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. (ESV)
Gelobt sei Gott, der Vater unseres Herrn Jesus Christus! In seinem großen Erbarmen hat er uns neues Leben geschenkt. Wir sind neu geboren, weil Jesus Christus von den Toten auferstanden ist, und jetzt erfüllt uns eine lebendige Hoffnung. (HOF)
Gelobt sei der Gott und Vater unseres Herrn Jesus Christus, der uns aufgrund seiner großen Barmherzigkeit wiedergeboren hat zu einer lebendigen Hoffnung durch die Auferstehung Jesu Christi aus den Toten, zu einem unvergänglichen und unbefleckten und unverwelklichen Erbe, das im Himmel aufbewahrt wird für uns, die wir in der Kraft Gottes bewahrt werden durch den Glauben zu dem Heil, das bereit ist, geoffenbart zu werden in der letzten Zeit. (SCH2000)
This week we will continue our studies in Peter's letter to the Asians. (The people in the old Asia 😊 ).
There are two key words here and that is where the focus will be on. I want to say that so that you would join me in thinking about these things as I try to tell you stories and examples so that you will remember these truths. The first point is "born again" and the second point is "living hope". Our thought to today will be on these two portions, and how to apply them into our lives.
Last week, if you remember, we looked at the old Testament a lot. That is because God never changes. He is the one in the OT and the NT. There are people who say funny stuff like "God was angry and hard in the OT but he is like a grandpa gone mellow and cheery and with love in the NT" This is absolutely wrong. What did we see in the OT last week? The people were exiles going on a journey from Egypt to the promised land. How does Peter start this letter here? "Elect Exiles" or "chosen exiles". The Jews were called the "chosen people" right? They are in exile right through the book of Exodus to Deuteronomy and Joshua. Peter wants us to look at these portions and apply to ourselves here. There are spiritual truths in these portions for us. Old pastors called it "rehma" ...
What is the truth here? Peter is saying that we are not people of this world. God calling us has changed our identity. How many people struggle with identity today? Remember the two points of this day - Born Again & Living Hope. We being born to Christ sets in us a new identity. Peter wants us to know that our home is not here. We are called by God to our new home - not as refugess but as Children returning home. Brothers we have a home. Im not sure of you all, but my wife and I have lived a long time away from home. We know what it feels to be away from home. We remember wishing that we could feel home somewhere. In this world we may find a place to sleep at night. We can make all things shiny here and make it feel home but it is not our home. We saw that last week. We will look at it again. There is a purpose in doing that. You see, learning the word is not that we become wise but rather our behaviour is transformed, our thought process is transformed. We all know aeroplanes fly with burning jet fuel, but ask an aeronautics engineer, he will not say that answer. He will say words like Bernoullis principle and wing design and so on. His brain does not say jet fuel burn, plane fly. In the same way we look at the same topic slowly so that we see how to bring it into our lives. A few weeks ago C. sister asked us to think about what does it mean to be exiles as a part of our Identity? Do you think that daily?
Please read Hebrews 11:39
These were all commended for their faith (who? the patriarchs, Moses, Joshua, all cool judges and kings), yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. - the writer says that the great men waited for us too, so that they may through Jesus with us be made Perfect.
Last week we saw the Trinity at work in our calling. Brothers and sisters, we love apologetics here at our church, don't we? We have seen this point in N. brothers presentation of Trinity. Have we not? When people say there is no Trinity in the Bible here is one simple answer how Peter who lived and walked and ate and saw Jesus as man, as glorified, as crucified, as risen saying how God calls us or elects us .
This is last weeks' process:
Who decides that we will be elect exiles? God the Father
How do we become elect exiles? Through the Holy Spirit's work
Why do we become elect exiles? To obey Jesus - and sprinkling with blood.
Peter is connecting the blood to obedience - Peter is saying that we have been brought with the blood of Christ. Let me illustrate it with an example. When I met my wife for the first time, I thought she was from New Zealand. Her parents were from there. So I explored and found a website that sold a special new Zealand fruit. I went late after my work each week to find if they got any box delivered. It was rare then. And I got it and then gifted it to her. She ate one and said thanks. I was disappointed. Why? there was a lot of hardship in me getting the gift - she did not know the value. In the same way, who knows the real worth of the blood of Christ? God. He elected or chose us with the blood of the Jesus. The literal blood, the life of Jesus. He knows the real worth.
This is first step in our Christian walk - we put faith in Jesus Christ. This is our first obedience. We will obey Jesus till we die. But it starts here.
As believer who are we in God's eyes: We are elect exiles, known deeply by God the father, kept Holy by the Spirit, called to obey Jesus - Is that how you see ourselves? The entire Trinity is here for our Identity as Elect. Brothers this is a big deal. So that makes us being exile great. The Godhead three in one is calling us home. This is our joy. This is why we can be confident when we feel like exiles and strangers.
Okay, Im done with Introduction. We saw who we are, Now we get into the real business. What does exiles do?
Peter starts the letter with an old Hymn but slightly modified by the early Christians. In the old call of prayer by the Jews it would say blessed be the Lord - but here Peter says blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Brothers you do not need to know hard theology to understand that there is a difference here. Peter adds, God the Father - to tell us how God sees us, through Jesus -- we are co heir - with Christ. We inherit what Christ inherits. Peter reminds us of our salvation.
God has caused us to be born again - who has? God has.
In accordance to what has God caused us to be born again? - To his mercy.
We saw last week, only because God was merciful, we have grace. Only because God showed mercy we can be children. This is God's doing.
We are being born again. - Where do we first see this statement in the Bible? Well in the story of Nicodemos. John 3:3-7. Jesus tells Nico that only those who are born again will see the Kingdom of God. We are citizens of that kingdom living in another Kingdom here. So, why "born again" … Nico was a Jew, He knew that God choose the Jews. He felt special, but Jesus tells Him that Nico needs to be born again. The Bible shows what a person without the Spirit of God living in them is like - in the OT. Ezekiel 37 - Ezekiel sees the dry bones. God asks how does these become alive? Ezekiel 37:9 - Brothers ask our selves can we make ourselves be born again? It is by the Holy Spirit. See John 3:8 The wind blows ... God makes dead alive. You don't know how, but it is evident - you hear its sound. See John 3:15 Whoever believes In Jesus has eternal life.
See what Jesus is saying there. He is saying what happened in Number 21. In the OT the people sinned and they were punished to die. They faced hardships, they said let us forget God. (Num 21:4). They sinned against God. God send snakes among them. These snakes bit them. They died. They died but slowly. Moses made a bronze snake and those who looked on the snake lived. Did they do anything other than looking at snake? No, they did not. Imagine me walking, getting bit, looked at snake feeling better, then again getting bit, then again looking. Brothers how then shall we live? Shall we not look at the cross daily? Btw, this was a one time thing. God forbade idols, but the Israel used this - see to 2 Kings 18:1, 3-4. So dont go thinking that the snake does this. Also, there are connections in the greek to the israeli stories - and some israeli sources say that the greeks have taken the snake as their symbol for medicine after this story. The greek picture is on the pharmacy. But this is incase you want to talk to a pharmacist about Jesus.
Peter is saying we are alive now because of Christ and will be alive again because of Jesus Christ. If you are wondering about your salvation, call us, dont be shy because this is your obedience to God. If the wind is blowing -the Spirit is stirring your heart, sit down and tell God that you put your hope in the wrong place and you want to place it only on Jesus. This is your day - call a brother or sister in Christ, pray with them. Do it tonight.
See 2 Corinthians 4:6- See how Paul tells the statement. See how it weighs. God who made the lights and sun and stars and milky way, Sombero, whirlpool, Andromeda Galaxy shines into our dark cold dead heart to do what - to save us? Why He loves us. This is precious my dear brothers and sisters.
Now the second part: Hope that is living.
We all hope, we hope at breakfast to get a good cup of tea, we hope that when Jesus comes we may hear the trumpets .. but both those hopes are miles and miles away from each other. There are simple hopes, you buy a new car, you hope to get the mat free, that is hope. Peter is serious about the hope. He calls it a living hope. Most Christians hope to go to heaven. We have that hope. Somehow I want to reach heaven. Brothers, that is dead hope. A living hope produces the fruit of hope. A living hope changes the person. Last week I used the word eschatology - it means study of end times. Many people are thinking about it too. Many say I don't care what is going in the world, all I care if God is coming back. That hope is not living. It is a future hope but does not affect how you live today. Peter uses the word living hope to mean something to us. Hoping in God in the future should affect our present.
Let me give you an example on what a real hope is
James C. Collins related a conversation he had with Stockdale regarding his coping strategy during his period in the Vietnamese POW camp.[21][non-primary source needed] When Collins asked which prisoners didn't make it out of Vietnam, Stockdale replied: (Stockdale Paradox)
Oh, that's easy, the optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, 'We're going to be out by Christmas.' And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they'd say, 'We're going to be out by Easter.' And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart. This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.
Stockdale is saying that hope comes with fact.
N. brother may be able to quote this verse in his sleep, 1 Peter 3:15 - give a defence for the hope you have. Hope acknowledges the reality.
Peter wants us to see the reality. We do not have our best life now. We will not. It is because there is always going to be a better life in with Jesus. What ever you say, you cry still at the death of your friend. Your life is and will not be the best here. Come to the reality of it.
Do we hope in Gravity? No, it has become a part of our life. But when we speak of being with Jesus we often speak of it in terms of wishing. Take a minute ans say these sentences.
I wish to be with Jesus after I die.
I hope to be with Jesus after I die.
Do they sound similar?
For you, does the hope statement mean anything different?
If not then hope is same as wish.
Say these sentences
When I wake up tomorrow I wish there is gravity
When I wake up I hope there is gravity.
Did you laugh?
The reason why there is a strain is because we do not hope in reality. We are tossed around. Brothers today is the day.
See Ephesians 1:18, Psalm 130:5, Romans 15:13
What is our reality? Let's read the sentence
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,
- Born Again
- God is merciful
- Resurrection of Jesus
These are where the hope lies. We saw that God is merciful last week, today we saw what Born again means. We are going to see how the third point lies in now.
John Piper has a wonderful example. He talks about a terrorist attack at Garissa Uni in Kenya. They lined the kids one any one and asked "muslim or Christian". if you said "christian". Bam. You are dead. Imagine that brothers we are standing there in the line. Three more people in front of us.
What are we going to think? Our brains are filled with the loved ones home, our hearts are confused. Are we going to say "because I was born in a Christian family" I know personally some who changed their religion on their admission form and wrote Hindus so that they move form BPL to SC/ST class.
Are we going to think at historical facts? What is some historian got a point wrong? We have seen in our lives that when our babies scream and cry we forget to turn the stove off, our phones fall on the ground and the screens crack. Are we going to go at that moment to run to all the logical deductions? Our brains will mess theings up jus tso we can survive. It’s going to say, “Our parents could be wrong. I could be wrong. The tradition could’ve been all messed up, or I could’ve made some historical mistake. Maybe it’s a mistake,” because you want to live.
Piper is arguing, that kind of knowing, the light streaming in, the lights going on, the glory of Christ being manifest to you is the only kind of knowing that will keep you from wavering as they point a gun at you because if you have the kind of confidence that is based on your parent’s faith, tradition, historical arguments and inference, logical deductions, you know what your soul is going to do at that moment.
What’s the basis of your living hope? The basis of your living hope is the mercy of God — totally underserved — and the resurrection of Jesus so that you are caught up into his indestructible life, and this miracle by which the eyes of your heart are opened to see the self-authenticating glory of Christ in the gospel.
This is the real reason. Peter is going from the latest to the oldest. Lets reverse it.
Jesus died and is raised up
God was merciful
We are born again.
2 Corinthians 4:6 says that this is the light that is to shine in our head.
This is why the hope is said to be living.
- vs 5; we see it happen in our walk in faith
- vs 8: we love Jesus
- vs 6: we rejoice in it
- vs 6: we have sorrowful days and happy days
- vs 4: we are being kept
We will look at those verse in details soon, but this is essential to realise that the hope we have must be alive - we in tune with it and it in tune with us.
What did we see today?
God is merciful - He causes us to be born again - He gifts us faith - Jesus died for us - This is our hope. So when we go through trials. temptations, failures, hardships, long suffering, we must remember that this is still in God's hand. We have a great inheritance that no one can take away. We have the great reservation card at the table of heaven kept for us, with angels waiting for us. They are amazed at your salvation (These are things that even the angels desire to look into 1Peter 1:12). They are going to be like JP we had a party when you gave your life to Jesus - Gabriel will call another angel and say , look here is JP, remember that party , the other one will say how can i forget... Brothers this is our inheritance. This is our hope, this is our glory. Christ in us is our hope and Glory. We can then say we are greater than any King who has ever lived because they have not experienced this joy.
Brothers, are you hopeful? Is your faith bearing the change in your nature?
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