LIVING HOPE

by | Apr 16, 2023 | Sermons

LIVING HOPE

Message by Josh Mutter – April 16, 2023

Big Idea: Followers of Jesus can have hope despite the pressures we may feel because of our faith.

Reading Scripture:

  1. What does it say?
  2. What does it mean?
  3. What does it mean to me?

1 Peter 1:1-12 NIV Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. 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, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 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. Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

What does it say?

  1. Followers of Jesus are being encouraged.
  2. Followers of Jesus are assured that they can have hope despite their current circumstances.
  3. Followers of Jesus are offered a new perspective on their hardships.
  4. Everything is rooted in Jesus.

Background of First Peter:

  • First Peter was written by Peter to followers of Jesus who were scattered across a large territory.
  • First Peter was written to Christians who were feeling pressured to walk away from their faith in Jesus.

What does it mean?

  1. Peter reminds them of their true identity (1 Peter 1:1-2).
  2. Peter tells them that Jesus is the source of their hope (1 Peter 1:3-5).
  3. Peter teaches them that they can think differently about their present situation (1 Peter 1:6-9).

What does it mean to me? A living hope means that we understand that …

  1. Our current circumstances are not all that there is.
  2. Even hardships can be used by God to grow good things.

You can find the sermon on YouTube here.

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