Unleashing Your Spiritual Vitality-3(2015) Series

UNLEASHING YOUR SPIRITUAL VITALITY/Vigor-III—1Peter 1:13-21

Vitality Born of Privilege

Attention:

Vitality is tied to freedom...Freedom to move as you please....To live life to the fullest thru God’s blessing...To live for Him with Exuberance, Excitement, with Anticipation...To be Energetic & Lively in your service to Him.

Need:

Due to the preciousness of the extreme privilege which we have before us—in having lived in & after the time when the gospel of salvation in Christ by faith has been plainly revealed—we are thus to display a particular manner of vitality in action.

This is displayed in a personal attention to one’s mindset(:13) as well as attention to other commitments(:14-21).

Peter steered the Christians of Asia into the vitality born of their privilege in Christ.

The vitality born of the privilege in Christ possesses a certain character.

What Releases the vitality born by extreme privilege in Christ?

Previously we have found that...To unleash the privilege of spiritual vitality in Christ, We must commit to....

1. PREPARE THE MIND(:13a)

2. PROTECT/SENSITIZE THE MIND(:13b)

3. SECURE THE MIND(:13c)

4. The PATTERN(:14-16)

5. The CONFESSION(:17)

6—To unleash the privilege of spiritual vitality, Commit to

The REDEMPTION(:18-19)

Explanation:(:18-19)

:18—“knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,”

“Knowing”—“Reverential awe before God”...“is not based simply on”...“recognition of judgment, but on deep gratitude & wonder at what God has done for” us.—NICNT

Redemption—Something is exchanged/traded for what was once yours.

Redemption of ancestral property is a powerful theme of the Mosaic-Jewish law. Every 50 yrs. the Jubilee ensured that property was temporarily transferred back to its original family with them having the right of ownership. It’s selling may have been due to it’s owner’s having fallen into poverty &/or due to being forced, thru such circumstances, into giving themselves up to slavery.

Ruth—Right of redemption upon Boaz to redeem the property as well as the name of Mahlon/Chilion.

Christians who “conduct yourselves...in fear”(:17) appropriate to themselves the fact that they “were not redeemed with perishable things.” This redemption was a redemption from a personally held “futile way of life”. This futile life was a naturally/fleshly inherited life from one’s forefathers, & as such are readily taught with fervor.

We consider “gold” & “silver” to be more-or-less permanent, as well as their relative worth in comparison to other things. However in God’s scheme of things(‘actual reality’/truth) these are “perishable.” That is, they have no value for permanently “redeeming” human souls.

Usually considered untarnishable—They do not lose value—That’s what makes them precious!—But in God’s economy, they are destined for passing away.

“Redeemed”—lutrow—1)To release on receipt of ransom; 2)To redeem, liberate by payment of ransom. Strong—To ransom(literally or figuratively). Used 3X.

“Corruptible/Perishable”—fyartov—Adj.—Corruptible, perishing. Strong—from fyeirw[To shrivel or wither, i.e. to spoil or to ruin, to deprave)]; Decayed, i.e. by implication--Perishable. Used 6X.

“Aimless/Futile”—mataiov—Adj.—1)Devoid of force, truth, success, result; 2)Useless, of no purpose. Strong—Empty, i.e. literally--Profitless, or specifically--An idol. Used 6X.

“Conduct/Way of life”(See :17— anastrefw)—anastrofh—Manner of life, conduct, behavior, deportment. Used 13X.

From—ana—a primary preposition & adverb; properly--Up; but (by extension)used distributively--Severally, or locally--At (etc.)—&—strefw—To twist, i.e. Turn quite around or reverse(literally or figuratively).

“Inherited”—patroparadotov—Lit.=‘Father-delivered.’ 1)Handed down from one's father's or ancestors. Strong—from pathr[A father] & a derivative of paradidwmi[To surrender/yield up/intrust/transmit](in the sense of handing over or down); traditionary Used 1X.

:19—“but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished & spotless, the blood of Christ.”

This pictures the Passover lamb(Ex. 12:1-13, 21-23), which paid the ultimate price of death for the sake of those who would trust God.

The Christian who lives reverently before God continually recalls & lives in the power of Christ’s “precious blood” which has redeemed him. This “precious blood” is so precious because it is as if it were the sacrificial blood of an “unblemished & spotless” lamb, in which Christ’s supreme sacrifice is pictured.

Jn. 1:29—[John the Baptist’s cry]—“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, & said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

“Precious”—timiov— As of great price, precious; Held in honor, esteemed, especially dear.

“Unblemished”—amwmov—Without blemish—As a sacrifice without spot or blemish; Morally: without blemish, faultless, unblameable. Faultless, without blemish, free from imperfections. It refers especially to character.

“Spotless”—aspilov—Spotless; Metaph.—Free from censure, irreproachable—Free from vice, unsullied.

Argumentation:

Ex. 13:11-13; 34:19-20—“And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you & your fathers, & gives it to you, that you shall set apart to the LORD all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the LORD’S. But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; & if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.”.....“All that open the womb are Mine, & every male firstborn among your livestock, whether ox or sheep. But the firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb. And if you will not redeem him, then you shall break his neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed.”