True Hope Series

True Hope

I Peter 1:1-12

Have I got great news for you! Jesus has risen! You now have new life. What does that mean to you? You are no longer bound. No longer bound to sin, guilt, shame, failure, worry, anxiety just to name a few. Each day is a new adventure. With God directing your footsteps no journey is too great, not task too big. You have been given new purpose. Loving the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul and mind.

You have been given eternal hope. Your hope is Jesus. He is coming again and we will dwell in His

presence forever.

If that wasn’t exciting enough be glad, because your inheritance awaits. What an exciting inheritance it is. The glory of God’s kingdom is reserved for all of His children. As a member of the family of God, your inheritance can never be taken away from you and even better it is not based on your merits. Your inheritance has been paid for by Jesus.

Our faith rests in God. He protects us with His mighty power. He rescues those who call upon His name. God even has a plan for your life. His plan is that you would experience His gift of grace offered to us through Jesus.

We are called to perservere. There may be trials. Just because we have given our lives to Christ does not guarantee that trials will never come. And when those trials come they may be hard, but we must realize that they are temporal. Through trials your faith will be purified. Think about precious metals. To purify gold it is put to intense heat. When the heat is applied the impurities come to the top where they can be easily removed. Trials do the same for our lives. Just as with metals, when heat is applied we become moldable. Molded to the image of Jesus.

Have you considered the value of your faith? It is more precious than worldly possessions. Your faith is also more lasting than your possessions. There is no fear of theft, fire, flood or breakage when it comes to your faith. Most importantly your faith will be honored when Jesus returns. Your perserverance will not go unnoticed.

Jesus is our unseen hope. You have not physically seen Jesus, but you’ve seen the evidence of His presence in your life, and the lives of others. You have also witnessed His presence in answered prayer. Our faith comes from love. What I mean is that we stand firm because of our love for Him. Our standing firm brings about joy and gladness, even in the midst of suffering. We can always be encouraged, because we know how the story ends.

Jesus has always been God’s plan for your life. Jesus has been revealed through the ages. He is the thread that runs through scripture and has been revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God’s plan for all men. He is the only way, our salvation, our hope, our glory and our strength.