions. It speaks of one who decides to love, rather than to be emotionally driven to love.
• Peter says that even though the readers had not seen Jesus, they believed Him!
• 2 Corinthians 5:7 (CSB) — 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
• The love and faith the folks possessed are what would keep them faithful.
• Although they had not seen him, the Christians of Asia Minor believed in and loved Jesus. They, therefore, could rejoice even now amid their plight. Black, A., & Black, M. C. (1998). 1 & 2 Peter (1 Pe 1:8). Joplin, MO: College Press Pub.
• How can you rejoice with inexpressible glorious joy amid your storm? How can you sing a hallelujah in the middle of the storm?
• It is because of your love and faith in Jesus!
• Ultimately we know what we will receive when we stand before Him when He returns!
• Verse 9 says we can praise Him in the middle of the storm because we are receiving the goal of our faith, salvation!
• How can we have joy if we do believe that Jesus defeated death? How can we stay faithful to a person who is dead?
• In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul tells us that if Jesus was not raised from the dead, our faith is worthless.
• DO you know what, Paul is right!
• A dead man cannot protect you; a myth cannot save you; only a real God and a Savior who defeated death who is at His right hand can bring salvation to you!
CONCLUSION
• What does Easter mean to you?
• The way you answer that question will have temporal and enteral ramifications for you and those around you.
• IF YOU BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD, AND THAT JESUS DEFEATED DEATH, IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
• If you doubt the events of Resurrection Sunday, then you will have no hope, and nothing to base your faith upon.
• You will not know WHY people around you need Jesus!
Application
• We can live with hope, strength, and perseverance because of the power of the resurrection for the future and for today.
