LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 92

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92

CONVENTION BIBLE STUDIES

dwells in you [plural]? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God
will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you [plural]
are that temple.”
You see, that day is the day of Jesus; it is Christ’s day,
and the Father’s day, and the Spirit’s day. On that day,
only the words and the choices that bring honor to God will
remain. All else will be burned away. That means that part
of the work that I have built in my life will be burned up—
because I still am a sinner, and I do not always honor the
Lord Christ. I will be saved—by grace! All who trust in
Christ will be saved—by grace! But our work will be
judged, and some of it will have to be burned away. Listen
to what Paul says: Take heed how you build, with words
and deeds. Pastors, leaders: the day of Jesus will be revealed with fire. Let each one take care how he builds. Turn
away from speaking or living in a way that dishonors
Jesus. On that day, all that remains will be deeds done in
honor of Christ, and resurrection tongues that are purified
to sing perfect praises and a holy pilgrim people at last in
their true home. On that day, there will be a new creation
purged and purified and restored to perfect harmony with
the God who loves us and who makes all things new.

of the world! Hope-filled hearts are joyful, steady, peacefilled hearts.
This hope also stands us on our feet, and equips us for
the battle. 1 Peter 4:7–8: “The end of all things is at hand;
therefore, be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake
of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another
earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” The day is
dawning, drawing near. With that hope in our hearts, we
begin to live now as people who will share the new heavens
and the new earth in which everything we do and say will
glorify God and serve our neighbor.
Hope-filled, joyful, loving, holy lives; Pilgrims—there
will also be opportunities—some caused by difficulty and
hardship, some just arising in the normal flow of our pilgrim existence. There will be opportunities to speak. Jesus
is the Lord—crucified, risen, ascended, and coming again!
By faith, hold to Him as your Lord. Sanctify Christ as Lord
in your hearts, and cling to this hope. And be ready to be
an account to those who ask about the hope that is within
you. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.

III. The Hope That Empowers
The Church

1. 1 Peter is writing to Christians, reminding them that they are
“exiles,” “strangers” on the way to God’s great destination at
the Judgment Day. How have you perhaps lost that part of
Christian identity by “settling down” in this fallen age’s values
and habits and choices? Please speak first about your own life,
and only then about the wider church’s life.
2. The Bible study argues strongly that 1 Peter 3:15 (and 1 Peter
in general) tells us to be ready to explain the hope that we have
in the second coming of Jesus. This is completely consistent
with the third article of both the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds,
as well as the summary of “lofty articles of the divine Majesty”
that Luther lists in the Smalcald Articles, Part I (Kolb-Wengert
300; Tappert 291–92; Triglotta, 461).
In your Christian life, are you looking forward to and living in
the hope of Christ’s second coming? What helps you to do
that? What hinders you from actually living that way?
3. In what sorts of life-situations can the hope of Christ’s second
coming be especially powerful for you? If you have a specific
example in mind, share it.
4. How does the hope of Christ’s return enable us to live in such a
way that others will notice and ask us to give a word about our
hopeful lives, as 1 Peter 3:15 says?
Jeffrey A. Gibbs
Concordia Seminary
Saint Louis, MO

This is the hope that gives the church power. This is the
hope concerning which we must be ready to give an account, whenever there is an opportunity to do so. This is
the hope that can fill our hearts and set our hearts ablaze.
This hope gives joy now. Now. On that fearful and
unimaginable day, who will stand? Who will stand when
He appears? You will. I will. All who in simple faith trust in
this Jesus who has already come will stand when He comes
again. What joy this is—our forgiveness, our standing with
God, is complete—there is even now, ahead of that day, no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1).
This hope gives joy now. Our lives have purpose. And
not only our lives—the whole creation has a goal, it is moving towards that Day. God is in control and He is going to
bring it to pass. Our troubles, then, our struggles are only a
small part of God’s great plan in Christ. It is so hopeful to
remember that we are small, and that as one person told
me long ago, nothing is the end of the world, except the end

2004 Convention Proceedings

IV. Discussion Questions