You found your place there in 1 Peter chapter number 1.
The Bible says this,
And that's kind of the title of our series,
A Living Hope.
That Peter's reminding them their hope is not buried somewhere,
it's not in circumstances, it's not in all these things.
There is a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away,
reserved in heaven for you.
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,
ready to be revealed in the last time.
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season,
if need be ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than that of gold that perisheth,
though it be tried with fire,
might be found in the praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Whom having not seen ye love,
and whom though now ye see him not yet believing,
ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Receive the end of your faith,
receiving the end of your faith,
even the salvation of your souls.
So we kind of start off this series,
and look at just these verses right here.
We get the idea that Peter is reminding them,
and we'll dig into a little bit more of it,
but yes, they were going through a lot of things,
and there was a lot of difficulty in their life,
but he's reminding of how blessed they truly are.
And I know we throw that word around,
and it became kind of a hashtag for a while.
Everybody's hashtag blessed,
and you put it on every post, you know,
whether it's talking about your lunch,
or your family, or whatever it is,
or you're blessed with everything.
And we sing that old hymn,
count your blessings, name them one by one.
And I know sometimes we sing that song,
oh, I know this,
but when we really start thinking about it,
and I think that's a great thing
when I thoroughly enjoy our pie and praise service,
because it gives us an opportunity to step back
and to look at our life,
kind of reflect over the past year
as we did this Thanksgiving,
and just remember how blessed we are.
And it was a longer service,
but it was still short,
because we didn't even touch the hem of the garment
of how blessed we are.
And then when you think about your life,
and you think about all the things
that you have in Christ,
my prayer is tonight
that everybody knows Jesus as your personal Savior,
but just think about salvation.
Think about how much it changed your life.
It's not just a home in heaven one day.
No, it affects the here and the now.
It affects the joy and the peace
that we have because it's real.
We look around,
and I'm thankful for a church family.
I'm thankful for my own family,
and how God has blessed us.
I'm thankful for health,
and maybe your health is not exactly
where you want it to be,
but you're here tonight.
Right?
And you're breathing,
and God's giving you another day to serve Him,
and the sun is shining,
and we're thankful for that.
I'm thankful for this church.
I'm thankful for the blessings
that God has given Central Baptist Church
over the years.
I'm thankful for what He's doing right now,
and I'm just as excited and thankful
for what He's going to do in the future.
We have a place that we can come,
and in the middle of a busy week,
and at the start of a new week,
we can gather with those that we love,
and we can lift our voices together,
and we have freedom to worship.
There's many of our missionaries
we read on Wednesday nights
in our prayer letters
that don't have the same freedoms
that we have.
The countries they're serving in
are coming up with stricter
and stricter conversion laws.
They can't even speak their faith
to their friends,
and to their coworkers,
and to their neighbors,
and yet we have that opportunity
to do it every day.
We have that opportunity
to come in here, really,
and not worry about anything.
When you come here,
you expect the doors to be open.
Some places,
they have to figure out
where the church is meeting that day
because it's always on the run.
It's underground.
It's in secret.
I'm thankful for the Word of God
that we have in our hands,
and not only do we have it in our hands,
you probably have it in your pocket.
You have it on your computer.
You have it on your email.
I mean, everywhere we go,
we're saturated with the Word of God,
and sometimes we allow that
to kind of just,
eh, well, that's just normal.
No, it's a blessing from God
that we have those things,
and I love that song we sing,
that doxology,
praise God from whom
all blessings flow,
and as we kind of open up
this letter that's Peter's writing,
he's reminding his hearers,
he's reminding the readers
what a blessing it is
to be a Christian,
and for us today,
we think, yeah, that's true,
but when we really dive into
the difficulty it was
in the first century
to be a Christian,
that's really saying something,
because in this time period
to identify with Christ,
to publicly profess Him,
to live a life obedient
to His Word
would have put a target
on your back.
It would have brought
persecution to that,
and Peter's saying,
listen, I know it's hard,
but God is good,
and that's really the idea
behind this letter,
and he wanted them
to understand,
and through the Holy Spirit,
it reminds us today
that if we know Christ
as our Savior,
because we have
a relationship with Him,
there's a word
that is no longer
to be used in our vocabulary,
hopeless.
That doesn't find place
in our life
that as a born-again believer,
we don't know
what true hopelessness is anymore,
because Jesus is our hope.
Jesus is alive,
that our hope isn't based
on some wishy-washy thing,
no, that it's settled,
and it's firm,
and we can anchor our soul
to it.
The Apostle Paul spoke
of this idea
throughout his letters as well.
If you remember there
in Ephesians chapter 2,
verse number 12,
he reminded us
that before salvation,
we were without God,
and we were without hope
in this world.
I think we look
at the world around us,
at least I do,
and I think to myself,
how do they continue
to move forward?
Because it doesn't mean
that as Christians,
we don't walk through
difficult times,
but I cannot imagine
walking through some things
that I've walked through
and walking alongside
of others that are walking
through difficult times
and doing that without God.
I can't fathom
how they do that,
and really,
I don't think they do it
very well.
And maybe you can go back
in your life
before you knew Christ
and your life was pointless,
and there was no hope,
but hope has a name,
and that's what Peter's
going to remind us
over and over and over again.
Paul also told us
that unbelievers,
they grieve as those
who have no hope.
He was writing there
in 1 Thessalonians 4,
and reminding,
because there was this teaching
going around
that their loved ones
had passed on,
that they missed it,
and they're not going to go
and see Christ,
that they're dead,
and he reminds them,
hey, that's not how this works,
that those that are dead in Christ,
they're going to rise first,
and we'll meet them in the air,
and so shall we ever
be with the Lord.
And Paul told them,
we don't grieve
as those that have no hope.
Part of my job,
so to speak,
is I officiate
quite a few funerals,
but there is
a noticeable difference
when we gather around
a loved one
that knows Christ,
and at a funeral
where there is
no knowledge of Christ,
the despair that is there,
it's palpable,
you can feel it in the air,
but we've laid here,
and some dear saints
of this church,
some dear family members
of yours,
we have cried,
but we haven't cried
as those with no hope.
Really, our grief
is for ourselves.
We're happy
that they're finally
walking the streets of gold,
and they're seeing
their Savior face to face.
Our grief is
because we miss them,
but we know this,
there is coming a day
when we shall see him,
but we shall see those
that have gone on
before us.
So hopelessness
is something
that is no longer
in the life of a believer.
I mean,
just the word hopeless
is an awful word.
When you really think about it,
people can endure
incredible hardship
if there's hope.
You can look
throughout history,
and we see even
Christians as they,
or Peter's writing to,
and you go to the dark ages,
and you go through
different times
where they're literally
being hunted
and slaughtered.
How do they continue
to move forward?
Hope.
That Christ is still for them,
that he still loves them,
but when hope is removed
from any situation,
despair takes its place.
And that's why Peter
wrote this letter.
Many of the letters
in the New Testament,
Paul and John
and others would write,
and they were kind of
having to combat
some bad theology
that had crept in the church.
Some false teachers
that had come in,
and yes,
Peter deals with some of that.
We'll see as we walk through,
but really,
this letter was written
to give hope.
Peter wrote this
in around A.D. 67.
Most Bible scholars
would say
that he probably
wrote this from Rome
to the believers
that were scattered
really across Asia Minor.
So we see there
in the first verse
that to the strangers
scattered throughout
these areas.
these Christians
were under pressure
just in their daily life.
They were misunderstood
by many people
because we have to understand
that Christianity
at this time
is still relatively new.
They don't really understand
who are these people?
What is this about?
It wasn't like
they could get on Wikipedia
and see what's Christianity about.
They didn't have that ability
like we do
to kind of Google things
and to figure it out.
They were,
there was kind of
all this hearsay
and misunderstanding.
And inevitably
it just led
to some heavy persecution.
But instead of praying
that the persecution
would leave them,
we see there
in verse number two
at the end of the verse
that here's what Peter
wanted them to understand.
He was praying
that grace unto you
and peace
be multiplied.
Not that trouble
would disappear.
I think so often
when we find hard times
in our life,
we find difficulties,
when we seem like
a situation's hopeless,
we say,
Lord, get rid of this
so I can move forward.
But sometimes
it's in these difficult times
that God really refines us.
They were tried by fire,
so to speak,
and God brings us forth
as gold
as the Bible tells us
in the book of Job.
Because when you study
Christianity,
especially in the first century
and around the times
of these writings,
they are trying
to stamp it out.
They are trying
to rid the Roman Empire
of Christianity in general
and yet
it continues
to move forward.
It continues to go.
You study the book of Acts
and you see the gospel
spreading like a flame
and Peter's reminding him
it's not time to give up.
No, we have something
worth fighting for.
We have somebody
who's fighting for us
and yes,
it might seem at times
that we're not winning,
but let me remind you
we have an inheritance
that's incorruptible
and undefiled
and fadeth not away
and is reserved in heaven.
You know what Peter's saying?
This world is not our home.
We're just a passing through.
He's writing to strangers.
He's writing to pilgrims
because as a Christian
we do look different
and we should.
In fact,
he's going to tell us
that we're a royal priesthood.
We're a peculiar people.
Now, listen,
that doesn't mean
to be weird on purpose.
Some of y'all got that nailed down,
but listen,
we should live differently.
And Peter's reminding them,
he's saying,
listen,
don't be a chameleon
into society
that you should stick out,
that you should live different.
Why?
Because we are different.
That's what holy means.
You know what holy really means?
Here's the definition.
Other.
Different.
Set apart.
We're going to get to the text
in Peter where he tells us,
be ye holy
for I am holy,
saith the Lord.
So that's really the idea
behind this.
That in the following weeks,
we're going to walk
verse by verse
through 1 Peter.
But before we do that,
I really just kind of want
to give us an overview
of what he's talking about
in these themes
and what the hope Peter
is mentioning,
what it is.
And why it's so desperately needed.
So if hope is that essential
to our lives as believers,
I think the first question
we answer is this.
What is biblical hope?
What does biblical hope look like?
You know, we say things
all the time.
Like I hope the wind
doesn't blow so hard tomorrow.
I hope it doesn't rain.
I hope the Cowboys win.
We know none of those things
are going to change anything.
You know, I'm so happy
for Cowboy fans right now.
You don't have to lose
because you didn't make
the playoffs.
But it hurts me too
because I do want to cheer
for my hometown team.
But I think sometimes
we think of hope
and we see it in the Bible
and we talk about a hope
that fadeth not away
and we have a anchor,
a hope that we anchor
our soul to
and we kind of equate it
how we relate to hope.
Our hope many times
is wishful thinking.
You know, we're going
to cross our fingers
and hope it works out.
We're going to wing it
and play it by ear.
Sometimes our hope
is blind optimism.
You know, if we just
speak it into existence,
maybe it will happen.
That's not what
biblical hope is.
I think a good definition
of biblical hope
is a sure and confident
expectation of receiving
what God has promised us
in the future.
That we're anchored
to something.
God said it.
It might not be taking
place right now,
but we know this.
If God said it,
that settles it.
And that's what Peter's
reminding them
because they are literally
going through the fire.
They are going through
extreme persecution.
But he's saying,
listen, there's a hope
that is anchored
because God said so
and he always comes through.
He always keeps
his promises.
How do we know that?
How do we know
that God will keep
his promises?
Because he has proven
himself time and time
and time and time again.
And he wanted these readers
to go back in their mind
and to remember that,
yes, it's hard,
but listen,
I should have been done there.
And that could have been
the end there.
And this situation
could have really set us back.
But guess who showed up
there and there and there?
God.
And I remind you
this evening
that life might be difficult
and you might walk
through some hard valleys.
Maybe you're in one right now
and sometimes it feels
like it's pretty dark
and I'm not sure
I'm coming out
on the other side,
but here's the truth
that we have a shepherd
that even though
we walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
he's with us.
We don't have to fear
what's going to happen.
Why can we say that?
How could David pin that?
Because they knew this,
God always shows up
and that's what we hold on to.
And Peter calls it
not just a good hope,
not a solid hope.
You know,
I like good things.
I like things that are solid,
things that I can count on.
Here's what he calls it
in verse number three,
unto a lively hope.
A hope that's living,
a hope that is active,
a hope that is present,
a hope that is powerful,
that when you wake up
in the morning,
it's there.
When you go to sleep
at night,
it's there,
that it's God
that's holding you together,
that it's God
that is sustaining you
and that hope,
it works in us
and that hope,
it steadies us
and that hope sustains us.
Why?
Because it's alive.
It's not a word
in a dictionary.
It's a person
and he's on the throne
in heaven
and he's hopefully
on the throne
in our own life.
And we hear this
and I read these verses
and when I read
a few of these verses here,
when I read verse number four
about the inheritance
coming my way
and we can rejoice
in the Lord
and we have joy unspeakable
and full of glory,
I'm thankful for that.
But here's the reality.
Something's probably
going to come my way
this week
where I'm going to think,
Lord,
where are you?
Lord,
this doesn't look good.
This situation,
you know,
like I know
I preach the message
but this looks
kind of hopeless.
When that anxiety rises,
when that fear
tries to displace
that hope,
sometimes we ask,
why do I feel this way?
Instead of that,
maybe this week
when a difficulty
comes in your life,
ask this,
what has God promised?
Listen,
if you anchor yourself
to your feelings,
you're going to be
a miserable person.
Because that's what your feelings
are like,
a roller coaster.
Sometimes they're really good.
Sometimes they're scary.
Sometimes you're pretty sure
you're going to die.
Sometimes you're just passed out.
You don't know
what's going on.
You know,
I don't want my life
to be a roller coaster.
But if I'm anchoring
my hope
to my feelings,
that's what it's going
to feel like.
There's going to be
great days.
Then there's going to be
days that feel like
there is no hope.
But if we ask ourselves
that question,
what has God said
about this?
What has God promised?
We sing the whole song too,
standing on the promises.
Find a promise.
When you're dealing
with something in your life,
guess what?
The Bible has something
to say about it.
Go to the Word of God,
find it,
and claim it.
Trust God that what He says,
that He holds His promises,
that all His promises
are yes and amen.
That they are intended
for us to hang on to.
That we can anchor
ourselves to that.
And so once we kind of
understand what
biblical hope is,
the next question
that kind of flows
out of that
is where does it come from?
We talk about it all the time.
It's all over the pages
of Scripture,
but where does it come from?
Verse 3,
there again at the end
of the verse.
Again,
unto a lively hope,
here's where it comes from,
by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ
from the dead.
It's as simple as that.
Everything we have
in this life,
everything we're hoping for,
everything we're anchored to,
is based on the fact
that the tomb
is empty.
That Jesus Christ
did exactly
what He said
He was going to do.
I don't know about you,
but I am thankful
that our hope,
that my hope,
is not based on
my faithfulness.
I think you should be as well.
Because there are some days
and there are some weeks
that I'm killing it.
I'm like,
man,
I'm good at this.
And there are some days
as the preacher,
I think,
I don't want to go to church.
I'm tired of serving.
I'm tired.
Am I the only one?
Okay,
I know it's Sunday night,
just making sure,
just making sure
that this thing's on.
Listen,
I'm thankful that
it's not based on that.
I'm thankful
that the hope
that Peter speaks of
in this book
that we're going to see
is not based on circumstances.
Because sometimes
when circumstances are good,
you're thinking,
hey,
this is going to be a good day.
You wake up,
you say,
oh,
it's going to be a great day.
We know this,
circumstances in life
just change like this.
I mean,
we see it here
in the weather.
I mean,
it's a beautiful day,
it's 80,
and then you look at the news
and you're like,
guess what,
it's going to drop
57 degrees overnight.
Well,
I'm glad my hope
is not based on the weather.
But we're not basing it
on circumstances.
Because they're
constantly changing.
Our joy's not found in that,
it's found in Christ.
Listen,
our hope
is not on the ability,
our own ability
to hang on.
Because sometimes
we're not even hanging by a thread,
we're just done.
That's not what it's based on.
Our hope
is solely based
on the fact
that there was a Savior
who lived
and died
and was buried
and rose again.
That's what we're anchored to.
That's what Peter's reminding him.
That's why we have
an inheritance
incorruptible.
If it was based on us,
it would be moth and rust
and it does corrupt.
But it's not.
We're laying up treasures
in heaven
based on Christ
and that's where
he's taking us
and everything God promises.
Salvation
and forgiveness
and eternal life.
It stands
on the authority
of the empty tomb.
That's what we can live
and base our life on.
Listen,
if Christ was still
in the grave,
hope would be
nothing more
than just
religious optimism.
Sometimes when you
try to share your faith,
people say,
well that's just a crutch
for the weak.
Well it would be
if Jesus was still
in the grave.
That's exactly
what it would be.
But he's not.
He is alive.
And because he lives
and because the grave
is empty,
hope is alive.
And it's available
right now.
And we need to be
reminded of this
because maybe you think,
well life's pretty good
right now.
But let me remind you
that in this life
you will have tribulation.
And you're going to
walk through a moment
in life where the doctor
says,
I don't know how else
to say this,
but you have cancer.
I don't know how else
to say this.
I don't know how to say this.
And you think,
how am I going to move forward?
Here's how you're going
to move forward.
Jesus Christ.
That he knows
the way you take.
That he knows
where your life is.
And some practical things
just to think about
is when something
doesn't go your way.
When hope seems like
it's slipping out
of your hands.
We can just remind
ourselves of this
great truth.
That the same power
that raised Christ
from the dead
is still alive
and well.
And it's available
to you.
And he knows
where you are.
He knows what you're
walking through.
And when you understand
that and when you see
your hope is rooted
in the resurrection,
the contrast between
the believer's hope
and the world's hope
becomes very clear.
It becomes very obvious.
Because the world's hope,
here's the truth,
it always fails.
It always fails.
When Jesus gets,
he's wrapping up
his Sermon on the Mount
there in Matthew
chapter number 7,
he gives an illustration.
He gives an illustration
about two men
that built a house.
Same materials,
same general location
is what we see,
but they built on
two very different
foundations.
He said the man
that built his house
on the rock,
when the winds came
and the rains came
and the floods rose,
here's what happened
to the house.
It stood.
But those,
the other man
that built on the sand
when the winds came
and the waters came
and all that,
guess what?
The house was gone.
And we look at the world
and we think,
why does it seem,
when I put my trust
and maybe my own ingenuity
and my own thinking,
why does it fade away?
Because it's sinking sand.
The world doesn't build
on a solid foundation.
And even as Christians,
we know we're to build
on the Word of God,
the solid rock,
but we live in the world
and you know what we think?
Let me just Google this.
Let me see a way out of this.
Let me find a quick fix.
You know in America,
you know what we love
more than anything?
A quick fix.
You look at every
almost commercial
and every ad,
you know what they're trying to do?
Quick, fix your life real quick.
They're going to fix this health
and fix this
and you just take this one thing,
you don't have to change anything else,
just take this magic pill
and everything will be better.
Sometimes life doesn't work that way.
And we have to go through the storm,
we have to deal with the difficulties.
The world is always promising a better.
If we just trust their ways,
it's going to work out.
I know some of you,
history bores you to death,
so fall asleep real quick,
I'll wake you up in a second.
You know anything about Russian history?
1918,
really the Russian Revolution,
taken over
and the people were promised hope.
They were promised equality
and prosperity
and a better future.
They called it communism.
And they tried that experiment
for about 70 years.
And guess what?
They were miserable.
And they were hopeless.
And that experiment,
it collapsed
because it was built
on human thinking
and godless power.
I know that's an extreme thing,
but sometimes in our own life,
we think,
hey,
I know what's best for me.
Listen,
if I could just get this lined up
and I can kind of move
some things around here
and do this,
then I'll have a little bit of hope
that I can hang on to.
Well, guess what?
It's going to collapse
just like this experiment did in Russia.
Because it's not based on the word of God.
It's based on our own thinking
and our own mentality.
And the same is still true today.
You know,
every time,
it seems like every time I turn around,
it's an election season.
I'm just tired of it.
I'm tired of commercials.
I'm tired of signs about it.
I'm tired of this.
But if you think about it,
every election promises hope.
Some recent campaigns
have even run on that word.
It's a hope
and change
and everybody's going to fix the economy
and heal the society
and build a better future.
But here's the problem.
It's built on the same old foundation.
It's just man's wisdom
recycled a failed system.
And yes,
we should vote
and we should try to do our part
as citizens
as believers
and we should vote
by what the word of God says.
But we understand this.
It's not going to change the world.
You know what's going to change the world?
Christians living like Christians.
Because that's what happened here
in Peter's time.
I mean,
when you go from the book of Acts
after the resurrection of Christ,
Christianity should have been gone
a long time ago.
But Christians living for Christ
in a Christ-like manner
changed the world.
Acts 17,
I think they said it like this.
They turned the world upside down.
But really,
here's what they did.
They just turned it right side up.
Really,
the whole Bible's about this.
Turning everything
the way it should be.
That Christ has a way
that we should live our life
and Scripture reminds us
that hope deferred,
it maketh the heart sick
and we can't be looking for hope
in all these different ways.
No, we don't have to wait for hope.
We're not hoping it comes.
No,
it's here.
And we have Him in our lives
if we know Him as our Savior.
And I'm sure your life,
I'm sure recent years,
has taught us,
if it's taught us anything,
it's this,
that God has to be our hope.
I mean,
I go back to 2020,
I mean,
it just kind of seemed like,
wow,
that was wild,
wasn't it?
Everything we thought
we could kind of anchor
a little bit to,
even if we knew we shouldn't,
we think,
well,
at least we have this,
at least we have that.
I mean,
within a week,
this world was turned upside down.
I don't know if you're like me,
but sometimes you would read it
and how it says
when the Antichrist comes
in the last days,
everybody's going to be deceived.
You're like,
how's that even possible?
I mean,
the whole world,
really?
Well,
it took like six days.
It was almost like a trial run.
And you're thinking,
whoa.
Well,
we realized this,
and I think it woke
a lot of Christians up,
like,
maybe we were trusting
a lot of other things
instead of really placing our trust
in God.
And Peter kind of wants them
to understand this.
And as Christians,
he's reminding them
that we have a lively hope,
a hope that doesn't collapse
when circumstances change,
because they're going to change.
Things that were true last week
probably aren't going to be true this week.
Don't you love watching the news?
They'll come on one week
and they'll say,
chocolate is the worst thing
you could eat in your life.
And then the next week,
it's obviously slow news week,
they got some guy on there
that's like 175,
like,
what's the secret to being in
and living so long?
And he's like,
I eat chocolate
for three meals a day.
And so everybody starts eating chocolate.
Listen,
the world's truth changes all the time
and the hope,
well,
I'm going to try this,
I'm going to hope this.
Listen,
I want to hope that's steady.
I want to hope that's constant.
And that is found in Christ
because he is the same yesterday
and today and forever.
It's not based on circumstances.
And Peter wanted them
to be able to hold on to that.
So if our hope is real
and living and secure,
why do we need it so badly?
We already have it.
We already have Christ.
Well,
Peter answers that
as we're going to walk through this book.
We're not going to look at every situation tonight
because we're going to do that
over the next few weeks.
But here's the reason
Peter wants us to understand
what this hope is
because we need it
for the journey.
Because yes,
there is coming a day
we will see him.
We've already said that.
But until then,
he has a job for us to do here.
He has a life for us to live here.
He's placed you at your work.
He's given you a family to raise.
He's given you an opportunity
to serve in a local church.
And we see that
and Jesus prayed in John chapter 17
that we would be in the world
but not of it.
That we can't as Christians,
we can't remove ourselves
and say we're just going to
hang on until Jesus comes.
No, in fact,
Jesus says this,
Occupy till I come.
Get to work.
Go ye therefore
into all the world
and preach the gospel.
And Peter tells these believers,
if you have your Bible still open
in chapter 2,
verse number 11,
he says this,
Dearly beloved,
I beseech you,
he's begging you,
he's reminding you
as strangers
and pilgrims.
We already referenced it
and we already sang it.
But Peter reminded them
just as much as he reminds us today
through the Holy Spirit
that this world is not our home.
That we're just on a journey.
That this is not our final destination.
This is not live and let live
because eat, drink and be merry
because tomorrow we die.
No, the Bible's clear
that there's coming a day
where we're all going to stand
before Christ.
And that we're going to see him.
And Peter wanted them
to understand
and we can take this truth
to our own life.
We're not meant to settle here.
You know,
it's not he who dies
with the most toys wins.
We're not living
for the here and now.
We're not meant
to plant roots here.
We're meant to store up
treasure in heaven.
Oh, I love this thought
that we're here
to make heaven crowded.
That the only thing
that we can take
is people.
That we share the gospel with.
That it may be sometimes
in the throes of parenting
and you're thinking,
is this worth it?
No, it is worth it.
And here's your number one job
to show them who God is.
And to train them up
in the love
and the nurture
and the admonition
of the Lord
and to shape their hearts
for eternity.
At your school,
it's important
that you live a life
that is pleasing to God
that others see it
and say,
you know what?
What do you have?
Because even at your school,
guess what a lot of people
don't have?
Hope.
You know what some of your coworkers
are searching for?
Hope.
Just something they can hang on.
Something that they can just think,
well, if I can just,
if I have a little something,
even if it's not real,
maybe I can make it
to tomorrow
and next week
and next year.
Listen,
you have a great opportunity
to share the truth with them.
But sometimes
when we forget
we're on a journey,
we have a job
that we're called to do
and we start thinking
and start looking
for this heaven-level satisfaction
from an earth-level world,
it's going to lead
to frustration
and spiritual weariness.
We're going to get frustrated,
we're going to think,
well, this is just not worth it,
I'm just going to do nothing.
We may not say that out loud,
but sometimes our life
lives that way.
And I think when
we begin to feel that way,
we need to ask ourselves
and we can really ask ourselves
this every day,
am I living for comfort here
or for glory later?
Because sometimes
if we really step back
and we really take inventory
of our life,
the reason we're frustrated,
the reason our hope
doesn't feel real
is because we're living
more for the here and now
than what Christ
has called us to.
We're more in on this world
than we are on the journey
God has called us on,
on the mission
that He has placed us in.
And once you realize
that you're a pilgrim
and not a settler,
it helps you understand
why this is absolutely necessary.
And Peter's going to show us
as we walk through here,
we need it because hope
is the only thing
that will sustain us
on the journey.
It's not going to be your job.
It's not going to be this,
it's not going to be that.
It's going to be the fact
that Jesus Christ loves you,
that He died for you,
that He rose again for you,
and that hope
is going to change
how you look at that situation,
and that health diagnosis,
and that financial hardship,
and raising a family,
and your marriage,
it's going to change everything.
Because that's what Jesus does.
Is Jesus changes all of that.
Kids these days,
I love to say that,
you know,
they have all these
crazy weird games they play,
and Fortnite,
and all these weird ones,
and I'm like,
what is even going on?
They don't know
that the greatest game
you could ever play
in elementary school
was called the Oregon Trail.
I used to,
yeah,
some of you know,
this is going to speak
to your heart.
I used to rush through my work
so I could play the Oregon Trail.
And I'd get on there,
and the Oregon Trail,
you type your name in,
and you get your family there,
and you're super excited.
It's this little green,
little wagon
that's going across the thing.
Man,
y'all don't even know,
this is awesome.
And here's the idea,
you're hoping
you make it to Oregon.
You never do.
Typhoid gets you
every time.
And then you have to start over,
and then you're on your way again,
and then you,
every time you go past
the grave markers,
it's like,
Tyler died of typhoid.
So I just started naming
all my enemies,
like my sister,
and my sister,
and all those people.
But when you're playing
that game,
all the hope you had
fades when your wagon
breaks,
and the food runs out,
and the journey
really becomes hard.
But this is going to
shock y'all even more.
There was a real Oregon Trail.
Come to find that out.
And you think,
when you really think about that,
like,
it's hard enough on a game.
I can't imagine
telling your family here,
I know we live in Tennessee,
but I've heard about
this place called Oregon.
We're going to get in a wagon.
You know why they got in a wagon
and tried to cross
the entire country,
tried to go through
the Rocky Mountains,
tried to go through
all of this,
and travel wasn't easy,
and the reason it wasn't
is because it was
a difficult time,
but they did it for this reason,
hope of a better life.
You know,
we celebrate Thanksgiving,
and we go,
maybe your kids,
when they were younger
in school,
they did a little play
about the pilgrims.
You know why the pilgrims
came here?
For hope of a better life.
A chance to worship
the Lord freely.
Hope is going to do that,
and it just reminds us
of this great truth,
that those people
on that Oregon Trail
and those pilgrims
crossing the ocean
in difficult travel conditions,
they did it because
they had a hope,
and hope does not
remove the journey,
but it sustained them on it.
They were looking forward
to something greater
and something better,
and we might be
on the journey,
and life might get hard,
and sometimes it feels
like your wagon's
breaking down,
and your food's running out,
but here's the beautiful thing,
that we're not settling here,
we're pressing on.
We're aiming for Christ,
and that's what Peter's
telling them,
that this lively hope
that you have,
it's going to carry you through,
and so when life feels hard,
don't quit.
Don't give in.
Just remind yourself,
like Peter's going to remind us
again and again
through this little study,
that this is part of the journey.
It's not the end of the story.
No, the end of the story
is when we see our Savior
face to face.
When we step into
the city of God.
But Peter doesn't just tell us
to endure the journey.
What we're going to walk through
and see is he's going to show us
how to live faithfully
while we're on it.
He kind of gives some
survival instructions,
because sometimes life
feels like that.
We're going to see Peter's
going to give some practical
guidance when it comes to
how to be a godly citizen,
because they're dealing
in a situation
where the government
is completely against them.
We'll talk about it here
in a second,
and he's saying,
listen,
that doesn't change
your responsibility.
It doesn't change
the way that you
should live your life.
In fact,
you should live your life
in a manner that still
points to Christ
and honoring the authority
God has placed in your life.
He's going to deal with
unfair work conditions.
You're like,
I'm bringing my boss that day.
Tell me what day that is.
He's going to talk about
how to live among unbelievers.
He speaks at length
about that.
Because the majority
of his readers
would have been living
amongst unbelievers,
and guess what?
I think we are as well.
Everywhere we go,
we meet people.
We work with them.
We live in the neighborhood
with them.
They're at the store with us.
How do we live a life
that points to Christ?
How do we live in a world
but not be of the world?
He talks about honoring God
in your marriage.
He talks about loving
fellow believers.
Sometimes it's easier
to get along with unbelievers
than it is believers.
Yeah.
Peter addresses that.
Because it's a practical thing
that these people needed.
And the idea is this book
was to give hope
for the destination
and wisdom
while you're on the way there.
That's really what
the Bible is about.
But really,
it's kind of encapsulated
in here.
Peter reminds me
of the book of James.
It's short and to the point
because they didn't have
any other option
because life was coming
at them fast.
They're scattered abroad.
Persecution's there.
And even with the hope
for the journey
and the instruction
for the daily living,
there's one more reality
that Peter kind of hits
and we see it here
in chapter number 4.
Here's what he says
in chapter 4,
verse number 12.
He said,
Beloved,
talking to believers,
think it not strange
concerning the fiery trial
which is to try you
as though some strange thing
happened unto you.
You know why we need hope?
Because life's going to throw
some fiery trials your way.
It's going to bring
some things across your desk
that you didn't plan on,
that you didn't sign up for.
And many times,
you did nothing to bring it on
but it's just,
we live in a broken world.
And we mentioned
at the beginning
that Peter's writing from Rome
in around 67 AD
is what many scholars
would believe.
But if you studied
Roman history
a few years earlier,
about three years earlier,
Rome burned under
an emperor named Nero.
You know, Nero,
he was not a good guy.
He was all about Nero.
He was,
even his own Roman citizens
really didn't care for him.
But when Rome started
to burn literally
to the ground
and the fires were taking over,
Nero needed somebody
to shoulder the blame.
Because it definitely
wasn't his fault.
And even though
there's conspiracies
that he's the one
that set the blaze
to build certain things
he wanted,
you know,
he blamed Christians.
Christians.
And that's where
the brunt fell.
And we think to ourselves,
well, how would
a lot of people
believe that?
William Barclay,
one of the commentators,
he points out
and reminds us
that Christians
were already
the objects
of slander
and hostility.
We said earlier
as well
that in the mind
of Romans
they were confused
at what Christians
really were.
What they thought
they were
was just a different
sect of Judaism.
And they knew this,
we don't like Jews.
And so there was
that natural hatred
for them
and so as a result
they were an easy target.
Nero kind of pounced
on it and said,
listen,
they're the ones
that started this.
They're the ones
talking about how
God's going to bring
judgment
and they're bringing
it on Rome
and because of that
persecution followed.
And you study
what they're dealing
with just from history.
Christians were
burned alive.
They were torn
apart by animals.
They were used
as sport
in the Colosseum.
They were crucified.
They were tortured.
And this persecution
really wasn't limited
to the city limits
of Rome.
By the time Paul is,
I mean Peter is
writing this letter,
it spread to Asia Minor
where these believers,
they had fled Rome
for their life
and guess what?
The persecution
still followed.
And with that backdrop
in mind,
Peter's words
kind of carry
a little bit more
weight.
In fact,
they sound strange.
He said,
listen,
don't think it's strange
concerning what's
happening right now.
He goes on
in verse number 14.
If you be reproached
for the name of Christ,
happy are ye
for the spirit
and glory of God
rest upon you.
On their part,
he is evil spoken of,
but on your part
he is glorified.
Verse 16,
he says this,
yet if any man
suffer as a Christian,
let him not be ashamed,
but let him glorify God
on this behalf.
These are strange words
unless hope is alive.
Unless Jesus Christ is real.
Unless the tomb is empty.
See,
these words only make sense
if this world
is not your home.
Our hope is Jesus
who rose from the dead
and will come again.
And that's what Peter's
reminding him.
It kind of echoes
if it kind of sounds familiar.
It sounds a lot like
what Jesus said
in the Sermon on the Mount.
Blessed are ye
when you are persecuted,
when you reviled
for my name's sake.
Listen,
we're not looking for it,
but here's the reality.
Sometimes it comes.
We can't think,
I think especially
in our culture today,
we would just kind of
associate,
well if something bad
is happening
and then something wrong,
you must have done
something wrong.
I'm going through
the book of Job right now.
All of Job's friends,
everybody's like,
listen Job,
we like you,
but you're obviously a sinner.
Bad things don't happen
to good people.
It's like,
hey,
as long as I come to church
and I put a little bit
of offering in the plate
and I do this,
then everything should be
good in my life.
That's not true.
That's nowhere to be found
in this Bible.
In this world
ye shall have tribulation,
but be of good cheer,
Jesus says,
for I have overcome
the world.
That's exactly what
Peter's saying here.
We're going to see that
as we move through
this book.
Instead of asking maybe,
Lord, how can I escape this?
Lord, how can I get rid of this?
Lord, how can I just move on
from this awful situation?
Maybe we need to say,
Lord, how can I glorify you
in this?
Lord, how do you want to use
my family in this situation?
Lord, what do you want me
to do in this health crisis?
What do you want me to do
in this financial situation?
Maybe God has allowed
some of those things.
I loved when Brother Garrett preached.
Was that last week, I think?
Yeah.
The Lord burned his battery up
under warranty
so he could go to AutoZone
and a guy says,
hey, where do you go to church?
And I loved his transparency.
I'd be frustrated
when your battery goes out,
you're like, not again.
I can't afford this right now.
You know, batteries and tires
never go out
when you actually have money.
No, it's when you spend
all your money
and then they're all blowing up
and everything going.
Like, Lord, why?
But sometimes God
is orchestrating weird things
and allows weird things
to happen in our life
to put us in a position
to glorify him.
And that's what Peter's saying.
He's reminding us
to ask ourselves that question.
So I just want to ask you,
believer,
as we close tonight,
are you living like a pilgrim
on a journey?
Are you living like this world
is your home?
Because depending on how you're living
is going to change
the hope that you have.
It's going to change
your perspective.
If you're trying to live
for the here and now,
even if you know Christ,
you're going to be frustrated.
You're going to be tired.
You're going to be
just really,
just downtrodden.
And I understand,
I've been there.
Because sometimes what
hardship and disappointment does,
it dulls your hope.
You know,
every once in a while
I take my glasses off
and think,
man,
I need to clean these things.
No wonder I can't see.
They're all smudged up
and everything.
Sometimes we just need
to take some time
and reset.
Kind of clean off
our lenses of our life,
so to speak,
and remember
that we were begotten
unto a lively hope.
Jesus Christ didn't raise
from the dead
so we can barely
scrape by.
No,
Jesus Christ is alive
and it made all the difference
in our life
and here's what he wants us to do.
Go tell somebody that.
Live like it's true.
Live like he's alive.
Take some simple steps this week.
Find a promise
in the word of God
and anchor your heart in it.
You're going through something?
Go to the concordance
of your Bible.
Look up that difficulty.
You know what you can find?
Verses that apply to that
and take it,
post it on your mirror,
post it on your,
and put it in your car
and wherever you're going to see it
and anchor your hope in that
and remind yourself of that.
Maybe there is some difficulties.
Reframe it
in light of eternity.
You know,
Paul says this
when he goes through
all those difficult things.
This light affliction.
Paul,
how can you say that?
Because Paul had a view
of eternity.
That he wasn't focused here.
He was pressing
toward the hope
that was Jesus Christ.
That was his goal.
That was his aim.
We can lift our eyes up.
We can refocus our lives
because our Savior's alive.
Maybe you're here
and I know the majority of us here
we always say
we're preaching to the choir.
I don't want to ever
just assume that though.
Maybe you know all about Jesus.
You know some of these verses
in here
but you don't know him personally.
There's no lasting hope.
There's just some temporary optimism
that shows up
every once in a while
in your life.
I just want to remind you
that Jesus Christ is alive.
And he didn't
rise from the grave
so you could just have a
you could attend church
every once in a while.
He didn't come
so you could check off
some boxes.
He came to have
a real relationship with you.
We talked this morning
that we can cry out
Abba Father.
We can run to him.
We can find comfort
and dependence
and hope for the journey.
And if you don't know Christ
and you've been battling with it
and you've been placing it
in the fact that
I'm a church member
I'm a good person
I'm a Christian
I do Christian things
your hope's not secure
because it's based on you
not him.
Turn to Christ.
So we're going to see
through this book
as we see in our own lives
this world may shake us.
The journey
it's going to wear you down.
And the trials
sometimes they're going to feel
like they test you up
to your absolute limit.
But step back
and remember
hope is alive
because he's alive.
That's our God.
Would you stand with your heads bowed
with your eyes closed?
next slide slide
Thank you.