Living Before The Face Of God | 1 Peter 1:13-25
Notes
Transcript
Living Before The Face Of God | 1 Peter 1:13-25
Living Before The Face Of God | 1 Peter 1:13-25
What did we talk about last week?
The Danger of the Unfiltered Sun
The scientist Isaac Newton once stared at the sun's reflection in a mirror as an experiment. The brightness burned into his retinas, causing temporary blindness. Even after three days in a dark room, the image of the sun remained.
He wrote, "If I thought upon him, I presently saw his picture though I was in the dark." Had he stared much longer, he would have been permanently blinded. Human eyes simply cannot withstand the full force of unfiltered sunlight.
There is a parable here for the Israelites in the wilderness. They attempted to live with the visible presence of the Lord in their midst, but the experience was overwhelming. Of the thousands who fled Egypt, only two survived the journey in God’s presence.
The lesson is clear: if we can barely endure the light of a candle, how can we hope to gaze directly at the sun? You can’t meet God who is Holy, Holy, Holy, and stay the same.
Coram Deo is a Latin phrase translating to "in the presence of God," to describe living all of life under divine authority, for God's glory, and in His sight.
It signifies a holistic, purposeful faith that integrates spiritual belief into daily actions, work, and relationships, rather than limiting faith to Sundays.
How do we do live this out? We look to the Cross:
The Blueprint of the Cross
The Cross is the blueprint for a life lived before the face of God.
It is made of two beams that define every relationship we have.
The vertical beam represents your relationship with God. In the architecture of faith, this beam must be set first. It is the support. If your vertical alignment with God is tilted or weak, everything else in your life will eventually lean, your heart, your actions, your thoughts, your relationship with God.
The horizontal beam represents your relationship with others.
But notice a fundamental truth: the horizontal beam cannot stay in the air on its own.
If the vertical is right, the horizontal will follow.
You can’t meet God who is Holy, Holy, Holy, and stay the same, this must impact you:
1. Internally (How You Live),
2. Vertically (Your Relationship With God),
3. Horizontally (Your Relationship With Others)
The Internal Outcome: A Mind Focused On Holiness (v. 13-16)
The Internal Outcome: A Mind Focused On Holiness (v. 13-16)
13 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. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,
15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Paul begins to urge and exhort those whose status he just described, “Therefore, (v. 13)”
Christianity is not just a system of knowledge but of faith that leads to godliness, yes we will grow in wisdom but it should lead to Holiness.
Prepare Your Mind (v. 13)
In light of this, he instructs the believers, “prepare your minds for action (v.13)”
Get Rid Of Distractions (v. 13a)
In other translations it can say to, “gird up the loins of your mind” What does this mean?
Back in the day men would wear tunics, almost as if they were wearing a robe, and the image is here to take all of the slack that is going to hinder you from, running, working, fighting, remove the slack.
Do this so you can move freely, we are also do this internally, with your mind.
Do not let your thoughts be neglected, or to hang loose.
Retrain your impulses, instead direct the strength of your mind toward the goal, toward the mission God has given you.
The main battle for us is the battle of our mind.
2. Be Sober (v.13b)
He also instructs believers to, “keep sober in spirit (v.13b)”
nēphontes, (“be sober”). It means to be free from every form of mental and spiritual “drunkenness” or excess.
Rather than being controlled by outside circumstances, believers should be directed by The Holy Spirit.
We should be on alert to spiritual dangers and make sure we are self-controlled in all things.
Commonly, throughout the New Testament, an exhortation to be sober minded has been given to young men, old men, overseers, young women, all because it so easily to fall into.
3. Have Perfect Hope (v. 13c)
“fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ”
Finally, he states to fix our hope upon Christ.
A life that desires to be Holy, is a life that has to have complete hope.
Our hope must be set perfectly (teleiōs, completely or unchangeably) and without doubting the grace of the Gospel.
This hope is in light that all will be at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Which in this first chapter alone has been already been stated 4 times.
The process is still ongoing after we have received grace, we are continuing to be set apart.
A perfect trust in God’s grace is our highest call as a believer, we must hope perfectly, get rid of distractions, and control ourselves, being encouraged by the grace of Jesus to do our work.
Live As Obedient Children (v.14)
After this exhortation Peter reminds them of their identity, “As obedient Children (v. 14a)”
When you trust in Christ you are adopted into God’s family and you should live accordingly.
There is a positive and a negative statement, we do something because we are God’s Children, and we also don’t do something because we are His Children.
Positive: “As Obedient Children” We are to live as children who obey our father.
In the Greek it is plainly, “children of obedience”: Meaning children whose obedience is their very character and ruling nature.
It is proof that we are children of God by our obedience to Him.
Negative: “do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in ignorance”
conformed - syschēmatizomai: To shape one’s behavior, be pressed to a pattern or mold. The root word here speaks of a simple change of action, however this is deeper, this speaks of an inward change that leads to an outward change.
Peter is telling them as unbelievers you were controlled by your lusts, no longer be controlled by them, because in Christ there is freedom, the freedom to not obey your lusts but obey God.
The world chases after freedom yet all they participate in is the same sin of those around them.
When we were ignorant, we lived in lust and were conformed to the world.
But God has saved us out from that, we aren’t just to go back into it.
Before we desired this, now our desires have been changed by God’s grace.
Be Holy (v. 15-16)
Here Peter gives this contrast from what he just spoke about before, “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., (v.15-16)”.
The pattern wasn’t to be following after our old lusts, but to follow after God’s Holiness.
We are commanded to be holy in every part of our lives.
He has called us in His Grace, “Who called you (v. 15)” , Commands us in His Word “It is written (v.16)”, and is our Example in His character, “Like the Holy One (v.15), “FOR I AM HOLY (v.16)””.
His Grace
“In all your behavior (v.15)”,
His grace should affect our entire life.
Holiness must be the mark of our whole life, in work, in our faith, in our good times, in our bad times, in our relationships, all the time.
That’s the impact of His grace.
2. His Example
What does holiness mean?
ἅγιος (hagios). adj. holy, set apart, consecrated, dedicated, saints. Refers to the quality of God who is transcendently distinctive, unique, majestic, perfect, and pure.
When the term is applied to people, things, or places that have been touched by the presence of God or dedicated to God, it connotes the idea of being set apart for God and thus belonging to the realm of the divine, which is morally and ceremonially pure.
Children’s behaviour naturally reflect their father and mother, here Peter is saying, we have a Father who is Holy, therefore you ought to be Holy as well.
Holiness is something we can’t truly replicate but we can imitate, follow after in Christ.
3. His Word
Not only is He our example but He has said so in His word.
44 ‘For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.
God’s commands to be Holy are still in affect today, we are still called to be Holy for He is Holy.
All we need to walk in Holiness is the Word of God, He is the same God of the Old Testament.
The Vertical Outcome: A Reverent Relationship (v. 17-21)
The Vertical Outcome: A Reverent Relationship (v. 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 redeemed 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.
Our Father and Judge (v.17)
Peter now makes a shift into specifically our relationship to God, “If you address as Father the One (v.17)”
Our Father
As Children of God, wee need to be serious about sin and holy living.
If you call God your father, then you should live your life on earth with a healthy, reverent fear of him.
It is not a fear of a slave being punished, but rather of a child disappointing a father, because as a Child of God He will not just let you get away with sin.
2. Judge
God is our father and Peter here isn’t doubting that the church has this relationship but rather exhorts them in it, making sure they understand He Still is the One, “who impartially judges according to each one’s work (v. 17)”
He is both your father and ultimately just, here Paul is making sure that we get our fear of God right.
There will also be a day in which we aren’t judged in our sin, but we will give an account of our works in God and will receive reward.
3. Our Pilgrimage
“conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth (v. 17)”,
We are all as we said last week aliens in this world, we are all foreign to earth passing along till we are in heaven, this place is not our home.
Life is too short to waste it in disobedience and sin.
The Price Of Our Redemption (v.18-19)
Peter will now remind them why they have this relationship in the first place,
Reminds Them Of Their Knowledge
“knowing that you were (v.17)”, This was not just a mystery but an internal knowledge they have that they couldn’t ignore.
Reminds Them Of The Redemption
“redeemed (v.17), that there was a great price in their redemption, it wasn’t just nothing but specifically paid for by God”
To redeem means, to set free by paying a price.
Slaves were redeemed from the captivity with money but there this no amount of money can set a slave to sin free, only God can.
Reminds Them Of The Price Of Redemption
He reminds them of the specific price that was paid, “Not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ (v.18a,19)”
Only the blood of Jesus can set free.
In the Old Testament, sacrifices were required for the temporary forgiveness of sins.
The problem was that these sacrifices were still imperfect even though there was many requirements of them.
The only one that was capable of taking the punishment of God, and to be the substitute because He was perfect is Jesus.
Reminds Them Of What They Were Redeemed From
They were redeemed, “from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers (v. 18b)”
We lived lives of meaningless and emptiness before Christ.
It is important that we never forget what we have been redeemed from.
The Redeemer (v.20-21)
Here we Peter continues talking about the redemption we have, but most importantly Who are redeemer is. Not only as a “”spotless lamb (v. 19)” but he was:
Foreordained
“For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world (v. 20)”
God didn’t only see that this was going to happen, this was His plan for redemption to happen.
It wasn’t an accident, it was a divine appointment.
Manifested
“but has appeared in these last times (v.20 c)”
That Jesus didn’t begin to exist, when He came to this earth but He had existed throughout all time.
He came for a purpose and for a reason, not to just die as those who witnessed his crucifixion saw, but from the divine lens that He would be the sacrifice for lost sinners like you and me.
3. Resurrected
“who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory (v. 21b)”
That God the father was the one who raised Christ from death.
God the father, gave Christ the son, the Glory to be proclaimed to the whole world, that He was the salvation of souls, that He would be crowned with all glory honor and praise before the world even began.
The Redeemed
“for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God.... so that your faith and hope are in God”, We were at the focus of Christ’s love, we have been saved, and without God, without the sacrifice of Christ we have no redemption.
He is the author, encourager, supporter, and finisher of our faith.
We have been reconciled to Him, because of Him, not of ourselves.
The Horizontal Outcome: A Sincere Love (v. 22-25)
The Horizontal Outcome: A Sincere Love (v. 22-25)
22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere 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.
The Outcome of Love (v. 22)
“Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, (v.22)”
That because you have been redeemed by God through love, your natural response should be to Love.
There are two words that are used for Love here: Philadelphia, which means a “brotherly love” and agape: Which is the love of God, a sacrificial love.
Our souls have been purified not by our own actions, not by nothing else other than The Truth.
Don’t only be a hearer of truth, be purified by it by submitting to He, Who Is The Truth.
It is only by the Spirit, which we are purified, have the fear of God, and love Jesus.
Love is known by relationship with God, sin will only stain the effectiveness of your love, it must come from a purified heart.
It is our duty and proof of our relationship with Christ, by our love.
The Unity In Love (v. 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.”
He further presses in and talks about their fellowship and commonality of being born again.
We are born again not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, which is the truth of God.
When we are born again we are brought into a new family, where we have brothers and sisters who have also been born again.
We aren’t only to love everyone because their human but specifically, we are to love our brothers and sisters because we share spiritual life and inheritance with them.
The truth of God is living and is active, it is that which started our relationship in God and that which will preserve our life as well.
The Permanence Of Love (v. 24,25)
Peter now in contrast of the new birth expands upon our fleeing life here on earth, and how the truth of God prevails forever.
All people, in their greatest glory, are like grass and fading flowers.
Beauty, wealth and strength will all fade away, make sure your priorities are set straight.
Here Peter is quoting,
6 A voice says, “Call out.” Then he answered, “What shall I call out?” All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass.
The only way that we can be of eternal significance is by submission to God.
To be obedient to His word and to be purified from it.
So that we are given eternal life by God.
Which leads to the next verse,
8 The grass withers,
the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.
May we understand the gravity of living before the face of God, that it may impact us:
1. Internally (How You Live),
2. Vertically (Your Relationship With God),
3. Horizontally (Your Relationship With Others)
