1. 1 Peter Introductions Pt 1

I Peter1:1,2 Introductions

1Pe 1:1-2  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen  (2)  according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure.

I.Peter

A.Before

Peter is identified as a fisherman by trade. He would be uneducated and was recognized as such in Acts 4:13. The life of a fisherman was hard work and long hours. You fished until you had what you needed or until you could not fish anymore. Peter had to be strong and burned brown with long hours in the sun. He was probably a course man in appearance and speech as, generally speaking, laborers are. We may have a hint of that coarseness of speech when he denies Christ with swearing and curses. Matt. 26:74 When he pleaded with Christ to depart from him because he was a sinful man he wasn’t exaggerating. Ex: Fisherman in Dubai. Small boats would set nets together. Pulling the nets in was done with strong arms and backs.

Luk 5:1-10  So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,  (2)  and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.  (3)  Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.  (4)  When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  (5)  But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."  (6)  And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.  (7)  So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.  (8)  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"  (9)  For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken;  (10)  and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men."

B.During

Jesus renames Simon calling him Cephas in Aramaic, Peter in Greek meaning piece of stone. Stone, at the time was an important building material. It stable and solid. Jesus named him this not because that is who he was, but who he would become. Being solid, stable, and consistent is not descriptive of Peter during Christ’s earthly ministry. Rather he had the severe ups and downs that are associated more with a boat in an stormy sea; at the peak of high wave tops one moment and in the lowest trough of the wave the next and at times mere breaths away. Examples: Great faith/Little faith. Walking on the water. Mat 14:25-31  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  (26)  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.  (27)  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."  (28)  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  (29)  So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  (30)  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  (31)  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Great understanding/Little understanding Mar 8:29-33  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  (30)  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  (31)  And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  (32)  He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  (33)  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

Great Bravery/Great fear Mat 26:51  And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. Mat 26:69-74  Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."  (70)  But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."  (71)  And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth."  (72)  But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"  (73)  And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you."  (74)  Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!" Immediately a rooster crowed.

-Of the 12 disciples, Peter was one of the inner circle of 3 including James, and John. There were several instances where Jesus brought them and excluded the others. Ex: Jairus daughter Mk 5:37; the Transfiguration Matt 17:1; the Garden of Gethsemene Mat 26:36-40 Then Jesus *came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." (37) And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. (38) Then He *said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me." (39) And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt." (40) And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, "So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?

-He is the only Apostle to whom Jesus tells directly and specifically how he will die. Joh 21:18-19  Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish."  (19)  This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."

-Consider what may be the defining moment in Peter’s life; in any life. Luk 22:31-34  And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  (32)  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  (33)  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  (34)  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."

Luk 22:61-62  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  (62)  So Peter went out and wept bitterly. "

C.After

At Pentecost Peter preached and 3000 souls were added. Where after the crucifixion he, with the others hid. Acts 5:41 having been flogged went out rejoicing that they suffered for the name of Christ. He preached in Samaria, preached to the Gentiles, we know from Scripture that he was in Galatia, though he was called to account by Paul there, he was named in 1 Corinthians so it is reasonable to believe that he was also there. Here was a man, called according the purpose of God, untrained, uneducated, imperfect, yet called as an apostle

II.Place and Time of Writing

It is generally considered that the time of the writing of this letter was around 64AD, just before the persecution of the Christians by Nero, on whom he had placed the blame of Rome’s burning. There was still wide spread suspicion of Christians prior to that time in Rome and in the provinces. Suetonius, a Roman historian, calls Christianity "a new and evil superstition". Tacitus says that it is "a destructive superstition". So while Christians were not yet being burned at the stake, they were nevertheless, being persecuted for their faith. Suffering for the faith is a strong theme throughout Peter’s letter using some reference to suffering 16 or more times. Where Peter rebukes Jesus in the gospels for speaking of His suffering, the suffering of Jesus plays prominently in both his preaching and his first epistle. Commentators are split as to the actual location of the writing. Peter mentions Babylon, which some interpret as Rome and others take literally as Babylon on the Euphrates. Peter’s letter was issued as a circular letter and as such makes since that it would follow the order of delivery as that listed in the introduction. . One thing to consider is the love and dedication to Christ and to the brethren these messengers had. Paul testifies to his hardships 2Co 11:26-27  in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;  (27)  in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—

III.The Purpose of the Letter

1Pe 5:12 Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! The true grace of God being that work of salvation. He points to the past, present and future salvation of God. What does that mean exactly? It means there is a point in time and history that God has appointed for salvation for those whom God has called. God is presently saving His people from the power of remaining sin, and finally, at some future point, whether Christ returns or we pass from this life to the next God will save us even from the presence of sin. Rev 21:3-4  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.  (4)  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

IV.The People to whom it was Written

The epistle is addressed 1Pe 1:1 to those who reside as pilgrims, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are elect. The NASB calls translates the Greek to aliens, the ESV – exiles. These words indicate the initial readers lived in the Roman provinces in the northwestern section of Asia Minor. The term “strangers” is understood by some to refer to Christian Jews of the Diaspora. Others regard the term as a symbol for the believer’s status as a “stranger” in the world. Many references in the epistle indicate that the latter interpretation is preferred. For example, formerly believers lived in ignorance (1:14) and shared in abominable idolatries (4:3). Perhaps the most vivid illustration is that they were formerly “not a people” (2:10). Most likely the churches that received the letter were of mixed, Jewish‑Gentile congregations.

Appplication:

Transforming grace – in the scripture we see Peter’s transformation from fisherman to fisher of men. When Christ named him Peter or Cephas, it was not a description of who he was but who, through the transforming power of the gospel, of who he would become. As we have seen it, from a human stand point, it was not a seamless process. Rather we might have considered him unfit. He had highs and lows, he had success and great failures. Yet the eyes of God sees not as we see. Isa 42:3  A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.

Are we like Peter? Do we suffer highs and lows? Are we so grieved by our failures that we weep bitterly? Jesus yet intercedes for us, so that our faith should not fail.

We are all named Peter (little stones) 1Pe 2:5  you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Pete’s letter is written to those called aliens; in other translations they are called exiles and strangers. Heb 11:9-10  By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;  (10)  for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Do we see ourselves as aliens and strangers in a foreign land?

Are we seeking to be citizens of this world or are we waiting for that who builder and maker is God?

1Pe 1:1-2  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,  (2)  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.

I.God’s elect Pilgrims

II.The God who procures, secures, and affects

Introduction: In the first sermon of this series we saw the transformation of Peter from poor fisherman to the fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy that he would be a fisher of men. From weak and wavering, denying that he even knew Jesus to preaching and suffering persecution at the hand of the Jews and finally to be martyred for his faith and love to Christ. We see in him another example of God’s transforming power, making the dead, alive and a new creation in Christ Jesus. We also see in Peter’s addressing this letter that it was to be circulated the region of Asia Minor.

In the study of 1 Peter it is important to establish themes and context to understand the unique place each verse has in relation to the whole. 1 Peter can be divided into 3 instructional units as he addresses specifically the brethren in vs 1; 2:11 – Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles 4:12 Beloved. Within each of these instructional units is the command to be sober 1:13 in relation to salvation; 4:7 Be sober in relation to the times. ‘’The end of all things is near..” 5:8 be sober in relation to spiritual warfare. Through these instructional units the theme of suffering is pronounced 1:6, distressed by various trials, 2:12, 2:20; 3:14; 5:8

II.God’s Elect Pilgrim’s

In the NASB, KJV, NKJV the word for chosen/elect is placed in front of the word ‘according’ to emphasize that election in accordance with the foreknowledge of God, in sanctifying work of the Spirit to obey Jesus and be sprinkled with His blood. The ESV and the NIV place the word order as it is in the Greek; ‘elect or chosen pilgrims. It is of vital importance that we understand the connection between election and the work of God. But, in appears that, if under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Peter ordered the words as he did then there is deep spiritual significance to that same order. This letter that Peter has written is a deeply theological and doctrinal letter. Statistically speaking Peter names God every 9 words. There is no other epistle that comes close. So it comes as no surprise that Peter, in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit presses election before he is through his introduction. This is not out of the ordinary for any of the NT. While the church today tries to bury the doctrine or at least speak of it in hushed tones as to not offend the Scripture holds election up. Peter doesn’t hide it here, Paul doesn’t hide it in Ephesians 1, John, Matthew, and Jesus do not shrink away from proclaiming the doctrine of God’s election.

Peter’s word order gives us understanding. Why are they called pilgrims? These are people who in all likelihood spent all of their lives in the places named. They would be citizens, they would be known, they would have established lives and livelihoods. Peter emphasizes they are aliens not because of men’s rejection of them but because of God’s election.

Being an alien, pilgrim or exile is painful. It means suffering, rejection, and hardship. Throughout Peter’s letter he repeats the theme of hardship and suffering. Verse 6: "You are distressed by various trials." In 2:11: foreign "lusts wage war against your soul." In 2:21: you have been called to suffer. In 3:16: they revile your good behavior. In 4:4: they malign you for not running with them anymore. In 4:14: you are reviled for the name of Christ. Peter wants these readers to identify, not just with be an alien or exile, but being an elect exile.

They are rejected not because of who they are but who they are in Christ. Joh 15:18-19 "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. (19) "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (Joh 17:14)  I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Those that are in the midst of persecution and suffering often come to the conclusion that God has rejected them, has forsaken them. But the opposite is true. They are persecuted because God chose them and the world and the ruler of this world cannot bear it.

III.The God Who Procures, Secures, and Affects

God’s Choosing Us Immerses us in Himself

There are three phrases that Peter uses to define our lives in God.

1.Elect according to the foreknowledge of God

2.Elect in the sanctification of the Spirit

3.Elect for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus.

God’s choosing is all encompassing. It is behind us in God’s foreknowledge, it is in us by the sanctifying work of the Spirit and is before us as we obey Jesus and are sprinkled by His blood. Each of the Godhead is in our salvation, God the Father in His election, God the Son in His atoning work and God the Holy Spirit, in the application of the Father’s decree and the proptitiation Christ has secured for us. Procuring, securing, and affecting those whom He has set His affection on for His

1.Elect in the Foreknowledge of God.

What is God’s foreknowledge? Does that mean that God knew that I would chooses Christ and on the basis of that chose me for His own? Does that mean I elected myself to salvation? NO! How can we as sinners, dead in our transgressions, enemies of the cross of Christ come to choose that which we hate? The Scripture over and over again testifies to this fact in Rom 3:10-18  as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;  (11)  no one understands; no one seeks for God.  (12)  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”  (13)  “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.”  (14)  “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”  (15)  “Their feet are swift to shed blood;  (16)  in their paths are ruin and misery,  (17)  and the way of peace they have not known.”  (18)  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Called enemies in Rom 5:10, aligned with Satan Eph. 2:2 along with the other sons of disobedience. Just as in this life the dead cannot choose life, those spiritually dead cannot choose life.

God's foreknowledge of his people is his acknowledgement of them as his, or his recognition of them.

a. Psa 1:6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

This does not mean he is aware of the way of the righteous but ignorant of the way of the wicked. It means he acknowledges the way of the righteous. God's knowing of his people is his approving and acknowledging.

b. In Amos 3:2 God says to Israel, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

c. Rom 8:29-30 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; (30) and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

God’s foreknowledge and His foreordination are so intertwined that for all intents and purposes they are synonymous. Act 2:23  this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

The New American Standard’s translation is closer in meaning to the Greek.

Act 2:23  this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

This is the background from which Peter speaks in 2:9 ‘You are a chosen race’. It doesn’t mean that God chose a people that already believed in Him. It means that just as God sovereignly chose Abraham while he still was a pagan worshipping idols to be the father of Israel and the one who his seed would be a blessing to all the nations of the earth; He chose those to whom He would bring to faith in Christ Jesus.

The next question that those who are of the faith might ask is why did God foreknow me? The reason is as simple. He chose to. There is nothing in us that merits God’s favor, His mercy or His love. We understand from the Scriptures that there is no quality in us that would turn God’s eye upon us. And it is in God’s choosing us as objects of His infinite love that make us precious in His sight, that set in motion His predetermined plan to rescue His beloved from His certain terrifying wrath to come against sin and to make a way for us to enter into the unique relationship that we have to God our Father and Christ our brother.

2.Elect in the sanctifying of the Spirit.

The second phrase in verse 2 shows how the sovereign work of God in election comes to expression in us. Elect "in the sanctifying work of the Spirit." This is the same way Paul spoke of election in 2 Thessalonians 2:13 because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 

God the Spirit cooperates with God the Father in taking His eternal decree that you are chosen, and turning that decree into practical holiness by his powerful work in your life. In uniting the hearing of the Word of God with faith, granting the grace of repentance and indwelling the believer as a sign and seal of God’s calling to the end of the age. It is the sanctifying work of the Spirit that separates the chosen from the dominion of sin, it is the ongoing, progressive sanctifying work of the Spirit that separates the chosen from the power of remaining sin, and it is in the sanctifying work of the Spirit that separates the believer, finally, from the presence of sin. And what a day that will be!

3.In Obedience and the Sprinkling of Blood

In the third phrase we see salvation points to a purpose, and the purpose is obedience. The word used here conveys the attitude of submission in listening and following the instructions of those over you. There is no greater authority than God’s Word and it is to that Word Peter directs us that we should long for the pure milk of the Word that you my grow in respect to salvation. The application of God’s Word is implied here. What is included in the truth of God’s word? Instructions for living, instructions for the administration of Christ’s church. So that we as the people of God may pay careful attention that we are not merely hearers of the word but doers. That we must weigh our culture against the Scripture and judge ourselves aright and not allow our culture to infect the truth of the Scripture.

In sum, Peter is saying that the purpose of our election and salvation is obedience to Jesus Christ. Peter then goes on to use obedience two more times in this same chapter to help his readers understand what this obedience looks like in our daily walk

(1) 1Pe 1:14  As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,

(2) 1Pe 1:22  Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

for sprinkling with his blood

In the OT men are sprinkled with blood for three different reasons. 1) The establishment of the Mosaic covenant. Ex. 24:7,8 2) The consecration of the family of Aaron for the priesthood Ex. 29:21 3) and the ceremonial cleansing from leprosy Lev. 14:2-7. It could be that Peter is pointing to all three here.

It is in the blood of Jesus the New Covenant is established. Heb 9:13-15  For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,  (14)  how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.  (15)  Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

It is the blood of Jesus that believers are consecrated as priests 1Pe 2:9-10  But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.  (10)  Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

It is by the blood of Jesus that we are cleansed from our sin. Heb 10:12-14  But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,  (13)  waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.  (14)  For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Grace to you and peace be multiplied

Conclusion

Your life is immersed in God. You are plunged beneath the sea of God’s grace and mercy, enveloped in His unfailing, infinite love. Know that no matter what you are suffering at this point it is within the loving plan of God’s infallible choice of you and for you.

The Worthiness of God to receive Our Praise

Introduction: In the last two sermons we looked at Peter’s introduction to his letter. We are plunged into God’s electing of His people. It surrounds us, comforts us in the sea that of persecution and affliction of the lusts of the flesh that wage war against our souls. God’s election is from time past in His foreknowledge, it is present in the current working of the Spirit, it lies before us in obedience to Christ. We saw the inseparable link between obedience and salvation. We are saved, not because we obey, we obey because we are saved. We saw that Peter’s use of the sprinkled blood refers to three different instances where people were sprinkled with blood in the OT: 1) in the ratification of the Mosaic Covenant 2) the anointing of the Aaronic priesthood, and 3) the lepers, once healed from their leprosy were sprinkled with blood for their cleansing. It is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from our sin, it is the blood of Jesus that qualifies us as the royal priesthood, it is the blood of Jesus that institutes the New Covenant which is better, with better promises, better blessings, and the assurance that it cannot be broken. That the grace and peace of God cannot be know apart from His election.

1Pe 1:3-12  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  (4)  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  (5)  who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  (6)  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,  (7)  that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,  (8)  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,  (9)  receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.  (10)  Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,  (11)  searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.  (12)  To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.

What does blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ mean? We see in the Scriptures where God blesses men. And generally take that to mean the inferring of gifts and privileges or calling on God to bless. But how is God blessed when there is no one greater than He? This morning we will look at the definition, the foundation, and the application.

Definition - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed – eulogetos – is the word to speak well of. It is where we get our word for eulogy. It is used only 8 times in the NT and always only in reference to God and in this form (an adjective) it takes the meaning of inherently worthy of honor, glory, and praise. Eulogetos, used of God indicates praise and adoration on the part of the creature, in recognition of the power and prerogatives of the Creator, and the privileges enjoyed at His hands. The Septuagint (LXX) uses eulogetos for the Hebrew, barak, “kneel down” in the Qal stem and “adore with bended knees” in the Piel stem.

The Foundation

Peter states in this short phrase that God is inherently worthy of our praise. In using two different terms he addresses the issue if inherently worthy of praise on three fronts.

1) because as God He is our creator Psa 104:24  O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions

God is inherently worthy to be praised as Creator because of the mystery and majesty of it. It exceeds our finite minds; we cannot understand how something could be created from nothing. The magnitude of creation extends from one end of the universe to the other. We have not seen the height nor the depth or the breadth of the universe. We see pictures of deep space, of stars and galaxies. God created it all. And as the universe did not create itself, it does not sustain itself, God does. He is worthy of praise not just in the magnitude but also in the complexity of it. As far reaching as His creation is He left out not the least detail in the order of it. Microscopic organisms are much more complex in nature than first thought.

Ex: Rotifer – bio machine with rotating disks to draw food into it’s mouth. We have whole degrees bachelors, masters, and doctorates at universities dedicated to micro and cellular biology. As Paul told the Athenians, “he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.... In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:25, 28). Here lies the terror that though God is inherently worthy of praise, adoration, and glory from the created, man will not, though creation itself gives knowledge of the creator. It is just as Paul stated Rom 1:20-22  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,  (21)  because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  (22)  Professing to be wise, they became fools,

Luk 10:21  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.

2) Because He is Father.

Peter use of ‘and’ is more than just a connective word joining two ideas or continuing a thought. Here it amplifies and emphasizes the later Father. He is inherently worthy of praise because of the special relationship we enjoy. And we see the result of that in the following verses: 1) caused us to be born again 2) to a living hope 3) obtained an inheritance is imperishable, undefiled and will not fade away, reserved for us in heaven. 4) and protected by the power of God.

The question we now must ask is How is He our Father? How are we able to call Him Father? And we know the answer to that. It is plainly stated through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But I hope in the reading of the text, exercising observation. That Peter says God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the only place in this letter that Peter uses that term. Why? Peter is stating clearly the deity of Christ while in willing subordination to the Father. Php 2:6-7  who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,  (7)  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

It is with our Lord Jesus Christ that we move the the 3rd point and that is application, remembering the definition of ‘inherently worthy of all glory, honor and praise’.

Application –

The example of Jesus

Psalm 22 is a messianic psalm. It speaks of the sufferings and the sayings of Messiah. In verse 22, 23 the Messiah Psa 22:22-23  I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.  (23)  You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!

How are we to give God, glory, honor, and praise? By proclamation, the declaring of God’s name. Jesus did this in His teaching. How did the prophets of the OT declare God’s name. He was called Elohim, El Shaddai, Yahweh, but it was Jesus who proclaimed Him as Father in His teaching the disciples how to pray ‘Our Father, who art in heaven…’ Charles Spurgeon says “The sterner attributes of God had been discovered amidst the thunders of Sinai, the waves of the Red Sea, the smoke of Sodom, and the fury of the deluge; the sublimities of the Most High had been seen, and wondered at by the prophets who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost; but the full radiance of a Father's love was never seen til it was beheld beaming through the Saviour's face.”

Jesus teaching was both in word and in action. He declares ‘He who has seen Me has seen the Father’. Meaning that every act of compassion the Son shows is the Father’s, every act of gentleness, in the dining with tax-gathers and sinners, the receiving of children to Himself, His condescension, in His healings, in His feeding the hungry, in His declarations against sin, in His clearing out the temple all are the exact representation of the name and nature of God. This He did in the midst of the Jews, His brethren. Who then is our brethren? Is it not our family, our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers? Is it not the one whom God may providentially bring to us by the ransom encounter in the store?

And brethren just as He positively taught by words and His actions the greatness of God’s name He also displayed in His body on the cross the justice and judgement of God against sin. Why? So that God’s elect would be secured, so that the sin that prohibited us from ascribing all praise honor and glory to our Creator now privileges us to honor and glorify Him not only as Creator but as our Father.

So I ask you a rhetorical question. Do we have reason to give all honor, glory, and praise to God our Father?

When we come here in the Assembly of God’s people is it our purpose to point one another to Christ as we praise Him?

You may be thinking, brother you have gone too far. This text does not warrant the application. But later Peter declares 1Pe 2:9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

We may at times feel like we can neither praise God nor proclaim Him to others. How may we overcome those feelings? The writer of Psalm 77 had similar issues Psa 77:1-15  To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. I cried out to God with my voice—To God with my voice; And He gave ear to me.  (2)  In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; My soul refused to be comforted.  (3)  I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah  (4)  You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.  (5)  I have considered the days of old, The years of ancient times.  (6)  I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, And my spirit makes diligent search.  (7)  Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more?  (8)  Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore?  (9)  Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah  (10)  And I said, "This is my anguish; But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High."  (11)  I will remember the works of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.  (12)  I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds.  (13)  Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God?  (14)  You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples.  (15)  You have with Your arm redeemed Your people, The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

Remember the deeds of the LORD; Surely I will remember Thy wonders of old.

To remember is to draw out to the forefront of our mind knowledge which we have but have laid aside. We must remember the triune work of redemption that Peter has laid out. However great our sin God’s work of redemption is greater still.

Meditate on all Thy work, And muse on Thy deeds

To meditate is to dwell on any thing in thought; to contemplate; to study; to turn or revolve any subject in the mind.

To muse is to ponder, or to talk to one self about what it is you or meditating on.

The strength that God has declared to the peoples is His redemption.

The Reasonableness of our Praise to God

Introduction: Last month we looked at Peter’s doxology (Blessed be the God and Father o our Lord Jesus Christ) in the opening of verse 3. We saw that Peter was ascribing blessing to God, but rather it was pronouncement of God’s inherent worthiness of all praise, honor, and glory. We saw the example of Jesus in the proclamation of God in both word and deed. And the application that if God the Son did so in willing submission to the God the Father, can we do any less. The of the question of the doxology at this point is why? Why is it here and why now? The thrust of the matter is the reasonableness of it. It is positioned between two great and glorious theological and Biblical truths of God’s Divine Election and God’s Divine Salvation. As Peter, through the inspiration of the Spirit, launches into his letter he cannot help but be overwhelmed. This teaches us something important. The basis of our personal, private doxologies and public worship rest not upon a worked up emotional fervor. It is and always should be based upon the blessed, clear, concrete, scripturally sound doctrine and theology. It is studying and meditating on these objective truths that should move us to spontaneous doxologies of praise to worship. That is the goal this morning. As we have looked into God’s divine election we will now turn our attention to His divine salvation.

1Pe 1:1-5  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,  (2)  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.  (3)  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  (4)  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  (5)  who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

This morning we will look at God’s Divine Salvation in three points.

It’s Origin

It’s Destination

It’s Path

God’s Divine Salvation

It’s Origin – who according to His great mercy has caused

Just as in election, we see God is the originator of His salvation. Peter mentions an attribute of God; His great mercy. Mercy is defined by Webster’s dictionary as that benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. Judgement is certain until mercy is displayed. All throughout Scripture attributes are ascribed to God to help us understand the greatness of who He is. But God’s attributes are indistinguishable from His being. We use these words as a means of defining who He is, but we have it reversed. It is God who fills these words with meaning. These attributes like, glory, majesty, love, mercy, goodness are defined in God’s perfection. As God fills each of these words with meaning they take on another attribute: His infinitude. When we consider the infinitude of God we find ourselves plunged into the vast ocean of who God is which knows no height, depth, or breadth. Rather than being satisfied with the tidal pool or shallowness of our own limited understanding of God and His salvation; let us be explorers who by the Holy Spirit search the depths for the riches of knowing Him and understanding His great salvation. You are neither to young to begin or too old to start

You may ask, ‘If the mercy mentioned here finds it’s ultimate definition in God, why does Peter, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit use the adjective ‘GREAT’ here? It is to encourage us that God’s mercy is not limited, not just adequate, but great, super abundant, as limitless as God is infinite. Paul in Eph 2:4 uses the term rich. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us. Rich means wealth beyond measure. And God’s mercy has to be in light of God’s righteous judgement. He is infinitely just and righteous as His is infinite love and mercy. His perfect righteousness demands the penalty for sin. And those apart from Christ will drink from that cup of God’s wrath for eternity. 2Thess 1:7-9  when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,  (8)  in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (9)  These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

-The implication of it is this: if the riches of God’s mercy were a river, there’d be no dam large enough to diminish its flow. It is greater than the tsunami that crushed the shoreline of Japan years ago, or Hurricane Katrina’s storm surge that lifted homes off their foundation, scattered containers from cargo ships like so much kindling ½ a mile inshore. These were forces of destruction and death, but God’s mercy is for good and is so powerful, so deep, the gravest of sinners who has God’s mark for salvation upon them cannot hope to repulse it. And we see in the next few words that it isn’t repulsed.

-Has caused us to be born again. When we study the scriptures both the repetition of words is important but also the rarity. Here we have a word in the Greek that is only used twice in the NT and both in this letter. It is here in verse 3 and in 1Pe 1:23  having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.

In verse three is an Aorist Active Participle. Meaning that it was a completed act in the past with ongoing consequences.

Peter pictures man as dry, shriveled, and dead in sin until God implants the principles of the new life. When this happens, we sprout, leaf out, and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Eze 37:1-14  The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.  (2)  Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.  (3)  And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know."  (4)  Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!  (5)  Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.  (6)  I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD." ' "  (7)  So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.  (8)  Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.  (9)  Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." ' "  (10)  So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.  (11)  Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!'  (12)  Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.  (13)  Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.  (14)  I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.'

Note that to describe someone as a "born-again Christian" is redundant as there is no such thing as a "non-born-again Christian". An unregenerate (non-born-again) Christian is a contradiction in terms. By the power of God we have been given new life, making us partakers of His divine nature (2Pe 1:4) and thus children of God. Joh 1:12-13  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  (13)  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And so now we are waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons. Rom 8:23  Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

Pastor Steven Cole makes a good point writing that "We live in a culture which has taken some biblical words and used them in a way that redefines and cheapens them so that they no longer mean what the Bible means. But then they seep back into the vocabulary of Christians with their devalued meaning. Take the term “born again.” The media uses it to describe anyone who makes a comeback or gets a fresh start in life. A baseball team that has been in the cellar and suddenly starts winning is called “the born again” Dodgers. Chrysler under Lee Iacocca was a “born again” corporation. And so it’s not surprising when over 50 percent of Americans say that they’re “born again Christians.” They mean that they had some sort of religious or emotional experience that resulted in a fresh start in life. It may have involved praying to Jesus or “inviting Him into their hearts.” But in most cases, they have no idea what the Bible means by being born again. (Sermon) (Bolding added)

It’s Destination – to a living hope

Hope defined is a desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. Biblical hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy;

In our country today there is an epidemic of suicide among our veterans and our youth. I read an article where a 12 year old girl killed herself. Unbelievable that one so young would choose to end her live before it really began. Why do people commit suicide? At its most basic root it is because there is no hope for the future of hope of relief from whatever may be afflicting them. Ex: Tennis star Boris Becker was at the very top of the tennis world—yet he was on the brink of suicide. He said, “I had won Wimbledon twice before, once as the youngest player. I was rich. I had all the material possessions I needed. . . . It’s the old song of movie stars and pop stars who commit suicide. They have everything, and yet they are so unhappy. How many other examples can we think of? Having no hope is not limited to the poor or the infirm. Think of the many celebrities who seemingly had it all only to end their life early. Jimi Hendrix at the top of his career overdosed on barbiturates and drowned in his own vomit. Maybe we have people who were close to us lose hope and end their life. This world offers nothing, no answers to life’s most pressing questions. In my own life just before God saved me I had the same struggles.

But Peter takes it a step further. It is not just hope but a living hope, it is a living hope versus a dead hope. We consider the disciples of Jesus while still in the grave. They had the hope initially that Jesus would be the king that would deliver them from the hand of the Romans. Luk 24:21 "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened.

The NT also shows us that there is a vital need for us to have hope. NT hope has not only an objective content but also a subjective impact. When we fix our eyes on the future that God has in store for us, we taste the wonders of his transforming power. 1Jn 3:3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.. We are told that “faith and love (Col 1:4)…spring from the hope that is stored up for [us] in heaven” (Col 1:5) and that faith rests “on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised” (Titus 1:2).

What is more, hope brings us a deep sense of joy Rom 12:12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer. With hope we can maintain an optimistic outlook even when things go wrong (1Pe 3:15; cf. 1Pe 3:13-17). Our life will still have its stress and its personal tragedies. But the believer whose hope is in the Lord and who has a grasp of God’s plan will not be overcome.

We have a living hope:

Which Embraces. . .

A. the assurance of an incorruptible inheritance. (1Pe 1:4) ) to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you

B. a redemption purchased with a price of incomprehensible and incorruptible value (1Pe 1:18) knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

C. a life begotten of incorruptible seed. (1Pe 1:23) having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

Which is Contrasted with . . .

A. grief, which is for a season. 1Pe 1:6  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,

B. silver and gold, which perishes. 1Pe 1:18  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

C. the glory of man, which falls away. 1Pe 1:24  because "ALL FLESH IS AS GRASS, AND ALL THE GLORY OF MAN AS THE FLOWER OF THE GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND ITS FLOWER FALLS AWAY,

The surety of our hope is not based on a precept but a person Jesus Christ.

It’s Path – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

Often when we doubt the love of God for us we need to go to the Scripture to see the visible demonstration of His love. It is objective, it is codified in God’s word.

The word “Through” identifies the means or agency. The means and agency of God causing us to be born again to a living hope is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In his resurrection God confirms for us:

The Resurrection proved that Christ was divine.

Jesus proved His deity by fulfilling the prophecies of His death and by His return from the grave. Rom 1:4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,

The Resurrection proved Christ's power to forgive sin. The Bible asserts 1Co 15:17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. But verse 20 says 1Co 15:20  But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. The first fruit of anything means there is more to follow.

By rising Christ from the dead, Jesus proved His authority and power to break the bonds of sin and to assure forgiveness and eternal life to all whom God has called.

The Resurrection revealed Christ's power over death. Rom 6:9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him..

The Resurrection secured our victory over death as well Eph 2:6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus,

We have a living hope because Jesus has gone before us. God was well pleased to make Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that might become the righteousness of God in Him. God being pleased with the sacrifice of His Son was pleased to raise Him and all those whom He has caused to be born again through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

So then is reasonable for us to be overcome with praise and adoration of our God? When we have a right understanding of God, the sinfulness of sin, and the glory of salvation we cannot help but be over come.

God’s Great Mercy in our Inheritance

1Pe 1:3-5  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  (4)  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  (5)  who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Introduction: This is a spontaneous doxology by Peter proclaiming God’s inherit worthiness to receive all glory, honor, and praise as both Creator and Father, and highlights the following phrase, ‘His abundant mercy’. Abundant here means super abundant, infinite, knowing no height, depth, or breadth. It is as limitless as God is limitless. This infinite, abundant mercy stands in contrast to the implied but just as infinite judgement. Wherever mercy is displayed it is always in the face of certain judgement. There is nothing more certain than the righteous judgement of God against those who practice sin and wickedness. It is just as the writer to the Hebrews said, ‘It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.’

Judgement is terrifying and it is singular in it’s expression – that eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord. But His abundant mercy has many expressions. It is not just in His saving us to a living hope, but giving us an inheritance and protecting us through His power. It is that power of God which created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. The same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead is used to keep you until that final day where we will look no longer with the eyes of faith but will behold Him face to face.

In His abundant mercy He made known the agency of it – through the resurrection of Christ from the dead. He, Christ Jesus, endured the singular wrath of God so that God’s abundant mercy might be shown to those whom He chose before the foundation of the world. Peter reminds us of Christ’s atoning work as a recurring theme throughout his letter: 1:19; 2:24; 3:18. What Christ has done on our behalf makes even common words become rich in depth and full of meaning.

God’s Abundant mercy is displayed in:

In saving us to a living Hope

In causing us to have an inheritance

In protecting us by His power

I.God’s Great Mercy in our Inheritance

Inheritance defined generally by Webster is an estate derived from an ancestor to an heir by succession or in course of law; or an estate which the law casts on a child or other person, as the representative of the deceased ancestor. This is a common word that we are all familiar with. There is the understanding that where there is an inheritance there is an heir or heirs to inherit.

Aspects of inheritance

When we consider inheritance we don’t look only at what is received. We also look at the heir(s). The must be qualified to inherit. In ancient times it went to those direct descendants or to one appointed. Here we see the abundant mercy of God in that He has qualified us as heirs in and through the saving work of Christ Jesus. Not only were our sins forgiven and the guilt of them expunged from the legal record but have been imputed with Christ’s righteousness.

2Co 5:21  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

In this verse we see the glorious imputation of His righteousness to us and the utter horror of our sin and it’s guilt transferred to Him. 1Pe 3:18  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

Not only have we been reconciled but we have been brought into the household of God.

Eph 2:19  Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

As members of the household of God we are children and as children of God heirs.

Rom 8:16-17  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  (17)  and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Col 1:12-14  giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.  (13)  He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,  (14)  in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

We are the objects of God’s special love. Whenever we read ‘beloved’ it is not just the term of endearment from the writer of the letter to the church, but it is God’s term he uses for His children. We are His beloved, corporately but individually too.

The Christians inheritance-

What is this inheritance? The text does not give any details as to what it is. But a text we read earlier gives us a hint of the expanse of it. Rom. 8:17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Jesus speaking of the final judgement says this: Mat 25:31-34  “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.  (32)  Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  (33)  And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.  (34)  Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

We know from Scripture that it involves a place. Joh 14:2-3 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. (3) "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.

We can read Rev. 21 and 22 and be overwhelmed in the splendor of it all.

Scripture tells that our inheritance is not yet but we have been given a token or a down payment of our inheritance now in the Holy Spirt.

Eph 1:13-14  In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,  (14)  who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

God’s word - Psa 119:111 I have inherited Thy testimonies forever, For they are the joy of my heart.

Ultimately our inheritance in not in a place, our inheritance is God Himself. Psa 16:5-6  O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot.  (6)  The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.

This reflects the future heavenly reality. Rev 7:9-10  After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,  (10)  and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

These were not over taken by the glory of heaven itself but the glory of Him who sits on the throne.

The Quality

Peter uses three words in describing the quality of our inheritance. In each case he uses a combination of a – not plus the primary Greek word. Meaning not perishable, not corruptible, not fading away. In two of these words it is the only place in the NT that they are used.

Imperishable - Everything of this world is subject to perish; rust, rot, aging, mold, erosion, corrosion, and decay take their toll on everything. Empires and kingdoms rise and fall, dynasties are wrecked and governments are corrupted. Our inheritance has nothing in it that can cause it to decay or become corrupt, it never perishes from within or from without.

Undefiled – We look at the inheritance of many and see that it was gained in unrighteous means. We need to look no further than our current political class and those who have attached themselves to them to see that their wealth comes from the backs and labors of others. Their children who will one day inherit will inherit the unrighteous mammon of the cronyism and corruption that occurs in our government today But, our inheritance stands in stark contrast to that, it is undefiled; it was won for us by the perfect obedience and perfect sufferings and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. In heaven, nothing can defile because nothing that defiles can enter there. All will be perfect in a perfect environment.

Will not fade away - One builds a beautiful new home but it is not long till aging causes some of its beauty to fade. The most beautiful of people see their beauty fade as age takes over and the vanity of many have kept the best of plastic surgeons in business and rich.

There is no fading to our inheritance; it will pristine beauty has not diminished and shall never diminish in the ages to come.

The Assurance of It – reserved in heaven for you.

The word reserved is a perfect passive meaning that it is an action completed in a specific point and time with ongoing consequences. Passive indicating that it is an action done to the subject. Literally it means to keep an eye on, to keep something in view, to hold firmly, to attend carefully, or to watch over it (watchful care - Jesus' prayer to His Father for His disciples - Jn 17:11). It speaks of guarding something which is in one’s possession. It means to watch as one would some precious thing. The idea is to observe attentively, to heed, to keep watch over and to retain in custody. In this case we ourselves are not guarding but guarded by God.

1 Peter 1:4 says the inheritance is reserved for us, whereas 1 Peter 1:5 assures us that we are reserved for the inheritance! In this life an heir may die before an inheritance is divided. But the same grace that preserves the heavenly inheritance preserves us as heirs to enjoy it. God’s election of His people can never be frustrated. Those who were chosen in eternity past are saved in time now and kept for eternity to come. The believer in Christ is eternally secure.

III.God’s Great mercy shown in His Preservation

It is kept for us by the power of God and there is no power greater than his power. His power is such that no man can prevail against him. 1Sa 2:9 "He keeps the feet of His godly ones, But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; For not by might shall a man prevail..

Not one of his saints can ever be cast down so as to be lost for the Lord is upholding us in his mighty hand. Psa 37:23-24 The steps of a man are established by the LORD; And He delights in his way. (24) When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.

This protection is a continuous protection. It is unto salvation that is ready to be revealed at the last time. 1 Peter 1:5 Who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

What he has begun he continues and will continue to perform until it will not need to be performed any more. Php 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

This protection is so complete that he will be able to present us before his glory with exceeding joy. Jude 24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

This keeping is certain because no one has the ability to pluck even one of his sheep from his hand. Joh 10:27-29 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; (28) and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. (29) "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.

This keeping is certain because he is able to do even more than we ask. Eph 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,

Paul had complete confidence that God would keep him for his inheritance. 2Ti 4:18 The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

This keeping is certain because it is through faith in God and His power and keeping ability. 2 Timothy 1:12 I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Application: We, in this life, are surrounded by uncertainty in our circumstances. It presses in on us as we labor in our work, marriage, and parenting. We are burdened for the souls of those whom we love. At times we are pressed on all sides. But we have the blessed assurance that what God has promised He will do. Num 23:19  "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

God’s Great Mercy in Our Trials

1Pe 1:3-9  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  (4)  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  (5)  who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  (6)  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,  (7)  that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,  (8)  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,  (9)  receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

Introduction: If I am honest, I found it difficult connecting to this text. The afflictions, yes, the testing by fire, that too. What I have a difficult time with is the rejoicing. The Greek word literally means to jump with joy, so it is more than just an inward attitude of the heart, but also an outward manifestation of praise and adoration. But my failure to identify with this text is not because God has failed to take into account my Eeyore type personality but it is rather my failure to make God’s great mercy in my salvation a focus and priority in meditating on these great truths. It is a false piety to dwell only on my failures to the exclusion of the excellencies of the Triune God of our salvation. Yet again, Peter, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, takes us and baptizes us in the ocean of God’s infinite and great mercy. He does not sprinkle, he does not pour, but plunges us beneath the great healing waters of God’s mercy and God’s truth.

There is Joy in Sorrow v6

UnBiblical Views

There are a couple of views put for in churches that are unbiblical in their teaching on how Christians should deal with sorrow and distress in this life.

Health and wealth prosperity gospel or the name it claim it crowd teaches that if you are suffering it is because you don’t have enough faith.

Another teaching is that we should sail through suffering with a smile without acknowledging the pain or the heaviness of our hearts. This view makes it impossible to deal biblically with pain and grief. With this view Pastors speak platitudes that do nothing to alleviate the pain, do nothing to comfort the Christian in distress.

The Biblical View

Don’t deny the pain or grief. The Psalmist acknowledges over and over again his distress. Psa 31:9-13 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; My eye is wasted away from grief, my soul and my body also. (10) For my life is spent with sorrow, And my years with sighing; My strength has failed because of my iniquity, And my body has wasted away. (11) Because of all my adversaries, I have become a reproach, Especially to my neighbors, And an object of dread to my acquaintances; Those who see me in the street flee from me. (12) I am forgotten as a dead man, out of mind, I am like a broken vessel. (13) For I have heard the slander of many, Terror is on every side; While they took counsel together against me, They schemed to take away my life.

Peter acknowledges their struggles ‘you have been distressed by various trials’. He doesn’t minimize their struggles, but Peter brings balance in that he acknowledges their great rejoicing. Struggles and rejoicing are not mutually exclusive.

Paul spoke of his own experience through trials as being “sorrowful yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor. 6:10). He modeled it many times, but perhaps nowhere as clearly as when he and Silas sang praises to God at midnight from the Philippian jail, as their backs were laid open from the illegal scourging they had received (Acts 16:25).

It is in this verse that Peter points us back to the God of our Salvation. He marries their great rejoicing in God’s causing us to be born again to a living hope and to our future inheritance to God’s present work in the life of the believer. You may ask, brother, how does Peter do this? He does this with two phrases that define the limits of their present trials. “Now, for a little while” and “if necessary’. In the context of the following verses we understand that the various trials are for the proving, the refining of our faith. From this text there are three major points.

Because of God’s great mercy and love He takes all whom He loves through trials.

“In the world you have tribulation” (John 16:33).

“Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

“All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12).

Of Jesus it is written, “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Heb. 5:8).

Of us it says, “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.... If you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons” (Heb. 12:6, 8).

If we are good students of the Scripture we should ask why does God take us through trials?

Because of God’s great mercy and love He takes all whom He loves through trials to refine their faith.

Trials for the people of God, refine faith.

“That” (1:7) points to the purpose of the various trials of 1:6: that our faith might be tested or refined, like gold, to remove the dross so that at the coming of Christ there will be praise, honor, and glory. Faith is at the very heart of the Christian life. We are saved by faith; we walk by faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).

Proof is a verb that describes either the process of determining the genuineness of something or the end result. The Puritan, Thomas Manton explained it as "Trial is not only to approve, but to improve."

Faith is compared and contrasted to gold. Gold was and is of high value. It was a measure of wealth and worth. But Peter is saying that faith, refined by fire, is more precious than gold. How? Why? Gold only has value in this life. It may provide creature comforts and ease in this life but it does nothing for the soul. It can offer no solace, no hope, no promise for the future. While faith does not provide creature comforts, it is precious in comforting and soothing the soul when fixed upon Christ. It is compared to gold in that as gold is made more pure in the refiner’s fire; as the dross floats to the top of the gold and skimmed off. Faith likewise is made more pure in the fires of affliction. It is by faith that a wife of a missionary in Haiti held her dying husband in her arms and sang to him while he was drawing his last breaths, ‘What’ere My God Ordains is Right’.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:

His holy will abideth;

I will be still whate’er He doth;

And follow where He guideth;

He is my God; though dark my road,

He holds me that I shall not fall:

Wherefore to Him I leave it all.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:

He never will deceive me;

He leads me by the proper path:

I know He will not leave me.

I take, content, what He hath sent;

His hand can turn my griefs away,

And patiently I wait His day.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:

His loving thought attends me;

No poison can be in the cup

That my Physician sends me.

My God is true; each morn anew

I’ll trust His grace unending,

My life to Him commending.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:

He is my Friend and Father;

He suffers naught to do me harm,

Though many storms may gather,

Now I may know both joy and woe,

Some day I shall see clearly

That He hath loved me dearly.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:

Though now this cup, in drinking,

May bitter seem to my faint heart,

I take it, all unshrinking.

My God is true; each morn anew

Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart,

And pain and sorrow shall depart.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:

Here shall my stand be taken;

Though sorrow, need, or death be mine,

Yet I am not forsaken.

My Father’s care is round me there;

He holds me that I shall not fall:

And so to Him I leave it all.

There is a faith that is false. It falls to the wayside in the midst of trial. We need to be clear that there is such a thing as false faith that does fail. In the parable of the sower, Jesus said that in the shallow, rocky soil, the seed sprouted, but when the sun came out, it withered and died because it had no root. He explained that this refers to those who first receive the word with joy, but when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, they fall away, thus showing that their faith was not genuine (Mark 4:5-6, 16-17).

Trials are temporary, necessary, and under God’s control.

-temporary now for a little while. There are times when we endure trials for many years and it may be difficult to grasp Peter’s meaning here. That’s a little while compared to eternity. Paul expressed the same thing when he said, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17-18).

- Trials are temporary; salvation is eternal. In a short while, Jesus Christ is returning in glory and we will spend all eternity with Him. Our present trials, no matter how great, will pale in significance in the light of eternity. Thus, in the midst of our pain, we can have great joy if we will focus on the shortness of time and the eternal glory that awaits us when Jesus returns.

Necessary - If necessary points to only that which is necessary and not one thing more. God is not spiteful or evil in the unnecessary affliction of His people. Rather only those trials and afflictions which are necessary for the growth in faith are permitted; not for our detriment but for our good, as God has ordained that we should be conformed to the image of His beloved Son. Of Jesus it is written, “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Heb. 5:8). How much more so us?

Under God’s sovereign control. The implication of verse 7 is that God is the refiner. He is the metallurgist proving our faith as gold, removing the dross. Eph6 and 1Peter5 speak of Satan and spiritual warfare. We know from Eph6 that Satan’s spiritual warfare against the people of God are specific and unique to each believer. I Peter 5 says that Satan prowls about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. The comfort in these two words ‘if necessary’ is the knowledge that Satan is that heavy hammer intent on the destruction of those whom he strikes. But he is just a tool of our heavenly Father, who wields it not for our destruction, but for our shaping and molding. Each blow placed specifically and with just the right amount of force to accomplish His design. I heard this analogy many years ago and I don’t remember the Puritan who first coined it.

The product of trials is reward when Christ returns

The result will be “praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Whose praise, glory, and honor is Peter talking about? Since God alone is worthy of praise, glory, and honor in the ultimate sense, we could argue that His praise alone is in view. But there is a secondary sense in which God will reward believers at the coming of Christ with praise.

1Co 4:5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God.

2Ti 4:8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. Glory (Rom. 2:7, 10; Col. 3:4), and honor (Rom. 2:7, 10; 2 Tim. 4:8). We share these because of our identification with Christ (Rom. 8:17), and we will properly cast all honors back at His feet. Yet we can endure trials knowing that we will be rewarded when Christ returns.

Because of God’s great mercy we can have joy in our affliction by looking to the Savior and His salvation.

We look to the Savior with faith.

We’ve already seen that trials are to purify our faith. Peter says (1:8) that inexpressible joy in trials comes through believing in Jesus even though we do not see Him. We need to understand that faith is not an automatic response. Neither is it passive endurance. Faith is actively choosing to trust God in spite of my circumstances. Faith is putting my weight down on the firm promises of God. Spurgeon said that trials aren’t just to burn out the dross, but also to burn in the promises.

In a time of trials, it seems as if Christ is not there with you. So by faith you must say, “He promised to be with me even to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20), He promised never to leave or forsake me (Heb. 13:5), so I lay hold of Him right now by faith.” As Jesus told Thomas, who didn’t believe in His resurrection until he saw Jesus with his own eyes, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (John 20:29). That’s us! We will be blessed when we look to the Savior by faith even when we’re in the pits. It’s our choice and duty.

We look to the Savior with hope.

Note the future look of these verses. I’ve already mentioned the temporary nature of our trials in light of eternity. Peter mentions the revelation of Jesus Christ. That means His coming, but it brings out a subtle nuance that is important to grasp, namely, that Jesus is present but unseen right now, but the day is coming when He will be revealed. (Peter repeats this word, in noun or verb form, in 1:5, 7, 13; 4:13; 5:1.)

Also, Peter emphasizes the future sense of our salvation (1:9). In the New Testament, there are three tenses of our salvation. Once we have truly believed in Christ, we can say, “I have been saved from sin’s penalty” (John 3:36; Titus 3:5-8). But also, all who have been saved must say, “I am being saved from sin’s power” (1 Cor. 1:18; 15:2). Some day we will be saved from sin’s presence (Rom. 5:9-10; 13:11; 1 Pet. 1:9). Thus in a time of trial, we look with hope to the Savior who has saved us, is saving us, and will save us completely when He returns.

We look to the Savior with love

“Though you have not seen Him, you love Him” (1:8). Love for Jesus Christ in response to His ultimate love for us as seen in the cross, is the central motivation for the Christian life. It’s so easy to drift into the place of the church in Ephesus, which Jesus commended by saying, “I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who called themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.” Wow! What more could you want, Lord? “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Rev. 2:2-4).

May we look inwardly and see if we have indeed left our first love.

How do we cultivate and maintain that kind of love for our unseen Savior? Three thoughts:

First, Spend time alone with Him. You can’t cultivate love for your mate if you never spend time alone together. If you want to love the Lord more, spend time alone with Him in His Word and in prayer.

Second, Obey Him. In our day of “sloppy grace,” people think that obedience is legalism and has no place under grace. Those who think so need to read their Bibles. Jesus said, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love” (John 15:10). The apostle John wrote, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (1 John 5:3). If you are disobeying God, you will not be able to love Him as you should.

Third, Come frequently to the Lord’s table. It is a time to look to the Savior and the salvation He provided for us at the price of His blood. He knew that we tend to forget, so He instructed us to do it often in remembrance of Him. It’s a time to receive His love and express your love back to Him. As you look to Christ and His salvation, as seen in those elements, you will experience His joy, even from the pits.

The Greatness of God’s mercy in His Revelation

1Pe 1:1-12  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,  (2)  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.  (3)  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  (4)  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  (5)  who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  (6)  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,  (7)  that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,  (8)  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,  (9)  receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.  (10)  Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,  (11)  searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.  (12)  To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.

In the previous verses we have seen the abundance of God’s mercy displayed in causing us to be born again, giving us an inheritance, His abundant mercy in His powerful preserving of our souls. We see His mercy in our trials and afflictions and in the testing and proving of our faith. We must always remember that God’s abundant mercy is displayed against the backdrop of God’s abundant wrath and judgement. Mercy by its very nature presupposes judgement, because mercy is not receiving what we deserve. Whenever we read this word we should bring to mind our state apart from Christ and what God has done for us in Christ. This morning we will see God’s abundant mercy in His revelation. The revelation being seen in ‘this salvation’.

There are three points.

The Uniqueness of the Message

The Unity of the Message

The Importance of the Message

First some General Observations

From a casual reading of this text we see that the subject is ‘this salvation’. This salvation has been the central theme of the prophets. It is the central theme of those who have preached the gospel. It is the central theme of the Holy Spirit who is the agent of revelation and the agent of those who preach to the gospel. It is the message that has been delivered to us by the prophets and preachers and it is the central theme of which the angels desire to look into. So we have the message ‘this salvation’ we have prophets, preachers, angels, those who received, and the Holy Spirit. It is necessary then that we see ‘this salvation’ in the context it was written.

It is also important to consider the structure of this passage. The Prophets received the message from the Spirit. The Preachers preached the message by the Spirit and we received and believed the message by the Spirit. The angels are conspicuously absent from this working of the Holy Spirit. But such is the ‘this salvation’ that the angelic realm desires to look. They are participants, messengers in the process but they are not beneficiary’s.

2Pe 2:4  For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;

Heb 2:16  For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.

There are three points:

The Uniqueness of the Message: Of this Salvation

The sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.

Peter continues to point us to the centrality of the message of salvation. It has been the subject from the beginning until now. And it is clear from the context of this verse that Peter’s definition of salvation is broad in its scope. When we say ‘this salvation’ we tend to mean Christ saves us from our sin and this is true. But in verse 2 we see the activity of the Triune God in salvation. We are elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. In the sanctification of the Spirit meaning that the Spirit operates in separating us in salvation and sanctification. To be sprinkled by the blood of Christ. This indicating the sacrificial lamb that is Christ. In the Old Testament people were sprinkled in the sacrificial blood at the institution of the Mosiac Covenant, being set apart for the office of the priesthood and for the ceremonial cleansing from leprosy. It is in the blood of Christ the New Covenant was instituted, it is by the blood of Christ that qualifies us to be that royal priesthood and it is in the blood of Christ we know cleansing from our sin. But even the simple phrase itself infers more. It infers the past, present, and future nature of our salvation. The past is that we have been saved from the dominion of sin, we are presently being saved from the power of remaining sin as we, through the power of the Holy Spirit grow in holiness, and finally when we step into glory God will remove us from the presence of sin. But there is even more still. ‘This salvation’ also includes salvation from the wrath of God against sinners. It has often been said that God loves the sinner but hates the sin, the reality is that it is the sinner that is judged and condemned to hell. In Christ we are saved from the moral pollution of sin, the guilt of sin, and the penalty of sin.

Eph 5:6  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

1Th 1:9-10  For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,  (10)  and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

1Th 5:9-10  For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,  (10)  who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

Concerning ‘This Salvation’ we are not only saved from but we are also saved to. We are saved to a living hope v.4. That living hope has as its foundation the resurrected Jesus Christ. The Messiah who is now alive versus the men of other religions being dead. A living hope that is tested and tried by fire from God Himself to purify and strengthen it. We are saved from God the Judge to God our Father.

1Pe 1:17  And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;

That relationship which was broken in the fall God has restored in Christ. We relate to our God not limited to Creator – Creation. But as Father to His children.

Rom 8:14-16  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  (15)  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."  (16)  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

We are saved to Christ. 1Pe 2:24-25  who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.  (25)  For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Joh 17:9  "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.

We are saved to the Triune God who has chosen and caused us to be born again, sanctified us for obedience and to the sprinkling of Christ’s blood for our institution into the New Covenant, as a royal priesthood, and for cleansing from our sin.

The uniqueness of the message is Act 4:12  Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

There is a sense to that in Christ we are saved to one another. In chapter 2 Peter speaks of us being living stones being built into a spiritual house. We have been reconciled to one another.

Eph 2:13-16  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  (14)  For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,  (15)  having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,  (16)  and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

There can be no unity in pursuing the deeds of the flesh.

The worlds religions say work and you may earn salvation. The message of the gospel is Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Unity of the Message

Through the Old and New Testament there is a central theme. That theme is the message of salvation. Some theologians would have you believe that salvation was different for the old testament saints but this is not true. The OT saints looked ahead at the finished work of Christ but could not see it completely. We look back at the finished work of Christ. Whether old covenant saint or new covenant saint Christ is the object of faith. Just as Jesus said, Joh 8:56  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." How can this text be explained other than through prophetic revelation? God Himself, said Abraham was a prophet. All of the OT Scriptures point to Christ and His redemptive work. It was the focus of the prophetic message.

Isa 53:1-12  Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?  (2)  For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.  (3)  He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.  (4)  Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.  (5)  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.  (6)  All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.  (7)  He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.  (8)  He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.  (9)  And they made His grave with the wicked—But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.  (10)  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.  (11)  He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.  (12)  Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

It is the focus of the preaching and teaching of the Apostles and writers of the NT. It is the focus of the gospels and Acts, the letters to the churches, and in the pastoral epistles.

1Co 15:1-4  Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,  (2)  by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.  (3)  For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  (4)  and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

And what Scriptures do you think Paul was referencing? The NT was not complete at the time of this letter. The Scriptures he was referencing was the OT.

We could spend days going through each book of the Bible and pointing out the emphasis on the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.

The Importance of the Message

The Prophets – search carefully, inquired, searched. Once the prophets received the Word they were not content to just speak but they themselves were invested in the message. The word search carefully means to exhaust all means of investigation in the search. Inquiry is to seek something that is hidden. Searching is the action involved. The use of these words, the intensity behind each of them displays the fact that those prophets of the Old Testament had so much more than a casual interest in that which they received. These prophets lived in times of disobedience of the nation of Israel and Judah. They saw that Israel and Judah had broken covenant with God and they were heartbroken over that fact. How do you think Jeremiah received the word of the New Covenant to come after experiencing the real judgement of God against the nation, the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, the deprivation the people endured, the march into exile. The nation, the city, the temple were all visible expressions of God’s presence and blessing and they were gone.

Jer 31:31-34  "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—  (32)  not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.  (33)  But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.  (34)  No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

Ex: Daniel

Dan 10:1-12  In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision.  (2)  In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks.  (3)  I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.  (4)  Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris,  (5)  I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz!  (6)  His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.  (7)  And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.  (8)  Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength.  (9)  Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.  (10)  Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands.  (11)  And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.  (12)  Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.

It was with anxious expectation they looked for the redemption of come. Luk 2:25-32  And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.  (26)  And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.  (27)  So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,  (28)  he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:  (29)  "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;  (30)  For my eyes have seen Your salvation  (31)  Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,  (32)  A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."

The text goes on to say ‘To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you’

The prophets would not see the fulfillment of the revelation given to them. This does not mean they did not benefit or were encouraged by it or to those believers who heard their message. But the fullness of it was to us.

It is ‘this salvation’ that the Spirit has revealed.

It was to the prophets of old, the preachers now, and those who receive the message. It is in the message given the Spirit’s work in sanctification is seen. The sanctify is to set apart. It is in the message of salvation as the means that the Spirit uses to work salvation. When the message is received in saving faith there is a separation from the world and sin. Our relationship has changed in regards to both. Paul said Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

The Spirit’s activity in revealing the message from the beginning is important because it is absolutely trustworthy. Num 23:19  "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

2Ti 3:16  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God

2Pe 1:21  for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Those who have preached the gospel to you.

Application:

What is our interest in this great salvation that has been bestowed on us? Are we students of it? Are we thankful for it? How does it affect how we live our day to day lives? Does it cause us to glorify God in our personal, family and corporate times of worship?

Or are we those who take lightly the salvation of God? Do we tread under foot the blood of Christ in our pursuit of enjoying the passing pleasures of this world?

1Pe 1:13-16  Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  (14)  as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;  (15)  but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,  (16)  because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."

Structure of the verse: The first two phrases of this verse are not stand alone actions that Peter is instructing believers to do. Rather they act like adverbs in that they actually support the first imperative that Peter issues in this letter. It is in these two actions of having gird up the loins of our mind and being sober that make the fulfillment of the command to set our hope completely on the grace to be revealed, possible.

Therefore having girded up the loins of your mind past, presently being sober in spirit, imperative fix your hope completely on the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Or for the sake of understanding it better we might read it as: Therefore fix your hope completely on the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ by having gird the loins of your mind, being sober in spirit.

Introduction: v.13 Stands as the lynch pin that connects the previous 12 verses with the instructional unit Peter is going to begin in verse 14. Here we see a pattern in scripture where doctrine is given and the believer’s moral response. The first 3 chapters of Ephesians are doctrine the last 3 are Paul’s instruction in practical application. Ex. 20 we have the reminder of the redemptive event of God saving Israel from slavery before the giving of the Law.

Exo 20:1-2  And God spoke all these words, saying:  (2)  "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

It is after this salvific event that the 10 commandments are given.

The point is, whenever we see the grace of God it necessitates action on the part of the hearer.

Eph 2:8-10  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,  (9)  not of works, lest anyone should boast.  (10)  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

‘Therefore’ in this verse, points back to the great doctrines of God. In verse 1,2 we see the Triune work of God in His Election, redemption, and sanctification. In verses 3-12 Peter teaches us God’s great mercy in our salvation, inheritance, His preservation, His conforming us to the image of His beloved Son through His testing in our trials, His revelation, and He privileged us to experience salvation in a way the OT saints would not and the angelic host cannot. God has laid the foundation for our response in His precious and magnificent promises which are always yes in Christ Jesus. The verse literally reads:

Therefore having already girded up the loins of your mind past, presently being sober in spirit, imperative rest your hope completely on the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Having Gird your minds for action.

Keep Sober

Fix your Hope.

Having Gird your minds for Action –

Some translations have left out ‘loins’ to make it easier to read. But doing so we miss the richness of the word picture that Peter provides.

What does gird mean? This is the only place in the NT where this verb is used. This verb stresses the action of binding up their long robes for strenuous activity. In the middle-east garments are loose and long for comfort. They would reach down from the front and grab the rear part of their garment, lift up and tuck the back edge into their belt, turning their long garment into a loose pair of shorts. Ex: Dubai – fisherman. Kids playing soccer

What are we to gird? The loins of our mind. What are the loins? It is the hip area and lower back. It is the seat of strength. Baseball players engage their hips in hitting the ball, quarterbacks engage their hips throwing the football, weightlifter engage the hips and lower back in squats and deadlifts. These same employ wide belts for support. It is important because it is the seat of strength. Peter is stressing that it is our mind not our emotions that should rule how we live and how we act. And yet we see that it is just the opposite today. We have the Christian version of ‘If it feels food do it’ which is ‘I felt led to do this or that’ rather than disciplining ourselves for the sake of godliness.

Eph 6:14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED (different verb form) YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,

When are we to gird? The tense of the verb in the Greek indicates that it is a completed action with ongoing consequences. Meaning that we should be in a constant state of readiness day by day for whatever action may be required.

Why are we to gird? There are two results that occur in girding the loins of our mind. 1) It restrains that which otherwise restrict us or cause us to stumble. 2) it frees our mind to be ready to deal vigorously, and unhindered with whatever is needed. So girding up the mind involves removing anything that would hinder the free action of the mind in regards to spiritual growth. In Paul’s description of the armor in Eph. 6 he references the belt of truth. Peter writes 1Pe 5:12  Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!It would not be a stretch to say we are to gird the loins of our mind in the belt of truth.

So it is not a stretch to say we are to gird the loins of our mind with the truth. This answers the question with what are we to gird our minds.

How are we to gird? Our minds are girded up by the word of truth. Peter later mentions that truth in v.22. The word of truth is the guard rails of our faith that prevent us from going over the precipice of error on the right and on the left. Whether it is legalism or antinomianism. The word protects us as long as we adhere to it.

(1) It is by the truth that we are saved:

(Jas 1:18)  Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

(2) It is by the truth that we are sanctified, and brought to Christian maturity:

(Eph 4:15,16)  but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

(3) The truth is the means by which our minds are renewed and transformed, from the ignorance and deception of our unsaved condition, to the renewed mind which thinks in accordance with God’s Word and His ways:

I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2).

(4) The truth is the basis for Christian unity (see Ephesians 4:5, 13).

(5) It is the truth which edifies and builds up the church (Ephesians 4:15, 25, 29).

(6) The truth is essential for true worship:

“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).

(7) The church is God’s divinely ordained means of declaring and displaying the truth:

I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth (1 Timothy 3:14-15).

(8) The truth is that knowledge which is essential to us, and yet that which we would never have known on our own, apart from divine initiative and enablement. Given all eternity, men would never come to the knowledge of the truth unless God revealed it to them supernaturally.

(9) Jesus Christ is the truth, and thus turning from the truth is to turn away from Him:

31 Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me (John 14:6).

(10) The truth informs us of Satan’s schemes and deception and exposes error and deception.

11 in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11).

Satan’s Opposition to the Truth

Satan is a liar by nature. We can safely say that Satan is a pathological liar (John 8:44). He would lie even when he didn’t have to. He is both self-deceived and a deceiver (Revelation 12:9). From the beginning of time, Satan has sought to oppose God and His people by opposing the truth.

-There are two aspects of girding the loins of our mind with truth. There is the objective and the subjective. What does it mean? It means that we are to be girded with the objective realities of the truths of the Word of God. In the narrow context of 1 Peter what have we seen? The Work of God in salvation. The all sufficiency of Christ our Redeemer and the preserving power of the Holy Spirit.

-The subjective reality has to do with the right application of those truths to our everyday lives. It is the combination of those two that constitutes the armor of girding our loins with truth. Quite simply it is the living testimony of our lives as changed by the truth of God.

Girding up the loins of our mind is, in this context, the first means by which we are to completely hope.

Keep Sober in Spirit

The idea is to “make sure you keep all your faculties fully operational”. This trait describes one who is free from every form of mental and spiritual ‘drunkenness’, from excess, passion, rashness, confusion, etc. be well-balanced, self-controlled. Peter gives us an injunction to sane appraisal of the facts, without undue emotion and panic.

Peter says that we are to continually (present tense) make the choice of our will (active voice = volitional choice) to be watchful, calm and collected in spirit, temperate, dispassionate and circumspect in this present evil age. It's the image of not being drunk when it comes to spiritual things and implies alertness and evaluating things correctly, because you see clearly, and your mind isn't numb with intoxicating influences. Such a person is able to see things without the distortion caused by worry, fear, and their related attitudes. He or she is well balanced and does not "get drunk" on the intoxicating "liquor" that the world so tantalizingly offers to the senses of our old flesh nature. Now with all that said, how is this possible? Is this an attitude we can conger up in our own strength, relying on our natural ability? I think not, so once again we see that to stay sober in this seductive world, we need to be not drunk with the world's wine, but "drunk with," filled with, controlled by the indwelling Spirit of God!

Jesus issues a similar command to (Luk 21:34,35)  "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.

The negative of being sober is drunkenness, which dulls the senses and alters reality. It is not physical drunkenness necessarily. It is anything that dulls our minds to spiritual things. So what is it that dulls our minds to spiritual things?

Fix Your Hope Completely

This is the first imperative given by Peter. It is an action in time with continual consequences. It is not a fixing of a partial hope but complete. The basis of this command is the previous 12 verses: our salvation, inheritance, His preservation, His conforming us to the image of His beloved Son through His testing in our trials, His revelation. The NKJV, NASB, ESV add words to the Greek work for hope set, fix, or rest. But in doing this it turns hope a noun when it is a verb. It think this is significant because verbs denote action, therefore our hope is active. It is a set course of action with on going consequences, meaning that we continually looking for this grace to be revealed. It is a focus, it is the motivator in how we live out our lives before the Lord

What is hope? Christian hope is the full assurance of receiving, in complete measure, the promises made by God to His people regarding salvation and the glory to come.

What is the object of hope? The grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Grace is God’s unmerited favor to undeserving sinners which has its origins the love of God. It is the assurance that the promises of God are sure and true. And as the prophetic utterance in the OT of the coming of Christ was fulfilled so too the future promise of the consummation of the ages and the return of Christ as king.

When Jesus comes back he is bringing grace to the people of God. But you might say has not grace already been shown to us? What is different about the grace shown to us now and the grace revealed to us then? This grace to be revealed is shown in two ways. 1.The grace we know now is fully effectual for salvation, don’t misunderstand me, but the grace to be revealed is the consummation of the inheritance promised in the earlier verses. Now, we are waiting on the inheritance, when Christ returns our inheritance we be delivered. What is our inheritance? In John 14 it clearly states that Jesus says that He goes to prepare a place for us, it is also stated that we will be given an imperishable body in 1Co 15:42-44  So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.  (43)  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.  (44)  It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

But I do not think that is the meat of our inheritance. Our inheritance is the Triune God. The Psalmist said it rightly. Psa 16:5-6  The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; Thou dost support my lot.  (6)  The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. The Psalmist understood it was not the land that God had given to Israel that was the inheritance. It was God Himself. So it is not the place the Jesus is preparing for us even now, or the imperishable body but it is the Triune God. We will see Jesus face to face who we have only known through the eyes of faith. He, Himself, will welcome us into heaven and we will hear Him say well done you good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your rest. And when we see Him in all His glory we will feel the full weight of understanding of our unworthiness, but Rev 21:4 says, He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.

And this leads into the second way grace is to be revealed. We have appropriated salvation by grace through faith but we do not clearly understood. Our complete understanding of it is not a requirement of our receiving it. But we labor, and it is a good, beautiful labor all the days of our life seeking the Lord and a growing understanding of this grace, the sinfulness of sin and the greatness of God’s salvation, coming to the understanding that it is not in man to choose Christ. It is like looking through a glass pane that has been clouded but dust and dirt. Everything we look at through that glass is also clouded and blurred. So we clean the glass and as the dust and dirt is removed we see more clearly through it. So it is with us as we study this grace of God. But you may say, if all is to be revealed why study at all? Because in growing in the understanding of this grace, causes us to grow in our love for God. For he who is forgiven much, loves much and it is in growing in our understanding of these things that reveals that we all have been forgiven much.

So should we disregard totally that we will be transformed? Not at all. Because we will be free from this body of sin and death having been given and imperishable body and that which now hinders us from knowing and worshipping as we should will be done away.

Hope fully in God's grace. The best is yet to come for believers, for we are those who are (to be continually) looking for future glory which is a great motivation for present obedience. There is a freedom a head that should press and spur every true believer to run this race with endurance, to finish well, to hear from our Lord, well done thou good and faithful servant enter into your rest.

Children of God by way of Adoption

Introduction: Last night we were working on a very large puzzle. This puzzle had sky, birds, horses, grass, a fence, and flowers. Each focused on a different part of the puzzle, separating individual pieces out that might fit on the part that we were working on. Exchanging pieces, as needed, to help the other, and all rejoicing when an elusive piece was found that helped us complete our part of the picture.

We are really just getting started in 1 Peter but we have already seen many doctrines presented. The doctrine of election, the doctrine of the Trinity, the doctrine of salvation. We have a tendency to look at these doctrines as individual, stand alone doctrines, but they are not. They all fit together in this wondrous way to display the glory of our God, not in what He has done but in who He is. What He has done for us IS because of Who He is, stemming from His divine nature and character.

For the sake of context we will read verses 13-19. Our focus of this series will be in verses 14-16.

1Pe 1:13-19  Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  (14)  as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;  (15)  but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,  (16)  because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."  (17)  And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;  (18)  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,  (19)  but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

There are three main points.

Our relationship defined as the children of God

The defining characteristic of the Children of God is Obedience

The defining purpose of obedience is holiness

Reminder

In the midst of Peter’s instruction on being a child of God and our implied adoption; he places important reminders for us. Something we should always keep in mind in order to fully appreciate our adoption and that is from what have we been adopted out of. Our status before our adoption. We see this in verse 14 ‘not conforming yourselves to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance and our aimless conduct which we received by tradition from our fathers. The Greek word is translated in the NASB as inherited. This points to our sinful state outside of Christ, not only our actions but our condition. The outward action of sin and rebellion is merely a symptom of the inward corruption of our souls.

How do we know when we have been infected with the Covid virus? We only know we are infected when we display the symptoms of the virus. As a matter of course only those that display symptoms are tested to see if they have it. But the reality is that everyone displays the symptoms of the corruption of sin, in that we all sin. It is as the psalmist said in Psa 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

It doesn’t matter what the world tells you. You can be physically beautiful, talented in business, be the top performer in whatever you put your hand to, there is absolutely nothing in you that would cause God to look upon you in favor. Apart from Christ we are dead, lost to our sin.

There is the reminder too of God’s salvation. The Triune work of God in the Father’s election, the Son’s procuring that salvation and the Spirit securing it. 1Pe 1:2  elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ…. It is in the blood of Christ alone that we have been purified of the stain of sin, it is by His blood that we have been included into the New Covenant, and it is by His blood that we qualify as royal priests in the work of service and worship to our God. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in applying it to those whom God has chosen before the foundation of the world. Sanctifying them, which means setting them apart or separating then, for obedience.

This is the blessing of salvation, being forgiven, justified, and reconciled through the finished work of Christ, adoption is the last blessing. Just as salvation and justification spring from the Triune God in the Father’s decree, the Son’s securing, and the Spirit’s application, so it is in adoption. But it goes so much deeper. Adoption brings us into a relationship with God as Father and child. It is the fulness and richness of this truth that is foundational to our faith.

Our relationship defined as the children of God – The doctrine of Adoption

Why is this so important? J.I. Packer in his book ‘Knowing God’ answers that question in this way: Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption. . . . If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he or she makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls their worship and prayers and whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all.

Defined - Humanly speaking we understand adoption this way: Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from the biological parent or parents. In ancient times it was usually a young man of good moral standing to take on the name of a childless couple. With God’s adoption it is not like that. What are the prerequisites of adoption?

The Prerequisites – there are parties involved.

The adoptive parent who does the choosing of the child to be adopted – God the Father. We see in verse 15 that He called us. He chose us before the foundation of the world and predestined us to adoptions as sons. Eph 1:4,5 And just as a side note. The NT only refers to believers when speaking of our relation to God as children and sons. Is this a slight against daughters or females? Does this mean that the Lord does not place the same value on all His children? Absolutely not! Sons, in ancient times, were the only ones who received and inheritance. God references all His children as sons because all His children inherit the blessings of adoption and all that it includes. We see from the context that the Father is holy. Holy meaning absolute purity from the stain of sin meaning that in all the He is and all that He does is absolute purity. Holiness is that attribute of God that clothes all His other attributes.

The second party involved is the children. And just as is often the case in human adoption, the child is rescued from a terrible situation, the same it is for us. We were in a sorry state. Sin is that harsh task master to which we are enslaved. It demands it’s quota just as Pharaoh demanded his quota of bricks while not providing the material to supple it. ‘Bricks and no straw’. And what’s more we stood under the penalty of death for our sin. But you may say my good works out weigh my bad, surely I may earn heaven based on that. But you would condemn the judge who set the murderer free because it was murders first offense, especially if it was a family member of yours that suffered at the murderer’s hand. For God to leave unpunished the guilty, He would not be the righteous judge. And if He is not righteous, He is not God. But He is the Righteous judge over all the heavens and the earth and He is God.

The third party involved – the fathers. V 18 from your aimless conduct received by tradition (or inheritance) from your fathers. What does Peter mean here? He could be referencing the idolatry prevalent in world. He could also be referencing the our natural state and our lineage. Joh 8:44  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

In the process of adoption there is a permanent transfer of rights to the child from the natural parent to the adopting parent. What does that mean? In the case of our adoption it means that all the requirements of the law have been fulfilled. We have been justified, we have been declared not guilty, and made really and truly righteous. Rom 8:3-4  For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,  (4)  that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

We have been released from the slavery of bondage to sin and death into the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Sin and death no longer hold dominion over us. We are no longer children of the devil but we are now children of God.

The Cost involved in the process.

Gal 4:4-5  But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,  (5)  to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

To redeem means to obtain or to set free by paying a price. What was the price that God paid for our liberation and adoption? In Gal. 3, we heard the answer: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13). It cost God the price of his Son’s life.

You have heard me ask before, ‘How much is a soul worth?” God has given us the answer. Rom 8:32  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

The cost of our salvation? His own Son! The cost of justification? His own Son! The cost of our adoption? His own Son!

The Results

The question is when does adoption take place? It is at the time of salvation. God has appointed the day of our salvation and it then the Spirit applies the work of Christ to us in our salvation, justification, and adoption. Joh 1:12-13  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  (13)  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

There are 4 results that occur in the transaction of our adoption.

There is a change in how God relates to us.

There is a change in how we relate to God.

There is a change in how we relate to one another.

There is a change in how we relate to the world.

How God relates to us:

Gal 4:7  Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. And as God is our Father, we come under His watch care.

He provides: Mat 6:31-33  "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  (32)  For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  (33)  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

He protects: Joh 10:29  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.

2Pe 1:2-4  Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,  (3)  as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,  (4)  by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

He disciplines us for our good: Hebrews 12:3-6 "Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."

1Pe 1:17  And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;

How we relate to God:

Rom 8:15-16  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."  (16)  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

No longer do we cringe in fear of God the judge, but we boldly come to the throne of grace. His commands are not burdensome to us but we longing hearts we desire to keep them.

How we relate to one another:

1 Timothy 5:1-2 "Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father. Treat younger men like brothers, older women like mothers, younger women like sisters, in all purity."

How we relate to the world:

Romans 8: 12 "So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

1Pe 1:14  as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;

2Co 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Rom 12:2  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.

Adoption Should Result in a Change in the Way We Present the Gospel

Sam Waldron said this "It is proper to offer men justification, adoption and gift of the Spirit, if they will bur embrace Christ as he is freely offered in the gospel. We may, therefore, tell men that they must not think that they are called upon to live the Christian life in their present resources. Rather, they must come to Christ as poor and helpless sinners and from him receive all they need for life and godliness."

Living Carefully as a Child of God

Introduction: As you are turning in your Bible to 1 Peter 1:13-19 I was in college and during deer season had decided to go hunting. Tell the story. Lesson: I did not live carefully. I’d like to remind you that the verses we are reading are all about living carefully in light of the times.

1Pe 1:13-19  Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  (14)  as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;  (15)  but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,  (16)  because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."  (17)  And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;  (18)  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,  (19)  but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Three Points

Our relationship defined as the children of God

The defining characteristic of the Children of God is Obedience

The defining purpose of obedience is holiness

We looked at the first point last time in our relationship defined as the children of God. In it we looked at the doctrine of adoption, our adoption into the household of God. God is our Father and Christ our brother. And we are immersed in a sea of blessing that we will spend eternity exploring and understanding. All the legal requirements held against us have been fulfilled in Christ, we have been brought in and made whole. Col 2:13-14  And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,  (14)  having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

But it is more than just a legal union, it is a relational union. Rom 8:15  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." A union not based upon our performance but Christ’s. We have been set free from the spirit of fear into the freedom of our adoption as children of God. What does that mean? It means that our position as children is not based upon our day to day performance. Do you ever feel like God will bless you more because you are doing well in the faith? Ever feel just the opposite? The gospel corrects those errors on either side. We should have no pride and arrogance because apart from the work of the Christ; repentance, salvation, and perseverance is beyond us. We should have no despair because of the work of Christ. Repentance, salvation, and perseverance are ours as part of the gift of faith that God our Father has bestowed upon us in the Beloved.

But when those outside the faith, bound by works to their religion look at the Christian faith they often come to the conclusion, that because salvation is the free gift of God, that our eternal security rests solely upon faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ; that in Him our sins are forgiven, in Him past, present, and future transgressions have been covered by His precious blood; the fear of condemnation erased and a real righteousness, not of our own making, but the imputed righteousness of Christ has been bestowed on us. No part of our salvation rests on us. They might come to the wrong conclusion that we have free license to sin. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? That is the argument that Paul countered in Romans. “Sin the more that grace may abound”. The sad part is that modern evangelicalism appears to have bought into this lie. In the first 12 verses we see that God has caused us to be born again, caused us to have and inheritance, caused us to come under His protection. It is hard to come away with any other conclusion except that we, as the children of God are a privileged lot. But not in the sense we see the abuse of privilege today. We see an entire class of people who had the privilege of being elected to public office to serve use that privilege for their own enrichment and have set themselves above the law with little or no hope of prosecution. We, as the children of God are privileged but not in the sense that the world defines it. With our adoption into the household of God come duties and responsibilities that require our most devoted attention. And after Peter plunges us in all the blessings of the first 12 verses, he presses us hard now with the responsibilities. Remember, the context of this letter is in the midst of suffering and persecution. Obedience is not dependent on good circumstances but based upon our position as the children of God.

II.The defining character of the Children of God is Obedience

God’s order of the family is that of husband and wife, and in the event of babies being born, fathers, mothers, and children. Naturally speaking there is an unspoken expectation, but an expectation non the less of all in the family fulfilling their roles within the household. Within the Christian household it is explicitly stated in the Scriptures. Ephesians 6 and Colossians 3 have the duties stated clearly. Parents are to bring their children up in the fear and nurture of the Lord and children are to obey their parents in the Lord. In Ephesians 6 Paul gives the command to children and then references the 5th commandment which states ‘Honor your father and mother so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long in the land.

A. What is obedience? There are three points. Obedience Defined, Aspects of obedience, and motivation to obedience.

Obedience literally means to "hear under" which conveys the picture of listening and submitting to that which is heard and implies a change of attitude of the hearer, in this case reversing the unsaved attitude of rebelliousness and self-will. Obedience is not just listening with an attitude of submission but following through to intentional, directional action to fulfill the command given. Peter compares believers to children who obey their parents, and uses the phrase "obedient children" to introduce the concept holiness, obedience and holiness being two sides of the same coin

This new nature reflected as "children of obedience" is in diametrical opposition to what they formerly were in Adam 1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. As a result of being in Adam and apart from Christ, we are "sons of disobedience...(who) were by nature children of wrath. Eph 2:2-3  in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,  (3)  among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. even as the rest."

Eph 5:6  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Col 3:5-6  Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  (6)  Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,

And as a reminder: during the time of writing on the Scripture only sons inherit. All the children of God are called sons of God because all inherit the blessings of salvation now and forever. When sons is used in the above verses it is also all inclusive. Because all, apart from Christ, because of sin ,earn the wrath of God.

Our new birth is demonstrated to be truly genuine in that we have a new focus and desire for obedience

B. In the definition of obedience three aspects were mentioned: listening, submission, intentional action.

1. listening is more than hearing. Hearing is an involuntary act through which we receive sound waves through the ears. It is passive by nature. Listening includes hearing but so much more. It is the attentive engagement of the mind to process and understand the meaning behind that which is heard.

2. submission is placing oneself under the authority of another. There are three aspects of submission: it is willing, it is sincere, and it is complete.

a. It is willing. In our culture submission is the result of some external force applied. It is the end of struggle and the onset of passivity. It is a subjugation. This word in the Greek is one of unforced, voluntary submission; more of a term of enlistment as in enlisting in the military. It is willingly moving ourselves under the God’s banner. We are willingly placing ourselves in rightful submission to our Father’s commands

b. It is sincere. Hypocrites do what they must to satisfy other motives. Sincerity does not take into account the reward, and has no other motive that to be pleasing to God. Josh. 24:14 Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.

c. It is complete. It is not a buffet line where we pick and choose that which we want and discard the rest. We are not those who are loyal just because our ears are tickled and are comfortable with just enough Jesus preached but not so that we are convicted of sin.

3. intentional, directional action – there can be no obedience without the corresponding action to meet the requirements of the command. Being intentional means that it is the disciplined, focused, decision of our mind to follow through to the end.

Isa 50:5-7  The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away.  (6)  I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.  (7)  "For the Lord GOD will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.

1Co 9:24-27  Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.  (25)  And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.  (26)  Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.  (27)  But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

To be intentional and directional requires a plan. That plan requires steps in the direction of a specific goal. A house is not built without a set of plans. A business is not started with out a plan for success. Farmers do not plant crops without a plan.

Pro 21:5  The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

C. It’s Motivation – Love

Our adoption as children of God is not just legal but relational. And it is based on love. We love because He first loved us.

1Jn 4:9-10  In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.  (10)  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1Jn 4:19  We love Him because He first loved us.

We have the entirety of the Scriptures testifying of the demonstration of God’s love for us. All of redemptive history is the witness of God’s love set on before the foundation of the world. A love so rich, and deep, and pure. A love that knows no bounds of sacrifice to secure His own. And there is no doubt about it. Those in Christ are His own, and His own know Him and hears His voice.

What is the primary means we express our love to God? It is in obedience. John 14:21 He who hears My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father and I will love him and disclose Myself to him.

How can we know the commands of God without being immersed in His word in the hearing, reading, study, memorization, and meditation of it? Ignorant should not be a word that describes the child of God.

Obedience was the defining characteristic of Jesus.

Heb 5:8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

Joh 8:29 "And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him."

Mat 26:39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt."

Php 2:8  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Application: By way of application let me ask a question. Does obedience describe you as a child of God? Are we content with singing praises and worship but not bringing our whole life in obedience to Him? May God grant us the grace to show our love in some small measure in our obedience to Him.

Purpose of Obedience is Holiness part 1

There are three primary Points of this passage.

1.Our relationship defined as the children of God

2.The defining characteristic of the Children of God is Obedience

3.The defining purpose of obedience is holiness

We have addressed the first two and will begin addressing the third this morning.

1Pe 1:13-19  Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  (14)  as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;  (15)  but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,  (16)  because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."  (17)  And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;  (18)  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,  (19)  but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

General Observations

There are several general observations in the later part of verse 14.

1. There are 5 references to holy in these 3 verses, one of them in the negative sense in the space of one sentence. We can take this as a strong indication of how important holiness is.

2. There is a contrast between old nature and new. This is made clear in the use of the word former, referring to what was in the past. The nature of our new life as a child of God is that we are a new creature. As Paul writes in 2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. This text is not suggesting that, as a result of being saved, we will never have an issue with the old nature, or old man, or flesh. No, what it means is that being a new creature, we look at the old way of life as passed away. We have a new attitude toward our former way of life. It is an attitude of moving away from that old life and moving to the new life. It doesn’t mean that we will never have issues with the flesh, but it does mean we have a new relationship with the flesh and that is one of antagonism, hostility, and all out war. It will be a lifetime of battles won and lost but we rest in the full knowledge that the Lord Jesus has won the war on our behalf. The battle is the mark of the true child of God in the struggle in the new life putting off the old. There is no struggle or war between nations that are in a relationship of peace and the same goes for remaining sin in us. Have we made peace with it? So as Peter has defined our relationship as children of God, and he has described the children of God as obedient who has both the motive and motivation in love, God’s love for us and as a result of His love for us, we love Him.

3. There is a contrast between ignorance and knowledge. In the beginning after the fall of man there was still a knowledge of God. When Pharaoh took Abraham’s wife, Sarah, God came to him in a dream. Pharaoh did not act surprised or asked who was speaking to him. Abimelech was the same way. After taking Sarah God came also to him in a dream. He also was not shocked or asked who it was speaking to him. We have the king of Salem, Melchizedek, who was a priest to God most high, to whom Abraham paid a tithe to. But as time passed, the worship of other gods suppressed the knowledge of God to the extent that people are indeed ignorant, not only to who God is but also of what He requires of us. Though creation itself is testimony to God and His invisible attributes, God cannot be known savingly in general revelation. This is the point that Peter is making. Ignorance not in the general knowledge of God in creation but ignorant of God in regards to salvation. This implied knowledge is found in special revelation through and applied by the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit who works in our regeneration, our salvation, and in the enlightening to the truths of the Word of God. Just as something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he received back his sight in Acts 9, so to the scales of our spiritual blindness have been removed by the Spirit of God and now we see clearly, we understand clearly. Thus we see again God’s work of salvation and the fruit of it. A new life and true knowledge that are to be applied practically as children of obedience. I want us to see to that we are indeed children of obedience. We are the children of the obedience of Christ. We are the progeny of His faithfulness to all His Father’s commands. We are secured by the obedience of Christ, we are defined as children of God by our obedience to Him.

4. There is a contrast between the changing standard of morals of our society and the unchanging nature

III.The Defining Purpose of Obedience is Holiness – 14b-16

A.The Negative Command not conforming yourselves to the former lusts as in your ignorance. Repentance from old way of life.

The verb to conform is to shape in the pattern of a mold. Ex: Fire Ants and making an aluminum cast. Explain the process.

In 1973 my family moved from New Orleans to a place called Dubai, located on the Saudi Arabian peninsula, on the Persian Gulf. I don’t know if you have ever noticed but the accent of people from New Orleans is quite distinct. But as time passed, my accent changed, even my word order changed. After three years you would never have known I was from that area. And after three years of listening to mostly British English and English spoken from other places like India and Pakistan my ability to understand certain American accents had also changed. I could not speak nor understand southern. This was made clear after we got back and was visiting my grand mother in Jackson. I walked to the convenience store for a coke. It was the old style where you needed a bottle opener. The gentleman behind the counter asked if I wanted him to open it. And I couldn’t understand him. After about a minute of him asking in every way he knew how both he and I were frustrated. It wasn’t until I was a couple of blocks away it dawned on me what he was asking. You see where I lived influenced how I spoke, what I understood. And not only that but it also formed how and what I thought of the world around me. That is being conformed, molded, and shaped by an external force.

In this verse it is a pattern of conforming behavior to a pattern or mold that is changeable or unstable. This is indicative of the ever-changing standards of the world, that will only ever move toward the more and more depraved rather than to holiness. It is a slide of moral decline. In our society we have seen this ever-increasing spiral to moral depravity. There has always been moral depravity through =out history and in our country. But never has it been more celebrated as it has been now. Never has it been promoted to our children as normal and even good as it has been now. We cannot turn on the TV without seeing rampant sensuality, and violence, the promoting of homosexuality and transgenderism. Paul said in Romans 1 that those who suppress the knowledge of the truth teach good is evil and that which is evil is good.

The exhortation to holiness is now more clearly defined by reference to their anti-Christian state. As Christians, you dare not pursue a course that is in unison with your former walk in sinful lusts. The Greek word conform is the same word that is used in Rom 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of you mind that you may prove what the perfect will of God is. That which is good, acceptable, and perfect. Note this is also used in the negative.

Lusts are not sensual impulses and wants only, but desires of what is different from what God allows, desires of evil comprehensively described by John (1Jn 2:16) as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life. They include, also, the proud aims of ambition, of the lust of power and of the desire of worldly, carnal, knowledge, the pursuit of material goods. The lusts are more clearly defined by ‘in your ignorance.’

You may think you are beyond the reach of this text. Maybe you have been brought up in a Christian home, maybe you have been a Christian most of your life. Maybe it has been so long that you have forgotten what your life was like before God saved you. It really doesn’t matter. The fact of the matter is that at some point in time you were dead in your trespasses and sins before God saved you. As such, you have former lusts just like everyone else.

When we look at the broader evangelical church has been conformed to the pattern of this world. Statistically speaking the divorce rate within the church is almost as high as it is among non-Christians. Why is that? When the Lord has said what God has joined together let no man separate, why? Can it be that Christians have bought into the worldly notion of it is all about me? This pretty much covers all the reasons given for divorce. Adultery is all about pleasing self, meeting your needs apart from God’s provision. How often is it because ‘my needs weren’t being met’ or they weren’t being met the way I thought they should be. Because we have drunk the cool-aid of ‘I DESERVE to have all my needs met when I want them met.

The broader evangelical church has also bought into the world’s view of fashion instead of God’s view of modesty. When there is more flesh showing than covered that’s a problem. We have moved from being healthy to looking fit. So we pour ourselves in hours of exercise to have that certain look. We should be healthy and exercise is good, but when the point is a certain external appearance then it has crossed over to self. Christian young men spend more time in front of their gaming consoles than in the pursuit of godliness filling their minds with images which are not unto holiness. Are we careful with the entertainment we enjoy. Even as older saints, as we approach retirement age from secular work, we also retire from the work of evangelism and discipleship.

I ask you, as individuals, with in this body, does this reflect who you are? When we serve do we expect recognition? Are we offended when we don’t get it or are thanked for our efforts. What is our attitude toward our elected officials? And here I am speaking to myself. Do we hold grudges? Are there people we have not forgiven? Then I say to you, that you no longer be conforming yourselves to your former lusts which were yours in your ignorance. Paul says this Eph 4:22  that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,

We see here that the old self continues to grow corrupt. How? Because of deceitful lusts. Those voices in our head we listen to when they say we are justified in our sinful attitudes that result in sinful actions. Just as the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart so too our actions are a reflection of the attitude of our heart.

Again, I ask you. Have you conformed yourself with the attitudes of the world? We must carefully consider all our ways, judge ourselves rightly and repent, turning away from these former lusts which were our in our ignorance.

Purpose of Obedience is Holiness part 2

As we move on to the positive command I want to re-read verses 15 and 16

(15) but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, (16) because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."

A literal translation form the Greek would read something like this – but as He who called you is holy, become holy in all your conduct, because it is written you shall be holy, for I am holy

From verse 14 we see repentance from dead works in a negative command to an active pursuit of holiness.

In verses 15 and 16 we have a pattern. The standard of holiness-as he who called you is holy, the command to be holy-be holy in all your conduct, the unchangeable nature of the command-it is written, restatement and/or fulfillment of the command- you shall be holy, restatement of the standard- for I am holy.

B.Our God who is Holy

1. The importance of the Holiness of God.

Sproul, in his book the holiness of God says this, Isaiah 6:

“The Bible says that God is holy, holy, holy. Not that He is merely holy, or even holy, holy. He is holy, holy, holy. The Bible never says that God is love, love, love, or mercy, mercy, mercy, or wrath, wrath, wrath, or justice, justice, justice. It does say that He is holy, holy, holy, the whole earth is full of His glory.” This angelic proclamation is also made in the John’s vision in Revelation. Holy, holy, holy.

Holiness is the attribute that is used of God more than any other.

What is it? To be holy is to be distinct, separate, in a class by oneself.

As Sproul puts it: The primary meaning of holy is ‘separate.’ It comes from an ancient word that meant, ‘to cut,’ or ‘to separate.’

This means that the one who is holy is uniquely holy, with no rivals or competition.

Sproul also says

“When the Bible calls God holy it means primarily that God is transcendentally separate. He is so far above and beyond us that He seems almost totally foreign to us. To be holy is to be ‘other,’ to be different in a special way. The same basic meaning is used when the word holy is applied to earthly things.”

The Scriptures put it this way:

Exo 15:11 "Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?

1Sa 2:2 "No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.

Psa 86:8-10 Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; Nor are there any works like Your works. (9) All nations whom You have made Shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name. (10) For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.

Holy also means moral purity

Hab 1:13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness.

Psa 24:3-5 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? (4) He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. (5) He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Isa 6:3-5 And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" (4) And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. (5) So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts."

Holy as a divine attribute

When the attributes of God are listed holiness is always among the list. But it is inaccurate to say that holiness is a standalone attribute. Holiness is the attribute with which all the other attributes of God are clothed. It is because of the holiness of God, that ultimately where our strong confidence lies. Could be put our trust in one who has arbitrary scales of justice, mercy, love, who had all the moral certitude of the gods of the Romans and Greeks? It is no wonder people of other religions live in the bondage of fear of the gods they serve, because there is no god like our God.

When man is confronted with the holiness of God 2 examples.

Uzzah and the holiness of God

2Sa 6:5-9 Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of instruments made of fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals. (6) But when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it. (7) And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God. (8) And David became angry because of the LORD's outburst against Uzzah, and that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. (9) So David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, "How can the ark of the LORD come to me?"

The failure was to do according to what the Lord commanded in moving the ark.

Ananais and Sapphira

Act 5:1-11 But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, (2) and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet. (3) But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land? (4) "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God." (5) And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came upon all who heard of it. (6) And the young men arose and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him. (7) Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. (8) And Peter responded to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?" And she said, "Yes, that was the price." (9) Then Peter said to her, "Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they shall carry you out as well." (10) And she fell immediately at his feet, and breathed her last; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. (11) And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all who heard of these things.

-Their lie was to the HOLY SPIRIT.

Volumes have been written on the holiness of God. But our primary source should be the Scriptures. Will we treat God as common? As someone of no consequence? If we do not see God as holy, we will see our sin in a false light and make little of it. But seeing the holiness of God in the Scripture will cause us to see our sin rightly.

And it is our holy God who has called us and His calling is not without purpose. We do not flit about aimlessly in the course of life but will single minded determination we pursue holiness.

2Ti 1:9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

Heb 12:14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

We have seen the command to not conform ourselves to our former lusts, which were ours in our ignorance. We have seen the holiness of God in His person and in His response to man. Remember Annais and Sapphira, remember Uzzah. God will be treated as holy.

Now I ask you. Can you identify those former lusts? Can you identify the way in which our culture has blurred the lines of Biblical holiness? May God grants us ears to hear and eyes to see that we may walk before Him in holiness and truth.

Conducting ourselves in Fear

1Pe 1:13-19  Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  (14)  as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;  (15)  but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,  (16)  because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."  (17)  And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;  (18)  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,  (19)  but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Introduction: In this section of Peter we have seen:

1.The defining nature of our relationship - Children of God v 14

2.The defining characteristic of the Children of God is Obedience. v 14

3.The defining purpose of obedience is holiness – v 15, 16.

From the beginning v 13. We see the first of the commands. Fix your hope. In verses 14-16 we have the command to be holy. In verses 17-19 we have another command. One that evangelical Christianity has drifted away from. Sure we love to hear that God has done for us in the 12 verses of this letter. We are still engaged when we are to fix our hope completely on Jesus. We begin to shift a little uncomfortable at the command to be holy, but broader evangelicalism begins looking for the exit at this next command. When you hear it, the question may arise, isn’t this incongruent with all that we have learned about salvation and the love of God? This morning we will look at the fourth point in this text. Conducting ourselves in fear. In order to properly understand what Peter is saying here we need to define some terms, put them back together and with proper application to our lives.

Terms and Definitions

And – connective word linking this verse to the previous in a continuous line of thought.

IF – we understand as part of a conditional statement followed by a then to arrive at a conclusion. Ex: Mat 6:15  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

But the word ‘if’ is used here to point to a fulfilled condition. Here it assumes the readers of this letter call God Father and will call on Him as Father. It alludes to the believer’s prayer like and worship of the Lord. It does not suggest a hypothetical but a fact of their prayer and worship.

Call on – epikaleomai This shows the connection God’s call of us in verse 15 to our calling upon Him in prayer and worship. 1 Jn 4:19 We love because He first loved us. There would be no calling upon Him without His calling of us. The use of this word suggests the special intent on the part of the doer. To call upon the Deity for a special purpose. Peter quotes Joel 2:32 in his sermon in Acts 2 'AND IT SHALL BE, THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.'

Peter is not referencing salvation in verse 17. He is referencing the planned, purposeful intent and action of the believer to come before their God and Father specifically for the purpose of prayer and worship. This begs the question: What is our attitude toward or devotional times, our times of prayer, and worship? Do we find ourselves not prepared, not giving these things the due diligence and preparation of heart that we need to? The purpose of our coming together on Sunday morning is not to see everyone we haven’t seen all week. It is not to hear a sermon or a Sunday School lesson. But we do come to worship, worship in prayer, worship in song, worship in our tithes and offerings because it is in our tithes and offerings, in giving back to God, that we acknowledge He is the provider of all that we have; worship when we hear the word of God preached and read. We worship when God is the center of

Father – most of us have an understanding of what a father is. The Greek is translated father. Which in English is the formal term we use. But most call their father, dad, or daddy. In the context of this verse it might be a better reading. Why? Because in the broader context it relates to redemption. Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver and gold but with the (by implication imperishable) precious blood of the Lamb, the blood of Christ. Redemption alludes to adoption. Redemption implies cost. Do you realize that human adoption costs 10’s of thousands of dollars? The prospective parents undergo scrutiny of their families and lives, then save these thousands of dollars to bring an unwanted child into their home. To give them a new name, and a new hope for a life that they may not have otherwise had. Consider our heavenly Father, who before the foundation of the world made you the apple of His eye. And spared no expense of Triune God in redeeming you and calling you His own and hearing our cry to Him Abba! Rom 8:15  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."

It is Hebrew for daddy. I guess the translators felt using Daddy did not flow as well as using Father. It’s a shame because who can hear ‘daddy’ and not come away with the tender sense of the father/child relationship. And it with this understanding that gives greater clarity to the next phrase.

The One who impartially judges – in one sense it means to judge without consideration of the person’s status or position. Our Father does not gloss over the sins of His children the way an indulgent parent might. The believer’s sin is still counted as sin. Our position as children does not change God’s standard. If anything we are under greater scrutiny. Why? Because those who are outside of the household of God, have not tasted God’s salvation cannot help but act in accordance with their nature. Eph 2:1 You were formally dead in your trespasses and sins. Rom. 3:10 There is none righteous, not even one. But the children God have been given a new nature. But you who are in Christ:

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Rom 6:6-7 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; (7) for he who has died is freed from sin.

The tense of this verb indicates that it a continual process. God is judging impartially.

Does this mean that God watches over us with a critical eye? No. He looks over us with a Daddy’s eye. His impartiality is an honest appraisal, while His heart is always with His child. We parents, as imperfect as we are, in the rearing of our children look for areas of sin and weakness in our children? We know that they aren’t perfect. When we see sin, or a proclivity toward a certain sin, it doesn’t make us love them less, rather it is love that spurs us on to discipline, to build them up.

Pro 13:24 He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

Heb 12:5-11 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; (6) FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES." (7) It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? (8) But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. (9) Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? (10) For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. (11) All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

According to each one's work – the question you may ask is ‘Is not salvation of grace through faith, and that not of ourselves? Isn’t it the gift of God, not as a result of works that no man may boast? Why are we then judged according to our works and not our faith?’ Our works are the measure of our faith. Jesus uses the fruit tree. Luk 6:44 "For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.

Jas 2:14-19 What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? (15) If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, (16) and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? (17) Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. (18) But someone may well say, "You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (19) You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

Each One’s – it is important to note that God’s impartial judgment is not in aggregate as a group but individual. Each individual has the Spirit and Jesus interceding for them.

Rom 8:26  Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Rom 8:34  Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

This is both encouraging in that we have God’s special watch care individually, we are not beneath His notice great or small, young or old. Frightening because we have God’s special watch care individually. There is no shrinking into a crowd for anonymity.

Conduct yourselves in throughout the time of your stay in fear.

The Greek places the fear in front of conduct for emphasis. It literally reads as ‘In fear conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay.

Fear – is the Greek word phobos. You probably recognize it psychological term attached to other words to denote an irrational fear. Arachnophobia – fear of Spiders, Acrophobia – fear of heights, and my favorite spheksophobia-fear of wasps. I am not as bad about it now but as a young man I probably would have run off a cliff before letting myself get stung by a wasp. This word, in this text does not indicate an irrational paralyzing fear in the sense that we use the word today.

But if you are an unbeliever it would only be reasonable for you to be gripped by a paralyzing fear because God’s judgement is waiting for you. With every breath you take wrath is being stored up for you and will be poured out unless you repent and believe in the Lord Jesus.

Many commentators translate this as reverential fear, but we need to understand that the Greek has no word for reverential fear. So there is a danger in making the scope of definition too narrow. We view fear as a negative but it is actually a positive. Naturally speaking it is a means of preservation. But Christianity today has watered fear down, especially fear of God. We have transformed God into a cosmic Santa Claus, a permissive parent who is fine with the waywardness of sin. How many times have we heard my God is not a God of judgement? If that is your God, you do not worship the God of the Bible.

The Scripture emphasizes fear as a good thing.

Pro_8:13 "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate.

Pro_9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Pro_14:27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.

In understanding what fear means here we need to see it position in the verse.

It is sandwiched between Our Father the impartial Judge, and the imperishable, uncalculatable cost of our redemption, the precious blood of the Lamb, the blood of Christ.

What should we fear?

We must fear living as though our faith is not in God.

Before we go further, I want to bring out one point and that is the duration. The time of your stay upon the earth. It literally means sojourning. It is temporary. It is a reminder to me of reading through the Old Testament and wilderness travels of Israel. Though it speaks of a people it reads as though God is dealing with one man.

We must fear living as though our faith is not in God. 1Co 10:1-12  Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,  (2)  all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,  (3)  all ate the same spiritual food,  (4)  and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.  (5)  But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.  (6)  Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.  (7)  And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND ROSE UP TO PLAY."  (8)  Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell;  (9)  nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;  (10)  nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.  (11)  Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.  (12)  Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

How do we live as though we don’t have faith in God?

When our confidence is in the pleasures of this world. – the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose to play.

When we show our hope is in pornography and sensuality instead of God – nor let us commit sexual immorality as some did and in one day 23,00 fell.

When we complain about god’s provision rather that giving thanks - ) nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

We should fear living in such a way that shows that our hope for our every need is not in Christ.

We must fear living as though Christ’s blood is not precious.

How do we do this? By having the unbiblical attitude of We do this by minimizing our sins great and small. By granting ourselves license to sin rather than, through the power of the Holy Spirit, being transformed into the image of Jesus, which is the purpose of our redemption.

Rom 8:13  For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

How do we cultivate a Biblical fear?

We do by understanding that in regard to judgement Christ stood as our federal head, no less the Son of God, but He who knew no sin was made sin. 2Co 5:21  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

His standing as Son did not spare Him from the judgment for our sin. Rom 8:32  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

If God did such to quench the thirst of justice against His people by judging Christ for us what do you think He will do with those who count it as nothing?

Heb 10:29-31 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? (30) For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." And again, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE." (31) It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Let us therefore draw near to God our Father, through Christ our brother, by the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells us. Let us understand that our time upon the earth is short and so conduct ourselves in fear that we are not living a life of faith in God and not living as though Christ’s blood is not precious. Know that there is a time coming where there will be no place for fear at all.

Understanding our Redemption

1Pe 1:13-19 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (14) as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; (15) but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, (16) because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." (17) And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; (18) knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

From verses 14 and following we have been delving into our position as children of God.

1.The defining nature of our relationship - Children of God v 14

We have seen the doctrine of adoption, that glorious act of grace by which the Father declares us legally and relationally His in and through the what Christ has done for us and in the application of it by the Holy Spirit

2.The defining characteristic of the Children of God is Obedience. v 14

Since, in the Greek it reads ‘As children of obedience’, there are two points. 1. We are the children because of Christ’s obedience and 2. obedience is that quality that describes the child of God. The qualities of obedience are that it is submissive, and that being willing and sincere, and it is intentional and directional to fulfill the requirements of the command.

3.The defining purpose of obedience is holiness – v 15, 16.

We addressed from the negative view of not conforming yourselves to your former lusts. There is a putting of the world’s standards. We are to no longer living in accordance to the world and the world of pleasing ourselves. The opposite of not conforming ourselves to former lusts is to conform ourselves to the standard that God has established in His word. You shall be holy for I am holy.

And as a subpoint of the purpose of obedience is holiness, and a means to accomplish that, we are to conduct ourselves during the time of our stay here on the earth, in fear. As we saw the position of this phrase is sandwiched between ‘if you call upon the father, and you were redeemed with the precious blood of the Lamb. We must therefore fear living as though our faith is not in God and fearing living as though Christ’s blood is not precious.

The idea of calling upon the Father, we saw previously, is that of calling upon Him in worship and in prayer. And as a reminder there would be no calling upon the Father without His first calling us v15. But like the holy One who called you…

The second part of conducting ourselves in fear during our stay upon the earth is knowing our redemption. It is here I want to focus our attention this morning. (18) knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

How do we conduct ourselves in fear while we are on the earth?

I. Knowing what we have not been redeemed with.

II. Knowing what we have been redeemed from

III. Knowing what we have been redeemed with

This morning we will look at the first two points.

Before we get to the points we have to define what the word knowing is. Greek is a wonderfully descriptive language. Where we have one word for love they have 4. Where we have one word for orange, Greek has two. One for the fruit and another for the color. The word know in English is no different. The have several words for knowing and each describe a particular kind of knowing. The word uses here is for self-evident and or intuitive knowledge. What does that mean. Self-evident for example is when someone points to a car and says ‘that is a car.’ Your response is ‘I know’. You know because it is self-evident, a car is a car, is a car. Mar 5:25-33  Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years,  (26)  and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  (27)  When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  (28)  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  (29)  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  (30)  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  (31)  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?' "  (32)  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  (33)  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. It was self evident.

Intuitive knowledge is knowing something without seeing the facts personally. Parents know what their children need, many times, before their children do. Mat 6:8  "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

This poses an interesting question. If verse 18 and 19 are self-evident or intuitive, why do not all know this? Peter states this as a point in fact in time. Many were at the crucifixion of Jesus, but not all believed. Many heard Peter’s first sermon in Act’s 2 but not all believed. Many heard Paul’s preaching and testimony but not all believed. So if this is self-evident or intuitive knowledge but not all know is there something particular about the people of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia that give them special knowledge? V18 says before they were Christian they were aimless in conduct, inherited from their forefathers. NASB and ESV translate it futile way of life. 1 Peter 1:14 says before they were Christian the were conformed to lusts in their ignorance. Those who are ignorant are not those who possess knowledge of this redemption. Scripture bears witness to this fact. It is also clear from the rest of Peter’s letter that not all the people of these areas believed because they were the one inflicting the persecution on the believers.

Eph 4:18  having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;”. The word blindness is translated in the NASB and ESV as hardness. Hardness of heart. It is not that they are passively ignorant it is because of the hardness of heart. Rom 1:25  who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

1Co 1:18  For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,

Another question has to be asked. If this knowledge is not within man himself where does it come from? And this we all know from previous sermons in 1 Peter and Ephesians. The were caused to be begotten or born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We know that the Father decrees salvation for the elect, the Son accomplishes salvation for the elect and the Holy Spirit applies this salvation to the elect. And it is here that we see the work of the Spirit in the redeemed of God. It is the Spirit who revealed the coming of Christ to the prophets of old. It is by the Spirit the message of the gospel is proclaimed and it is by the Spirit the message is received and believed.

1Pe 1:10-12  Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,  (11)  searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.  (12)  To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.

Tit 3:4-7  But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,  (5)  not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,  (6)  whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,  (7)  that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

This knowing is a God bestowed knowing. It is a gift that accompanies and is part of our salvation. It is a knowledge the dispels ignorance and brings enlightenment.

1Co 2:6-16  However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.  (7)  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,  (8)  which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  (9)  But as it is written: "EYE HAS NOT SEEN, NOR EAR HEARD, NOR HAVE ENTERED INTO THE HEART OF MAN THE THINGS WHICH GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."  (10)  But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.  (11)  For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.  (12)  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.  (13)  These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.  (14)  But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  (15)  But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.  (16)  For "WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD THAT HE MAY INSTRUCT HIM?" But we have the mind of Christ.

It is a knowledge that rescues from our previous aimless and futile way of life to one that is full of purpose and intent. This God given knowledge reveals to us the difference between false religion and true faith. This brings us to our first point.

I. Knowing what we have not been redeemed with. You have not been redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold.

Redeem means to pay a ransom price to set a slave free. The principle of redemption would have been readily known by both converted Gentiles and Jews. The Roman Empire had an estimated 60 million slaves so the buying and selling of them would have been commonplace. The converted Jews would understand from God redeeming Israel from slavery to Egypt.

Exo 6:6  Therefore say to the children of Israel: 'I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.

Also there is the kinsman redeemer - Lev 25:25  'If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold.

Peter makes a special point to say what we are not redeemed with before he says what we are redeemed with. He says we are not redeemed with corruptible, the NASB and ESV translate it perishable. That which is corruptible is also that which is temporary, fading away, and has no eternal value. But gold and silver are precious, aren’t they? They were the legal tender of the day for the redemption form slaves. But here gold and silver are not precious, they cannot redeem, they have no value. This slavery is not physical but spiritual. Rom 6:16  Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? Until salvation comes we are in bondage and enslaved to sin. It is spiritual, it is the inheritance from our forefathers. Rom 5:12  Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— We are not only in bondage to sin but also under its curse. And it brings us to point 2.

II. Knowing from what we have been redeemed – aimless conduct, inherited from your forefathers.

Aimless means vain, empty, devoid of force, lacking in content, nonproductive, useless, dead, fruitless, of no real or lasting value. This adjective describes an ineffectual attempt to do something or an unsuccessful effort to attain something. It is here we see that apart from Christ we cannot achieve the chief end for which we have been created and that is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. His life is the sum of Ecc 1:2-3  "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher; "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."  (3)  What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun?

Life is devoid of meaning and purpose for it is impossible for man to please God. Man flails about seeking to fill that which only Christ can fill.

Aimless conduct not only has to do with how we live but also man’s attempts to justify himself before God. Gold and silver being corruptible are a picture also of man’s attempts to justify himself before God. He works to earn and labors to save his works righteousness but the testimony of Scripture is this: Gal 3:10  For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT CONTINUE IN ALL THINGS WHICH ARE WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO DO THEM."

Isa 64:6  But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.

Application:

The point Peter is making is the redeemed know, by the Holy Spirit, the difference between false religion and true faith. The gentiles worshipped idols and the Jews lived according to the Law but neither saves. Both were religious but both were lost, dead in their trespasses and sins. I ask you this morning what is your hope for heaven. If in your mind you say I was baptized as a child, I have gone to church my whole life, I have been a good person, I have gone on short term missions, then I fear for your soul. All of our good works cannot quench the thirst of God’s wrath against our sin. There had to be another and there was. 1Pe 1:18-19  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,  (19)  but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Understanding our Redemption pt 2

1Pe 1:13-19 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (14) as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; (15) but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, (16) because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." (17) And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; (18) knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

By way of reminder we are focusing on walking in holiness and the means used in accomplishing that. Holy means to be sanctified and set apart, to be wholly other. We are to be in the world but not of it. These verses are full of contrasts, as light is to darkness. Not conforming ourselves to former lusts but to be holy in all our conduct. Not redeemed with corruptible things but by implication the incorruptible.

There were three points:

I. Knowing what we have not been redeemed with.

II. Knowing what we have been redeemed from

1. Redeemed from slavery to sin

2. Redeemed from the coming judgement.

III. Knowing what we have been redeemed with

Last time we looked at what knowing meant from the Greek. It means a self-evident or intuitive knowledge and after looking at the subject of that knowledge - redemption, from Scripture arrived at the conclusion, that man in his natural state can not and will not acquire this knowledge on his own. It is God given through the 3rd person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. It is He who regenerates and renews the mind from it’s natural state of dead in our trespasses and sins and breathes life and brings light of the knowledge of Christ. The worldly means of purchase is of no value in redeeming the soul. Because it is not with physical chains that keep us enslaved but our bondage in and to sin. There is no redemption with silver and gold from our aimless conduct (futile way of life) inherited from our forefathers. We could never work long enough or hard enough to acquire the purchase price of our redemption. Apart from Christ this is a depressing state.

Redemption or ransom, we also saw, was not a new concept at this time. Rome was an empire full of slaves and the buying and selling of them were common. A friend or family member could redeem the slaves freedom by paying the agreed price. But in verse 18 it is made clear that corruptible/perishable gold and silver cannot redeem and verse 19 makes it clear that a substitution of a life has taken place to redeem. We must visit again the question of ‘from what have we been redeemed?’.

V18 says from your aimless conduct, the NASB and ESV translate it as futile way of life. This word, again, means vain, empty, devoid of force. The adjective form used here describes an ineffectual attempt to do something or an unsuccessful attempt to attain something. Example: It is the futility of using a household water house to put out a forest fire. There is simply no way the hose could ever supply enough water at a high rate to douse the flames.

We have been redeemed from our bondage to sin and we have been redeemed from the curse of the Law. There are two aspects of the curse of the Law. One is that we are required to keep it perfectly. The second is that we are now liable for breaking it. It requires punishment. So while we are outside of Christ all mankind, in their innermost being, understands the pressure and penalty of the law. Carnal man is endued with the spirit of slavery to the law which can only ever lead to fear and never hope.

Gal 3:10  For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT CONTINUE IN ALL THINGS WHICH ARE WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO DO THEM."

You, who do not know Christ, know in your soul this truth. Rom 2:14-16  for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves,  (15)  who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)  (16)  in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

What this means is by virtue of your being created in the image of God, fallen as you are in Adam, enemies and haters of God that you are, you have the imprint of the moral law in your heart and stands to condemn you in your conscience.

But Peter lays out exactly what the life of the worldly minded is.

1:13 conformed to former lusts

2:1 a life of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander

2:11 fleshly lusts

2:13 rebelliousness

3:9 returning evil for evil and insult for insult

4:4 living a life of lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and detestable idolatries.

The futility and the anxiety it brings cannot be measured. Have you ever been in a job that has been stressful for so long you no longer the stress but it weighs upon the soul. It is exhausting. It is a leech that sucks the joy and life out of you and sometimes we don’t even know it until it’s removed and then one day you feel like a completely different person.

There is no hope for holiness and no hope to escape the wrath to come until we see what we have been redeemed with. There is that beautiful word of contrast beginning in verse 19 switching from the negative you have not to the positive you have. You have been redeemed is implied and bring us to our third point

III. Knowing what we have been redeemed with

Redeem or ransom means to purchase for an agreed upon price to secure the freedom of another. We have looked at what we were redeemed from – the bondage to sin and the curse of the law. But we see in this text that the purchase price was not based upon a monetary exchange, but it was an act of substitution. There are three things to see in this verse.

The value of the Substitution – precious blood

The virtue of the Substitution – of Christ

The validity of the Substitution – as of a lamb, without blemish and without spot

1. The Value of the Substitution – precious blood

Precious mean that which has exceedingly high value, prized, desirable, prized, as a costly stone. We have many things that are precious to us. Our families are precious to us, husbands and wives, our sons and daughters, our grandchildren. There are many references in the Bible to that which is precious. The marriage bed is to be considered precious. Heb 13:4. The psalmist proclaims – how precious is Your lovingkindness Ps 36:7. Precious in the sight of God is the death of His saints (Ps 116:15) Christ is shown as precious to those that believe. But the pinnacle of all that is precious is here shown as the blood of Christ.

Blood spoken of 450x in the Bible. Leviticus speaks of life being in the blood. It is that which sustains life and such was the value in God’s eyes that the Israelites were prohibited from eating it. God could not be approached in the temple without blood. It was in the shedding of blood that Adam and Eve were given clothing by God as a covering. It was Able who offered the sacrifice of blood which was accepted while Cain’s offering of his field was rejected. When Noah stepped off the ark he sacrificed animals in worship. The Abrahamic covenant was ratified in blood and the animals were cut in two and the smoking oven and flaming torch passed between the pieces. The Old Covenant given to Moses was ratified in blood.

Heb_9:7  But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance;

Where for thousands of years, thousands upon thousands of animals were sacrificed but even if all the animals on the planet had been given in sacrifice it would never be enough to cleanse the one offering of their sin.

Heb 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. The blood of animals was sufficient for the cleansing of the outside but would never be adequate to remove the stain of sin in the inward man. But in the precious blood, Jesus cleanses once and for all from sin.

Heb 9:22-28  And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.  (23)  Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.  (24)  For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;  (25)  not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another—  (26)  He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.  (27)  And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,  (28)  so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

In this we see that the blood is precious because it is Christ Jesus’s blood and it is precious because of the effectiveness of it. It does once and for all time what the blood of animal sacrifices could not so. And speaking to the verb redeemed in verse 18. The tense of the verb indicates that it is a single, successful, effective action. Once and for all. There is no need for a High Priest to enter the holy of holies to continually bringing the sacrifice of blood every year. Christ has done it once for all. The verb is passive, meaning it is the action taken by another for your benefit.

Christ is the perpetual High Priest always before the mercy seat in heave as both the Offerer and Offering. And as a result of His resurrection stands as the eternal reminder of His once and for all offering od Himself for sin.

Implied in this verse is the cost of redemption. If the price is blood then the price was the life. It was not only in the giving up of His life but it was also in the living of His life. The cost was not only in the crucifixion but also in Christ’s suffering day to day. He is the God-Man. He was clothed with flesh and walked among us. He fulfilled every requirement of the Law. Rom 5:19  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous. All through His earthly ministry He carried the knowledge that with His every step He was one step closer to the cross. One step closer to His scourging and the crown of thorns, one step closer to the nails driven into His hands and Feet. One step closer to the mocking and derision he would hear while on the Cross. And just as He entered into the suffering of Martha and Mary when Lazarus died, even though Jesus knew He was raise Lazarus from the dead, it can only be imagined as what He felt to see Mary, His mother and His disciples at the foot of the cross. Just as we take on His righteousness, He took on our unrighteousness, For God said.

2Co 5:21  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

1Pe 2:24  who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

1Pe 3:18  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

Application:

How do we conduct ourselves in fear while on the earth? Live in fear as though Christ’s life is not important to us. How do we do that? Remember the sacrifice of the righteous life for an unrighteous one. The stroke of judgement fell on Him who deserved it least to spare us who deserve judgement most. How can we not walk in holiness? How can we not walk in the compassion He has shown us, or the mercy, or the grace? Do we think so little of Him that it does not affect how we live for Him?May God cause our hearts to well up in thanksgiving and praise. To be so overwhelmed with our Lord Jesus Christ that our mouths break for in doxology.

Rom 5:6-9  For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  (7)  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  (8)  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  (9)  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Defining Purpose of Obedience is Holiness

Understanding our Redemption Pt 3

1Pe 1:13-19 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (14) as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; (15) but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, (16) because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." (17) And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; (18) knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

As we continue looking at God’s Word concerning our Redemption it is important to remember the context. Beginning in verse 13 there is a move from the theological to the practical. Considering God’s great salvation, how then should we live? We are to be holy, to walk in holiness. Not only are we to put off the old, but we are to clothe ourselves with the new. Holiness is not passive, it is not neutral, but it is active. It stands in contrast with the old way life. Eph 4:20-32  But you have not so learned Christ,  (21)  if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:  (22)  that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,  (23)  and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,  (24)  and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.  (25)  Therefore, putting away lying, "LET EACH ONE OF YOU SPEAK TRUTH WITH HIS NEIGHBOR," for we are members of one another.  (26)  "BE ANGRY, AND DO NOT SIN": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, (27) nor give place to the devil.  (28)  Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.  (29)  Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.  (30)  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  (31)  Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.  (32)  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Each sin we are to put off is contrasted with the holy behavior we are to put on.

Peter’s command and exhortation to be holy is based on knowing God is holy and knowing, understanding that we have been redeemed from our former way of life inherited from our forefathers. What have we inherited from our forefathers? We inherited sin. As a result of the fall of Adam all his posterity after him are sinners. It is our nature. So we are in bondage to sin, sold into slavery. We have also inherited the futility of the false religions that say we can attain heaven by our good works. Or that if our good outweighs our bad then we are ok. But the standard is the Law and the demand of the Law is perfect obedience. Therefore is we break one we are a transgressor of the all. This means that we cannot redeem ourselves. There is no work we can do and no price we can pay. In and of ourselves we are helpless and hopeless. But we have been redeemed. It means Someone loved us enough to pay the cost for us that we could never pay.

Ex. Bekah was diagnosed in March 2002 with AML which is a rare blood cancer for children to have. She spent 4 days at Blair Bateson before we moved her to St Jude. Those 4 days totaled over 20,000 dollars that our insurance did not cover. But we did not pay a dime of it. The company that I had been working for less than two years covered all those costs. They treated us like I have been there 20 years when I was thee less than two. I was and still am overwhelmed at their gracious generosity. Even at St Jude we paid for nothing. That does not mean it was free. It means that someone else paid the price for us. A price that we could work for our entire lives and never repay.

We are not only redeemed from the sickness of sin but we have been redeemed also from it’s penalty. Since we are redeemed, it means there has been a substitution that has taken place. A life for lives. The last time we were in 1 Peter we saw the value of the substitution in the precious blood. There are particular qualities about this blood by which we have been redeemed that sets it apart. It and not gold and silver is only suitable for our redemption. Why? Because we had committed a crime and perfect justice demands punishment for wrong doing. Nothing else could have satisfied justice. It is precious because it did what nothing else could do.

III. Knowing what we have been redeemed with

The NKJV states verse 19 as - but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. The NASB states it 1Pe 1:19  but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. The NASB is closer to the original Greek. The verse builds it’s not just precious blood, but as a lamb unblemished and without spot. Why does Peter mention a lamb unblemished and without spot? As we have seen the fist point the value of the substitution. We will look at the validity of the Substitution

2. The validity of the Substitution – as of a lamb, without blemish and without spot. Christ was the sacrificial offering for our sin.

What is the significance of this terminology? To put this in context we need look back to the Old Testament. It is there the theme of substitution begins. Shortly after the fall God makes Adam and Eve covering from animal skins. Abel offers the firstlings from his flock to the Lord. Noah offers a sacrifice after leaving the Ark. Abraham (Gen 22), Isaac, Jacob all offer sacrifices from their flock to the Lord. Job offered sacrifices. Although Job’s sacrifices (1:5) are not precisely defined we are told that they were offered to God because of sin. Likewise it was because of the sins of Job’s friends and God’s consequent anger against them that they were commanded to offer sacrifice (42:7-8). Here it is rather explicit that sacrifice is for the purpose of appeasing divine wrath against sinners. But all of this comes in much clearer perspective in Exodus.

In the command to sacrifice the Lamb of Passover the notion of sin is presumed, and the ideas of substitution (v.3, 13), rescue from divine judgment (v.12, 23), the necessity of blood (v.13, 22) become prominent. By the sacrifice of a qualified lamb whose blood was properly applied each Israelite household escaped the death of God’s judgment.

Verse 5) Your lamb shall be without blemish. And such was the stipulation for the sacrificial system of the Mosaic covenant. The sacrificial system in the Mosaic Covenant is even more descriptive. There is the symbolism of laying hands on the sacrificial animal, confessing sin, and then the ritual slaughter of the animal therefore conveys the idea of deliverance by substitution. Forgiveness is secured by substitutional sacrifice. Finally, the repeated assurance that the sacrifice was a “pleasing aroma to the Lord” symbolizes God’s satisfaction with the sacrifice and acceptance of the sinner. These sacrifices were a type or a shadow. It was a picture in part of what would be.

Word Picture? Dianne’s paintings?

Christ is the fulfillment of all the imagery of the OT sacrificial system. All this provides the background for the New Testament’s frequent description of the death of Christ in sacrificial terms; indeed, it cannot be understood otherwise. When Jesus himself and the New Testament writers employ language such as “give my life a ransom,” “ransom in his blood,” “by his blood,” “the blood of his cross,” “my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins,” “reconciled by his blood,” “justified by his blood,” “propitiation by his blood,” “through the death of his cross,” “made peace through the blood of his cross,” “Christ our Passover has been sacrificed,” “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God,” “him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,” “the lamb which takes away sin,” “he bore our sin,” “was made sin for us,” “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law having been made a curse for us,” and so on, they direct us to understand our Lord’s death in sacrificial categories. Peter continues this theme.

1Pe 2:24  who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

1Pe 3:18  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

It is clear to see He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is also the Lamb without spot or blemish.

2Co 5:21  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Rom 8:3-4  For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,  (4)  that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

This is the why of Christ’s once and for all time sacrifice. He fulfilled all the requirements of the Law perfectly for us. The two requirements of the Law that Christ fulfills for us is keeping the 10 Commandments perfectly and suffering our judgement for not keeping it.

Rom 5:6-7  For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  (7)  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.

How is this all relevant? How do we apply this?

How would we feel toward someone who saved your life? How would you feel toward someone who died saving your life? Gratitude, awe, wonder, obligation? With Christ we feel all of these but also more. We feel freedom. Freedom from the fear of having to earn what we could never attain.

I have to admit I love movies. So many times they portray the acts and attributes of God many of their makers deny. The movie Saving Private Ryan is the story of a squad of soldiers during WWII that were sent to bring the soul surviving son out of combat in Europe. The movie wrestled with the value of life and sacrifice. After suffering the loss of two in their squad Pvt Ryan was found. There was the last battle fought and Capt Miller who led the squad was shot. His last words were ‘Earn this’. What a burden. The movie closes with a much much older Ryan surrounded by his wife, his children and grand children standing before the grave of Capt Miller. He turns to his wife and asks her, in a pleading tone to tell him he is a good man.

How grateful should we all should be that Christ’s last words on the cross were not ‘Earn this’, but that ‘It is finished’. He fulfilled our obligation in His body on the cross as the Lamb, spotless and without blemish. And stands forever in heaven as the Passover Lamb.

Rev 5:6-9  And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.  (7)  Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.  (8)  Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.  (9)  And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

Defining Purpose of Obedience is Holiness

Understanding our Redemption Pt 4

1Pe 1:13-21  Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  (14)  as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;  (15)  but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,  (16)  because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."  (17)  And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;  (18)  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,  (19)  but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.  (20)  He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you  (21)  who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

We have seen in keeping with the context of these verses that a means of growing in holiness is understanding what we have been redeemed from and what we have been redeemed with. The word redeemed implies that Someone else has purchased us. We have been redeemed with precious blood. Why is it precious? Because it alone accomplishes our redemption when no amount of gold and silver can. With precious blood also indicates to us that it was substitutionary. We have seen that it is sacrificial in nature. A life for a life. Someone stood in our place to bear our just condemnation. Peter now tells us Who it is that has redeemed us.

A quick reminder of our points:

1. The Value of the Substitution – precious blood

2. The Validity of the Substitution – as of a lamb without blemish or spot

This morning we will look at the the 3rd point.

3. The Virtue of the Substitution– of Christ

Peter uses not His given name to identify our Redeemer, but His title – “Christ”. Since there is nothing in Scripture that is written without purpose we need to delve into what the meaning of this is.

I do not want this too sound clinical or as a lecture. But it is important to lay the pieces together to understand the profound meaning of what Peter is saying. I remember the first propane grill I ever purchased. I didn’t take the time to read the instructions or lay out the parts in an orderly fashion and obviously since I did not read the instructions I did not know the order of putting the parts together. It took me three times longer and I ended up reading the instructions to get it right anyway. So we will lay the text out in what I hope is an orderly fashion and put them together.

Christ literally means the Anointed One the Hebrew equivalent is Messiah. To be anointed in the Scripture is to be set apart for a specific purpose or place. There were three types of anointing in the OT: Prophets, Priests and Kings. Each of these offices plays a prominent role in the OT. Each of these where filled by different people at different times. Prophets were the revealer of knowledge. Through the prophets God revealed Who He is and what He requires of us, blessings for obedience and judgments for disobedience. As we saw earlier in 1Pe 1:10-12  Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,  (11)  searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.  (12)  To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into. The were appointed by God and anointed for service.

1Ki 19:15-16  Then the LORD said to him: "Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria.  (16)  Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.

Moses spoke of a Prophet whom God would raise up after Him. Deu 18:18-19  I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.  (19)  And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.

Peter recognizes that Christ is that Prophet. Act 3:19-26  Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,  (20)  and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,  (21)  whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.  (22)  For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'THE LORD YOUR GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN. HIM YOU SHALL HEAR IN ALL THINGS, WHATEVER HE SAYS TO YOU.  (23)  AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERY SOUL WHO WILL NOT HEAR THAT PROPHET SHALL BE UTTERLY DESTROYED FROM AMONG THE PEOPLE.'  (24)  Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.  (25)  You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.'  (26)  To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities."

Jesus is that prophet.

The priest offers sacrifices for himself and the people and intercedes on their behalf. They are appointed by God and anointed for service.

Exo 40:13-15  You shall put the holy garments on Aaron, and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest.  (14)  And you shall bring his sons and clothe them with tunics.  (15)  You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to Me as priests; for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations."

No longer are there priests that year by year enter into the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifices. But Jesus has entered in once and for all time. Heb 2:17  Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Jesus is the High Priest

The Kings in the OT were also appointed and anointed by God. As Samuel established Saul as the first king of Israel and made his farewell speech to Israel, twice he referred to Saul as “His [the Lord’s] anointed” (1 Sam. 12: 3, 5). As David learned of the death of Saul he called him “the Lord’s anointed” (2 Sam. 1:14, 16). David himself had refused to kill Saul for he was “the Lord’s anointed” (1 Sam. 26:11, 23). Samuel anointed David as king (1 Sam. 16:13). Elijah anointed Hazael king over Aram and at the same time anointed Jehu king over Israel (1:15–16)

The primary function as King in the OT was a righteous rule in accordance to God’s Law, to fight against and subdue the people’s enemies and to enlarge the kingdom in accordance to the promise of God given to Abraham.

Col 2:13-15  And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,  (14)  having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  (15)  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Jesus is the King

You may say brother you read too much into this text. But I say that Peter through out his letter infers and implies all of this and summarizes it in 1Pe 3:18-22  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,  (19)  by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison,  (20)  who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.  (21)  There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,  (22)  who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

We see His priesthood in His atoning death. We see His being Prophet as He preached to the spirits now in prison, and we see His kingship in v22. who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

These offices are not forced upon Christ by others wishing Him to be something He is not. These He spoke of concerning Himself. Jesus speaking in Joh 3:34-36  For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.  (35)  The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.  (36)  He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

Speaks the words of God – Prophet

The Father loves the Son and has given ALL things into His hand – His is king

He who believes the Son has everlasting life – Priest

If there is any doubt Jesus words to Pilate make it perfectly clear. Joh 18:37  Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

So why is this important? It all goes back to our redemption. We have been redeemed by the precious blood of the Christ. He was without sin and there was no deceit found in His mouth. He is the Passover Lamb who shed His own blood on the cross to redeem His people from their sins.

It is a complete redemption lacking in nothing. Christ is the redeeming Prophet while we are on the earth we will never lack the ministry of the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us and in heaven Christ is the eternal Word of God. As the redeeming priest He stands forever in the heavenly holy of holies a living sacrifice, a constant reminder of His once for all time atoning work. Ministering forever as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. The king of Salem who is a type of Christ who was to come. And Christ intercedes even now for His people. As our redeeming King He has crushed the Serpents head, has freed us from the dominion of sin and continues through the work of the Spirit to free us from the power of remaining sin. He will bring us to His kingdom where by Him we will be free from even the presence of sin. All things will be brought in subjection to Him and His kingdom will be the Kingdom of Peace. There will be no more sorrow, no more tears.

Understanding our Redemption Pt5

1Pe 1:13-21  Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  (14)  as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;  (15)  but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,  (16)  because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."  (17)  And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;  (18)  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,  (19)  but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.  (20)  He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you  (21)  who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

As we have read in the context of these verses Peter has given us a command to be holy in all our conduct. We are to conduct ourselves in fear during the time of our stay upon the earth. This statement is sandwiched between our Father who judges without partiality and the preciousness of our redemption made so by the preciousness of our Redeemer. In verse 19 we saw the value of the substitution, the validity of the Substitution in that Jesus, the Christ was the Sacrifice to which all the OT forms of sacrifice pointed and we saw the virtue of the Substitution. Jesus fulfills all the 3 offices of the OT: Prophet, Priest, and King. This pointing to the complete and perfect nature of our redemption.

As Prophet, Christ is the eternal word. Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. It is in and through the Holy Spirit we have received the inspired word of God and minsters that word to us to convict us of sin, instruct and encourage us in the faith.

As Priest He stands forever in the presence of God as the Passover Lamb. Rev 5:6-9  And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.  (7)  Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.  (8)  Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.  (9)  And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,”.

As King He reigns and rules in perfect righteousness and peace. He has subdued and conquered the enemies of His people and will finally deliver them even from the presence of sin when we come into His kingdom. Col 2:13-15  And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,  (14)  having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  (15)  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

And no we come to verse 20. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you

Christ’s Eternal Foreordination

The NKJV translates the Greek proginosko foreordination but literally means foreknowledge. It is the same word that we get prognosis.

Foreknowledge means to know about something prior to some temporal reference point or to know about an event before it happens or prior to some temporal reference point. The perfect tense speaks of a past completed action with continuing impact. This designates the central place that Christ had, and continues to hold, in God's redemptive plan. The word is Proginosko, the word from which we get prognosis. This is not simply a passive prior knowledge of what is coming in the future, but an active, willful planning of what is to come. How does God know all things? Because He decrees them. Act 2:22-23 "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— (23) this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. Rom 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren;

God’s foreknowledge and His foreordination are practically synonymous

Illustration: We exercise foreknowledge. For example: There is an event called vacation that we all enjoy. First we decide, then we plan, then we execute the plan. Now sometimes we hide those plans from our kids because we want to surprise them. We foreknew the event because we foreordained the event or we foreordained the event because we foreknew it. Now if simple finite man can do so how much more the infinite, unchangeable God of all the universe?

Foreknowledge of what? It was of the Christ Himself. It was not only that Christ was foreknown but the yielding up of Himself according to the predetermined plan of God. Redemption was set in place before the foundation of the world; some time in eternity past. It was not an afterthought of God to fix something He did not know was going to happen. It was not a contingency plan. It was THE plan; the only plan. And it displays the mind of God for the people of God before there was yet one of them. It was God’s foreordained plan that displays His love, His grace, and His mercy to those who did not merit it and would not want it. Foreknown was every temptation Jesus would suffer, and yet was He without sin. Isa 53:5-6  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.  (6)  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Foreknown was every lash of the Roman scourge, the number of every thorn that would pierce His brow. The pain and suffering of being nailed to the cross and foreknown was the Father’s response to Him who knew no sin but became sin on our behalf. Foreknown was every moment the Divine would humble Himself Php 2:6-7  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.. In the mind of God it was set to be accomplished, and as a result it was also then that those whom He foreknew He predestined to adoption according to the kind intention of His will.

Christ’s Present Manifestation – in these last times

The verb revealed or made manifest includes both Jesus' birth and life on earth for all His days as the God-Man are included in His Incarnation.

We see this same event described by John and Paul…

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

2Ti 1:9-10  who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,  (10)  but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

To be manifested is to be revealed in one’s true character.

What was then made known? In Christ Jesus is revealed in the heart of God for His people. Every act of compassion of Jesus was an exact representation of the compassion of the Father. Every act of grace was the Father’s grace. Every act of mercy is the Father’s mercy. Every pronouncement of Jesus against the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders was the Father’s pronouncement against false religion. Christ’s determination to be the ransom for many was the Fathers determination that the many would be ransomed. Mar 10:45  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Christ’s sufferings in His life and His death is the Father’s divine judgement and wrath His people’s sin. And also stands as an example of the wrath yet to come who have trampled underfoot and counted as nothing the glorious gospel of Christ.

In these last times – The word for time is the same word we use in eschatology, the study of the end times. Hebrews 1:2 “in these last days He has spoken to us through His Son”. Christ being manifested in the flesh is the beginning of the end of days. Paul uses the more generic expression in the fullness of time Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

The last times, the fullness of time, at just the right time. Have you ever been hopeless? Have you ever felt the pressure, the anxiety, the despair of hopelessness? I have told you about how Bek was diagnosed with leukemia and how she spent the first week in the hospital in Jackson. The kind of leukemia she had was rare in children. This particular hospital might only see 1 case a year. The doctor gave us her prognosis and it wasn’t good. Somewhere between high 30’s low 40’s percent chance of her surviving. With that kind of news the world closes in, the breath is sucked out of you. It’s impossible to think clearly. Your heart is broken. A friend of ours who lived in Memphis kept telling us about St Jude. After receiving a lot of counsel we decided to see if they would take her. After a couple of days we got the news they would. Hopeless, and at just the right time. Hope. Not an empty hope but a fulfilled hope. She is 26 years old.

If last times is indicative of the fullness of time how is this so?

First, it was the moment which God had ordained for Messiah’s coming. To Daniel was given the date of His coming, 483 years after the edict of the Medo-Persian government to rebuild Jerusalem.

Second, the Mosaic law had done its educational work, showing to the world that the most highly-favored nation on earth, the Jewish nation, was, despite all of God’s blessings and mercy, totally depraved, giving the Gentile portion of the race a picture of its own totally depraved heart.

Third, the Roman empire maintained world peace. Roman roads made travel for missionaries easy. The universal use of the Greek language made the speedy propagation of the gospel possible. The earth-stage was all set for the greatest event in the history of the human race, the incarnation, sacrificial death, and bodily resurrection of God the Son.

These last times is also the right time - Rom 5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

For the sake of you – This simple phrase should warm our hearts, it should comfort us, quiet us. This letter was written to the churches who were feeling the pressure of suffering for their faith. Those who had spent their whole lives in communities were now considered exiles, outcasts. They were maligned and falsely accused. They may have thought that God had abandoned them. But far from it, God displays His mind and His heart for the people of God and does the same for us today.

We have a historical reference, an objective sign for us to lay hold of. Christ was made manifest. Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Is your soul weary and heavy laden look to Jesus. GO to the gospels and drink deeply in the reading of them. They are a visible assurance of the testimony of God’s love and watch care of us.

Understanding our Redemption Pt6: Redemption Accomplished and Applied

1Pe 1:13-21 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (14) as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; (15) but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, (16) because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." (17) And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; (18) knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (20) He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you (21) who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

For a while now we have been looking at understanding our redemption as a means of walking in holiness and conducting ourselves in fear while we during our stay upon the earth. But it has also been a means of great comfort and peace as we have grown in understanding that we can rest in God’s redemption because it is the perfect redemption. We have not been given a spirit of slavery leading to fear again but we have been given the Spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out Abba, Father. No longer are we reaching for God in the futility and meaninglessness of works and false worship but you may be asking yourself, what proof is there that Christ’s redemption is real? You say that Christ’s redemption is perfect but what proof do you offer to show that it is true? Verse 21 provides the answers to those questions.

Redemption Accomplished-Through Him You Believe in God

Look at the first phrase. In the Greek the word for believe is a plural noun. It reads, “who through him you are believers in God.” The communities from which the Christians came, would have considered that an odd distinction to make of the Christians. For whether Peter is speaking here to Christian Jews or Gentiles, both nonChristian Jews and Gentiles who were converted to the Jewish faith would have claimed that they were believers in God. The Jews would have been especially offended at such terminology. None of the readers to whom Peter is writing would have testified that they had not believed in God before. And not only that there are many religions that profess to believe in God. This says exclusively who true believers in God are. Act 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

So what is Peter’s meaning?

The key is found in the first two words – “through him.” And to understand how close the connection these two terms are to the whole phrase, let me write it literally as presented in the Greek. Verse 21 actually continues the previous train of thought. Picking up with verse 20: He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for you, the through-him believers of God.

The first phrase of verse 21 is actually an adjective phrase describing the ‘you’ of verse 20.

Christians are the through-Christ believers of God. The redeemed-by-Christ are the believers-through-Christ. Remember what redemption is: To be redeemed is to be purchased or ransomed from a previous state or condition. Peter is saying, “You are now true believers in God, because, one, you know him in your redeemed status no longer being under the slavery of sin, and, two, you know him through knowing Christ.” As slaves of sin, we could not know God because our hearts and minds were dead in our trespasses and sins. Christ’s redemption changed that condition so we can now know God. As a result of Christ’s redemption we have been regenerated. Our hearts of stone have been replaced by hearts of flesh. Stone is dead and lifeless, flesh is living. Furthermore, as Christ fulfills the office of prophet. He as explained God the Father to us. Joh 1:18  No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. I like the NASB translation a little better here. Is says explained him. The Greek word is word we get exegete. Every action and every word of Jesus was the exact representation of our Father in heaven. By knowing Christ, we can now know God.

Who Raised Him From the Dead and Glorified Him

If we are the ones who believe in God through Christ, God is the one who raised Christ from the dead and glorified him so that we would believe and hope in God.

This is not the only place where the resurrection and belief and hope are connected.

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).

1Pe 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

What is it about the resurrection that produces belief and hope? What does the resurrection signify that justifies our faith and nourishes our hope?

What is it that Jesus did for us? He redeemed us from sin. How? By offering his precious blood as a redemption/ransom payment for us. But that leads to another question: how do we know that his payment, the sacrificing of his life, was sufficient? How do we know that God the Father accepted it? What if during Jesus’ life, he had developed a blemish or two? Think about it: what do we hear from Jesus on the cross? My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Those are not exactly the words we want to hear from one making a payment for us. The truth is we don’t know if Jesus’ ransom payment was sufficient without evidence, and his resurrection is that evidence.

1 Corinthians 15 gives the definitive exposition of the importance of the resurrection. Verses 17-19 summarize the consequence for Christians if Christ did not rise.

1Co 15:15-17  Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.  (16)  For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.  (17)  And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!

Why are we still in our sins? Because Jesus failed to turn away God’s wrath with his sacrifice. He was not lifted up, not exalted by God; or at least that is the conclusion we are left with. It is only through the resurrection that Christ’s redemption succeeded.

It is also through the resurrection that Jesus reigns as Lord, that he was not defeated by death. The first Christian sermon, which was delivered by Peter at Pentecost, centers on the resurrection, highlighting the great victory of Jesus.

Act 2:29-32  "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.  (30)  Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,  (31)  he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.  (32)  This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.

Indeed, the resurrection is what gave the apostles faith and hope. But it gave them more than that. It gave them courage. These same apostles who fled at Christ’s arrest, this same apostle who denied Christ 3 times are the same apostles in Acts who upon threat of beatings and imprisonment said ‘we cannot help but to speak of what we have seen and heard’. They understood that their mission in life was to bear testimony to the risen Lord. Cut out the resurrection and the gospel never goes forth; there is no gospel to go forth. The gospel is that Christ has made redemption for our sins, the proof of that redemption is that HE has risen from the dead and reigns over his kingdom now. For the gospel is not just about the sacrifice Jesus made back then; it is also about the ongoing ministry of Jesus now and his final work to come when he returns, neither of which can take place if Jesus did not rise from the dead.

Peter notes also that Jesus was glorified. He is referring to what he and the other apostles were able to see. They saw Jesus transfigured on the Mountain. Jesus’ resurrection was itself a means of glorification; furthermore they beheld his ascension into heaven, a further means of being glorified. The point is that Jesus did not merely survive death; he conquered it and was exalted over it. As Peter went on to say in his Pentecost sermon:

Act 2:33-36  Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.  (34)  "For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: 'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,  (35)  TILL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES YOUR FOOTSTOOL." '  (36)  "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

So, we have faith in God because the resurrection of Christ testifies to the completeness of his redemption and demonstrates his great power. Now I want us to also think of the relationship between hope and resurrection. To do this we must consider what the resurrection of Christ actually entails.

It means to rise from the dead, but it is more than that. Lazarus rose from the dead; Jesus raised the son of the widow from Nain and the daughter of Jairus the synagogue ruler. We do not refer to any of those cases as resurrections; they are, rather, resuscitations from the dead. They were brought back to the same physical state in which they originally lived, and eventually they all died again.

But Jesus did not die again, and he did not rise in the same state in which he had existed before he died. He rose with a resurrected, not resuscitated, body. His body was not revitalized; it was transformed.

And here is the point to this discussion: we also shall be like him. We also shall experience the resurrection.

1Co 15:20  But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep..

1Co 15:42-44  So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.  (43)  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.  (44)  It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

That is our hope – the final resurrection of our bodies, which will take place when Christ returns. That is the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time 1 Peter 1:5. Our hope is not that we will go to heaven when we die. That’s a good thing to take place, but it is not the final stage of our inheritance for which we hope. We ourselves have a final transformation to undergo – our bodies themselves will be in a glorified state. Whereas now we are the people of redemption, we will become the people of resurrection. Now our souls are redeemed, then our bodies will be redeemed.

Rom 8:23  Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

At that time the saying that is written will come true: 1Co 15:55-57  "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? O HADES, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?"  (56)  The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.  (57)  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through Christ we are believers in God. His redemption put us in the right condition in which to know God, and he himself reveals to us what God is like. God raised Christ from the dead and glorified him so that we would have faith in God and put our hope in him.

Did you catch those significant two words – so that? The Greek reads “so that.” Peter’s point is that Christ was raised and glorified for the very purpose that we would believe. Our belief is not incidental in the plan of redemption. God devised the plan of Christ’s redemption in such a way it would produce faith. For it is clear that without God given faith from us, Christ’s work of redemption does us no good.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (Romans 3:21,22).

The work of Christ’s redemption did not automatically change the status of everyone in the world. It changed only those whom God has chosen as taught in verse 1, and those whom he has chosen must come forth at some time and exercise faith. How is it that they come to exercise faith?

Redemption Applied

This where we get into redemption applied. Redemption paid is the work of Christ that takes place apart from us. It is a work “out there.” Redemption applied is the work that is done in us. 1 Pet 1:3 gives us a clue of this inner working: 1Pe 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,.

God does the work of regenerating us we may then respond to the gospel by faith and hope. Remember, without Christ we are dead in our sins. We are incapable of responding to the gospel.

Tit 3:4-6  But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,  (5)  not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,  (6)  whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

In John 6, Jesus discussing faith, the necessity of God’s inner working, and our final resurrection.

Joh 6:39-40  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  (40)  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

Joh 6:44  No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

To have eternal life, one must believe. The one who believes can have the hope of the resurrection. No one, however, can believe except for the work of God in him, leading him to faith.

This knowledge should cause us to be in awe of the grace that God has shown us. Once more we behold the wondrous attention that the almighty God shows to his people. Once more we see how he determines that his desire is carried out.

So why should we be holy? Why should we conduct ourselves in fear during the time of our stay upon the earth? Hardship now, glory to come.

For all who would say they know God or love God or fear God; for all who would say they are earnest seekers of God, then here is your test: what do you say of Jesus Christ? Is he the only redeemer for sin; is he your Redeemer? Oh! that you may know him to be so; for those who know him and his redemption, who have placed their faith and hope in him, will testify that he worthy of that faith.

1Pe 1:18-25  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,  (19)  but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.  (20)  He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you  (21)  who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.  (22)  Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,  (23)  having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,  (24)  because "ALL FLESH IS AS GRASS, AND ALL THE GLORY OF MAN AS THE FLOWER OF THE GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND ITS FLOWER FALLS AWAY,  (25)  BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

Introduction

Never in my lifetime have I seen the country more divided. Let’s see if I can get all the divisions straight. The is black vs white, there is men versus women, straight versus gay, rich versus poor. The liberals and media have us so divided that the country does not know who to trust and heaven help you if you don’t walk in lockstep with whatever division you are supposed to be assigned to. Blacks are vilified and called traitors to their race if they voice a different opinion. Women who choose to be stay at home moms are vilified for their choice in our society today. And white men, everyone is supposed to hate you. Why has it gotten to this point? How has it gotten to this point? In this past election cycle family members were disowning each other over not holding the same political views. Back in the 80’s there was a political movement called the moral majority. Their agenda was to pass laws that would make people conform to an outwardly high moral standard. Looking at where we are now almost 40 years later and I would say they were not successful. Again we have to ask ourselves why? The text this morning gives the answers to that question.

To give a summary of the verses we read: 1Pe 1:22-23 form one sentence, and the imperative "love one another" is its heart. The new life should be lived out in a community setting; it requires relationships of mutual affection among the brethren as the members of God's family. Peter reminded his readers of their experience of inner purification (1Pe 1:22a), emphasized the urgent duty of mutual love (1Pe 1:22b), and explained that regeneration is the basis that enables the Christian to love (1Pe 1:23-25). 1Pe 1:24-25 are an illustrative expansion of the teaching of 1Pe 1:23.

There are two points this morning.

1. The Inward Reality. 2. The Outward Action

I. The Inward Reality –

When we read this text our first impulse is to look at this first phrase and ask the question do we actually purify ourselves? The short answer is no, if you look at verse 23 we see ‘having been born again’. We are passive in that process just as a baby is passive in the natural birth process. In verse 3 of this chapter Peter tells us that ‘according His abundant mercy He has begotten us again to a living hope.’. But there is human agency and activity otherwise there would be no commands. We believe, we exercise faith. Hebrews 11 is called the hall of faith and those listed are commended for exercise of their faith. The prophet Daniel was called highly esteemed of the Lord. Why? Because of the exercise of his faith. We are not the authors of it, faith is the gift the Father bestows through the Spirit, but we exercise it otherwise there would be nothing to commend in the epistles and yet the writers do commend them.

Col 1:3-4  We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,  (4)  since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;

What do they give thanks for? Their faith in Christ and love for the saints.

So the inward reality is that our souls have been purified, not by us but by the One who alone is able to Purify. 1Pe 1:2  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. What does purify mean? The root word describes what that which is morally undefiled and when used ceremonially describes that which has been so cleansed that it is fit to be brought into the presence of God and used in His service. James uses this root word for purity in his list of characteristics of heavenly wisdom

Jas 3:17  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

It describes a purity which affects not only a person’s motives but also their conduct. In short, it is a verb used in Scripture to describe ceremonial and/or spiritual purification and addressing both the external and internal aspects of our being. The noun form of this word is translated as holy. We have seen just a few verses earlier that we are to be holy in all our behavior. The meat of the matter is that our souls have been purified. We have not only been redeemed, having a change in our status, but we have been purified, a change in condition. The instruments for temple worship in the OT were ritually cleansed (purified) to make them fit to be in the presence of the Lord in the temple and also make them fit for service in the temple.

This reminds us of verse 2. Sprinkling of blood in the OT was for 3 purposes. 1. It was for the institution of the OT. The people were sprinkled with sacrificial blood. 2. It was for the priesthood which ministered begore God in the Temple worship. 3. It was for ritual cleansing of the leper that had been healed. Leprosy is an outward picture of decaying flesh pointing to the inward reality of the souls moral decay. Our sprinkling with Christ’s blood is our purification from our sin.

Since we have been purified, we have been made fit homes for the Spirit of God that dwells in us. 1Co 6:19  Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

Since we have been purified we have been made fit to serve our God. 1Pe 2:5  you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

This again points us to the beauty of Christ. It reminds me of the words of the hymn – Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe, Sin had left a crimson stain He washed it white as snow.

The verb is perfect tense meaning that it was a one time act with on going consequences. It underscores the permanence of the once for all transaction of salvation. he present context of 1Pe 1:22 describes an internal, supernatural cleansing which occurred when they received the living and abiding word and were caused to be born again by God (1Pe 1:3).

In Obedience to the Truth

We have been purified in our obedience to the truth. The obedience" denotes the needed human response to the hearing of the gospel message. Our obedience is not in itself the instrument or means that procures purification; it designates the needed human response to the message which enables the Spirit to purify. EX: The Philippian Jailor ask Paul and Silas, ’Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And their response was believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved. Obedience is the intentional, thoughtful listening to instruction and willing submitting to the instruction to completion. In this context obedience is synonymous with faith. There are some that make an unbiblical distinction between the two. James makes it perfectly clear. True faith will be accompanied by works of faith. Jas 2:14-19  What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?  (15)  If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,  (16)  and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?  (17)  Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  (18)  But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.  (19)  You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

The truth is in this context is the whole of this first chapter but not only of this chapter but whole council of God as found in the Old and New Testament . Not only believing the gospel but living the gospel. And what does obedience to the truth produce? A sincere love of the brethren. But isn’t the OT out dated and no use to us today? Isn’t it all about the Law and no grace? Jesus was asked what the two greatest commandments were. Mat 22:37-40  Jesus said to him, 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'  (38)  This is the first and great commandment.  (39)  And the second is like it: 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'  (40)  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

It is in the Law of God that teaches us how to love our neighbor.

II. Outward Action – sincere love of the brethren

Truth has a purifying and separating power, removing all obstacles to the exercise of brotherly love, such as selfishness, obstinacy, self-sufficiency, men-pleasing, ambition, flattery, in fact, all manifestations of egotism. This chapter has been a chapter of contrasts: perishable with imperishable, what is precious in the sight of God and that which is precious in the sight of men, there is a contrast of live as well. Verse 14 not conforming to our former lusts but the call to be holy in verse 15. This sincere love of the brethren stands in contrast to our former lusts. Lust is not love, it seeks its own fulfillment, has at the center self rather than others. Paul lays this out clearly.

2Ti 3:1-5 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. (2) For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, (3) unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, (4) treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, (5) holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.

This is not a sincere love of the brethren. This is nothing more than a counterfeit, the giving of love to get something in return. When we first moved Dubai there were all kinds of street vendors. My dad had purchased a really nice Seiko watch and had gotten this really sweet deal. That is until he inspected it more closely. It is not a Seiko S-e-i-k-o but a sieko – s-i-e-k-o. Looking on the back he read that it did not have 19 jewels as advertised, but 1. Just like counterfeits are known for it was a cheap replica of an expensive watch design to take advantage of the ignorant. This is the love of the world. But having our souls purified by the truth gives us a un-hypocritical genuine brotherly affection for one another. Peter moves from stating the fact of their sincere brotherly love to an imperative.

love one another fervently with a pure heart

The word for love in the command is different than the word love in ‘sincere love of the brethren’ The love of the brethren is phileo love – brotherly love. Peter does not dismiss it as lesser, he commends it but commands us to a higher kind of love beyond brotherly affection. Agape love is that love which is given without merit and seeks the highest good in the one that is loved.

1Jn 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.

Paul defines this love in 1Co 13:4-7 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; (5) does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; (6) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; (7) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

We have already seen an example of this in Peter’s letter in Christ’s redeeming us. We are our Father’s children and as he has loved us so we are to love one another. And not just a little, not on low heat, but with the fire turned all the way up. It is not just going through the motions but is from the heart. This love is not based upon the whimsy of a feeling but rather with steadfast commitment to one another.

1Jn 3:18  My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

Application: Our faith is exercised in the community of believers. It is in our love for one another that we stand in contrast to the world. It is in our love for one another that marks us as Christ’s disciples.

Joh 13:34-35  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  (35)  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

It is a love that requires us to be obedient to the truth and in order to do that we must become students of what the Scripture says. The focus is obedience not knowledge. You can have knowledge of the Scripture without obedience to it but you cannot have obedience without knowledge. Obedience is simply practically working it out in our day to day lives. Will we do it perfectly, no, not all the time, but as we work we will get better at it.

May he who has purified our souls grant us grace to grow in our fervent love for another from our heart.

The Word of God: Is the Truth

1Pe 1:22-2:3 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,  (23)  having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,  (24)  because "ALL FLESH IS AS GRASS, AND ALL THE GLORY OF MAN AS THE FLOWER OF THE GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND ITS FLOWER FALLS AWAY,  (25)  BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,  (2)  as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,  (3)  if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Introduction: The last time we were in 1 Peter we looked at v22. We saw there were two primary points. 1) The inward reality and 2) the outward action. The inward reality was the unhypocritical love of the brethren. To be a hypocrite means to pretend to be what he is not. So we see the kind of love displayed before they were in Christ was selfish, self-centered and self-serving.

The reason we are able to love the brethren unhypocritically is because we have been purified by obedience to the truth through the Spirit. But then, the command is given to love another fervently. It is the same kind of love that God loves us with. It is not based upon any benefit derived from loving the object. It is not based upon the value of the object to be love. God’s love for His people is in spite of who we are and what we have to over because there is nothing in us natively that would cause Him to love us. Simply put God loves us because He chooses to and He has sealed that love to us by means of a covenant. He did this, not because there was any threat of His changing His mind concerning us, but so that His people might be all the more assured of His faithfulness He sealed it in a promise.

Heb 6:17-18  Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath,  (18)  that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

What are the two immutable things? 1) His oath 2) It is impossible for God to lie.

This love that God has freely bestowed upon us we freely bestow on our brothers and sisters in Christ. A fervent, earnest love. It is a love that is based in commitment and covenant. It is a love that is shown actively rather than passively. Little children, let us not love in word or with tongue but in deed and truth.

Again points from the last time we were in 1 Peter was 1) the inward reality 2) the outward action. I want you to notice something. The inward reality and the command of outward action is sandwiched between two statements of salvation: We have been purified by our obedience to the truth through the Spirit and having been born again…through the Word of God. And the two statements of salvation both include references to the Scripture. But before we get to much further, let’s review briefly.

In this chapter we have seen the rich doctrine of salvation that includes God’s election/predestination, the sanctifying work of the Spirit and the redemptive/ransoming sacrifice of Christ. It is God who has caused us to be born again. It is God who has brought us into His household through adoption. It is the Holy Spirit Who has applied God’s election and Christ’s redemption to the people of God. If God is the one who caused us to be born and again and sanctifies us to obedience through the Holy Spirit and redeems us and cleanses us in the blood of Christ Jesus, why does it say that we are born again through the incorruptible, living and abiding Word of God?

It is because God is pleased to use means in our salvation. It is the message of the Truth, God uses, as it is declared, to move men and women to repentance and faith. Rom 1:16-17  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.  (17)  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."

This is not the first time the Word of God is alluded to. 1Pe 1:10-12  Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,  (11)  searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.  (12)  To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.

In the midst of chapter 1 we see the Triune God accomplishing His work in decreeing, accomplishing, and applying His redemptive plan. We see the focus on the Spirit in not only the application of the redemptive work but also in the revelation and proclamation of the gospel in history! Here we see the primacy of the Scripture and it is here at the end of chapter 1 and the beginning of chapter 2 that Peter directs those Christians in the churches in Pontus, Galatia, Bithynia, Cappadocia and Asia Minor. Peter, in directing us to the Word of God, describes it in five ways which will be our points in this section.

The Word of God is: 1) the Truth 2) Incorruptible 3) lives forever 4) abides forever 5) the good news, the gospel 6) the means of growth. For the sake of our outline there will be four points.

I. The Word of God is The Truth

II. The Word of God is Incorruptible

1. It lives forever.

2. It abides forever.

III. The Word of God is the Gospel/Good News (The means and the message)

IV. The Word of God is the means of Growth

As we look at this passage there are some general observations to be made. The first, and I am repeating myself, is that an unhypocritical love of the brethren and earnestly loving one another from the heart stems from the fact that we are new creatures. We have been purified and born again. Second, Peter makes a contrast between the corruptible and incorruptible. This is the third time Peter uses the word incorruptible. There is our incorruptible inheritance v4, our incorruptible redemption v18,19, and now we are born again by incorruptible seed v23. Peter re-enforces the incorruptible nature of the Word of God with a quote from the prophet Isaiah in verses 24,25. Again using contrasts to highlight the blessings of our salvation, even though we may be going through times of suffering and persecution. It reminds of what Paul said in Rom 8:18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. This world is passing away as well as these bodies, but whether we have a long or short while upon the earth we have the blessed assurance of our incorruptible inheritance, salvation, and Word of God. This brings us to our first point.

I. The Word of God is the Truth v.22

The book of John records Jesus before Pilate in John 18:37,38  Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" Pilate asked the question of Jesus, ‘What is truth? This was a cynical question from a Roman governor whose view of truth was whatever Caesar said it was. This is the same question our world today asks, and they come up with wildly varying answers. But the most prevailing answer is that it is subjective, it is preference and opinion. We see it worked out every day. ‘My truth’, ‘your truth’ and when a whole society operates under that definition you get opinion and commentary instead of news. There is no standard to which all other aspects of life are measured. The end of all arguments is ‘that is my truth’. There is no longer any basis for discussion and debate to come true and right conclusion.

I like John MacArthur’s definition of truth. From his article ‘What is Truth’ he writes, “ Here's a simple definition drawn from what the Bible teaches: Truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory, and being of God. Even more to the point: Truth is the self-expression of God. That is the biblical meaning of truth. Because the definition of truth flows from God, truth is theological.

Truth is also ontological — which is a fancy way of saying it is the way things really are. Reality is what it is because God declared it so and made it so. Therefore God is the author, source, determiner, governor, arbiter, ultimate standard, and final judge of all truth.”

This is as clear and concise a definition as can be found. When we say God is love, God is just, or any of the other attributes that are attributed to Him; these are not words we make up and define then apply them to God. Rather all the words we use find there fullest measure and expression in Him. Because He is love He defines it. Because God is truth, He defines the fullest, perfect expression of truth. The OT echoes this.

Deu 32:4  He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.

Psa 31:5  Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

This is no better illustration of God being the fullest expression of truth than in Jesus. Joh 1:1-4  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  (2)  He was in the beginning with God.  (3)  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  (4)  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Joh 1:14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Joh 14:6  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. – Jesus does not say He knows the truth, but says He is the truth.

The truth in the word of God is the same truth in the Son of God. The Scriptures are not only called the word of God but also the word of Christ. Col 3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

To summarize then, then Word of God is the truth because truth itself is defined in the very character and nature of the Lord in that way it is theological. The truth also defines our reality. Why? Because God declared and made it so. Num 23:19  "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Application: Since the word of God is the truth. Since it is the expression of God Himself and it is reality how then should we approach the Truth of God’s word? Do we interpret the Bible through the lens of our human experience? Do we force unbiblical interpretations of Scripture based upon our preconceived opinions and bias’s? Or do we view everything through the lens of Scripture? We should do the latter. In order for us to view the world through the lens of Scripture we must be those who have more than just a casual acquaintance with it. I had a conversation with an unbeliever who gave me his opinion on how he thought God did things. At that point I asked him if he ever read the Bible to know and his answer was that he had not. The very Word of God that speaks of God is rejected for the opinion of man.

And you may say to yourself, ’Sometimes I read it and don’t understand it’. Do not fret, you know the Author and He desire nothing more than for you to know His Word and to know Him. You may not understand right away but in time He will reveal it. Jer 33:3  'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'

I Peter1:1,2 Introductions

1Pe 1:1-2  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen  (2)  according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure.

I.Peter

A.Before

Peter is identified as a fisherman by trade. He would be uneducated and was recognized as such in Acts 4:13. The life of a fisherman was hard work and long hours. You fished until you had what you needed or until you could not fish anymore. Peter had to be strong and burned brown with long hours in the sun. He was probably a course man in appearance and speech as, generally speaking, laborers are. We may have a hint of that coarseness of speech when he denies Christ with swearing and curses. Matt. 26:74 When he pleaded with Christ to depart from him because he was a sinful man he wasn’t exaggerating. Ex: Fisherman in Dubai. Small boats would set nets together. Pulling the nets in was done with strong arms and backs.

Luk 5:1-10  So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,  (2)  and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.  (3)  Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.  (4)  When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  (5)  But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."  (6)  And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.  (7)  So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.  (8)  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"  (9)  For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken;  (10)  and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men."

B.During

Jesus renames Simon calling him Cephas in Aramaic, Peter in Greek meaning piece of stone. Stone, at the time was an important building material. It stable and solid. Jesus named him this not because that is who he was, but who he would become. Being solid, stable, and consistent is not descriptive of Peter during Christ’s earthly ministry. Rather he had the severe ups and downs that are associated more with a boat in an stormy sea; at the peak of high wave tops one moment and in the lowest trough of the wave the next and at times mere breaths away. Examples: Great faith/Little faith. Walking on the water. Mat 14:25-31  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  (26)  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.  (27)  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."  (28)  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  (29)  So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  (30)  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  (31)  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Great understanding/Little understanding Mar 8:29-33  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  (30)  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  (31)  And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  (32)  He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  (33)  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

Great Bravery/Great fear Mat 26:51  And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. Mat 26:69-74  Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."  (70)  But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."  (71)  And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth."  (72)  But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"  (73)  And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you."  (74)  Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!" Immediately a rooster crowed.

-Of the 12 disciples, Peter was one of the inner circle of 3 including James, and John. There were several instances where Jesus brought them and excluded the others. Ex: Jairus daughter Mk 5:37; the Transfiguration Matt 17:1; the Garden of Gethsemene Mat 26:36-40 Then Jesus *came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." (37) And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. (38) Then He *said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me." (39) And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt." (40) And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, "So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?

-He is the only Apostle to whom Jesus tells directly and specifically how he will die. Joh 21:18-19  Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish."  (19)  This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."

-Consider what may be the defining moment in Peter’s life; in any life. Luk 22:31-34  And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  (32)  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  (33)  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  (34)  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."

Luk 22:61-62  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  (62)  So Peter went out and wept bitterly. "

C.After

At Pentecost Peter preached and 3000 souls were added. Where after the crucifixion he, with the others hid. Acts 5:41 having been flogged went out rejoicing that they suffered for the name of Christ. He preached in Samaria, preached to the Gentiles, we know from Scripture that he was in Galatia, though he was called to account by Paul there, he was named in 1 Corinthians so it is reasonable to believe that he was also there. Here was a man, called according the purpose of God, untrained, uneducated, imperfect, yet called as an apostle

II.Place and Time of Writing

It is generally considered that the time of the writing of this letter was around 64AD, just before the persecution of the Christians by Nero, on whom he had placed the blame of Rome’s burning. There was still wide spread suspicion of Christians prior to that time in Rome and in the provinces. Suetonius, a Roman historian, calls Christianity "a new and evil superstition". Tacitus says that it is "a destructive superstition". So while Christians were not yet being burned at the stake, they were nevertheless, being persecuted for their faith. Suffering for the faith is a strong theme throughout Peter’s letter using some reference to suffering 16 or more times. Where Peter rebukes Jesus in the gospels for speaking of His suffering, the suffering of Jesus plays prominently in both his preaching and his first epistle. Commentators are split as to the actual location of the writing. Peter mentions Babylon, which some interpret as Rome and others take literally as Babylon on the Euphrates. Peter’s letter was issued as a circular letter and as such makes since that it would follow the order of delivery as that listed in the introduction. . One thing to consider is the love and dedication to Christ and to the brethren these messengers had. Paul testifies to his hardships 2Co 11:26-27  in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;  (27)  in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—

III.The Purpose of the Letter

1Pe 5:12 Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! The true grace of God being that work of salvation. He points to the past, present and future salvation of God. What does that mean exactly? It means there is a point in time and history that God has appointed for salvation for those whom God has called. God is presently saving His people from the power of remaining sin, and finally, at some future point, whether Christ returns or we pass from this life to the next God will save us even from the presence of sin. Rev 21:3-4  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.  (4)  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

IV.The People to whom it was Written

The epistle is addressed 1Pe 1:1 to those who reside as pilgrims, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are elect. The NASB calls translates the Greek to aliens, the ESV – exiles. These words indicate the initial readers lived in the Roman provinces in the northwestern section of Asia Minor. The term “strangers” is understood by some to refer to Christian Jews of the Diaspora. Others regard the term as a symbol for the believer’s status as a “stranger” in the world. Many references in the epistle indicate that the latter interpretation is preferred. For example, formerly believers lived in ignorance (1:14) and shared in abominable idolatries (4:3). Perhaps the most vivid illustration is that they were formerly “not a people” (2:10). Most likely the churches that received the letter were of mixed, Jewish‑Gentile congregations.

Appplication:

Transforming grace – in the scripture we see Peter’s transformation from fisherman to fisher of men. When Christ named him Peter or Cephas, it was not a description of who he was but who, through the transforming power of the gospel, of who he would become. As we have seen it, from a human stand point, it was not a seamless process. Rather we might have considered him unfit. He had highs and lows, he had success and great failures. Yet the eyes of God sees not as we see. Isa 42:3  A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.

Are we like Peter? Do we suffer highs and lows? Are we so grieved by our failures that we weep bitterly? Jesus yet intercedes for us, so that our faith should not fail.

We are all named Peter (little stones) 1Pe 2:5  you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Pete’s letter is written to those called aliens; in other translations they are called exiles and strangers. Heb 11:9-10  By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;  (10)  for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Do we see ourselves as aliens and strangers in a foreign land?

Are we seeking to be citizens of this world or are we waiting for that who builder and maker is God?