Clean Living in a Dirty World - Part 2 -ACTION

Introduction

.We are in part two of Living Clean Lives in a Dirty world from 1 peter one

SHOW VIDEO OF LEVI at the Mud pit.

At the end of Chapter one-Peter exhorts the church to live clean lives in this dirty world.

And He tells us as the church that If we are going to live Clean Lives in this dirty world - We must be fully ready for the Battle.

Last week we saw from the text that

1. We must prepare our Minds- Don’t let the lies of this world have an influence in your thinking, but instead set your mind on the things above - simply-Live your life with eternity in view.

Dont live for the pleasures of this world but for eternal reward.

2. We Must Ready Our hearts.

The heart represents our core being

- it is where our faith and convictions reside.

- its the pool from which all our actions flow out of.-

- Its who we are as a person and what drives every decision we make in this life

and Friends, Peter is simply saying “If you are going to live a clean life in this dirty World, You have to be clean at your core.”

Your heart must be like Jesus, Being grounded in the truths of Gods Word.l

The idea Peter wants the reader to get is that You cant fake your Christianity- You cant act like a Christian on Sunday and then like the world during the week.

In order to truly live a clean life in this dirty world, Your identity as a Christ follower has to be who you are by nature.

Finally, Peter says in verses 1; 18-21 that in order to live a clean live is this polluted world we must Remember our Redemption.

Brothers and sisters, Dont ever lose sight of the cost the Jesus willingly paid for your salvation.

3.We must Remember that we have been ransomed from the futile way of thinking- through the precious blood of Jesus,

And it is only By grounding ourselves in the grace from God, that we could ever stand unwavering in our commitment to live clean and pure lives in the face of a world contaminated by Sin.

Remember how Peter opened up this text in verse 13

1 Peter 1:13 (ESV)

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action

Friends, Knowledge without action is dead, Faith without action is useless, Redemption without Action is futile.

Today my desire for us as a church is to see what actions a clean heart and mind will produce in a believers life.

And I want each of us to consider this question as we do.

Do the actions of my life prove I am a follower of Jesus or still in my futile way of thinking.

Turn in your Bibles with me to 1 Peter 1:22- 2:3

1 Peter 1:22–2:3 (ESV)

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you. 1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Friends this is what clean living looks like in the believer’s life.

Remember it is from the heart that all of our actions come from.

When a Christian yields his own spirit to the Will of God it will produce the Character of Christ in his actions.

In verse 22 - Peter says that a Pure heart will 1st produce a

1. A Genuine Love for one another.

(1 Peter 1:22

1 Peter 1:22 (ESV)

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

A. So what does Peter mean when he tells us to earnestly love one another? -

he’ s telling the church that they will love one another the way that Christ loved you.

This is why we must always remind our selves of the redemption we have been given through the precious blood of Christ.

Its the example a pure heart will follow!

Do you get the point?

When your mind and your heart are saturated in the unconditional love of God it will produce this same type of love for one other in your actions.

So what does this Genuine love look like in a believer’s life?

the first thing says is that it is is a

Sincere Love:

-To earnestly love one another means to love without hypocrisy or ulterior motives.

- It involves authentic care and concern for the spiritual good of others.

Rememebr how Paul describes the sincere Love of Christ in Phil 2:5-8

Philippians 2:5–8 (ESV)

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Friends, a Clean Heart will produce a sincere love for your brothers and sisters in Christ

- it will produce a love that seeks their spiritual good over your personal comfort.

Does that describe your relationship with other beleivers?

The second thing I notice about this genuine love from our text is that is is a

Brotherly Love:

Remember Christian that..

we have all been saved the same way.

We all stood condemned to die for our own sins

we all have been given underserving Grace

and We all have been chosen and by God -because of His great love for us,

we we all have been adopted into his family as equal sons and daughters.

The term brotherly love is derived from the Greek word "philadelphia," which literally means "the love of brothers."

This Phileo love is characterized by a sense of familial closeness, where people treat each other like brothers and sisters, fostering deep emotional connections that transcend mere acquaintanceship.

-its a love that freely gives support, empathy, and understanding to one another.

- its a love that genuinely cares for each other's well-being, often going the extra mile to provide encouragement, assistance, and comfort.

Illustration:

when I was a teenager my older brother was two years ahead of me in school and so we didn’t always get along.

I can tell you he always had my back and I always had his.Why Because we had a common bond WE WERE BROTHERS

I remember a time I was standing in the locker room after a soccer practice and a couple of my brothers classmates where making fun of him for something he did on the soccer field, And it made me mad. How dare they make fun of my brother- they were suppose to be his friends.

and so as a freshman I went up to these upper class-men who were both about foot taller than me, and I put my hands on the one’s chest and pushed him up against the locker and began to tell them how awful they were as friends.

“How dare they talk about my brother behind his back!”

I have a love for my brother, I have a genuine care for his well being Because we are bonded together as brothers.. We have a deep emotional connection, and there isn’t a whole lot of anything that I wouldn’t do to help him out.

Friends, Brotherly love doesn't mean we always like the same things or even always agree. It means that as Christians, we have a bond that is so much deeper than our likes and interests.

This love that we are called to have for one another is rooted in a bond of unity that we have in Christ, and its this Oneness that leads to a strong sense of community and belonging, where people come together, and live out the one another commands God gave his church,

Friends- Does this type of brotherly love- describe your relationships with other believers?

Transition: thirdly, Peter says that Genuine love will love Earnestly

Church We are called to have a Fervent love for one another.

Fervent Love:

This idea of a fervent love implies a passionate, consistent love for one another .

Its a love that doesn't waver based on the action of one another but a love that is held in the unchanging truths of God’s Word.

To love one another fervently means we must invest our emotions, our time, and our energy into each other’s lives.

Brothers and sisters we cannot fervently love one another if we do not spend time with each other.

Listen to Pauls words in 1 Cor 13:4-7 as He describes what Genuine love looks like in a believer’s life

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (ESV)

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Friends if we are going to Produce Clean Living through the way We love it must be a sincere, fervent, brotherly love for one another.

When we love others the way that Christ intends for His church to do - it will proclaim the presence of God's grace in our lives and will serve as a powerful witness to the world of the Love that God desperately wants to pour into their lives too,

Peter Goes on in verses 23-25 to tell us that a Clean Heart will produce.

II. A Sincere Love for The Word of God

(1 Peter 1:23-25

1 Peter 1:23–25 (ESV)

23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Peter is saying that The same truth that we trusted and obeyed to become God’s children also is what will nurture and empower us as His followers.

- To have Clean living in your life Means that you have a Sincere love for the Word of God.

- To Love the Word of God means to understand...

To Love the Word of God means that you understand The Transformative Power that God's Word has in your life

in verse 23 Peter reminds us that is was Gods Word that Had the power to bring you new life- It was through God’s Word that your eyes were opened so that you could see your desperate need for a Savior.

1 Peter 1:23 (ESV)

23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

Paul in Romans 12 exhorts Christians to not neglect Gods Word in their life Because it has the power to change our lives.

listen to what He says...

Romans 12:2 (ESV)

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Christian understand that you cannot live a life for the glory of God if you are not in His word.

In verse s24 -25 Peter goes on to tell believers the reason we can love God’s word so deeply is because it will never change,

- It will never go out of style,

-It will never fade away.

The word of the Lord is the same yesterday today and forever.

Brothers and sister- We need the Transformative power of the Word of God in our lives.

This why Paul in 2 Timothy 3:15-17

2 Timothy 3:15–17 (ESV)

15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Friends do you understand that...

it is God’s Word that teaches us what is right

It is God’s Word that reveals to us what God calls sin in our lives

It is God’s Word that instructs us how to get right

and it is God’s Word that exhorts us in the way to stay Right with God.

Church family. If your heart is clean it will produce a genuine love for one another, it will produce a sincere love for God’s Word.

and finally it will produce a

III. A Longing Love for Spiritual Growth

(1 Peter 2:1-3

1 Peter 2:1–3 (ESV)

1 So, (Because you are saved) put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Peter Speaking to these suffering Christians says “Look Brothers and sisters

“ Because your lives have been transformed by the Word of God and made clean - there is no more room for the filth of this world in your life.”

Christian when you are given new life in Christ Your appetite must change.

You should no longer crave the things of this world,

You should no longer hunger for the pleasures in this life.

You have been made knew. You have been given a new purpose , a new eternal destiny, a new heart, and a NEW Spiritual DIET

Peter says “Christian- Be done with all deceit, all hypocrisy, all jealousy, and all unkind speech.--- Stop trying to live your life like you once did before Christ SAVED YOU-. ITS NOT WHO YOU ARE ANY MORE.

The Point Peter is making is this… a heart that is clean will stop eating the futile diet of the world and will start longing for spiritual milk from the Lord.

Friends do you have a Longing for Spiritual Milk in your life?

Do you like a newborn baby, hunger and thirst for the things of the Lord?

Friends God has called us to be growing Christians not just saved sinners.

Hebrews 6:1 (ESV)

1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity,

Colossians 1:10 (ESV)

10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

2 Peter 3:18 (ESV)

18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Do you see the point that Scripture is making?

- God intents for his followers to grow in their knowledge of Him.

- He intends for his children to become mature in their Spiritual lives.

and then In verse 3 Peter wraps up this thought on spiritual maturity bringing it back to our love for God’s Word, Listen to what he says,

1 Peter 2:3 (ESV)

3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Friends remember When you took your first bite of Salvation- that moment when You put your faith and trust in Christ Alone for your salvation?

Oh how good it was- In fact it was so good that you wanted everyone else to try it.

If you let the selfish sinful attitudes and actions of this world into your life, you will lose your appetite for the pure word of God.

Peter’s Point is this “If we stop feeding on the Word of God, we stop growing in our Christian walk, and when we stop growing we stop enjoying the blessings of God in our lives- or as Peter says“tasting” the goodness of the Lord in our lives,.

Bring It Home

Friends, it is only By grounding ourselves in God's grace, that we can stand unwavering in our commitment to live clean lives in the face of worldly contamination.

We must constantly remember that our ransom from this polluted world came through the precious blood of Christ, and that He ALONE is our source of hope.

and when we do it will produce a sincere love for one another, a love for God’s word, and A love for Spiritual maturity in our lives,

Friends, If we are going to make and equip followers of Jesus in our community - the way we live our live’s matters.

- If our lives look no different than the worlds- Our message of the gospel is futile.

- But when we live clean lives in this dirty world- The world sees Jesus through Us.

and as Matt 5:16

Matthew 5:16 (ESV)

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

I pray that we as a body of believers will chose to live clean lives in this dirty world.

Pray.