Easter Sunday
Resurrection: A Reason to Hope - 1 Peter 1:3-9
Lead Pastor, Darrin Mariott
1 Peter 1:3-9
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, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 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. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Big Idea: In discouraging and difficult times, Jesus’s resurrection is encouraging, and life-giving, news.
I. Reasons for Hope
A. Any structure is only as stable as the foundation on which it is built (see Matt. 7:24-27). For Christians, the resurrection is a reliable foundation on which to build our new life and secure our hope (vv. 3-4; cf. 1 Cor. 15:12-20).
1 Peter 1:3-4
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, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
1 Corinthians 15:12-20
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
B. Peter’s praise is not the result of wishful thinking, but of solid evidence rooted in eyewitness testimony, personal experience, and the witness of the Holy Spirit. The facts of the resurrection:
1. On order of Pontus Pilate, Jesus was crucified and died.
2. Jesus’s body was interred by Joseph of Arimathea in a tomb.
John 12:27
3. On the Sunday after the crucifixion, Jesus’s tomb was found empty by a group of His woman followers.
4. On multiple occasions, Jesus was seen alive both by individuals and large groups (cf. 1 Cor. 15:1-8).
1 Corinthians 15:1-8
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
C. The best explanation for these facts: Jesus is risen! And this fact changes everything.
II. Results of Hope
A. When we consider the Apostles and the impact the resurrection had on them—the before and after is striking (cf. Jn. 20:19-20)! The resurrection should have the same impact on us in that it completely changes our perspective and gives us:
John 20:19-20
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
1. True joy (vv. 6-7) – A joy not rooted in circumstances, but in the reality of Christ and His life in us.
1 Peter 1:6-7
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 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.
2. True salvation (vv. 3-5; 8-9) – Nothing can steal the salvation we have in the risen Christ.
1 Peter 1:3-5, 8-9
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, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
3. True purpose and meaning – Because Christ is risen, our lives take on greater depth, character, and meaning as we live for Him.