Called to be holy - part 2

·         Today in my scripture reading, I would like to include verse 13 again listen.

1 Peter 1:13-17 (ESV)
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 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,

·         My subject again today is; ‘Called to be Holy!’

·         In these messages I want you to come away with the confidence that you can and you are holy!

·         But this confidence, this trust, this assurance is based on what verse 13 exhorts us to do; “prepare your minds for action and be sober minded.”

·         Along with the warning of verse 14 “as obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.”

·         Allow me to say that again; do not be conformed (comply, be in accordance) to the passions of your former ignorance

·         Peter points out in his second letter that Paul had also written to the same people that Peter is addressing his letters to, I would like to look at some of Paul wisdom to help establish a confidence that you need to leave here today with.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

·         If I asked you are you totally confident in this passage of Scripture, how would you answer?

·         For this passage not only talks about grace, faith, and salvation but it also says that you have been created in Christ Jesus for good works

·         I am checking out your theology here for if your theology is flawed then your ethics is messed up also, Listen

Romans 6:3-6 (ESV)
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

·         Paul says do you not know this, today, here and now I ask you can I get an Amen to this?

·         Now don’t say amen because some around you are saying it or because the preacher asked you to day it.

·         Is Roman 6:3-6 part of your working theology?

·         Too many times you ignore the call to be holy or you approach it based on the passions of your former ignorance.  Listen

Galatians 2:20 (ESV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

·         As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct; if your theology is correct, you are able to answer that with a thundering Amen (so let it be)!

·         And, my brothers and sisters, your union with Christ allows you to approach this with the confidence of knowing that your status in all of this does not change

·         Paul says the life I now (this moment) live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.

·         We walk by faith and not by sight

·         The just shall live by faith

·         Are you confident today that your status will not change?

·         Are you confident today (now) that nothing can pull you out of the Lord’s nor His Father’s hand?

·         Are you confident today that He will never leave you or forsake you?

·         Can you say Amen?

·         Then we can say the benediction and go home right?

·         But wait just a moment

·          The the passions of your former ignorance keep raising its ugly head.

·         It happened in Paul time and it happens today - Listen

Galatians 3:1-6 (ESV)
1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

·         You may say surely this is not us pastor is it?

·         Allow me again to show how truly embracing the confidence based on good theology can change this

·         Many of you regularly practice the means of grace

·         Such activities as prayer, reading, hearing, and meditating on Scripture; and seeking God in the communion of believers through fellowship, worship, seeking godly counsel, and participation in the ordnances of baptism and the Lord Supper.

·         Some if not many of you feel that these means of grace (or spiritual disciplines) are the instruments by which we secure God’s love even on a daily basis.

·         In the passions of your former ignorance, it is natural to think in terms of a ‘let’s make a deal’ system of love.

·         But stuck in these passions of your former ignorance, creates the impression that these Christian disciplines are not means of grace but means to grace.

·         Not being sober minded causes you to reason that practicing more of the means of grace will cause God to love us more and, thus, the more we do them the more of his love we will get.

·         On the other hand, along with not being sober minded, we reason that we will have less love by not adequately pursuing these practices.

·         Not only is this your ethics but it is also the ethics you teach and expect of others who say they are walking with the Lord

·         You find yourself judging or justifying your day as good or bad based on rather you extended or shorten your morning quiet time.

·         Solution;  preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance

·         We damage ourselves and our spiritual walk with God by reasoning that practices even as noble as the means of grace will gain us more of God’s love and affection.

·         Give self and this week activities as an illustration.

·         Holiness is how I am a husband to Geraldine, a father to grown children when they don’t agree with my way of life, a grandfather knowing when to speak out and to keep quiet

·         Holiness is working for Parkway School district just like I would for Jesus Christ.

·         Holiness is being that role model at the track championship being salt or light when needed.

·         Holiness is being in Jefferson City Mo. In the rain when another individual from the Kansas City area will come up to you and say Rev. have you pray for the meet today? And have you prayed for me?

Brothers and sisters, today I want to keep all of this simple your confidence is not in me or any of the other pastors but I pray that this day you walk away with this.  And I close

Romans 8:31-39 (ESV)
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Let us pray!