Family Relations: The Motivation for a Holy Life

1 Peter 1:14-21 Family Relations (The Motivation for a Holy Life) Introduction: The New Testament pattern of instruction always works in the way of informing us first of who God is what God has done, and then tells us who we are and what we are to do in light of what he has done. This is often referred to as the indicatives and imperatives. The indicative informs us of an accomplished fact; What God has done. For example, “God in Christ has forgiven you.” On the other hand, the imperative is a command or direction. In Ephesians 4:32, Paul gives us this command: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.” The New Testament is filled with indicatives and imperatives: we’re commanded to live changed lives in light of what God has done. Peter follows this same pattern in his letter. He has opened up his letter reminding us of who we are because of what the Father has done for us in Christ Jesus. “He has caused us to be born again to a living hope”. He has adopted us as sons and daughters and given an us a new identity and purpose, he has given us an imperishable, undefiled and unfading inheritance, that will be revealed in the last time. In view of who God is and what he has done, Peter calls us to action as Believers. First he calls us to the action of setting our hope fully on the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. He tells us that this hope will only be cultured/strengthened, protected as we think soberly - constantly living in light of the true reality of things. Now Peter begins to instruct us on how to live in relation to our new Father. If we have been born anew, brought into a new family, of which God is our Father. How then are we to live as God’s children/people? 1. The Nature of the Father a. Correct View of the Father i. Some of us might have a hard time relating when we talk about our relationship to God as Father. This might be because you had a bad relationship with your Father. Maybe you never knew him, maybe he wasn’t there for you, maybe he never affirmed his love and support of you. Whatever the cause, whenever we talk about God being our Father, you check out... You just can’t relate. ii. First of all I am so sorry that this is your experience. Secondly, the fact that your Father was a “bad father” does not make the concept or actuality of a “good father” incomprehensible. iii. Even if you had a bad relationship with your father you are basing that upon an expectation, or a model of what you feel a father should be and act like. b. Self Giving Nature of the Father i. The Bible tells us that God is a Father in the best of terms. One that not only declares his love for his children, but demonstrates it by selflessly giving to us at great cost to himself. 1. It is God the Father who chose us before the foundation of the world, that we would be recipients of his love and grace. 2. It is God the Father that sent the son to be the savior of the World, he did this because of his love for us. a. Over and over again the Father is presented as gracious, merciful, compassionate, loving, good, righteous, true... Knowing the number of hairs on our head; storing our tears in a bottle; Knowing our every need, and graciously providing for us....And the list goes on. 3. So when we talk about God as our Father, we mean that the greatest fathers that have ever lived are only types of the true Father, and at best, are scratching the surface of what God the Father is like. 2. Our Relation to the Father -How are we to live in relation to the Father? a. It helps me to think of it in this way: Imagine a Father sitting his son down and telling him the family values, or the family characteristics. You are my son therefore you are to do these things and act this way, because you are a part of this family. b. Obedience. i. “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” ii. Peter has already made reference to the fact that we have been born again unto a living hope, by the working of God the Father through Jesus Christ. 1. Peter wants us to derive our whole identity upon this fact: that we are children of God. iii. Peter is saying that our proof that we are children of God is to be seen in our obedience. We are to be children who are characterized by obedience. 1. It helps me to think of it in this way: Imagine a Father sitting his son down and telling him the family values, or the family Characteristics. You are my son therefore you are to do these things and act this way, these are the values of this family. iv. Holiness 1. Holiness is the quality of God that sets him utterly apart from his world, especially in terms of his purity and sanctity. v. Peter’s command is to be Holy, as God is Holy. His holiness is our standard. 1. Our obedience to the God the Father is to be demonstrated through a Holy life. 2. God’s people are called to holiness, which involves being distinct from other people. 3. Holiness has the root idea in the Old Testament (quoted here) of being separated from what is defective and evil and separated for God. a. In the OT, this is seen in the command to separate from other nations and from everything that can compromise commitment to the Lord. In the NT believers are called to distance themselves from the ways and values of the world, which can be dishonoring to God and destructive to obedience to him. i. Holiness in the OT sense was not sinlessness, but a conformity to the covenant requirements of God (i.e. Exodus 19:6; 22:31; Deuteronomy. 14:2, 21; 26:19). The NT also has covenant requirements which issue in Christlikeness. 1. Fruit of the Spirit (Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) 2. The Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount b. “Sometimes when we wrestle with biblical realities like holiness and hope we miss the forest for the trees. The forest is this: Christian living is living permeated by God. God in the morning; God in the midday; God in the evening; God as motive; God as guide; God as moral standard; God as comfort; God as strength; God as truth; God as joy.” c. “What emerges from 1 Peter and the whole New Testament is that the Christian life is a life lived in God. Ever aware of God. Ever submitted to God. Ever trusting God. Ever guided by God. Ever hoping in God.” -John Piper i. We must remember that when the Bible speaks of a holy life it is not talking about a boring, reclusive, lifeless life. But it is life in fellowship with God, life in all it’s fullness. 4. Two reasons for holiness: a. The Judgment of God the Father and the love of God the Father. b. “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, knowing that you were ransomed from the 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. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 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.” i. Peter reminds these Christians that although they are loved, and highly favored by God, that this does not diminish God’s requirement of a holy life. ii. All will stand before the (All knowing; Everywhere present; Almighty) judge, who is impartial. God does not play favorites. He is absolutely just in all his judgments. 1. “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. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others.” -Corinthians 5:10-11 2. Proverbs 1:7 Says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” a. But the fear of the Lord means to be in awe of, to respect, or to revere him. It is total and upmost respect and honor for and towards the Lord. iii. We honor and revere the Lord when we love what he loves, and hate what he hates. 1. Psalm 97:10 “O you who love the Lord, hate evil!” iv. What Peter is saying is, You call God Father, then remember his character and don’t allow familiarity to be an excuse for evil. 1. Hebrews 12:18-29 (You have not come to the mountain that cannot be touched....Our God is a consuming fire.) c. Obedience based on Love. i. “Their reverential awe before God, however is not based simply on their recognition of judgment, but on deep gratitude and wonder at what God has done for them.”-Peter Davids ii. Peter also reminds these believers of the infinite cost of God in ransoming them from their sins.They were not purchased with something corruptible like gold and silver but with the precious blood of Christ. 1. "Think of all the ways you can say "no" to ungodliness. You can say, "no-because I'll look bad!" You can say, "No-I'll be excluded from the social circles I want to belong to." You can say, "no-because then God will not bless me." You can say, "No-because I'll hate myself in the morning and have low self esteem." (None of these are bad motives, in a sense.) Virtually all of these motives, however, are really just motives of fear and pride- the very things that also lead to sin.You are using the self centered impulses to keep you compliant to external rules without really changing the heart itself. Also, you are not really doing anything out of love for God. You are using God to get things-self esteem, prosperity, social approval-so your deepest joys and hopes rest in those things, not God" - Tim Keller 2. "The Gospel, however, tells us that as Christians sin can't ultimately bring us into condemnation (Rom 8:1) It's heinousness is therefore what it does to God; It displeases and dishonours him. In religion, repentance is self-centered; the gospel makes it God centered. in religion we are mainly sorry for the consequences of sin, but in the gospel we are sorry for the sin itself." -Tim Keller 3. God’s desire is that you and I would properly assimilate the grace that he has shown us and continues to show us through Jesus Christ and that we would, out of a heart of love and gratitude, respond to him in obedience. Specifically in a holy life. a. 1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” b. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” -Romans 12:1-2 Conclusion: It is so important to first talk about where we get the power and motivation for a holy life, even before we talk about what a holy life looks like specifically. It blossoms from cultivating a loving relationship with God as our Father. We often say things like "Christianity isn't a religion, it's a relationship" and yet at the same time, our relationship with God is more like a contract than a relationship. What we are saying is work out that relationship… Religion says, I do these things so that God will accept and bless me, Christianity says, I do these because God has already accepted and blessed me. We can never earn or repay what God has done for us in Jesus Christ, but we can and should lovingly/thankfully respond in service and obedience.