12. ConductInFear

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.