INTRODUCTION
USS-S4 SUBMARINE
On December 17, 1927, The USS-S4 submarine while surfacing from a submerged run off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts was accidentally rammed and sunk by the Coast Guard destroyer, Paulding, which was on patrol. Heroic efforts were made to rescue six known survivors out of the forty men on board. These six had a pocket of oxygen where they were trapped in the forward torpedo room. The rescuers exchanged a series of messages with these six by tapping morse code on the hull. Those inside the doomed submarine texted back this message. “Is there any hope?”
What a question! It is a question that is still being asked today. Is there any hope that my child will turn their life around? Is there any hope that we can get our marriage back to where it should be? Is there any hope that our country will come to its senses before it is too late? Is there any hope that I will end this life in heaven after all I have done wrong?
It is a question that demands an answer. But I cannot answer it, neither can you. The question is bigger than us. It took God sending Jesus from heaven and arriving in Bethlehem on Christmas day to answer that question. And guess who gets to write about the answer. None other than Peter. And how appropriate. After all, it was Peter who first identified Jeus as being the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Peter pens in the third verse of 1 Peter these words, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”.
“Is there any hope?” And the answer is a resounding yes. It is not a “I hope so” type of hope. Peter says this hope has some substance- it is a living hope because Jesus rose from the dead. So, Christmas means to me that the Living Hope is here. The question “is there any hope” is about to be answered by heaven.
So, today, I want to know what that living hope does in my life.
BIBLE VERSE
1 Peter 1:3-12 (NKJV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9 receiving the end of your faith–the salvation of your souls.
10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,
11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven–things which angels desire to look into.
2 ONE
THE LIVING HOPE IS HERE AND IT CAME IN THE PERSON OF THE GOD-MAN JESUS WHO MADE ACCESS TO GOD POSSIBLE.
1 Peter 1:3 (NKJV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
I hated it when my internet went out and I had to call ATT. You first must talk to a computer and explain your problem to the computer and see if the computer can fix it. Now, I must talk funny because the computer was always coming back saying that I didn’t understand. The computer would ask me, “Can you repeat what you said?” I didn’t consider that access to ATT; I didn’t consider myself having access to ATT until I was talking to a live person.
I didn’t have direct access to ATT, I don’t have direct access to my new cable provider, Sparklight. I have already met their computer and I assume he or she must be a relative of the ATT computer because we have the same communication problems with each other. I am so thankful this Christmas morning that the Living Hope gave me direct access to God. I am so thankful that I don’t have to go through an angel this morning to get to God. Can you imagine if your prayer were first processed through an angel before they went to God?
You say, how did you get direct access to God? The answer is simple: by God’s mercy. I don’t deserve direct access to God because I am a sinful man talking to a Holy God, but God in his great mercy granted me access (something I did not deserve) through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Listen to Ephesians 2:18 (NKJV) 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
3 TWO
THE LIVING HOPE IS HERE SO WE CAN NOW ENJOY A HEAVENLY PERSPECTIVE TO EARTHLY STRUGGLES.
1 Peter 1:4-7 (NKJV)
4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ
Did you notice as I was reading these verses the contrast between what heaven offers me and what I go through in this life? I don’t ever want to minimize the struggles we face on earth, they are very real, but the Living Hope that came to earth that Christmas morning helps us to put those earthly struggles in the proper perspective.
Let me share a couple of ways the Living Hope puts our struggles in perspective from those verses.
Earthly struggles last a little while, but our heavenly inheritance is forever. Even I must endure a decade of physical pain, how does that compare with an eternity of being in the presence of God?
Early struggles will cause grief, but our heavenly inheritance will result in great rejoicing. Losing a loved one causes grief; being sick constantly causes grief; seeing your child going in the wrong direction causes grief. But the Living Hope in eternity will take away our grief and wipe away our tears.
Earthly struggles may seem haphazard, some get them, and some seem to skate by, some get more than others, and some get more severe struggles than others. That is what Peter means when he says in verse six (6) “if need be”. But the Living Hope coming to earth guarantees that I don’t slip through the cracks. There is no haphazardness to God’s plans in eternity.
4 THREE
THE LIVING HOPE IS HERE AND WE ARE SO BLESSED.
1 Peter 1:10-12
10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,
11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven–things which angels desire to look into.
Do you know how blessed you are this day after Christmas? You and I are blessed more than any other people group that lived before the cross. Think about the prophets of the Old Testament. It says that they inquired and searched carefully for when this Messiah was to come to earth. I am sure they longed for the Christ to come to earth during their time. They knew of the grace that would be given to you and me and longed for it in their own life.
Think about the angels of heaven. Peter says that the angels of heaven desired to look into the unique relationship God was setting up with those who lived on this side of the Cross and accepted Jesus as their Savior. I am sure they were puzzled how those Christians could become the bride of Christ.
Did you wake up this day after Christmas, thinking how blessed you are?
5 APPLICATION
THE LIVING HOPE IS HERE AND OUR RESPONSE IS TO REJOICE.
1 Peter 1:6
6 In this you greatly rejoice…
1 Peter 1:8
8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
There can be only one proper response to the Living Hope coming to dwell among us and that is to rejoice. If you cannot rejoice today something is wrong spiritually. In a minute we will open up the altar and you can take care of whatever is preventing you from rejoicing this Christmas season.
