1 Peter 1:10-11 Campsie 18.12.

16

The amazing message

The past weeks we have been reading through Peters letter to Christians living
in Turkey.
He has been telling them about the great salvation they have received. Peters
Letter called a letter of HOPE.
There is a great need for Hope today as there was when Peter was writing.
People may say Where there is life, there is hope. But it is not always true.
Spent time this week with a father whose teenage daughter was concerned about
women in her school class were self-harming.
Injuring themselves, by cutting and marking their skin.
Australia's suicide rate is the highest it has been for at least ten years. In 2015, 3,027
people ended their own lives in Australia. That's 12.6 people in every 100,000.That's
more than eight people every single day.
One person every three hours. (Huffington post 2016).
People want hope, whether it is live longer, hopes for children,- after HSC results,
hope for a good holiday. All hopes are fragile. No certainty about them wishful
thinking, not a certainty.
Peter writes about a LIVING HOPE (NIV) NLT Great expectation something
about the future. Why can he say this?
Is it because he was one of the 500 people who saw the risen Lord Jesus? Is it
because he was an Apostle? In part YES
Remember that Peter is writing this letter at least 30 years after the death &
resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
He is writing to people who never saw Jesus alive and or resurrected. They lived
over 1400klms from Jerusalem. Probably never moved much outside their
village in their life time. Peter can write to them and to us and say
It is by Gods great mercy that WE have been born again and Now we live with
great expectation v.3
NIV In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the deadkept in heaven for you.

They too share with Peter in this great expectation.

now we live with great expectation/ living hope because of Jesus resurrection.
What had happened to Peter many years previous had happened to his readers
and to us because of the message they had received from Peter and others. So
today as people receive the message of the Lord Jesus believe in Him and start
living His way they too experience this new birth and living hope.
Jesus death covers all time and all people. His death paid for the sin of the
Apostle Peter, the sins of the people in Turkey 60Ad and the sins of people today
& tomorrow. Jesus death has universal effect- in time and geography.
Great evidence for Jesus resurrection.
Facebook Former atheist William Murray, son of founder of American Atheists,
converts to Christianity. He has written a book My life without God.
God continues to work in the world. His method of bringing people to himself
and giving them new birth is the same- hearing about the Lord Jesus. Peter did
his readers did and you and me also.
What is this living hope?
Into a living hope v.3 --- into a (priceless) inheritance v. 4 NIV. Our future, kept
in heaven for you. Waiting, reserved for Gods people. He tells us this inheritance
is pure undefiled , beyond the reach of change and decay. NLT v.5
NIV That can never perish, spoil, or fade kept in heaven for you. No expiry date or
use by date. There reserved by God. The next verse tells us -

V.5 NLT and through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive
this salvation.

This living hope which is the inheritance given to us by God the Father through
the Lord Jesus, our brother is waiting for us in His perfect world Heaven.
v.6 Peter reminds us that this world is not a perfect world. It has trials
difficulties and things that make us feel hopeless.
v.7 These trials come to prove the genuineness of our faith.
He uses an illustration about gold, which goes through the hottest fire to prove
that it is genuine, So our faith in the Lord Jesus goes through trials to prove that
our faith is genuine.
In the end, at the end of our lives when we see the Lord Jesus we will know that
He has kept us through those trials.
Then v.10 begins NLT This salvation. NIV Concerning this salvation.
Peter as he introduces a new thought reminds us what God has done by
referring to this salvation. But not just the immediate past he takes us back
2000 years. This salvation we have received was not a last minute action by God.
This was something He had prepared 100s of years previous. Before the
creation of the Universe. He writes about the prophets. These are the OT
prophets beginning with Moses. Now a little OT History.
Sometimes we measure the importance of something not by the price we pay but
how long it has been around.
The oldest building in Australia is here in Parramatta it is
Old Government House in Parramatta, New South Wales is Australia's
oldest surviving public building. The central block of the house was completed
in 1799. In 1815 Governor and Mrs Macquarie extended the house,
transforming it into an elegant Palladian-style residence. For 70 years, it was
the 'country' residence of 10 early governors.
Nothing compared to other buildings in the world. It is a historic building
protected by the Government.
Peter is telling us that the salvation you and I enjoy has been prepared by God for
centuries.
There are over 300 references in the OT to the coming salvation in the Lord
Jesus. It doesnt always mention His name but these references recognise that
someone was coming to give the world HOPE. Lets look at a few of these
references. J Mc. Dowell More than a carpenter p 103
Going back 1500BC to Moses who wrote first 5 books of OT
Genesis 3:15 God speaking to Satan.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and
hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.
Only one man was born of the see of a woman all others are born of the seed of
man. This One will come into the world and will crush the works of Satan. This is
what the Lord Jesus did at His death on the first Good Friday on the Cross.
Next reference is in the time of King David 900 BC 2Samuel 7:12
When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to
succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom.
He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his
kingdom forever.

This is a promise to King David. God promised David that one of his descendants
would build a house and have an everlasting kingdom. Davids sons all died. In
the genealogies of the Lord Jesus we read that he came from the line of David. he
is one of Davids sons. The resurrection says He reigns forever, and He keeps on
building a house of people.

David also wrote of the Lord Jesus in Psalm 22

In V.16 he says, Dogs have surrounded me, a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced
my hands and feet. This is a prophecy about 1012 BC and predicts this mans hands and feet

will be pierced ie crucified. This description was written 800 years before crucifixion
was practiced by the Romans around the time of Jesus.
Micah 5:2
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from
ancient times.
Micah prophesied about 700 BC under the influence of the Holy spirit he said Bethlehem was
the place where the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem a village of less than 1,000 people.
Malachi 3:1 See, I will send my messenger who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the
Lord, you are seeking will come to His temple. Prophesied around 500 years before Jesus. This
prophet was saying that the temple will be standing when Jesus comes, and it was. The temple was
destroyed by the Romans in 70AD 30 years after Jesus death & Resurrection.

What Peter is saying is this salvation you and I have received has a long history of
preparation. The OT prophets spoke of a special person who would come and fulfill all these
prophecies.
There is more. V.12 even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen. NIV v.12
even angels long to look into these things. Angels dont get messages wrong! From their
place in Heaven they long to understand something of this amazing miracle that Gods Son
would come to rescue His people.
Do you see the wonder of this salvation that has been graciously given to us? Peter days our
faith is tested to prove that it is far more precious than gold.
Peter said that our inheritance is priceless never perish spoil or fade. What God has
graciously given us is absolutely remarkable.
Now he says that Gods plan had been in preparation from the beginning of creation. His plan
had you and me in view. He looked down through history saw people who needed to be
rescued. He prepared the plan, revealing pieces of the plan to the prophets, all the time the
angels watching longing to fully understand Gods ways.
Notice the references to YOU
v.10 this gracious salvation prepared for you.
v.12 They were .not for themselves, but for you.
v.12 their messages were not for themselves, but for you.
The prophets were in fact repeatedly ministering for the benefit of YOU (v.12a), and the
world changing events have now been proclaimed to YOU (v.12), for they know that these
struggling believers are actually the recipients of Gods greatest blessings and honoured
participants in a great drama at the centre point of all history. Grudem P.73
The world may think and act as though Christianity is out of date and irrelevant. Like the
people protesting about singing Christian Christmas carols at schools. They probably think
Christianity is just another fairy story, like Santa.
They are wrong. Christianity is an historical faith. These prophets were men moved by the
Holy Spirit and spoke the truth. God revealed to them what He was going to do. It happened
right person, right place and right time.
Every Sunday in many churches (from time to time) people stand and say the Apostles
Creed. (also Nicene Creed). In the Creed there is a line about Jesus suffering under
Pontius Pilate. Why? Was he a Christian? No. But he did live in history like Jesus.
Creed reminds us every week that Christianity is an historical religion. Pontius Pilate
was the governor of Jerusalem. Marble carvings of him in museums around the world.
All adds to the evidence that Jesus was born in history he lived in area around

Jerusalem and died in Jerusalem 33 AD 3 days later he was alive again seen by over
500 people.
You and I who believe in the Lord Jesus can have a certain hope; The God of the Bible
prepared the way for His son. The prophets prophesied in Hope that the day would
come.
You and I can hope on the same basis that Jesus who lived and died will return and
rule this world in peace and justice.
This is not a fragile hope; this is a living hope certain hope safe and secure. As the
writer to Hebrews says -6:19
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul firm and secure.
Sometimes I hear people want God to do some miracle to help them believe. Cant
God do a miracle for me to help me believe, write something in the sky, an
overwhelming emotional experience, a sign, even some one coming back from the
dead.
Or they may say the Apostles and those who lived in Jesus day were lucky they saw
Jesus. Many people did and didnt believe.
How did Peters readers come to believe?
1:23
For you have been born again , but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new
life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, Word of God. NLT This
is the Word that was preached to you.
In other words they were born again because they read the Bible and understood what
was written. They understood something of their sinful nature. They understood
something of Gods perfect and pure holiness. They understood something of Jesus
perfect life and His death to rescue them, washing their sins away and giving them
new birth/born again. This is why Jesus had to die.
His resurrection proved that God accepted His death as the full payment of peoples
sins.
We might think it would be easier if there were a sign or something. No. God works
through His spoken Word. First through the Prophets of the O T and then through His
Apostles then passed down through the centuries to you and me.
Most people will agree that we fail to like as we should = we are sinners.
Sometimes it is a good question to ask; What are you doing to get your sins forgiven?
There are many answers I am hoping my good deeds will out weigh my bad.
Some will say my religion is to try to keep the rules.
I do my best and that should be good enough you cant be perfect!
Some will say, My sins arent forgiven yet, I dont know when theyll be forgiven, I can
only hope, they will be.
You and I have good news. You & I can tell people about a real certain hope in the Lord
Jesus. Sins washed away, born again and a security in God who keeps His people. What
a great salvation we have and what a great message we have for a world without hope.