A Call to holy Living
Notes
Transcript
Handout
A Call to Holy Living
A Call to Holy Living
Purpose of Letter
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!
Peter, once a simple fisherman, demonstrates that God can use anyone, regardless of their background. His life is a testament to transformation. From denying Christ three times
In the midst of storms, Peter stepped out of the boat, showing remarkable faith in Jesus. When he faltered, he cried for help, and immediately, Jesus reached out. This incident reminds us that faith may waver, but God's grace is unwavering. Like Peter, we can overcome challenges by relying on Christ, no matter how many times we stumble.
Peter's bold declaration of faith in Matthew 16:16 sets him apart among the disciples. He recognized Jesus as the Messiah, affirming that true recognition of Christ brings transformation.
In the story of Peter's rebuke, we see a striking contrast between worldly wisdom and divine revelation. Peter's intention was noble, but it was misguided. This reminds us that our human reasoning can often miss the mark of God's will. Just as Jesus chastised Peter for prioritizing human perspective over divine wisdom, we too must be willing to reassess our own priorities in light of God’s greater wisdom and understanding.
Even after his resurrection, Peter struggled with shame and doubt, yet Jesus restored him on the shores of Galilee. This moment illustrates that despite our failures, God is always ready to restore us. In our lives, we must remember that God’s purpose for us often emerges stronger after acknowledging our weaknesses.
The Holy Spirit empowers Peter at Pentecost, changing him from a scared disciple into a bold preacher. This highlights the necessity of the Spirit in our lives. Just as Peter experienced an incredible transformation, we too can be filled with the Spirit to fulfill our God-given potential and testify to His goodness in a world that desperately needs hope.
In the early church, Peter and Paul had a significant conflict over the issue of Gentile believers and the Jewish law. This disagreement was not just a theological debate; it was a clash of culture and personal conviction. Paul confronted Peter publicly for withdrawing from eating with the Gentiles when certain Jewish believers arrived. This incident reminds us that even the strongest leaders can face conflicts, and these challenges provide opportunities for growth, understanding, and unity within the body of Christ.
The story of Peter and Paul's confrontation serves as a poignant reminder that even leaders can stray from the path of unity. It teaches us about accountability and humility. Just as Peter faced rebuke from Paul for his actions, we too need friends who are willing to speak the truth in love, challenging us to stay true to the gospel and the call to unity among believers, despite our differences and backgrounds.
Bible Passage: 1 Peter 1:13–25
Bible Passage: 1 Peter 1:13–25
Summary: In 1 Peter 1:13-25, the apostle Peter urges believers to cultivate a mindset of holiness and to act in ways that are consistent with their new birth into God's family. He focuses on the importance of setting our hope fully on the grace to be revealed, which serves as a guiding principle in leading a life marked by obedience, love, and reverence towards God, contrasting the temporary nature of earthly desires with the eternal nature of God’s word.
Application: This sermon invites Christians to evaluate their lives in light of their calling as holy people. By prioritizing spiritual growth and imitating Christ, they can resist worldly temptations and experience true fulfillment in God’s grace, ultimately impacting their spheres of influence positively.
Teaching: The teaching centers on the concept that holiness is a fruit of understanding one's identity in Christ and the significance of God’s eternal word. This informs listeners that their conduct should reflect their relationship with God and their commitment to His transformative work in their lives.
How this passage could point to Christ: The theme underscores how Jesus embodies the fulfillment of God’s promise through His sacrifice and resurrection, which empowers believers to live holy lives. He serves as both the model and source of holiness, enabling believers to reflect His image and witness to the world.
Big Idea: Our hope in Jesus calls us to a radical redefinition of our identity, prompting us to pursue holiness and live out our faith in practical ways that reflect the eternal truths of God's kingdom, impacting both ourselves and our community.
Recommended Study: As you prepare this sermon, consider examining the nuances of the Greek terms for 'hope' and 'holiness' found in this passage. Utilizing Logos, investigate different commentaries that discuss how early Christians understood the call to holiness in a secular context, as this will provide deeper insights into application for today's audience. Additionally, looking into the historical context of Peter’s exhortations can clarify the urgency of his message for believers living in a diverse setting.
Do you believe our faith demands action?
We’re going to talk about anxiety today, and we’re going to actually start with John defining anxiety for us. What is it?
Well, I mean, there’s a lot of different ways to define it. This is the way I like to think about it, because it helps me organize all the different words that scripture uses and gives that fall on the spectrum of fear, anxiety, worry, terror, dread. And so I tend to think about anxiety as a kind of experience and expression of fear.
And so fear being something more substantial. You know, scripture will use words that we translate into anxiety or anxiousness, maybe 30 or so times. The word fear is used over 400 times.
And so the real weight of language in scripture around this sort of range of words is around fear. And often anxiety is described as an expression of that fear, the experience of that fear. When the body experiences fear, when the mind experiences fear, then anxiety and trembling can come over us.
“And so it’s like the light on our dashboard of our car, that something is happening in the engine, and then a check engine light comes on, that anxiety is that light that alerts to fear happening under the hood.
Is all anxiety bad anxiety? Can there be good anxiety?
It’s interesting, you know, that when I see scripture, when I read scripture talking about anxiety, it’s usually in the context of, don’t be, and don’t be anxious. And yet, scripture all over the place, when it talks about fear, it depends on what the fear is. It often says fear, fear the Lord, don’t fear man.
But then usually when it’s talking about anxiety, it’s, okay, don’t be this. Which I take to mean that anxiety is usually the expression of misplaced fears. Anxiety is usually the experience of our fears being attached to something that the Lord doesn’t want them attached to.
And that’s why fear is often, or anxiety is often put over and against faith. That fear of the Lord and faith in the Lord drives us to the Lord in such a way that our anxieties go down. But yet, I also think anxiety is””somewhat unavoidable, because we’re all works in progress.
We’re all learning how to fear rightly. We’re all learning how to trust rightly. And so, I don’t know how you follow Jesus faithfully and go through this world without feeling anxiety.
At the same time, I think anxiety is very helpful, because often we don’t really know what we fear until we feel anxious. And so, there’s something about anxiety that is a helpful thermostat, a helpful, again, light on the dashboard, that says, hey, here’s something your fear is attached to, that it probably shouldn’t be so strongly attached to.
I have just one more follow up, just in case we want to lose some people here. So, I would typically think of myself as not being an anxious person. In one sense, I think I don’t worry about a lot, but I’m stressed out all the time.
I’ve heard you before say that stress is kind of how some people talk about anxiety. Can you fill us in on that a little bit?
Yeah, I would say especially men tend to… Stress is often a code word for anxiety, that there's certainly stress from the outside. There's pressure that”
THERFORE
Picture a treasure hunt where each clue reveals a doctrine from 1 Peter 1:1-12. As we follow the map, we uncover the significance of our inheritance, the joy of salvation, and the hope we hold dear. Just like finding treasures, these doctrines lead us closer to God, reminding us that our faith is a beautiful, adventurous journey filled with surprises!
Imagine you're playing a game of connect-the-dots. When you connect them in the right order, suddenly, a beautiful picture appears! In Romans, the 'therefore' is our cue to connect God’s mercies to our responses. It’s as if the 'therefore' shouts, "Look at all God has done, now let’s celebrate and act accordingly!" Who knew a single word could guide our faith journey in such a whimsical way?
1. Prepare for Hopeful Holiness
1. Prepare for Hopeful Holiness
1 Peter 1:13–16 (NASB95)
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Prepare literally means “gird up” and can refer to tightening a belt, cinching up a cord or rope, or tying something down in preparation for a certain action. In ancient times, this concept referred to the gathering up of one’s robe (Ex. 12:11; 1 Kings 18:46; 2 Kings 4:29; 9:1; Jer. 1:17). If a person wanted to move quickly and easily, often he would pull
Genuine hope is a vital spiritual reality, one of the three supreme virtues of the Christian life (1 Cor. 13:13). Basically defined, hope is the Christian’s attitude toward the future (Acts 24:15; Titus 1:2; 2:13; 3:7). 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised dlong ages ago,
.In its essence, hope is equivalent to faith (Rom. 5:1–2; Gal. 5:5; Heb. 11:1); Now faith is the aassurance of things bhoped for, the conviction of things not seen it is trusting God (1 Peter 1:21). The major difference between the two attitudes is that faith involves trusting God in the present (Rom. 1:17; 3:28; 2 Cor. 5:7; Gal. 2:20; 1 Tim. 6:12; James 1:6), whereas hope is future faith, trusting God for what is to come (Heb. 3:6). Faith appropriates what God has already said and done in His revealed Word, and hope anticipates what He will yet do, as promised in Scripture. Completely means unreservedly, and could also be rendered “fully” or “perfectly.” Christians are not to hope half-heartedly or indecisively, but with finality, without any equivocation or doubt concerning the promises of God (cf. Rom. 8:25; 15:13; Col. 1:23; Heb. 6:19–20).
Faith and Hope are very similar Present/Future
When you plant a seed, it first buries itself in darkness before it pushes through the soil into the light. This illustrates hope perfectly. The seed trusts that beneath the surface, life is growing. Similarly, Psalm 39:7 says, 'But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in You.' Just as we nurture a seed, our hope in God must be tended, especially when we feel buried by life's challenges. For both teens and adults, this imagery serves as a compelling reminder that hope thrives, even where we cannot yet see it.
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,
but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
You could focus on how this passage calls Christians to prepare their minds for action by setting their hope fully on the grace to be brought by Jesus Christ. It suggests an active, deliberate decision to pursue a life of holiness by rejecting former desires. By highlighting holiness as a response to God's call, you might encourage the audience to see this pursuit of holiness not as a burdensome duty, but as a liberating reflection of their new identity in Christ.
2. Live as Reverent Redeemers
2. Live as Reverent Redeemers
1 Peter 1:17–21
17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
18 knowing that you were not aredeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,
19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
20 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you
21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Perhaps emphasize the reverent fear and understanding of redemption through Christ's precious blood, which should inspire believers to live holy lives. In this passage, Peter contrasts the imperishable redemption offered by Christ with the futile ways inherited from forefathers. You could encourage the community to consider the significance of Christ's sacrifice as the foundation for living a holy and purposeful life.
3. Love from a Pure Heart
3. Love from a Pure Heart
1 Peter 1:22–25 (NASB95)
22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a csincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,
23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
24 For, “ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS,
AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS.
THE GRASS WITHERS,
AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF,
25 BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.”
And this is the word which was preached to you.
Maybe highlight how love for one another stems from the purification of souls in obedience to the truth. This suggests that genuine love, coming from a pure heart, is both an evidence and a result of the sanctifying work of God in believers' lives. Encourage the congregation to be committed to loving each other earnestly, as this reflects the enduring word of God and marks the community as distinct within society.