A Demand For Holiness - A Holiness Expressed In Genuine Love Responding To The Gospel

1 Peter Series Part 6

Sub Series: A Demand for Holiness (1:13 – 2:3)

Title: “A holiness expressed in genuine love responding to the gospel”

Text: 1 Peter 1:22-25

INTRO: WHAT DOES HOLINESS LOOK LIKE?

"Holiness does not consist in mystic speculations, enthusiastic fervours, or uncommanded austerities; it consists in thinking as God thinks, and willing as God wills."

John Brown, Nineteenth-century Scottish theologian, quoted in J. Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness, p. 51.

Transition: Previously we looked at:

1. First teaching section (1:3-12). The method and nature of salvation

a. A salvation based on the hope inspired by Christ’s resurrection (1:3-5)

b. A salvation secured through a faith deepened in trial (1:6-9)

c. A salvation reported by the prophets who described its grace and glory (1:10-12)

2. First preaching section (1:13-2:3). A demand for holiness

a. A holiness demanded by God’s own character (1:13-16)

b. A holiness demanded by the costly experience of Christ’s passion (1:17-21)

c. A holiness expressed in genuine love responding to the gospel (1:22-25)

d. A holiness expressed by the new life received from a gracious God (2:1-3)

TEXT: 1 Peter 1:22–25 (ESV)

22Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

23since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding 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,

25but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

I. The Gospel Brings Loving Purified Heart filled Characteristics.

a. The Good news of a new heart filled with the heart of our Lord.

b. First, the Gospel truth brings in a new purified soul.

i. “Purified” Gk: “Hagnizio”:

1. to wash off, to wash away,’: to cause a state of moral purity—‘to purify, to cause to be pure.’

ii. Soul: in the Greek is “Psyche” [suhey]

1. the essence of life in terms of thinking, willing, and feeling—‘inner self, mind, thoughts, feelings, heart, being

iii. Lam 1:20 my soul is troubled, my heart is overturned within me, for I have been very rebellious

c. 22Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

d. Obedience: “Having paid attention to”

i. Paid attention to the truth! Which results from a pure heart.

e. Where do we get a pure heart?

i. First of all, our unconverted, or unregenerated hearts are wicked, evil,

1. The soul of mankind is led so often by wickedness and carnal emotions.

ii. Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked

iii. The heart of mankind needs renovation, restoration to the truth by an obedient purified heart.

iv. God is the only one who can replace a wicked, deceitful heart:

v. Ezekiel 36:25–26 (ESV)

vi. 25I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.

vii. 26And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

f. Peter continues and mentions brotherly love, loving purified heart can love purely.

i. A love that is sincere – genuine, honest.

ii. Peter distinguished between “Brotherly love” and the next word love.

iii. Brother love is “Philadelphia” and the next love is “Agapeo”

g. With genuine love Peter tells these believers to love one another How? with what?

h. “earnestly” from a “pure heart”

i. Earnestly: Sincerely, intensely,

i. Peter tells us that God is the only One who can change s heart making it pure “agapeo.” The Genuine love of God is true purity of heart!

j. Illustration:

i. After a violent storm one night, a large tree, which over the years had become a stately giant, was found lying across the pathway in a park. Nothing but a splintered stump was left. Closer examination showed that is was rotten at the core because thousands of tiny insects had eaten away at its heart. The weakness of that tree was not brought on by the sudden storm; it began the very moment the first insect nested within its bark. With the Holy Spirit’s help, let’s be very careful to guard our purity. - Our Daily Bread.

k. Application:

l. Is there something or someone eating at your heart? Are you in God’s grace and love obeying the truth and is your heart, pure, and genuine?

m. Christ can make the changes in your life in particular your heart.