Why Live A Godly Life? - July 27, 2014

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SERMON:

“The number one cause of atheism is Christians. Those who proclaim Him with their mouths and deny Him with their actions is what an unbelieving world finds unbelievable.” –Karl Rahner

How does that quote strike you? As Christians ourselves we might get a bit defensive about such a bold statement as this. The number one cause of atheism is Christians? Surely the godless teaching in our secular colleges and universities plays a role in making atheists, right? What about the inherent sinful nature in every human being that ever seeks to deny God’s existence and authority? Surely that plays a role in making atheists too.  Wouldn’t those things be candidates for the number one cause of atheism in the world today?

Whatever your feelings about Mr. Rahner’s statement, he has a point. And the point is this, the life of a Christian says something to the world.

2 Corinthians 5:15 says,

“He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:15 NKJV).

The number one reason why the Son of God became human and died on the cross was to win forgiveness for sinners. Full forgiveness. Complete forgiveness for every sin we’ve ever committed, and every sin we will ever commit. The Bible calls this GRACE. God’s free gift of release from sin’s eternal consequences.

And this grace is so all-encompassing, EVERY SIN, that sometimes people stop right there. We forget that the second reason the Son of God died on the cross for us, was so that we should live no longer for ourselves, but for Him who died for us and rose again.

The Christian life begins with faith in Christ. Faith that he really did wipe every one of our sins off the board with his divine sacrifice given in our place on the cross. And the Christian life continues from there. We aren’t raptured away the moment we come to believe in Christ. And why? Because God has work for his redeemed people to do on this broken world. And that work is a life lived in joyful service to our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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Today we continue our study of Peter’s first letter. As we’ve already stated, the apostle Peter wrote this letter to Christians living in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) in the first century AD. Peter had heard that these Christians were being persecuted for their faith, and Peter wanted to encourage them in the faith.

Again, these Christians weren’t being persecuted because of their political views, or for their ethnic heritage. They were being persecuted for their trust in Jesus as the God-Man, and Savior of the world.

It would have been easy for them to just tuck Jesus away in their back pocket. Avoid the persecution by lying low. Not speaking about Christ. Not living Christ’s way. Perhaps they were tempted to just live like they always had lived, while holding their faith in Christ in the back of their minds.

In our reading for today, Peter calls his fellow Christians to beware the temptation of hollow, words-only-Christianity. For a life of sin is poison to the Christian faith. The sin in our lives wages war against our souls. Unless we reject the sins that pop up in our lives on an ongoing basis, and come to Christ for cleansing, our faith will wane, and wither, and die.

Peter calls his fellow Christians to cherish the light of Christ’s forgiveness, and to walk in this light with godly actions.

Why should I live a godly life? First of all, because God is good.

1 Peter 2:1-3 (NASB)

¹Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, ²like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, ³if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

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You remember the Ten Commandments right? Maybe you memorized them in Catechism class years ago. Or recently. But do you remember what God told the Israelite right before he gave them those rules for living? He said,

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (Exodus 2:2 NKJV).

The nation of Israel had just got done suffering 400 years of slavery in Egypt. God heard their cries to him and delivered them out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses. He reminds them of this fact right before giving them the Ten Commandments because he wants them to understand that these aren’t just rules for the sake of rules. These commandments were meant to bring blessing into the lives of the Israelites when they kept them.

Peter says, hey guys, you know that God is good right? You’ve tasted his goodness. He gave you his own Son to suffer in your place! He’s forgiven your sins completely. You’ve got a future in heaven waiting for you now. So put aside all malice and deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. God’s leading you to do this so that you will be blessed through this change.

Instead of pursuing life as they had always lived it, in these sinful ways, the Christians of Asia Minor were to turn to the pure milk of God’s Word instead, so that they would “grow in respect to their salvation.”

As they rejected sinful ways and attitudes, and continued to trust in God’s promise of forgiveness in Christ, their grip on salvation would grow stronger. Their faith would mature.

Why live a godly life? Because God is good. And eternal blessings surround the path he leads a person down.

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And Peter continues.

Why live a godly life? Because Jesus is the chosen Cornerstone of God’s church.

1 Peter 2:4-8 (NASB)

⁴And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, ⁵you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶For this is contained in Scripture:

“Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone,

And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

⁷This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,

“The stone which the builders rejected,

This became the very corner stone,”

⁸ and,

“A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”;

for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.

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If you’ve ever seen a stone archway you might have noticed that it had a unique stone at the top. Where the two stone arches meet in the middle there is often “keystone” which is shaped differently than the rest. It’s special shape applies the proper pressure to each side, holding the weighty structure up.

In ancient masonry, cornerstones like this were critical. While the most important stone in the arch was the keystone, the most important stone in the building was the chief cornerstone. It was the stone that set the lines for the rest of the building, making sure everything was straight and in place. Solid and stable.

Now you can imagine what a mess the builders would be in if they haphazardly discarded the chief cornerstone. Since the rest of the building was designed around this stone, the whole building plan wouldn’t make any sense without it!

This is what happened to the Jews. God had chosen the nation of Israel for the special purpose of bringing his eternal Son into the human race. God’s Son would be born a Jew.

But when the Son of God arrived, and carried out God’s plan to redeem sinners from their sins, the Jews, for the most part, didn’t accept him as the Messiah. They rejected the one individual that the whole Old Testament existed to point to! They discarded the Chief Cornerstone of God’s building!

Without Christ, the faith of the Jewish nation fell apart. If Jesus isn’t the Savior, who is? All the prophecies pointed to him. Who else could take his place? What were they to do about their sins? God was very clear in the Old Testament that there was to be a judgment one day, and that the only escape from it for sinful mankind would be a Savior. If it wasn’t Jesus, how could they stand before God? Where was the relief from guilt and sin that God promised? Where were they to go from here?

The picture presented by Peter here is easy to imagine. Peter quotes the Old Testament prophet Isaiah calling Jesus a “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”—to the Jews.

It was as if they were building the temple in Jerusalem, but refused to use the Chief Cornerstone sent to them from the quarry. There it lay, pushed to the side. And as they ran back and forth trying to figure it all out, they’d stumble across this stone repeatedly. If you’ve ever slammed your toe into a rock you know how frustrating this would be.

Peter writes…

“for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed” (1 Peter 2:8b NASB).

Now, I want to take just a moment to clear up a little confusion in the text here. The translation that we’re using is the New American Standard Bible translation. And we’re using it for our study because it is usually one of the most trustworthy English translations around. But for some reason the translators made a regrettable addition to their translation in this verse. The Greek text simply doesn’t include the word “doom”. They italicized the word so that readers would know that it wasn’t found in the Greek here.

The problem with supplying the word “doom” here is that it could be understood to mean that God appointed the Jews to the doom of unbelief. But Scripture makes it clear that God doesn’t predestine anyone to hell. As it says in First Timothy 2:4, God desires all people to come to a knowledge of the truth and be saved through faith in Christ.

So, without the word “doom”, what is God saying here? Simply that those who are disobedient to the word, those who reject the promise of salvation in Christ, they’re doing to stumble. And we’re back to the picture of builders tripping over the most important stone in the building project.

Peter contrasts the confusion of the Messiah rejecting Jews with the solid position of believers. Those in Asia Minor who were coming to Christ by faith were being taken by God as living stones, and placed on the Chief Cornerstone. The precious Cornerstone that God had chosen and sent to redeem mankind from sin.

And on this Cornerstone these redeemed sinners were being built up as a part of God’s own spiritual house. His own spiritual temple. The Church of God’s believers.

And Peter quotes from Isaiah 28:16, those who believe in Him will not be disappointed. On the foundation of God’s Chosen Savior, these believers would be able to offer acceptable sacrifices to God. Offerings of thanks and praise that were acceptable to God because those offerings are covered by Christ’s perfect offering of himself on the cross.

Why live a godly life? Because Jesus is the Chosen Cornerstone of God. And on him we are secure. On him we are made new.

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Peter now moves away from the picture of stumbling apart from Christ.

1 Peter 2:9-12 (NASB)

⁹But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. ¹²Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

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Maybe we’ve gotten a little lost at this point. Remember, Peter is addressing Christians in Asian Minor who were suffering persecution because of their faith in Christ. People who were tempted to pocket their Christianity and live like everyone else to avoid conflict and strife from the unbelieving world.

To that idea Peter says, Why live a godly life? Because you’ve received mercy from God.

Many of the believers in Asia Minor had grown up in pagan cities. Cities where pagan temple priests resided over their followers, telling them that the only way to God was through THEM. Bring your sacrifices here, and let the priests offer them for you.

But Christ had come to them through the Gospel message of sins forgiven through his cross. Christ had spoken to them and told them the truth: there is only ONE priest who can stand before the almighty. The very Son of God. And he has offered the ONE sacrifice that God would accept for mankind’s freedom and cleansing—his own sinless suffering and death. And NOW they were HIS priests. Called out of the darkness of pagan unbelief and worthless sacrifices to offer their lives as a living thank offering to the God who had redeemed them.

They had received God’s mercy. His free grace in Christ. They could stand before God without a human priest, for their High Priest had cleansed them forever.

And so Peter urges them to live as they truly were now. He urges them to live as aliens and strangers in this world of sin. He says don’t feed your sinful desires any longer, even if this means persecution from your neighbors. The sins that would gain you freedom from their ridicule would be poison to their faith.

Instead Peter says, put up with their persecution. And live your lives to God. Don’t worry about settling the score, returning the volley of gossip, or returning the insult. Repay evil with good instead. And one day, your persevering in Christ’s faith may cause your neighbors to see the light. And they may feel the forgiveness and renewal that comes through faith in God’s chosen Messiah. Even your persecutors may turn to Christ before the day he returns to judge the world.

Why live a godly life? Because you’ve receive mercy from God, and through you they may receive the same gift from God.

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“The number one cause of atheism is Christians. Those who proclaim Him with their mouths and deny Him with their actions is what an unbelieving world finds unbelievable.” –Karl Rahner

Christians, however that quote strikes us, we have to admit that Christ calls us to both proclaim his grace with our mouths, and also by how we live our lives.

But before we close today I want to make one thing very clear. Living a godly life doesn’t mean we Christians are going to be perfect. When Martin Luther wrote his ninety-five theses the first one was this…

“When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent'' (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance” (Martin Luther).

For sinners redeemed by Christ, a godly life isn’t one that is devoid of sin, as if that could ever happen. It is a life of repentance. A life of continually putting aside the malice, the deceit, the hypocrisy, then envy, and the slander that flow from our sinner’s hearts.

Christians are sinners. Every day we live is filled with sins. But instead of embracing these sins, we reject them in sorrow, and bring them to our great God and Savior for cleansing. And we receive that cleaning because of Christ’s cross.

That’s the life that Peter called his poor persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ to embrace. That’s the life that Christ calls us to embrace today also.

Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts, and your minds, in Christ Jesus.

The Temporary and The Eternal - July 20, 2014

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SERMON:

Pain has a way of stretching out time. Perhaps you’ve experienced a night lengthened by pain. A night in which your mind wrestled with some problem, and refused to let your body sink into slumber. Or maybe it was a night lengthened by bodily pain. Perhaps it was the pain of contractions, a sore back, or a persistent fever that kept waking you through the night. And each time you looked you found that only minutes had passed since the last time you glanced at the clock.

Pain has a way of stretching out time and making it feel like nothing is ever going to get better.

Today we continue our study of Peter’s first letter. As we’ve mentioned previously, the apostle Peter wrote this letter to encourage Christians who were facing persecution.

Perhaps the Christians Peter wrote to were experiencing the time stretching and perspective shrinking power of pain. In our reading Peter enlarges their perspective to show them the greater picture. Peter wanted them to see that some things are temporary, and others eternal.

1 Peter 1:18b-25 (NASB)

¹⁸…you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. ²⁰For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you ²¹who 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.

²²Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, ²³for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

²⁴For,

“All flesh is like grass,

And all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

And the flower falls off,

²⁵But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word which was preached to you.

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Peter never says, “I’m writing this letter because you guys are being persecuted.” We gather that this was the case because Peter mentions persecution so many times.

For example, in chapter 4 Peter writes…

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:12-13 NIV).

In other places Peter encourages his fellow Christians not to repay evil with evil, and to refrain from threatening those who were persecuting them. Instead Peter encourages them to rejoice that they have been given the opportunity to suffer for the name of Christ, who saved them.

In our verses for today, Peter directs his fellow Christians to back up and get some perspective. This time of trial is temporary, but the salvation of God is eternal. And by eternal, I don’t just mean un-ending. God’s plan of salvation is eternal in both directions! Before the foundation of the world, God the Father had chosen his Son to be the Savior of sinners.

Peter directs his fellow Christians to think about how far back God was preparing good things for them. All the way back in eternity. And now the Savior had come, and they had heard about how he died in their place, for their sins. They had come to trust in him for forgiveness. They had come to know the God who created them, and that he was a God of love and compassion. A God who really cared about them and was preparing a future for them greater than any they could possibly imagine.

The persecutions they were facing because of their faith would end one day, but their relationship with God would not. Man’s persecution is temporary, but God’s salvation in Christ is eternal.

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Now, I don’t think that human beings have ever really enjoyed waiting for things. But it seems that today the human race is less patient than ever. We want everything NOW. On demand. Right here, right now, on my phone, downloaded to my computer, delivered to my door.

But God doesn’t work that way. He doesn’t order his agenda according to our desires. He orders his agenda according to his divine wisdom. He knows what we need now. And sometimes what we need is to simply WAIT for his plan to unfold. In Psalm 27 it says…

“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14 ESV).

Waiting for the Lord is an exercise in faith. When we wait prayerfully and patiently on the Lord we are saying, “Okay God, you’ve got this covered. I know your promises. I’ll hang tight here and depend on you.”

And when we do this, remarkable things happen. Like it says in Isaiah 40…

“…they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31 ESV).

Which is better? To try and walk to your destination, or to wait for the plane to take you there? It’s not hard to figure out why waiting on the Lord is a better plan.

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From Peter’s letter, we learn that Christians in Asia Minor were enduring all sorts of different trials. And some of these trials included accusations and ridicule from non-Christians.

In chapter 2, Peter writes…

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12 NIV).

Their pagan neighbors thought it bizarre that these Christians wouldn’t do all the same things that they used to. And this led to ridicule. In chapter 4, Peter writes…

“They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you” (1 Peter 4:4 NIV).

It’s been said “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But anyone who has ever been the butt of a joke knows different. The things people say about us can hurt a lot. Perhaps unending ridicule was taking it’s toll on the faith of the Christians in Asia Minor. So, Peter reminds them that the words of man are temporary, but the Word of God is eternal. In verse 23 Peter writes…

“…you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

²⁴For,

“All flesh is like grass,

And all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

And the flower falls off,

²⁵But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word which was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:23-25 NASB).

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Insult and ridicule from people who don’t trust in Jesus can hurt. But those words only have so much power. And that power will not last.

But the Word of God is different. When God spoke in the beginning he said, “Let there be light” and there was light. And as you can see, that light is still around today. When God speaks his promises to us in the pages of Scripture, his voice bears the same creative power that it did in the beginning. The fact that God’s own Son suffered and died to erase our sins forever, that message has the power to create faith in the hearts of sinners. And because that faith is based on God’s Word and not on man’s word, that faith has he power to endure forever.

Man falls apart. Man’s ideas get updated. But God? He’s eternal. And God’s Word, that which has endured through the centuries by the power of the Holy Spirit, that Word of promise will endure into eternity. And Peter tells his suffering friends in Christ, “…this is the word with was preached to you”! The words of man are temporary, but the Word of God is eternal.

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I don’t know what kind of discouraging words have been directed your way lately. Words that suggest that God isn’t real. Words that suggest that the Bible can’t be trusted. Words meant to make you doubt God’s love. I don’t know what you’ve been facing recently. But what I do know is that in the end we will stand before God, and the truth will be known. Cling to the God who made you. Cling to the God who authored your salvation. Cling to the God who promises you forgiveness of sins and life eternal as his gift to you. His promises have never failed, and they never will. As the Bible says,

“Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35 ESV).

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Okay, so far we’ve been reminded that persecution is temporary, salvation is eternal. We’ve been reminded that man’s word is temporary, God’s Word is powerful and eternal. Peter’s final words for us today draw a distinction between man’s love and God’s love. Man’s idea of love is temporary, but true love, God’s love, is eternal. Look finally at verse 22. There Peter writes….

“²²Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,” (1 Peter 1:22 NASB).

First of all, we have to understand that phrase, “obedience to the truth.” It’s not too hard to comprehend. If you DO A COMMAND, that’s called OBEDIENCE. If you OBEY A TRUTH that’s called FAITH. Do you get it? Peter is basically saying, “You have believed Christ’s promise of forgiveness, and so your souls stand purified in Christ.” And one of the effects of your faith in Christ is love for your fellow Christians.

Now, Jesus also directs us to love our enemies, to love everyone like God loves them. But that’s not what Peter is talking about here. Peter is directing these words to Christians who were undergoing persecution for their faith. So he directs them to ramp up their love and support of one another. FERVENTLY love one another from the heart, Peter says. And in this way you will carry one another through the trials you are enduring.

Man’s idea of love is often tainted by selfishness. The world describes romantic love as a strong desire to have someone for yourself. The world’s idea of love is frequently all about ME getting what I want. But God’s love is different. The love that God teaches is all about ME putting myself in the backseat for someone else. God describes love as a desire to improve the condition of someone else.

The apostle John put it like this…

“¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16 NIV).

Self gratification is temporary. Man’s idea of love is temporary. But God’s definition of love is lasting, and powerful. God’s idea of love has eternity in mind, not just the here and now. This is the love Peter encourages us to have for one another. A love that supports and nurtures the faith of our fellow Christians.

The Bible says “God is love” (1 John 4:8 ESV). And so I’ve got to bring us back to that concept that Peter brings up here. The concept that through faith in Christ, Christians are BORN AGAIN. We are born into God’s family, and through the power of the Holy Spirit we begin to take on the family resemblance. We begin to love one another fervently, from the heart.

When we do this we create a little shelter in the storm of this world for our fellow Christians. A little shelter where the storm can be weathered. A little shelter where we can both look to God in faith, and rest secure in his promises—not matter what trials are weighing on us.

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Pain has a way of stretching out time. Making us dread each second. But the pain of this world, pain of mind, heart, or body, that’s all temporary. God has mapped out our path, and it takes us to his side. Jesus Christ has pioneered the way by his selfless cross which erases the record of our sins. And God has placed us together here, with Christians who know God’s eternal Word, and God’s everlasting love in Christ. May our great God teach us how to love one another fervently, from the heart, that out time here may not only be bearable, but full of support, and joyful worship, as we wait for our Savior’s return, and the end of all trials.

Dear Christians, cling to the Spirit’s words: the here and now is temporary. The promises of God, those are eternal.

Amen.

Sober Christians - July 13, 2014

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SERMON:

Good morning. Last Sunday our sermon text was the beginning verses of First Peter. For the remainder of the summer we’re going to camp out in First Peter and see what the apostle has to say.

If you’d like to follow along in your own Bible, First Peter is near the end. It goes Hebrews, James, Peter, John, Jude, Revelation. If you want to follow along in the bulletin that’s fine too. But I encourage you to pick up your own Bible during the next few weeks and familiarize yourself with First Peter. Write down questions, highlight important verses. Do whatever you do when you sit down to for some quiet time with the Lord.

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As the name implies, PETER is the person who wrote this letter. This is the same Peter who was one of the twelve apostles. He traveled with Jesus. He walked on the water, until his doubt caused him to sink. This is the same Peter who denied knowing Jesus three times, but was forgiven and restored. This is the same Peter who ran to the empty tomb on Easter morning. The same Peter who saw Jesus appear in the upper room, with nail-holes still fresh in his hands. The Peter who saw THESE things, is the same one who put this letter down on paper.

Some of the letters in the New Testament are written to one specific church. But not this letter. Peter wrote this letter to a group of churches. Churches that were scattered throughout Asia Minor in the first century AD. These churches were scattered throughout lands that are now located in modern-day Turkey.

Peter wrote this letter because he had heard that the Christians in these lands were facing persecution. Peter wanted to encourage his fellow Christians to keep clinging to Christ, no matter what kind of trials they might be facing.

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Peter knew what happened on the cross. He had seen the empty tomb. The Son of God had suffered and died for the sins of the world. And that included the Christians suffering in the east. When Christ returned to gather his people into their final home, then all their pain and heartache would be drown in triumph and joy. Peter wanted to remind his suffering brothers and sisters of this fact.

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And this is what he does in chapter one! Peter begins his letter by calling on his brothers and sisters in Christ to rejoice because in Christ they are God’s people. But in today’s verses we’ll see a shift in Peter’s tone. He shifts from the idea of “Rejoice! My fellow Christians!” to the idea of “Let’s sober up here Christians, and take the work of God seriously.”

1 Peter 1:10-19 (NASB)

¹⁰ As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, ¹¹ seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.

¹³ Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, ¹⁵ but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; ¹⁶ because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

            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; 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.

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When I say that Peter’s tone changes from “rejoice!” to  “sober up”, I don’t mean that the congregations in the east were struggling with alcohol dependency. When Peter tells his fellow Christians to sober up, what he means is that he wants them to pause and take stock. He wants them to recognize that they are PART OF GOD’S PLAN. He wants them to see that they have  A PART TO PLAY IN GOD’S PLAN for others. And as Peter sees it, this fact should have A SOBERING EFFECT on Christians.

In this sense “sobering up” means being balanced, not excessive. “Sobering up” means not going too far, as people do when they’re drunk.

I had a friend who once told me that he liked to get drunk with his buddies because people do things they wouldn’t normally do when they’re drunk. They go too far. They say stupid things and do things that are funny to watch.

Here Peter calls on his fellow Christians to have a different attitude. An attitude that seeks balance and godly behavior, not excessive behavior and doing whatever feels good at the moment. 

Sobering up doesn’t mean Christians can’t tell jokes, or go to parties, or have fun. But it does mean that everything has a time and a place. It does mean that there are certain jokes a Christian shouldn’t tell. Parties he won’t go to. Behaviors he will not accept or condone. There are limits that define proper behavior. And for the Christ follower God’s Word determines what these limits are.

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But let’s back up here for a moment. Before he starts talking about sobering up, Peter reminds his fellow Christians that they are PART OF GOD’S PLAN.

Look at verses 10-12 again. There Peter basically says, “Remember the Old Testament prophets? They wrote about the Savior that God promised to send. And then they studied their own writings to discover what kind of person this Savior would be, and when he would be born. They poured over the prophesies about his suffering, and the prophesies about his subsequent glory. And what they discovered was that they were writing these things down for people who would come later. What the ancient prophets discovered was that THEY WERE WRITING FOR YOU!”

Peter says to the Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor: God was thinking about YOU when he caused the ancient prophets to foretell the Savior’s coming. And not only that, God commissioned people to bring this message right to your doorstep! And not only that, God the Holy Spirit went with his representatives, TO YOU.

And just in case his readers weren’t understanding how amazing this is, Peter adds that ANGELS LONG TO LOOK INTO THESE THINGS. God’s holy angels want to know all about how God is reaching out to sinners and claiming them .  

And the same thing has happened here. To us. Jesus is our Savior too. And God has brought us to know and believe that fact. We too are part of God’s plan.

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And then comes the “therefore.” This amazing work of God that spans the centuries and touches the lives of people like you and me has a “therefore” attached to it. This “therefore” tells us how to respond to God’s salvation. Look at verse 13 again. Peter writes…

“¹³ Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, ¹⁵ but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; ¹⁶ because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:13-16 NASB).

We are part of God’s plan, and furthermore, WE HAVE A PART TO PLAY IN GOD’S plan as he reaches out to others.

This fact requires us to change our perspective on life. No longer are we simply people who live life to satisfy our own desires. What a childish thought. Now we are people who live to God, to accomplish what he wills.

So Peter calls us to prepare our minds for action. If and athlete is going to perform well in an important game, preparation is key. If a business person is going to succeed in that crucial meeting, he needs to do his homework before the boardroom doors close.

As Christians we need to prepare too. We need to prepare. We need to ready ourselves to be God’s representatives in this world. What if today God were to plop down an unexpected blessing in our lives? Maybe a new job? An inheritance? A person to care for? An opportunity to speak out about Christ’s cross? What will we say? How will we react? We need to be ready for that by constantly communicating with God in prayer. We need to be ready for that by immersing ourselves in God’s Word, at home and together here in Bible Class and Worship.

What if tomorrow brings a challenge? An unexpected death in the family. A friend who reveals an addiction they’re struggling with. A tragedy that impacts our whole community? What will we say? How will we react? Will we react like everyone else, or will we react in a way that draws attention to God, and gives him the glory?

The most crucial part of preparing ourselves for tomorrow is keeping our eyes focused on Christ’s return. When Jesus returns he will be openly revealed to the world. The dead will be raised. The judgment will happen. And every knee will bow to Christ, whether they have loved him in life, or hated him.

Our Savior is coming to bring us final salvation. This is our sure hope. And Peter wants us to keep this before our eyes at all times. We have a future. We have a place in God’s family, because of Jesus.

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Peter not only speaks about what to do in order to be ready for tomorrow, he also talks about what we shouldn’t do. We shouldn’t just continue on like we have in the past.

The congregations Peter was writing to were made up of both Jewish born Christians, and Gentile born Christians. These Gentiles had grown up in cultures which glorified all sorts of wicked behaviors and worshipped every manner of false gods. It’s the same for us today.

Peter says, don’t be the same as you were before Christ. Be changed. Be renewed. Reject the desires you used to follow after. Shed your old ways when they don’t match up with God’s way.

Through the redemption that came through Christ’s cross, you and I have been called to a new life. We’ve been reborn into God’s family. And God wants us to take on the family resemblance. He wants us to grow in holiness, so that we look more like HIM than like the godless world around us.

But change is scary. And abandoning our old ways is hard. It takes time and effort. It takes brave Christians who will stand beside us and hold us accountable. It takes a heart that knows the forgiveness of Christ, and constantly returns to him for cleansing. Real change requires God power in our lives.

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There is great peace and joy in Christ. But there is also seriousness in Christ. Soberness to learn. Self-control and struggle.

And to help us in this struggle, Peter offers two simple teachings. One is a law teaching, meant to terrify our sinful nature and wrestle it into submission. The other is a Gospel teaching, meant to comfort us and strengthen our faith in Jesus. Look at verse 17 again. Peter writes…

“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;” (1 Peter 1:17 NASB).

This is the law teaching. The law tells us that judgment over our sins is coming. The law tells us that we are sinners who can expect anger from God because of our sins. The law calls us to be serious about our actions, because God is serious about them. The law calls us to live lives of reverent fear toward God. He is holy, and we are not. He is all powerful and just, and we are not.

Peter follows this sobering thought, with a sublimely comforting one.  In verse 18 Peter writes…

 ”…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” (1 Peter 1:17-18 NASB).

It took the suffering and death of God’s own son to save us from the punishment our sins deserved. That’s a serious price.

Because of Christ, our sins have been forgiven. And now our final judgment will be different. On the Last Day, God will look on those who love his Son as being holy, even though our lives are spattered and stained with shameful sins of every kind. God will see us as holy in the end because Christ’s perfection has been laid on us through faith in him. In the end, God’s judgment on the faithful will be “not guilty”—because of Jesus’ blood.

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Imagine it like this. The law brings us to the brink of a huge abyss. It shows us that there is no way for us to bridge the gap. And then the Gospel of Christ’s forgiveness holds us safely aloft. Giving us a sure footing on which to cross over to the other side.

The abyss of God’s wrath, is a serious thing to behold. A sobering thing. And the bridge Christ has provided is a serious thing also. A grand and glorious thing. And a thing that when viewed, changes us. The all-covering grace of Christ is why we can’t continue living like we have in the past. Our old ways are foreign to our new identity as his people.

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As we continue our sermon series through 1 Peter, I encourage you all to pick up that book in your own time. Get familiar with what the Holy Spirit had Peter write down. This message was written to Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor in the first century AD. But it was also written for us.

Prayer: Father in heaven, your prophets wrote for our learning, that we might know your Son by faith. Thank you for preparing a place for us in your great plan. Thank you also for giving us a purpose, and a role to play in your plan of salvation for others. Fill our hearts with joy over the redemption that we have through Christ’s precious blood. Help us to be thoughtful and ready to speak of your greatness to the people we come into contact with.  Help us to speak through both our actions, and our words. Give us a sober mind that meditates on your greatness, and a heart full of peace. Let us always dwell in the shadow of Christ’s Cross. Amen.