Resurrection Hope

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.

A Holiday or Holy Day?

Holidays were originally Holy Days. But over time, many words in the English language have changed. For example, Christmas was once Christ Mass. And what were once days to remember events from scripture have now become days off work, sales opportunities, and times to get away with the family. The day which was originally intended to be a celebration of Christ’s Resurrection, is more popularly recognized as a day of bunnies, baskets, and family dinners. But for those who believe in Christ, we recognize the victory of the Savior over death. Today we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ because it reminds us of the truth that happened centuries ago. The Resurrection has a profound effect on all our lives, for it is an essential part of the Gospel, the Good News. Let’s look at the Resurrection in scripture and bless God for how it continues to be our hope.

The Back Story to the Resurrection

When we read the resurrection story in the gospels, we learn that Jesus predicted his suffering, death, burial, and Resurrection to take up the sin of all humanity upon himself. All humans inherit a sinful nature, and we consistently choose to ignore, reject, and rebel against God by default. Even the “best” of us fail to be indeed “good” or “good enough.” So sin keeps us separated from God. But God, in His loving grace, and faithful mercy, prepared the solution by allowing one person to take the punishment of sin upon himself. Who should be worthy or able to take upon such a task? It would have to be someone great, powerful, and willing to do it. Jesus willingly took up the solution upon himself. And since Jesus is divine, we can say that God took upon himself the solution for sin for us. Jesus, the eternal God, creator of the world, humbly came to earth to fulfill this role.

Peter knew this story well. For he had walked and talked with Jesus. In fact, he was one of the first people to run to see the empty tomb, just as Jesus had predicted. So let’s see what Peter says to remind the believers about the Resurrection.

Peter, boldly told others the Good News, the Gospel. In the ancient world, a “gospel” was more than just a positive message, it was used to describe something that happened that had a profound effect in life. Because something happened, life would be different. It was often used to describe news of a victory in battle. The Good News is that Jesus Christ is God’s fulfilled promise. He is the fulfillment of God’s promise for a Messiah, an anointed King who would reign over all things. The Good News is that God has not given up on sinful humanity, but has made a way for peace with God and us. The Good News is that this is available to those who believe in Jesus Christ and entrust themselves to follow Jesus Christ. And it is with this back story that Peter directs his words about the Resurrection.

Born Again

Being “born again” means receiving new life. We were once spiritually dead because of sin, but have Christ paid the price of death upon the cross and defeated death by raising himself to life. And God offers this possibility of spiritual life with God. The entrance into God’s grace is so transformative that it must be described as New Life. It is not renovated, repurposed, or recycled. It is life from God that we could never have apart from His grace. When we recognize that life is no life without God, we see that following Christ is the only real option.

A Future

Because we are born again, we have a new privilege. We are God’s children, and if His children, then we have the privilege of an inheritance. This inheritance is unlike anything we could ever receive on this earth. It originates from God, who reigns over all things. If it were from the earth, it would fail, just like all the problems we see in our world. The promise is that we are saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved. This reminds us that our salvation is past, present, and future reality. We are no longer slaves to sin. We are living following our Saviour who guides us.

Present Hope

Peter wrote this letter to Christians who experienced suffering, and as he reflected on the Resurrection, he could command them to rejoice and bless God. Following Christ is not a freedom from difficulty but rather a freedom to know that whatever difficulty comes our way, we have God’s guarantee that He can work all things out toward His goodwill. This is real hope. It is not a positive outlook but rather a realistic understanding that God is God in all situations.

Hope in Need of Hope

In just a matter of months, our world has changed drastically. Some people have lost hope. Our president’s approval rating is the lowest ever, for people have lost hope in his ability, policies, and actions. Our news, media, and forms of communication are censored or in some people’s view, moderated for the benefit of all. Some people have lost hope in having the truth reported or sharing opinions. What will things look like in the coming months in regard to the economy and the potential shortage and supply predicted by some? But you may have more pressing issues in your life. Maybe getting out of bed and tackling another day weighs heavily on your heart and mind. In situations like these, we can look to the Resurrection in hope.

If you believe in Christ and the scriptures, you have hope. Unfortunately, our modern idea of hope is in need of hope. When we think of hope, we think of having a positive outlook on life and saying to ourselves, “Things will get better.” Scripture gives us a different picture. This is where believers ought to find themselves. We are to live in the confident expectation that it may be difficult to see God through difficulties. We have hope that God will always be faithful. In this hope, we recognize the words of a beautiful hymn that states. “Life is worth the living, just because He lives.”

Peter reminds us that our hope is dependent upon the One who came to earth. He is the Creator and King over all things. But he considered the great need that we had and willingly gave himself as the sin penalty solution to give us peace with God. If we have a God that loves us this much, how can we not be confident that our life is in the sustaining care of God?

Resurrection follows Death

As we reflect on the hope of the Resurrection, we must also consider how the pattern of death and Resurrection of Christ gives us the direction of our life. Romans 6:5-11

Romans 6:5–11 ESV

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Resurrection only occurs after something has died. So is the frustration of your spiritual life and life, in general, a direct result of you not letting that old sinful life, actions, and ways of thinking be buried with Christ. Have you died to it? If you have died to sin in Christ, then you can follow the Resurrected Savior into hopeful living.

A Holiday from a Holy Day?

My father had a funny way of teaching me some important things that he learned in life. As a painter, he learned that some people took a “holiday” when spreading the paint. This meant that they skipped over a spot, missed it, or did not apply the paint well. When we read the earliest messages of the apostles in the New Testament, we find that they did not take a “holiday” from the Holy Day. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ instantly became a day that the early Christian Church celebrated. In fact, it’s one of the primary reasons we gather together on Sunday. The earliest believers were Jewish. They carefully observed the Sabbath. But also gathered on the following day, Sunday, to commemorate the Resurrection of the Lord. Eventually, the growing non-Jewish believers did not continue the Sabbath gathering but kept Sunday observance and referred to it as the Lord’s Day.

But the Holy Day can be more than just a one-time event. Every day can be a Holy Day. The empty tomb and appearances of the Resurrected Lord solidified the faith of those like Thomas who once refused to believe. John 20:26-29. The question remains for us today, do you believe? And if you believe in Christ, let every day be the Lord’s Day.

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