Living a Godly Life
Grace and Suffering: Standing Fast in the Present Evil Age • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 36 viewsNotes
Transcript
Announce Text
Announce Text
Please turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Peter Chapter 1. This morning we’re going to be continuing with our series through 1 Peter… and we’ll be looking at vv. 13-21.
If you’re using one of the pew Bibles, you’ll find our text on page 1,014.
Scripture Introduction
Scripture Introduction
So this morning, what we’re going to be looking at is Peter’s call to godly living… up to this point, Peter’s focus has largely been on the glorious truths of who we are in Christ…
That we are God’s pilgrim people… strangers in a strange land… that we are sojourners and exiles in this world…
And we’re sojourners and exiles… not because we’ve been literally displaced from our homes or that we live in foreign lands but because our faith in Jesus Christ has set us apart from the world around us.
Not only who we are, but what we’ve been given as God’s pilgrim people.
We’ve talked about the fact that we are God’s pilgrim people… strangers in a strange land… how we live as exiles and sojourners in this world…
We’ve talked about the fact that we are God’s pilgrim people… strangers in a strange land… how we live as exiles and sojourners in this world…
Not because we’ve been literally displaced from our homes or that we live in foreign lands but because our faith in Jesus Christ has set us apart from the world around us.
We’re sojourners and exiles because the world finds our faith offensive, and we’re made to suffer for it…
We suffer for it by being marginalized by society… we suffer for it by being alienated by our friends and our families…
We’re made to suffer at the hands of unrighteous governments who enact laws that violate the very character of God and deny that what He has said is right and true…
Now, what we face here in the United States is mild compared to what our brothers and sisters around the world have been made to endure… many have suffered physically… many have lost their homes or their possessions… and in many cases, even their lives.
Now, if we’re going to endure this suffering and persevere unto the end, it’s vital to our faith that we understand who we are in Christ…
That we’ve been chosen by the Father… we’ve been sanctified by the Spirit, and we’ve been cleansed by the Son…
but because we’ve been chosen by the Father, sanctified by the Spirit, and cleansed by the Son…
Not only that, but we’ve been born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…
And this hope is a source of great joy as we face the trials and tribulations of this life. It gives us great joy because that hope is set on the great and many promises of God…
Promises of an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for us…
A promise that the tested genuineness of our faith will result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of jesus Christ…
And they’re not merely empty promises but promises that can be counted on.
We can count on them because what the prophets prophesied about concerning God’s salvation and the sufferings and glories of Christ has come to pass… they’ve been proved true by God raising Jesus from the dead…
That what is written in it cannot fail to come to pass…
prophets prophesied about concerning God’s salvation and the sufferings and glories of Christ have come to pass… they’ve been proved true by God raising Jesus from the dead…
And these truths are foundational… why? Because it’s these truths that Peter has in mind when he exhorts us to live godly lives…
And it’s important that we get these things in the right order.
So if you would, please stand with me in honor of the reading of God’s Word, and let’s look together at what Peter has to say to us about this life of godliness…
And understanding who we are in Christ is a vital to our perseverance.
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, 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. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the 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.
Prayer for Illumination
Prayer for Illumination
Let’s pray…
Introduction
Introduction
So as we come to the 13th verse of Chapter 1 of 1 Peter, Peter turns from laying a foundation of gospel truths about who we are in Christ and our living hope to an exhortation to live godly lives…
Now, one of the greatest challenges that we face as God’s pilgrim people is to live lives pleasing to the Lord while we wait for Christ to come again.
Why is this a challenge?
Well, there are a few reasons…
The World. It comes as no surprise but we live in a fallen world… we only have to take a look at what’s going on around us to know that something’s not right. Things are not how they’re meant to be.
And it’s not just us… even unbelievers know. They know that something’s not right, and we see this as they look to fill this void with all manner of things…
They seek to satisfy this longing that they have because they know… deep down… that things aren’t the way they’re supposed to be. And because they turn to things other than God… their experience of life is really never any better.
This is what is all about… it’s about people turning and worshiping other things and God gives them over… and the result is absolute wickedness and debauchery…
And because we live in the world, this has an influence on us as well… Christians aren’t immune… living a godly life in the world is a challenge.
The second thing we have to contend with is the flesh. The flesh is that part of ourselves that is still waiting to be redeemed at the coming of Christ.
You see, when you turn to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith, you are given a new heart with new desires, and you’re made a new creation.
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
It’s that part of ourselves that wages war against the spirit.
You see, when you turn to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith, you are given a new heart with new desires, and you’re made a new creation.
But there’s still part of us that is the old self or the flesh. And it’s that part of us that wars against the Spirit…
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
The flesh is something that we’ll have to deal with until Christ comes and we’re glorified. Living a godly life in the flesh is a challenge.
And finally, we have the devil… the devil is a challenge… He’s someone we have to contend with… Peter tells us in chapter 5:8:
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Now, Peter doesn’t say that he is a roaring lion… but he’s like a roaring lion… have you ever seen a lion stalk its prey? It moves slowly through the grass… it watches… it waits… and at the opportune tine, it pounces… when it’s prey is least expecting it… Which is why Peter tells us to be watchful… to be sober-minded…
Because we live in a world and in a culture that is completely opposed to the things of God…
He calls us to be holy, as God Himself is holy.
And how does he pounce? He finds your weakest spots… he finds you in your moments of weakness and sows seeds of doubt.
Now, that sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it?
He says things like, “Did God really say?”
Did God really say that husbands are to love their wives like Christ loves the church, and gave Himself up for her?
Did God really say, “Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right?”
Did God really say "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you?”
That’s what he does… he sows seeds of doubt… and we have to be careful not to listen to them. Now, we give hin far too much credit, but living godly life having to contend with the devil is a challenge.
So, how do we overcome them?
How do we overcome the world, the flesh and the devil?
Look with me at the 2nd half of v. 13… it says,
“Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ”
This is why Peter spends so much time in the beginning, laying the foundation. Overcoming the world, the flesh, and the devil starts with setting our hope fully on the grace that is to be ours at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
It starts there, but that’s not where it ends… We have to strive to live godly lives in this present evil age. We have to do some things…
Because we are God’s pilgrim people having to contend with the world, the flesh and the Devil, we have to strive to live godly lives in this present evil age.
Because we are God’s pilgrim people having to contend with the world, the flesh and the Devil, we have to strive to live godly lives in this present evil age.
And we’r e only able to do this because of what God has already done. Our Motivation... our power to live a godly life is rooted and grounded in the gospel truths that Peter lays out for us here...
We have to strive to live godly lives in this present evil age.
And Peter tells us that if we’re going to live godly lives in the midst of these challenges, we’re going to have to do some things…
Godly living calls for us to prepare for action (1:13)
Godly living demands that we seek holiness (1:14-16)
Godly living requires us to walk carefully (1:17-21)
1. Godly living calls for us to prepare for action (v. 13)
1. Godly living calls for us to prepare for action (v. 13)
Look with me at v. 13…
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.
1 Pet.
Now, the way that we “set our hope fully on the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ...” is by preparing our minds for action and being sober-minded.
What he’s saying here is, get ready to do some work… In other words, "roll up your sleeves…”
He’s calling our attention back to all of the truths that he laid out for us in the first 12 verses…
We have to get ready to engage our minds and to use our ability to reason.
He’s telling us to set our hope on them…
We have to understand and mediate on the fact that we are God’s chosen people…
We have to understand and mediate on the fact that we have an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for us…
to set our hope on our identity as God’s chosen people… to set our hope on our inheritance… on the the idea that our suffering is really a testing of our faith… and if we persevere, our faith is proved genuine…
We have to engage our minds and think when we’re made to suffer and our faith is tested…
We have to remember that our suffering is not without purpose, and that purpose is to conform us into the image of Christ…
And not only that, but this testing proves our faith genuine… and will result and praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
We have to engage our minds and think about these things…
He’s telling us to set our hope on the the idea that our suffering is really a testing of our faith… and if we persevere, our faith is proved genuine…
We have to engage our minds and think about the fact that what the prophets prophesied about Christ has come to pass…
The Father sent forth His Son, and the Son died on the cross, being raised on the third day so that His people could be saved from their sin…
And remember, to set our hope on something means that we’re setting our minds on that thing… we’re thinking about it… and when we think about it, we’re allowing it to affect our emotions and our feelings… we’re allowing it to influence our choices.
You see, it starts with our minds… we have to prepare our minds for action. We have to be ready to think about these things when we’re faced with the challenges of life.
And when we think about these truths and we meditate on them, it affects our desires… it affects our emotions and our feelings.
Think about that… think about the fact that your suffering is making you more like Jesus and will result in praise and glory and honor at His coming… how does that make you feel in the midst of your suffering?
The way we set our hope on the grace that is to be ours is not by wishful thinking or unfounded optimism, but by a mental resolve to live in a way that pleases the Lord.
And when we do that, we’re allowing it to affect our emotions and our feelings…
Now, When you think about the word hope, what does that word naturally point to? It points to desire…
Now, When you think about the word hope, what does that word naturally point to? It points to desire…
When you think about the word hope, what does that word naturally point to? It points to desire…
So when we think about something… and we meditate on it… and it beings to consume our thinking… and then it shapes our desires… and those desires begins to influence our choices and our decisions.
we’re allowing it to influence our choices.
And the first choice that Peter exhorts us to make, having set our hope on the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ is to “prepare our minds for action.”
The problem is, all too often our minds are set on the wrong things… they’re set on the things of the world…
So we have to be deliberate in our thinking… we have to prepare our minds… we have to choose what we’re going to think about…
And when we think about the truths of the gospel… and we mediate on them… our desires change… and in this particular case, we begin to hope… we begin to hope in the grace that is to be ours at the revelation of Jesus Christ…
And not only do we have to prepare our minds for action, we also have to take this endeavor seriously… we have to be sober-minded... it’s no light thing…
And when we do that, we beg
You see, godly living calls for us to take action… godly living isn’t a passive endeavor.
That’s why Peter spends so much time in the in the first 12 verses laying out truth after truth after truth… he lays out all of these remarkable truths and he offers all of this glorious encouragement and then he says, “now prepare your minds for action...”
That’s why Peter tells us to be . It means to take this seriously…
A few years back, me and a couple of guys from the church used to record a podcast… and we had this running joke about potato chips.
Now, not just any potato chips but Lays “All Dressed” potato chips. I think at the time you could only get them in Canada… very fancy…
And we used to joke about it and say things like, “Sanctification isn’t passive… you can’t sit back on the couch eating Lays All Dressed potato chips waiting for God to change you… you have to take action.”
And that’s exactly what Peter is saying here… in the first 12 verses he lays out all of these remarkable truths and he offers all of this glorious encouragement and then he says, “now prepare your minds for action...”
In other words, because all of these things are true, get ready to do something… get ready to act… get ready to put forth some effort…
And he tells us to take this seriously… it’s no light thing… which is why he tells us to be sober-minded. Being “sober-minded” here means to take this seriously…
It’s serious work… endeavoring to live a godly life takes effort… it takes commitment… it takes discipline…
Hope won’t become a reality without disciplined thinking… and thinking in new ways doesn’t happen automatically; it requires effort and it requires us to be intentional.
It’s a choice.
and it’s a choice.
Now, when when Peter tells us to be be sober-minded, he’ not merely saying that we should refrain from drunkeness.
“Be sober-minded” can also be translated, “be self-controlled…” but when we read it that way we lose the metaphor.
Peter’s not merely saying that we should refrain from drunkeness. He’s saying that there’s a way of living that becomes dull to the reality of God… a way of living that becomes numb by the attractions of this world.
He’s saying that there’s a way of living that becomes dull to the reality of God… a way of living that becomes numb by the attractions of this world.
And when we’re lulled into that state of drowsiness, we lose sight of Christ and we concentrate only on fulfilling our earthly desires.
Now, this is exactly what happens when we neglect the spiritual disciplines of prayer and the Word. It’s what happens when neglect the reading of our Bibles.
Our lives become dull to the reality of God and the things of the world become more attractive…
You see, that’s what happens when we stop reading our bibles and praying…
Our spiritual muscles atrophy… they become weak and ill-equipped to deal with the storms of life… to fend off the world, the flesh and the devil.
I can tell you more often than not, when a Christian tells me they’re struggling and I asked them, “how many times did you read your bible this week,” they answer is, “not really at all…”
And that’s not to say that if we read our Bibles then we won’t have problems… no… trials and tribulations are part of life in a fallen world…
It’s not that we won’t have problems… It’s not that we won’t have trials and tribulations and struggles and suffering… we will.
The difference is, we’ll know how to deal with them in a way that pleases the Lord… and our problems won’t destroy us.
And as the Spirit of God works through the Word of God, we begin to think about our trials and tribulations differently.
And when we pray, we acknowledge our dependence on God and on our need for His grace…
And when we do that, and we’re able to deal with trials and tribulations in a way that pleases the Lord…
Our action is a response to the love of God in Christ… our action results from what God has done for us in Christ, not as a means of obtaining it.
Now, what I want you to understand here is this call to prepare our minds for action is a response to the love of God that He has for us in Christ, not a means of obtaining it.
Now, what I want you to understand here is that our action… It’s a response to the love of God in Christ… our action results from what God has done for us in Christ, not as a means of obtaining it.
God doesn’t love us and accept us because we ready our selves for action… we ready ourselves action because He loves us and has accepted us in Christ…
It’s vitally important that we don’t get this backward… you see, holiness… godly living… is the result of God’s grace and God’s power in our lives…
And we see this pattern throughout the New Testament letters… for example in Ephesians, Paul goes on for 3 chapters about all of the things that God has done for us in Christ… and then… and only then… does he instruct us on how to live as Christians…
Why? Because God’s commands are always rooted in His grace… And we’re only able to live godly lives because of what God has already done for us in Christ… because His Spirit is at work in us…
God’s commands are always rooted in His grace… And we’re only able to do this because of what God has already done… because His Spirit is at work in us…
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
And as Christians, God has given us the power to
As Christians, it’s God who’s at work in us… and this work enables us to live lives that please Him.
But it begins with our minds… it begins with our mindset. It begins with that part of our hearts that thinks and that reasons…
We have to be intentionally ready for action and we have to take this work seriously… we have to be sober-minded about it.
So while God’s Spirit is at work in us, we have to intentionally think and act on the basis of who we are in Christ, regardless the pushback that we get fro the world.
And when we do that, we set our hope fully on the grace that is to be ours at the revelation of Jesus Christ…
Now, this is a theme that Peter repeats often… in v. 7 he talks about how the testing of our faith will result in praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Here in v. 13 he says that God’s grace will be fully brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ…
What Peter’s doing here is he’s exhorting us to set our hope on Christ’s future coming… and that’s what motivates us and empowers us to live a godly life now…
In the fact that He will one day come again just as the Apostels saw Him go…
And when we set our minds on this fact… when we intentionally think about and reason about the fact that one day, the Lord Jesus Christ will return in glory and our salvation will finally be complete… and this will result in praise and honor and glory…
And we will see Him face-to-face and in the twinkling of an eye we’ll be made like Him…
You see, we await grace that will only be ours when Christ returns… a grace that will finish God’s sanctifying work and put an end to sin once and for all…
Now, I want you to think about the last vacation that you took… think about the excitement that you felt as the anticipation built… as that day drew closer and closer…
Now, I’m guessing that you were more busy and you got more things done in those last few days before your vacation than you did in the weeks and months before it.
Why? The anticipation… the anticipation of something good in the future caused you to act with a sense of urgency now…
If you’re anything like me, I get more work done in the last few days leading up to a vacation than I typically do in your average week.
Why is this? Because of the anticipation of what’s about to come. That’s where the sense of urgency and your desire to take action comes from… the anticipation and the excitement of what awaits you on vacation.
You’re taking action and you’re getting things done with greater zeal and greater urgency than you normally do because you’re looking forward to what awaits you…
I’m busy because I’ve prepared my mind for action,
In that same way, when we set our hope full on the grace that is to be ours at the revelation of Jesus Christ…
When our hope is set on that day when Christ will return in glory and we’ll see Him face to face…
When our hope is set on the fact that in His presence, there will be no more sin… no more death… We’ll be made like Him… the anticipation of that motivates us to live godly lives now,
That’s what happens when we set our hope fully on the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
You see… that vacation?
It’s nothing compared to the future glory that awaits us at the revelation of Jesus Christ! It’s nothing…
In fact, no earthly thing can compare to it! We don’t even have words to adequately describe it…
You see, we await a grace that will only be ours fully when Christ returns… a grace that will finish God’s sanctifying work and put an end to sin once and for all…
Listen to the words that John uses at the end of Revelation to describe the New Jerusalem…
18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
Now, how is pure gold like clear glass?
18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.
It’s not… but that’s not the point. John is trying to describe what he sees and words can’t adequately describe it!
Revelation 21
Words can’t fully describe the glory that awaits us in the age to come!
And our anticipation of that should motivate us to live godly lives now, as we wait on a grace that will be ours fully when Christ returns…
You see, we await a grace that will only be ours fully when Christ returns… a grace that will finish God’s sanctifying work and put an end to sin once and for all…
A grace that will finish God’s sanctifying work and put an end to sin once and for all…
But while we wait… godly living calls for us to prepare our minds for action… and not only does it call for us to prepare our minds for action,
2. Godly living demands that we seek holiness (vv. 14-16)
2. Godly living demands that we seek holiness (vv. 14-16)
Look with me at vv. 14-16… it says,
Look with me at v. 14…
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
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.”
I want you to listen to Peter’s heart there… he says, “As obedient children… “
Think about the implications of that adjatiave… “obedient.”
When you think about that phrase, what is it that Peter is describing? He’s describing children who submit their hearts to their Father…
What is it that Peter is describing?
He’s saying, “as children who submit their hearts to their Father… don’t be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.”
Now, we could substitute that word “passions” with the word desires.
“Don’t be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance.”
Your former what? That’s an interesting word to use there… “your former ignorance.”
Well, if we understand what the word ignorance means, it simply means “lack of knowledge.” So what Peter’s really saying here is, “Don’t be conformed to the desires of your former lack of knowledge.”
That’s what ignorance is… it’s to lack knowledge that you now have.
So what Peter’s saying here is, “as children who have submitted their hearts to God, don’t be mastered by the desires that characterized you before you knew who Jesus was.”
Why does Peter say this? Because he knows that ungodly desires still beckon us and tempt us to stray from God…
He knows that we must actively choose to refuse those desires and choose what is right and good…
And the remarkable thing here is that Peter recognizes that we can’t do God’s will in our own strength. That’s why he likens us here to children… and not just any children but God’s children.
Children who have submitted their hearts to their Father…
And because God is our Father (and we, as Christians, are the only ones who can say that, by the way), we are to obey Him as His children…
Now, I really want you to let that idea sink into the crevices of your hearts and your minds… because ultimately, obedience cannot be separated from faith… in fact, obedience flows from faith.
And the way we interact with God by faith is dynamic. By referring to us as “obedient children,” Peter is appealing not only to our minds but to our desires and our affections.
And when we prepare our minds for action and we choose to walk in obedience, setting our hope on the grace hat is to be ours… our desires change and our faith grows and we make it our aim to please Him… because we want to.
And when we desire to please Him, we resist ungodliness and endeavor to live holy lives… look with me at vv. 15-16.
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.”
15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
Now, what’s remarkable about Peter’s statement is that our pattern for holiness is Almighty God Himself.
We are to model our lives after God Himself… We are to conform our thinking and our behavior to God’s character.
We are to model our lives after God Himself…
And this is a common theme throughout the New Testament… for example,
In Paul writes,
1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
In he writes,
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
Now, the only reason this is possible is because it’s God who called us to Himself…
In we read:
“Calling” is the means by which God brings people to Himself. In we read:
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
As God’s chosen people, ware called out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Now, “calling” doesn’t simply mean “inviting.” No… the sense we get with “calling” is that it required an act of power…
Just as God creates light when there was darkness, so He creates life when there was death and that requires only the power that God Himself has.
Just as God creates light when there was darkness, so He creates life when there was death.
Holiness stems from the God who called us into the sphere of the holy.
The command to be holy tells us that we, as the pilgrim people of God, are to live differently.
We’re to separate ourselves from the evil desires of the world and live in a way that pleases the Lord.
To be holy is to separate oneself from what is evil… and to be holy in all our conduct means that there is no sphere of life outside of this call to be holy.
What that means is, this call to be holy isn’t limited to just what we do here in church… but it extends to every area of our lives.
It extends to our homes, to our jobs… to our schools… to our interactions with others… to our finances… to our business dealings…
To be holy in all our conduct means that in every sphere of life, we live differently from the norms of the world around us.
So for example, when the world says that it’s normal for two people to live together before they’re married, we reject that and we live differently.
God’s holy character is the standard by which we judge what is right, not what society says is normal.
Now, this societal pressure… pressure that tries to influence us and to get us to conform… this pressure comes simply as a result being part of society… from “Mixing it up” in the world…
There’s pressure to conform at work… at school… at social events and family gatherings… sadly, sometimes even at home…
And the reason he does this is because he recognizes that we are, to some extent, passive in the presence of forces that press us to conform to them.
In other words, there are forces at work that exert pressure on us and try to influence us and try to get us to conform, and this is a result of simply being part of society.
So if we don’t actively strive for and seek after holiness, it’s very easy for us to drift toward a life of ungodliness just by being part of society…
We have to actively strive for holiness…
For example, in our culture here in the United States, it’s considered normal for a couple to live together for a season before marriage.
In our culture, it’s considered normal to wear clothing that flaunts our wealth or our sexuality…
In our culture, it’s considered normal to indulge in material desires…
In our culture, it’s considered normal to murder babies in the womb…
5 years ago, it would have been absurd to suggest that we couldn’t tell the difference between a boy and a girl based on their physical characteristics… but now, that’s considered normal.
Brothers and sisters… if we’re not careful… if we’re not actively seeking to live holy lives… if we neglect the spiritual disciplines of reading the Word and prayer…
Our senses will become dull and we’ll be lulled to sleep by the lullaby of our culture, singing softly in our ears, trying to get us to conform…
Trying to get us to abandon God’s thoughts and God’s ways and adopt theirs…
Now, when you think about the society that we live in… what are some of the forces that press us to conform to them?
We are to model our lives after God Himself…
And what makes this difficult is, in many ways, before we came to Christ, we used to think the way the world does.
But Peter tells us that we can’t think that way anymore. We can’t behave that way and live that way anymore… we can’t live the way we used to before we knew Jesus…
Because now we know better…
However, we are to conform our thinking and our behavior to God’s character. We identify with God by being set apart and by relating to the world on the terms that God prescribes.
Instead, as God’s people, we are to conform our thinking and our behavior to God’s holy character.
We are to be holy as He is holy.
This is how we identify with God… by being set apart and by relating to the world on the terms that God prescribes.
As Paul puts it in , we are…
22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
It’s the same idea… our former manner of life was corrupt… because our desires were corrupt…
And Paul tells us to “put that off…” to get rid of it… to put it away… and we do this through the renewing of our minds…
And we renew our minds through reading and meditating and praying through the Word of God…
And when we do this, we put on the new self… and this new self is created after the likeness of God… in what?
In true righteousness and holiness…
You see, when we set our hope on the the future grace that will be brought to us… when we prepare our minds for action… when we strive to live godly and upright lives in this present evil age…
When we strive to not be conformed to our old desires which are corrupt…
And we renew our minds through prayer and the Word… the Spirit of God works through the Word of God and we put on the new self…
And that new self is created in the likeness of God… in true righteousness and holiness.
And when we do that… God gives us new desires…
And the new self has new desires… we begin to love the things that God loves and hate the things that God hates…
Now… this is no easy task… which is why…
Godly living requires us to walk carefully (vv. 17-21)
Godly living requires us to walk carefully (vv. 17-21)
Look with me at vv. 17-19
1 Peter
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.
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. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the 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.
What Peter is saying here is, “if you’re a Christian...”
After all, Christians are the only ones who can call on God as Father…
“If you’re a Christian, conduct yourself with fear during the time of your exile… “
Why?
“Because God judges impartially according to each one’s deeds…”
Yes… even us. Again, this was written to Christians.
Now, the natural question is, “how can that be?” I mean, after all, if I’m in Christ, I’ve escaped the judgment… haven’t I?
Well yes… and no… The fact is, we will all have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give account for how we lived…
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
You see, fear of judgment still plays a role in the Christian life… Living a godly life requires us to walk carefully…
Paul himself realized that he would be damned if he didn’t live the message he proclaimed to others… listen to what he writes in …
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
You see, I’ve often heard preachers say that this isn’t talking about the feeling of fear… it’s talking about respect. It’s talking about reverence.
See… I think that falls short. I don’t think it really grasps what Peter’s trying to communicate.
I think that it’s very much talking about the feeling of fear.
I have
I have respect for my earthly father… and in some ways, I even revere him… but I don’t tremble in his presence the way I will before the Lord…
The problem is, the way a Christian relates to God emotionally is not simple… it’s not one-dimensional… It’s not marked by a single emotion.
What I mean is this…
What I mean by that is this…
You see, the way that a Christian relates em
It’s not that you’re either fearful of Him or confident in His love for you… it’s not an either/or… at least, that’s not how we see it in Scripture. It’s both/and…
We relate to Him… simultaneously fearing Him… trembling before His holiness… while also resting assured in our acceptance before Him in the Beloved…
Otherwise, if you think about it… the “acceptance” part doesn’t mean anything without fear!
You see, the more complex we are in our relationship to God, the more satisfying and broad and glorious it is…
We don’t treat God like a grandpa… we don’t treat God like someone who merely loves us…
He does merely love us, but that love is displayed in His saving us from the wrath of His holiness…
I have respect for my earthly father… and in some ways, I even revere him… but I don’t tremble in his presence the way I will before the Lord…
says that it’s a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God…
Let’s look at an example of what I mean from Scripture…
Let’s look at an example of what I mean from Scripture…
In Revelation Chapter 1, beginning in v. 10, the Apostle John has an encounter with the risen Christ…
He’s been exiled to the island of Patmos because of his faith in Jesus Christ… and he’s given this vision.
And then he hears a voice… and upon hearing that voice he turns and he sees the risen Christ in all his glory…
And this his how he describes what he sees… starting in v. 13…
Listen to what John writes in
“10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.”
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,
13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.”
That was John’s response to seeing Jesus in his glory… He fell at His feet as though dead…
Now, this is the same John… the one referred to in John’s gospel as “the disciple whom Jesus loved…” The one who leaned back tenderly on Jesus at the Lord’s Supper…
Do you think that in that moment, John fainted out of reverence? No… Do you think he fainted because he doubted Jesus’ love for him?
No… He knew that Jesus loved him…
Remember, it’s not either/or but both/and… John knew that Jesus loved him… AND he was filled with fear in the presence of His holiness… so much so that he fell at His feet as though dead…
He was confronted at once with the holiness and the majesty and the splendor and glory of God Almighty…
Now, how do we know that it was fear? Listen to what it says in the rest of v. 17…
John writes, “But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not…”
By putting His right hand on John, Jesus was assuring him… it’s almost as if He’s saying “fear was the right response… but you don’t have to be afraid…”
Isaiah had a similar response when he saw Christ on His throne and said, “Woe is me! For I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
The holiness of God caused Isaiah to unravel in His presence…
This is the same Jesus who says,
You see, there is a kind of fear that doesn’t contradict confidence…
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Mark
I have respect for my earthly father… and in some ways, I even revere him… but I don’t tremble in his presence… but that’s not the case with God…
You see, there is a kind of fear that doesn’t contradict confidence…
For example, a confident driver also possess a healthy fear of getting in an accident… and that fear prevents him from driving foolishly.
In the same way, a healthy fear of judgment keeps us from conforming to our old desires and to the desires of the world…
A healthy fear of judgement encourages us to walk carefully as we strive to live godly lives.
Peter tells us that we’re to conduct ourselves with fear because God will judge our deeds impartiallye…
And while our deeds certainly don’t contribute anything to our salvation, they are very much evidence of it…
James writes,
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
Faithful, godly living is evidence of the work that God has done and is still doing in us…
You see, godly living requires that we walk carefully…
And I want you to recognize that a healthy fear shouldn’t paralyze us but it should inspire us to live faithfully…
It should inspire us to live faithfully…
And where does that inspiration come from?
Look with me at the 2nd half of v. 17 through v. 19… Peter writes…
“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.
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. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the 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.
“Knowing that you were ransomed…”
It’s that same Son who, when you stand before Him at the judgment,
The same God who will judge you is also the same God who ransomed you from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers… and He ransomed you by sending His Son to die for you…
His perfect, matchless, blameless, Son… like a lamb without spot or blemish… shed His blood and died so that when you stand before Him at the judgment
What’s the tense of that verb? Past, present or future?
It’s past… “knowing that you were ransomed…”
It’s talking about something that’s already happened… something that happened in the past…
Isn’t that amazing? What Peter’s saying is, “conduct yourself with fear now knowing that you already were ransomed in the past… It’s guaranteed!
If you’re in Christ, you’re gonna get to heaven… that’s the whole point of the opening 12 verses…
There’s an inheritance in heaven waiting for you!
And knowing that… knowing that you were ransomed, be sober and fearful now…
You see, there’s a complexity to this that we can’t easily collapse… and we shouldn’t try to…
Peter balances fear of the Lord with love and grace…
There’s a complexity to how we relate to God… and it’s beautiful. It’s what makes Christianity so much more satisfying than anything else…
What he’s saying is, “Conduct yourselves with fear… but remember the gospel.”
“Conduct yourselves with fear… but remember, that in Christ, you were already declared holy…
And it’s Christ in you that’s making your holy and conforming you to His likeness.”
“Walk carefully… but remember that you were ransomed from your futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ…Like that of a lamb without blemish or spot…”
Like that of a lamb without blemish or spot…
He was the perfect sacrifice…
“Strive to live a godly life, and when you stand before Him at the judgment the life you lived will be evidence that your faith in Him is true…
And if you’re in Christ… if you are indeed His, your life will reflect good works…
And when you stand before Him at the judgment those works will be evidence that your faith in Him is true…
And the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor…
Our fear of the Lord is balanced by knowledge of the fact that Christ died for us…
So we are simultaneously fearful in how we conduct ourselves… but confident that we are infinitely loved and accepted because we know that Christ died for us and ransomed us by His blood.
But even more… we have confidence because we know that this was God’s plan from the beginning…
Conclusion
Conclusion
One of the most amazing things, as we begin to wrap things up, is realizing that we are part of a larger, more glorious story…
Look with me at vv. 20-21…
20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the 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.
You see, the glory of Christ was God’s plan from the beginning…
From before the foundation of the world… before history ever began… God purposed to send His Son to ransom His people… that He would die on a cross at the hands of sinful men… that He would raise Him from the dead and give Him glory… and in doing so, our faith and hope would be in Him…
You see, all throughout redemptive history… all the way back to the garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve disobeyed God plunged the world into sin and darkness…
Along with the curse, God made a promise… He promised that Eve’s seed would crush the head of the serpent who deceived her…
God promised to bring His Christ, who would save His people from their sins and succeed where Adam failed.
And while they waited, God intended for His people to put their hope in Him… to put their hope in the promise…
But like Adam, they failed… instead of putting their hope in God, they put their their hope in lesser things things…
They put their hope in false gods… in idols… becoming like the nations that surrounded them instead of being distinct from them.
They put their hope in their own ability to keep the Law, which no one other than Christ was able to do…
They put their hope in anything and everything but the true and living God…
And all the while God’s intention was that His people would put their hope in Him, that He would send the One
And although this is primarily about Christ’s glory… God brought this to pass now for our sake.
And then at the appointed time, God sent His Son… the One whom He promised from the beginning… the One whom He foreknew before the foundation of the world…
He left His throne on high, He laid aside His rights and privileges as God… He laid aside His glory… and He humbled Himself… taking the form of a servant… being born in the likeness of sinful men… and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross…
And then He raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory… so that we would be believers in God… so that our faith and our hope would be in Him…
Invitation
Invitation
So my question for you this morning is this - who or what are you
So my question for you is, who or what are you putting your hope in?
You don’t have to be a Christian to know that things aren’t right in the world… You don’t have to be a Christian to know that things aren’t the way they’re supposed to be… so what hope do you have?
What Peter is saying here is that God raised Christ from the dead and gave Him glory so that you would put your faith and your hope in Him!
And without Him, you have no hope… Anything else that you’re putting your hope in will fail you… people… money… the government… all of it will ultimately fail you in the end.
But Christ will never fail you…
And when you turn to Him in repentance and faith and you hope in Him, everything that Peter wrote about and everything that we talked about will be true of you…
Your sins will be forgiven, and you’ll receive the gift of eternal life… an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading… kept in heave for you…
If you want to know more about what it means to put your hope in Jesus Christ, I want to encourage you to see me after the service. I’d love nothing more than to talk you about the hope that we have in Him.
Let’s pray…