Advent Hope: Living Hope Through Christ's Resurrection

Devotional

Day 1: Living hope through Christ's resurrection secures believers.

This passage announces that God, in his great mercy, has given believers a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It reminds you that this hope is not a future wish but an inheritance already kept in heaven for you—imperishable, undefiled, unfading—and that God is guarding your salvation now through faith so that present trials refine the genuineness of your faith and produce praise at Christ’s revelation. Receive this as a present reality that changes how you face pain today and anchors your identity as a temporary resident heading home. [01:02:39]

1 Peter 1:3–9 (ESV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Reflection: What is one present trial you are facing; write down how the resurrection promises an imperishable inheritance that changes your response this week, then tell one trusted believer and ask them to pray with you today.

Day 2: Faith is the substance and evidence of hope.

Hebrews defines faith as the land‑title, the assurance and evidence of what is promised but not yet seen, so hope for the Christian is not wishful thinking but a confident, certain expectation rooted in God’s character. This shifts how you live: instead of gritting teeth or crossing fingers, you act from the conviction that God's promises already exist as real substance, able to withstand examination and to sustain you through doubts and mysteries. Let this truth deepen your confidence to entrust hard things to God and to speak of hope with surety. [01:05:45]

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Reflection: What one unseen promise have you been doubting; today write it down and take one concrete step (a specific prayer, a scripture you will meditate on, or an act of obedience) to live as if that promise is true.

Day 3: Trials refine faith; hope anchors eternal perspective.

The treasure of the gospel rests in fragile clay jars so that God’s power, not human strength, is on display; afflictions come, yet believers are not crushed, despairing, forsaken, or destroyed. This reality calls you to rejoice amid short‑term struggles because inner renewal is occurring day by day and light, momentary affliction is preparing an incomparable eternal weight of glory—so the Christian looks beyond present decay to the unseen and eternal. Let that perspective change how you respond to pain and how you testify of hope to others. [01:15:08]

2 Corinthians 4:7–9, 14–18 (ESV)
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. . . . If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. . . . Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For all things are for your sake, so that grace, having spread to more people, may increase thanksgiving to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Reflection: Name a specific “light affliction” you’re facing and choose one spiritual practice (ten minutes of Scripture, a focused time of worship, or confession and repentance) you will do today to turn your gaze to the unseen; set a time and follow through.

Day 4: Waiting on the Lord renews strength.

Isaiah’s promise shows that hope is active waiting on the Lord: when you place expectation in him you are renewed, able to rise like eagles, to run without wearing out and to walk without fainting. In a season when many feel extra weariness and holiday heaviness, this verse calls you to stop striving in your own strength and to practice dependence—waiting in prayer, Scripture, and silence—so God can replenish you for the work he calls you to. Choose rest that trusts rather than frantic doing that drains. [59:17]

Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)
But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Reflection: This week, schedule one 10‑minute time to “wait on the Lord” (no phone, no agenda)—sit in prayer and listening—and after that time write one sentence about how God renewed your strength.

Day 5: God fills believers with hope, joy, and peace.

Romans calls God the God of hope who fills believers with all joy and peace in believing so that, by the Holy Spirit’s power, they overflow with hope; this is the living hope that fuels evangelism, baptism, and the invitation to others because it’s visible in a joyful countenance and a willingness to lay down life for Christ. You are reminded that hope is contagious and practical: when filled by the Spirit you can reach out to hurting people with real invitation and presence this season. Let the Spirit make you a channel of hope. [01:20:32]

Romans 15:13 (ESV)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Reflection: Who in your life needs hope this season; contact one person today (a call, text, or invitation) and share one short Scripture and offer to pray with them or meet them this week.

Sermon Summary

We celebrated the joy of new life today as Anna and Nathan publicly declared their faith in Jesus, a living picture of the gospel at work in ordinary places—a classroom, a golf course, a Sunday conversation. We paused to pray for Butch and Debbie, grateful for a church family that bears one another’s burdens. Then we stepped into Advent, beginning with hope. Not wishful thinking or crossed fingers, but the steady, living hope Peter describes in 1 Peter 1:3-9—the kind that rests on the mercy of God, the resurrection of Jesus, and the keeping power of the Spirit.

Peter calls us “temporary residents.” This is not our final address. That perspective loosens our grip on this world and readies us to suffer with meaning and to rejoice with purpose. Hope, for a follower of Jesus, moves from verb to noun—no longer something we try to muster, but something we possess because of who God is. Our inheritance is not fragile; it is imperishable, uncorrupted, unfading, and kept in heaven. And we are being guarded by God’s power until the final unveiling. That’s why we can face trials without being undone. Fire proves the genuineness of faith and produces praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus.

This season uniquely exposes the ache of our world—loneliness, grief, and fear often swell at the holidays. So we stay alert. We share hope on golf courses and in checkout lines, at hospital beds and kitchen tables. We love the One we have not seen, and we rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy because we already taste the goal of our faith—the salvation of our souls.

Hope is not a mood; it’s an anchor. It breathes courage into the present, lifts our eyes beyond the visible, and steadies us with the assurance that Christ’s resurrection has already secured our future. So come—if you need prayer, if you need Jesus, if you need hope—there’s room at the altar and among a people who will hold up your arms when you’re tired. The Advent journey begins here: hope as sure as the nature of God Himself.

Key Takeaways

1. Exiles of eternity, not of earth We are temporary residents, chosen and set apart, which means our ultimate home and identity are anchored beyond this world. That lifts the pressure to make earth deliver what only heaven can give. Living with eternity in view frees us to endure honestly, love sacrificially, and hope steadily. It also reframes losses as temporary and gains as tools for eternal good. [56:01]
2. Living hope is substance, not wish Biblical hope isn’t optimism; it’s a confident certainty rooted in the resurrection of Jesus. Faith treats God’s promises like a title deed—substance and evidence, not theories or vibes. Because Christ rose, hope doesn’t blink at graves or crumble in setbacks. It steadies our souls with a future that is as real as the empty tomb. [62:39]
3. Imperishable inheritance already secured Our inheritance is not fragile or fading; it’s imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading—kept in heaven now. Hope grows when we locate our treasure where rust, sin, and time can’t touch it. That assurance gives courage to risk, to give, to forgive, and to obey when it costs us. We’re not clawing for security; we’re living from it. [65:45]
4. Guarded by God’s unfailing power We are being protected by God’s power through faith until salvation’s full unveiling. Assurance doesn’t rest on our grip on God but on God’s grip on us. The question beneath our fears—“Am I held?”—is answered at the cross and the empty tomb: yes, decisively. Conviction, not condemnation, keeps drawing us home. [68:35]
5. Trials refine faith into praise Suffering doesn’t define the Christian; it refines the Christian. Fire reveals what endures and dislodges what cannot last, preparing a life that results in praise, glory, and honor at Christ’s appearing. Joy and sorrow can coexist because our hope is larger than our pain and longer than our present. [71:48]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Anna’s testimony and baptism
[02:30] - Nathan’s story and Josiah’s invite
[33:05] - Prayer for Butch and Debbie
[52:52] - Advent begins: the theme of hope
[56:01] - Temporary residents and true identity
[59:17] - Scriptures that frame Christian hope
[62:39] - Faith as substance and evidence
[65:45] - Our imperishable, unfading inheritance
[68:35] - Kept by God, not by self-effort
[71:48] - Trials, conviction, and tested faith
[75:08] - Joy amid affliction (yes, even donuts)
[78:03] - Inexpressible joy and eternal healing
[80:32] - Real hope destroys the enemy’s lies
[83:40] - Invitation: receive and share hope
[88:57] - Closing encouragement and prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading (ESV)
1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Observation questions (look closely at the passage and the sermon)

What three realities does Peter connect to the phrase “born again to a living hope”? Identify them in the text. [01:02:39]
How does Peter describe the believer’s inheritance (what four words are used), and where is it being kept? [01:05:45]
What is the relationship between trials and the “genuineness of your faith” in verses 6–7? How does Peter expect believers to respond emotionally while they wait? [01:11:48]
How does Peter describe the believer’s present relationship to Jesus (what two contrasts about seeing and loving/believing does he give)? [01:02:39]

Interpretation questions (think about meaning; be specific and concrete)

How should a Christian interpret “living hope” as something they already possess (noun) rather than merely something they try to produce in themselves (verb)? What difference does that make for everyday decisions? [01:02:39]
Peter says the inheritance is “imperishable, undefiled, unfading” and “kept in heaven.” How does that language reorient a believer’s priorities about money, time, or security? [01:05:45]
In what way does the promise “you are being guarded by God’s power through faith” answer personal fears about losing salvation or being abandoned in hardship? What limits, if any, does the sermon place on that assurance? [01:08:35]
Peter ties suffering and testing to future “praise, glory, and honor.” How should a believer interpret the purpose of suffering so that it produces praise rather than bitterness? [01:11:48]

Application questions (specific, personal, and actionable)

The pastor showed how gospel conversations happen in ordinary places (a golf course, a classroom) and used Josiah’s invitation to Nathan as an example. Who is one person in your life you can intentionally invite to hear about Jesus this week, and where will you meet them? Set a concrete time to do it. [33:05]
If “we are temporary residents,” what is one thing in your life you need to loosen your grip on (a possession, an ambition, a worry)? What one concrete step will you take this week to practice living as an exile rather than an owner? [56:01]
Peter says trials refine faith. Name a current struggle you or someone close to you is facing. What is one honest way you can ask God to use that struggle to produce praise (prayer point, action, or gospel word to speak)? [01:11:48]
The sermon urged the group to be a praying, burden-bearing church that “holds up your arms when you’re tired.” Who in the group (or your neighborhood/church) needs you to physically show up—visit, call, bring a meal—this week? Plan the visit and a specific thing you will do. [01:23:40]
The pastor pointed to spiritual fruit as evidence that someone has been truly redeemed. Looking at your own life, which fruit of the Spirit is weakest right now (joy, peace, patience, etc.)? What is one daily habit you will try for the next two weeks to grow that fruit (scripture reading, short prayer before an interaction, accountability check-in)? [01:08:35]
The sermon invited people to come to the altar if they needed hope. If you sense you need prayer or spiritual help, what will you do this week to accept help from the church community (go to an event, meet with a pastor, join a care group)? Give a specific plan and a day you will act. [01:23:40]

Observation, interpretation, and applications should be used to guide honest conversation. Encourage group members to answer with real examples and to pray for one another about the specific steps they name.

Sermon Clips

``Hope is not mere wishful thinking but a confident and certain expectation of what god has promised it is a future-oriented steadfast trust in god's character and faithfulness serving as an anchor for our soul that provides strength and perseverance through hardship this hope is based on the resurrection of jesus and the promise of eternal life and it gives believers the assurance of salvation and a secure future with god. [00:56:44] (28 seconds) #AnchoredInHope

Hope is not simply something we do you know with our teeth gritted our fingers crossed hope joyful expectation is something we have it's something we are we possess hope because god is hope and he is in our lives hope is not merely whistling through a graveyard hoping everything works out true hope is dynamic and powerful because it considers the circumstances of life realistically and then confident confidently rest in the promises and character of god what does that mean that means our hope is not just some mystical thing that's outer someplace our hope is rested in the person of christ himself and that we are to be purveyors of that hope it should be a part of our identity. [00:57:32] (47 seconds) #HopeIsIdentity

Of all the passages in scripture peter writes a masterpiece so deep that it would never touch the bottom so wide that you can never touch the shore so rich that the words can literally ignite rebirth and change the course of a person's life and so true that we can stake our eternal existence beyond what we can see in the realm of faith we're promises of substance because faith is a substance of things hoped for right that's what it says in hebrews 11 1 that word for substance get this the hope the word for substance is literally means a land title of a place that we have yet to see but we know exists so our hope is a representation of not just something that's mystical but it's something we know exists it is the very nature of god it's the very nature who we are to be it is a substance of what we know exists ahead are eternally redeemed. [01:02:48] (51 seconds) #HopeIsSubstance

Our hope is both substance and hope hope substance and evidence of a hope as sure as christ himself because you cannot see hope and understand it without faith so what do we learn from this you cannot understand god's hope without understanding his mercy he says praise the god of your father is the lord jesus christ according to his great mercy spurgeon once said this all his goodness to us begins with mercy no other attribute could have helped us and had mercy been refused as we are by nature justice condemns us by our sin holiness frowns upon us power crushes us truth confirms the threatening of the law and the wrath fulfills it and it is from the mercy of our god that our hope begins it begins by mercy. [01:03:55] (58 seconds) #HopeStartsWithMercy

Mercy you know the idea of grace unmerited favor it is that we didn't receive from god what we deserve but god had mercy on us not only did he have mercy on us but not destroying us because of our sin what does it say scripture tells us romans 5a if god committed his own love towards us that while we were yet sinners christ still died for us knowing knowing that we were sinners it would be one thing to give your life for someone who gave their life for you or a family member or gave themselves or were injured or or or maybe push some you out of the way of a car and they took an injury because of that you would give your life for that person or someone in their family if they died doing that but it's another thing to do that for someone who wouldn't even acknowledge you because jesus died for every man even those who don't acknowledge him even those who don't treat him well even those who refuse to accept his lordship he gave mercy that's what he is he's a merciful god. [01:04:54] (67 seconds) #MercyForAll

You cannot understand god's hope without believing in his resurrection he has given us a new birth and a living hope to the resurrection of jesus christ living hope is a hope that is never extinguished by difficult circumstances from the resurrection we receive an inheritance the inheritance is not just a future prize the way it is written in this passage it is something that already exists it is preserved for those who are already being guarded in other words our inheritance is something that's already there our hope rests in something that's already real that's already there that's already exists that's what we go back to the substance that substance of a land title that already exists because our faith is the key to give us that it already exists. [01:06:01] (46 seconds) #LivingHopeResurrection

He goes on to describe this he said that inheritance he gives us four things number one it's imperishable it means incapable of decay or corruption or run and it applies to god's word his promises and the future future resurrection of his body he also uses the word uncorrupted the bible uncorrupted or incorruptible means free from decay sin and moral corruption referring to something that is eternal pure and cannot be changed or destroyed it is unfading in the bible unfading means something that is eternal never ending it cannot be diminished by time or decay in the unchanging in the bible unchanging means the essence and character and the promises of god that do not change over time it's a concept known as immutability this means god is a constant source of goodness love and faithfulness even in a world around people that's constantly changing it assures believers that his promises such as salvation through jesus are secure and who will not be altered because god is secure and cannot be altered. [01:07:31] (73 seconds) #UnfadingPromises

Kept in heaven for you this means that believers have a secure imperishable inheritance in heaven that is kept for them for the final salvation that we revealed at the end of time why because god is the keeper of our salvation it is not us that are the keepers when you ask people you think you go to heaven and go of course i treat people really nice i'm a good person being a good person doesn't do that because we are all sinners christianity teaches that we are separated from god by our sin because we have broken god's law like we talked about last week sin literally means to miss the mark not by a little bit by a bunch we can rationalize with god but god i'm a good person but we are all still sinners if we're created beings we have a sin nature we are all sinners we're separated from god because of our sin. [01:08:44] (51 seconds) #KeptInHeaven

We can try to build our own life and we can do whatever we want to out of that we can't fix what's what what was broken by sin only god can do that only god can he is the keeper of our salvation we are redeemed by the sacrificial atonement of christ because he is eternal we are created to be eternal beings god wants us to live with him in eternity but we first must be redeemed and that only comes to the blood of christ our hope rest in the eternal nature of god himself. [01:09:36] (33 seconds) #RedeemedByChrist

You cannot understand god's hope without receiving his protection and security he says you are being protected by god's power through faith for salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time the word protected indicates our souls are being spiritually guarded by god until the day of our salvation is fully revealed in the final day of victory salvation indicates a motive of preservation and deliverance from god's wrath related to sin and eternal death by the blood sacrifice of jesus we will be spared from god's eternal wrath. [01:10:12] (33 seconds) #GuardedByGrace

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