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Living Hope
1 Peter 1: 3-5 & 13-15
1 Peter 1:1-3
3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us
a new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable,
undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for
you, 5 who are being protected by the power of
God through faith for a salvation ready to be
revealed in the last time.
Introduction
• “We are full of hope throughout our whole life”
(Plato)
– Hope enables human development
because it imagines a different future
– But hope can often fail us, when it is simply
based on our expectations or fears
– Hopelessness leads to despair, depression, apathy
and an unhealthy focus on pleasures in the present
• Unlike secular hope that often fails us,
Christian hope is living hope, for three reasons…
1. Because our hope is
in Christ (1:3)
established
• Christian hope is not based on futile things,
nor does it depend on our attitude
• OT: Hope depends on the object upon which it is set
– “The Lord is my hope!” (e.g. Ps. 71:5; 146:5)
• Peter: Jesus’ resurrection is God’s promise for all creation
– By raising Jesus, God guaranteed and ‘enacted’ His promise
– Our future is already decided in the resurrection of Christ
• Our hope arises from faith in God’s enduring promise (1:25)
and from our experience of eternal life in the present
2. Because God keeps safe
what we hope for (1:4)
• Peter describes Christian hope as an inheritance
– In NT times, it is a legal claim the heir has on
property while the parents are still alive
– The content of our hope is already destined for us
• Unlike Israel’s inheritance of land (Deut. 15:4)
our inheritance is…
– Imperishable: untouched by death
– Pure: unstained by evil
– Unfading: unimpaired by time
• The content of hope is our inheritance/salvation (v. 5)
= life with God under His rule of order, peace, security,
justice and abundance
3. Because God keeps safe
us who are hoping (1:5)
• Peter addresses the suffering of the believers
‘in exile’
– In view of their persecution and hardship,
Peter assures them they are kept safe by God
– Φρουρέω - They are like a fort, garrisoned
by God’s protective care
• At the same time, their faith
is shielding them too
– God’s power does not work
magically or automatically
Living hope transforms us (1:13-15)
13
Therefore prepare your minds for action;
discipline yourselves; set all your hope on
the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you
when he is revealed. 14 Like obedient
children, do not be conformed to the desires
that you formerly had in ignorance.
15 Instead, as he who called you is holy, be
holy yourselves in all your conduct
Living hope transforms us (1:13-15)
• Conduct conforms to passions and desires
– V. 14: Formerly we were ignorant of Jesus’ death and
resurrection  desires  conduct
1. Hope empowers holy love by pushing out
greed and self-pity
2. Hope empowers holy love as we imitate
the One we desire for
3. Hope empowers holy love as we ‘dance to
the music of the future’ in the present
•
“Christian hope calls for an obedient human response:
those who believe God’s promise live in the present in
ways that are oriented to God’s future fulfillment of
these promises.” (Moltmann)
Conclusion
• Our hope will not fail us, because…
– It is founded on Jesus
– God keeps what we hope for
– God keeps us who are hoping
• Our hope is living, because it has the
power to transform us in the present