Because of our Easter Programs, I do not get to preach on Easter Sunday Morning so I preached on Wednesday Night instead. Here is the text of that message.
Most of us have probably seen those “Back to the Future” movies with Michael J. Fox. One of the consistent themes in all three of the movies is that the main character, Marty McFly, has to go back in time to correct a wrong and in so doing, changes the future in which he lives. In the first movie, he goes back in time and accidentally prevents his mom and dad from meeting which of course would end his very existence. So, he spends the entire movie trying to make sure that his mother and father meet to insure his survival.
We see from that, that the future depends very much on the past.
Peter was writing to a group of scattered Christians who had been displaced because of their faith.
He refers to them as aliens and those scattered in the first verse indicating that they were persecuted for their faith and subsequently forced to move.
Often times, faith in Christ was not an easy life for those who became followers of Christ.
There was tribulation and persecution that even led to death.
Yet, the early church endured and continued and even thrived.
As a matter of fact, we are the result of their perseverance.
Because of their past faithfulness, we are their future as the faith has been handed down for these two thousand years.
Yet, as we look at this text, we can see that Peter is dealing with a past that would actually enable these believers to face the reality of their present in spite of the persecution.
But it was more than a past; it was the past that would relate to their future.
It is in this relating the past to the future that we find our hope as well.
What is it that gives us our strength as we deal with the struggles and difficulties of life?
It is the living hope that we have in Jesus Christ.
A relationship with Jesus Christ is essential to have a living hope that brings joy to every area of Life.
As we seek to study this text this morning, I hope that we will see three assurances that will give us strength to face the challenges of life.
The first assurance that we see is the power of the past.
We see in verse three that Peter is offering praise to God.
His praise is for God’s past action in the lives of these persecuted believers.
He had shown them mercy that poured from His abundance and gave them a new birth.
But, this being born again did more than just open their eyes to see the kingdom of God.
The new birth gave to them a living hope.
It does the same for us.
This is the key to this text.
When we receive Christ as our savior, we receive the hope that God pinned on the cross and secured through the resurrection.
Note the end of verse 3. [Read]
Jesus conquered death and it is in that power that our hope, our living hope is secured.
Because Jesus is alive, so is the hope that we have in him.
When we read about hope in the New Testament, we see that it means that we have an assured expectation.
Because of What God has done for us in the past, we have an assurance for the future.
Hope is not vague uncertainty; hope is assurance.
So the power of the past leads us to see the second assurance in the text which is the promise of the future
The past action that you have received Jesus Christ and trusted Him comes with a promise for your future.
That promise is an inheritance.
Look at v 4
As we look at the words that Peter uses to describe the inheritance that we have, one thing we see for sure.
It is permanent.
The first of these is imperishable.
This means that it is not subject to decay.
It cannot deteriorate over time.
My wife is convinced that turkey starts going bad the second it comes out of the oven. We can eat some of the leftovers the day after thanksgiving and then a sandwich from the turkey on Saturday. But, come Sunday, that bird has perished and we won’t get anymore of it.
The inheritance is imperishable and undefiled.
It is perfect.
There are no estate taxes, no clouded titles, and there is nothing to mar its beauty.
It is unfading.
Think about those spring flowers that will be coming up and blooming in a month or so.
Think about what they look like in the middle of the summer when the color has either washed out or the petals have come off to be replaced by seedpods.
The beauty of God’s inheritance for us never fades.
That is explained in the next part that tells us that it is reserved in heaven for us.
In John 14, Jesus says, “In my father’s house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you. I go and prepare a place for you.”
Our inheritance is prepared by Jesus.
He secured it for us in the resurrection from the dead.
He went to heaven to prepare it for us and now, He is keeping it reserved for us.
Our inheritance is Christ purchased, Christ produced, and Christ protected.
And, He does it all for us.
We have seen the power of the past and the promise of the future but we are missing one key section here.
That of course is the present.
That living hope which promised that inheritance has to bear itself out in our daily live.
It has to be relevant.
So, the power of the past and the promise of the future give us the protection of the present.
Look how we who receive God’s inheritance are described in verse 5. [Read]
We have to consider what it is to be protected or guarded.
We know that it does not mean that we are immune from struggles.
We see in this very text that these believers were distressed by various trials or manifold temptations.
They struggled.
They were not immune from it and neither are we.
But, we have the power of God to protect us.
Not to get us around it, but to get us through it.
We look to the past and we see a savior that conquered death by rising from the dead and that gives us hope.
We look to the future and we see a place prepared for us in Glory and that gives us hope.
We look to the present and we see that God is taking us through the struggles of life and that gives us hope.
Listen to Romans 5:
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
That living hope that was given in the past and promises the future, sustains us in the present.
Not only does it sustain us, it works to prove our faith.
In verse 7 we see that. [Read]
Gold tried by fire is perishable but the living hope tried by life is not and Jesus will receive His praise and honor when we see Him.
And, by proving our faith it magnifies our faith.
Verse 8 tells us that even though we do not see Him and have not seen Him, we love Him and believe in Him.
He is there never leaving nor forsaking us as we go through the trials of life.
As these believers were struggling with persecution, Peter was not encouraging them to feel sorry for themselves; he was telling them to rejoice.
V6, v8
Rejoice in the living hope that Jesus provided as you received Him.
Rejoice in the living hope that promises you an inheritance with God.
Rejoice in the living hope that gives you strength and peace to face life and all of its struggles head on.
This is the present for which we live and it is the present that prepares us for the future in eternity with Christ.
The tourist watched as the logger separated logs in river. Some he let go downstream and some he kept in the culling pond. The vacationer asked the logger what was wrong with the logs he was holding. He said nothing. The ones I send downstream are the valley trees which have been protected from storms and severe weather. Their grain is coarse so I send them down to be sawed into standard boards. The ones I keep up here are from the mountaintop. They have been blown by strong storm winds from the time they were saplings and because of that they are harder and have finer beautiful grain. We keep them out for the finer detailed work rather than to be made into plain boards.
The storms we face now are simply preparing us for the Lord’s fine work.That fine work will be made manifest as we receive the inheritance promised by His living Hope.
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