Old Testament Reading: Job 23:1-17
New Testament Reading: 2 Timothy 2:1-15
A Living Hope
“Preparing For Persecution”
1 Peter 1:3-5
Pastor Wayne J. Edwards
The central theme of this letter is stated in 1 Peter 1:3:
- “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
- Because of His great mercy, God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ gave us a picture of our future hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
- Therefore, as Bill Gaither wrote in his song:
- Because He lives, we can face tomorrow.
- Because He lives, all fear is gone.
- Because we know Who holds the future.
- This life is worth living, just because He lives.
In 1 Peter 1:13, Peter said the first step in preparing for persecution was to prepare our minds:
- Remembering our calling – we are not our own but we are bought with a price.
- Renewing our covenant – we were saved and empowered to live in obedience to Christ.
- Removing the sin – by true confession and genuine repentance.
- Receiving the suffering – for this is God’s way of revealing the strength of our faith.
In 1 Peter 1:22, Peter said the second step in preparing for persecution is to purify our soul:
- Cleanse our minds of the lies of the world.
- Cleanse our conscience of all known sin.
- Submit our will unto the will of God.
- Yield our emotions to the Holy Spirit of God.
1. The Source of our Hope – 1 Peter 1:3 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy, has begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Peter gave this doxology unto God the Father who gave to us this inheritance through the Lord, Jesus Christ.
- “According to His abundant mercy” – we did NOT get what we deserved.
- It would disturb us to know what our lives would be like without God’s mercy.
- “Hath begotten us unto a living hope” – we obtained our inheritance when we were born again by the grace of God.
- The eternal Word of God, which was preached to us and in which we believed, gives us a living hope!
2. The Inheritance of our Hope – 1 Peter 1:4 – “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fade away, reserved in heaven for you.”
- Everything in this life is perishable because it was defiled by sin.
- Everything will eventually decay and return to the earth from whence it came, including our bodies.
- God is offering to those who will truly believe in Him an inheritance that is like Him – imperishable, holy, eternal, and in heaven.
- There shall be the inheritance of our new nature as spiritual beings:
- Being adopted as the sons of God.
- Being given new and glorious bodies.
- Being filled with all the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
- Being given the crown of righteousness and the crown of glory and the crown of life.
- Being made pure and holy and blameless.
- Being given our rewards of peace and rest at last.
- There shall be the inheritance of our new work as spiritual beings:
- Being allowed to serve as priests and kings before God.
- Being allowed to serve as the ruler over many things in the Kingdom of God, including many new cities.
- Being allowed the privilege of surrounding the very throne of God.
- Being allowed to enjoy such holy responsibility for all eternity.
- There shall be the inheritance of our new wealth as spiritual beings:
- Being made an heir to the Kingdom of God.
- Being given the very unsearchable treasures of heaven.
- Being allowed to richly enjoy these treasures for all eternity.
3. The Assurance of that Hope – 1 Peter 1:5 – “Who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
False teachers intimidate those who are not sure of their salvation by telling them that they can “lose” the inheritance God has promised them.
- 4 – Peter said our inheritance was “reserved” in heaven for us.
- 5 – Peter said believers are “kept” by the power of God until the day of our redemption.
- We have been saved from the penalty of sin – our sins were placed upon Christ, and His righteousness was placed upon us.
- We are being saved from the power of sin – God will always provide a way for us to escape the temptation of sin.
- We will be saved from the presence of sin – our lives will be completely free from the effects of sin.
True, saving faith is an enduring faith. It is based on the same, supernatural power the Lord Jesus exhibited when He was ridiculed, rejected, persecuted, crucified, and buried – but then rose again from the dead, just as He said.
- When we received Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, He gave us that same “enduring faith.”
- If Christ is in us, we, too, can expect to suffer the same persecution as He did.
- But as Jesus said in John 14:19 – “Because I live, you will live also.”
Therefore, no matter how good or bad this life is for us who believe in Jesus Christ, our best life is yet to come, with Him, in glory, and that life will never end.
