****1 peter 1:15-16 A call to be holy

1 Peter 1:15–16 (NRSV)

15 Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; 16 for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Not everyone lives up to expectations or cares about expectations, or responds properly to expectations. Peter declared God’s expectation for His church. Because God is holy Christian’s are to live holy lives in a dirty world. I want to challenge the people of God to submit to the Lord Jesus Christ and live holy lives every day. Do we live holy lives? Is holiness something that you desire? Are we living submitted to the Son of God? Are we living in line with the word of God?

These verses reveal some expectations of God for His people.

I. We are to be sanctified with Christ. V. 15

A. The call to the Christian (15a)

“but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,”

The command in God’s word is clear and should be taken as a command. In his book “Serious Call” William Law states, “We may choose a married life or a single life, but it is not left to us to choose whether or not we live a holy life.”

Peter challenges the church to take action, be aware and alert and not conform to their former lusts. Christian’s are to forsake the former life that was lived in ignorance to God and His word. In verse 15 Peter reveals the High call and holy call of God on their lives. Peter reveals the Source of the call. We need to be reminded that it is God that has called us. We didn’t look Him up, seek Him out, or track Him down. Peter reminds the believers that no one at any time can be saved apart from the Lord. The Christian’s were not to conform to the former lifestyle because of who they were in Christ and what they have in Christ.

→ Peter moves from the Source to the summons.

We are called by God to be like God in holiness.

Called:

God calls all of His children to be holy just as He is holy. It is God who calls His children out of darkness into His Light, out of our dirt and filth into His holiness.

◾ God has a personal powerful and practical call on our lives as Christians.

There was no debating with or doubting about the call of God to the Christian. Peter boldly and unashamedly states God’s call to the Christian. Peter reminds the believers that God has called them. Has God called you? Have you heard the call of God on your life? Have you heeded the call of God on your life? God calls all believers everywhere, regardless of age, race, socio-economic status, education, geographical location, to be holy. There is not a place in the world that the call of God cannot reach.

We live in an age of cell-phones. Everybody wants to stay in touch. There is company after company that promotes their service and the quality of being hooked up with them. In their commercials they claim to give a clear connection, clear reception, more bars, no dead zones, and no dropped calls. No matter how good a company may be there are times that you are not going to get a good reception and you are at times going to lose a call. At times we may be in a place where we can’t receive a call or make a call! The Lord is not like that! There is never a place or time that He can’t make a call or receive a call. He will never have bad reception or drop a call. He who was before time and lives outside of time does not need free nights or weekends to get in touch. He can call all day any day and get through!

Peter tells the church that God has called us to holiness. God has called us in the past and that call has present ramifications. God has called us to be holy and He still expects us to be holy.

Holy:

God is sinless, perfect, and pure. God’s holiness means that He is completely and totally separated from sin and evil. Holiness pervades His character—He is holiness. He is the opposite of anything profane. The call to holiness for God’s people means that God’s people are to be totally devoted or dedicated to God, set aside for His special use and set apart from sin and its influence. Have you heard the call of God? Have you responded in faith? Have you understood God’s command?

In verse 15 we see the call to the Christian. We also see:

B. The conduct of the Christian (15b)

“but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.”

God calls for us to be holy just as he is holy. Peter tells us that the one who calls us is holy and that’s important. Peter moves from the call to the Christian to the conduct of the Christian. The key words in transition in this verse is “you also”. We are to be sanctified with Christ because of the call of God on our lives. God expects His people to be holy.

Peter proclaims the holiness of God and then challenges the church to be holy as well. Be:

Peter was true to the call of God on his life. He didn’t tell the believers to just do the best they could. Our best was never, is never, and will never be good enough. It is impossible for us to live holy without the power of the Holy Spirit. We cannot live holy on our own. We need the Holy Spirit of God to make us holy. God calls all to salvation and those that receive Jesus as Lord receives power through the filling of the Holy Spirit to live godly lives. We are sanctified from sinners by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and we are sanctified for service by the infilling of the Holy Spirit. God expects us to be holy just as He is holy! He does not require of us something that would be impossible for us.

Andrew Whitman said, “The Spirit’s work is to aid us in this process of becoming holy. What He requires of us He gives to us.”

The Holy Spirit of God sets us apart for God and makes us holy. Peter used the word sanctification by the Holy Spirit in 1 Peter 1:2 which says, “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.” We are to be holy and set apart for the Lord and His use.

Sanctification: Hebrew word “qodesh” means ‘holy thing’. It describes a people belonging to God, separated to God’s service, and therefore should keep itself separated to that service by observing the distinction between things holy and thing unholy. New Testament term “hagiasmos” means sanctification and is used of separation to God.

Sanctification is that relationship with God into which men enter by faith in Christ. Sanctification is also used in the NT of the separation of the believer from evil things and ways. This sanctification is God’s will for the believer and His purpose in calling him by the gospel. Holiness must be learned as God teaches us from His word. Holiness must be pursued by the believer.

Peter says, “you also be holy in all your conduct.” Holiness may not be a popular subject today, but God still expects His people to be holy. Holiness is not just doctrinal teaching, but practical teaching. God wants our holiness to show in the world.

Your conduct: behavior, conversation. Conversation is an old English term that referred to behavior. T

he word not only refers:

▆ to our talk, but our walk.

▆ In our attitudes and our actions.

▆ In our declarations and our demonstrations.

We are to be holy in our behind closed doors and out in the world. We are to be holy in what we think, how we respond, and how we treat others. We are called to conduct ourselves in a holy manner. That doesn’t mean that we are mean spirited or that we have the attitude that we are better than others.

Some people’s attitudes stink and they turn people away from Jesus instead of bringing people to Jesus. We are not to make excuses for sin in our lives because God expects us to be holy in all our conduct. When we stumble and fall and find ourselves short tempered, critical, a slanderer, a gossip, or doing anything that contradicts God’s word we try to make excuses for the disobedience in our lives. We might say that we’re not perfect.

Sometimes we defend a lack of holiness by blaming it on something else, buy the end result is still the same. God’s living water will only sparkle in a holy vessel.

We are to be set apart for Jesus and sold out to Jesus!

In verse 15 we learn that God expects us to be sanctified with Christ.

We also see that:

II. We are to be surrendered to Christ (16)

We are to be sanctified with Christ, but we cannot do that until we first surrender to Christ. Many Christian’s do not have the power of God to obey because they do not submit and surrender themselves under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

We cannot be holy in and of ourselves and the Holy Spirit will not make us holy until we surrender to Jesus. God expects us to surrender to Jesus. We cannot live the Christian life and be pleasing to the Father until we surrender to the Son and be filled with the Spirit.

I heard the story of a do-it-yourselfer who went into the hardware store early one morning and asked for a new saw. The salesman took a chain saw from the shelf and commented that it was their “newest model, with the latest technology, guaranteed to cut ten cords of firewood a day.” The customer thought that sounded pretty good, so he bought it on the spot. The next day the customer returned, looking somewhat exhausted. He said, “Something must be wrong with this saw, I worked as hard as I could and only managed to cut three cords of wood. I used to do four with my old-fashioned saw.” The salesman, looked confused, said, “Here, let’s go out back and try it on some wood we keep out there.” They went to the wood pile, the salesman pulled the cord, and as the motor went Vvvroommm, the customer leaped back and exclaimed, “What’s that noise?” The customer trying to saw wood without the power of the saw to help him is very much like the Christian who attempts to live the Christian life without the daily empowerment of the Spirit of God. In verse 16 Peter tells the church that God expects us to be surrendered to Christ.

He covers 3 areas of our surrender. We are to be:

A. Surrendered to His Word (16a)

“because it is written. “Be holy, for I am holy.”

Peter based everything that he was saying to the church on the authority of the word of God. In everything that we do and everywhere we go we are called to be a holy people.

Peter was surrendered to the word of God!

Because:

We are to be holy, because He is holy and it is written and that settles it.

It is written:

We do what we do because “it is written.” We are to obey with joy, give with joy, serve with joy, and live for Jesus obediently and consistently because “it is written.” It stands written and that settles it.

There is no argument about it no debating or wondering because “it is written.” Many in the church have never surrendered their lives to the word of God because they are not obedient to the word of God.

The word of God is to have authority over our lives. It is to have authority over our world view and our living in the world. We are to take everything to the word of God.

This nation was founded on the word of God, but has long since sold out to worldly and ungodly philosophies and doctrines of demons. If people were surrendered to the word of God there would be:

• No other gods in the world. People would love the Lord God with all their hearts, minds, souls, and strength.

• No blasphemy or taking the name of Jesus in vain.

• They would be faithfully in church on Sunday’s and honoring the Lord’s day.

• Children would obey their parents in all things.

• No murder, killings, abortions, suicides …

• No fornication or adultery, no divorce

• No stealing, taking things that do not belong to us

• Lying, stretching the truth, or bearing false witness on a stand or anywhere else.

• There would be no covetousness! People would be satisfied with what the Lord has provided for them.

God has set the standard and holiness begins when a person submits their lives to the word of God. The world tells us that God’s word will conform, but I’m here to tell you that we must conform to the Word of God. We cannot be surrendered to Jesus if we are not surrendered to the word of God. We cannot love Jesus if we do not love the word of God.

Warren Wiersbe wrote, “The Word reveals God’s mind, so we should learn it; God’s heart, so we should love it; God’s will, so we should live it.”

We are sanctified by God’s word and made holy by the truth.

God is the surest rule of a Christian’s life, and by this rule we are commanded to be holy every way.” We need to surrender each day, all day every day to the Lord Jesus. It is a constant dying to self and obeying the Lord Jesus. God calls for us to believe what He says in His word and obey what He says in His word.

Are we surrendered to the word of God? We are to be surrendered to Christ.

We are to surrender to His word, we also learn that we are to be:

B. Surrendered to His will (16b)

“because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

When we surrender to the word of God we will know the will of God and do the will of God. When we are surrendered to Christ we will know the word of God and the will of God. We will not have to guess or wonder about the will of God.

“Be holy” is not a suggestion for us but a command to us. It is the will of God that we be holy. Any Christian of any age should be able to discern the will of God for His children. It is God’s will that we be a holy people. Holy at home, holy at work, holy at school, holy in our marriage, holy in our finances, holy in our talk, holy in our walk. We are to be holy. The only way we can do this is to surrender our lives to His will.

Peter tells the believers emphatically that God’s will for us is to be holy.

Paul said the same in Romans 12:1–2 says “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

When we surrender our lives to Jesus then we will know the will of God and will be able to surrender to His will and do His will. It is the will of God as Peter wrote, for us to be holy in all that we do. We are to be holy because God tells us to be holy. It is the will of God that we be holy in our all our relationships. Have you surrendered your live to the word of God, to the will of God? We are to be surrendered to Christ.

We are to be surrendered to His word, to His will, and we also see that we are to be:

C. Surrendered to His way (16c)

“because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

Peter tells the believers that God is holy! He is the standard and we must surrender to Him. Many make excuses or look to others and say “I’m just as good as that person!” “I’m a better Christian than so and so.” But remember that “so and so” is not the standard!

“Most of the problems encountered by the average Christian stem from measuring himself by the wrong standard. The proper standard is the Lord, not some other Christian.”

If we are going to heaven we are going to go God’s way. (John 14:6) If we know the Lord we’ll want to please the Lord and do things His way! His way is the Holy way! Peter quotes from the Old Testament!

Leviticus 11:44 says, “For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

God’s way is holiness. We are to strive for holiness and set our sights on being holy. Every thought and fiber should be devoted to being holy. The reason we live ineffective lives and the church is suffering is because we don’t live holy lives. The lost world doesn’t see changed lives. The world sees church folks living in the same trash that they’re living in. We bring reproach on the holy name of Jesus. God calls us to be holy. Jesus said in Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” We are to be surrendered to His way! His way is the high way and holy way! Those who know Jesus will surrender to God’s way because God’s way is the best way. Those who know Jesus will live holy lives. They will walk the highway of Holiness.

Isaiah 35:8–10 says, “A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there, Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; It shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, 10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

It’s either God’s way or the highway. This doctrine that doesn’t teach obedience and striving to obey God in all things is not from God.

• Hebrews 12:14 “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:”

Holiness is what God is and what God expects. God expects His people to live holy lives and to represent Christ Jesus in a lost world in a holy way. The word of God is Holy, the work of Christ is Holy and the people of God should be holy. God provides power for us to live, patience for us to endure, and holiness for us to see Him who is unapproachable. Those who know the Lord and grow in their faith are those who surrender to the Lord Jesus and His word, His will, and His way!

God expects His children to be sanctified with Christ and surrendered to Christ.