A LIVING HOPE

November 8

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 1

1 Peter 1:3-4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”

Sometimes hope dies.  Like in Peter’s case.  Following Jesus’ arrest, and in spite of his earlier commitment to stand by Jesus, Peter denied even knowing Jesus.  While he was still speaking, “the rooster crowed.”  Jesus then turned and looked at Peter, and Peter “went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:60-62). Can you imagine what must have been going through Peter’s mind?  He had hoped for things–that Jesus was soon to reign as Messiah; that life and ministry with Jesus would continue; that he’d have the resolve to stand by Jesus.  He had devoted himself to a dream and a cause, only to have all his hopes suddenly swept away.  I’ll bet you can relate to Peter.  Who amongst us hasn’t hoped for something, only to suffer bitter disappointment when it didn’t come to pass?  It is a part of our human experience.  And in that we go through a kind of a refining process.  For there are, in this life, hopes that are mere expectations and hopes that are firmly assured to us in the working and promises of God.  That’s our focus today.

Thirty years after his denials, Peter wrote these words in 1 Peter 1:3 about a “living hope” to believers who were enduring persecution.  Note how the verse bursts forth with lively themes: “born again;” a “living hope,” and “the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!” For the three decades following his denials, Peter devoted himself, as “a dying man, speaking to dying man,” (as Richard Baxter once put it), proclaiming God’s glorious gospel that folks might be born again to this living hope.

There is such a thing as a living hope because of the resurrection (1 Peter 1:3; 1 Corinthians 15:9). There could be no living hope if there were no risen Christ. Jesus Christ died for sins and rose again from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). He is the resurrection and the life and is able to impart life to sin-dead souls (John 11:25-26). “Whoever has the son has the life” and the hope that goes along with knowing Him (1 John 5:11-12).

A living hope is not something anyone can self-generate or conjure up.  You can’t purchase it or bargain for it.  You can wish for such a thing, but you’ll not possess it unless you are born again to it through faith in Jesus Christ.  But for the born again, the hope borne in them is as alive as Our Risen Lord Himself.  In contrast to the perishable things, we are prone to hope in and for (1 Peter 1:7, 18, 23), this living hope is unassailable.   It equates to the hope of heaven, the confident expectation of being brought safely home to that “inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4). 

“And, truly, this is a blessing, beyond all comparison or imagination, that we have been begotten again by (God) unto a ’living’ hope…Our first birth brought unto us sin and sorrow, but our second birth brings us into purity and joy.  We were born to die; now are we born never to die, ‘begotten again’ unto a life that shall remain in us forevermore, a life which shall even penetrate our mortal bodies, and make them immortal, “by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Charles Spurgeon

Peter wrote his epistle to persecuted believers, many of whom were suffering the loss of friends or homes or even the risk of their lives. But none of those losses could work to kill their living hope. Same with Peter. A few years after writing this epistle, his living hope met with fulfillment when he was martyred into the presence of Jesus.

There’s a lot of uncertainty in this world.  And there is a lot of hopelessness out there too.  But the “God of hope” has caused you to be born again through Jesus to a living hope.  That hope is meant to be shared (1 Peter 3:15).  Praise God for it! Rejoice in it! Focus on it! Encourage others in it! Spread it around!

The Believer Has Been Born Again to A Living Hope Through the Risen Christ to a Lasting Inheritance

When from the dead he raised his Son,
and called him to the sky,
he gave our souls a lively hope
that they should never die.

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Author: looking2jesus13

Jerry L. Conklin was born and raised in Hillsboro, Oregon. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served for six years in the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program. He was assigned to the USS *Omaha* (SSN-692), a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, where he served as a reactor-plant electrical operator. His military service took him to ports and locations throughout the world and provided extensive technical training, leadership experience, and an enduring appreciation for those who serve in the Armed Forces. Following his Navy service, Jerry earned a bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Technology from Thomas Edison State University. He worked at the Trojan Nuclear Plant near Rainier, Oregon, first as a reactor operator and later as a training specialist. After sensing God’s call to pastoral ministry, he left the nuclear-power industry and earned a master’s degree in theology from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon. Jerry served for twenty-seven and a half years as senior pastor of Lewis and Clark Bible Church in Astoria, Oregon. During those years, he preached and taught the Scriptures, provided pastoral counseling, performed weddings and memorial services, trained church leaders, and served individuals and families throughout the community. He also served as a fire department chaplain and participated in a variety of community ministries. After retiring from full-time pastoral ministry, Jerry and his wife, Laura, moved to Heppner, Oregon. There he served for approximately four years as a chaplain with Pioneer Memorial Home Health and Hospice, providing spiritual and emotional support to more than 150 patients and their families. In 2023, the Oregon Association for Home Care honored him as its Chaplain of the Year. Jerry also helped establish South Morrow County Seniors Matter, a nonprofit organization created to address the needs of older adults following the COVID-19 pandemic. As chairman, he worked with community leaders and volunteers to develop a weekly senior meal program, a monthly veterans’ lunch, and other activities and services. The organization served hundreds of seniors, mobilized more than 200 volunteers, and received statewide and national recognition. In 2025, Jerry was named Heppner’s Man of the Year, and his community service was later recognized by United States Senator Jeff Merkley. International missions have also been an important part of Jerry’s ministry. He has made ten trips to Uganda, where he has taught at pastors’ conferences, preached in churches, participated in Bible-school graduations, distributed Bibles and Christian materials, and encouraged local pastors and ministry leaders. He developed the discipleship booklet *First Steps with Jesus* to help new believers understand and grow in their faith. Jerry is the author of numerous books, Bible studies, devotionals, and teaching resources, including works centered on prayer, Christian hope, spiritual growth, and the person of Jesus Christ. His decades of preaching and teaching reflect his commitment to presenting biblical truth clearly, practically, and faithfully. Jerry and Laura were married for nearly forty-two years and raised four children. They were also blessed with three grandchildren. Laura passed away in August 2025 following an eight-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. Jerry currently lives in Hillsboro, where he helps care for his elderly father. He continues to preach, teach, write, and serve others through pastoral and community ministry.

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