Introduction

Viktor Frankl spent 3 years at Auschwitz, Dachau and other concentration camps. His father, mother, brother, and his wife died in camps or were sent to gas ovens—all family but sister. Every possession lost, every value destroyed, suffering from hunger, cold and brutality, hourly expecting extermination - how could he find life worth preserving?"

Take away hope and . . .
Hope comes in many forms—I hope . . .
Hope is essential to healthy living
Unique hope that surpasses all others—real hope—Christian hope.

What makes Christian hope so special?

My hope is a hope that many here today share—hope in Christ—Christian hope. What makes Christian hope so special?

1. It Arises From A Real Resurrection (3)

a) The Father Has Given Us Hope

Peter writes in v3 that God the Father is the ultimate source of the hope that Christians have. He caused us to be born again to a living hope.

1. Why did he do it?

What prompted God to give us hope? Mercy! According to his great (abundant) mercy. He looked on us with deep compassion—motivated to reach down and help us—give us hope. What do we deserve? Judgment! Death! Paul in Ephesians 2 says we used to be dead—caught up the ways of this world. BUT because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.

God is love—and his love compels him to show us mercy and his mercy means our hope in Christ.

2. How did he do it?

V3 tells us—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!

b) We Experience Hope through the Resurrection

1. The resurrection event

Illustr: Bruce Larson’s book Living beyond our Fears tells the story of a judge in Yugoslavia who had a very unfortunate accident. He was electrocuted when he reached up to turn on the light while standing in the bathtub. His wife found his body sprawled out on the floor. He was pronounced dead. According to the custom of town he was placed in a room under a crypt in the local cemetery for 24 hours before burial. In the middle of the night he came to, realized where he was and rushed over to alert a guard who promptly ran off terrified. Later though the guard returned with a friend—they released the judge. His first thought—I’ll call my wife so he found a phone and called to reassure her. He got no farther than “Darling, it’s me” when she screamed and fainted. Next he went to houses of friends—they were sure he was a ghost. In one last ditch effort he called a friend in a distant city who hadn’t heard of his death—the friend intervened and help the judge get the facts straight with friends and family.

That’s resuscitation!
My friends, our Lord Jesus was not simply resuscitated —he was resurrected!

John Stott A resuscitation is a return to this life. A resurrection is a going-on to a new life altogether.

During his public ministry, Jesus resuscitated three people: the daughter of Jairus, the son of the widow of Nain, and Lazarus. And when he resuscitated them, he brought them back to this life.
Interesting: people who are resuscitated die at least twice.
Every Christian’s hope hinges on this great event. Without Christ’s resurrection from the dead, we don’t have a living hope, but rather a dead hope!

2. The experience of Peter

Evidence for the reality of the resurrection abounds—the empty tomb—the disappearance of the body—but I see evidence here in this passage. Let’s consider the author—Peter. He writes as a different man from the one we knew during the days our Lord walked on the earth. He writes as one under the inspiration of he Holy Spirit but also as one under the authority of his own experience—i.e., he writes as an eyewitness to the events in the life of the Lord. This is Peter. He walked with Jesus. He watched the arrest in the garden. He witnessed the death. He abandoned Jesus. And was filled with despair. But this same Peter beheld the vacant tomb—he saw the risen Christ with his own eyes. So now he writes to us as a man who has been radically changed by the experience. No longer despairing, now he’s hoping. And his hope rests on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He can write of a hope that’s living—that grows day-by-day—a hope that he’s sure of—because he himself experienced the victory of Jesus over death. He is living in the power of the resurrection. So with bold praise Peter speaks of our hope—Christian hope. What’s makes it unique? It arises from a real resurrection. What else? Well . . .

2. It Anticipates A Heavenly Inheritance (4)

V4—into an inheritance. Our hope looks with steadfast assurance to the final goal—a heavenly inheritance.

a) What Is this Inheritance?

In the OT the Promised Land (Canaan) was Israel’s inheritance—each family or tribe received its allocated portion of the land. For you and me—for those of us who’ve been born again to a living hope—our inheritance is infinitely superior. What it means for us—our personal share in the eternal blessedness of God’s kingdom. For sure, right now we experience the kingdom in part—it began with our new birth. But right now our joy as kingdom people is impaired by our sin and the sins that surround us. One day we’ll experience the full impact of our heavenly inheritance. Note: the inheritance is “reserved (kept)” for us. Perfect tense participle—means that God has stored away our inheritance and is continuing to keep it for us. It’s locked away in God’s safe and there it remains.

b) What Are the Blessings of this Inheritance?

1. A body that won’t wear out

The inheritance is imperishable/incorruptible—it will not decay—one of the most exciting benefits—our new bodies that come with the deal wont’ wear out either!

Illustr: This body—lines being drawn on the face—not much hair is turning loose but it’s been turning gray—joints that go “Snap, Krackle, Pop” like Rice Krispies in the morning. It’s been beaten up—worn down. I’ve got a sneaky feeling this leg will never be the same. Truth is—it’s decaying—breaking down—wearing out. But the new body—will never see decay!

I’m convinced that everybody wants a body like that! History bears it out . . .

Illustr: For centuries people have sought to stay forever young:

Medieval Latin alchemists tried to make gold digestible believing that its absorption into the body would add years to life.
17th century—popular remedy—smelling fresh earth upon waking each day—sniffing dirt?
Ponce de Leon—searching for the fountain of youth in Florida
And so does our present culture . . .
Some are looking to molecular biologists
Shirley MacClaine—looking to be recycled through reincarnation
B. Phillips. Plastic surgeons tuck this, tuck that—smooth this, smooth that.

Know what? There’s not a plastic surgeon alive that can keep a body from decaying. There’s not a pill we can pop, a drug we can drink to prevent that from happening. This old body will die.
Folks, there’s only one way to stay forever young—to live forever with Jesus in a body that won’t wear out. Digress a bit—what will this body be like?

2. A sin-free environment

The inheritance that awaits us will not spoil—it is undefiled—totally untainted by the presence of sin. No more temptation—no more frustration—no more sin. Difficult to do but can you imagine the difference the absence of sin will make in our lives. Right now our relationship with the Lord and with one another is constantly being strained by sin.

Illustr: Think of the best relationship you’re in. Ever get crossways? Fact is, even in our most wonderful relationships sin occasionally rears its ugly head and stifles our intimacy. With sin erased from our environment—what intimacy—what joy we shall experience with our God and with his people.

3. A life that will never lose its luster

Notice what Peter says about our inheritance—it won’t fade! Life will never grow dull. Our culture is so entertainment driven—we’ll do just about anything to get our kicks.

Illustr: Tale of the Dragon. NC 129. 318 curves in 11 miles. Living on the edge. Making sure life is never boring. Never a dull moment. Because there we will be in the brilliant presence of God himself.

The blessings of our heavenly inheritance?

A body that won’t wear out
A sin-free environment
A life that will never lose its luster

That’s the heavenly inheritance that we hope for!
The final thing that makes our hope so unique

3. It Abides In Divine Power (5)

Peter has already written (v4) of the fact that our inheritance is reserved for us. In v5 he goes further—our hope in a heavenly inheritance is absolutely secure because we ourselves are secured by the power of Almighty God.

a) We Are Protected by the Power of God

By his power:

1. God protects us from the enemies without

Later Peter says of Satan-he’s a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Nothing Satan would enjoy more than stealing us away from the kingdom. Destroying us and stripping us bare of hope. It’ll never happen! Because you and I as children of God are protected by his power.

2. God protects us from the enemy within

You and I are our own worst enemies. Our sin nature rears up and slaps us silly far more than we’d like. If there was a way for us to blow our hope, we’d find it!

Illustr: Biblical image of God’s people as sheep is a good one. Had an Ag teacher in high school who used to tell us that hogs are the smartest domestic animals. Well, if hogs are the smartest then sheep are the dumbest! They’re stupid! If they can find a way endanger themselves, they’ll do it! So sheep need a shepherd to protect them from themselves! No accident that God’s people are likened to sheep in Scripture. We’re just like them! We need protection from ourselves!

By his power our shepherd keeps us from harm and preserves our hope.

Really amazing to me . . .

b) We Are Protected through Faith

Look carefully at what Peter writes, “who through faith are shielded by God’s power.” God provides the power to keep us but his power is manifested through our faith!

Illustr: Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” I’d have said, “Well, Lord, you told him no didn’t you.” Was Jesus prayer answered? Yes! Did Peter’s faith fail? No! For sure Peter fell—he denied his Lord—but in the ultimate sense, his faith did not fail. The passage we have before us is proof of that. It’s obvious, isn’t it, that Peter writes not as one who failed his Lord, but as one who has a rock solid faith in his Lord.

c) We Are Protected until the End

We are protected by his power through our faith. But for how long? “. . . until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” Our hope is safe and secure in the power of the Lord until the final consummation of the age. Until the final curtain of life falls.

Conclusion

What makes Christian hope so special?

It arises from a real resurrection.
It anticipates a heavenly inheritance.
It abides in divine power.

My prayer is that you have that kind of hope today. If not, what are you waiting for? Grab hold of Christian hope now.

What's So Special about Christian Hope?