1 Peter 1:3-12
You might have heard the old saying “where there’s life, there’s hope”. That saying tells us how important hope is to people, because if we reverse it, it says “where there’s hope, there’s life” – which means that where there’s no hope, there’s death. As humans, we live on hope. It feeds us, it keeps us going from day to day. It gives us something, some possibility to look forward to, something better to grasp hold of. When we hear the tragedy of people committing suicide, it’s inevitably because they don’t have any hope. They can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. Nothing’s going to get any better in their mind. Without hope, there’s death – emotional death, spiritual death, physical death. We need hope.
I’m an English teacher by trade, so I thought I’d bring out a bit of literature. In Eugene O’Neill’s play The Iceman Cometh, (I expect everyone here is familiar with it!!) we meet a character called Harry Hope, who is the proprietor of a saloon populated by a band of drunks who live from drink to drink. Their sad and sodden existence shuffles between one drunken binge and the next. Yet still these drunks had some hope. They had the hope that just maybe the day would dawn when they would put the cork in the bottle once and for all, get their old jobs back, be taken back in by their wives and families, and just generally return to the land of the living that they knew was still out there beyond the confines of their saloon graveyard.
But then one day Ted Hickman, or "Hickey" returns to Harry Hope’s saloon. He himself had once been a member of this sad society but had managed to kick his alcoholic ways. However, far from encouraging the other denizens of the bar to do the same thing, Hickey provides them with even more booze because, he proclaims to them all, "The only way to be happy is to abandon your foolish pipe dreams of a better life. Give in to reality, accept that you are permanent drunks, and then you will be at peace." But Hickey’s news brings no peace. Instead, the message that they were in fact hopeless drunks caused these men to begin to die, because they had nothing to live for.
We need hope. But the question is, what should we be hoping for? Some relatives of victims of the September 11 bombings were still demanding authorities sift carefully through the rubble two or even three months after the blast because they were living on this hope that their loved ones were still alive. We don’t want to be dismissive in that sort of tragic situation, but in the end, that hope was false and baseless. It was a dead hope, in a very literal sense.
But it’s not just obviously false hopes like that that are really dead. If you ask the average person on the street what they hope for, what they are living for, what they primarily look forward to, most answers you get will be about money and possessions or personal relationships. “I hope to get a really good job to earn a lot of money and have this and this and this.” “I hope to have a family.” “I hope that my kids will grow up to be happy, successful people.” Or, if you ask many of the kids I teach at Peakhurst High it will almost invariably be something like “I hope to get that bike or that skateboard or that car, or that girl or that guy.” Now maybe some of these hopes will be fulfilled. But whether they come about or not, they’re still false. They’re false because, as we read in vs 4, all these hopes perish, spoil and fade. They’re like the gold that Peter speaks about in vs. 7 – even though it’s refined by fire, it perishes. None of these things last. They’re all dead hopes. The bike or car breaks. The money runs out. The relationship ends. Your wife or husband dies. You die. They’re dead hopes. People who live for them are hope-less.
A Living Hope
But Peter knows that as Christians, as God’s people, we have something better. He’s excited about it, that’s why after his initial greetings he begins his letter in vs. 3 by proclaiming, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” And why is he praising God? Because God has given us new birth into a living hope. A living hope. A hope that will never perish, spoil or fade, a hope that is kept and securely guarded in heaven for us.
Grace and Faith
Well, how do we receive this living hope? We receive it through the mercy of God. God pours out his grace upon us, so that we are saved. Vs. 3 says that “in his great mercy he has given us new birth”; vss. 9 and 10 speak about this salvation and this grace that have come to us. It’s just a jargony way of saying that we had done the wrong thing and we deserved to die but God gave us a free gift when he sent Jesus to die for us on the cross. We take hold of this free gift by putting our faith in him even though we do not see him now. Even though there’s no proof in front of our eyes right at this moment, we trust that Jesus has given us the mercy of God.
That’s a big call to make, when you think about. Let’s look at vss. 8-9 a bit more closely: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now you believe in him and are filled with the inexpressible and glorious joy for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” A few months ago I was visiting my grandmother at the retirement village she lives at, and there’s this nursing home just up the road. I was walking down to her place when I passed this woman standing on the side of the road pointing straight ahead of her and laughing hysterically. I looked over to where she was pointing and there was this small tree and then some open grass. She looked at me and “I’m sorry, but my husband is just so funny!” all the while continuing to point at this shrub. I said “that’s allright” and kept walking. I asked my grandmother about it, and she told me the real question everyone was asking was what exactly it was that her husband was doing that made her giggle so much!
If we believe in something we can’t see, people call us crazy. But that’s the sort of faith that is required of us, and that’s the sort of faith that will see us reach the goal – the salvation of our souls. When Jesus first appeared to his disciples after being raised from the dead, Thomas wasn’t there, and he said he wouldn’t believe Jesus was alive until he saw it for himself and touch the wounds in his hands and side. Well, Jesus did appear to Thomas a week later, and he believed but then Jesus said this: “You have seen me and believed. Blessed are those who have not seen me and yet believed.”
I’ve got no doubt that most people here have heard this message about Jesus dying on the cross many, many times before. Maybe some of you were tempted to sort of sigh quietly to yourself – “oh, that’s all this passage is about – just Jesus dying on the cross”. But if you’re tempted to think that – let’s look at vss. 10-12. (read passage). What we see here are the prophets, those great guys of the Old Testament like Isaiah and Jeremiah and Amos – the Spirit of Christ was pointing them to the good news of Jesus dying and rising again. But they couldn’t quite work in out, they didn’t know when it was going to happen, or how it was going to happen. But then, in vs. 12, we see that it was revealed to them that these prophecies they were receiving from God weren’t to serve them – because they couldn’t understand them. Rather, they were to serve us, for we now know what they were about because the gospel has been preached to us. We know that Jesus Christ came and was crucified and rose from the dead on the third day. But to those of us who might be subconsciously becoming a bit bored with that, think about what a privilege you have to know this. The prophets didn’t know. They trusted God despite their lack of understanding. Even the angels long to look at these things. But they’ve been told to us. The Holy Spirit has revealed them to us, and that is something we cannot take lightly.
Resurrection and Inheritance
God gives us “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish spoil or fade, kept in heaven for you.” That’s what this living hope is all about, isn’t it? It’s about heaven, as glorious future we have to look forward to as the people of God. But how do we know any of this is going to happen. We may well die before Jesus returns, no one we’ve ever seen has done anything more than go stiff and green and smelly and then slowly rot away. How can we know there’s life after death? The answer is simple, really. Look at Jesus. He rose from the dead, he defeated death. He didn’t stay to rot in that tomb, he got up, ripped off those grave clothes, rolled that stone aside and appeared to over 500 people, declaring that death is not the end, that there is resurrection, there is something more. There is a living hope. Have a look at Acts 17:31 (powerpoint) “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." The resurrection of Jesus is the proof to all people that death is only the first act of the play. There’s a sequel coming and it’s going to star Jesus as the judge.
But what do we have to look forward to? We’re not given too many details in this passage but what we do have should blow our minds. Who is that gets the inheritance? It’s the kids, isn’t it? It’s those who have been adopted as children of God. Look back to vs. 1-2 – Peter is writing to God’s elect, those who have been chosen by God. When we were talking about faith a couple of minutes ago and we saw in vs. 8 that Christians are to believe in something we’ve never seen, if you’re a Christian you might be wondering how it is exactly you believe that. Far out, you can compare what we believe to a dotty old woman who thinks her husbands a small shrub. No wonder some people laugh at Christians! And yet you know you still believe it. Why? It’s because you’ve been chosen by God. You’re one of God’s elect who have waiting for them an inheritance. And here’s the even more amazing bit – as children of God we are inheriting his kingdom. Our hope is the kingdom of God. That’s what we’re looking forward to. If that doesn’t blow your mind, it should. We’re sinful, broken people but God has chosen us to inherit heaven.
This inheritance isn’t going anywhere, either. It’s a living hope, not a dead hope. When I was talking about hope earlier, it seemed that the way most people used the word it was more like a wish, or a dream. This isn’t some sort of wish that might come true. It’s a sure thing. We’re not going to be dragged away from it, because God’s power is protecting us – “through faith we are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” God’s chosen us and he’s got us. By the faith he’s given us, he’s holding us there until Jesus returns.
Grief and Joy
Does that mean that everything’s rosy for us now? No – look at vs. 6. At the moment, we might be facing grief in all kinds of trials. You could be being persecuted for your faith. You could be living in poverty and unemployment. You could be constantly facing a temptation that you’re finding so difficult to resist. But these things have a purpose. Vs. 7 – “These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and result in praise glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Sticking with Christ even when the times get tough really sorts out the men from the boys. And the woman from the girls if you think I’m being sexist! If you’re faith is genuine, then you’re not going to keep going when you’re being insulted and persecuted for being a Christian. But if it is you’ll keep going, because you know you’ve got something better waiting for you. I remember seeing a video of a marathon runner at an Olympics a while back. After 41.5 km he staggered into the stadium, he legs looking ready to buckle under him. About 100m out from the finish line he collapsed to his knees, vomited the last cup of water he had drunk out on the track and then literally dragged himself those last steps over the line. He didn’t seem to be having much fun. Even before he collapse, he had that look on his face which sort of says “gee, I feel like crap”. But he made himself kept doing, because he knew he had something better waiting for him. In the end, that something better was an enormous cheer from the crowd and then a hospital bed with a drip in his arm for two days.
When we as Christians look to our inheritance in heaven, we know we can keep going. We can see what’s over the finish line. Romans 8:18 says “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us”.
Glory and Praise
I’ve already alluded to this before, but I think that old adage that “familiarity breeds contempt” is a constant danger for Christians. We here so many times that Christ died for us that we become blasé about it. We hear so many times how in Christ we have an eternal inheritance in heaven with the Lord that we become blasé about it. We hear so many times that God is awesome and powerful and loving and merciful that we become blasé about it. When we hear of such things we might nod happily, think in our minds, “yes, that’s good”, but there’s really no excitement in our hearts, there’s no spirit of praise and worship inside us ready to spring out to declare the majesty of God. But that is the appropriate response. Next week you’ll no doubt be going on to look at the other appropriate response in vss. 13ff which is purity and obedience, but for tonight we’ll focus on praising God and glorifying is name. Remember the purpose of our suffering in vs. 7 – it’s so that we will praise and glorify and honour God. When we have faith in the great mercy of God we are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy according to vs. 8. And how did Peter begin his letter? Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, we’ve been reflecting on the living hope that we have tonight, the inheritance we have in heaven which has been secured for us by the mercy and grace of God. We’ll finish with a passage from Revelation which describes for us this inheritance which is waiting for us. You don’t need to look it up, I want everyone to close their eyes and let this picture of heaven fill the quietness of your own mind. Let the Word of God speak to you.
Revelation 21:1-4, 21:22-22:5
21Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
22I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
23The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendour into it. 25On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26The glory and honour of the nations will be brought into it.
27Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
22Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
3No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
5There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
