“Real Hope”
1 Peter 1:1-5
Sermon Series: “Comfort And Joy”
Introduction: It is very difficult for people to even live, much less live well, without hope. Everyone is looking for hope. However, we often look for it in the wrong places or look at hope as a “hope everything is going to work out for the best” kind of thing. However, Peter tells us in our Scripture text that God “has begotten us again to a living hope.” In other words, those who are trusting in Jesus have been born again, which means regenerated. We are made spiritually alive with a new nature indwelled by the Holy Spirit through the finished work of Jesus. Because of that reality, our hope is not just a feeling but “a living hope.” Peter was writing to Christians who were being persecuted by Nero (v. 1-“to the pilgrims of the Dispersion”) and facing difficult circumstances. They needed to be reminded of their hope in Jesus. We often face difficult circumstances of various types and need to be reminded of our hope in Jesus.
Main Idea: The believer in Jesus Christ has hope that is not a subjective feeling but an objective reality.
Why is our hope an objective reality? Here are four reasons why our hope is an objective reality instead of a subjective feeling.
1. The means of our hope is the mercy of God (v. 3). Without the mercy of God, we would have no hope because if God were only just, He would have given us hell. “According to” implies that He was compelled by mercy to save. Thankfully, His mercy is abundant since our sins are abundant. Since God’s mercy and salvation are objective realities, that means our hope is also an objective reality if we are in Christ. However, the flip side is true as well. It is an objective reality that we have no hope if we reject Jesus.
2. The foundation of our hope is the resurrection of Jesus (v. 3). The resurrection of Jesus is an objective historical fact so our hope is grounded in objective historical fact instead of religious sentiments. Also, Christ’s resurrection gives us new life, which means we have “a living hope.”
3. The essence of our hope is an eternal inheritance (v. 4). We have hope because we are joint-heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17). We are blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). This inheritance is incorruptible, undefiled, does not fade away, and is reserved in heaven. Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest writes, “It is non-fading, not able to wither away, as a flower would. The word ‘reserved’ is from tereo which means ‘to watch, to observe, to guard, protect, to reserve, set aside.’ Heaven is the safe-deposit box where God is guarding our inheritance for us under constant surveillance.”
4. The guarantee of our hope is the power of God that keeps us saved (v. 5). According to Wuest, “kept” is a military term that means “to guard of keep.” Its tense implies a continuous action. We can never lose our salvation because we are continually kept by the power of God, who justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies (Romans 8:28-30).
Conclusion:
-Be saved and find hope in Jesus.
-Stop looking to false hopes for comfort.
-Live in hope because of what you have in Jesus.
-Live with an eternal focus because that is where hope truly lies instead of depending on circumstances.
