The power of hope in this life – and the next...

“Every human being is hardwired for and concerned about hope. We are all in constant search for hope that delivers and lasts. We’re all a bit discouraged and paralyzed when our hopes are dashed. When one hope dies, we grab hold of another hope as fast as we can. The Bible is a story of hope.” Paul Tripp

The impact of a first and last word (1 Peter 1:3-7; 1 Peter 5:10-11)

The source of our living hope: The power of new life (1:3-4)

The setting for our living hope: Temporary, purposeful suffering (5:10; 1:6-7a)

“God sets about to systematically destroy our worldly hope, replacing it with a purified hope, a ‘hope that does not disappoint us’…as God brings you through the process of sanctification, he will strip you of all impure hope. More often than not, you will find this painful as you experience defeat and unfulfilled dreams. Something worse than this pain, however, is for God to allow you the fulfillment of your temporal hope only to arrive in eternity disappointed.” Walter Henrichsen

The sufficiency for our living hope: The God of all grace and power (5:10a; 1:5)

“God has tailor-made grace for everything I face.” DDH

The significance of our living hope: An eternal calling and inheritance – (5:10b; 1:4,6)

“When you forget eternity you tend to lose sight of what’s important. When you lose sight of what’s truly important, you live for what is temporary, and your heart seeks for satisfaction where it cannot be found. Looking for satisfaction where it cannot be found leaves you spiritually empty and potentially hopeless.

Meanwhile, you are dealing with all the difficulties of this fallen world with little hope that things will ever be different. Living as an eternity amnesiac just doesn’t work. It leaves you either hoping that now will be the paradise it will never be or hopeless that what is broken will ever be fixed.

So it’s important to fix your eyes on what God has promised. Let the values of eternity the values that shape your living today, and keep telling yourself that the difficulties of today will someday completely pass away. Belief in eternity can clarify your values and renew your hope. Pray that God, by his grace, will help you remember forever right here, right now.” Paul Tripp

A “Living Hope” prayer…

“Help me, O Lord God, not to let my thoughts today be wholly occupied by the world’s passing show. In your loving kindness you have given me the power to lift my mind to contemplate the unseen and eternal; help me not to remain content only with what I see and feel, here and now.

Instead, grant that each day I may do something to strengthen my grasp of the unseen world and my sense of the reality of that world. And so, as the end of my earthly life draws ever nearer, bind my heart to the holy interest of that unseen world, so that I may not grow to be part of these fleeting earthly surroundings, but instead grow more and more ready for the life of the world to come.”

John Baillie – A Diary of Private Prayer

The supply for our living hope: God’s sufficient and practical provision (5:10; 1:5a)

Lord, today I am trusting you to:

Restore…

Confirm…

Strengthen…

Establish…

When you embrace a “living hope” lifestyle...

• You care less for matters on earth.

• You care more for people on earth.

• You spend less time collecting the things of earth.

• You spend more time collecting people for heaven

• You less often find fulfillment in the temporal.

• You more often find true joy and satisfaction in the eternal

• Your stress decreases in the present

• Your prayers increase for the future.

Robbie Symons

This week I will…

- Memorize and meditate on 2 Corinthians 4:18. Intentionally identify the things that are temporal, and ask God for a fresh perspective to grasp the realities that are eternal.

- Meditate on the powerful truth of 1 Peter 5:10 that God has "called me to His eternal glory." How should this change my approach to personal obedience, relationships, and ministry?

- Read 1 Peter 1:3–7 every day and meditate on what it means to embrace a "living hope lifestyle." At the end of the week, consider what has changed in your focus and sense of fulfillment.