"Living Hope"

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-4
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade.

Observation:

Let's just let some truths of the Word simmer in us this morning...

The inheritance I deserved was death…

For the wages of is death. (Romans 6:23)

But through Christ's resurrection he has made me new…
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

However, that isn't the inheritance he wanted to give me...

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.  (Ephesians 1:5)

And because I am his, I have a LIVING HOPE…

We have this hope as an actor for the soul, firm and secure.  (Hebrews 6:19)

Application:

So what is an appropriate response to such an amazing act of love?  

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  (Hebrews 10:23)

Prayer:

Lord, you are awesome!  Thank you for calling me your daughter!  Thanks for giving me a gift that is so undeserved!  Thank you for the hope that you've given me through your resurrection!  Help me to hold unswervingly to that hope and to share that hope with others.  In Jesus' name!  Amen!

Confident in this…
Miranda