Life can be tough. We need a resilient faith.
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How would you describe your faith?
Faith may come easy to you, or you may be like so many who struggle with trust. For all of us, when difficulties knock on our door, that faith is tested. And for some of us, our faith is shaken. How can we maintain a faith in God that is resilient, a faith that – no matter what happens – withstands the ups and downs of life?
In this study, we will look at the Book of 1 Peter, a short letter that shows us what resilient faith looks like. Mark Twain once said, “Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.” This study will show, however, that Twain’s idea of faith “just ain’t so.” In fact, a resilient faith grounded in Christ is quite the opposite.
We will discover that resilient faith:
- Provides an actual foundation for a sure hope for mankind
- Frees you to do what is good and right
- Helps you find joy in a world of pain and suffering
- Is yours because of the sure resurrection of Jesus Christ
It’s good to know that, because of Jesus, a strong faith – a resilient faith – can be ours. We can stand strong regardless of what comes at us.
Our first lesson in this series is:
Tell me, what situations tend to rattle you?
Can you name two?
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Now, think about this...
How do you use and understand the word - Hope?
is it
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Now, think about this...
How do you use and understand the word - Hope?
is it
"I hope the weather changes." "I hope my team wins!"
As a society, we typically use the word "hope" in the sense of wishing for something to happen (or not happen). We've transformed hope into something cold and temporary - something unreliable - because we've connected it to a combination of luck and human skill.
This view of hope is dangerous for those of us who follow Christ. Why? Because the way we think about hope influences the way we think about faith. It's our ability to hope for something better and bigger than our current situation that enables us to act in faith.
Thankfully, there is Someone we can trust even in the darkest of times - Someone who never will leave us hopeless. We don't have to settle for anything cold and temporary; we have a living hope!
In the Book of 1 Peter, the author doesn't just tell us about hope; he tells us about the foundation of a sure hope. And that kind of hope is the focus of a resilient faith.
The point of this week’s lesson is:
Our faith is focused on a sure hope.
I. THE SOURCE OF OUR LIVING HOPE – 1 PETER 1:3-4
3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to 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, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
Peter opened his letter with a greeting of encouragement. He used the imagery of birth - of new life coming into the world - to imply that once we've trusted in Jesus for salvation, we're like newborn children. We've only begun our journey, and much will happen on the road to becoming a mature Christian.
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| A Pilgrim's Progress |
We have also been born into a living hope. This is a great encouragement for those of us who experience doubt, fear, or suffering. The hope established through Jesus' resurrection is a sure and certain hope, not something that depends on our circumstances or moods. That's because the guarantee of our hope is based on who Jesus is and what He has done.
In what ways do human expressions of hope compare to the inheritance described in verse 4?
Jesus' resurrection defeated not only the main consequence of evil - which is death - but also all evil in general. His death and resurrection provide a guarantee that all evil will be overcome and judged. Since Jesus isn't just any man, but also God, this defeat is final and binding. It cannot be overruled, changed, or taken away. The hope provided by the resurrection of Jesus is that good actually does prevail in the end. There is something better to come: the restoration of goodness.
Because our world can be full of trials and suffering, we sometimes despair or lose confidence in God's presence and work in our lives. But Peter pointed out that our inheritance through Jesus is a certainty that cannot be taken away when times are hard. It's a solid truth that withstands even the heaviest of storms. Since we can have confidence in Christ's victory over death, we can certainly have assurance of His power over every kind of pain or sorrow. This, then, is our firm anchor in times of trouble - a mighty foundation indeed for hope.
Final Thoughts:
1. In all circumstances, times, and places God is worthy to be praised.
2. Believers have been begotten by God, born to new life, and have a living hope.
3. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the paramount event in the salvation plan of God and in all human history.
4. The hope and future the Lord gives those who believe is pure and unending and is set aside awaiting their arrival.
Commentary: Peter began this section with a typical blessing expressing praise to God for Jesus and the joy He brings to those who are the recipients of His great mercy. Mercy is the divine disposition to extend compassion to those who are in need or distraught when justice demands punishment. While believers deserve judgment, God’s mercy first gives a new birth. This new birth is not based on performance or future works, but wholly based on God’s mercy. Nothing we can say or do will merit new birth. The gift, freely given and bestowed, is an act of God’s mercy and grace. It results in a living hope, not dependent on surroundings or circumstances, but a hope that comes from God Himself.
Hope refers to a certainty that one can expect with confidence. This hope is vital and alive. It springs from the source of all hope – God. Time works against most hopes, but not so the believer’s hope. To the contrary, the march of time only swells the Christian’s hope and makes it more glorious and precious. Hope in contemporary language is often associated with a wish – “I hope it does not rain” or “I hope the stock market improves” or “I hope my team wins.” Christian hope is bases on the certainty and validity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus triumphed over death, the believer has the certainty of unrelenting hope. It will not die or fade away. Though believers face trials or persecutions, they have the assurance of a better future. Jesus’ resurrection is the foundation for the hope of abundant life now and eternal life to come.
Second, God’s mercy grants an inheritance. In the Old Testament, an inheritance was land God promised to His people and taken in the conquest of Canaan. The inheritance Peter referred to is not land but the future hope and promises that await the believer. In a sense, because believers have been given new birth, living as children of the King, they have a stake in His inheritance: imperishable, not subject to deterioration or decay; uncorrupted, not blemished by moral or spiritual filthy, always remaining fresh and unpolluted; and unfading, not prone to wither, always vivid and vital. In other words, the believer’s inheritance will never grow old, never wear out, never be stained, and never die.
The reason is because God reserves and preserves the inheritance. It is kept in heaven for you. Kept is a military term reflecting the securing, guarding, or protecting of a person place, or item. God’s promise to believers is that He will guard, protect, reserve, and keep our heavenly inheritance. His promise, power, and presence will see to its safekeeping.
When Christ’s followers look to the past – what Jesus has done – it enables them to face the future with confidence. Whatever assaults them in the present is trivial compared to what awaits them in the future.
Final Thoughts:
1. In all circumstances, times, and places God is worthy to be praised.
2. Believers have been begotten by God, born to new life, and have a living hope.
3. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the paramount event in the salvation plan of God and in all human history.
4. The hope and future the Lord gives those who believe is pure and unending and is set aside awaiting their arrival.
Commentary: Peter began this section with a typical blessing expressing praise to God for Jesus and the joy He brings to those who are the recipients of His great mercy. Mercy is the divine disposition to extend compassion to those who are in need or distraught when justice demands punishment. While believers deserve judgment, God’s mercy first gives a new birth. This new birth is not based on performance or future works, but wholly based on God’s mercy. Nothing we can say or do will merit new birth. The gift, freely given and bestowed, is an act of God’s mercy and grace. It results in a living hope, not dependent on surroundings or circumstances, but a hope that comes from God Himself.
Hope refers to a certainty that one can expect with confidence. This hope is vital and alive. It springs from the source of all hope – God. Time works against most hopes, but not so the believer’s hope. To the contrary, the march of time only swells the Christian’s hope and makes it more glorious and precious. Hope in contemporary language is often associated with a wish – “I hope it does not rain” or “I hope the stock market improves” or “I hope my team wins.” Christian hope is bases on the certainty and validity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus triumphed over death, the believer has the certainty of unrelenting hope. It will not die or fade away. Though believers face trials or persecutions, they have the assurance of a better future. Jesus’ resurrection is the foundation for the hope of abundant life now and eternal life to come.
Second, God’s mercy grants an inheritance. In the Old Testament, an inheritance was land God promised to His people and taken in the conquest of Canaan. The inheritance Peter referred to is not land but the future hope and promises that await the believer. In a sense, because believers have been given new birth, living as children of the King, they have a stake in His inheritance: imperishable, not subject to deterioration or decay; uncorrupted, not blemished by moral or spiritual filthy, always remaining fresh and unpolluted; and unfading, not prone to wither, always vivid and vital. In other words, the believer’s inheritance will never grow old, never wear out, never be stained, and never die.
The reason is because God reserves and preserves the inheritance. It is kept in heaven for you. Kept is a military term reflecting the securing, guarding, or protecting of a person place, or item. God’s promise to believers is that He will guard, protect, reserve, and keep our heavenly inheritance. His promise, power, and presence will see to its safekeeping.
When Christ’s followers look to the past – what Jesus has done – it enables them to face the future with confidence. Whatever assaults them in the present is trivial compared to what awaits them in the future.
II. THE SECURITY OF OUR LIVING HOPE – 1 PETER 1:5-7
5 You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials 7 so that the genuineness of your faith—more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Peter declared that believers are protected by God's power. Maybe you're wondering: If that's true, then why didn't He stop ____________________ from happening?
God's protection and power can be a sensitive issue for those who've suffered or grieved over difficult circumstances. It's true that His protection may include your physical circumstances, but it also goes far beyond that to the spiritual realm of your faith (v. 7). Remember: your physical body is not the whole "you." You are also a soul.
Modern culture bombards us with a naturalistic view of the world that focuses only on the material. Consequently, we can fall prey to thinking that if God doesn't save us from physical suffering or death, He isn't saving us at all. We forget that the person who is "you" resides in the spiritual realm as well. Peter reminds us to focus on our salvation in Christ - the result of faith - rather than on the current suffering in the body. In this life, it's our genuine faith that endures.
We tend to look to faith as a last resort when all else fails. This is backward! Faith should come first. It's the driving force of life. Faith is grounded in the sure hope of resurrection. The physical part of us may fail, but our hope isn't based on protection from the physical ills of this life. Our hope is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which points us toward eternity.
So why am I suffering?
We may not understand our suffering now, but we'll find clarity with the appearance of Jesus at the end of time. We'll see the beauty of our trust in God that withstood the evils of this world. For now, though, the trials we experience in this life show the genuineness of our faith. And the genuineness of our faith will result - as Peter pointed out in verse 7 - in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
How have you seen faith tested and strengthened because of a trial?
Final Thoughts:
1. Believers are kept secure by the power of God in response to their faith in Him.
2. Salvation will be fully made known and completely realized at the end of time when Christ comes again.
3. The suffering believers endure on earth is as nothing when compared with the great joy of eternity.
4. The testing of our faith through trials serves not only to make us stronger in the Lord, but will result in His affirmation when He comes again.
Commentary: For Christians, their future inheritance is not only protected, but they themselves are being protected, too. Believers are not protected in their own strength, but by God’s power. This protection is activated through faith, or the “living hope” (v. 3) or steadfast conviction that trusts in God. Faith is no better than its object. This powerful shield is available as people exercise faith in the living Christ. Believers come to Christ by faith; they live each day by faith. Such faith results in salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. Salvation refers to the fact of being delivered from God’s final judgment. Salvation is at one and the same time a past reality (“I was saved”), a present reality (“I am being saved”), and, as Peter focused here, a future reality (“I will be saved”). The Christians whom Peter addressed certainly did not feel rescued in their present circumstances of hardship and persecution, but they had the hope of Jesus’ return and complete fulfillment in heaven. They would wait for this reality until it was revealed in the last time, indicating God will disclose this salvation when Jesus returns.
Meanwhile believers can expect various trials. These trials are not common difficulties (disease, illness, or difficult people) or general problems of life, but those that result from a person’s walk with Jesus in the midst of a world of unbelievers. Often such trials are undeserved and unexplainable.
Trials have a threefold purpose, according to Peter. First, they prove the genuineness of your faith. The word translated genuineness was often used for testing coins to determine their authenticity. A genuine faith will reveal a positive attitude, a hopeful spirit, a praiseful worship. The key word here is faith. Believers’ response to trials reveals whether or not their faith is authentic. Trials often destroy the lives of those without faith; but for those trusting in Jesus, trials will actually strengthen their faith.
Second, trials purify one’s faith. Peter used the analogy of gold that is tested or refined by fire. In biblical days, a goldsmith would put the gold ore into a fiery furnace for as long as it took to remove the impurities from the gold. Next, the goldsmith would remove the gold from the fire, pouring and molding it into a beautiful and valuable item. God uses trials to remove the impurities from our lives so that our faith is more precious. A purified faith is more valuable than gold because gold perishes or is temporary, whereas faith is eternal.
Third, trials result in praise, glory, and honor to Jesus both now and at His return. The word praise means to extol, honor, acclaim, and express approval. But praise is incomplete if we only acknowledge our blessings. Genuine praise realizes that in all things God deserves to be praised – both the good and the bad, the pleasant and the persecution. We praise Jesus now and we will praise Him ultimately at the revelation of Jesus Christ, His second coming, when He comes for His own.
III. THE SINCERITY OF OUR LIVING HOPE – 1 PETER 1:8-9, 13
8 You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
13 Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
How have you experienced the connection between faith and joy?
When we greatly love someone, we go "above and beyond" to express that love. That certainly describes the way God has expressed His love to us, and it can be mirrored in our own love as Christians. Christians have a love that originates from the One who created us and everything else. This love is unfailing, pours out in great joy to others, and extends beyond the limits of this life.
Such radically faithful love can appear foreign in a world that too often experiences disappointment more than faithfulness. How do we show the truth of an unfailing love to such a world? The answer is that our love for God - and how we display that love to others - is tied to our trust in Him.
As we face daily problems and wade through struggles, our actions and attitudes must be informed by the trust we have in our future hope - the sure confidence that things will get better, either in this life or the life to come. Granted, such trust isn't always easy. That's why we must make a conscious decision to improve in our own trust of God.
How do we improve in that way?
Begin by trusting God in the small things. If you don't start there, you won't trust Him in the big things.
In verse 13, Peter called us to do two things:
- Be sober-minded and serious, with our minds in a state of readiness.
- Set our hope in the salvation that comes through faith in Jesus' resurrection.
When we begin to understand our hope as something real and grounded in the reality of the resurrection, we should see a change in the focus of our daily activities and lifelong goals. Everything we do should point back to the reality of the sure hope we have in our resurrection at the end of time.
How can our class reflect hope in a fallen world?
Complete the activity below:
“Our future hope is not simply a theological doctrine with little or no practical application. It is, in fact, an ethical hope. It has behavioral consequences.”
– Thomas D. Lea
Final Thoughts:
1. Faith is a matter of the heart and mind, not sight or physical experience.
2. The goal of our faith is salvation, which can be claimed now.
3. A people of hope are to make the effort to live holy lives.
Commentary: Peter transitioned from future return of Jesus Christ, when his readers will see Jesus in physical form, to its implications for living in the present. How should they live now, though you have not seen Him? This statement refers to the fact Peter’s readers were in Asia Minor. Contrary to Peter, it is unlikely many recipients, if any at all, had ever seen Jesus in the flesh. Believers today are in the same situation. We know Jesus, having experienced His grace, but we have not seen Him visibly either. Peter’s observations to his readers still instruct us today.
Notice the three action words in verse 8.
1. Love Him.
2. Believe in Him.
3. Rejoice in Christ.
Loving, believing and rejoicing in Christ has intended outcomes that are real today. In other words, when we live rightly in the face of trials, we have the opportunity to experience now some of the future glory we’ve inherited through Christ.
When believers face trials with adoration for Jesus, trust in His plan, and express an attitude of joy, certain benefits occur. First: You are receiving the goal of your faith. The word goal had the idea of result, consummation, or product of faith. Second: the salvation of your souls. Peter was not thinking of soul in contrast to body. The word souls is a reference to the whole person, including body, life, and self-identity. Salvation in the New Testament impacts the total person, not just the “spiritual” part of a person, but the mental, physical, and emotional parts, too – the whole person.
Therefore, as verse 13 begins, recounts all of verses 1-12. Peter challenges his readers to live godly lives even as they faced trials, beginning with the mind: with your minds ready for action. Literally, the command was to “gird up the loins of your minds.” In contemporary language, it might be said, “Clean up your mind. Have a disciplined thought life.” The image is of ancient man, wearing a long robe, needing to run or do some serious work, gathering up then tucking his robe under his belt, so he could be free to move easier. For the believer to get his or her mind ready for action meant to clear the mind of any unhealthy or ungodly thoughts that could sidetrack one from holy living.
Set your hope completely meant to focus on the coming of Jesus. This hope trusts the future to God. As believers, we don’t have to be fatalistic, negative, or pessimistic. Hope is a uniquely Christian concept. Without the resurrection and the revelation of Jesus Christ, hope is nothing more than wishful thinking. When Jesus comes – at His first coming and at His second coming – He brings grace, God’s unmerited favor. His unlimited and eternal riches are given to believers freely and unconditionally. He brings victory. On that day, all of our trials will be over. We will bask in the eternal light of God’s presence. We will see Him fully and know Him completely. We should live each day with that marvelous hope.
Conclusion:
The lively hope we have in Christ is for living in the now. It is hope that came because of God’s mercy. It is hope that continues by our being in union with the living Christ. It is hope that is certain, sure, and secure because of God’s power. It is hope that is the outcome of faith. It is hope that will one day be consummated at the coming of Christ.
What kind of life situation do you face now that you are only able to deal with because you have hope in Christ?
Live it Out
How can we respond to the reality of a sure hope?
1. Trust in the small things. Seek out situations in which you can consciously and intentionally express your trust in God each day.
2. Prepare your mind. Move your focus beyond the material world by reading a book or listening to a sermon series that solidifies your understanding of basic Christian doctrines.
3. Proclaim the gospel. When you encounter someone who has lost hope, choose to share the good news of Jesus’ resurrection and your sure hope for eternal life with Him.
Walking in the sure hope of Christ won’t help the weather get better or spur your favorite team to victory. But it will give you a foundation on which you can stand and say, “I may get rattled, but I won’t be moved. So bring it on!”
Prayer of Commitment
Lord, in Christ You have given me hope. Help me to live it, no matter what I face. Amen
This looks like another great series.
Hope to see you on Sunday!
In His Love,
David & Susan
