Well, please turn with me in your Bibles, or in the Pew Bibles, to our scripture reading for this evening, which is from the first epistle of Peter. Taking a break from our evening series in the book of Joshua, so we can have a sermon tonight that is also Easter-themed. 1 Peter 1, verses three through nine. And then you'll certainly see the connection with the resurrection of Christ as Peter makes explicit mention of that here. So give your attention now to God's holy and inspired word, 1 Peter 1, beginning in verse 3. 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. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Thus far the reading of God's holy and inspired word. May he add his blessing to it this evening. Well, what is hope? That's a word that we use frequently and the way we use it may cause us to be a little bit confused when we come across it in the scriptures because the scriptures don't use it the same way we typically use it. We use it like, well, I really hope it doesn't rain tomorrow. Or, I hope that I don't have to have surgery for my torn ACL. Or, I hope this or that, when you're not sure about these things. That's not really the way that Peter is using the word hope in this passage. We might say that biblical hope is a matter of living in the present with confidence about the future. So not just wishful thinking or just hoping that things will turn out all right, but living in the present with confidence about the future. Well, Easter and what happened on the first Easter Sunday, the resurrection of Christ, shows us how Christian hope also draws the past into that equation. When Jesus was bodily resurrected in the past on that first Easter morning, a member of the human race entered into the life of the world to come. So in his glorified human nature, Jesus put on the imperishable so that he could ascend to the right hand of God the Father in heaven and begin living in that heavenly realm as a glorified human being, which, of course, his divine nature is also united to that glorified human nature. But we should also remember that this was not merely a matter of Jesus's individual experience. It secured the same blessing for all whom Jesus was given to save. He represented us in his death and he represents us in his resurrection. And that is why your hope as a Christian resides and rests upon what happened to Jesus on that first Easter Sunday. And this leads Edmund Clowney to say that in this passage from Peter's first epistle, Peter writes of a sure hope, a hope that holds the future in the present because it's anchored in the past. Our future hope is anchored in something that has happened in the past, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So as we study these verses tonight, we will come to a better appreciation of what Peter means when he says that we have been born again to a living hope. So we begin by looking at verse 3. where we see, first of all, that our hope is rooted in God's sovereign mercy. And the fact that Peter begins by blessing God, praising God for his mercy to us, makes it very clear that God is the source of our living hope. And notice how God is described by Peter here. He is called the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now that's interesting, because in the Old Testament, God is often referred to as the God of Abraham, or the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of the patriarchs. And that was done in order to distinguish the true and living God, the God who made himself known to the patriarchs, from all the false gods that people worshipped in that world, all the lifeless idols that the heathens worshipped. Well, in the New Testament, God reveals himself in all of his fullness through Jesus Christ. And that's why God is now known as the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's only through Christ that we can have saving knowledge of the one true God. Now Peter says that our salvation is according to God's great mercy. In other words, God is motivated to save us by his merciful character alone and not because of anything that he sees in us. And that point is further emphasized by what Peter says about being born again. We do need to be born again. because we are by nature dead in our sins. We're dead to God and we're subject to divine judgment because of our sins. We need to be born again, but we can't do anything to make ourselves born again. And that's why Peter says that God caused us to be born again. He is the one who brings about the new birth. Think about your first birth. Think about before you were born. What could you have done at that point to make yourself born the first time, before you existed? Nothing. There's nothing that you could have done, right? You were utterly powerless. Well, the same is true spiritually when it comes to the new birth. You have absolutely no capacity to bring about the new birth for yourself. It's something that God has to do. Now of course it is true that the new birth, being born again, being regenerated, is evidenced in a person's life when that person places his or her faith in Jesus Christ and professes that faith publicly and is united to Christ's church. Yes, there are those outward evidences, but where does that faith come from? Faith is actually the result, not the cause of being born again. God is the one who makes the person alive and gives the person faith so that they might lay hold of Christ. Well, then moving on in verse three, we see that our living hope has been secured by Christ's resurrection from the dead. And that, of course, is why Christian hope is a living hope. It is rooted and based in a living person, in the risen Christ. And Christ's resurrection is a matter of historical fact. And his resurrection is the first fruits of the big resurrection harvest that will take place at the end of the age. We talked about this in Sunday school today. Our resurrection is connected to Christ's resurrection in this sense. There's one big harvest, just like in the summer season. There's a beginning of the harvest, and there's the first fruits of that harvest, and then there's the last fruits of that harvest. So Christ is the first fruits of that one resurrection harvest. And we are a part of that same harvest. So Edmund Clowney puts it this way, in giving life to Christ, raising him from the dead, God gave life to all those who are united to Christ. God's elect have a hope that is as sure as Christ's resurrection. And again, that begins to be manifested even in this life when we're born again. Because that's resurrection in the spiritual sense, isn't it? We've moved from being dead in our sins to being alive to God. So that we experience the spiritual aspect of resurrection in this life, we won't experience the physical aspect of it until the end of the age. Now we should remember, when we're reading Peter write about this, that Peter was an eyewitness of Jesus's resurrection. And I think that's why he emphasizes at the end of this passage, by the way, that he says, though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice. He's basically saying, in a sense, you're better than I am. He at least, he saw the risen Jesus. These Christians to whom he's writing hadn't seen the risen Jesus, and yet they still believed. But Peter did have that dramatic experience of being unexpectedly delivered out of hopelessness and brought to a place of confident hope. And that resurrection hope fueled him for the rest of his days. He lived in that hope, and he died in that hope. He died as a martyr. And actually every Christian lives and dies in that same resurrection hope. Because we have a living hope, our souls will not be overcome by the disappointments and worries and uncertainties of this life. Because we have a living hope, we will not sink under the billows of suffering and sorrow that are going to keep washing over us as long as we live in this world. And because our living hope resides in the one who conquered death, our hope will endure until we are raised to immortality on the last day. Now, Peter also speaks of our living hope as something that is being kept for us as an inheritance in heaven. It's being kept or it's being guarded. Now, what is this inheritance? Well, really, this is the fulfillment of what God promised to Abraham when he said, I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God. Well, that promise was not ultimately about Canaan. We know that because of the way the writer of Hebrews, for example, talks about it in Hebrews chapter 11. Abraham was actually looking forward to a better country than Canaan, something that was more permanent and lasting. Canaan was merely a type and shadow of something far, far greater. And those of us who share Abraham's faith are numbered among his offspring. And that means we are heirs with him of that better heavenly country. Now you think about the idea of inheritance. And there are a lot of people in this world who seemingly have it easy because they are heirs to massive fortunes. Well, as Christians, we are heirs to something that is infinitely better than any earthly legacy or estate. And I do mean the word infinitely, literally, because it's unending. Our inheritance is an eternal inheritance. And the superior quality of the inheritance that we have in Christ becomes evident when we consider the way that Peter describes it in these verses. He has a lot to say about this inheritance. And he begins by telling us three things that it is not. He tells us three things that this inheritance is not. First of all, it's not perishable. It's imperishable. That means it's able to endure forever. And when Christ returns at the end of this age, we will be raised in bodies that are imperishable, and thus we will be fit to live in such a world. Second, our heavenly inheritance is not defiled by sin, it's undefiled. And when we enter into our heavenly inheritance, we will dwell in a world that's entirely unspoiled by sin in glorified bodies that are entirely free from sin. And then third, our inheritance is not fading. It's unfading. And that sets it in contrast to everything in this world because everything in this world wears out. Everything does. You know, you buy a new piece of clothing and it doesn't take long, right? How many cycles through the washing machine before it's starting to fray at the edges, you know? Everything wears out in this world. Well, that's not going to be the case with our inheritance. It will endure forever. Well, Peter then goes on to say that this inheritance is being kept in heaven for us until the time that God has appointed for our reception of it. Now, that Greek term that's translated as kept in this verse can convey the sense of being guarded. It's being guarded in heaven. That's the idea that Peter has in mind here. So the fact that Christ has already secured this inheritance for us means it's beyond all danger. It's perfectly safe. It is secure. And then on top of that, the flip side of that is what he says in verse five. He says that God is also guarding us to ensure that we receive the fullness of our salvation when it's revealed on the last day. And we need that. We need to be guarded. We need to be protected. because we face many threats in this world. Many things threaten our faith. As Edmund Clowney points out, it would be small comfort to know that nothing could destroy our heavenly inheritance if we could lose it at the last. If we were left to our own power, we would have no hope of spiritual survival. But because we're being guarded by God's power, we can be confident that we will endure to the end. Now notice what Peter says about how God does this. How does he guard us? Well, he does so through faith. So the faith by which we are saved is the faith by which we are kept secure. And this faith is not our achievement, as we noted earlier. Faith is simply the instrument by which we appropriate Christ and all his benefits. Think of faith as a hand, an open hand, to receive the blessings that are found in Christ. And you wouldn't be able to lift up your hand to receive him unless God made you alive first, unless he regenerated you first. Because remember, we're dead in our sins. You wouldn't be able to lift up your hand and receive him apart from God's gracious work. And that's made clear by the fact that Peter says that God is the one who guards us through faith. That makes it very clear that faith is not a work that we perform, it's not our contribution. Faith is something that God works in us and something that God sustains in us. And lastly, Peter tells us that our heavenly inheritance is ready to be revealed in the last time. It's ready to be revealed. It's kind of like, you know, dinner is ready, right? It's ready. All you have to do is sit down and it's ready to be served. Nothing else needs to be done. It's all prepared for you. Well, that's the salvation that Christ has secured for us. It's been fully prepared for us. There are no finishing touches that still need to be completed. Nothing needs to be added to it. Christ secured it for us by his life, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. Well, that then brings us to verses six through nine, where we see that though this life is filled with trials and sorrows of many kinds, We already experience our living hope through faith. We already experience this glory that we're waiting for. We already begin to experience it through faith. So in verse six, Peter reminds us that we already experience the heavenly joy that will be fully revealed at the last time. And so this shows us that Christian joy is not merely the joy of anticipation. It's also the joy of participation. We already participate in the blessings that Christ has secured for us. We already possess him and his blessings and this causes us to rejoice in his salvation. Of course, at the same time, our joy in Christ is mingled with the griefs that are produced in our lives by our various trials. And Peter says several things here that really should shape the way we view suffering. First of all, he describes the period in which we're subject to trials by the phrase, a little while, a little while. Now it doesn't always seem like a little while to us, but that is only because we lose sight of the big picture. And as Paul points out in Romans 8.18, I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Any amount of suffering that we experience in this life is finite. How in the world can that compare with something that is unending, with glory that is unending? Similarly, in 2 Corinthians 4, Paul says, this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. And take into account who is writing those words there. Paul knew something about affliction and suffering. He is not speaking as someone who was never touched by those things. So he's speaking from experience there. Well, continuing with our passage, in verse seven, Peter says that the trials that come into our lives are necessary for the testing and purifying of our faith. Now, notice how this relates to what Peter previously said about faith being the instrument that God uses to guard us for our eternal inheritance. There's a connection between these two points here. Our faith needs to be proven, and it needs to be strengthened and purified through the fires of affliction. Once again, quoting Edmund Clowney, he has a very helpful commentary on 1 Peter when he says this, our trials keep us trusting. They burn away our self-confidence and drive us to our Savior. Fire does not destroy gold. It only removes combustible impurities. And that's what trials do for our faith. They purify and strengthen our faith. Trials remind us of our weakness and of our utter dependence on God. You might even say that trials are the fuel that keeps our faith burning. Now, the fact that God deems our trials necessary for our salvation means we should not view suffering in the same way that our non-Christian neighbors view it. Basically, I think the natural way for human beings to view any kind of suffering is, I don't want it to end. I want this to be over now or yesterday. we shouldn't really quite have that exact attitude. It's certainly appropriate for us to want our trials to end, but while they're going on, we do need to submit to them and to submit to God in them with patience and even with gratitude. And we can do this because we know that God has deemed our trials to be a necessary component in the outworking of our salvation. Listen to John Calvin on this. He says, the godly bear sorrow as the tamed ox, the yoke. But when the reprobate are afflicted, it is like when a bridle is by force put in the mouth of a ferocious and refractory horse. He kicks and offers every resistance, but all in vain. You know, they're going to get that bit in his mouth one way or another. So much better to be the ox, to just submit to that yoke. Now, of course, this does not mean that we shouldn't be troubled by our trials. Jesus was troubled by his trials. The psalmists express their sorrows, cry out to God in the midst of their trials. Peter, in this passage, readily admits that suffering produces grief. We don't have to pretend that suffering doesn't produce grief and hardship and pain. We don't have to be stoics. But we do need to remain confident that our God is sovereign. over our trials and that he has a good purpose for us in them, even when we don't see what that is. Well, in the final verses of our text, Peter then says two additional things about saving faith. First of all, he reminds us that faith is not a matter of sight. Christians love Jesus, Christians believe in Jesus, Christians rejoice in Jesus, but we do not presently see Jesus. Our life in this world, the things that we do see, don't always line up with the fact that we are heirs of a glorious inheritance that will endure forever. It doesn't seem that way all the time. In fact, it probably never really seems that way. We do have a living hope, but how do we have it? We have it by faith, not by sight. Our hope is as real and solid as Jesus's risen body, but where is that body right now? It's somewhere where we can't see it. It's at God's right hand in heaven. He ascended to heaven 40 days after his resurrection in that body. He has a real body, a resurrected body, but in some mysterious way, it is actually in that heavenly realm, that heavenly spiritual dimension of reality where the angels dwell. And yet, even though our hope is veiled by faith, we begin to realize something of the greatness of our living hope. And that's what Peter means when he says that our present joy is inexpressible and filled with glory. We have this sense of anticipation of the greatness of this hope that we have in Christ. And then the last thing that Peter says about saving faith has to do with its goal. He says that the outcome of our faith, the goal of our faith, is the salvation of our souls. Now, Peter also says, though, that we're already obtaining that outcome. Notice he says obtaining. He doesn't say you will obtain. He says obtaining the outcome of your faith, even in the midst of your trials. So even though we're still waiting for the day when we will receive salvation in all of its fullness, we are still obtaining that goal even now in this life. Well, the living hope that we have as Christians is a hope that can never die because it is grounded in Jesus's resurrection from the dead. He has risen. He has conquered death and he will never die again. He lives forevermore. He has passed into a different mode of human existence. This morning I used the metaphor of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, that kind of a transformation. Once that butterfly is a butterfly, it's never going to go back to being a caterpillar. It's not going to go back into the cocoon again either. That's the butterfly now. Jesus has entered into that new mode of human existence, resurrection existence, in a body that's imperishable. And that is where our hope resides, in the fact that we're part of that same resurrection harvest. So amid all the changes and uncertainties and sorrows and troubles that you experience in this world, you can know for certain that the foundations of the city of God rest secure. and that you have an inheritance there, and that your God is keeping that inheritance for you, and He is keeping you for that inheritance, and in His time, He will bring you to your eternal home. Praise God for that. Amen.