5-17-20 The Expectation of a Holy Promise 1 Peter 1:13-17
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
We all have events that we anticipate; things like vacation, or getting your driver's license, or graduating from college. The thing that I anticipated and looks forward to more than anything else in my life was getting married to Mary. The first time I dated Mary, I was 16, she was 15—this was 21 years ago. I asked her out at a movie theater. And I knew she might say yes, because by this point, a few of her friends approached me telling me of her interest in me. Our first kiss happened on a bridge over interstate 70. 2 years later we got married —fast forward to today and we are anticipating celebrating our 19th anniversary tomorrow--that's a long time, but it doesn’t feel like a long time because I enjoy every moment with her.
The time between us dating to marriage was just two short years, but it felt like forever because we were anticipating our life together. You just can't wait--it’s not the time that you're praying for the rapture to take place.
We're so bounded to this earth and the things in our minds that we can't even comprehend the fullness of seeing Christ again. But we live anticipating things. This morning is the final part of this holiness miniseries, about YHWH is working in us to make us holy. It is the culmination anticipating the completeness of what God is doing. The final aspect of holiness is the expectation of a promise. Every week now has been building upon the other. As a quick review:
We start with Holiness begins by the exaltation of a person. It is not about what we are separated from, it is about who we are separated to. Everything else takes care of itself. I shared the illustration of getting married and I said that I keep myself only to her as long as we both shall live, forsaking all other. But I'm not even thinking about all the others I’m thinking just about her when I'm separated to my wife and completely devoted to my wife, that takes care of marriage.
Then the establishment of a position. The imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ where He declares us legally holy. It's where we stand, it is our identity, it's justification.
Last week was the engagement of the process--this is where the rubber meets the road. This is what we fight every day as we get up in the morning--the process of spiritual growth. We're learning, & developing, & we’re battling. We talked last week about the essential components to spiritual growth.
Today, we end with this expectation of a promise.
Transition:
The culmination of being made holy where we are receiving a glorified body, and we are placed in heaven, and everything is perfect. This promise is when we experience the fullness of holiness and being fully separated, yet inseparable from our Lord. About all of this book of 1st Peter is is talking about an anticipating this moment that when our faith is made plain to us, our faith is realized and when our holiness is made complete. I'm excited about sharing this with you this morning let's look at 1 Peter 1:13-17 again
Scripture Reading:
Therefore, when you have prepared your minds for action by being self-controlled, put your hope completely in the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former desires you used to conform to in your ignorance, but as the one who called you is holy, you yourselves be holy in all your conduct, for it is written, “You will be holy, because I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves with fear during the time of your temporary residence,
Anther passage, 1 John chapter 3 sums up this concept we find here. 1 John 3:2-3 says,
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that whenever he is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as that one is pure.
So. What John is saying is that when we anticipate the return of Christ, we shall see Him, and even more, we will be like Him. In other words, He will make us like Him in a glorified body. As we live on this earth today, when we think about this in anticipation of that fact, it has a purifying effect upon my life, even as I am pure. Speaking of our position, my life is continually set apart and purified as I anticipate His coming.
Transition:
So today, I'd like to look at four ways that we anticipate holiness in the fulfillment of His promise. The first of these is the revelation of Jesus.
I. The Revelation of Jesus
I. The Revelation of Jesus
Because this is what we anticipate in all the we read about in the Bible is to see our Savior, the Christ face to face--and the face of God, visibly! The disciples saw Christ, Moses saw the hind parts of God as He passed before him. But for us, all that we have is to believe by faith— we don't see Him physically, but we wish we could see Him. This to me is the agonizing struggle of every day: believing what God says to be true, yet not feeling it. I think that it's hard for me, probably as much now as it's ever been even though I know so much more Bible, so much more theology, every day I wake up feeling a certain way and having to work my way and argue my way back to truth. It is faith to trust God. I've had people say to me, “I wont believe it until I see it! I just want see it. I just want to know for sure” and I’ve said, “I know, I agree to an extent, but it is the nature of faith: ‘the just shall live by faith.’”
I used to honestly think that by the time I graduated Northland, I would be near sinless and have it all figured out. And to be honest with you, when I was voted in as pastor, it was just barely starting to heat up. My kids are in elementary and in junior high and they complain that it is so hard, yet they haven’t hit high school and it is “I've got so much homework tonight” we always say, “you just wait till you get into the real world.” Well for the junior high and high school-er, that is a real world to them and they really are overwhelmed. I remember being in junior high and being overwhelmed with life, I was also overwhelmed in high school, and I was overwhelmed when I got married--I was overwhelmed in my twenties and I'm overwhelmed today. We live a life where we see this is what YHWH says, I believe it, I trust it. And every day, I have a trial that tests my faith—small or large. I have to believe something I cannot see. All of that tension will be relieved in an instant when we see His face. Every day in eternity, our Savior, King, Lord, our friend, the personal God, Jesus.
In verse 13. He says
Therefore, when you have prepared your minds for action by being self-controlled, put your hope completely in the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
“put your hope completely in the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Put—or some translations say “fix” your hope. Fix completely on grace. So I'm thinking about hope in Christ’s return-- anticipating that it could be any day now I will see Him face to face. And I live with that-- that at any moment, I could be standing in His physical presence. That type of thinking has a purifying, sanctifying effect on my life. It is glorious and central--all faith made sight.
Transition:
The revelation of Jesus is first. Second, we anticipate the culmination of our works:
II. The Culmination of Our Works
II. The Culmination of Our Works
This isn't something that we typically think about. When I think about going to heaven, I honestly don't think about going to get my rewards. I certainly would never think, “I can't wait to get to heaven so I can get what I deserve.” The Bible does indeed talk about rewards, but I'll just be so happy just to be there, and so happy to see Him. Yet, scripture teaches us in verse 17:
And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves with fear during the time of your temporary residence,
He is going to impartially judge! Judge what? Each one 's work! Now, understand this is not a judgment of your sin, it is not dealing with whether you're saved. Rather, it is the evaluation of your stewardship as His servant. There are parts of this I don't completely grasp when trying to picture it in my mind, but I also know there enough passages in scripture that say that everyone that has been given a stewardship and responsibility of the gospel--spiritual gifts--all the things that YHWH gives to us, there will be a day I'm going to stand before our LORD for an accounting of my works.
2Corinthians 5:9-10
Therefore indeed we have as our ambition, whether at home in the body or absent from the body, to be acceptable to him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, in order that each one may receive back the things through the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
“The judgment seat of Christ”
This is the bema (βῆμα) seat. In court at that time, there was a place of judgment were decisions would be made — that's the same word that's used here βῆμα, he says:
“so that each may receive...according to what he has done”
Then 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must direct his attention to how he is building upon it. For no one is able to lay another foundation than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, straw, the work of each one will become evident. For the day will reveal it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the work of each one, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work that he has built upon it remains, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but so as through fire.
This tells us that there is going to be a test of what I've done. Jesus sees our motives. He sees my purposes and looks at what I've done. I may be able to impress everybody else, but at the end of the day there's only one opinion that matters. That's Jesus. Paul tells us to find out what pleases our Lord
Ephesians 5:10
trying to learn what is well-pleasing to the Lord.
What pleases YHWH? What should you be doing with your time now with COVID to stay among us? I'm really good at saying, “I'm doing this for the Lord” and making it sound good, and I can even make arguments for it and probably even talk myself into it, but at the end of the day, I'm going to have to repent of it. Where is He in my motives? What are my real motivations? is this what He is pleased with? You've heard the expression: one short life will soon be passed, only what's done for Christ will last. Your ambition and your desire is for His pleasure. So what about fear? do we live in fear? I'm afraid to die, and to see the face of Christ, because I will be judged by what I've done? No!
That's really what Peter is talking about: be sober, fix your mind. Be prepared and be ready. Be serious about being given a stewardship and responsibility. Does this mean that everyone must be in ministry? Should I be in the ministry? Do I have to be directly in the ministry? Should I be a missionary? why?
Northland taught that every student is already in the ministry! This makes sense: if you're saved, you're in the ministry. Now, your assignment may be different than mine. Your assignment might be to teach in a public school, or in a office as a businessman. Your assignment may be a janitor or a pastor, or both—boy, do I know that!! Every single believer is in the ministry, and what you do, you do for Christ. Your life is to fulfill YHWH's purpose. Surrender to “I will go wherever you, Lord want me to go, and I will do whatever you want me to do”. At Northland, I didn’t know what I was going to do with my degree once I was finished. I never thought there that, “I'm called to be a pastor” I finally reasoned with "I'm called to be YHWH's servant.” Only after that was I called to be pastor. I’m still called to be God's servant—that's it! I just serve Him and I go where He wants me to go. I went to Wisconsin 12 years ago and then I was an adopted Yooper. This is now my assignment — I don't know what my next assignment might be or when it will come. My life is not for Grace Baptist Church, but for Christ, and to serve Him in whatever capacity He has for me.
Transition:
So we anticipate the Revelation of Christ, we anticipate the Culmination of our Works. Third, we anticipate the Glorification of our body.
III. The Glorification of Our Body
III. The Glorification of Our Body
Now a lot of us should really be saying, “yes!!” Peter speaks about this in verse 13,
Therefore, when you have prepared your minds for action by being self-controlled, put your hope completely in the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
“the grace that will be brought to you”
What grace will comes to us? The same grace of 1 John 3:2
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that whenever he is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is.
“whenever He is revealed, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as he is”
What's going to happen to your body?
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, for star differs from star in glory. Thus also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruptibility. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
Then in verse 52, he says
in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For it is necessary for this perishable body to put on incorruptibility, and this mortal body to put on immortality. But whenever this perishable body puts on incorruptibility and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: “Death is swallowed up in victory.
Can you imagine that?
You go to the hospital, you see people sick and with diseases -- “the agony of humanity” it’s all around us, and in the older we get, the more we realize our mortality. One of the great things that we don’t look forward to enough is the day when we see Him, we will actually be like Him. Think about that! No pain, no tiredness, no blurred vision, no hearing loss — no getting old. The Lord will give us a perfect resurrected body.
What's that going to be like?
Well, we have a good picture of that when Jesus came back after He was resurrected, when He was with his disciples, He ate with them, He sat with and talked with them. He had a physical body! We will enjoy a perfectly fit, healthy body-- it's hard to imagine that right now. But it will last forever. I know that since none of us here, or listening, have died... yet, (least I don't think so), it's a bit of a mystery. We haven't passed through that part yet so we really don't want to die. We still struggle with faith believing. When you anticipate death realizing that not only do you see the face of Jesus, and receive rewards from Him, He is giving you a completely new body.
Transition:
There is one final part of this that is the realization of happened.
IV. The Realization of Heaven
IV. The Realization of Heaven
This not something I've studied a whole lot, but it is one of the most important things for us to contemplate. When Peter speaks about putting your hope completely in the Grace to be brought to you
Therefore, when you have prepared your minds for action by being self-controlled, put your hope completely in the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
He's referring back to the first couple verses of 1 Peter 1 and let me just pick up in verse 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, into an inheritance imperishable and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for you who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time,
What do you think about when you think of going to heaven? Too many cartoons portray heaven as being on top of some cloud strumming a harp. That's nothing like the real heaven! First, Heaven is a real place. It is is described throughout the whole Bible. As a church, we just finished exposing Revelation 21 and 22 I'd encourage you to read it if you have not. It's a real place. The Lord is going to establish a new earth. Picture a new San Francisco with no sin anywhere in the city. Everything is beautiful. There's going to be a capital city of the new world, the new Jerusalem. In the middle of all of this, a civilization with a mix of culture and with work to do. Work? yes! There was work in the garden of Eden--YHWH told Adam to take care of Eden. So Heaven on Earth is not going to be us sitting around doing nothing. Most of all, we will be worshipping Christ--we will praise Him with all that we are.
We will recognize one another because when we look at the mount of transfiguration event, we see Elijah, we see Moses, people recognize one another. We will be in heaven with perfect bodies. The Lord describes us in John 14 “In my Father's house are many…” what's the word? Okay how do you have a mansion inside a house? How about many mansions? In other words, it is a dwelling place and I have it—community with all other believers. We'll know each other, and we'll love each other, and we'll carry on relationships.
He says that you will be joint heirs with Me, and we will reign with Him. Scriptures indicates responsibilities that we have in heaven. Now I already know what I want to do. No people problems or broken relationships equals no counseling! That’s great! We're not going to have hospitals or psychiatric wards for the counselors to go after work—none of that kind of stuff. So I want to take care of all of the Lord’s cats and dogs. To take care of, to take responsibility, to work is not a bad thing. The curse was work becoming laborious -- by the sweat of your brow. You were created to enjoy what you do. When you enjoy the responsibility, there will be fulfilled purpose. Paul describes that it is so far beyond what we experience now. Christ is physically present, we're with Him. We're with all of our loved ones. I know the Bible says we're not given in marriage in Heaven. Being happily married, how can anything be better than that? that's a mystery and hard for me to process, but it's better than I can comprehend. How many people do you know that are in heaven right now? I can't wait to see them. We will recognize our friends. The enjoyment of our close fellowship & the responsibilities that we enjoy serving one another.
Now, why is this so significant for us?
So What?
So What?
We talked about being holy last week, we talked about the Holy Spirit, and reading the Bible, and the dynamics of the body working through the Christian life. I believe that the holy anticipation of seeing Him, and being in heaven affects us in a powerful way. And it should for you, no matter your age, to be thinking forward with that hope. So I'll leave you with 4 effects of having this expectation of the promise fulfilled. The expectation and the hope and the confidence of this promise give at least 4 effects:
1. First, it will fill your heart with hope and joy.
When you think about being in heaven with a glorified body at Jesus’ side, being with your friends, worshipping Christ, serving Him for the rest of your life here, then in the perfect state for eternity-- that gives you hope.
2. Second, it puts your trials in perspective.
When you think of cancer or heart attacks, or bankruptcy, any bad thing, then look at it in light of eternity. What is the power of that problem in light of my eternity? We tend to focus on what’s happening today and what am I going to do, but in light of eternity we can keep our joy.
3. It helps you focus on what matters.
When you picture standing before the Lord with joy, what matters? There's a lot of stuff that we do that really doesn't matter for eternity. We need to give ourselves to those things that eternally matter.
4. Finally, when we have this holy anticipation toward the promise it produces an attractive life that leads the way for others.
When I am gladly looking forward to this promise of holiness fulfilled, I’m in unity even more to the things that really please YHWH. It will help others follow that same way. As time goes on, there more and more friends in heaven. They are there. And the longer we live, the more it feels like they are there. And I start to look at all the stuff around, my house, the car, it’s all deteriorating. All that is fading away. Jesus will create a new, eternal heaven and a new eternal earth. We’ll have a new eternal body with a new purpose in life. We ought to be more excited than any wedding, any vacation, anything that has ever happened in our life. And we're live every single day with that hope.
So What?
So What?
In Conclusion:
So when you hear this command to be holy, think about these things. Rejoice in this position, work through the process, and anticipate the promise fulfilled. That's how we should live. Peter, in his whole letter, was trying to give people encouragement during their trials and difficult times. This is how he did it: look forward! You’ll see the face of Christ. You'll be with Him forever! We will be together for eternity. That's why we can walk through this difficult life different and separated with joy and peace that the world is amazed at.