Redeemed and Kept By God
1 Peter 1:3-5
Jeremy Bell
March 2, 2024
Sermon Recap PDF
Main Idea: In great mercy, God brings His people to salvation through Jesus Christ, and keeps them secure for an eternal and glorious future
I. God mercifully brings His people to salvation
“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 (verse 3)”
“But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” — John 1:12
- It wasn’t our will that caused us to be born again, it was God’s will. That means that everyone who is born again is born again by the undeserved mercy of God.
- We were rebel sinners, not looking for Him, but instead running from Him. But God, in great mercy, set His love upon us and awakened our dead souls unto spiritual life.
“The gospel centers upon justification – that is, upon the remission of sins and the acceptance of our persons that go with it. Justification is the truly dramatic transition from the status of a condemned criminal awaiting a terrible sentence to that of an heir awaiting a fabulous inheritance.” — JI Packer
- A daily rehearsal of the gospel shifts our minds into gratefulness for God’s great mercy.
- The trials of this life take their proper perspective once the gospel readjusts our perspective–from a sentenced criminal to inheriting heir!
- Peter says we are “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” We are given a living hope is a hope rooted in Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead.
- The certainty of our hope rests on God reception of Jesus Christ as the perfect sacrifice and Christ’s resurrection was the seal of His approval of Christ’s sacrifice.
- Just as Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of God, so too the Father has caused us to be made alive by the power of God. And our hope, which was once a dead hope, has been made alive by the resurrection. This living hope thrives because its not a hope rooted in us – it’s a hope on the basis of Christ. This makes all of the difference in the world!
- For example – having this living hope within us means that we truly can encounter trials of various kinds and still maintain hope – because our hope rests not on the power of positive thinking but on the certainty of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead!
II. God mercifully keeps His people for salvation
Two things we see here in verses 4-5:
(1) God keeps our inheritance in Christ
- When we are born again, God saves us from something and to something.
- God saves us from His wrath against sin and He saves us to an
eternal inheritance with Him!
(2) God guards our very souls in Christ
- We’re made alive by God’s power, and it by God’s power that He guards us.
Questions for Discussion/Application:
- Consider taking time to read 1 Peter 1:1-5 out loud. What initial insights or observations of the text do you have? Overall how have this passage and this sermon encouraged and ministered you?
- Reflecting on the passage, Jeremy said: “We were rebel sinners, not looking for Him, but instead running from Him. But God, in great mercy, set His love upon us and awakened our dead souls unto spiritual life.” How does this truth cause you to rejoice and praise God?
- We have an inheritance “that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” How can remembering our future inheritance be a source of encouragement today amidst the trials and tribulations we face? What trials are you facing today, that cause you to really need to remember these things?
- Review point #2 above, “God mercifully keeps His people for salvation.” What does it mean that God is keeping us and how can this truth encourage and strengthen us?
- Consider taking time to pray, asking God to help us daily to remember and rejoice in this living hope we’ve been given through Jesus Christ.