In First Peter the author
makes a slight reference to the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead. “In his great mercy he has
given us a new birth and a living hope though the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead….” (1 Peter 1:3).
This morning I want to spend a few minutes examining this great teaching
of the church. What do we believe about
the resurrection of Jesus from the dead?
To begin I want us to read
the Apostles Creed together. The
Apostles Creed has been used in one form or another since the second
century. It was written by the early
leaders of the church to say: this is who we are; this is what we believe. Historically the Christian Church Disciples
of Christ have disliked creeds. The early Church leaders believed they were
divisive. This is why it is called the
Apostolic Affirmation of Faith in our Hymnal.
However, I think its time the Christian Church embraced it. Not
as a test of faith for membership, or right belief, but as a starting place for
saying through the ages this is what the church has believed. As well, as being a point of contact with
other Christian traditions. Did you realize there are congregations who recite
the Apostles Creed every Sunday in worship as an affirmation of their faith?
I believe in God, the Father
almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ,
God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy
Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
There is something you may
find interesting here. Each of these
historic beliefs is emphasized during a season of the church year. Of course,
for our purpose we are interested in the Resurrection because we are in the
season of Easter.
From Paul…
For what I received I
passed on to you as of first importance; that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the
third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then
to the Twelve.
1 Cor. 15:3-5
…if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and
so is your faith.
1 Cor. 15:14
…if Christ has not been
raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
1 Cor 15:17
More From Paul…
Brothers, we do not want you
to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men,
who have no hope.
1 Th. 4:13
NIV
First Peter was written to
prepare people for baptism. It could
have been shared with those who were being baptized in a pastor’s class of
sorts. Or, it could have been used as a text for preaching when the new
believers were baptized. However it was used, it was written to instruct new
Christians on the important matters of the faith. The author was very concerned about making sure that the teaching
of the apostles was passed on form one generation to the next. The particular
nine verses we read describe specifically what God has done for us through
Jesus Christ.
Benefits of Being A Christian
I. New Life
(1 Peter 1:3)
II. Living Hope (1 Peter 1:3)
III. Inheritance (1 Peter 1:4)
a. Kept in heaven
b. Does not perish
c. Does not spoil
d. Does not fade
IV.
Hardship Does not Steal
Our Joy (1 Peter 1:6)
a. Suffering is only temporary.
b. Suffering is fertile ground for growth.
c. Suffering is opportunity to test our faith.
V.
The Salvation of our souls.
You believe in him and are
filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal
of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:9
Here is where Peter pulls
it together for us. These wonderful
benefits of being a Christian we have listed are made possible through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead.
Without the resurrection of Jesus from the dead none of these blessings
would be available to us.
Samuel Shoemaker
The early followers of
Christ preached the resurrection as fact, and they lived it as an
experience. They had received a kingdom
that could not be shaken, a life that could not snuffed out by death. That is the reason that, through the years,
Christians have been willing to bear all sorts of burdens, make all sorts of
sacrifices, take all sorts of risks to proclaim the gospel. That’s the reason that countless persons
have been willing to literally die for the cause of Jesus Christ.
Maxie Dunham
What can we learn about God
then from all of us? There is a lot we can learn about God from what the Bible
teaches about the resurrection. We
learn…
I.
Our God is a God of
abundance – “Grace and peace be yours in abundance.”
1 Peter 3:2
II.
Our God is a God of
mercy – “In his great mercy…..”
1 Peter 3:3
III.
Our God is a God who
gives – “In his great mercy he has given us….”
1 Peter 3:3.
The real tragedy is our
general lack of knowledge concerning the great teachings of the faith. Our attempts to reduce the teachings of the
church to a bumper sticker cliché have not served us well. The blame here rests on the clergy for being
more committed to church growth than actual teaching.
The real tragedy is that
many of us are completely unaware of how blessed we are in Christ. We live our lives without utilizing the vast
resources God has made available to us.
The poverty of our
spiritual lives is a real tragedy when there are riches within our grasp. What
would happen to us, our church our community if we began to make use of all
that God has made available to us through Jesus Christ.
The real tragedy is that
we waste our lives focusing on the things we don’t have. When in the end what we don’t have is not as
nearly important what we do have. The
difference between a Christian life that makes an impact and one that does not,
is largely determined by what we pay closest attention too.
In
conclusion, let us read 1st Peter together as an affirmation of our
faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has
given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or
fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power
until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last
time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have
had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your
faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by
fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when
Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even
though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an
inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith,
the salvation of your souls.
1 Pet 1:3-9