Alliance Christian Church
October 5 2025

      • 2 Corinthians 9:7GS-NETBIBLE

  • Christ be Magnified
  • All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
  • His Name is Wonderful

      • 1 Peter 4:12–19NETBIBLE2ED

  • Hope

    Introduction
    Father Kaupan
    Narratio
    Kaupan was able to have hope in the darkest moments, because he had a secret weapon. His full title was Chaplain Kaupan
    He was a Catholic priest from kansas.
    It was his Faith in Christ that Gave him the hope in the darkest places.
    In our Study this morning, Peter is writing to a Church that desperately needs Hope in the Darkest Moments.
    [Re-cap of situation of 1 Peter]
    Big Idea.
    How can the scattered church find hope in the midst of our darkest moments??
    Body
    1 Peter 4:12–13 NET 2nd ed.
    Dear friends, do not be astonished that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in the degree that you have shared in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice and be glad.
    Sharing in Christ’s Sufferings
    Explanation
    This might seem counter intuitive
    But a lot of the life of the Christian is counter intuitive
    Those who want to be first are last,
    Matthew 16:25 NET 2nd ed.
    For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.
    The bible never promises that when we become a christian we’re never going to suffer.
    In fact, quite the opposite.
    Jesus specifically promises that we will suffer. In this world you will have suffering.
    Illustration
    This is not something New.
    The Christians in this letter, peter, who wrote the letter, the apostles in the New Testament.
    Less than a year after the birth of the church, Christians were being persecuted for their faith.

    Acts 7:54-59

    Acts 7:54–59 NET 2nd ed.
    When they heard these things, they became furious and ground their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look!” he said. “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” But they covered their ears, shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent. When they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him, and the witnesses laid their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. They continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”
    If you’re walking around with the idea that you will become a Christian and all of a sudden be free from suffering, I think you’ve missed the mark.
    We live in a world that is dominated by sin and suffering, and pain, no different than those who don’t know Christ.
    The upside down message of the Gospel is that Christians can find hope when they share in the sufferings of Christ.
    Peter had hope, because he saw the heavens opened and the son of man standing at the right hand of the father.
    He had Hope, because he understood that when we share in the sufferings of Christ, we share in his resurrection.

    Philippians 3:10-11

    Philippians 3:10–11 NET 2nd ed.
    My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
    Transition
    The skeptic might ask, is the only hope we get waiting for Christ’s return?
    [Expand]
    That couldn’t be farther from the truth
    Gift of the Holy Spirit
    Explanation
    1 Peter 4:14 NET 2nd ed.
    If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, who is the Spirit of God, rests on you.
    Down Payment

    Ephesians 1:13-14

    Ephesians 1:13–14 NET 2nd ed.
    And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ—you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.
    Fullness of God dwelling within you
    (Psalm 23)
    We Bear the Name of Christ
    Explanation
    1 Peter 4:14–16 NET 2nd ed.
    If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, who is the Spirit of God, rests on you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or thief or criminal or as a troublemaker. But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God that you bear such a name.
    The Name Christian wasn’t invented by Christians
    Illustration
    ‘Jesus Freak’ Movement
    Application
    When we live our lives in the Hope of Christ
    Sharing in suffering, walking in step w/ the spirit, bearing the name of Christ, it changes the way we live
    We live in a world full of hopelessness
    1 Peter 4:17–18 NET 2nd ed.
    For it is time for judgment to begin, starting with the house of God. And if it starts with us, what will be the fate of those who are disobedient to the gospel of God? And if the righteous are barely saved, what will become of the ungodly and sinners?
    Kid from Children’s church, Illustration, looking for hope
    the enemy doesn’t care
    We ought to recognize the hope that God gives us b/c he is faithful
    1 Peter 4:19 NET 2nd ed.
    So then let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator as they do good.
    Conclusion
    Chaplain Kaupan brought so much hope that the North Korean Prison Guards viewed him as a threat.
    Take away: Lean in to the Hope of Christ, and share that hope so much that Satan views you as a threat...
    Pray.

      • 1 Peter 4:12–13NETBIBLE2ED

      • Matthew 16:25NETBIBLE2ED

      • Philippians 3:10–11NETBIBLE2ED

      • 1 Peter 4:14NETBIBLE2ED

      • 1 Peter 4:14–16NETBIBLE2ED

      • 1 Peter 4:17–18NETBIBLE2ED

      • 1 Peter 4:19NETBIBLE2ED

  • Lead Me to Calvary
  • Living Hope
  • God Is Good All The Time
Alliance Christian Church
churchinalliance@gmail.com
9707657196
https://www.alliancechristian.church
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