5-3-2020 Knowing Whole Holiness 1 Peter 1:13-17

Be Holy Series  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  47:14
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Introduction:
Have you known someone for a long time and trusted them, and then found out they were not the person you thought they were. They were not the friend you thought them to be. Probably everyone of us can think back to a scenario or situation where we built a relationship with someone, spent time with them, labored with them, and then found out later that the relationship wasn't real. We call someone like this a hypocrite. And I've heard many times, “I'm not going to that church because it's full of hypocrites” and I usually say, “well you're right, but there's room for one more!” The word hypocrite means someone who plays the part, but it's not really who you are, or what you you appear to be before other people. And we hate that. But sad to say many of us still play the part. Christianity is filled with people who manage the image. There were it's almost like putting on the part to make up the mass the clothes. And we manage our image and we perform behind all of that. Is the real me. So the question is when we come to this text.
Transition:
God calls us to be holy. Who are you? Last week we talked about holiness. I hope you remember this, because to progress through the thought of each of these 4 messages without recognizing that holiness begins by the exaltation of a Person. Holiness means separate-- separated. A cut above. But we begin by what you're separated to, not by what you're separated from. You could be separated from all of the wrong things in life, and still be with the wrong. When you're separated TO what is true and right everything else will fall into place. Last week: the exaltation of a Person, today: holiness is the establishment of a position. To know who you are, then to be who you are.
First Peter chapter one Is our passage again with the challenge "Be holy. For I am holy.”
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 1:13-17
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,
…or during the time of your stay on earth.
Transition:
I want you to know the central thought as Peter is speaking to believers. Verse 15, he says “be holy yourselves in all of your conduct, your behavior. And really the thrust of this section is calling people into your way of life; your behavior throughout your life--to be holy— to be separate to be set apart.

I. Understand who You are

Know that You are Holy
But it begs the question: how can we be something we're not? How can I be holy? And the thing I want to see about verses 13 to 17 is that's what we call the text to that's we read the text of scripture. But we also have context. If you don't really understand context, you can misinterpret the text. Every scripture has context. And I want to see the context of Peter's writing here. Who is he writing to? He is calling them to have behavior that is holy, to live holy lives, but who is he speaking to? And if you go back to chapter one and the first 5 verses we're gonna see who he is speaking to. And this makes all the difference he says
1 Peter 1:1–5 LEB
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen who are residing temporarily in the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and for sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 into an inheritance imperishable and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for you 5 who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time,
Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ to those who read reside as aliens scattered throughout Asia minor. Verse 2 sanctification- that's the same word “holy” by the way... hagias-- the setting apart work of the spirit to obey Jesus Christ
He speaks about them as those who are born again. These people are Christians they're believers. And I think that you can't do something that is not part of the substance of who you are. If we go to first Peter chapter 2 which is just a chapter over from our text in verse 9 it says
1 Peter 2:9 LEB
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s possession, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light,
So the context of this is he is writing to people he describes this way:
First He says, “You are a chosen race.”
1 Peter 2:10 LEB
10 who once were not a people, but now are the people of God, the ones who were not shown mercy, but now are shown mercy.
You have been elected chosen by God. You know whatever I bring up that word people start to panic.
Are you a Calvinist? Are you a 4 point Calvinist or 5 point Calvinist, or just a 3 point Calvinist? Dr. Les Olilla liked to say, “I'm a no point Calvinist... because there's no point in arguing about it.” There are certain tensions and mysteries in scripture that you and I will never comprehend, but the truth is this: God has chosen you and elected you. He chose based upon his mercy and his grace, not on anything good about you. This is a rich doctrine. It is for the believers to figure out that before we were born, before God created the Earth, He knew me, He loves me, and He chose me. Wow, now the same Bible teaches us that, also says, “whosoever will” may come to be saved. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” I tell people that God is sovereign, He elects you. So whoever may come-- you'll figure it out. And I think a lot of students, a lot of pastors, a lot of people, tie their brains in a knot, and they tie their friends brains in a knot by trying to figure it out. The thing is YHWH is an awesome God. HE is an incredible God. The beauty is, as we talked about last Sunday, YHWH chose you, He elected you. When you think of your position in His family, it's unique in the sense of adoption. We find this concept in other passages of scripture—He describes us as being adopted.
I knew a family that has adopted a number of foster kids. And these kids had come from really rough situations. And I've had discussions with these kids. I said, “do you realize that most people that have kids just get what they get? They go to the hospital and that's the baby they get. But your mom chose you specially. She chose you specifically.” And there's something really special about that.
God has placed us into His family! He says you are a chosen generation.
Second, He says you're a royal priesthood.
One part of being in His royal family is that you are also a priest.
1 Peter 2:9
1 Peter 2:9 LEB
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s possession, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light,
“a royal priesthood”
I like to joke by asking, “do Baptist churches have priests?” Then I’ll answer “yes!” because all of the redeemed now have the Holy Spirit living inside them and they become priests at salvation. What does that mean for me? Well, a priest has access to the presence of God. As a believer you have free and complete access into His presence! that is amazing! We, as a body of believers, are a holy nation—set apart, pure, just, right. You are a people for YHWH's own special possession—He owns us and we're secure in Him and you have received mercy from Him. It is amazing how Peter describes this is who you are--you’re chosen by YHWH. You’re special in His sight. He's bought you as His own special possession.
How does that happen? Well, we would all agree that it's all by God's choosing and by His grace. He places us into that position. And we understand that position as being holy. Holiness is the exaltation and establishment of the position that Christ puts you in. Martin Luther from the 1500s by his own testimony said, “I hated God.” He was a really frustrated monk. He was studying Paul's epistle to the Romans and couldn't get past this first half of Romans 1:17. It says
Romans 1:17 LEB
17 For the righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith to faith, just as it is written, “But the one who is righteous by faith will live.”
“in it” = in the gospel.
2 things. From faith to faith & second, from holiness to holiness. That one simple biblical truth changes life. There's a transaction that takes place and I think that before we can be something - specifically holy, we need to understand how YHWH positionally made us holy. Because you must understand that what you do flows from who you are. Additionally, you need to understand who you are.
Transition:
As it sinks in to who you are, remember it came at a price.

II. Understand the Cost

Matt Olson rightly calls this the great transaction which Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 5:21. He says,
2 Corinthians 5:21 LEB
He made the one who did not know sin to be sin on our behalf, in order that we could become the righteousness of God in him.
This has to be one of the most beautiful, powerful, verses in all of scripture. And what he is saying is here is: “Here I stand in life,” most of us what can identify with this, “I'm a sinner.” What part of me, when you look at me, is a sinner? Welcome to the top of my head all the way to the bottom of my feet!-- that's about it. All of me-- every cell of my body has been contaminated by sin, and really twice! by birth and by choice. I can blame my dad who could blame his dad, who will blame his dad all the way back to Adam.
Romans 5:12 LEB
Because of this, just as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death spread to all people because all sinned.
So in Adam’s act, sin polluted the entire human race— that’s the doctrine of original sin—Federal Headship—Adam represented mankind federally. But I'm also a sinner by choice. I choose to disobey, I don't follow the Lord at times. How long does it take to show up in your children? Okay, how long does it take to show your grandchildren? a little longer. It shows up. That's your nature thanks to you, that is who you are. In all that you do comes sin because what you do flows out of who you are—a sinner. That's my position before Christ. What is so difficult about this is there's nothing I can do to change that. Nothing. I can work, I can pray, I can labor, I can do everything in my power, yet there is nothing to change the results and consequences of my sin--I am going to die. I am dead and dying-- a hopeless sinful/sin-filled state—that is my position, and there's nothing I can do about it.
But the scripture says that God demonstrated His love to us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us! so YHWH sends His son, the second Adam. So here we have me, who can't do a thing about the fact I’m going to die, and we have YHWH, who sent His Son—What does He look like from the crown of His head, to the soul of His feet? There's no sin in Him. From the seed of the Holy Spirit: He is perfect, flawless, righteous. Born uniquely with the position of sinlessness! His life fulfills all righteousness—perfect and holy in everything He does. So 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us there's a great transaction--
2 Corinthians 5:21 LEB
He made the one who did not know sin to be sin on our behalf, in order that we could become the righteousness of God in him.
a great exchange that takes place with the cross. The first part of it, is that all of my sin is placed upon Jesus. Most people seem understand that first part--they understand the fact that Jesus hung on the cross, and nailed to the cross, took upon him the sins of the world he died for our sins no offers forgiveness and so He became sin for us, He became sin for you. He died shedding His blood, paid for my sin and wash my sin away. Not only that, He rose again.
Transition:
The second part is just as important to understand.

III. Understand the Effect

Just as all of my sin was placed upon him, He imputed, or credited to, my account His righteousness. It's amazing! I am a sinner who is seen by God as a saint! Literally, thank Jesus, the Christ. “Credited” is a banking term, somewhat synonomous with “imputed” righteousness. He made me holy. Now, from the top of my head to the sole of my feet, I'm holy. This is my redeemed position!
How many of you look at family pictures, and whenever you're looking at family pictures, where do your eyes go first? It's not to the grandkids, no, it's it's how fat do you look there. You think, “hey, that camera is broke” It’s funny how all the cameras are the same way; they make really healthy looking people look fat, and distort how your hair looks, and then we think, “We can't use that picture.”
I was at the Norway Fair with my family a year ago, and they had one of those hall of mirrors for the kids with all the different kinds of shapes of mirrors. And you walk through this looking at your long skinny self, then your short fat self, and you get a little body with the big head with those different mirrors and I laughed, and laughed, and laughed until I realized that the mirror is actually just a normal mirror.
The world distorts reality — it's like the mirror that is shaped. The world distorts reality. Your emotions and your feelings distort reality. James uses this picture, Paul uses this picture, that the Word of God is like a mirror. It is a perfect mirror, it is a reflection of reality. As I gaze into God's Word, and I contemplate what He says about Himself and what He says about me, and I focus on that, I continue in that, I speak it back to myself, and remind myself—then it starts to settle in to the joy and the peace and the confidence of who I really am. And only out of that type of view can a proper life flow.
“Yeah, but I don't feel that way, and I don't really act that way!” I understand that, we can talk about that next week, but you can't understand next week until you understand this: Jesus, the Christ by His grace has made you holy. He has defeated sin and death for you. And the way that I receive that imputed righteousness is believing in faith, in Him and in His finished work. It's that simple.
I was talking to a person once who's very educated. He's got a PhD. He's a very intellectual guy, but he cannot accept this simple faith. I said to him, “Every time Jesus talks about faith, he brings it to simplicity and humility.” One sad side effect of higher education is it will tend to make you over analyze and over think to the point of rejecting simplicity. But Jesus said unless you become like a little child, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. That’s humbling. And reason says that if God loves us and wanted us to be saved, He would make it simple—not complicated and out of reach. So we have the opportunity that by faith believing in the finished work of Jesus Christ, YHWH sent His son to die that, for one: to take upon Himself all of our sin to show love. Then, two, to impute to us the righteousness of the Son to show everlasting love. So this is the assurance of who I am, I am holy. That's who you are. He has made you holy. That is the position that you are.
Transition:
If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ as your personal savior, this is who you are: cleansed, righteous child of YHWH--that's why we go to chapter 2 and verse 9 of 1 Peter.
1 Peter 2:9 LEB
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s possession, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light,
a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s possession
This is who you are. So that leads into next week’s sermon. You need to be who you are.

So What?

So when we get to next week, when talk about holy living, a holy life, this command to “be holy” I will function out of who I am. I'm not talking about trying to do a positive mental attitude about yourself, and just think positive thoughts. No! I'm talking about: this is what God says about His child, you. It's not just in First Peter, it's found all through the scriptures. I fear that today the church as a whole has so faltered in a time like this because we have drifted from this dependence upon the scriptures to live. And so we cannot follow commands like we read in this text. We can't do that because we don't have a right perspective, or a right understanding. As you continue throughout this week, remember as you walk out of your house in the mornings, it'll be like you're walking through a hall of mirrors--all distorted. Your whole day is walking through a hall of mirrors and it will mess you up. That's why you need to start your day in the perfect law—gazing upon the face of Christ in the scriptures, and meditating on what you know is real, and true, and right, carrying that with you throughout the day. That’s reality. As Dr. Olson calls it: “The Word filled, Spirit filled life.”
Some will say, “this is not really important or exciting talking about positional truth, let's just cut to the action” We'll get to the action next week, but if you don't get this first: get His righteousness imputed to you after He has taken upon Himself your sin. If you don’t know who you are based on who He says you are. And if you have not established a habit of looking in the Bible to view who you are, you'll never be able to enjoy a Christian life.
In Conclusion:
When God commands us to be holy, He speaks out of a specific context. Why? because positionally, you are holy. “I am holy, I've made you holy, now be holy, understanding who you are.” You might say, “Well,now you know that person is going to start being prideful-- just boasting about what you are to Christ.” But the result of a when YHWH makes you holy, is humility, joy, and thanksgiving. Your entire life, living out your Christian life, is one big thank you to God. It’s Gratitude. It doesn't cause a person to be boastful. As I've studied this topic and spent time in the Bible, I still feel that every day walking through life, I tend to have a distorted view of reality, of God, and of myself, and of what is going on in the world today. But by His Word, reading, studying, and looking into this mirror by His spirit teaching me, I'm reminded again of who I am. This is who you are: you're holy, set apart, chosen, special, and you're loved. Now go be who you are.
Let’s Pray.
Father, we pray that You would take Your Word—the encouragement that has it been to us today in seeing how much we are loved and cared for, and how much You've done for us--how much You have given to us through the scriptures to remind us of what you've done, and how we stand before You— that all of this would bring You pleasure and glory. Father, I pray if there is someone listening or here right now that is overcome by the emotions, the feelings, and distortions of reality, that You would give them a clear picture of Your face through the Word—that they would meditate upon that in Joy in who you are and who they are. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.
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