A Call To Holy Living 2

A Call to Holy Living

James Young / General Adult; Youth Group

1 Peter 1:13–25

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Giving honor to God

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To our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

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To Rev Powe

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To Rev LJ

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To Minister Levens

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To Our Deacons

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To Our Trustees, Officers, and Members

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Good Morning

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I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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It is an honor and privilege to be here with you this morning and I do not take it lightly.

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I am humbled.

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I give all glory, honor, and praise to God for allowing me to be a vessel for a time such as this.

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Read 1 Peter 13-25

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The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language (Chapter 1)

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So, roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better than you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”

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For subject or thought, “A Call TO Holy Living.”

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Holy living trains Christians for heaven. The nearer we live to God while we live, the more shall we be to dwell forever in his presence when we die.

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John Charles Ryle (Bishop of Liverpool)

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Message and Purpose of 1st Peter

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Peter wrote to encourage suffering believers in Asia Minor to stand firm for Christ in the midst of persecution. He urged them to do so by focusing on their spiritual privileges and more specifically the place where their rights and privileges lay: the next life. Believers in Jesus are “exiles” and “strangers” in this world, a land of sojourn where we have no rights and privileges. Inheritance rights, privileges, and justice for Christians really belong to another realm to which God has delivered believers -Heaven, is our ultimate home.

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First Peter emphasizes that suffering is normal for believers because they are temporary residents in this world. As such, they lack rights and receive no justice in this foreign land. Though suffering occurs on earth for temporary residents, their inheritance and exaltation await them in their eternal home.

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Peter wanted to instruct believers how to live in challenging times so that they can effectively experience all that God has in store for them in this life and the life to come. They must be sober and alert and prepare their minds for action so that as obedient children they will not be shaped by the world. This is an attitude that leads them to successfully overcome each trial. These trails strengthen their relationship with God because the trials are purifying. This allows them to achieve God’s greatest desire, which is to be holy as He is holy.

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Peter did not remain sober.

The biblical meaning of a sober person is a person who shows no trace of haste or impatience. They are free from harshness and violence and is of moderate disposition, not readily excited or carried away.

According to peter, Sober-minded means living with a single minded focus. Our hope should be fully on the grace that will be brought to us at the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

We should be living with eternity in mind.

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In Mark 10:35-40, He became more interested in who will sit on the left and right of Christ throne.

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In Matthew 16:13-23, He did not want to hear that Christ would die, especially after being told that Jesus is the Christ “the son of the living God”.

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The pressure of watching Christ being taken away led Peter to cut off the ear of one the soldiers who arrested Jesus.

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Fear so overwhelmed Peter that during Jesus’ trial He denied him three times.

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After Jesus death, Peter hid in fear of being persecuted by the religious leaders.

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Peter became overwhelmed with stress, worry and fear because of pressures of the crowds and his personal agenda:

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Instead of following Christ, conformed to the pressures of the world.

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Peter’s experience and what he learned from it after Christ restored him, makes him the best person to guide theses believers as they live in the mist of difficult experiences.

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Peter exhorts them to be encouraged in God’s love.

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Be sober rather than panic.

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When we are faced with difficulties and seems they keep coming with more intensity, this process preserves our mind and strengthens our lives.

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Because of all the suffering these believers are experiencing, Peter uses an analogy the believers can relate to.

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When they were in a hurry, going on a long journey, or were in the midst of eating the Passover meal, the Jews would gather their long, loose robes and tuck them in their belts.

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Just as the Jews prepared themselves physically, these believers, because of all the suffering they were experiencing, needed to put all their mental faculties to work and prepare their minds to focus on the expectation of Christ return.

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In the midst of persecution that placed much pressure on the lives of believers, Peter exhorts them to remain sober.

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This is something that Peter did not do when Christ was arrested.

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Christ told Peter everything that would take place; and Peter, in the midst of duress, did not remain sober.

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and commit to live holy, even though they were suffering for their commitment to Christ.

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They must not allow the suffering to cause them to return to their former manner of life.

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They need to be obedient to Christ despite pressure to do otherwise.

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‌We Must Prepare Our Minds for Action

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Therefore - Because the return of Christ was not known to the prophets of old or angels, these believers must prepare their minds for action.

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Therefore - A heavenly inheritance awaits us, Christ return is unknown, and since trials are persistent, believers must set their minds for action.

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Gird your Minds - We must function in a sober mind, once and for all, so we are not distracted with life’s worries or fears.

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Sober - We must make it a habit to make sound judgement with clarity of mind.

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Hope - It is to be a hope that is complete in its character.

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Hope - Maintain consecrated devotion to service with the expectation that Christ will do what He said He would do.

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Grace brought to you - Christ provides generous spontaneous gifts based totally on what He desires to provide, not based on anything we earned.

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The Attitude That Leads to Success

Obedient - Obedience here means complete surrender to do whatever God instructs us to do so.

Children - God views us as dependent on him for everything and we therefore live with faith of a child.

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Fashion - The word fashion in the Greek texts refers to the act of assuming an outward appearance patterned after worldly passions.

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Former lusts - Lust refers to the desire for things that are contrary to the will of God.

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Conform to the former lust - We must no longer present ourselves to the worldly passions that once influenced or controlled us. To counter this, we must submit ourselves with child-like faith to God’s instruction.

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Called - This is to respond to a divine invitation to set oneself apart from the world.‌

Called - Each believer is divinely called to salvation with a spiritual gift to serve God.

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Holy - This is a Believer who is set apart from the worldly passions, consecrated and devoted to God. Peter calls all these believers to display the character God since they have been born again for this purpose. This decision is a one-time act because it is purposeful.

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All - It is the totality of everything we do, whether big or small.

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We Must Fully Trust God ‘s Prescription for Surviving Difficult Times

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Written - Past completed action having presented the results. Peter is letting them know that what he is saying is to them is legislated by God and is a completed act. No one can change it.

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Holy - We must make our ambition to live separated, consecrated, and devoted to the Lord’s will and to the service of our God. To be holy is the victory that survives all storms.

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Jesus Conquered death and Satan on the cross!

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He ensured that nothing could change God’s love and purpose for us!

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God’s power is guarding us!

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I want to encourage our youth to live a Holy life.

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This is not a life of perfection.

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You are going to make mistakes.

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It is through our faith for salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

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God has given us a new birth into an inheritance that will never perish.

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That will never be defiled.

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That will never fade.

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It is indeed a sure salvation.

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That salvation that is to be revealed in the last time reminds us of the future aspect of salvation.

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God alone is immortal.

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He has no beginning and no end.

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Out of his life comes all other life.

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Out of his immortality he grants eternal life.

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We give thanks to God today for Mercy.

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He withheld from us what we truly deserved.

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Because of our sin nature we deserved death.

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We give God thanks today for his Grace.

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He gave us what we did not deserve.

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Because of his love we have hope for eternal life.

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There is no work we can do that will grant us eternal life.

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Our new life will be dependent on God.

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John 14:3 says “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you, to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.

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This message is for every person seated under the sound of my voice today.

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God wants a personal relationship with each of us.

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Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf.

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Revelation 19:7-9 says “Let us be glad and rejoice and give him glory, for the marriage of the lamb has come and his wife has made herself ready and to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous

acts of the saints.

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Then he said to me, write Blessed are those who are called to the marriage super of the lamb: And he said to me these are the true sayings of God.

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If today was the last day of your life, do you know how you would spend eternity?

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This message is for every believer seated under the sound of my voice today.

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God wants a personal relationship with each of us.

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The doors of the church are open.

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Let us stand.

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What must I do to be saved?

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Romans 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

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If today were the last day of your life, do you know how you would spend eternity?

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Will there be one?

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You may come as a candidate for baptism.

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You may Come by letter.

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You may come on Christian experience.

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Maybe you are in search of a Church home and Ebenezer is where you desire to be.

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Maybe you are in a backslidden condition.

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Maybe you need prayer.

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God, we thank you for the word, message, and messenger. God, we ask to that you keep us safe until we meet again.

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Now may the Grace of God,

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The love of Jesus,

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And the sweet communion of the Holy Spirit.

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Rest, rule and abided Now, henceforth, and forevermore.

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Let us all say Amen, Amen, Amen.