2: Worth the PRICE? (1 Peter 1:10-21)

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Have you ever purchased something that you were SURE was going to be worth the PRICE you paid, only to find out that you got gipped? I learned a long time ago that you get what you pay for when it comes to technology. When Tonya and I were first married I would upgrade my laptop every year or two because they just weren’t made very well.

I finally made the leap over to APPLE products, but it wasn’t easy because they cost so much more. I had to ask the question, “Is it Worth the Price?” Over time, I have come to appreciate that the quality of the device was worth the price.

There was a GREAT PRICE paid for you and me, and today we are going to consider whether our lives demonstrate that we appreciate the PRICE paid for us.

But before we do, let’s CATCH THE CONTEXT from last week when...

we kicked off this new series from 1 Peter...

an ancient text, written by one of the closest disciples of Jesus, pointing beleaguered believers to their heavenly HOPE in the middle of difficult days.

So, if you ARE struggling in the present, or WILL struggle in future, then listen up because we are about to hear some encouraging & challenging words from Peter, who writes to give Hope for Suffering Saints.

Last week we concluded and were challenged to test ourselves and see if these words are true of us.

1 Peter 1:8–9 (NIV)

Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

We asked this question: Do you LOVE Jesus? What evidence from your life would demonstrate that? If He returned today, do you think He would say that you really do love Him?

PRAY

Alright. Let’s dive in and consider whether our lives are WORTH THE PRICE.

1 Peter 1:10–11 (NIV)

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.

As a teenager, one of the things that blew me away was what the prophets wrote hundreds of years before the time of Jesus yet predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. Let’s look at one of them written 700 years before Jesus fulfills them.

Isaiah 53:10–11 (NIV)

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life an offering for sin, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand. After He has suffered, He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge my Righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.

Just consider all that’s in here (and go read the rest of the chapter).

This ONE will be punished by Yahweh. WHY? His life is an offering for sin.

The previous verses (8-9) say He would die with wicked people (criminals on left & right) and be buried in a rich man’s tomb (Joseph).

But that isn’t the end. After His suffering He would see the light of life. And sure enough, Jesus did just that - RAISING from the dead!

This Righteous Servant would justify many - making them right with God by trading their sins for His righteousness. Is this incredible or what?

And this is only a chunk of the entire chapter, and one of several other writings where the prophets predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. If you haven’t spent time looking at these prophecies, you SHOULD. Go read Isaiah 53 (700 BC) & Psalm 22 (1000 BC) this week.

While some of these prophecies could be applied within the lifetimes of these prophets, there are some prophecies that weren’t fully fulfilled until Jesus steps onto the planet. That’s why Peter continues with this:

1 Peter 1:12 (NIV)

It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Those who preached the gospel (i.e. good news of Jesus) in the 1st century often quoted from the past prophets to prove that Jesus was the Messiah. And those prophets weren’t applauded by people nor living in mansions. Instead, the prophets were often frowned upon by their own people - often persecuted for communicating God’s message to their ungodly culture.

They must have had moments when they wondered, “Is this really worth it? These people aren’t listening and I’m tired of being mistreated.”

But their message was not always meant just for THAT B.C. generation, but for THIS A.D. generation. When they spoke of the coming Messiah THEY didn’t always understand what it meant either.

But generations later, those who brought this good news of Jesus were empowered by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. And this gospel message - that the Creator would step out of heaven and step into skin to live in purity, to sacrifice Himself and suffer indignity, raise from the dead, & ascend into heaven - is something that angels long to look into. The angels of God are amazed by the story that played out before them. Think about it, if you were an angel - knowing the holiness of God, knowing the power of God, and knowing the love of God…wouldn’t you struggle as you saw.

The One you worshiped in heaven would be whipped on earth?

Your Creator and man’s Creator...being crucified by His creation?

And yet, to realize that this incredible sacrifice of Jesus would reconcile sinful mankind with their sinless Creator. Incredible! That’s what the angels think!

David Helm puts the weightiness of all this in perspective of how the 1st century audience of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia might have responded.

• Prophets labored their entire lives to present the true gospel...TO US.

• Preachers have traveled around the globe to ensure that it has gained a hearing…BEFORE US.

• Angels would like nothing better than to gaze into what God has done...FOR US.

“Surprise!” says Peter. “This is how much God cares for you.” I can almost hear the shouts of joy rolling across the rugged topography of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. This is amazing love. Ancient prophets, itinerant preachers, and exalted angels have for ages stood in service to this salvation that has come TO US! The fullness of your salvation has been the joyful business of God’s servants over the centuries.

[David R. Helm, 1 & 2 Peter and Jude: Sharing Christ’s Sufferings, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2008), 53.]

In light of this great grace, Simon Peter challenges believers to walk in the purity that Jesus died to provide.

1 Peter 1:13 (NIV)

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at His coming.

In other words, we should be living like He’s returning. And here’s the kicker - for those who are, we don’t sit and shake in fear over the return of Jesus. NO! We set our hope on the GRACE to be brought to us when Jesus comes back!

Again, let’s be reminded of who is writing - the apostle Peter - one of the men who WATCHED as Jesus ascended into the clouds and saw two angels who looked like men tell them these words:

Acts 1:11b (NIV)

This same Jesus, Who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”

And you know what!? Peter and the others actually started living like He was returning. They didn’t know WHEN, but they knew He WOULD. And that’s why Peter writes this:

1 Peter 1:13–16 (NIV)

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at His coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” [Lev 11:44, 45; 19:2; 20:7]

This word for “conform” is referring to being shaped or molded into a preset pattern. [Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 506.]

In case you haven’t noticed, our culture is attempting to mold us into people who explore & dabble with evil rather than expose & deny evil. But there is another influence at work…a powerful influence WITHIN us - the evil desires you had before you turned from them and turned to Jesus. We are no longer to walk in those things: lust, pride, gossip, anger, filthy talk, etc.

Instead, we are to commanded to be holy in all we do!

Sadly, there are many who claim the Name of Jesus who dilute this command and refuse to live pure. Those who do so JUSTIFY their sin rather than JETTISON their sin and kick it to the curb.

Consequently, these disobedient ‘Christians’ often refer to those who want to “be holy” as being ‘legalistic’. Sadly, it seems to me that many of us might be considered “cultural Christians” but not “Biblical Christians”. That is, we might be “Christians” by our culture’s standards, but we are NOT acting like Christians by Biblical standards.

I wonder what the apostle Peter might say to us if he could see how we embrace sin rather than push it away. He might say, “What part of ‘be holy in all you do’ don’t you get?”

We have asked this before, but let’s ask it again…of ourselves. If Jesus were returning at the end of this week, how would you live the rest of this week?

I’m just guessing, but I think that there might just be a major overhaul in what we watch, what we say, what we think, and what we do. Ya think?

We should be living like Jesus is returning and that means there should be some major, CLEAR differences between Christians and our culture.

1 Peter 1:17–19 (NIV)

Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect.

If we live like Jesus is returning, then we should live the rest of our days as foreigners…in reverent fear. That is

1) We recognize that this is not our home; we are foreigners whose inheritance and home is with Jesus.

2) We live in reverent fear - aware of God’s Presence and coming judgement.

But there’s another HUGE reason why we should live in purity and that is...

3) We live in purity because of…the price paid for us - which was much more expensive than any amount of money. For whatever reason, God considered us valuable enough that Jesus - who NEVER sinned - spilled His precious blood and gave up His life so that He could give us eternal life. He redeemed us - BOUGHT US - like slaves who were purchased in order to set them free!

This language about “a lamb without defect” would have reminded Hebrew people of the Passover lambs that had to be sacrificed without blemish or defect. The blood of these innocent, sacrificial substitutes would then be applied...

...to the doorposts so God’s angel of death would PASS OVER them while killing the 1st born of all the Egyptians who had enslaved the Hebrew people. So, the blood of the unblemished lambs mean they would 1) be kept them from God’s wrath & 2) be released from bondage to the Egyptians who had enslaved the them.

Over the years & generations, the death of thousands of sacrificial substitutes, innocent and unblemished, pointed to Jesus as the ONE all those innocent lambs represented.

And it was His death that redeemed you - that BOUGHT you and me!

you were redeemed...with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect.

So, here’s the question we need to ask today, ARE YOU WORTH THE PRICE?

I know none of us are deserving - that’s not what I’m asking. The question that has been echoing in my mind is this…Am I living like I appreciate the price that has been paid for me? What about YOU?

If we appreciate the price then it should be a PRIVILEGE rather than a PROBLEM to obey the ONE who died to redeem us.

1 Peter 1:20–21 (NIV)

He was chosen [foreknown] before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

Jesus was chosen or foreknown before the creation of the world.

This word translated “chosen” by the NIV and “foreknown” by CSB, ESV, NET is from the same word earlier in last week’s text referring to the “foreknowledge of God the Father” (1 Peter 1:2). The Greek term is something you might be familiar with - prognōsis (pro = before gnōsis = know).

The plan to redeem us was known from the very beginning - before the creation of the world - a plan that has now been fully revealed in these last times for your sake.

And we have been purified by our faith in God - trusting WHO He is and WHAT He HAS done, and what He WILL do. We trust that our sin debt has been paid in full! And we should LIVE like it - appreciating the incredible sacrifice made on our behalf.

BREAKING MY FALL

A story is told from the early 1900s about a building engineer on a three-story scaffold at a construction site who tripped and fell toward the ground in what likely would have killed him. But right below the scaffold, a laborer looked up just as the man fell, realized he was standing exactly where the engineer would land, braced himself rather than run, and absorbed the full impact of the other man’s fall. The impact slightly injured the engineer but severely hurt the laborer. The brutal collision fractured almost every bone in his body, and after he recovered from those injuries, he was severely disabled.

Years later, a reporter asked the former construction laborer how the engineer had treated him since the accident. The handicapped man told the reporter:

“He gave me half of all he owns, including a share of his business. He is constantly concerned about my needs and never lets me want for anything. Almost every day he gives me some token of thanks or remembrance.”

Are we going to follow the example of the grateful engineer in the story? OR…will we forget the Substitute Sacrifice - Jesus - who caught the full impact of our sinful weight and saved our eternal lives? (Isa. 53:5; cf. 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 1:3–4; 1 Peter 2:24).

For those who claim to follow Jesus - may we go live like we believe & appreciate that Jesus’ death was WORTH THE COST.

For those who don’t follow Jesus - maybe the reason you FEEL guilty at times is because…YOU ARE GUILTY. And you can’t do anything to alleviate the guilt you sense when the lights go down, the events of the day have ceased, and when you are by yourself. Don’t you see - YOU weren’t meant to carry that weight! Turn from your sin and turn to Jesus!

Do you have questions or need some help? Talk with us. Call us.

STAFF

DEACONS

PRAY

Discussion Questions

What challenged/encouraged you most from today’s teaching? Explain why that was most impactful to you.

Read all of Isaiah 53, 2 Cor. 5:21, Gal. 1:3–4, and 1 Peter 2:24. Then discuss the significance of what Jesus really did for us when He died on the cross.

How does our BEHAVIOR communicate what we BELIEVE? In other words, how does obeying/disobeying Jesus before He returns demonstrate that we believe He WILL return - or not

Name some ways that Christians believing Jesus will return should be different than our culture (e.g. language, attitude, etc).

Any other insights or questions that we need to discuss?

Share your prayer needs and lift each other up to our God Who listens!