A Tested but Living Hope

Well, let's begin our worship this morning by singing to God's praise in Psalm 1a.

We're singing the Sing Psalms version, Psalm 1a, page 1 of the Psalm books.

Blessed is the one who turns away from where the wicked walk, who does not stand in sinners' paths, or sit with those who mock.

We'll sing the whole of this Psalm to God's praise, and we stand to sing.

Blessed is the one who turns away from where the wicked walk,

who does not stand in sinners' paths, or sit with those who mock.

Instead he finds God's holy law, his joy and great delight.

He makes the peace of the Lord, his study day and night.

He prospers ever high, a tree that's planted by a stream.

And then to season yields its fruit, its leaves are always green.

Not so their wicked they are like their chaff that's blown away.

They will not stand when judgment comes, or when the righteous stay.

It is the Lord who sees and knows the way the righteous fall.

But those who live an evil life, the Lord will overthrow.

I will come to God in prayer. Let us pray.

Our Father in heaven, as we give you thanks anew today for the blessing that is ours,

and coming to gather us your people and worship your name.

We thank you that there is a reminder in these words that we have sung,

that we are blessed as we come around your word.

We are blessed as we do as your word says, and do not turn away from it.

And we pray today that your word will indeed be our instruction and our guide day by day.

We thank you that we come to study and learn from it together here in the service,

and also with the young ones, as they will go out to Tweenies and Cresce and Sunday School.

We pray, oh Lord, your blessing on each of us together today.

We thank you that your word instructs us, whatever age we are,

that we are to learn it in our youth, that we are to encounter it in our middle years,

that we are to remember it in our old age.

For that is the command of your word.

And we thank you that there is blessing to be found in it,

and blessing through your people in all ages as well.

We thank you that we can encourage one another together and bless one another together.

And so we pray that you will unite our hearts in praise and worship of you today.

We do pray, Lord, that your people today will be encouraged.

We know that there are so many discouragements around us,

so many people who feel weak and afraid and unsure of so many things just now.

But we thank you that with you there is a great security and a great surety that you are God,

and there is no other.

So help us to worship you as we should.

We do thank you for all our young ones and pray your blessing on them.

We thank you for our day schools and pray that children, teachers and staff,

they will be blessed by you, that you will watch over them during the week,

keep them safe and encourage them as they learn together.

And as we see children growing up in years, Lord,

that your protection and blessing be over them.

We continue to remember those who have gone away from home just now and pray that you will bless them as they settle into new studies or new work experience.

We ask, oh Lord, that you will surround them and take care of them.

We thank you for all the work that goes on in our Sunday school too,

and pray your blessing on the children and teachers there as well, Lord,

that you will look after them and care for them.

And as we think of other work going on just now with the explorers to start in the presbytery camp,

we ask, oh Lord, in all of these ways that you will use it to your glory and for the building of your church.

So Lord, look down upon us now, continue with us throughout this day and encourage us day by day

to fix our eyes on you, to trust in Jesus with all our hearts and to worship him with all that we are.

We ask it all in his precious name and for his glory.

Amen.

Before you go out, just a wee word to the young ones.

I'm sure you all like watching telly.

Everyone maybe has their favorite TV program.

You either watch when it's on or you record it,

and then you come back and watch it.

Maybe there's some programs you watch over and over again because you love them so much.

It might be cartoons.

It might be films.

It might be documentaries.

There's all kinds of things that we watch on telly,

and they take us in and they speak to us about different things going on around us.

What do you think my favorite TV program is, I wonder?

I wonder if anybody would know what my favorite TV program is.

There's a hand going up.

BBC One.

BBC One?

Well, it's actually on BBC.

It's the Antiques Roadshow.

And it's very interesting to watch the Antiques Roadshow.

You wonder to yourself, why on earth would you watch the Antiques Roadshow?

Well, it's fascinating watching people bringing things in.

And they're bringing them in to see what they're worth.

And some people bring in rubbish.

And they'll be told that's actually broken.

It's just a copy.

It's a fake.

Or it's just not worth any money at all.

But sometimes people bring in things and they're wondering, I wonder if it could be worth something.

And it turns out it's worth much more than they even imagined it to be worth.

There was one clip I saw this week and it was a man who brought in a watch.

And it was a watch his brother had given him many years before.

And for all these years, more than 20 years, this watch had been sitting in a drawer.

The man wasn't interested in it.

He didn't really like it.

He tried it on once, but he thought, it's too heavy.

I don't like it.

I'll put it away in a drawer.

Then he thought to himself, I wonder if this watch is maybe of any value.

So he took it along to the Antiques Roadshow.

And one of the experts there was looking at it and saying, this watch is actually very interesting.

There wasn't many of them made.

What's the story behind?

And he told him this story that his brother had given to him.

Didn't like it, so he just stuck it in a drawer all these years.

And he said to him, well, how much do you think it's worth?

And the man said, well, it was bought maybe for a few hundred pounds.

Maybe it's worth maybe 500, maybe even 1,000 pounds.

But he was sort of hoping more than anything that it might be worth that.

But the man said, well, actually, this watch is worth 80,000 pounds.

The man got a real shock.

All this time, the watch had been sitting in a drawer.

He thought it was rubbish.

He didn't like it.

And it was worth 80,000 pounds.

And it reminded me of a story in the Bible, in the Old Testament, about how sometimes we find things, we don't realize just how much they're worth until we look at them more closely.

And then we realize, actually, this has great value.

And in the book of Chronicles in the Old Testament, 2 Chronicles chapter 34, there's a story there of a king called Josiah.

2 Chronicles 34 · chapter mention

And this king, he was a good king.

And he loved God.

But all the time that he was living in his early reign as a king, he was very focused on making sure that the temple, the place they worshipped God, was in good order.

And they were spending loads of money bringing the best wood, the best jewels and everything into the temple or the church, as we would call it today, the place they worshipped God.

And there was workers coming from all over the place.

And while they were working on the temple, some of the workers found this book.

It was a scroll.

And everybody was wondering, what is it?

It was tucked away.

It was hidden away.

And they brought it out.

And everybody started looking at it, wondering, well, what is it?

They were asking each other.

And eventually, they brought it to the king, to King Josiah.

And Josiah realized, this is God's word.

It had been tucked away.

It had been hidden away.

Just put away somewhere in the building.

Nobody knew it was there.

And all of a sudden, here it was before them.

And they realized, we've been ignoring the most important thing.

Instead of making sure that the building was nice and everything was good about it, we should have been focusing on this.

Because this is the most precious thing that we have.

But it was hidden away.

And what they did was, they brought it out.

And they began to realize the value of it.

And so they called everybody to hear about it.

Young and old alike.

They gathered everybody together to hear this word from God.

And it was a reminder to ourselves today that this is a Bible that we have before us.

We have the word of God before us.

It's such a precious thing.

Imagine coming into this church.

Workers came into this church.

And Roddy, the church officer, was showing them around.

And he said, what's that over there?

Oh, I don't know.

Roddy wouldn't say that about the Bible, would he?

No.

Because he knows the Bible.

And that's the most important thing we have here.

It's good to have all the lights working.

It's good to have the heating working.

It's good to have comfy seats.

But the most important thing for us today as we come, young and old alike,

is that we have God's word before us.

We take it out not having forgotten how precious it is or not realizing its value.

We take it out recognizing it is so precious to us.

And so today we worship God who speaks to us through his word.

And let us always realize just how precious this word is.

And never tuck it away in the church here thinking that's not important.

But always keep God's word as the most important thing, the most precious thing that we have.

So may God bless these thoughts to us.

We're going to share together now in the Lord's Prayer and say the Lord's Prayer together.

Amen.

Our Father, we chart in heaven.

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.

Amen.

We're going to sing together now in God's word in Psalm 73.

Psalm 73 in the Scottish Psalter.

We're singing at verse 11.

Psalm 73 at verse 11, page 315.

And thus they say, how can it be that God these things doth know?

Or can there in the highest be knowledge of things below?

The psalmist here has many questions he's asking of God.

He's confused by what he's seeing happen.

And he's wondering, can God see these things and really care?

But as we see throughout this psalm, the Lord has an answer.

So Psalm 73, verse 11 to verse 17.

Psalms 73:11

The tunes kill Marnock.

And we stand to sing.

And thus they say, how can it be that God these things doth know?

Or can there in the highest be knowledge of things below?

Behold, these are the wicked ones, yet prosper at their will.

In worldly things they do.

In peace, in wealth, on riches still.

I bet there in these things.

I bet there in heaven.

My heart to purify

To know him

Infected innocence, washeth my hands abigh.

For daily and all day throughout, great plagues I suffered have.

Yea, yea, be mourning I of new did justice men receive.

If in this manner foolishly to speak I would intend.

Thy children's generation, behold I should offend.

When I this thought to know it was too hard to pay for me.

Till to God's sanctuary I went, then I let enter sea.

We're going to read God's word.

Two readings.

First we're on the letter of James.

The letter of James chapter 1.

James 1 · chapter mention

We'll read from verse 1 to verse 12.

Then we'll turn to 1 Peter chapter 1.

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

First reading in the letter of James chapter 1.

James 1 · chapter mention

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

To the twelve tribes in the dispersion.

Greetings.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.

For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

And let steadfastness have its full effect.

That you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God.

Who gives generously to all without reproach.

And it will be given him.

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting.

For the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.

He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation and the rich in his humiliation.

Because, like a flower of the grass, he will pass away.

For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass.

Its flower falls and its beauty perishes.

So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Blessed be the man who remains steadfast under trial.

For when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life,

which God has promised to those who love him.

Then we'll turn to 1 Peter, next book along.

1 Peter, chapter 1.

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

Let me read from verse 3 to verse 7.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again

to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,

kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith

for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary,

you have been grieved by various trials,

so that the tested genuineness of your faith,

more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire,

may be found to result in praise and glory and honor

at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

May God bless these readings from his word.

We'll come to God in prayer again.

Let us pray.

As we continue in our worship of you, O Lord,

our God, our Father in heaven,

we thank you that we call upon the name of the one who is high,

the one who is lifted up,

the one who is Lord and God over all.

And we thank you that your word speaks to us

of the reality of this world in which we live.

It reminds us of the many great blessings

that are ours through Christ Jesus, who is our Lord.

We thank you that there is the blessing in faith

of knowing that you are always with us.

We know that there is a blessing of fellowship

around your word and with your people.

We know that there is many blessings

of all the gifts that we receive on a daily basis,

the blessings of our homes, our families,

of food, of warmth, of clothes.

But we are reminded too in your word

that that reality is often different for many

and may be different for many of ourselves here today.

That although we still know your blessing,

the way is sometimes hard,

the way is difficult,

the way seems so uncertain to us.

But we thank you that your word speaks

into that reality as well.

It reminds us that even though we go through

many various trials,

that you are with us,

that they will purify us for your glory,

that there will be for a day when we will see

the revelation, the full revelation,

of Jesus Christ who is Lord,

when we will see his face

and when we will worship him.

We are assured through your word

that you will hold us and uphold us

and take us through all things

as we put our hope and our confidence in you.

And we thank you that that is true

for your church down through all the generations,

that when there have been experiences

of persecution and many different trials,

be it collectively or individually,

that your people can always take heart

and take confidence in you.

And so we pray that you will bless your word

to all your people today,

that it will be a reminder to us, Lord,

to always set our hope and our trust

in our Lord Jesus Christ

and that we would find our refuge in him,

that we would find him

as the rock of our salvation.

And we pray that your word too

will challenge those

who are maybe not putting their hope in you,

who are setting their hope

in the things of this world

and who are finding this world

a very comfortable place to be,

confidence and wealth and security

of the many different things of this world,

but that are only temporary.

We know your word reminds us

that all these things will pass away,

that in the shaking of this world,

a day will come

when the hope that we have

and confidence of what we have put in

will be put to the test.

And it is only those who are found

resting in Christ

that will be secure.

So we pray, Lord,

for your spirit to convict,

your spirit to convert,

your spirit to work powerfully

in our midst

and in the midst of people

far and wide today,

that throughout your world,

there will be a great day of repentance,

that there will be many

who are called by you,

who would call upon your name

and praise your name on you.

So, Lord, we ask your blessing

upon us as a people.

We thank you for one another.

We thank you for our communities,

our homes and our families.

We thank you for our workplaces,

our schools

and all that goes on around us

on a daily and a weekly basis.

And we do commit, O Lord,

all our people into your hands.

We know that we live

in such uncertain times.

There are many pressures,

many worries,

many concerns

upon so many people.

And we thank you that,

again, your word guides us

to cast our cares upon you,

for you care for us.

And may you stir us up

in our care and compassion

for one another.

May you help us to be

a body of your people,

functioning in that way,

that when one is hurting,

we all feel that hurt.

When one is rejoicing,

we all share in that rejoicing.

And we do pray, Lord,

that that bond in Christ

will ever increase day by day.

That as we go through

such days of great uncertainty

and times when we have been

leaning upon our own wisdom

and understanding,

we thank you that these are days

when we do not understand

many things,

when we lack wisdom.

But you say that

if we lack wisdom,

we are to ask God.

And so may these be days

when we are guided back to you,

when your word is opened up to us

and becomes a fresh

and a new word to us,

that the things that we have

taken for granted,

we would no longer do so,

but instead that we would turn

with all our hearts,

with all our souls,

with all our mind

and all our strength

to love you as God

and to love our neighbor

as ourselves.

So guide us, we pray,

and may your blessing

be upon us.

May your blessing be upon our land,

upon our leaders.

May you help them.

May you give them wisdom.

May you, O Lord,

come in a day of your power

to show us

that we cannot rely on anything

in this world,

but that we can rely on you.

May you bring peace and help

in many different parts of the world,

whether our conflicts,

whether our natural disasters.

We've seen the power

of the hurricane

that struck through the Caribbean

and in the United States

and the devastation it leaves.

We pray, Lord,

for people in need

in these places

and throughout the world

in many different situations.

Lord, may we remember

to pray

and to call upon your name

for all who need you.

We thank you

that your word goes out

in the midst

of all of these things.

and we pray for all your servants

far and wide.

We pray for those

who are called

into the mission fields,

near and far.

We ask your protection

and your help towards them.

May you bless every endeavor

to reach out

with the good news,

the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We thank you, Lord,

that we can commit ourselves

into your hands now,

asking your word

to be blessed to us

and that you'll continue

with us throughout this day.

And as we go into

the week ahead of us,

may we know your spirit

guiding us and with us.

So we ask all things,

acknowledging our sin anew,

confessing our sins before you,

the sins of thought,

word and deed,

the sin of action

and inaction.

We know that there are many.

And so, Lord,

we come anew,

confessing how far short

we fall from your glory,

but asking your forgiveness,

your mercy upon us

and your building up of us

to serve you

for your glory

and for your sake.

We ask all

in the name of Jesus,

our Lord,

our King,

our Saviour,

and for His glory.

Amen.

Let's sing again

to God's praise

in Psalm 73.

Psalm 73.

Continuing in the psalm

we sang before,

verse 23.

It's a psalm

with many different questions

and many different challenges

that the psalmist has.

Then you have this great

turning point

at verse 23

where he says,

Nevertheless,

continually,

O Lord,

I am with Thee.

Thou dost me hold

by my right hand

and still upholdest me.

We'll sing

from verse 23

to the end of the psalm.

And it should never be.

O Lord,

O Lord,

O Lord,

I am with Thee.

Thy dost me hold

by my bright hand

and still upholdest me.

Thy way,

Thy counsel,

while I live,

wilt me conduct

and guide,

and do thy glory

afterward

receive me

to abide.

Whom have I

in the heavens high,

but ye,

O Lord,

O Lord,

alone

and in the earth

whom I desire,

besides thee there is none.

My flesh and heart

doth fail and fail,

but God doth fail me never.

For of my heart

God is the strength

and portion

and portion

forever.

For lo,

they that are far

from thee,

forever fair

they shall

than that

a hole ring

from thee go,

thou hast

destroyed all.

but surely it is good

for me

that I throw near

to God.

In God

I trust

that all

thy words

I may

declare

the Lord.

God

If we can turn back

together to our reading

in 1 Peter

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

and this morning

together we're going to look

at verse 3

to verse 7.

1 Peter chapter 1

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

just read again

the first part

of verse 3

Blessed be the God

and Father

of our Lord

Jesus Christ

according

to his great mercy

he has caused us

to be born again

to a living hope

through the resurrection

of Jesus Christ

from the dead

and so on.

We began looking

at this letter

from Peter

last week

by seeing just how

precious a letter

it is

the precious word

of God

to a people

in need of encouragement.

Peter wrote

as a pastor

to these people

with very much

a pastor's heart

a real longing

and concern

for them

and having

experienced much

in his own life

he was seeking

to encourage

and build up

God's people

not just then

in his own day

but recognizing

the same challenges

that God's people

would face down

through all the generations.

Here was a people

who were scattered

far and wide

throughout many

different parts

and they were persecuted

for their faith

they were suffering

as believers

in the Lord

Jesus Christ

and they were wondering

to themselves

why was all this

happening?

If you have trusted

in the Lord

surely the Lord

wouldn't allow

his people

to go through

such trials

and yet

we see the reality

for God's people

is that they're not

immune

to any of these things.

Now how would you

encourage

a people

who are going

through such experiences?

how do you seek

to encourage

people maybe

to do today

who are going

through hard times?

We can often feel

that we just

don't have words

to say

we don't have words

to share with them

and you can imagine

almost Peter

writing to these people

wondering

what am I going

to say

to them?

They are suffering

what am I going

to say

to them?

But he's not

stuck

for words

because God

has a word

for them

he remembers

them

and he seeks

to encourage

them

and to build

them up

and to let

them know

that they are

a people

who are precious

to him

and so here

are people

meeting together

as we saw

they were scattered

throughout

Pontus

Galatia

Cappadocia

and so many

other different

parts

here are people

who would be

meeting in

small groups

maybe house

churches

in some places

maybe larger

gatherings

in towns

and cities

but a people

who are gathering

together

and God

has a word

for them

we belong

to the free

church of Scotland

as a denomination

we have churches

scattered far

and wide

we have large

congregations

we have small

congregations

congregations

from the north

of Scotland

and Thurso

and Wic

and places

around there

down through

to the borders

to Dumfries

and Galashiels

and surrounding

places there

and towns

villages

and cities

in between

we go further

than that too

with people

from the free

church and

congregations

in London

Canada

Australia

South America

South Africa

and many other

different parts

of the world

people sent out

as missionaries

through all corners

of the world

you can very much

say

we are a scattered

people

we are a people

who are part

of a dispersion

a scattering

of God's people

to all ends

of the earth

and the vision

of the free church

is a healthy

gospel church

in every place

it's more than

just a denomination

it's wherever

God's people

are gathered

together

and whatever

God's people

are experiencing

in these situations

it's not a new

vision though

it's a vision

that we see

throughout the

scriptures

from the Old

Testament

into the New

Testament

that God

has his people

scattered far

and wide

but that they

have a real

sense of purpose

and together

as a people

we have a purpose

and a focus

and Peter

makes that

abundantly clear

to us

here in verse

3

our great

purpose

as a people

wherever we

are and

wherever we

gather

is to say

blessed

be the God

and Father

of our Lord

Jesus Christ

to be able

to say these

words together

to unite our

hearts

in worship

of God

giving thanks

to God

who remembers

us

in every

situation

we are to

worship the

Lord

with one

heart

and with

one

accord

and we

do indeed

join in

with the

worship of

God today

with many

people scattered

far and wide

we come

together to

say blessed

be the God

and Father

of our Lord

Jesus Christ

for all

that he has

done for us

and sometimes

as we seek

to come together

and encourage

one another

we may feel

stuck for words

and so often

our focus

can be then

just to

look at the

positives

encourage each

other with the

positives

and Peter

does that

for us

here

he encourages

with positives

he encourages

them with what

we have in

Christ

this hope

that God's

people have

he encourages

them with what

they have to

look forward

to

there is an

inheritance for

all of God's

people

but he also

gives a word

of the reality

for God's

people too

he says

there will be

trials

there will be

difficulties

along the way

but yet he says

there is hope

there is a real

and a living

hope

there's a poem

called

Out of the

Darkness

I'll just share

some words from

that with you

it reminds us

that so often

it's out of the

darkness

that good

comes

it says

this

out of the

dark

forbidding

soil

the pure

white

lilies

grow

out of the

black

and marky

clouds

descends

the stainless

snow

out of the

crawling

earthbound

warm

a butterfly

is born

out of the

somber

shrouded

night

behold

a golden

morn

out of the

pain

and stress

of life

the peace

of God

pours down

out of the

nails

the spear

the cross

redemption

and a

crown

you see the

darkest

time

of all

was when

Christ Jesus

was crucified

but yet

God

speaks to us

through his

word here

and says

blessed be the

God and

Father

of our

Lord Jesus

Christ

because he

has given

us hope

a living

hope

through

the

resurrection

of Jesus

Christ

and so we

want to look

at these

three things

this morning

the Christian's

hope

the Christian's

inheritance

and the

Christian's

trial

first of all

the Christian's

hope

the first

encouragement

that Peter

gives to us

scattered and

disillusioned

people here

and to be

able to say

blessed be the

God and

Father of our

Lord Jesus

Christ

is this

that

according to

his great

mercy

he has

caused us

to be born

again

to a living

hope

through the

resurrection

of Jesus

Christ

from the

dead

the Christian's

great

hope

now what is

your hope

today

and what

kind of

hope

is it

so many

of our

hopes

today

they can

be built

on things

that will

let us

down

things that

will ultimately

fail us

or things

that can

seem

just wishful

thinking

things that

aren't

realistic

things that

we cannot

attain

and there's

no surety

there's no

security

in them

and as

Peter is

writing

to these

people who

are scattered

as he's

writing to

these people

and who

are seeing

so many

people as

it were

prospering

in their

lives

getting on

so well

it's almost

like he's

reminding them

of the

words of

Psalm 1

blessed is

the man

who walketh

not astray

not like

the ungodly

who just

turn away

from God

and pin

their hope

and things

of this

world

there is

no ultimate

blessing

in that

those who

are blessed

are blessed

by having

hope

in the

Lord Jesus

Christ

and this

is where

Christian hope

comes in

it is

a living

hope

G.K.

Chesterton

he once

said

hope means

hoping

when things

are hopeless

or it is

no virtue

at all

as long

as matters

are really

hopeful

hope

hope

is mere

flattery

or platitude

it is

only when

everything

is hopeless

that hope

begins

to be

a strength

and that

is the

hope

that Peter

is reminding

the people

of here

this

living

hope

that they

have

he has

caused

as he's

saying to

them

to be

born

again

to a

living

hope

through

the

resurrection

of Jesus

Christ

from the

dead

it is

a real

hope

it is

a secure

hope

it is

the hope

of the

resurrection

it is

often in

our darkest

times

that God

makes his

presence

known

most

clearly

it is

often

through

the hardest

trials

through

our

sufferings

that he

shows us

that he

is our

only

source

of

strength

our

only

hope

for

life

and

for

eternity

and just

as Peter

is writing

to us

gathered

people

here

he's

writing

to us

today

as well

he's

writing

to remind

us

of the

hope

that is

ours

through

the

resurrection

of

Jesus

Christ

through

faith

in

him

it is

a real

hope

so as

you are

facing

trials

you can

take

heart

as

you

face

the

reality

of

this

world

you

put

yourselves

in

God's

hands

and

you

wait

upon

the

Lord

but

you

wait

with

patience

you

wait

with

hope

if

Jesus

has

not

been

risen

from

the

dead

then

our

faith

is

foolish

but

as

we

come

to

God's

word

we

are

seeing

the

great

reminders

to

us

that

he

is

risen

that

he

is

alive

that

he

is

at

the

right

hand

of

God

this

is

no

hopeless

situation

the

reminders

that we

have

throughout

the

scriptures

are

many

Jesus

himself

predicted

his

resurrection

he

told

his

followers

that

he

would

be

put

to

death

but

on

the

third

day

he

would

rise

again

as

you

look

through

the

Old

Testament

you

find

that

it

prophesies

about

it

it

speaks

about

the

Lord

who

would

come

but

that

the

tomb

could

not

take

hold

of

him

forever

indeed

as we

read in

the

New

Testament

we

see

they

came

to

the

tomb

and

it

was

empty

the

grave

clothes

were

there

to be

seen

but

Christ

was

not

all

the

people

had

to

do

who

opposed

the

Christian

faith

was

to

produce

a

body

but

they

couldn't

why

not

because

he

was

risen

and

many

people

saw

the

resurrected

Christ

they

met

with

him

they

looked

on

his

face

they

touched

him

they

heard

his

voice

and

they

saw

him

eat

all

of

these

things

are

reminding

us

of

the

living

hope

that

we

have

in

Christ

we

are

born

again

to

a

living

hope

the

lives

of

the

disciples

the

lives

of

the

early

church

were

transformed

because

Christ

was

risen

Peter

himself

as we

saw

last

week

he

met

with

a

saviour

who

restored

him

even

though

he

had

denied

him

and

let

him

down

and

here

he

is

later

on

in

his

life

looking

back

having

been

a

faithful

servant

to

him

the

resurrection

was

the

central

message

of

the

early

church

and

to

this

day

men

and

women

boys

and

girls

testify

to

the

power

of

the

risen

Christ

who

transforms

our

lives

the

Christian's

hope

is

real

it

is

founded

on

Jesus

Christ

who

is

risen

who

has

appeared

to

his

people

and

who

has

now

gone

to

the

father's

side

we

await

his

return

we

await

that

great

day

of

the

final

resurrection

when

God

will

call

his

people

to

himself

and

how

do

we

live

with

that

hope

well

we

don't

look

to

the

things

of

this

world

and

pin

out

hopes

in

these

things

as

someone

said

they

that

deny

themselves

for

Christ

shall

enjoy

themselves

in

Christ

and

that

is

the

Christian

hope

we

turn

away

from

the

things

of

this

world

that

cry

out

you

can

hope

in

us

you

can

hope

in

this

there

is

no

hope

there

but

it

will

perish

but

Christ

is

our

hope

the

Christian's

hope

is

a

living

hope

through

the

resurrection

of

Jesus

Christ

from

the

dead

so

we

have

this

great

hope

that

is

such

a

great

encouragement

to

us

the

second

thing

we

see

here

is

the

Christian's

inheritance

again

we see

here

Peter

giving

his

people

real

encouragement

in

verse

4

that

we

are

born

again

to

a

living

hope

to

an

inheritance

that

is

imperishable

undefiled

and

unfading

kept

in

heaven

for

you

again

we

can

say

blessed

be

the

God

and

Father

of

our

Lord

Jesus

Christ

for

the

inheritance

that

is

ours

his

people's

and

that

we

can

look

forward

to

what

is

an

inheritance

it

is

something

that

is

passed

on

to

a

people

something

we

receive

often

at

no

cost

to

ourselves

but

usually

it's

when

someone

has

passed

away

we

receive

an

inheritance

and

our

Christian

inheritance

is the

same

in many

ways

and

more

because

where

does

our

Christian

inheritance

take

us

to

it

takes

us

to

Christ

and

to

the

cross

and

what

we

see

that

he

has

done

and

is

doing

for

us

everything

we

build

here

in

this

world

is

temporary

but

what

God

builds

is

eternal

and

if we

were

to

go

back

to

just

before

the

crucifixion