This is the manuscript of the sermon preached at Christ Church Los Angeles on Sunday February 15, 2026.
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 Peter 1:1-9 NIV [1] Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, [2] who have been 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: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. [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.
Introduction
In our series, "Things Worth Remembering," we have looked at the essentials of Faith, Hope, and Love. We’ve seen that God can use those essentials in us to show the things that are truly Christian: a controlled tongue, a compassionate spirit, and a clean life.
We’ve spent time talking about what Jesus does for sinners—how He loves us right where we are, sets us free from the things that bind us, and changes our status from "struggling captives" to "citizens of heaven." We even looked at the beautiful things Jesus refuses to do: He refuses to lose His patience, He refuses to kick you while you’re down, and He refuses to be an intruder. But we also learned, last week, that while we are remembering His goodness, we need to leave some things behind—namely, the heavy baggage of our sins and past .
Yet, even when we know these truths, there is still a part of us that struggles to believe they apply to us. Today we are going to bridge the gap between the internal virtues we’ve talked about for the last month and our eternal security. So here’s our text;
1 Peter 1:3-5 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.
There’s the story of a minister visiting a service in a packed cathedral in Paris. Standing at the back, he noticed a shabbily dressed elderly man. He was tattered, dirty, and unkempt, suggesting a lack of means or ability to care for himself properly. As the choir reached the climax of the anthem, singing, "O Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us," the visiting minister heard the old man sob aloud: “O God, what a dream, what a dream! If only he could! If only he could!” Then, the man turned and rushed out into the street.
In a world of social media algorithms and constant bad news, we often feel like that man—shabby, worn down, and skeptical. We hear promises of peace and think, "If only it were true." We wonder if being a "citizen of heaven" is a concrete reality or just a beautiful dream.
Our scripture and text is from a letter that the Apostle Peter wrote to people wondering the exact same thing. Peter wrote this letter to a group of believers scattered throughout what is now modern-day Turkey. At the time (around AD 64), these Christians were facing intense social ostracization, verbal abuse, and localized persecution.
Peter himself knew what it felt like to have your world collapse (think of his experience on Good Friday). Peter had spent three years believing Jesus would establish an earthly kingdom. Seeing his leader arrested, beaten, and sentenced to death destroyed his entire roadmap for the future.
After the crucifixion, Peter was likely devastated and without hope, having denied Jesus. But the resurrection changed everything, giving Peter a "living hope,". This hope was based on the power and promise of Jesus' victory over death, which fueled his ministry and his message of encouragement to other Christians facing trials.
He wrote to remind these "exiles" that their suffering wasn't a sign of God’s abandonment, but a testing of their faith that would result in "praise, glory, and honor"
1 Peter 1:7 NIV 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.
Peter wanted to shift their focus from their current pain to their future inheritance.
Our faith isn't built on a dream, but on three immovable pillars.
We have a new identity based on mercy over merit
We now have a new perspective of a living hope
We have a new security that is an incorruptible inheritance
I. A New Identity: Mercy Over Merit
We live in a "performance" culture where our value is constantly measured by our productivity or our past mistakes. But Peter points us toward a New Birth that completely redefines who we are.
1 Peter 1:3 NIV 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,
This new life doesn't come from our "goodness" or our ability to keep a checklist. We are accepted not because we earned it, but because God is gracious.
This isn't a slow self-improvement plan; it’s a spiritual revolution.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
This 'new birth' comes with an immediate transfer of allegiance. While our physical address remains on Earth, our legal standing and ultimate belonging are instantly relocated to Heaven.
Philippians 3:20-21 NIV [20] But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, [21] who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
We become resident aliens—living in one world while being defined by the standards, protection, and authority of another."
We are no longer defined by the borders, failures, or labels of this world; we have been naturalized as citizens of Heaven. Our true home, our ultimate loyalty, and our highest protection now come from the Kingdom of God. We are "ambassadors" here, but our identity is rooted there.
2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
In a world that never forgets your past failures, God offers a fresh start. As citizens of Heaven, your permanent record is held in His hands, not the world's hands. God's grace and mercy are compassion for the imperfect, so your new citizenship is a gift you could never buy. Stop trying to "earn" your way into God’s favor.
II. We have A New Perspective: The Living Hope
When Jesus was crucified Peter and the other apostles didn’t just lose a leader; their entire world collapsed. Their dreams were buried in a borrowed tomb, and they retreated behind locked doors, paralyzed by the "if only" ache. But the dawn of Easter morning shattered that paralysis. The resurrection didn't just provide a happy ending; it fundamentally altered the way we view reality.
Peter describes our hope as "lively"—it is a Living Hope.
1 Peter 1:3 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,
Most hope in our world is "dead hope" or "wishful thinking" (e.g., "I hope it doesn't rain"). But Christian hope is alive because it is tied to a living Person. Because the tomb is empty, our hope has a pulse.
1 Corinthians 15:20-22 NIV[20] But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. [21] For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. [22] For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
Fear is natural for a struggling captive," but power is the birthright of a citizen of Heaven.
There is a staggering promise in Romans 8:11 NIV And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
That means that the very same Spirit—the same dunamis power—that raised Jesus from the dead is currently dwelling in you. You aren't just surviving on your own fumes; you are fueled by the resurrection power of the Almighty. This power doesn't just promise us a better life later; it provides us the courage to face "tomorrow" today.
As citizens of heaven, we don’t have to view our trials from the ground up, but from the throne down.
Ephesians 2:6-7 NIV says [6] And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, [7] in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
When we are seated with Christ in heavenly places, the "giants" of this world begin to look like grasshoppers. We realize that our primary residence is in a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Today, we are bombarded by reasons to be anxious. Our culture tries to tie our hope to fluctuating stock markets, political stability, or the fragile state of our physical health. But Peter reminds us that a citizen’s security isn't found in the "territory" they are currently in, but in the King they represent. We are ambassadors. If Jesus can conquer the ultimate enemy—death itself—He can certainly navigate the complexities of our today's problems , our family dynamics, and other challenges. Our hope isn't in a strategy; it’s in a Person.
III. A New Security: An Incorruptible Inheritance
In this life, we spend an incredible amount of energy trying to get "assets" that are, by their very nature, incredibly fragile. We worry about inflation, we fret over market crashes, and we realize that even our most precious physical possessions eventually "fade" or break. We live in a world of planned obsolescence, where everything has an expiration date. But as citizens of Heaven, our portfolio is built on an entirely different foundation.
The Eternal Guarantee:
Let’s read 1 Peter 1:4&5 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.
Peter describes our future using three powerful Greek negatives: our inheritance will never perish (death cannot touch it), it never spoils, (it’s undefiled, sin cannot stain it), and it never fades (it stays new forever).
This isn't just a poetic description; it is a legal guarantee of our status. While earthly wealth is subject to the "rust" of this world, your heavenly assets are immune to decay. Remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount?
Matthew 6:20-21 NIV [20] But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Let’s read 1 Peter 1:4-5 NIV again 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.
Your inheritance is kept in heaven—it has your name on it, and the reservation cannot be canceled. Plus You are "shielded" by the power of God. This is a double security: the inheritance is protected for you, and you are being protected for the inheritance.
In the ancient world, being a citizen of a powerful empire meant you carried the protection of that empire wherever you traveled. If you were a Roman citizen in a foreign land, the Emperor was personally responsible for your safety.
As citizens of Heaven, we are currently traveling through a foreign territory (earth), but we are backed by the full force of God’s power. We aren't just "struggling captives" trying to find our way home; we are a protected people whose home is already secured.
1 Peter 2:9 NIV But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
We often worry about our "legacy" or our "retirement," but Peter reminds us that our greatest treasure is already "stored" in heaven, guarded by the Father Himself. This perspective changes how we live today. It allows us to be generous with our earthly resources because we know they aren't our primary wealth. It allows us to face loss with courage because we know our real "inheritance" is tucked away where no crisis, no diagnosis, and no disaster can ever reach it.
You aren't working for a home; you are working from a home that is already yours.
Conclusion:
Sir James Simpson, the famous physician who discovered the anesthetic properties of chloroform, knew that physical relief from pain was a miracle. But when a student asked him what his greatest discovery was, he didn't point to his medical breakthroughs. He simply said: "That Jesus has saved me, a poor sinner!"
Today, you might feel like that man in the back of the Parisian cathedral—sobbing because the promises of the Gospel sound too good to be true, whispering, "If only He could." But the Word of God tells us today: He has. He has given you a new birth, a living hope, and a secure citizenship.
It’s time to leave behind the "If only" state and start living as a citizen of the Kingdom.
Closing Prayer
Gracious and Eternal Father,
We come before You today with hearts full of gratitude, remembering that You are the God of second chances and the Author of our "New Birth." We thank You that our identity is no longer found in our past mistakes, our labels, or our "struggling captive" status. Today, we stand tall as citizens of Heaven, not because of our own merit, but because of Your overwhelming mercy.
Lord, for the person here today who feels like the man in the back of the cathedral—who hears these promises and whispers, "If only He could"—we pray that Your Holy Spirit would break through that skepticism. Let them feel the reality of the Living Hope that only a resurrected Christ can provide. Remind us that because the tomb is empty, our hope is alive, and because Your Spirit dwells in us, we have the power to face whatever tomorrow brings. .
Keep us by Your power, guard our hearts with Your peace, and remind us every morning that Your mercies are new. In the mighty and matchless name of Jesus Christ, our Living Hope.
