“What oxygen is to the lungs, such is hope to the meaning of life” (Emil Brunner) There are a lot of reasons for us not to be hopeful. I listed some just this week as I thought about this message:
Suicide
Stillborn children
Multiple Sclerosis
Sexual Abuse
Eating Disorder
Special Needs Children
Bankruptcy
Divorce
Meth
Cancer
Aids
Death of Your Children
Peter writes to tell us that our hope rests in God and not in man. Peter is challenging us to place our confidence in God alone. Hope rests in Him. A recent article in The Futurist magazine catalogues some of the worst predictions of all time: “Inventions have long since reached their limit, and I see no hope for further developments.” — Roman engineer Julius Sextus Frontinus, A.D. 100 “Law will be simplified [over the next century]. Lawyers will have diminished, and their fees will have been vastly curtailed.” — journalist Junius Henri Browne, 1893 “It would appear we have reached the limits of what it is possible to achieve with computer technology.” —computer scientist John von Neumann, 1949 “The Japanese don’t make anything the people in the U.S. would want.” — Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, 1954“Nuclear powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality within ten years.” — President of the Lewyt Vacuum Cleaner Company, quoted in The New York Times, June 10, 1955 “Before man reaches the moon, your mail will be delivered within hours from New York to Australia by guided missiles. We stand on the threshold of rocket mail.” —Arthur Summerfield, U.S. Postmaster General under Eisenhower, 1959
“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,?25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you” (1Peter 1:22-25).
To really feel the force of this truth about hope and love, we need to step back and get the big picture of chapter 1.
Chapter 1 is overwhelmingly about hope. Have Hope Because….
1) You’re Worst Enemy Is Destroyed
“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” (1 Peter 1:3).
Death is now no terror. The worst enemy of our future is destroyed.
2) You Have A Reservation in Heaven
“to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4)
In verse four, Peter underlines the certainty and greatness of our future by telling us that as God’s newborn children we have an inheritance with four hope-filled characteristics: 1) it is “imperishable;” 2)“undefiled;” 3) “unfading;” and 4) “reserved” in heaven. Your inheritance in heaven is being guarded for you until you arrive
3) You Are being Guarded on Earth until You Reach Heaven
“who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5).
You are being guarded until you gain your inheritance. Verse five strengthens our hope by telling us that not only is our inheritance kept for us, but we are kept for our inheritance.
4) Your Faith Will be Tried by Fire, but it Will Last until Heaven
“so 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 honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7).
If gold is refined by fire even though it’s perishable, how much more will something as valuable as your faith be refined by suffering—but it is not perishable. Your faith will be tried, but don’t worry, it will last. It will not perish. Your Hope is equal to your confidence in God. Peter makes a transition around verse 13 as he begins to tell us how to live. He says in effect, “Now that you have seen all these reasons for hope…” Peter then goes on to give us four commands:
1. Set your Hope on Christ (verse 13);
2. Be Holy (verse 15); Holiness is loving what God loves.
3. Live Your Life in Fear (verse 18-19);
“And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:17-19). And then his fourth command is to tell us to love one another.: “love one another earnestly from a pure heart,” (1 Peter 1:22)
Peter gives us two reasons to love in verses 22 and 23. The command to love one another is sandwiched between two (2) reasons to love that are both descriptions of the birth of hope. Love is encased in hope. It gets its life from hope. If we are not a hope-filled people, we will not be a loving people. Notice that there is a reason to love given in front of the command to love (verse 22a) and there is a reason to love given behind the command to love (verse 23).
1. Believing Creates Behaving
Verse 22 is referring to salvation. Stuart Briscoe in which he tells about being in a village in Bangladesh with the elders of that village who were Muslims by birth and background, but who had put their trust in Christ as Savior. They were sitting cross-legged on a dirt floor discussing whether they should all publicly confess Christ by being baptized. They could believe in Christ with no consequences. But if they were baptized, they would be tried and convicted as heretics and would be publicly beaten with bamboo rods. Since most of these men were old and somewhat frail, this could very likely result in their deaths. We’re focusing on the words “obedience to the truth” in verse 22. Would you be baptized if you knew that it meant social ostracism, a public beating, and perhaps death? Briscoe reported that to his knowledge, all of these men went through with being baptized.I don’t know if any of them died from the beatings. Baptism didn’t save them. Yet, it did prove the reality of their faith in Christ, which did save them.
We must be clear about the following: There is no such thing as saving faith apart from obedient faith. There are popular myths in our culture today. Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters recently explored what your mother has always told you: You might drown if you swim with a full stomach? Not once has a drowning death been attributed to “swimming with a full stomach.” Yes, swimmers can develop cramps in the water, but few are the result of eating right before swimming.
Let me play mythbuster with Christianity for just a moment - if you want a fire insurance policy to protect you from hell, then believe in Jesus as your Savior, but you don’t need to go all the way and obey Him as Lord. You can just go to church when it’s convenient, drop a few bucks in the offering plate now and then, and call yourself a Christian. But if you like hardship and suffering, if you think that denying yourself and taking up a cross and living a holy life sounds adventurous and exciting, then you can sign up for the discipleship track. You’ll be rewarded with a few extra benefits in heaven. Please listen carefully, because your eternal destiny depends upon your understanding this: There is no such distinction in the Bible. Christians are those who have purified their souls in obedience to the truth: “And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:3).
“But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder” (James 2:18-19)! Does this mean that true Christians never disobey God? Of course not! But it does mean that there is no such thing as a characteristically disobedient believer. If a person claims to be saved, but lives in chronic disobedience to God and disregard for His Word, the person is deceived
2. You’re Born to Love
“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart ”(1 Peter 1:22). Peter tells us that we were converted to love others.
2.1 Love is Sincere
Biblical love is a self-sacrificing, caring commitment which shows itself in seeking the highest good of the one loved. Peter describes this love here in three ways. First, it is a sincere love. The word means “not hypocritical.” “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:9-10). Biblical love is not affirming and gushy to a person’s face
but then disparaging of him when he’s not around. It’s not manipulative, trying to butter a person up for one’s own advantage, while in your heart you despise him. Biblical love doesn’t try to use someone for the “connection” for personal gain.
2.2 Love is Pure
“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing” (1 Peter 3:8-9)
2.3 Love is Fervent
This word stems from a verb meaning to stretch out or strain. It implies effort and emotion. It is used of Jesus’ fervent prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:44) and of the church’s fervent prayer for Peter when he was in prison facing execution (Acts 12:5). It shows that while love is an emotion, it is more than an emotion. It can be commanded and thus involves the will. It involves hard work and effort. It’s not always easy. But it is required as a crucial part of the outworking of our salvation.
“And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How do you read it?’ And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.’ But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You go, and do likewise.’
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’” (Luke 10:25-41)
3. The Word of God does the Work of God
“since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,?25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:23-25)
Peter loves this word “perishable.” Unlike your milk, Peter is telling us the things that really matter in life have no expiration date. Our inheritance is not perishable (v. 4); our faith is not perishable (v. 7); our ransom is not perishable (vv. 18, 19); God’s Word is not perishable (v. 23). What’s the point? The point is: it lasts. It will not be proved wrong. It will stand as long as God stands. And those who stand on it will not fall—ever.
1700 years ago the Roman emperor, Diocletian wanted to destroy Christianity. Between 303-311, Diocletian led what many regard as the most pernicious period of persecution upon Christianity the Roman Empire had initiated. During this awful time, Diocletian’s advisors said Christianity is a religion of the Bible. If you will destroy the Bible, you will destroy Christianity. He began the most massive search in history. He burned every Bible he could find throughout the known world. And over the charred remains of the last Bible he wrote: “The name Christian is now extinct.” Yet, today the Bible is the world's best seller but most people have never heard of Diocletian.
A skeptic once told Gaylord Kambarami, the General Secretary of the Bible Society of Zimbabwe, “If you give me that New Testament I will roll the pages and use them to make cigarettes!” Gaylord replied, “I understand that, but at least promise to read the page of the New Testament before you smoke it.” When the man agreed, Gaylord gave him the New Testament and that was the last he saw of him for 15 years. Then, while Gaylord was attending a Methodist convention in Zimbabwe, the speaker on the platform suddenly spotted him, pointed him out to the audience and said, “This man doesn’t remember me, but 15 years ago he tried to sell me a New Testament. When I refused to buy it he gave it to me, even though I told him I would use the pages to roll cigarettes. I smoked Matthew and I smoked Mark and I smoked Luke. But when I got to John 3:16, I couldn’t smoke anymore. My life was changed from that moment!” That man is now a full-time evangelist, preaching the Word he once smoked!
God uses His Word to bring the new birth! How does the Word’s acting to cause your conversion link to the command to love one another? What is the logic of this claim?
Spiritual Birth Natural Birth
Source is the
Word of God Source is Your Parents
Life has No Expiration Date Life has an Expiration Date
Peter quotes from Isaiah 40:6-8 to support his point. In the context, Isaiah was writing prophetically to God’s people who had been taken into captivity in Babylon, comforting them that God would fulfill His promises by restoring them to the land. Babylon, outwardly, was one of the most impressive and powerful kingdoms on the face of the earth. The hanging gardens were considered one of the wonders of the ancient world. The walls of Babylon seemed impenetrable. But Isaiah says, “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,?25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” In other words, don’t be fooled by the outward impressiveness of Babylon. It will fade like a flower, but God’s Word will stand forever! Of course, God’s Word through Isaiah proved true. “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18).
In case they missed the point, Peter adds, “And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” Thus when you are suffering in an alien world that looks glamorous and seems lasting, don’t be fooled. It will fade and perish; but the new birth you possess through God’s Word will abide forever.
“and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:15-16)
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12) The Word of God is heaven’s detergent and God’s soap that can wash away any spot of sin or remove any sinful stain. The Bible says in Psalm 19:9, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to thy word.”
You see the Word of God can purify your soul. It is one thing to wash a man’s hands. It is another thing to wash a man’s heart. It’s one thing to take a spot out of a shirt. It’s another thing to take sin out of a soul. The Bible can split a man’s soul and spirit, clean out the wounds of sin and put him together again as a new creature. What awesome power is in the Word of God.
