Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-5; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Acts 2:42-47; Revelation 21:1-7
Theme: Christian Living Perks
This sermon focuses on three perks of following Jesus – 1. Being Radically Born Again, Experiencing a Life of Living Hope and Enjoying an Everlasting Inheritance
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
It is amazing how many companies want us to believe that if we use thier credit card then our lives will become better and richer. Take for example, the Discover Card. Discover says that not only can you use their card to buy things, but it comes with all kinds of benefits added to it - 1% cash back on normal purchases and 5% cash back on special purchases.
Medicare advantage programs are always advertising what they can do for us. They tell us about all kinds of benefits that are ours for the taking; money put back into our accounts, extra money for dental, vision and now even for groceries.
Gym memberships, grocery cards, bank accounts; the list goes on and on of all the different programs and offers that are sent our way just wanting us to know that if we accept this app, this program, open this account or whatever that suddenly we will have all these wonderful benefits. All ours for the taking.
Even the US government gets in on the act with a special website; www.benefits.gov.
We can click on that website and find all kinds of assistance and benefits that may be available to us. Disaster relief, Social Security Programs, SNAP, Housing assistance and how we may be able to even get a direct loan from the government.
It seems like everywhere we turn there is someone telling us that if we do just this or that, if we sign up for this or that or give them some money that the door to all kinds of benefits, advantages, paybacks and assistance will suddenly be right at our fingertips.
It may cause us to approach our passage this morning with a bit of skepticism.
+Is what the Apostle Peter shares here similar to some Medicare Program, Kroger Card or Credit Card that is more hype than reality?
While it is nice to get back 1% on your credit card, it just means that you must spend 1,000 dollars to get back ten dollars.
While it is nice to get back some money to buy gas from Kroger, you do have to spend quite a bit of money to get some credit and then you must either buy your gas from Kroger or Shell Gas Stations.
It could cause us to wonder what it is that St. Peter is advertising here and what is it going to cost us?
Is it worth it?
Those that received this letter had to make those choices as they read it. They had to listen to Simon Peter’s words, digest them and then see if what he was saying was worth it. If what he was saying was worth their time and energy.
Whether we want to admit it or not we find ourselves in the same position each time we read a portion of God’s Word.
+Do we want what it says it will provide?
+Do we want to do what is necessary to receive what it says it will provide?
+Is it worth the cost of our time and energy?
Let’s take a moment to look at what Simon Peter is sharing in verses 3-5. Let’s see what he tells us are some the benefits of accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and LORD.
I. We can experience a Radical Change in our Status – Being Born Again – verse 3
Depending on our background that phrase “Born Again” may be a little unfamiliar. Words like being a Christian, saved, converted, coming to faith, redeemed, justified, regenerated or becoming a child of God may be more accepting to our ears.
All those words and phrases lead to the same thing – experiencing God in a new way in our lives that transforms us from the inside out.
When Jesus talked to Nicodemus in John chapter three, Jesus used the words being born from above – being born through the power and presence of God’s Holy Spirit.
John 1:12 puts it this way “… to all who receive Jesus, who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
The Apostle Paul explained it this way:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
Paul went on to talk about walking in newness of life (Romans 6:4), putting off the old self (Colossians 3:9) and putting on the new self which is given to us by the God of Righteousness Himself (Ephesians 4:24).
All of this speaks of something radical, something transformational happening in our lives. The concepts of the New Birth, Newness of Life and New Creation are all pointing to something supernatural happening in our lives in the here and now.
Now, I know all of you are aware of these things. It would be hard to be in a Christian Church and not at least know something about all these things; being Born Again, converted or coming to faith.
But every now and then we need to remind ourselves that in Christ, we are no longer the people that we use to be. That in Christ we have experienced a very real and tangible thing that has happened in our lives. We are no longer the same human beings that came out of our mother’s womb.
Instead, we have allowed the LORD to remove both the penalty and power of sin in our lives and we have been filled with God’s Holy Spirit.
Again, that is a big thing. It’s a really big thing.
To go from being a human being not born again, a human being not destined for everlasting life, a human being not filled with the power and presence of God’s Holy Spirit to becoming a human being born again, destined for everlasting life and filled with the very spirit of God. All of that is a big deal.
It’s a big deal that we should not only be ecstatic about, but we should be ready to share with others.
For what better gift can we help someone receive than God’s salvation?
For them to have their sins forgiven, their lives radically transformed and filled with God’s Holy Spirit?
For them to be able for the rest of their lives grow in faith and live a life led and guided by God’s Holy Spirit?
But that is not all …
II. Secondly, Simon Peter tells us that we can have a Living Hope – verse 3
If you look up the word hope in the dictionary, it is surrounded by all kinds of other words that try to help us understand what hope means – words like optimism, dream, faith, confidence and trust.
Those are all wonderful words.
In this passage, Simon Peter adds a plus to the word “hope” that I believe transforms it and expands it. He tells us that we can have something he calls a “living” hope.
Many of us grew up in what has been called an Age of Hope -
+We witnessed the first time a human went into space (April 12, 1961) and then walked on the moon (July 20, 1969).
-We witnessed the rise of the United Nations where all nations have been able to come together and debate their issues instead of starting a new world war.
-We witnessed the signing of Civil Rights Legislation (1964) making it possible for all people to be heard and have a voice.
-We have witnessed all kinds of diseases either being eradicated or contained – smallpox, measles, polio, chicken pox and many others.
-We have witnessed a time when the mortality rate for children has fallen from 30% to less than 5% globally.
-We have witnessed the birth of the home computer, internet and the smart phone.
We could go on and on and on about all the signs of hope that we all have witnessed over the last 40 – 50 – 60 – 70 years. Hope for a brighter future. Hope for a world filled with peace and prosperity.
However, today if you watch the news or surf the internet it appears that we are experiencing a hope crisis in our country and in our world.
A world that was so full of hope and promise is appearing to transition into becoming a world that is increasingly pessimistic, cynical and in despair. It appears more and more people are losing hope.
We do know that death by suicide is rising at an alarming rate. Acts of violence are sky rocketing. It is getting harder for people to afford a house or a car. Sociologists are talking about the age of hope coming to an end.
For a moment, let’s look back at these house churches that Simon Peter was writing to while he was either under house arrest or was in prison at the time of these writings.
The people that Peter was writing to:
+Were hard working blue-collar types that were living day to day, hand to mouth.
+Slaves that owned nothing, not even the clothes on their backs.
+People who had been displaced because of their race, their gender and their faith in Christ Jesus.
+Coupled with those things they were living in a time when over 50% of all children born never reached their 15th birthday.
There were no cars, no computers, no smart phones and certainly no streaming services. There was no access to public education or a Social Security system nor any type of Medicare or Medicaid. In many places there was no running water, no means to advance economically and certainly there were no Kroger stores, Wal-mart or Costco’s.
Some would say such a world didn’t have hope or even the ability to have hope and yet as we read Simon Peter points them to hope – a living hope. Not a weak hope but a vibrant, victorious living hope.
Hope is how Simon Peter saw Christ and saw the Early Church.
Hope that was the power unleashed by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Simon Peter and others believed that a New Age was being unleashed upon the earth. An age that would witness such things as a living hope:
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there neither male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” – Galatians 3:28
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 8:1
“42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:42-47
“Now the full member of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the LORD JESUS, and great grace was upon them all.” – Acts 4:32-33
Simon Peter wanted his readers to know that they could experience hope – living hope in Christ Jesus.
He wanted them to know that in the Body of Christ, in the Church there is always hope. Hope in the Risen Lord. Hope in being a part of a living breathing body of believers.
I believe that is what we are trying to do around here. I believe that is want we want to be for one another and for our community at large. A people who shares hope with those around us.
A hope that says – You belong. A hope that says – You are Important.
A hope that says – You are loved. A hope that says – You are accepted.
A hope that says – We will help you all that we can.
A hope that says – We are the Body of Christ – Being the Body of Christ.
A hope that says – If you fall, we will help you up.
A hope that says – When you cannot pray for yourself, we will cover you in prayer.
A hope that says we are with you for the long haul, from the cradle to the grave and beyond.
III. Finally, Simon Peter tells us that we have an inheritance.
An inheritance that will never perish, that cannot be corrupted and will always remain bright and vital.
Simon Peter of course is pointing towards what it will mean to experience everlasting life on a New Heaven and New Earth. He was pointing to the time that we read about in the book of Revelation chapters 21-22. A time when God will make all things right.
What we experience now is not all that we will be able to experience.
There is a Heaven waiting for us – there is a New Earth waiting for us.
There is even a new body waiting for us – a resurrected body.
There is a new life waiting for us – a life that as we read in Revelation chapter 21
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
Every now and then we need to remind ourselves of our inheritance. We need to remind ourselves that we are going somewhere. We need to remind ourselves that this earth that we see today will be transformed. That these bodies that we are housed in will be transformed.
That our God; the Good God of Creation; Father, Son and Holy Spirit has a place for us, a very special place. A place where there will be no sin, no crime, no one hurting someone else, no pain, no suffering, no evil of any kind. A place where there will be no death, no evil and not even the restraints of time.
We need to remind ourselves as Simon Peter wanted his readers to know that what Jesus had done not only saved their souls but made the way for human beings to go to God’s Home.
So, what are the Perks of Following Jesus – of being Born Again, Converted:
+Being Born Again – Having both the Penalty of Sin removed the power of Sin broken. Being supernaturally transformed by the indwelling presence of God’s Holy Spirit.
+A Living Hope - A Living Hope that reaches out to transform our lives, the lives of others around us and God's Good Earth in totality
+An out of this world Inheritance - Life on the New Heaven and New Earth
Invitation to Holy Communion
