Christian Hope for those who Despair
Christian Hope for those who Despair
I Peter 1:3-12 (part 1)
- By Ben Fronczek
One of my favorite New Testament characters
is the man we know as Peter. I like him because he is like so many of
us in so many ways. He was impulsive, sometimes hot tempered, more than
once he put his foot in his mouth and said something foolish. There were
times when he was on fire for the Lord and then times when his faith
wavered. He even denied being a follower of Jesus. He messed up just
like many of us mess us from time to time. Another thing I like about Peter is that
fact that even though he may have messed up now and then, he did not
throw in the towel or give up. If anything he grew wiser and his faith
grew stronger and stronger as it should. Christians today can learn
from Peter because we have two letters which he authored to the early
church. And in these letters we find wise, encouraging, and practical
advice to believers from a guy who not only walked with Jesus, but also
knows what it was like to mess up that walk. Peter penned these words about 30 years
after Christ’s death and resurrection. He was writing to encourage the
persecuted Christians of Asia Minor.
Those early Christians lived in a very difficult time. It was a very
anti-Christian society. Speaking or writing from experience, Peter knew
that those early Christians needed not only words of instruction, but
also words of hope and encouragement just like he did when he was
younger.
Over the up and coming weeks I plan on
presenting some sermons based on what he wrote in his epistles. And to
begin with I would like to talk about what he himself started with in
1Peter 1, and that is his message of hope.
Read: 1 Peter 1:3-12
I don’t know about you but there are times
when I get discouraged and down even though I know that I am very
blessed because I am a Christian. And I suppose I am just being selfish.
I cannot imagine those who have real trouble in their lives, whether
due to sickness, poverty, loneliness, a miserable job, or family life,
real persecution or a 1000 others things that cause real heart ache in
this world. There are a lot of discouraged and miserable people in this world, even some who know God. It even surprised me that Solomon once wrote this in Ecclesiastes
2:17 So
I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous
to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 4:1-2
“Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under
the sun: ‘I saw the tears of the oppressed— and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors— and they have no comforter. 2 And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive.’
These are words of despair. He seems to be
saying it’s better to be dead than alive and have to deal with all the
injustice and garbage and trouble that is going on around us. Solomon
is definitely in a frump, or in low period of his life when he wrote
those words. Maybe that’s where you are. Maybe you know someone who is
there right now. Well I believe that through the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit Peter wrote these words to shake believers out this
kind of frump. He wanted to remind us that there is something better to
focus on; and that is the hope we have in Jesus. Let’s begin by breaking down what Peter had to say here in this text.
#1. “Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy
He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade —kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”
There are some key words and thoughts here.
Do you think Peter could appreciate and understand God’s mercy? You bet
he could! He was the guy that denied even knowing Jesus three times
after our Lord was arrested. He was a liar, and a traitor when asked
about his faith. But then what happened after Jesus rose from the dead
and made them breakfast on the beach one day? Three times He asked
Peter, “Do you love me?”, “Do you love me?” “Do you love me?”. And then
He reinstates Peter by giving him a commission to take care of and feed
His sheep (that is His followers, His disciples.) Peter definitely could appreciate the mercy
of God; and not only because he was personally forgiven, but primarily
because all of us have been shown mercy because of what Jesus did for us
on the cross. Peter wrote;
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great
mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade …”
Because of Jesus’ death and
resurrection He has blessed every believer by giving us a new life, with
new hope and promise of an existence that can never perish, spoil or
fade.
Because of God’s mercy we have the
greatest promise, the greatest adventure that one could ever look
forward to, and it is waiting for us beyond this physical life in
Heaven. Most of us get excited and are thrilled with anticipation before
we go on a vacation or adventure. It is our hope that we will have a
great time. The adventure we will experience in Heaven will be far more
exciting and fulfilling than any vacation or adventure we could ever
experience on this earth. That’s the hope we have as Christians as we
look forward to what God has promised us.
Every day that passes brings the
Christian one step closer to this amazing adventure and because of that
we should not let Satan knock us down with despairing thoughts or
trials. I believe that why the Apostle Paul had this to say as he wrote the Corinthians:
” 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Cor. 4:16-18
Peter and Paul knew and were
convinced of the fact that no trial, no hardship, nothing in this life
can compare to what we are about to experience in Heaven. So they both encouraged us just to hang in there. That’s why in out text Peter goes on to write,
“6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.”
And Peter goes on to tell us that those trials are not without purpose. I like how the NLT translates verse 7. It says
“7 These
trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire
tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than
mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it
will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus
Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
God and heaven is watching. The text says
if you remain strong there will be praise, glory and honor awaiting you
when Jesus is revealed. The focus in this text is not about the trials,
it is about the hope that we have and how we should be able to overcome
them all because of who we are and what lies ahead. What it comes down to is this; our peace of
mind, our happiness is determined by how much faith we really have. I
like what Peter says in the following verses
8 You
love Him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see Him
now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.
10 This
salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about
when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. 11 They
wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was
talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and
His great glory afterward.
12 They
were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And
now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in
the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful
that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.” NLT
I truly believe that Peter understood how
hard is to live the Christian life. We are bombarded on every side
with negative thoughts, propaganda, atheistic, liberal views, and
temptations that can trip us up. And we also battle with our own fears,
lusts, guilt, and other weaknesses just like Peter did.
But Peter reminds us that our God is a God
of mercy and will show it to those who accept His gift; His one and only
Son, as their new Lord and Savior. Peter reminds those early Christians and I
believe he wanted to remind all of us of the amazing hope that we have
set before us; the excitement and adventure that comes after this
earthly life where we will be able to enter an existence where God
Himself resides with all His angels, and with His Son. It’s really there, and God, with His Son
and the multitude of angels, along with all those Christian who have
gone on before us are just waiting to welcome us into that abode.
The writer Hebrews wrote;
“Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us
throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles,
and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let
us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who
for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (12:1-3)
Challenge: To hang in there and don’t let ANYTHING rob you of the joy and the hope that you have in Jesus.
For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566