1 Peter, chapter number 1, as we continue our worship this morning, we do so around our study of this letter written to the Christians throughout the world, scattered as they were in his time and scattered as they are in our time as well. Peter used his greeting, the opening of his book, verses 1 and 2, to remind us of our true identity. All of God's children are both strangers and elect at this very moment in time as we journey through life. He then leads us into a eulogy, and we find that eulogy in verses 3 through 5. And he calls upon in the eulogy God's people, wherever they are on the earth, scattered at that time throughout the Roman Empire, wherever believers read this today or are studying it today or hearing it preached, he calls upon God's people wherever they are and whenever we are on the earth, no matter what century, time period we've lived, and whatever our circumstances are, it really doesn't matter. He calls upon us to come and render to God the glory that is due unto him, especially for the precious gift of his Son, whom he has made him to be our Lord Jesus Christ. And so let us never cease to come into his presence with good words that express our praises and our gratitude for our salvation, the gift that includes everlasting life. The world that we live in and that we must journey through contains many obstacles and difficulties. And so out of the finished work of his Son for us, as we have found in verse 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible. So out of this finished work of his Son for us, God has poured out upon us an immeasurable amount of his mercy. He is compassionate toward his people who live in this hostile world, a world that is structured by the enemy of God to resist his children, a world that is designed by the God of this world to distract us from our calling by appealing to our fleshly appetites and desires for the vain things of this world. Therefore God, out of his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, a living hope, a hope that has vigor and meaning to it, it's significant. He has placed these things before us so that we, as we go through this world, are able to be drawn toward eternal things and not just material things. The new birth. We have been begotten again unto a lively hope. The new birth comes with spiritual ears to hear the promises of God to us. And the new birth comes with spiritual eyes to see his promise, even though they are said to be afar off at this present moment. Many of God's promises are in the future. There's a real distance between our present existence and our eternal existence. Our new life provides for us this lively hope, which enables us to see eternal things and to grow in our vision of these things and even anticipate and long for the promises to become a present reality. This is a part of God's purpose in giving us spiritual life now so we can see eternal things. Look at Hebrews for a moment. Chapter number 11, I want to look at Abraham, who illustrates this so well for us, his life. Beginning in verse number 8, chapter 11, I'll read down through verse 14. These are things that Peter embodies in his letter that we read about the life of faith of God's people, particularly as it is worked out in the story, the life of Abraham. In verse 8, by faith, Abraham, when he was called by God, you remember he was called out of the Ur of the Chaldees and he was called by the voice of God, God revealed his glory to him as we are told. So by faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should receive after, receive for an inheritance, obeyed and he went out not knowing whether he went. And by faith, he sojourned, he pilgrimage in the land of promise as in a strange country dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked for a city which had foundations. Unlike tent dwellers, he was looking for a city who had permanent foundations, whose builder and maker is God. And through faith, even Sarah, his wife, she received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of a child when she was past her age of childbearing because she judged him faithful who had given her the promise and therefore spraying even of one and of him as good as dead. So many as the stars of the sky in multitude and as the sand, which is by the seashore innumerable. Abraham, the father of the faithful, what a host that is, these all died in faith. Not having received the promises, but having seen them a far off. They were able to see them in the distance. They saw the promises of God that had been given to them. And not only did they see them, they were persuaded of them. They believe these things to be real to them and they embraced them. They made these promises their own and confessed, willingly confess. We are just strangers and pilgrims in the earth. They acknowledge that. That was their identity. As Peter says, it ought to be ours. And they that say such things declare plainly they're in search of a city. So out of this faith, hope grew to see with spiritual eyes, the promises, even though they were, as it says, a far off. True hope is an influence over our life as we journey through the world. Our strongest desires and longings reveal the nature of our hope. What do you hope for the most? True hope inspires us to live a more devoted and consecrated life for the blessed God who has given us eternal life. True hope makes holy and happy pilgrims. Did you hear in the songs this morning the several times that happy showed up as a part of the pilgrim's journey? They are happy people. Hope makes happy and holy people. True hope. And then the next statement that we have here in verse three is our main focus for a few moments here. Go back to first Peter in chapter number one, verse number three. The next phrase for our consideration is that the abundant mercy hath begotten us. God's abundant mercy hath begotten us unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. When you read this statement, this is a part of Peter's eulogy, remember? He has opened up a eulogy here beginning in verse number three. He's being led to lead us to the celebration, the praise of our blessed God. And so he's worked through some wonderful statements here. When we come to this phrase, at first glance, it's easy to read over this and maybe not even give it its due consideration or maybe even wonder, that's an odd place to insert this phrase. But the closer we look at it in relationship to the overall text, no, it's not so odd, it is very significant. The Greek preposition that is used here, as often is the case, it introduces the means for something. In other words, we could read this phrase this way, by the means of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That's the emphasis that Peter is making, implying that God's power to raise us up spiritually, begotten us again, which he just stated here. God's power to raise us up spiritually from spiritual death is drawn from the power, the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, the same power. There's a portion in Ephesians chapter one, look at that for a moment with me, where Paul kind of ties all these things that Peter's working through together in his text here in chapter one, where he's worked out the glorious Trinitarian salvation, and then he pauses and prays for the people that they would understand the things he's teaching them. He's concerned, he said a lot of wonderful truth here, but he's concerned that they don't fully grasp what he's saying to them. So he goes into an intercessory prayer here that began in verse 15. And in verse 17, he says he's praying that the God of the Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, that he may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of him and what he has done for you. That the eyes of your understanding, being enlightened already, you have new sight, but that your eyes might see more clearly is his prayer. Your eyes being enlightened to this end that you might know what is the hope of his calling. It's a part of what Peter's been working through. Not only that, he says, not only the hope of his calling, what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in you? Something else that Peter is going to work out. But the thing I want to draw your attention to is verse 19 and 20. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead. That dunamis power refers to an energy, a force inherent in a thing by virtue of its own nature, resurrection power. This is the means, Peter is telling us here, this is the means by the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead. This is the means for our spiritual life. The same power that raised him is the power that raised you from spiritual death to spiritual life. Begotten again is Peter's phrase, he hath begotten us again. Also implied is the resurrection of what? Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The resurrection of what specifically is he referring to? The body. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is a bodily resurrection. And this is important to where Peter is going to take us here in our reading of his letter. His body died. What died? From the dead, what died? What went into the grave? His body died, his body went into the grave. And so it is by means of the resurrection, the actual physical death of Jesus Christ, where his body went into the grave and he was raised again. It is by the means of that, we are begotten again. There is no birthing us, there is no giving new life, but regenerating us apart from that action of Jesus Christ conquering death. And without that, there is no hope. He hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the means of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So you see how Peter's putting these phrases together. And so it's the same resurrection power is what raised us up spiritually from spiritual death and gave us spiritual life. And with that spiritual life, based on the abundant mercy of God, he has given us hope. He has given us hope, especially concerning our body. Our body, our body will be raised like Christ's body. The hope of that resurrection is based on the means of what Christ has done for us in his victory. So before time began, before creation, Steve was working this out a little bit this morning for you, before time began, before creation, God placed his elect in Christ, that's a clear statement worked out in the scriptures. His plan for us would be carried out to completion. His plan, God's plan for us would be carried out to completion by his son, whom he appointed to be our Lord Jesus Christ. The person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ was done on our behalf. The redemptive plan included the resurrection of our body, not just our soul. What Christ did, what he went through was to be our experience also. He lived a perfect life. We were in him when he lived that life. He died on the cross. We were in him when he died on the cross. He was buried. We were in him when he went into the tomb. He was resurrected, came out victorious over it all. We were with him in that resurrection. He ascended into heaven. We ascended with him. And as Danny read in Colossians 3, we are sitting with him now in heaven because he's on the throne. That's how much we are connected to Jesus Christ. It's by means of what he has done. Peter tells us that we have that hope as well. Those who experience the resurrection from spiritual death, if you are here this morning and you have been regenerated, made alive, saved, born again, you will also experience the second resurrection unto life. But the first is the resurrection from death to life spiritually. But for you who have that spiritual experience with your regeneration, you have the hope of another resurrection unto life eternal. Look at 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, beginning in verse 51. See how Paul works, how important the subject of the resurrection is, is recorded and worked out in chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians. Great doctrine and finds great information relating to it here in this chapter. But I'll just read these last few verses, beginning in verse 51. Behold, Paul says, I show you a mystery, something that is not clearly seen and understood. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. So he says the possibility is that some reading this letter that he sent to them, Paul didn't know when the Lord's going to return. So he writes all of his letters with this general idea that it could happen any time. He doesn't know when, but it could happen. There are certain things that have to work itself out that he mentions in 1 Thessalonians, but the reality is we don't know. And so he is saying, regardless of whether you're alive when he comes or you've already died and been buried, it doesn't matter. We are all going to be changed. So I show you a mystery, even though we may not all sleep, we shall all be changed. And it'll happen in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, that fast. Can you imagine how quick that is going to be? Because think of all who are in Christ. Can we calculate the millions that were placed in Christ before the foundation of the world in a twinkling of an eye when he returns, the body will be changed. Quite a scene, wouldn't you agree that it's going to take place. It'll happen at the last trump, the seventh trump of God when it's blasted for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. It is essential, necessary that this corruptible being must put on incorruption, that this mortal man must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal man shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written. Death is swallowed up in victory. Death is the final enemy to be destroyed. Death. So where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Because we are in him, we have this living hope. And a living hope knows that in order for us to receive the promised inheritance that he's going to talk about in a few verses here in 1 Peter, for us to receive that promised inheritance and to fully experience these things, our bodies must be raised from the dead. Paul earlier in 1 Corinthians, the same chapter, talks about, if your body is not coming out of the tomb, guess what? You've believed in vain. It is essential that your body comes forth, just like Christ. You cannot experience, receive experience, the inheritance of God without a body. You have to have a body, but it's going to be a different body. It'll be a body that is changed. The human body is a uniquely designed body by God. Even after the fall of Adam and Eve, the body has retained many of its unique features, has it not? Features that allow us to experience our life, right? You have senses. God planted these in the original creation into mankind. The fall didn't kill the senses. You still have senses to interact with the world around us that God created. Sin has contaminated and perverted our senses, that is true. But God's children are enabled through this work of God, a power upon us to push back against the evil and enjoy the true pleasures as God intended. These things come to us through the senses of our human body. How can you enjoy the world around you without senses? You can't, impossible. So when our bodies are raised up from the dead, they will be without sin. They will be glorified bodies. They will be designed to experience eternal things, similar to what began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Peter's reasoning is this, hope concerning our inheritance requires us to have not only a spiritual resurrection, but a bodily resurrection. We must be able to touch, to feel the things of God, to see the beauty of the eternal promises, to hear the glorious sounds of heaven itself, to smell the fragrance of the new world and taste the fruit of the trees that grow along the side of the river. All of that requires senses. To enjoy our inheritance, we must have a body that is fully able to experience what God has planned for us. So it will be raised. And in hope, we anticipate that reality. It will be raised. Look at Philippians in chapter three. I know this is a little bit of a different consideration on this subject of resurrection, but I believe this is what Peter is trying to drive home to us here. First Peter chapter three, beginning in verse 17, he says, brethren, we be followers together of me and take note of those which walk so as to have us for an example. Because why do we need to take note of Paul's example and what he's taught us and compare it to what others are doing and the way they're living because many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is their shame. Who are these people? They mind earthly things. Their mind cannot focus on eternal things. Don't walk like those people. Don't live your life minding earthly things. They are the enemy of Christ and his cross. The reason is our behavior, our whole conversation, manner of living is in heaven. From whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body. That it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to do all things unto himself. This will happen. It will happen. Our bodies will be changed. When you read in Matthew's gospel where Peter, James, and John were pulled aside to witness an event that happened in the life of Christ, called the transfiguration, he was changed visibly before them. It was an astounding thing to behold to see his whole figure changed. It's the same word here. The exact same word. We will experience a transfiguration of kind, like Christ, where our vile body is going to be wholly changed completely, like unto his body. And we, who have been begotten again by God's abundant mercy, have been begotten again that we would have a living hope. And that was activated, made possible by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That's the emphasis that Peter is making here. So, a bodily resurrection is like Christ's resurrection. All hope regarding the promises begins with this hope, because we are in Christ, his life, his death, his resurrection, ascension, throne, final conquest, and the ultimate inheritance that he will receive from the Father that we will share with him is rooted and based on the resurrection, the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. To be experienced by us. The Father has a glorious inheritance. We can't even, I have not seen, you hasn't. We can't even begin to comprehend what God has prepared for those that love him. It's outside of our capacity to even imagine. And it will require a renewed, glorious body to enjoy it all, to interact with it, to participate with Christ and the receiving of this inheritance that awaits the pilgrim, the pilgrim. You see how important it is that the pilgrim has this vision of that which is before him yet to come to help him, sustain him as he walks through life with all of the opposition and difficulty, heartache, trials, suffering that he will encounter. He sees something afar off, a city, as Abraham did. No more tent dwelling. There's a foundation to this place. It's lasting, it's permanent. We are going to be a part of it, share in its magnificence. And that requires a resurrected body. We are encouraged when we read these words from the epistle, first epistle of John, in chapter number three, where he mentions these things. Christ's transfiguration of his body. When he came out of the grave, it was a glorious body. Transfigured, changed, he was still Christ. He still had scars in his hands and his feet and his side. He was still Jesus. I don't want to suggest that, what that means or doesn't mean, but for our sake, he will keep his scars. He will keep his scars that we would forever be reminded, I'm sure. He will keep his scars in his body, glorious body, transfigured body. But because we are in him, we are destined to the same outcome. We will have a changed body. John writes about this in chapter three, verses one through three. Behold, what kind of love, what manner of love? Can we even begin to understand it? No, we can't. What kind of love is this that the Father hath bestowed upon us? That we should be called the sons of God, included in his only begotten son, a child of the eternal God. Friend, the world does not know us. They didn't know him, they're not gonna really know you. That's not something to be concerned about. Beloved, now are you the sons of God. In it does not yet appear what we shall be. There's a lot of mystery here yet remaining. And John was the one who was on the Isle of Patmos and saw all these grand revelations of Jesus Christ. And he's still not sure how it's all gonna work itself out. It's beyond the human imagination. It does not yet appear, it's not clear what we shall be, but this we know. That when he returns, when he shall appear, we shall be like him. Isn't that a glorious thought? We're gonna be like him. We will see him as he is, and we will be like him. And so everyone that hath this hope, what does he do? Coast through life? No, he becomes more energetic in life. Becomes more vigorous in his efforts to live a life that brings glory to the one who has predestined him to this outcome. What a glorious thing. It inspires holy living. So, we kind of wrap this up in a summary statement for you. In Peter, this phrase that we have, this whole verse here is just remarkable in all the truth that is contained in it. Concerning that we are to bring honor and glory to the blessed God who, we told, is the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And who has begotten us again according to his abundant mercy. So that we might have a living hope that we would go through life with hope. There's just something precious about that in my mind when I think about God looking down upon us in our need as pilgrims. He wants us to go through it with hope. Encouraged, inspired by hope, but we must see the promises ahead. We must embrace them. We must long for them. And so when we read this phrase, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. He is referring to the means. By the means of the resurrection of Christ, we enjoy, we've experienced spiritual life, a spiritual resurrection. And we have the hope of a physical resurrection because of him, because of his. And that is meant to bring a lively hope. So he kind of circles back here in these phrases and these words. Hope is the outcome of the instruction of God's grace. Grace teaches us how to live as pilgrims in this present world. The evidence that we put our faith in the things we're taught is we are actively looking for his return. We are anticipating, longing, because we know what's included in it. An inheritance, a changed life, physically. And a full inheritance with Jesus Christ. My last text would be Titus. Good words here on this in Titus chapter two, beginning in verse 11. He tells us the grace of God for the grace of God. That bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. All kinds of men and women and ages. And it teaches everyone the same thing. The grace of God does not teach you one thing and me a different thing. You may be focusing on different issues in your life than mine. But essentially, it's all teaching us the same thing, which is what? Teaching us, there's that word in Sunday school, denying ungodliness. Rejecting it, saying no to it, taking up your cross, walking away from your selfish interests and pleasures. Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts. This is what grace teaches us to do. And that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, grace teaches us to do this. And grace inspires this looking, anticipating, yearning. For the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity. And purify unto himself a peculiar people, special people, a people of choice, who are zealous of good works. So the evidence that we put our faith in the things we're taught is we are actively looking for the blessed hope. Looking, this is an ongoing thing. It's just, not a now and then thing, or I forgot about it and maybe six years later I'll look again. This is an ongoing looking. An ongoing anticipating. An ongoing longing for something to appear. And that's the blessed hope, the blessed hope. All of our hopes are wrapped up in one person, and that's our Lord Jesus Christ. Apart from him, there is no hope. There is no hope of eternal life. There is no hope of an inheritance. There is no hope for a changed body, but in him, we have hope. And we are also, if we are a people who are being taught by the grace of God, and we put our faith in those things we've heard, that we are people who are zealous of good works. We're zealous of good works. A people, God's special people, who live with hope are committed, they are devoted, they are ready to do those things that faith has shown us from God's word. However, sustained obedience is very difficult for those who have put their sights on the wrong things. You cannot sustain obedience, you cannot have a happy life if your eyes are on the wrong things, they have to be on eternal things. Because everything else is going to leave you empty, and it will always need something more. But when you've put your hope in the promises of God, and you've set your sights on those things, and you're longing for the culmination of all of that, you're able to sustain obedience, and to be zealous for good works in your life. So these statements of Peter about the person and work of our blessed God, and all that he has done for us through his son whom he has made, our Lord Jesus Christ, all of this circles back to the eulogy. Blessed be God, right? Each part opens up, we come all the way back, blessed be God. That's what we're inspired to do, and that's what Peter, as well as Paul, when he wrote, gave us his eulogy, is to bring us back to blessing God. For what? Friend, do you see what I see? Do you see what I see? That's the goal of Peter's letters, to help us as pilgrims, looking at a lot of different things going on in the world that can drain us of all life and energy and hope. But when we look beyond this world to things that are eternal, not temporal, we find strength, and we find encouragement to continue to go on in our walk. And it inspires us to praise, to give thanks. Father, we thank you for the blessed hope. We thank you that you have given to your people through our new birth, new eyes to see and ears to hear. And through thy spirit, you're able to enlighten us even more about these things that you have promised to give to your people. And we thank you for the information that tells us, the teaching of your word that instructs us about your promises. Help us, Lord, as your children even today, to ponder, to pause, to reflect on the glorious things that await the people of God. Thank you. We praise you for your kindness and mercy toward us through our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.