The Joy of Easter
1 Peter 1:3-9
Pastor Miles
4/5/2015
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. This inheritance is 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. (1 Peter 1:3-5 NIV)
1. The joy of Easter is the result of the resurrection of Jesus.
A. God has given us new birth.
There is a spiritual resurrection that we experience when we are born again.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)
B. God has given us a living hope.
Because Jesus is alive!
C. God has given us an eternal inheritance through the resurrection.
Through Jesus' resurrection we have been adopted into his family.
This inheritance will never spoil, perish or fade.
It can't be lost or stolen.
It's kept in heaven for us.
D. God has protected us.
2. The joy of Easter is ours through faith.
In all 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 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. (1 Peter 1:6-7 NIV)
We suffer all kinds of trials here on earth to prove that our faith is genuine.
When we go through trials the doubts and fears can be overwhelming, but we can be a witness to the world that our faith is real and genuine.
God puts on display the genuineness of our faith through trials.
This kind of faith is very precious, more than gold, which can perish one day.
Real faith can never perish. It lasts forever.
3. The real joy of Easter is the result of real faith.
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 end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:8-9 NIV)
Although we haven't seen Jesus, we have a deep love for Him - that's real faith!
Real faith means that we get in the wheelbarrow as Jesus pushes us across the tightrope of our life's journey.
How do we grow in faith?
1. Hear and receive God's Word.
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. (Romans 10:17 NIV)
2. Get into the lifestyle of worship.
3. Get involved in a community of faith.
So when the trials come, our faith is real.
Real faith is the joy of Easter every day.
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