Living Hope That WIll Never Perish, Spoil, or Fade

1 Peter 1:3-4

Blessed be 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,

to an inheritance that, can never perish, spoil or fade.

This inheritance is kept in heaven for you

Yesterday, we talked about hope being a confident expectation we have of God to come through on His word and fulfill His promises.  During this season of Advent, we celebrate the promise of a Savior, sent to us not to condemn the world but to save the world (John 3:17).  We celebrate the fulfilled promise made by God through the prophet Isaiah to send the Messiah. (Isaiah 9:6-7).  We reflect on the life of Christ and the hope we have through His life and death as we eagerly anticipate His return.  We celebrate the promise of an inheritance into the kingdom of God.

Peter understood this promise and was full of unwavering hope when He penned these words.  He understood what the death and resurrection of Christ meant for Him and what had been graciously given to him through a new spiritual birth, that allowed him to rid his old self and become new.  He knew he had been offered an opportunity to become part of God’s family…forever.  And when you become a part of a family you receive all that family has to offer. 

God’s family offers new birth into a living hope.   Through Jesus, God set in motion the plan for us to have the opportunity to receive His full riches, the full inheritance of His kingdom.  He gave us hope for a better life, a fresh perspective, wisdom, support and comfort through trials.  He promised us an inheritance to all he has to offer and through that we gain patience, bravery, courage and determination to persevere until He fulfills His promise and brings us to His heavenly kingdom.

Peter then lists 4 characteristics of our inheritance.

1)  It will never perish.  It can never be destroyed, disappear or come to ruin. 

2)  It will never spoil.  It is 100% good and perfect and it will never be anything other than good and perfect.

3)  It will never fade or become less precious. 

4) It is kept in Heaven.  Heaven is a glorious place and certainly anything stored there has to be glorious as well.  It is precious enough to remain in a place that is void of any sin that could lead to corruption.  It is protected and secure so that when the time comes it will be revealed to those that have faith, those that were given new birth into a living hope. 

We have hope for this inheritance because God promises it to us.  We have trust in the promise because God over and over again fulfills His promises.  He is faithful, trustworthy and dependable.  He has never given us reason to doubt His love and goodness for us.