February 3rd 2019

All right, if this time the kids were to make the way back to the back. Everybody else grab your bible. We're starting a new series today in 1st Peter. So truth me to 1st Peter chapter 1 start beginning 1st Peter chapter 1 13 through 25.

Therefore prepare your minds for Action be self-control set your mind. Hopefully on the grace given to you. Christ revealed as obedient children do not conform to the evil desires you have any live in ignorance? But just as you who called you is Holy be holy in all you do for it is written be holy because I am Holy. Since you call Our Father who judges he smells worse than partially live your lives as strangers in reverent fear for you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver gold. You were redeemed from this empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers with the precious blood of Christ on lamb without blemish Relief act. He was chosen before the creation of the world that was revealed in those last time for your sake go through him you believe in God who raised him from the dead and glorified him. And so your Faith and Hope in God now that you purify Yourself by being issues. So do you have the sincere love for your brothers? Love one another from the heart for you been born again? Not of Paris will see but in perishable the living and drink word of God for all men are like grass their Glory like the field. Like a forest the field the grass withers the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.

In my life and maybe you can relate to this. I don't know but I've heard some pretty Bible lessons over the years and that's kind of where we're going with this whole idea of lessons from a fisherman Bible lessons for people and conventional wisdom would say the best lessons you learn would be right from the people who have the wisest from the most learning for the people that that have had the highest education you're going to learn the most stuff from the people that have no the most stuff. They had the most stuff for them to their minds. You're going to learn a lot from them from these brilliant people, but I can tell you assuredly that this isn't true. I can tell you 100% that that's not where I learned the most viable lessons in my life. You see it's not from the people that had a fancy degree. Hang in the wall, but actually I learn the most from the people that bubbled up in the morning at 5 in the morning put on their heavy Carhartt when it was weather like last week. Took off and went about their work and they came home and it was still cold that have their coffee and they will work hard and they're exhausted from a Long Day's work. I've learned from the people that worked in the fields and Farms. I've learned from people that have done the jobs that were difficult those things that were challenging and often times. It wasn't always the words. They spoke and usually when the words were spoken there were few that weren't a lot but it was through their actions what they did. It's the best lessons that were taught to me this Bible lessons. We're taught by these normal that serve an awesome God simple as that. They were normal average everyday folks that serve the Lord and all that they did and so from those people to pick up some things and that's kind of where we are today going to be taking a look at the book of 1st Peter. How many think about Peter you have to remember where you started? Okay. Peter was a fisherman. He wasn't one of the guys at work the temple he wasn't a high-ranking official. He wasn't anybody special in the grand scheme of things. He was just a normal guy. He was a normal working guy. He was a fisherman. He was tending The Nest right? He was working on getting those things ready because we're to do in Jesus came to having some come follow me and I'll make you a fisher of men and it changed his life forever and turn his world upside down to something remarkable earring from this guy Walk With Jesus during his ministry for three years. He walked along beside Jesus learned from the master himself, and now he has some lessons to teach to us as well. Take a look at this book to discover that What are the things we learn from Peter as we discovered that his followers of Jesus? We must live our lives to honor him. Is he our lives have to be the model of half the bottle Christ Holiness? That's what we're called to do. So get back with me to verses 13 through 16.

This is this. Therefore prepare your minds for Action be self-controlled set your hope fully on the grace to be given you in Christ. Jesus was revealed as obedient children do not conform to the evil desires. You have you with an ignorant, but just as he who called you is wholly so be holy in all you do for his written be holy because I am Holy Peters telling them. He's telling the readers to prepare their minds for action. And actually you look the original language you look at the Greek what it's telling them actually what these communicating them as a school idea girding up the loins of the Mind. What does that mean? That sounds weird to what is he talking about here? When Peters time they would wear the long robes. You know, you seen it the Christmas program. All the kids are up here in these long roads. They actually wore that stuff right? It wasn't just something silly made-up. They wore long robes and they had those things but what they would do the Groves of reach their ankle and still it would take the robes pick them up and tuck them. The belt in there for a reason it would tuck him in there because they had work to do you couldn't work with this rule of tripping over your feet getting in the way they would tuck them in. They got ready to go. They were ready for action. And that's the idea that peers communicating here going to roll up the sleeves not literally but roll the sleeves Were Mine guitar mine dried get our mind ready. To do some serious work for him to go about this whole idea of living our life for him. We got to be prepared. We got to be ready. OK Paul talks about this. He talks about this of Romans 12:2 being transformed by the renewing of our minds. We have to have a different mindset. We got to look at things differently than we did before. This is what we're called to do. We're called the you ready Mexico's on this day. We need to be self control and the word used here is enough for what it means to refrain from drunkenness, but we see it in this as we look through the schedule for the PC was talking a little bit sticker sleeve lie about all of this about was Mindy part, but it's also referring to be being free of every excess another words being free from every excess passion anything that would confuse us from who we are following confuse us from following God. We have to make sure that we are ready to go though. We are self-control. Do we have these areas of our Life in check there were living our life in a way that honors God simply put ask yourself where we at with that or we self-control that we keeping ourselves ready. We live your life in such a way that honors God.

Because I want to see a boy was evil and set our hope fully on the grace given to us through Jesus Christ. Do you ever doubt sometimes you ever doubt that God could love you. It's interesting. It's been a lot of time with teenagers. I'm going to spend time with teenagers. You can't hear what's on their heart. What's on their mind? Sometimes you hear these kids. They wonder they doubt they like me and you know who God really love me. This guy really love who I am because God really love me enough that you would really die for me and forgive me because it just doesn't seem like it doesn't seem like cuz I wouldn't want to do that. So how could the god of the universe somebody that's holy do that? results we have this hope on this grace is given to us through Jesus Christ. That's what's been given to each and everyone of us. The Seminole of Peter is telling and pleading with the people to be wholly frijole Peter sharing with them something. It's a familiar theme this idea of Holiness did clear back in the Old Testament you go back to the Old Testament you research that you're going to find this whole idea of being wholly all over the place this what we're called to do to turn back right now to book you probably don't spend a lot of time. And as soon as I see it, you're going to say I don't I got bored last time. I read it and didn't finish it yet. It's okay, if people people do that, but there's good stuff there Leviticus chapter 11, okay.

45 little bitty kiss 11

This what the Lord says he says I am the Lord your God consecrate yourselves and be holy because I am Holy. Make yourselves unclean by any creature on the ground. I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God. Therefore be holy because I am Holy he's talking to the people here. And if you go through the Old Testament, you see this theme revealed over and over and over again the idea of being holy being a holy people being a people believe belongs to God the New Testaments carried over it says we are a kingdom of priests a holy nation of people belonging to God. So if we belong to God if we are part of that if we are trying to live our lives to please God We're going to be holy. We're going to try and live a life. That's holy and it is reverent towards him this call the Holiness. It's a base the basic concept the first Peter this whole idea of living a holy life. This is kind of where we're at as a Christian. This is what we're called to try and do try to live a holy life than ever to be perfect as going to hit the mark but our goal is wake up in the morning. What a try and Live Like Jesus. Okay. I will probably mess up about three minutes in but you know, what a minute for I'm going to pick it right back up and try and Live Like Jesus going to try to look like Kim honor him through how I love how I talk how I act how they treat other people how I treat my family how to treat my dog. I'm going to try and live a holy life what I'm talking about you wake up Monday morning you have things to do you're busy. It's pretty crazy and it's exhausting and sometimes we get frustrated and we get angry and we get anxious about things that we don't feel very holy. But our goal is what we're called to do is try to live a life of holiness.

As we look at this and talk about being holy the idea of this being carried forth here is when you translate it all out. The whole idea is to be transformed and all the ways of your life. Your wife must be characterized by Holiness when people look at your life, this is what they see. So this is a question. How do I live look when people look at us out on the street. The people here because that's cheating. Okay, because when we come to church we most of the time do the right thing that always we try and do the right thing. We try and put on the right up here and you're trying to act right never told your kids to act right? We're in a public place you who said that you can't say that

But we think about our own lives. And how do I do when I leave this place do I really act and live for that? Actually do I really try and pursue that do I live? Holy live a holy Life as a father God. Sometimes we make excuses for giving less than our best effort. So you don't lie to a stressful. It's hard people are constantly pushing my buttons, you know how it is lord. It's difficult. We offer up any kind of excuse in the world to not try and live a life. That's holy but it doesn't hold up doesn't offer up those excuses offer up those reasons for not doing what crisis call this to do. It really doesn't hold up because we're called to something more than this. We're called to live a life in service to God. We're called the follow Our Saviors example, and I hope you guys are reading through redo the Bible assures thing sometime the Bible each day. And if it's always humbling when you look at the gospels when you spend time in Matthew Mark Luke and John and you read through that and you see what Jesus did I found myself going man? I got a long ways to go. I see how he treated people. I see how he loved people and I'm like, I don't know if I love people quite like that. I want to but I'm not quite there, but all of us need to try and imitate Our Savior our master We need to try and serve him in such a way and try to honor him in such a way that people can see that living inside of us. In order to do that. We got to root out the garbage this day. Are we going to run out the things that are not aligned with Christ? We have to start putting stuff in that helps us be more like him. The things we put in our mind and makes a difference. Doesn't it? The things we still are self with it. It determines our actions a little bit and I talked about this all the time but there are things that we put in our mind that the don't go away right? There are things we fill ourselves with that don't go away things. We watch things we see those things are there they dwell inside of us. So what are we fooling ourself up with recalled be feeling herself up with things that are good. Paul tells us that those are the things that we're supposed to talk to him. What's good pleasing? Holy those are what we fill our self up with. We need to be focused on those things so we can live our life and a holy way away the Otters God. We need to be putting those things inside of us. We have to ask ourselves. What do I spend my time? What do I spend my time on the internet looking at what? What are the music and put in my ear? That's fill me up. God makes a difference. What are the things that we do that are what are the books that I read? What am I doing in my free time? Because all of those things have an effect on this if we try to live a holy life following God. It's interesting that we just concluded January and hopefully we're on our way to accomplishing our list of things to do for 2019. Okay. Maybe you're like me and you like shoot. I'm a little far behind. I haven't quite gotten I will get going in February. Maybe we've added to be more financially responsible be healthier be

Be a better husband to be a better father. We've got some books on ourselves. We order something from Amazon right off the bat before the year even started because we wanted to be better. We're trying to be better in these areas of our life. We got a gym membership if we haven't used yet it's fresh. So we'll just wait for the cross and died down then we're going to show up so sometime about March or so and every kind of wings away hot will go back. You know, we're trying to do all those things. But my question is how vested are we are invested are we at this whole concept of this whole idea of living a holy life. Do we invest in that? Do we spend time reading God's word we spend time in prayer talking to God. Do we spend time trying to grow in our faith? We spend time trying to understand his words who's been time and study who's been time ring devotionals that are encouraging that fill us up and help us to be more like God. Most of us probably didn't put hole in us on our list of New Year's resolutions and it's not a resolution. This is something we need to do every day. It's not something we can let go and forget about Dragon. We need to be trying to live a holy life everyday. This is of the utmost importance living a life that honors God. The second lesson that we learned from all of this and that's this we have been bought with a price. We've been bought with the blood of the Lamb. Turn Me 2 verse 17

since you call on a father who just eats men's works and partially live your lives as strangers here reverent fear for you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ a lamb without blemish or defect he was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last time for your sake through him you believe in God who raised him from the dead and glorified him and so your Faith and Hope are now and God Now you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have a sincere love for your brother's love one another deeply from the heart for your been born again. Not a prayerful see the imperishable The Living in a Dream word god.

Peter reminds the readers a couple of things first. We were bought by the blood of the Lamb. Okay. We were bought by Jesus Christ. We are a lot of things. We work hard enough. We live in America and it's a great country. If we work hard enough. If we vest hard enough we can pretty much do anything. We've accomplished a lot to mazing but the one thing we can of paint for a cell's we can't buy it. We can't earn it. Is this Redemption that comes to Jesus Christ in the blood of the Lamb. We can't buy that that's a gift that's been given to us. When we have to choose to accept Peter Begins by remaining the readers that we're going to face and judgment the idea that God will judge each person is a common theme is repeated throughout scripture of a real look up a few of them what you think. I'm kidding you. Serta me Psalm 62 12 60 to 12

and you and the Sea and that you oh Lord are loving surely you will reward each person according to what he has done as first one Romans 2:6 Romans 2:6.

God will give to each person according to what he has done to those who by persistence and doing good seek glory honor immortality will give a turtle live with a little further, but for those who are self-seeking and who rejected the truth of all the evil, they'll be wrath and anger one more Revelation turn clear the back 22 verse 12 Revelation 22 verse 12 behold. I'm coming soon. My reward is with me and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I'm the alpha and omega the first to last the beginning of the end. The point is this if we look through scripture, those are just three examples examples all over the place where God says, you know what I'm coming back and there are consequences there is judgement. There is something is coming. So we have to make sure that we are living our life as people that were bought by the blood of the Lamb a holy life that honors God. Peter doesn't tiptoe around the idea of being motivated by the fear of God's Wrath like talk about that because it's not fun. It doesn't line up with the with the song. What a friend we have in Jesus doesn't line up with this loving Jesus that we had this image, but I'm here to tell you there's two sides but we have to understand that. Is coming and God is a righteous and holy judge. He's looking at these thing. He's looking at these pieces of our life and we have to be aware of this and cognizant of that fact that God is coming and we're going to have to give reports and answer. The idea here is that we have respect and honor for God we serve him in reverent fear. We serve him because we love him and we know he's coming back and we want to honor him. We just want to make sure that we are living a life that he's proud of that gives him glory and honor and all the way do we've been giving Grace not only work for the Wii Hearns wasn't paid for with silver gold wasn't paid for anything like that. And I'm not staying here today. Don't get me wrong. I'm not staying here today that are poisonous earns a sore spot in heaven. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is there is Judgment that comes their judgment comes to each and everyone of this in Peter's Day their redemptions that were bought redemptions of property. There were prices paid to become a paid to be a few were slaves to be free again K stand back in those days that were slave and you can be bought out of slavery in this is pretty cool. We talked about this several months ago. Back in the Bible said it meets over there. I remembered if you guys remember that we talked about that and the teacher that time was talking about this whole idea being bought from slavery and your bought from slavery. You were being bought at that time by whatever Temple God that was there that they were serving and you be bought for slavery by them. And then you have to serve that got that was kind of how that works. There really wasn't Freedom at all. It was kind of a a different idea of this freedom. But Peter is saying here that we have been bought with a price through God's love for us and we are indeed free and we serve him because we love and we Servin out of this reverence of this honor for what he's done for us. We serve him because we loved him more than anything.

The way that they were doing it at the time this was an empty way of life so he called it but we are bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. It's a true freedom. True Freedom. How does it feel to have that this true Freedom that comes through Jesus Christ is quite amazing quite remarkable, I think about it. We're bored with this price. He is the one who gives us our faith that our hope the one that sets us free is not a false Freedom that the pagans were searching after it's something real to Freedom not just here on this Earth, but now and forever more and have it with him. So the question is in the point of all this is do we look like people who been set free. Do we look like people that have been set free from something have a good free by Chrysler to run back to the old ways of life the old ways of thinking we're free. We're totally free Our Lives. We live in gratitude to the one that paid our debt this Holiness we strive for it because we understand that we were dead without Christ. We were dead our transgressions and we understand that and because of that we want to live a holy life that honors God. Do we live a holy life? It's honoring him because we love him so much. We appreciate what he's done for us, and we're going to live our lives in that way.

Have you ever had somebody paid that for you? I have never has to be paid something that you earned and they covered it for you. And maybe it was a restaurant or a meal restaurant to pick up the tab, or maybe it would somebody money and they forgave it or maybe they pay for something that you couldn't afford it. Just give it to you. Anyway, whatever it is. They're really thankful. Haven't been a guy on the receiving end of that. I've been really thankful for that at various times in my life. I'm really thankful for the blessings that I've been given. I remember one time. I was going to tell myself for a little bit but I remember one time but I don't remember why I think my car broke my mom and dad were out of town. I brought my mom's car which is cool. She didn't mind that but I got a red light ticket in it who knew? I don't know how that happened. Exactly. I'm not sure what the circumstances don't really remember but what it all came said and done the door came and now we got it like they have to get it. I was driving their car. They paid the debt for me and I really appreciated that. I don't have to come up with a hundred bucks or myself over something stupid that I did. You really think it when those kind of things happen, especially if you don't have a hundred bucks handy sometime. It makes a difference in the monthly budget, but it's it's an important thing. We have to remember how much more thankful. Should we be for the ones the spirit our life or the one that paid our debt that gave his life for ours. Is he a few blocks? It wasn't just a few dollars we have but it was something that we couldn't pay for our self we can work hard enough for we couldn't earn it. It was forgiveness for us for all time as followers of Christ was model his Holiness and remember that we've been bought with the blood of the Lamb. We've been bought the blood of Jesus Christ. I don't sometimes we live in this world.

Where we going to live for ourselves because I want to do our own thing. We don't want anybody bugging us telling us what to do how to live because we are Americans were free right? I don't have to listen to anybody. But I want you to understand. The we've been called to something better than that who can call to something better than our own ideal on our own cell at our own thought we've been called by Jesus Christ. The one that was there in the beginning is John said we've been called the something great will be called The Salvation and it's up to us to live a life that represents the Honors that It's up to us to live a life. That's holy and honorable in all the way do. I was thinking about this this week and if all of us were living these holy lives that were called the live if you just call us to live how different would Council Bluffs look right? If because there's a whole bunch of people meeting right now just like we are if all the people that call themselves Believers will live in these holy lives we would turn this town upside down it would look totally different people be looking at this. I don't know what happened to Council Bluffs, but something is up. I don't get it because people be loving serving and living in such a way that people can see there's been a change. What's the change? What's the difference? These is priced we resent that in all that we do so I would encourage you and it and challenged myself that when I leave this place. What does it look? Like? What does that Holiness look like lived out? What does that Holy life look like The words I say how I treat other people how I serve other people need to be in line with Jesus this hole in his leg is represented for us will come to point-of-service. We have a time of decision the time we're leaving me see the attention to the bulletin today. There's a few announcements in there more Bible reading plans. We have one that meets its 6:45 here on Wednesdays and a couple of meat on Sunday mornings. There's one that means back in the stockroom here in one that meets in the annex downstairs. So love for you to participate in those take part in those good stuff and just invite you to be a part of that. Yes. Yeah, we did. What are some of the month is wrong?

Well, it was it used to be and what time is. So yeah, whatever.

Yeah, I'm glad again again ever talk about talking about we how we find our way to heaven and if it was on proofreading, I know my fate, I'm glad that I'm glad that I'm free from that anyway, so we are no Financial Peace pick that up next week youth group. We returned had a day off cuz the cold we were off but we were so hopefully you can make it and we will be ready to go. How are you going to close with prayer?

Let's go to our Heavenly Father in prayer closing today. Precious Lord as we come before you now.

Help us father each and every one of us to be as we learned in the sermon this morning pictures of man reaching out spreading your word help us father just to grab what we learned today. What was preached here this morning? What was Told about you help us while there now to reach out and go out to people all throughout or spread the word your word father help us to be Fishers of Men We ask you dear father to me with that. Men women the armed services throughout the world wherever they're serving help us to reach out to them. Let them know they're not forgotten father ever so far away from home. And it's a long time A Long Way from Home, especially when they're young. Help us to reach out to them. We asked special prayer father for all those on our prayer list all those of every sieving treatments. We just asked your father to reach out and just touch them. Put your hand on and put your arm around them Father and just just helped them Comfort them. Give them the strength they need. We asked you dear Lord Johnny went by my men and women. Government throughout the world wherever they're serving that they could turn to you.

And listen listen to you father. And then take away what you have told them and use it that they could act like you. And not like they've acted in the past. We ask you now dear father just be with each and every one of us here grant us safe travel home this morning in the fog. I have to wear extra careful to watch for other drivers to watch for ourselves. Just ask that you be with each and every one of us guide us through this week. Help us father to seek you first before we do anything. Once we do that then we don't bother that our decisions will be correct and people will see you living in us. We ask Miss dear Lord. We also Father asked that your will be done in Jesus name. Amen.