A Call To Holiness And Reverence

INTRODUCTION (SECURE ATTENTION) & BACKGROUND OF THE PASSAGE:

PRAY before starting the sermon.

I’m concerned about today’s youth.

Today’s youth have more avenues for temptation than any other generation in the past.

With the tap on a phone screen, the youth are exposed to all sorts of evil.

Many young people are spending their time and energy in sinful activities which displeases God.

Further, since many young people don’t see fear of God in their parents, the same attitude creeps into their lives as well.

That’s why we need to heed the call that apostle Peter is giving us today.

Would you take God’s Word and turn your Bibles with me to 1 PETER 1:14-19 (READ)?

I have entitled today’s sermon as: “A CALL TO HOLINESS AND REVERENCE."

This letter is written to "God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia" (1:1—all these places are in northern Asia Minor or modern Turkey).

The churches in these places comprised of Christians from both Jewish and Gentile backgrounds.

Their basic problem was to live for God in the midst of a society ignorant of the true God.

Therefore in verse 13 introduces three imperatives mentioned in vv. 14-17.

Verse 13 says that we need to set our hope on the grace that will be revealed at Christ’s second coming.

Then, he gives two more imperatives in the following verses; I want to talk about these two commands mentioned in verses 14-19.

THE EXEGETICAL IDEA: In this passage, Peter teaches that God’s children must live holy and reverential lives.

FALLEN CONDITION FOCUS: Already dealt with above.

THE PURPOSE BRIDGE: To motivate youth in EAGC to live holy and reverential lives.

PROPOSITION: God’s command to live holy and reverential lives is based on His calling and the infinite price with which we were bought.

I. GOD COMMANDS US TO LIVE HOLY LIVES.

Refer verses 14-16.

God’s command is loud and clear.

We ought to live holy lives.

We are commanded to live holy lives for 3 reasons:

A. Because we are pulled towards sinful desires (read verse 14).

We must not be conformed to the passions (lusts) of our former ignorance.

Peter picks up this theme in 4:2-3 (read) as well (Refer Eph. 2:1-3).

Sometimes our former desires keep pulling us, but we must resist those evil desires.

We can’t live like ignorant people anymore.

That’s why apostle Paul says this in Acts 17:30-31 (read): 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.

Sin is dangerous and devastating.

QUOTE: As someone said, “Sin will take you farther than you intended to go; keep you longer than you planned to stay; and cost you more than you wanted to pay.”

As Paul says in Romans 12:2 (read), “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

We cannot live like the world around us.

Instead of desiring evil things, we need to desire God and the things of God.

Read 1 Peter 2:1-3.

You can never overcome evil desires by constantly rebuking them.

You need to replace those evil desires by desiring God.

Read Ps. 63:5-7.

QUOTE: {In C.S. Lewis’ The Weight of Glory, he wrote: “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

(Lewis, C.S., The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 26)}

God commands us to live holy lives because He knows that we are constantly pulled towards our former desires.

B. Because we are God’s children (read verse 14).

Since we are born again (refer v. 3), we are adopted as the children of God.

We were chosen by God to be obedient to Jesus Christ (refer v. 2), not just to be saved and baptized and then live a disobedient life.

Peter exhorts his audience and us to live like obedient children.

In those days, minor children were expected to be obedient to their parents (refer Dt. 21:18-21).

It’s not enough to call ourselves as children of God.

We ought to be obedient children of God.

Listen to the heartbreaking words of Yahweh in Malachi 1:6 (read): "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, 'How have we despised your name?'