OUR LIVING HOPE

April 4, 2024

1 Peter 1:3 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

OUR LIVING HOPE

Jesus is risen. “Praise be to God!”

This good news is so amazing that Peter can’t even hold back his praise for God exclaiming, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” Peter worships the Father because he has caused us to be born again! New Life through his great mercy! It is not due to anything we have done. God is the active one, according to his great mercy he creates new life in us, a new direction, a rebirth, to be born again. To what end? To a living hope! Our hope is not a perishing or fading hope, it is living! How? Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! We are born to new life through Jesus and are being raised to new life through him. We have a living hope because we worship a living Savior!

We all put our hope in something. We hope in our savings accounts to bring security, we hope in our relationships to make us happy, we hope in our careers and hobbies to bring fulfillment, we hope in healthy living to bring us long life, we hope in wise children to give us peace, we hope in entertainment to bring us comfort and joy, the list can go on and on. I suppose we could say that those that feel hopeless even demonstrate that they put their hope in something, they have simply come to realize that it has failed them.

Peter is a man who denied Jesus. Not once but three times. He turned his back on him to save his own skin. Jesus died, and Peter wept bitterly, knowing in that moment, he would never be able to say “I’m sorry” or make it right with Jesus again.

However, Sunday came, Jesus came triumphant from the grave! When you get a second chance like that, a new hope, a new and living hope, it changes everything. Resurrection hope changes everything.

So, Peter in response shouts out. 

Total praise! 

New birth! 

Living hope!

Peter came to know that the resurrection of Jesus was of greater worth than anything else. In fact, Peter gave his life to it. He gave his life for it. Tradition records that Peter, like his Lord, was crucified as a follower of "the way", as an apostle of Jesus.

With a "new and living hope" worldview, in the light of resurrection promises and reality, nothing could stop him as a messenger and minister for Jesus Christ. Resurrection means death ultimately will have no hold over Jesus followers. 

When you know this truth it does really make a difference. Our Bible reading reveals that all we need for our life, God has already given us. We are prepared for anything. All the opportunities, information, relationships have already been given to us through knowing Him.

Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:8 that this resurrection hope results in a confident faith response. Here is what he writes, "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 an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

Thanks be to God!

Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

“Hope is called the anchor of the soul because it gives stability to the Christian life. But hope is not simply a ‘wish’ I wish that such-and-such would take place rather, it is that which latches on to the certainty of the promises of the future that God has made.”

R.C. Sproul