Sermon 4/19/20

SERMON: “The Power of the Resurrection”

April 19, 2020

1 Peter 1:3-9

3 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, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 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. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 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, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

The text today lends itself very well to the continuing celebration of Easter. Our joy in the resurrected Christ is tied ultimately to our own resurrection from the dead to eternal life. Our celebration of new life takes place in the world already.

St. Peter is known as a fisherman and a fisher of men. He was called to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. A disciple who walked on water, who saw Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration, who confessed Jesus as the Christ, who was in the Upper Room as Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Altar, who denied his Lord and was forgiven, who witnessed the resurrected Christ, who performed miracles, who was the leader of the church, who was a preacher of the Gospel, and the writer of two Epistles. Now the thought of Peter as a writer is probably the last attribute that comes to mind. He authored only two Epistles that totaled 8 chapters, 166 verses and 2783 words. Not many words compared to the Book of Jeremiah with 33,000 words. The writings of St. Peter are like the man, bold and forceful. Like his sermons, the words of the Epistles are meaningful and with authority.

Peter opens with a short greeting followed by a glorious doxology to the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Peter writes, “Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood.”

Now the text we have for today. Peter writes to the Christian Church at large. Salvation is possible only through the Power of the Resurrection. This is the greatest historical fact. If Christ had not been raised our faith is futile. The Christian Church rests on the fact that Jesus is Risen from the dead.

The Father’s abundant mercy has given to us a living hope. The disciples, after the death of Christ, seem to have no hope. There was nothing but despair and fear. The message of Easter changes death into life and despair into hope. The new birth is found for most people in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. Peter waits eighteen verses to connect Baptism to the resurrection. 1 Peter 3:21 states, “and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

The resurrection of Christ gives the believer a living hope, an inheritance. What an inheritance God gives us as St. Peter describes it in our text. The inheritance is incorruptible, indestructible; it cannot rust, it cannot rot, it cannot be moth eaten. In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus references the treasures stored up for us in heaven. The inheritance is undefiled. It is not plated. I saw a commercial for a gold coin at a ridiculous low price. The coin was not solid gold, but a minuscule amount of gold. It is not just a veneered piece of cheap wood. Our faith is solid through and through. The inheritance will not fade away over time. It is not like the flowers that rise up in the spring and are gone in the summer heat. The inheritance is reserved for us in heaven. You need not worry, you need not hurry; no one is going ahead of you to take it away from you. Rather Jesus goes ahead to prepare a place for us. I use John 14:1-6 as the Gospel reading at most of my funerals. When you get to heaven, your mansion will be waiting for you. The inheritance is complete. There is nothing we can do to add to the glorious riches that await us. The almighty God who created the heavens and the earth, the one who raised Jesus from the dead, will use His omnipotent powers to keep these eternal blessings, safe and secure. The inheritance will be revealed on Judgment Day. The curtain will rise on that triumphant day.

The glorious inheritance is given as a gift. We do not buy it nor do we earn it. It is not our wages, it is a free gift, which Christ has earned by His death and resurrection. Thus, we are saved by grace in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Just as Peter had to descend from the glorious Mount of Transfiguration back down to the plain, so it is for us as well. Peter in this first part of the Epistle has lifted us to the heights of heaven. Now we must return back to our position in life. Peter says, “To suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” The trial of our faith will be according to God’s will. A study of the “Office of the Keys” shows us that the words tempt is used in two ways. First is when the Devil tries to lead us away by breaking God’s commands. The second is that God tries our faith in order to strengthen our trust in Him. Peter will personally experience this in his life as he is put to the test. He relates these trials to the goldsmith purifying gold. The heat of the fire burns off the impurities. We will undergo trials as we live this new life in Christ. Right now our world is really being tested. The COVID – 19 virus has put us to the test. Some will struggle financially. Layoffs or reduced hours will cause some to earn fewer dollars to operate on. Some will have health issues. Issues will arise from the corona virus itself, or other health matters that fail to get treatment. Some may hunger or want for other goods. We long to be with loved ones, classmates, coworkers and to be out in society. Faith will be tested. One commentator says that we will be on probation. The idea is that we have been returned to society, yet someone is watching us. They want to know if we can live as upright citizens. As sinners have been forgiven, now we are to show ourselves as Christian. We need to live everyday by faith as we are tested. The righteous will live by faith.

The trial of your faith will be for a short time. St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Jesus Himself says in Matthew 24:22, “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”

The trial of your faith will be for your lasting good. Great indeed is your salvation! All praise, glory and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus took up the cross of Calvary, died for the sins of the whole world, rose victorious on Easter and ascended to the Right Hand of the throne of God. All praise, glory and honor to the faithful Christian. The faithful Christian is called by God to take up the cross to follow Jesus, to remain faithful in all trials, to receive the power of the Triune God, and to be resurrected unto everlasting life.

Jesus lives! For me He died,

Hence will I, to Jesus living,

Pure in mind and act abide,

Praise to Him and glory giving,

Freely God does aid dispense;

This shall be my confidence