Holiness in Christ
Notes
Transcript
Good morning and welcome!
If you have your bibles, turn them on turn them to the book of 1 Peter chapter 1.
Have you ever tried to fix something broken using the wrong tool for the job.
You end up frustrated, exhausted, and with a bigger mess than when you started.
When it comes to livinga good life, many of us do the exact same thing.
We try to fix our hearts using self-effort, moral checklists, or theological knowledge.
We treat holiness like a self-help project—and we end up exhausted.
In 1 Peter 1:14–19, Peter shows us a completely different way.
He calls us to a life that is radically set apart—
not by pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps,
but by fixing our eyes on the incredibleprice paid to set us free:
the preciousblood of Jesus Christ.
This morning, we're going to look at what true holiness actually is, why self-righteousness fails, and how the ransom of the cross transforms the way we live every single day.
We are continuing our sermon series in the book of 1st Peter…
Last week, we looked at 1 Peter 1:13-16, but this morning,
Last week – we saw Peter’s highlighting the Hope set on Grace, Children Who are Call
And also, an Lives that are Pure
The word Holy…Hagios….means, To be set apart…
to be separate and pure and free from any evil!
7 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 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
It is the argument Here – You should be HOLY!
The GROUND or reason….IT IS WRITTEN!
(Because God has spoken…and the theme of what He has declared is to that of Holiness!)
Get to that later in the sermon…
It’s not just mental assertion…but a way of life? As a child and as holy!
And there are certainly lots of ways that we can think of what it means to be holy
Sermon Summary: Believers are called to live holy lives.
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14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
I. Holiness is Modeled By The Lord. (v.15)
Peter says here very clearly…part of the motivation of Holy and Righteous Living
is in light of the Holiness of GOD!
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct
****As we mentioned Holy…or Hagios is word that means to be set apart…
And finds’ its main thrust from the OT…
being separated from what is defective and evil and separated for God
***** Hebrew – Kodosh…
When God told the Israelites that He was holy,
He was stressing that He was different from them. He was unique, one of a kind
15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.
Thus in the life of Israel, there is a day, that is fixed…
to be Holy and Separate from all the other days…
And I think its interesting that the very day that is special and set apart, is by and large…
ignored by many Christians…
I think that goes to show our lack of understanding of holiness!
We become like Romans 9:20 people…arguing and disagreeing with the Lord…
But who are you oh man, to answer back to God.
Also, Priests are holy to the Lord, set apart from ordinary pursuits and dedicated in a special way to the Lord
6 Let no one enter the house of the Lord except the priests and ministering Levites. They may enter, for they are holy, but all the people shall keep the charge of the Lord.
Thus God in one sense is distinct and set apart…
And this is partly what it Holiness means…
But as Holiness applies to God… continue and take it to its logical conclusions…
If holiness means to be set apart…God in His Holiness must be by definition set apart!
And this is exactly the way Scripture describes Him to be!
2 “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.
3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
There is no other Creator, no other sustainer, no other final measure of good and evil
And He is supreme in His Holiness and set apartness above all things!
HE IS HOLY! HOLY! HOLY!
Peter quotes God in verse 16 “Be holy, for I am holy.”
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II. Holiness is Given By The Lord (v.18)
Yet, how does one ever expect to obtain the holiness required by the Lord…
and that has been modeled by Him.
And the answer, I believe is given in the follow verses of 1 Peter 1:16-19
16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
Over the next two points…My aim is to make one point clear…that is,
the free grace and holiness given by the Lord is intended to transform us into a people who would live holy lives!
14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Charles Spurgeon once preached a sermon on Hebrews 12:14—"Without holiness, no one will see the Lord"—where he exposed four ways people try to substitute real holiness with self-effort:
The Pharisee (The Legalist): Relying on outward rituals, duties, and checking off religious boxes.
The Moralist (The Good Neighbor): Someone who treats people fairly, pays their bills, and lives a respectable life. But civic decency isn't saving holiness; it’s just washing the outside of the cup while the heart remains unchanged.
The Experimentalist (The Experience-Seeker): Someone whose faith is entirely internal—they talk about feelings and spiritual moments, but produce no actual fruit or outward obedience.
The Opinionist (The Intellectualist): Someone who knows systematic theology inside and out, but holding accurate doctrine in your head without holiness in your life is just dead orthodoxy.
Spurgeon’s point is simple: God’s standard hasn't changed. No one will see Him without holiness.
If your reaction to that is, "I’ve tried to clean up my life and I can't do it—it's impossible," Spurgeon says: You are right, and you are wrong.
You are right to admit you can't do it. In your own strength, holiness is as far out of reach as creating a universe out of nothing.
But you are wrong to despair. What you cannot manufacture, Jesus Christ has already purchased.
Now, look at 1 Peter 1:18-19
18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
Stop trying to make yourself holy in your own power,
and trust in the One who has already paid the price to transform you.
Redeemed lamb unblemished or spotless
The Holiness expected cannot be achieved through our own effort.
- not a burden but joyful obedience!
Union with Christ is at the root of holiness
And I think what happens to us sometimes…
We try to arrive to be Holy as the Lord is holy…
without recognizing that the only righteousness we have,
is from Him to begin with…
is that our posture toward the Lord is that we have done something
to deserve his affection or earned his favor…
Or that He somehow owes us something!
Oh sure, none of us would dare voice that…but I think practically in our hearts…
We know this to be true…when we are frustrated by the way our path in life
has turned out or hasn’t turned out…
That, well, God, I’ve done well, so I should be rewarded…
and in turn, others shouldn’t…I should get what’s coming to me!
I’m worthy!
Theological Righteousness.
Or Family Righteousness
American Dream Righteousness
Polished Schedule Righteousness
Time Flexible Righteousness
Works Righteousness
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2 Sam. 6:6–7 (recounts a story when the Ark of the Covenant is being brought to Jerusalem)
We see this in one of the more bizarre events of the Old Testament,
in which several Israeliteswere transporting the Ark of the Covenant on the back of a cart.
The Arkrepresented the presence and purity of God, His holiness
As they went along the road,
one of the oxen pulling the cart stumbled and the Ark teetered on the cart.
Uzzah (one of the men traveling with the ark),
put out his hand to steady it, to keepthe Ark from falling —
and God struck him dead (2 Sam. 6:6–7).
We read a story like this and want to scold God:
“Come on, God! Uzzah was doing you a favor!”
But Uzzah’s blasphemy was assuming that his hand was cleaner than the dirt on the ground.
The dirt on the ground had never rebelled against God, while Uzzahhad.
That ground, mired in mud and covered in oxen dung,
was cleaner than the sinful hands of humanity.
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Same for us….
Yes, we can cling to a lot of things that give us a sense of rightness…
but they will not hold water!
Instead we need a righteousness that is outside of us!
And Alien Righteousness…A righteousness that is Passive…
That of another…and the only one’s that would stand is the Righteousness of Christ!
The Holiness of Jesus Christ…
Only instead of His holiness destroying us(like Uzziah)…His holiness heals us!
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
the free grace and holiness given by the Lord is intend (and if saving grace)
will transform us into a people would live holy lives!
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III. Holiness is Expected By the Lord (v.16)….in all your behavior….
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
There is some debate regarding Petersexplicit use of a OT passage here..
I do believe he intends to do so…
The commandment “Be holy because I am holy”occurs, with slight variations, four times in Leviticus
44 For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground.
44 For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.
7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.
7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lordwho sanctifies you.
26 You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
That means the context in Peter’s mind as he quotes these words is not the Passover or Exodus theme (as would have been the case had he quoted from Lev. 11:44 [cf. Lev. 11:45]) but rather is the so-called Holiness Code (Lev. 17–26).
The instructions in Lev. 11–20 are not just for the priesthood;
they are for the entire nation of Israel.
Although the OT commandmentis given to the Israelites,
Peter unhesitatingly applies it to the new-covenant people of God, Jews and Gentiles alike.
Yet Peter does not go so far as to tie the Levitical stipulations to the NT people….
And He does this by showing that God has provided a sacrifice…in verses v. 18-19.
Insofar as these God-provided sacrifices,
which made people holy again under the stipulations of the Mosaic covenant,
point forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ,
they anticipate the way in which Christ by his death and resurrection
makes people of the new covenant holy by dealing with their sin.
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 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.
NT writers as they unpack the sacrifice and grace of God through Christ…
are never unconcerned about the actualconduct of new-covenant believers.
Rather - The expectation is that the gospel not only fits God’s people
for the presence of the holy God
but also powerfully transforms them into new creatures!
Formerly
Now
ignorance of God
knowledge of Christ and of God
are not God’s children/people
are God’s children/people
controlled by desires
controlled by obedience to God
futile way of life
holy way of life
affirmed by society
misunderstood and maligned by society
Because you belong to the Lord, be Holy!....
And He unpacks various varies in which this looks the rest of his writing…
Sober Mind…set your mind for action and on the Grace to come in Christ - 1 Peter 1:13
Conducting yourself in the fear of the Lord - 1 Peter 1:17
Purified your souls in obedience to the truth - 1 Peter 1:22
Put away all malice deceit, and hypocrisy, envy and slander 1 Peter 2:1-2
Submitting to the authorities that are over you…in respectful submission 1 Peter 2:13
Honoring everyone, loving the brotherhood, fearing the Lord - 1 Peter 2:17
Keeping your tongue free from evil and deceit 1 Peter 3:10
Turning away from evil, doing good, and pursing peace! 1 Peter 3:11
Willing to suffer for righteousness sake,
in your hearts always honoring Christ as Lord!! 1 Peter 3:14-15;
Self controlled, sober minded and watchful in prayer 1 Peter 4:7
Subject and in submission to the pastors of your church? 1 Peter 5:5
Humble and hopeful dependence on Christ! 1 Peter 5:6
Watchful in prayer, on guard of the attacks of the enemy? 1 Peter 5:8
Resisting evil, standing firm in your faith, and mindful of your brothers in affliction 1 Peter 5:9
I can go on and on….
The fruit of your life in accordance with heart of Christ
and the word of God will display the work of God and grace you’ve been given…
BE HOLY!!!....These are areas and ways to show
your holiness before other, honor Christ…and glorify him with your life.
That your response be HOLY! And God honoring!
And I think key in understanding what Peter is getting at here is in verses 15-16…
Note the language.
15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
There is a distinct way in which we are now called to live
that should be utterly distinct and set a part from our former way of life!
Not conformed to your former passions….v.14
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
Christ purchased sinners to make them holy, and holiness is evidence we belong to and love Him.
16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,
For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
17 Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
Peter begins to conclude in this way….
2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.
So what about you…
Have you been redeemed by the Lord and living in light of the Holinessof the Lord?
Or have you been clinging to a false holiness.
One that is draped in good deeds, kindness, and morality…
a partfrom Jesus…
One that clings to self, rather than Christ?
Have ever come to the moment of encountering the moment of despair that Spurgeon described…
Who can be holy? - It is impossible!
And you are right!
But you are wrong, in that only Christ has done it!
Clingto Him, Sinner! Believe in Him!
And be transformed by His gospel!
