Living Hope: Transformation Through Christ's Resurrection

And that is where we are praising our Savior all day long and as we come to this time of worshiping through the spoken word don't lose sight of who Jesus is Don't lose sight of what He has done because we need to be reminded of this hope Peter says this in 1 Peter 1 verse 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who in His great mercy has given us new birth into a living hope and we need to be reminded of hope Peter's writing to people who need to be reminded of hope and that's where you and I are too We live in dark times Now we don't live in the same times as the Christians of 1 Peter who for the sake of the gospel and the gospel alone were being excommunicated from families from workplaces from everything They were being persecuted solely because of who Jesus was They were persecuted because they said this is my story this is my song Praising not the Caesar all day long but praising Jesus my Savior all day long We don't have that pressure and persecution in our part of the world But many of our brothers and sisters do Many of our brothers and sisters because they've announced Jesus is the Messiah they are cut off Period And the more I hear of the faith of our persecuted men and women of those around the world our brothers and sisters there the more sometimes I will admit I get frustrated and exasperated by the pettiness we as Christians do here [00:47:45]

We're way too much that we forget where our hope is We get so caught up in the things of this world and they're not bad things but we align ourselves with the hope that we will stay in maybe positions where we think are hopeful here in this world and we get caught up in the systems of this world and we forget that what we need is a reminder of hope but the hope isn't going to come from who we are and the things of this world [00:50:05]

what we need is a new birth what we need is to be born again Peter talks about this has given us a new birth the problem with that is many of us are like Nicodemus we go why? what new birth? Jesus said these words very truly I tell you no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born and they are born [00:50:55]

A new birth came into life and it changed everything. And then, you know, we were doing pretty well. And then in our own wisdom, we decided, let's have another one. one. And so Josiah comes along. And he didn't come along as Daniel came along. I mean, Daniel, we had a great 18 hours waiting for Daniel. You remember it clearly. Never again. I learned a whole lot, you know, with that one. We had another new birth. And I can tell you, when Josiah was born, that the nurses in that hospital room looked like I was crazy because I was in the back corner. And they're coming over to Alicia and they're touching her hand and they're saying, it's going to be okay. And I'm praying, Lord, please don't have her kill her. Okay. Because I learned with the first one not to touch her. [00:52:26]

And I share those things. Why? Because when you have a new birth, it changes everything after that. It must change it. Otherwise, it's not a new birth. It's an event that somebody else is living on your behalf. And we, as the Church of Jesus Christ in America, need a new birth where we realize that the way we have been acting... not the way of Jesus we are far too petty we are far too in my opinion and you can hate me all you want we are far too consumed with power and the power of this world [00:55:12]

we need a new birth and that only happens because of who Jesus is because as it says here into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead because of what we had celebrated because of this table we can have a new birth and we can have it be different than everything else and we are born into an inheritance that can never perish spoil or fade this inheritance is kept in heaven for you we have a hope that cannot be spoiled by the things of earth which is a reminder that these things of earth should not be of the most important to us where does Peter get these words it's Matthew chapter 6 where Jesus says do not worry about tomorrow what you will eat what you will drink or what you will wear but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness do not store up for yourself treasures on earth where moth and rust and thieves can come and destroy but store up for yourself treasures in heaven where there are no such thing as rust in heaven where there is no such thing as sin in heaven where there is no such thing as robbers and thieves [00:56:05]

and I wonder if we do not believe that we have been born again because we are so focused on the here and now and yes we sing great songs of when we all get to heaven what a day that will be and then we leave this place and we act like all we exist for is here and now am I being too harsh very possible but this hope that Peter is talking about is a hope that we can have hope because of our future life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever salvation just like new birth when my kids were born that wasn't the end of it it was the beginning of it salvation is the beginning of it and Peter is talking to these group of people that were in dark times and he talks about you your your hope is in the future until the coming of salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time there's an idea of salvation rightfully so that it starts when we confess who Jesus is but that the culmination of our salvation is still to come the work that we do between them there's called sanctification the path of holiness the path of righteousness whatever you want to call it but I but sometimes we and especially we as Baptists because we love this idea of once saved always saved and I'm a fan of it I can I could teach you that doctrinally but we think that means that once I'm saved it doesn't matter what I do and that's baloney hogwash put in your own kind of adjective there because when we do that we have failed to see what Peter is saying here we have such a glorious hope and future that our tip our presence is different today amen and if it's not then we need another rebirth we need the first rebirth we need to submit ourselves again and again to the spirits if we can get this idea of where we are heading it does make what we're experiencing today different and we can live out our hope because our hope is not just based on what Jesus did that's the cross it needs to start there but it doesn't end there you [00:57:27]

When I've had to come back to passages like 1 Peter, where I have a living hope because the things of this world are futile and dead. And so I can be reminded that whatever happens around me, as awful as it is, I don't have to engage in it. And because of this, this is where Peter says later on, he says, he talks about, therefore, chapter 2, Rid yourself of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Abstain from sinful desires which wage war against you. Live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits. Does that mean we will be perfect? No, but I think we need to revisit that. [01:01:21]

If we don't get a sense of where our future is, we are going to destroy our present. Because we will miss it. We will miss the hope that is alive right this moment. The gospel should change everything. And as soon as I said that this morning to myself, the question came up, but does it? Does it change the way I treat others? Does it change the way I treat myself? Does it change the way I treat my enemies, though I don't have any? Or maybe those I disagree with. I have many of those. Does it change the way I behave online, offline, and everywhere in between? Does it change the way I try to treat my kids and Clay's kids? Does it change the way I pray for others? Or is it just something I say, well, blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. I hope you know Jesus, but you do your thing. The gospel should change everything. But does it? [01:02:36]

They're now kicked out of their towns. They're now kicked out of their families. This whole idea of inheritance and their future was a vital concern because in those days, as somewhat today, an inheritance was a big deal. And the way you accumulated the wealth in those days, to some extent, as in our days, is you gained land and you gained property and you gained houses and you passed that on from generation to generation. So to be cut off meant you were not going to exist very much longer. And Peter says in those, have no fear, church. For God has chosen you according to his foreknowledge through the sanctifying work of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ. So therefore, you have grace. And in his great mercy, he's given you new birth and the living hope. [01:04:12]

Many of us don't want to see the future because we're too much seeing the present or we're looking too much in the past. And this isn't necessarily a message on change and change the way we do. But every generation has to see heaven so much that we are of earthly good, as one old theologian once said. And I don't know his name. But many of times, the contrary to that is, is I think we as Christians are of no earthly good because we are not heavenly minded enough. [01:05:30]

And if we want to have true hope, hope that transforms our world, we have to realize that we are just passing through. This world is not my home. I'm just a passing through. Because of the amazing grace of Christ and of who Jesus is, I don't have to be comfortable here. And as odd as it sounds, we ought to long so much for heaven that if someone really did the unthinkable, we would praise Jesus for it. [01:07:11]

But when I picture the words of the fact that I have a Savior who loves me so much, He has my inheritance tucked away, why would I not want to get there, church? And because of that, I can live through this world with hope. I'm not looking to the horoscopes to tell me where my future is. I'm looking to the one who holds my inheritance in the future in His hand, the Lord Jesus Christ, who says, because of who I am, there is something that no one can ever snatch from your hands. Will you follow me a little further, a little deeper? Church, that's where we need to be. [01:07:45]

If we can't see where Jesus has pointed us to, what Jesus is holding for us, the fact that Jesus is before the throne of God saying, these are my people whom I died for, then it doesn't matter what I do here. And our vision of Jesus is way too small that we get caught up in way too little that matters. We won't let go when we need to let go. We won't hold on when we need to hold on. And in that moment, we need to hear that we've been given a new birth, an inheritance that is kept in heaven for us, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed. [01:09:20]

We have to, one, accept the amazing grace. And two, we have to live like the chains really are gone. That's the hope that we have. When we see our future, we can leave the chains of sin. We can leave the chains of worry. We can leave the chains of this. world and move forward into the new hope that we will have. [01:12:13]

The living hope because we have an inheritance that is kept safe for us by our Lord and Jesus himself, by God the Father, whose power is greater than you and I's. And then may we live and lead in this world as not just people of hope, but as people who understand we can be holy as Christ is holy. [01:13:02]

And so Lord, as we continue in worship that emanates from the cross, that picture of amazing grace, not only are our chains gone, but we can live as free people. Not free to do whatever we want, but free to do whatever you want us to do, whatever you want to do it, however you want to do it. And you're calling us out of the chains that have enslaved us, the chains of the powers of this world, the temptations of this world, the worries of this world, the anxieties of this world, into a living hope that is not futile, but imperishable. That is not dead, but is alive. That is not rusted up and breaking apart, but is whole and shiny, purer than gold because of who you are. And so, Lord, we thank you for this. [01:14:36]

And we will say because we have a living hope in Christ who broke my chains of sin and slander and malice and hatred and given me a new heart of love, of self -control, of gentleness, of patience, of joy. One that will never spoil or fade. So Lord, we thank you for that. Lord, as our hearts hurt, may we turn to you our living hope in this day and always. And we thank you for that. And we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. [01:22:59]