By Rev. Dr. Brent Russett –
Asbury Free Methodist – April 17, 2022
1 Peter 1:3-8
We celebrate this day in history – because it changed everything. It was like a bomb went off in the spiritual realm, and everything was different. The events that we celebrate at Easter are at the core of our faith as followers of Jesus.
Sometimes it is helpful to step back and look at the big picture and see what happened. Why did Jesus become human, die and rise again? I know many followers of Jesus have the basics, -Jesus died to save us from our sins – but are missing the big picture. This morning I want to show you the fare reaching effects of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
In doing this, I hope to answer some commonly asked questions about the cross. People, who think about faith, want to understand questions like why did Jesus have to die? Couldn’t God have just forgiven people without Christ’s death? I am hoping that those of you who follow Jesus will step a little deeper into your faith.
I thought I would change up the form of the sermon – at least for the first half – and organize our thoughts around a series of questions and answers.
I got the idea of this format and many of the questions from James Bryant Smith in his book A Good and Beautiful God. The answers I am going to give to give are going to, in large part, be from Athanasius. Athanasius was the bishop of Alexandria in the 4th century. I tell you this because I want you to know that I am not inventing answers, but they come out of what the church has said for the last 1600 years.
Question:
Why did Jesus have to become a human being and suffer and die on the cross? Why didn’t Jesus just teach us about how to live in a way that is pleasing to God?
Athanasius would have answered:
That would have worked if humanity had not fallen into complete corruption. If we humans had merely broken a law, we could repent of it. If our problem were ignorance, then education would be our solution. But the human problem is much deeper than that. It is not merely that we did wrong; we were wrong. Our souls had been corrupted and warped and poisoned to such an extent that they could not be cured by willpower or knowledge.
Question:
How did we become so corrupted and warped?
Answer:
Here is the short version. God created humans in his image, which means that they can reason and create, and they can know God. Adam and Eve were created in freedom for fellowship with God, yet they were given only one commandment with which to show their love and appreciation and obedience to God: they could not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
This tree symbolized the desire to be God, for only God truly knows good and evil. They were warned that “of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die” (Genesis 2:17). Well, they did eat of this tree, and they died in a spiritual sense right away, cast from God’s presence, no longer able to live in the easy fellowship of Eden. And consequently, they began to die physically. Not only would they one day physically perish, but they were now living in a state of corruption.
Question:
But could not God just have forgiven them?
Answer:
It wasn’t just about forgiving them for what they had done; if that is all it was, God could have done that. But in eating from the tree of good and evil, they had become something different. They had been changed. Their souls had been corrupted. The image of God had been shattered. They knew what evil was. — It wasn’t about forgiving the act of disobedience. God’s dilemma was that he didn’t want to destroy what he created, but what humanity had become was different than what he had created. Our souls had become warped. The image of God in us was shattered. So, what was a good God to do?
Question:
Wasn’t there a way that humans could save themselves? Couldn’t they just repent?
Answer:
Repentance could not change what they now were in their nature, which was corrupt. Even if they ceased from sinning—which they could not—they would still be corrupt on the inside. The law of death was at work within them.
Question:
So, what was the solution to the problem?
Answer:
It is not what, it is rather Who that was needed to solve the problem. Only the Word of God himself, Who also, in the beginning, had made all things out of nothing, could solve the human problem. For this purpose, then, God, who is not limited by a physical body or under the power of sin, entered our world. He took to himself a body, a human body, even as our own.
Question:
But why? Couldn’t God have appeared in some other form? Why did he have to have a human body?
Answer:
Jesus took on a body like our own because human bodies were liable to the corruption of death. He surrendered His body to death in place of all. He took the corruption that sin had caused on himself – in bodily form. This He did out of sheer love for us so that in His death all might die, and the law of death would thereby be abolished. Thus, he would make death disappear as utterly as straw from fire.
Question:
So, Jesus took on a body so that he could die? Is that right?
Answer:
Yes, corruption could not be removed other than through death. For this reason, therefore, Jesus assumed a body capable of death. It was by surrendering to death the body which He had taken, as an offering and sacrifice free from every stain, that he abolished death for His human brothers and sisters by the offering of the equivalent. He fulfilled in death all that was required.
Question:
What do you mean by “offering the equivalent?”
Answer:
Complete corruption – which is the state of human beings after the fall – can only be reversed by the sacrifice of complete incorruption. Jesus was sinless.
Question:
So what does that mean for you and me?
Answer:
Jesus reverses the original fall by doing for us what we could not do for ourselves! By the sacrifice of His own body, Jesus put an end to the law of death, which barred our way. He took care of the corruption. By doing that, he made a new beginning of life for us by giving us the hope of resurrection. Jesus, you see, destroyed death and gave us new life.
Question:
Why did Jesus have to die the way he did – on a cross? Couldn’t he have just died in his sleep and accomplished the same thing?
Answer:
Jesus had to die a very real, undeniable, public death that everyone could see. If there were no witnesses to His death, no one would believe His resurrection. He would be regarded as a teller of tales.
Question:
But why did he have to die in such a shameful way? Crucifixion is the most painful and humiliating form of execution the world has ever known. Couldn’t he have died a more honourable death?
Answer:
I know you abhor the cross, as you should. But note this: a marvellous and mighty paradox has occurred, for the death which they thought to inflict on Him as dishonour and disgrace has become the glorious monument of death’s defeat. Though they tried to kill him in shame, the cross stands for all eternity as a symbol of the glory of God. And one final point, how could he have reached out to the entire world if He had not been crucified, for it is only on the cross that a man dies with his arms outstretched?
Question:
Why did he have to be resurrected from the dead?
Answer:
In his death, he took our corruption upon himself. In his resurrection, he conquered that corruption and demonstrated to all that he conquered that corruption. It was not enough to take our sin and death on himself. He had to triumph over it. The resurrection shows that he was victorious over it.
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Those are the answer that Athanasius and the historic church would have given about Easter. Hopefully, those questions help in terms of the question of why Easter had to happen. I want to spend the rest of my time on the question of what that means for you.
I am not sure all that happened in history – but somehow, the message of Christianity turned from being about the power of the cross to about being good. It became about having good morals and good conduct and measuring up.
There are a lot of people who go to church and come away hearing this message. “God is good. You’re not. Try harder.” But that is not the message of the gospel. Come with me to
1 Peter 1:3–8 (NIV)
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,
This passage of scripture was written by the apostle Peter to a persecuted church in Asia. He is writing to followers of Jesus.
Peter says,
1 Peter 1:3–4 (NIV)
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,
Something good has happened to you, but it is not because of you it is because of God. He deserves to be praised. What was done for you comes out of his great mercy.
Here is what comes out of his mercy. We have been given a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection. We didn’t deserve this. We didn’t earn it. This is mercy. This is grace. This is the undeserved favour of God shown to us.
He gives us new birth. How does God handle people who have been warped and corrupted by sin? He gives them new birth. You may remember Jesus talking about being born again. We are reborn spiritually. The Spirit of God so works in our lives to make us new creations. The old has gone; the new has come.
Peter says he gives us new birth into a living hope. You and I know that, while we are born again, we are not perfect. There are challenges and temptations and dysfunctions that we come up against. But because of God’s great mercy we have new birth into a hope that is alive. We can see that God has worked in our lives. We can see that God is working in our lives. There is hope, because of what the Spirit is up to right now, that all will be made right.
Now note how this new birth, this living hope, comes to us. It comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Just as Jesus died, you were dead in your transgression and sin. Just as Jesus rose from the dead, you were given new life. Jesus’ resurrection has blazed the trail for you. Because he was brought to life and conquered the corruption brought on by sin, you have, through that same resurrection, been given new birth. You are a new creation.
At the core of who you are, you have been made a new creation. You are born of the Spirit. You are born anew. Verse 4 says that you have been given an inheritance that can never perish or spoil or fade. This new life is not only good for this world; it is good for the next.
Here is what the end of verse 4 and verse 5 says.
1 Peter 1:4b–5 (NIV)
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.
If you are a follower of Jesus, the bible talks about how you were saved. It talks about how you are being saved. This verse talks about how you will be saved. You cannot see all that Jesus has given to you. There is coming a time when more will be revealed.
Until that time, you are shielded by God’s power through faith. Your faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus shields your new self from being corrupted by this world. That doesn’t mean you are perfect. Our minds, our wills, our emotions are not fully saved yet. But at the core of who you are, you are a new creation, and your faith in Christ is what keeps that core you protected.
And we need protection.
1 Peter 1:6–7 (NIV)
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…
You know that there are all kinds of grief in this world. There are so many kinds of trials. These come to prove that your faith is genuine. Prove to who – Not to God – he already knows. When you walk through the storm, and you sense his peace, when you walk through the desert, and you sense his strength, when you walk through your struggles and sense his hope – you know that your faith is real. You know who God is. You know that he is good.
1 Peter 1:8–9 (NIV)
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.
You love him even though you do not see him. You believe in him even through you can see everything – and that love and that trust fills you with joy.
Verse 9 says because of your faith you are receiving the salvation of your souls. This is where you are being saved. It is ongoing and happening right now.
Every story of how people come to new life in Christ is different. Some of you grew up in the church and you have heard about the life that Jesus gives since birth. Many others of you came to faith later on in life. Some experience dreams and visions, that draw them to Jesus. Others have people tell them about Jesus. Some people listen to a sermon just like this and respond to that draw in their heart that says, I want this new life for me.
The bible says that whosoever will may come and receive this new life. It is in reality a combination of the Father drawing you to himself and your responding to that call. Jesus says, I want you to know salvation from the corruption that happened and I want to give you new birth, make you a new creation, into a living hope.
If you are listening and have received Jesus into your life – do what Peter says and give Praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! (because) In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
If you are hearing this today and you have never given your life to Jesus – I would invite you to do that right now. Ask him to come into your life and change you – and forgive you. Ask him to make you new. Let him know that by his power you will follow his ways. God is so gracious he wants to do that and more.
The cross and resurrection changed everything in the spiritual world. You are invited into newness of life because of them. I encourage you to embrace what Jesus did for you.
Sermon Questions – Easter Sunday
April 17, 2022 – 1 Peter 1:3-8
Introduction.
1. What are you giving thanks for this week?
2. What are you praying about this week?
Digging in
3. This week, the sermon asked a lot of questions. The big question is, why did Jesus have to die? Could God not just have forgiven the offence?
4. Why did Jesus have to suffer the way that he did? Could he not just have died in his sleep?
5. Read 1 Peter 1:3-8. Define the terms in verse 3: mercy, new birth, and living hope.
6. How did these things come through the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
7. What do we know about the inheritance talked about in verse 4?
8. Verse 5 tells us that we are shielded by God’s power through faith. What does that mean?
9. What does verses 6-7 tell us about suffering and trials? What do they do in our lives?
10. What does verse 8 tell us about faith? What is the result of faith in this world and the next, that is expressed in this verse?
11. Reread 1 Peter 1:3-8. What is the one big idea that you can take away from this passage of scripture?