1 Peter 1:17-25
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Show the picture of Burk Parsons.
I am willing to say pretty confidently that Many of you may not know this man on the Screen.
I am also willing to say that many of you probably know or have heard of these boys on the screen now.
Interestingly enough, the first picture I showed you was a picture of a man named Burk Parsons.
Anyone recognize that name?
Burk Parsons wrote an article not long ago entitled, A Divine Comedy. This is how he began the article-
Sadly, I must admit the unfortunate truth that I am a former member of a boy band. In January of 1993 I was chosen to be one of the first members of the pop group “The Backstreet Boys.” As a singer in the five-member group, I was trained to sing and dance, and I was professionally trained to be an entertainer in the world of show business. After several months of living the life of an up-and-coming pop-music star, one week before our first photo-shoot, I walked into the office of our manager and quit. I told him very simply that I was not called to be an entertainer, but that I believed God was calling me to be a minister.
Two years after my decision to quit the group, I was approached by the same manager and was asked to consider becoming the first member of a new pop group that was later named “‘NSYNC.” After considering his offer for nearly a week, I came to the same conclusion as before. The Lord had not called me out of the world in order to entertain the world. The Lord made it clear to me that I was to serve Him alone and that my life belonged to Him, not to the world.
Two of the most popular pop boy bands of the 90s approached this man with the opportunity of a lifetime. And He gave it up… Twice.
Why? Why would anyone do that? Why would anyone give up being rich and famous to do the work of the Lord.
In those moments leading up to the first photo shoot with the BSBoys, I believe Burk Parsons knew what he was called to do. I believe he knew that how he was to do it was clear as well, and it did not involve a boy band. A few years later, he had a second opportunity. But again I believe Burk Parsons knew what he was called to do. I believe he knew that how he was to do it, and It didn’t involve being the lead singer of NSYNC.
The question this morning isn’t what we are expected to do. The question isn’t how we are to do it. The question this morning I want to deal with is Why?
Why would anyone give up the pleasures and treasures of the world, for serving God and pursuing holiness.
We know what we are called to do. We know how we are to do it. Why should we though?
Last time we were in 1 Peter, we ended with verse 16, where Peter is telling these Christians who have been scattered, that they are to live holy lives.
In the middle of their misery even living as aliens in the world, they still have been called to be holy, because the God who called them is Holy.
And we discussed that holiness means set apart. Different and distinct from the world.
Now we talked about this- We have to be clear that we can never achieve perfection in this world. We are sinners by nature, and we will always be in a constant war with our flesh
But as we stated last time, holiness (Perfection in righteousness) is the standard to which we are held.
We are to reflect the character of God. So we are to live in light of God’s character.
That is what we are expected to do. But out of that comes at least two questions:
How are we to live holy lives?
We actually dealt with that question this past Wednesday Night: How are we to do this? How can we live holy lives?
Is there a book that tells us? Yes there is.
1 How blessed are those whose way is blameless, Who walk in the law of the Lord.
So to kind of summarize what we talked about and how we live holy lives, is that we first must know God’s Word.
If you don’t know God’s Word, You cant obey God’s Word.
I think this means studying God’s Word to find out what He says. We have to know the commands of the Lord in order to keep the commands of the Lord. I’m going to use the same illustration I used Wednesday. Sorry to those who were here.
(Illustration- First game of T-Ball)
As many of you know I am coaching Abi’s T-Ball team- At the beginning of the year- at our coaches meeting- I was given a rule book- that honestly, I didn’t read. So when I got to the first game, the other team took the field and all the little girls on the opposing teamhad on metal masks.
I went over to the other coach- I said, “Uh, We have to have those?” And She said, “yes.” “Come on now, you are making me look bad. I didn’t know that we had to wear those.” And She said, “Well, I’m just doing what the rule book says we have to do.”
Of course she was right. She had read the rules. She knew what had to be done. I’m left there as the coach, having led my whole team in the wrong direction.
You see the problem of not knowing the Law? When we don’t know the Law of the Lord, how can we obey it?
Its not that I hadn’t been given the rule book. It was that I had not read the rule book.
Now thats one thing when its Dixie Youth T-Ball. Its a completely different issue when its the Laws of God that we neglect to read.
I say that to say- Its not that we haven’t been given His Commands. Many times its that we haven’t read it.
In order for our ways to be blameless we have to know HIS way. His Law. And His expectations.
We must know and obey- That is how we live holy lives. We have to know what he says and do what he says.
Today, we are going to answer a new question: Why should we live Holy Lives?
In other words- What is our motivation for living holy lives?
I think in this passage, Peter is laying the ground work for these people to motivate them toward holiness
He gives them two primary motivations for living holy lives.
Before we get there- a question to consider is this- Who is God to you? Or even a better way to ask the same question- What is God’s relationship to you?
This question is super important- because regardless of your opinion- God is obviously God- He is the one who deserves worship and praise. He is the Creator and sustainer of all the earth. He is the Sovereign Lord who rules the world and holds it together with meticulous precision.
These are undeniable and these are things I believe everyone, without exception, knows in their hearts about God even from His creation.
19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
All people know something of God, but God’s relationship to believers is different that His relationship to unbelievers.
There is a difference in the way believers know God, and the way unbelievers know that there is a God.
Let me see if I can illustrate this-
You all know that I am a Father. But Abi and Evan Grace and the little girl on the way personally know or will know me to be their father. There is a difference there.
You all know that Lauren is a wife. But I know Lauren as my wife. And there is a difference there.
So too, there is a specific relationship that believers have with God.
Sure others know that this God exists. They experience common grace.
But we know Him to be our God and we experience his special saving grace through Christ.
We know Him to be our FATHER.
So with all that preface—Look in verse 17.
17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
If you address as Father.
In other words, if you claim to be a born again child of God.
If you have been adopted by God.
And if you are saved. If you are a believer, that is precisely what has happened to you.
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
So if you address as Father- means he is speaking to believers.
And he is saying, you address as Father the One who judges impartially.
You see God, knowing God as Father, we also know Him to be the judge of all men. He will judge all people.
Now admittedly, there is a difference in the judgment that believers will face and the judgment that unbelievers will face.
Christians- Those purchased by the blood of Jesus will not be “condemned” for their sin. Unbelievers will.
And the only reason this is true is because Jesus Christ was condemned in our place. He took our condemnation on Himself on the cross as he died as our sacrifice.
But this is not to say that believers will not stand before God and give an account for what they do. We should never as God’s children just assume upon his grace to the point where we would live in rebellion because we think God is obligated somehow as our Father.
Romans 6 makes this clear.
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
No, Forgiveness is always a gracious and merciful thing.
And we will stand before God and give an account for what we do.
10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.” 12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
He wrote that to believers.
So I want this to be clear, The fact that Christians have God as our Father does not lead Peter to assume that we can just live as we want.
It actually leads to the opposite.
Look at verse 17 again
17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
We are to live in reverent fear of the one that we will stand before one day.
We cannot live as the unbeliever who lives out his or her life fearing no judgment. Unbeliever’s lives are characterized by sin because they don’t fear God. We can’t live like that.
No we must live as those who know that judgement is definite. We must live our lives as those who know God will judge us.
We will stand before God and give an account.
Thankfully, as believers, we stand covered by the righteousness of Christ, but the point he is making here, is that should change the way we live.
Knowing that our place in heaven is secure should change everything about the way we live in this place which is so insecure.
But he continues to give us motivation for living holy lives as believers in the world.
Christ is our Savior.
Christ is our Savior.
The reality of God’s grace should be transformative.
The price He paid for us has to change us. This is what he does in the next verses.
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
He states “you weren’t purchased with perishable things like silver or gold.”
Now what’s interesting here is that he describes silver and gold as the perishable things.
When we think of perishable things, we think of fruit, milk, food, untreated wood, but what he does here is beautiful. He takes the most precious of metals the world knows(what we generally see as un-perishable) and compares them to rotten fruit left out on the table compared to the blood of Christ.
In other words, even the most precious things that this world has to offer does not compare to the price that was paid by Christ by His own blood.
Those things are rubbish compared to the blood of Christ to us.
And the reality is, silver and gold couldn’t buy our soul. Silver and gold could not buy our eternal adoption as Sons and Daughters of God.
No that price was much higher.
The price of the blood of God’s only begotten Son purchased us.
And don’t miss the language here. The Word Redeemed for us is a religious word.
But this is the language of slavery.
We were enslaved to sin. In bondage.
We were slaves and hostages.
And we are not able to free ourselves from that slavery.
We had to be bought or we remain enslaved destined for Hell to live eternally under the wrath of God.
When we understand this, the value of Christ’s blood becomes greater.
What you and I could not do. He did.
What you and I could not pay. He paid.
He has ransomed us. He has redeemed us.
In light of this fact the hymn writer is correct.
Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow
And the beautiful part is that this payment and this plan pre-existed you. If you are a believer, His love has been set on you from eternity past.
Look at verse 20-21
20 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these 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.
And now, the plan that God had purposed to do, before the foundation of the world has been carried out.
He has appeared in these last days-these last times FOR THE SAKE OF YOU.
I know many families who have adopted children in the US and overseas. And I believe one of the most beautiful pictures of the Gospel is adoption. I know families, a husband and a wife with children of their own, with no obligation to do so, sought out children from China. So they paid the price of adoption. They traveled from their home to China, for one specific purpose, to go and make this unwanted, in many cases a child enslaved to a culture where they would not hear the Gospel, a child who did not know them did not have any earthly reason to call them Mama or Daddy, and they brought them home and made them their children.
This is a beautiful picture of the Gospel. We were enslaved. And God in His grace sent His Son to purchase us back for Himself So that we could be His children.
He has appeared in these last times- for the sake of you.
Imagine being the child who for years, longs to have a family who loves them, but enslaved to their own situation. They been abandoned. And then a family shows up, not obligated at all to this person, and they show up and say, I want you.
The price of redemption has been paid. The purpose of redemption and adoption is being carried out, every time a sinner comes to a knowledge of their sin, and cries out to God for salvation.
Now look what we are. We were enslaved-
Now look what we are-
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.
We have been transformed from unbelievers to believers.
And our faith and our hope rest in the fact that God who sent His Son paid the price for our sin and raised that he may raise us up.
So again we have God as our Father.
We have Christ as our Savior.
That has to motivate our holiness.
We have been called to holiness.
We know how to be holy.
We know why we must be holy.
The question now is will we? When faced with the question of serving the Lord or serving the world. we will.
If we are genuine believers we will.
14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness,
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
If there is not a desire for holiness in your life. It may be time to question whether or not you are in Christ.
I truly believe those who know God as Father and Christ as Savior I believe they have the holy Spirit as sanctifier.
Show picture again.
Burk Parsons is the senior pastor of St Andrews Chapel in Sanford Florida.
He was trained and taught by the late great RC Sproul and now stands and preaches as his successor with Sproul having passed on.
I believe it is safe to say the Lord Knew best.
Why would anyone give all that up?
Because God is our Father. Christ is our Savior and that changes everything.