Greetings,
I thought we would give this a try. The idea behind it is to post random thoughts, comments on topics that are of interest and or give a review of what we cover on Sundays at Disciple Church. Maybe a combination of all of them.
At Disciple Church I started a study in a book of the Bible titled: 1st Peter. Peter was a Disciple of Jesus, a fisherman, and overall regular guy. One of the things likable about this guy is that he is just like us. Prone to anger, selfishness, immaturity and talking before thinking. Thats something most of us can relate to. This is a guy who swings from one extreme to another almost instantly. One moment he is stating the most profound professions ever the next arguing about if he will be the greatest. One moment drops takes on a few hundred soldiers and the next scared of little girl. To think about this guy leading the disciples is almost laughable. Yet he did lead, he did become bold and humbled and gave up caring about if he was greatest or not. He later becomes and early Bill Graham and preaches a bold sermon to thousands and thousands came to believe in Jesus as savior.
What takes a guy like this from immaturity to leadership, cowardice to boldness, fear of death to boldly embracing it? 3 things: the understanding that he is an alien, salvation paid on the cross and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. (1st Peter 1:3) They become his drive in life and the entire book. Peter breaches almost every major complexity in life and responds to them through the lenses of the gospel and the resurrection.
OK, lets stop for a minute and define this before I give you examples. Alien: an alien is someone who is from somewhere else. The Bible uses another word here in other translations called exiles. Peter will talk about the idea of an ambassador. All three carry the same idea: Not originally from where they currently are or say it like this: their citizenship is in another country. The mission, goals, hopes and future belong to the country of their citizenship. They wait until they can return. This is what Peter will call a Living hope. (verse 3 of chapter 1) The hope that one day he will return home, be free of pain and sin and see Jesus again. That hope is purchased by the death of Jesus for our sins, paid for by His blood, accepted by God when He torn the veil in the temple and then authenticated by God when He raised Jesus from the dead showing us that He has the power to save and the power over death. The fact that Jesus is risen gives us a LIVING hope. Believers in Jesus Christ are new people, citizens of a new country – heaven.
Ok, that was a lot of information and maybe a little deep. Lets break it down a little. Hope- Hope is an expectation of good. Its an anticipation of something better. Its a fixed point for us to look toward, like the end of the work day, pulling in your driveway after hours of driving or watching out the windows hoping it will snow. (not me) Maybe hope is what you look forward to on the other side of pain. Like after a surgery, it hurts now but you have hope in the day when you recover or maybe cancer in remission. Maybe others: like the day you get debt free, go on vacation, get a better job, hit the lottery, get that raise or the relationship improves.
Thats hope yes, but in circumstances. What happens when those things disappear or never happen? What do you lose…??? – hope. See Peter had a hope that was beyond the reach of the circumstances of life. A hope that would not fade, get old, miss the anniversary, or get laid off. Peter’s hope was in the future. A future possible because of Jesus sacrifice and resurrection. He looks forward to his rescue from this life of sin and pain and deliverance back to heaven. Know what thats called? Salvation. Ever have someone ask you: “are you saved?” Saved from what? The boogy man? What they mean is: saved from death in a real and literal hell, saved from the penalty of sin, saved from the power of sin and saved from or expecting deliverance from, the presence of sin and pain. That deliverance was seen clearest in the empty grave of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. OK, tie it together: Peter sees through the resurrection of Jesus (verse 3 chapter 1) a future eternity in heaven paid for by Jesus Christ, authenticated by the empty tomb and it’s available to us because of his faith and commitment to Jesus Christ.
Yeah, as an ambassador he has a mission from God, a purpose and work to do BUT there is a reality that because of sin; this life here in this country stinks, is unfair and unjust. Its depressing, hard and cruel. Peter sees through all that and comforts himself and the readers with the Living Hope that awaits when he returns home.
Lets get real here. Some of us take our satisfaction in our lousy circumstances. You like the attention it gets, the sorrow it brings, the accomplishment you feel when you live up to low goals, failures and depression. You casually say you wish things were different but secretly you don’t. Thats dead hope not living.
Maybe you are unable to see past this junk in your life, unable to have any joy at all or at least lasting joy. Perhaps its because you have made a decision for Jesus not a commitment to Him. In your words you want heaven but your life proves you want pain instead.
Maybe its about being a fan for you. Watching and admiring from the sideline. Wanting to receive the benefits without any pain or work for you.
For Peter, hope was found in Jesus. A hope so strong he was beaten, imprisoned and eventually killed for it. What do you hope in and how far would you go for it?
Next post – Hope – part 2: How does Living Hope help you respond to pain and suffering?
For more information or questions about this post or Jesus contact me at PastorJB@DiscipleRedLion.com
