10-25-26 BORN AGAIN TO A LIVING HOPE

Let’s give other people a reason to rejoice in hope.

Rom 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 1 Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.God’s mercy is always at the center of salvation

Mercy is the act of withholding deserved punishment, while grace is the act of endowing unmerited favor. In His mercy, God does not give us punishment we deserve, namely hell; while in His grace, God gives us the gift we do not deserve, namely heaven. Mercy and grace are the utmost attributes of love.

Mercy concerns an individual's miserable condition, whereas grace concerns his guilt, which caused that condition. Divine mercy takes the sinner from misery to glory (a change of condition), and divine grace takes him from guilt to acquittal.

Peter's words offer joy and hope in times of trouble. He finds confidence in what God has done for us in Christ Jesus, who has given us hope of eternal life. Our hope is not only for the future; it is "living." Eternal life begins when we trust Christ and join God's family. Regardless of our pain and trials, we know that this life is not all there is. Eventually we will live with Christ forever.

Hope is our confident expectation of life to come

Living means it grows and gets stronger as we learn about and abide in Him

It’s dynamic not static

Our living hope is not based on life’s circumstances