A Chain Reaction of Praise

When the day feels like a blizzard—cold, bitter, and disorienting—gratitude can sound unrealistic. We open 1 Peter 1:3–5 and discover why praise becomes our most honest response: mercy meets us, the risen Jesus anchors us, and an unfading inheritance steadies us for the long road. This isn’t about positive thinking or spiritual spin. It’s about certain hope tied to a living Lord.

We walk through Peter’s doxology and unpack four pillars that carry weary people. First, God’s great mercy causes us to be born again—undeserved, unearned, and utterly transforming. Second, hope is alive because Jesus is alive, a certainty stronger than cynicism and deeper than denial. Third, our inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven and never subject to loss, decay, or boredom. Finally, God’s power guards us through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed, reminding us that justification, sanctification, and glorification are parts of one secured story.

Along the way, a mother’s search for her runaway daughter paints a vivid picture of grace: wherever you are, whatever you’ve become, come home. That’s the gospel invitation—home for wanderers, cleansing for the ashamed, courage for the exhausted. If you’ve felt scattered, sidelined, or forgotten, this conversation will steady your heart and lift your eyes to the certainty that you belong and you’re being brought safely home.

If this encouraged you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope today, and leave a review so others can find it. Your words help more wanderers hear the call to come home.

Transcript

A Certain Hope In Christ

SPEAKER_00 0:43

As believers in Jesus Christ, you and I enjoy the hope of eternal life. Our hope is certain. Our hope isn't dependent on positive thinking. Our hope, he writes, is grounded in truth. Did you notice? Our hope is tied to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let me put it this way: our hope is not dead because Jesus is not dead. Our hope is not empty because the tomb is. I had the privilege of preaching his funeral. And he told the story of a pastor he knew who always seemed to be overflowing in gratitude for something. He pastored a little church in a farming community, and everyone knew him for his thankful spirit. And every time the congregation met, they knew there was this traditional pastoral prayer, and they knew their pastor would thank God for something. And he rarely repeated himself. No matter what the circumstances, he found something for which to give God thanks. One particular Sunday, Blair writes, an unexpected snowstorm along with sharp, bitter winds that blew in from the north, kind of similar to maybe a little bit of what we've got minus the snow, but as the little flock rode their horse-drawn carts, no, to church, Blair writes, they wondered, what in the world could the pastor possibly be thankful for on such a day? As the service opened, he stood to pray, they couldn't help but smile when they heard him pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you that not every day is as bad as this one. Well, maybe that's your prayer today. Every day is not as bad as this one. Well, Peter is writing a letter to people in the first century who couldn't imagine anything really to be thankful for. They're facing a snowstorm of doubt and trouble, suffering. These snowdrifts of trials have just sort of mounted up before them. They're scattered throughout Pontius and Galatia and Cappadocia and Asia and Bithynia. They're sort of trudging through life against these bitter winds of growing sorrow and persecution. This is not what they had expected. And Peter picks up his quill, and after some opening comments that we've looked at in these last few weeks, he begins to remind them of things for which they can give God thanks. And it's so profound, especially as you consider their situation. In fact, his opening statement in verse 3, let's go there, chapter 1 of 1 Peter and verse 3. It's really nothing less than a doxology. Notice, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, blessed be God. You can actually get word of the word rid of the word be, that's implied. Blessed God. Blessed is God. Blessed be God is the idea. You could well read this as an exclamation that simply says, thank God. Thank God. We bless you, God. Now the word for blessed here is from the word eulogy, which gives us our word eulogy. That's where you say nice things about people in our culture, it's usually after they've gone on. But when you say nice things about people, even those who are living, you're eulogizing them. Now, in one sense, God doesn't really need us to bless him. He doesn't need us to say nice things about him so he feels better about himself, right? So he can stay motivated on the job. So let's keep him incentivized. Say a few nice things about him. That isn't God. Peter is simply setting an example that is good for us. It's good for us to say, thank God. Blessed be God. Even if it's something like, Lord, I'm glad every season of life is not as bad as this one. What Peter does following this statement is he basically sets off a chain of events, a chain of things or issues here that sort of trip over each other. But before we do, let me just quickly address one particular issue that might trouble you when you read that opening statement. It's this reference to God the Father as Jesus' God. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. If Jesus has a God, then he obviously isn't one, right? Well, whenever you see this kind of phrase, the apostles are providing both the human perspective and the divine perspective of Jesus Christ. From the Lord's human nature or perspective, God the Father is his God. From the Lord's divine perspective, as God the Son, God is his Father. That is, he has the very divine nature of the Father. That's why he could say, if you see the Father, you see me. If you see me, you see the Father. I come and I express the glory of the Father, he says. So the word God here expresses the Lord's relationship as the Son of Man. The word Father expresses the Lord's relationship as the Son of God. So both the Lord's humanity and his deity are carried forward in this statement. And listen, without being both true, without both of them being true, our salvation would be impossible. There's really nothing to thank God about or nothing to trust in Christ. He had to be man in order to die, but he had to be God in order to die for us. Both are important. Now, with that doxology expressed, Peter basically sets off this chain reaction of praise. And he's going to point out several truths that lead us to thank God. And each word, by the way, is nuanced. The first is simply this God's great mercy gives us new life. Notice verse 3 again. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his great mercy, has caused us to be born again. Now stop there for a moment. His great mercy saved us. His great mercy gave us life. I find it interesting, oftentimes, in what the Bible doesn't say, what the apostles don't say, Peter could have mentioned any number of great things, great attributes, great truths about God that saved us. He could have said, because of his great gift, because of his great love, because of his great sacrifice, because of his great grace. No, here he's focusing on the great mercy of God. And maybe, I can't be sure. But maybe Peter refers to God's mercy. Because the world around these scattered believers has turned merciless. Their world is turned against them. But it also draws out this wonderful theological truth. By God's mercy, He saved us. Not just in giving us what we don't deserve, that's grace, but in not giving us what we deserve. That's mercy. We're saved because God is not going to give us what we deserve. We deserve his judgment, we deserve hell, we deserve punishment. None of us, and we would readily say it, who are truly converted, would ever say, Oh, I deserve heaven. Oh, I deserve God's forgiveness. Oh, I deserve everything He's planned for me. No, we don't deserve any of it. In fact, the older I grow in the Lord, the more aware I am of what I really don't deserve about what God is and what God has done and what God gives me. I certainly didn't deserve to be born again. I certainly didn't deserve new life. I certainly didn't deserve to have a fresh start every single day with a promise that even now the blood of Jesus Christ is cleansing me from every sin because I keep sinning. 1 John 1 7. But God continues to show you and me his great mercy. His great mercy. The Christian upon conversion to Jesus Christ. He brought us from spiritual death to spiritual life, Ephesians 2.10. We become new creatures, we become a new creation, 2 Corinthians 5.17 and Galatians 6.15. We actually begin to participate in a new God-given life. And we did nothing to deserve it. God in his great mercy gave it to us. Max Luceda wrote a story, a true story. He retold it about something that happened in a small, poor village in Brazil, a little hut with a dirt floor, a little red tile roof. There lived Maria, a widow, and her daughter Christina. Maria's husband had died when Christina was just an infant, and she'd done her best to raise her daughter. Now Christina was an older, pretty teenage girl. The time came for her to seek out employment to help Maria's job, add to the income. Maria was a custodian. It was just enough to get food and clothing and shelter, but they eked out this very simple existence. And it was now time for Christina to find a job. Christina had, Luceta writes, a streak of independence. And she was above being a cleaner. She wanted more out of life. And she often said, I'm going to leave all this behind and go to Rio de Janeiro and the exciting city life there. Her mother would always react in fear and warn her daughter, saying, The streets are cruel in that city for a young girl. Her mother was fully aware that if her daughter ever went there on her own, she'd not be able to support herself. Maria knew where her daughter might end up in order to survive. Which is why the morning when Maria found her daughter's pallet empty without a note written, her heart filled with fear for what it might mean. After some time, Luceto writes, when it was clear Christina was no longer anywhere in the village, Maria packed her old suitcase and headed for the bus depot. She stopped first on her way at a little drugstore where she took all the money she could possibly spare, closed the curtain, and took all the pictures that she could afford. Then, armed with her bag of clothing and a purse full of little black and white photographs, she headed for Rio de Janeiro. When she arrived, she looked in all the public places, restaurants and malls, and even some bars. Maria was nowhere to be found. She looked for days that turned into weeks. She eventually found out some of the parts of the city where there was a reputation for prostitutes. She knew that Christina had no way of earning money legitimately. When hunger and pride combined, she knew her daughter was stubborn, she'd do anything but return home. So Maria began to comb through the hotels and nightclubs. And wherever she went, she would tape her picture to a wall or to some kind of bulletin board. And on the back of each photograph, she had written the same message. Finally, out of money, out of photographs, tired, brokenhearted, Maria went home. It was sometime later that Christina, a month later, descended the steps of a hotel. She looked across the lobby and saw a familiar face taped to a mirror. She recognized the picture and her eyes filling with tears and her throat burning, she ran across the lobby floor. She pulled the picture off, and sure enough, it was a picture of her mother. She touched it and she wept. And then happened to turn it over, and when she did, she read the note on the back of the photograph her mother had written that read, Wherever you are, whatever you have become, it doesn't matter. Come home. And she did. This is nothing less than the mercy of a mother who refused to give her daughter what she deserved. A life of wandering and emptiness and sorrow all alone. Instead, she gave her a fresh life if she would come home. This is the mercy of God who offers to us who are wandering and pitiful and miserable. We have nothing whatsoever to offer him, and he offers us life and home. The second truth that leads us to thank God is not only for our new life, notice, but our living hope, verse 3, according to his great mercy, God has caused us to be born again, notice, to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In other words, we have a hope that is alive because Jesus Christ is alive. The world knows nothing of this kind of hope, certainly hope beyond the grave. The Apostle Paul describes the unbelieving world in Ephesians 2.12 as having no hope and without God in the world. To the Thessalonians, Paul said that we grieve at the loss of our Christian loved ones, but we don't grieve, he writes, as those who have no what? No hope. In other words, they have no savior. Sophocles, the Greek playwright who died 400 years before the birth of Christ, sort of summarized the fatalism of his worldview and the world that would be honest. And even though this man was what we would say was living the dream, yet he wrote with cynicism before he died. And I quote the translation of what he wrote: not to be born at all, that is by far the best fortune. The second best is as soon as one is born, with all speed, the return from whence one has come. That's the emptiness of arriving at the end of life without God. In other words, if you have the misfortune of being born, it's best to die young. When you hear the gospel and you believe, it's a gospel that gives life meaning and it gives life hope. Now, understand that hope in the Bible is more than a vague wish. You know, like I hope we have pizza for lunch. A vague wish is not biblical hope. Let me add to that. Hope in the Bible is more than positive thinking. You don't look in the mirror and say, okay, hey, today's gonna be great. You know, that's the sum of it. Like that book you read in the elementary school about the little engine, you know, who was going up that little hill and he's saying, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. And you turned the pages as quickly as you could, as I did to find out if he made it, and he made it. Wow, it's great. Hope isn't vague wishes. Hope is not positive thinking. Hope in the Bible is defined as certain expectation, and it has with it this sense of anticipation. Our hope isn't dependent on positive thinking or, you know, a lot of pizza or certain football teams experiencing the wrath of God. Whatever. No, that isn't it. Our hope, he writes, is grounded in truth. Did you notice? It's tied to what? Our hope is tied to the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Let me put it this way: our hope is not dead because Jesus is not dead. Our hope is not empty because the tomb is empty. So our hope is a living hope, Peter writes, because we have a living Lord. The third truth that leads us to thanksgiving here is in this text our eternal inheritance. To obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. Wow. In other words, you don't just have a certain expectation, you have an eternal inheritance. Now, throughout the New Testament, if you're older in the faith, you probably know the believer is called a joint heir or an heir with Christ in Acts chapter 20 and Galatians chapter 3 and Ephesians chapter 3, the idea of the believer inheriting some inheritance as a joint heir of Christ. Now, in the Old Testament, this idea to the Jewish follower of God, they expected to inherit, and their inheritance was the promised land. And we call it the promised land because the land was promised to them as their inheritance. And the New Testament clearly declares that Israel, Paul and says, that they will one day be repentant and restored and reconstituted as a nation as Jesus descends to set up the kingdom. The land will be their inheritance. That isn't going to be taken away, they're going to get it. Again, this could be a sermon, but we're told, and I'll do it fairly rapidly, that our inheritance includes eternal life. Titus 3.7. Our inheritance includes the kingdom of God, Matthew 25, verse 34. Our inheritance includes the sealing by means of the Spirit of God, who's our guarantee, Ephesians 1.14. We're told that our inheritance includes rewards. Colossians 3, 24. Salvation is referred to as our inheritance. That'll never be taken away. Hebrews 1.14. In fact, in a moment we'll look at this future aspect of salvation. We're even told that we're going to inherit the earth. Matthew 5, verse 5. It's intriguing to me. All the liberals and all the atheists and all the evolutionists and all those who deny our creator God who are scrambling to save the earth. Guess what? They're not going to save the earth. God is actually saving it for you. He will recreate. It, Peter will tell us later, brand new. So the earth never really did belong to them, but one day it will belong to you. This is yours. Enjoy it. It's your inheritance. Now Peter describes our inheritance. Notice, with some interesting words and phrases. He first says it's imperishable. That means pretty much what it says, it's just impossible to experience decay. It isn't going to perish. It isn't going to pass away. You could understand this to mean it isn't going to come to ruin. It is indestructible. The new earth is going to last forever. It's not going to wind down and the universe with it. It isn't going to perish. The word also carries the idea of an invading army leaving destruction in its wake. And I couldn't help but apply it, of course, to these believers in their context. The scattered believers are surrounded by enemies. Their lives have been invaded. Their lives have been disrupted. Their homes and their lands have been taken away from them. Imagine how encouraging it is to be reminded as they read here that their inheritance will never be invaded. It will never be destroyed. It will never be taken away from them. Peter also calls our inheritance, notice, undefiled, unstained, unpolluted. It speaks of a coming life that will never be stained by pollution. Imagine the pristine air and the crystal clear water of your newly created planet have I mentioned that belongs to you. The word also speaks of life without the stain of sin. It could also be understood as life without crime, without fear. Imagine a life without locks and alarms. Keys are no longer necessary. Wouldn't that be great? You'll never have to ask, where'd I put my keys? Where'd I put my glasses? Where'd I none of that's gonna be I'm gonna have so much more time on my hands because I'm not looking for my keys or my glasses. And I am getting old. I know it doesn't look like it. But I looked for my glasses the other day and my wife said, honey, they're on your head. There will be no prisons in heaven. No police. Hey, no radar guns. Peter is informing these scattered believers and us that our inheritance will be without any stain, without any blemish. Our bodies, certainly, but imagine no stain or blemish on our hearts, our minds, no regrets. Everything about us is as well as our inheritance will be undefiled. Peter adds, notice, it'll not fade away. Now that's interesting to me. You can render it, it'll not grow dim. The word is actually used in classical Greek to refer to the fading beauty of flowers. They they wilt. Their beautiful color fades away, doesn't it? The word also can convey the nuance of losing its freshness. You know, part of our fallen nature, beloved, is that we get used to stuff, right? We get used to people. We get used to special blessings. We get used to things. The first time down the roller coaster was the scariest. The first time you went off the high dive was the most thrilling. And you get used to it. You ever wonder if you'll get tired of gold pavement? You ever wonder if, you know, hey, yeah, the father's house? Wow. Those gems, they're big. I've seen them. You ever wonder if if you're not going to be as excited about your heavenly estate that God has prepared for you in the Father's house, you know, after a million years, man, alive, I need to hang some pictures or something. I need a fresh look. Huh? You ever wonder? Of course you don't, I do, but maybe maybe you don't. You wonder if the flowers and the orchard along the river will lose its vibrancy to you, and you'll just get used to it. Think about it. The new earth, the new heavens, the universe, the father's house, that glittering gold home where we have our residence, and then we just skirt about the universe doing his bidding. It'll never lose its wonder. The glory of God and the throne of Christ and the royalty of the saints and your clothing of the beloved, and even the gems in the Father's house and those gold-paved streets. None of that will ever fade away, but it'll never diminish in its freshness to us. It's wonderful. We will never get used to it, is what he's saying. And we will never get over it. Peter writes at the end of verse 4 this inheritance is reserved in heaven for you. By the way, heaven is the safest place you could ever have anything reserved, right? Chuck Swindol writes in his commentary on this text and says, when you arrive, some celestial receptionist isn't going to look at you and say, Now, what was your last name again? Can I see your credit card just one more time? No, he writes, after your long journey through life, the living God will welcome you home without one inch of red tape. Your reservation will never get lost. When you think about our inheritance, it's staggering. I dug around this week to find some interesting uh stories of inheritances left by some wealthy people. Uh, two homeless brothers. I found this story. These are true. Uh, in Eastern Europe, they're basically homeless, living together, and they inherited more than one billion dollars from a grandmother they never knew. They had to track these guys down. A woman who left her pet dog$10 million. Can you imagine that? Even Napoleon ordered that when he died, they'd shave his head and he left his hair to his friends, which I'm sure they really appreciated. I mean, wow, that's great. I found the rather tragic story of one of the richest women in Asia leaving her vast fortune to her mystic guru because he promised her that he could guarantee her eternal life. Listen, the only person who can guarantee you eternal life is someone who is eternal. That's exactly what Peter wants us to thank God about in this fourth and final truth that leads us to praise God. Not only can we praise God for our new life, our living hope, our eternal inheritance, but fourthly, God's personal guarantee. He writes in verse 5, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed at the last time. Not only is our inheritance reserved for us in heaven, Peter tells us we are protected by the power of God for this future aspect of salvation which he's going to roll out at the last time. That's the final day of consummation when God ushers us into that new heaven and new earth. Now, very quickly, salvation in the Bible, the New Testament has three aspects to it. There's a past tense aspect, there's a present tense aspect, and there is a future aspect to your salvation where in heaven you'll be delivered from the very presence of sin. Now, how can you be sure you're gonna make it all the way from justification to glorification? Especially if there's a lot of turbulence, you know, in the middle in sanctification, right? How do you know? You have God's guarantee. Peter writes that you are even now, present tense, you are even now being protected by the power of God. You're being protected. It's a military word for being shielded, for being guarded, for setting a guard to watch over something important or valuable. So who's doing the guarding here? Who is guarding your inheritance? Who is guarding you? God. You have this personal guarantee. And your inheritance, Peter writes, is coming. It's coming. A couple in our greenhouse class this session recently told me that the church they'd left was a church that had gotten a new pastor. The couple told me that in one of his sermons, the pastor told his congregation that it's been 2,000 years since Jesus promised to return. It's been so long, and he hasn't come back. I don't see any reason to believe he will. You know what Peter says here? It's gonna happen. In fact, everything's ready. Ready to be revealed at the last time, literally the appropriate time. And listen, if everything was ready 1900 years ago, it's really ready now. And you'd better be ready. And you're ready when you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior. Here's the message of God through the inspired pen of Peter. Scattered people who wondered if God had lost interest in them. They have no market value, they are scorned by their world. They certainly know they're sinners, but they are sinners who believe in the personal resurrected Savior. So God is telling them and us through Peter this you are ever wandering and you are ever sinful, but I am great with mercy. You don't deserve to live, but I have given you a new life, and every day a fresh start. You are bankrupt and penniless, but I have given you an incredible inheritance you'll never lose. You're homeless, you're wandering, you're scattered throughout the kingdoms of earth. But I am guaranteeing that I will bring you home. I like to think of this text as a photograph of God Himself here, and He's written on the back of the photograph to those who will believe. Here's what it says: it doesn't matter where you are, it doesn't matter what you've done, because of my great mercy, I've given you life, and I will bring you home. You belong.