Jesus: Living Hope

Peter blesses the Father who, according to great mercy, causes new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Father does not staple hope onto an old life. He births a believer into a new one. Ephesians pictures the contrast with blunt clarity. The old life is “dead” while walking, happily moving with the course of the world and under the prince of the power of the air. That is dead hope. Then comes the hinge of grace, “but God,” rich in mercy and great in love, makes the dead alive together with Christ.

Ephesians then presses the shape of that life. Christ calls for “putting off” the old self and “putting on” the new, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. The old way hides through deceit, feeds anger with pride, takes to keep, and corrupts with words that harm. The new life speaks truth because grace has removed fear, ends anger before dark because identity is secured in Christ, works to share out of love, and lets speech give grace. The Spirit’s seal remains, yet the old self grieves Him. So holiness becomes personal, because sin drags the Holy Spirit into what offends His heart.

Peter also names a second grace. Living hope is a new citizenship. Elect sojourners live as chosen foreigners scattered in the world, not exiled in judgment but blessed to belong elsewhere. That foreignness explains the rising tension with a culture calloused to sin. The light exposes darkness. Paul marks the difference by appetites and aims. Enemies of the cross set minds on earthly things, but the church’s citizenship is in heaven and awaits a Savior from there. Hope in any earthly nation is dead hope. Only one Kingdom endures.

Paul then ties living hope to Jesus Himself. Colossians says those raised with Christ must seek the things above where Christ is. Minds belong there, not here. The believer’s true life is “hidden with Christ in God,” so they are undercover glorious beings whose new nature leaks out in mercy, patience, and love. When “Christ who is your life” appears, they will appear with Him in glory. That future certainty stands as present orientation. Daily, a throne sits in the heart. Either self rules in dead hope or Christ rules in living hope. Jesus defines the path with plain terms. Deny self, take up the cross daily, and follow Him. Lose life to find life, because life is Him.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Living hope is a new life [28:54] This hope is not an accessory bolted onto an old identity. The Father births a believer into a life that is actually alive with Christ. The old self cannot steward this hope, because it belongs to a different creation. Only the new self can breathe it, want it, and walk it. [28:54]
• 2. Dead hope masquerades as normal [30:58] The world’s course can feel bright, busy, and fine, yet Scripture names it darkness and death. Dead hope seeks satisfaction while walking away from God and does not sense the danger. Seeing this frees the believer from nostalgia for the old life and clarifies why compromise always hollows out the soul. [30:58]
• 3. Put off the old, put on the new [40:13] The new birth demands a daily wardrobe change. Old patterns like deceit, simmering anger, grasping hands, and corrosive words die the moment truth, forgiveness, generosity, and grace take their place. Renewal in the spirit of the mind is slow but sure, and the Spirit’s grief is a wise guardrail back to love. [40:13]
• 4. Citizens of heaven live differently [58:08] Elect foreigners do not bank on earthly nations or reputations. Their habits signal a homeland elsewhere, and that contrast will both expose darkness and draw the thirsty. Discernment watches leaders for appetites and aims, since belly-driven religion belongs to this world, not to Christ. [58:08]
• 5. Christ Himself is the believer’s life [01:12:08] Hope is not an abstract mood but a Person present and risen. With life hidden in Christ, believers become undercover glorious beings whose holiness slowly leaks into the world. When Christ appears, the hidden will be revealed, and the hope that guided every costly choice will stand as sight. [72:08]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [19:53] - Series: The Person of Jesus
• [24:27] - Born again to a living hope
• [28:54] - Living hope is a life
• [29:46] - But God: from death to life
• [36:53] - Do not live as the world
• [40:13] - Put off and put on
• [44:34] - Truth, anger, generosity, words
• [50:39] - Sealed by the Spirit
• [53:26] - New citizenship in Christ
• [58:08] - Elect foreigners in dispersion
• [59:32] - Only one enduring kingdom
• [64:50] - Our citizenship is in heaven
• [67:07] - Living hope is Jesus Christ
• [72:08] - Appearing with Him in glory

Bible Reading
1 Peter 1:3 (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."

Ephesians 2:4-5 (ESV)
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved."

Colossians 3:1-4 (ESV)
"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

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Observation Questions

1. According to Ephesians 2:4-5, what two qualities of God motivate Him to give believers new life? How does this contrast with the "old life" described in Ephesians 2:1-3?
2. What specific behaviors does Ephesians 4:25-32 instruct believers to "put off" and "put on"? [40:13]
3. How does Colossians 3:1-4 describe the relationship between a believer’s identity and their daily focus?

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Interpretation Questions

1. Why is being called "elect foreigners" (1 Peter 1:1) a blessing rather than a punishment, even though it creates tension with the world? [58:08]
2. Ephesians 4:30 warns against "grieving the Holy Spirit." How does clinging to old patterns of deceit or anger (v. 25-29) harm our relationship with God?
3. Colossians 3:3 says a believer’s life is "hidden with Christ." What does this imply about how the world perceives our true identity, and how should this shape our expectations? [01:11:06]

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Application Questions

1. The "old self" often hides behind habits like white lies, simmering anger, or subtle gossip. What is one area where you’ve noticed yourself instinctively reaching for "dead hope" strategies this week? How could "putting on truth" or grace-filled speech look in that situation? [44:34]
2. If our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20), what earthly "hopes" (e.g., political outcomes, social approval, financial security) do you feel most tempted to cling to? How might loosening your grip on these free you to live as a "foreigner"?
3. The sermon described believers as "undercover glorious beings" whose new nature "leaks out." What small, tangible action (e.g., a kind word, refusing to retaliate, generosity) could you take today to let Christ’s life "leak" into a relationship or routine? [01:11:26]
4. When have you felt the Holy Spirit’s "grief" over a choice? How can that awareness become a "guardrail" to steer you back to living hope instead of shame? [51:50]
5. What does it look like practically to "set your mind on things above" (Colossians 3:2) when facing a stressful responsibility or conflict? Name one way to reorient your focus this week.