Living A Life Of Holiness Series

Intro Illustration: David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, discusses some disheartening research concerning the failure of Christians in our day to remain distinct: "In virtually every study we conduct, representing thousands of interviews every year, born again Christians (talking about people who say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that they say is important and that they believe they will go to heaven at death because they have confessed their sin and accepted Christ as Savior, much more than people who just claim to be Christians) fail to display much attitudinal or behavior evidence of transformed lives. For instance, based on a study released in 2007, we found that most of the lifestyle activities of born again Christians were statistically equivalent to those of non born again people. When asked to identify their activities over the last 30 days, born again believers were just as likely to visit a pornographic website, to take something that did not belong to them, to consult a medium or psychic, to physically fight or abuse someone, to have consumed enough alcohol to be considered legally drunk, to have used an illegal nonprescription drug, to have said something to someone that was not true, to have gotten back at someone for something he or she did, and to have said mean things behind another person's back." (Davon Huss Pleasant Ridge Church of Christ)

Sermon Text: 1 Peter 1:17-21 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

NKJV

1. Our Life Judged

1 Peter 1:17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; NKJV

a. "Our Calling Upon The Father"- God favors no one. When he sees as individuals and we stand before God on our own life. God has judged each and every person and found us guilty of disobedience in our life. In John 9 there was a man who was blind from birth. His disciples asked Jesus if this man was being punished because of his sins committed by his parents, Jesus response to this question was that neither him or his parents had sin. We do not face judgment because of others but we stand before God and He see us we are. The Book of Revelation speaks of the "Great White Throne of Judgment" and that all will stand before God to be judge,(Rev.20:11). Christians will stand before the judgment seat of Christ (2Cor 5:10) Peter writing to us as a Christian when we call on God that He Judges us without any bias or partiality. That God judges individually as we are, how we live and represent His Son. Our lives should be and are a reflection of Jesus in the world. When people see us they should see Jesus in the way we live. 1 Peter 1:15-16 ":... you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." NKJV. God wants to live lives according to His word. In 1965 I enlisted in the U.S. Army, as part of that enlistment I was required to agree to live by the Uniform Code Of Military Justice (USMJ). My daily living was directed by the USMJ. As a Christian Soldier there is a book that should direct a Christians live, it's called the Bible.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. NKJV

2 Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. NKJV

b. Our Judgment of The Father-Peter states that we will be judged by our Heavenly Father who judges us "without partiality". The word used in the Greek (ap-ros-o-pol-ape'-tos) implies that the judgment God uses is not due to the respect to the person.

Gal 2:6 ".........God shows personal favoritism to no man ........." NKJV

c. Our Conduct- Our conduct is not to be perfect for we are unable to live a sinless life but, we should strive to please our Father in Heaven. Abraham was untruthful, Jacob was a deceiver, Moses was a murder, David was an adulterer, murder and a deceiver yet all of these found favor in the eyes of God because of their faith.