Last week,
1st section, Peter, as a result of salvation, emphasized WALKING IN HOPE. Remember that "walking in hope" describes a "conviction of faith" - an anticipation of something to come - in this case the hope of our salvation.
Today:
Now Peter changes his emphasis to WALKING IN HOLINESS. Because we walk in hope, we are able to walk in holiness – OR RATHER -- we should walk in holiness.
The TWO go together - 1 jn 3.3 "every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."
Q: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO “WALK IN HOLINESS”?
Peter encourages us to live in this world and maintain a holy walk. The anti-God atmosphere around us that the Bible calls "the world" is always pressing against us, trying to force us to conform to ways of the world. Peter presented to his readers several spiritual incentives to encourage them to maintain a different lifestyle, a holy walk in a polluted world.
STUDY: 1 PETER 1:13-25
1Pe 1:13
’therefore’
Goes back to the excitement mentioned in verses 3-4
1. 3- ‘new birth into a living hope’ thru resurrection of Jesus
2. 3- ‘an inheritance that will never perish, spoil, or fade’
‘therefore’ -- On account of all God has done to reconcile us to Himself
... 3 THINGS…
1. ’prepare your minds for action’ ‘gird the loins of your mind’
- be sober, be morally alert. Brace up your minds for action. …they needed to work to restrain from becoming as one of the world.
2. ’be self controlled’ - be sober
- to discipline yourselves- - keep possession of minds -- not be enticed away from God.
1Pe 4:7b …Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.
3. ’set your hope fully on grace to be given when Jesus is revealed’
- to look forward to the coming of Jesus
- Set your desires on “what is to come” and NOT “what is”.
1Pe 1:14 THROUGH 1Pe 1:16
--14--
’obedient children’ (uses comparison of child to his parent)
as a child with his parent, a parent’s desire of his child is that one …
a) be obedient
b) live in a manner of respect
We are to live in obedience to our HOLY FATHER.
’do not conform’
2 thoughts here:
1. should be a change in life after grace compared to life before grace.
2. That change should include a continual process.
--15--
‘as He is holy, so you be holy’
Going back to the opening verses, as a Chosen, set apart, Child of God, we are to be…
1. devoted & dedicated to God,
2. set aside for His use, and
3. set apart from sin and its influence.
A process of becoming conformed to God’s standards.
--16
Quote from Leviticus 11:44-45 (NIV)
44 I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground.
45 I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
(SUMMARIZE SECTION OF 14-16) Just as a child is respectful to and wants to please his father, so WE are to be respectful and obedient to please our Holy Father. Why? Because of all he has done for us through Jesus Christ.
Transition to 17
As a child depends on his father, so we are to depend on our heavenly father. And while our father always desires our fellowship, we always remember just who he is! As a parent influences their child, so God will influence our lives & we must remember who He IS!
1Pe 1:17
"If" or “since” … “each man’s work impartially”
1. A father we can call on – The Holy Father desires our fellowship?
2. A Father disciplines those he loves. While God is a loving Father, he is also a disciplinarian and desires that we live under a certain set of standards! (see next phrase)
’strangers in reverent fear’ --
a) live as though we don’t belong to this neighborhood. (don’t be part of ‘peer pressure’)
b) What IS this Fear? Not the fear of a slave to a ruthless master, but a child to his father.
APPLICATON:
God is the judge of all the earth and we dare not ignore him -OR- treat him casually. Our privileged status as God’s children does NOT gives us the freedom as a spoiled child to do whatever one wants.
TRANSITION INTO VERSES 18-19:
As a child growing up should respect and appreciate what his parents sacrificed to see that their needs were met, so we, as God’s Children, should remember the sacrifice of our future (Vs. 18-19) and live respectfully.
1Pe 1:18-19
’it’ – (goes back to verses 3-5)
’redeemed’ - means ’ransom’
In the OT times (which the Jews could relate to), a person’s debts could result in that person being sold as a slave. The next of kin could ransom the slave (could buy his or her freedom), via money or valuables of some kind.
Peter is reminding the Christians that this is not the same thing - We were NOT ransomed with MATERIAL POSSESSIONS -- It had to be done God’s Way... see 19
(19)
… by the precious blood of Christ
Eph. 1.7
We have been ransomed - redeemed and at a tremendous cost/sacrifice to God (our parent). He sacrificed to meet our needs just as a parent does for his children.
1Pe 1:20 - 21
’was chosen b/fore creation’
Christ’s sacrifice for the world’s sin was not an afterthought, not something God decided to do when the world spun out of control.
(21)
’through [Him] you believe’
God openly declared his acceptance of Christ as our substitute.
2 Cor 5:21 ‘God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.’
21- ’your faith and hope are in God’
All this was GOD’s PLAN.
The same power that resurrected and glorified Christ is the same power that enables us to believe AND the same power that enables us to live a holy life.
TRANSISTION TO 22-25
Peter closes in 22-25 with one of the strongest statements on brotherly love in the NT for it virtually makes our love for others the goal of our conversion.
1Pe 1:22-25
‘SO that you have ‘sincere love for your brothers’
Our love for each other was very much a part of God’s original purpose!
‘Love one another deeply from the heart’
1. Those NOT ransomed cannot understand the love from God’s family.
2. We have common ground in Christ. Though we are different, we are the same. (This In my opinion is what’s wrong with the church. We can’t get past our differences to our common ground. Oh how different we would be – IF WE WOULD LEARN TO QUIT BACKSTABBING AND START LOVING THROUGH OUR COMMON GROUND).
1Pe 1:24-25
Quoting Isa 40.6-8
Peter reminded believers that everthing in this life - possessions, accomplishments, people - our glory - will eventually fade away and disappear. BUT 1) the Word of the Lord and 2) the Promises of the Lord will last forever.
SUMMARY
So what does it mean to Walk in Holiness? How do we live as strangers?...
SO WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR US TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF
• Walking in Holiness?
• Loving each other through Common Ground rather than destroying each other (Vs. 22 ‘love one another deeply from the heart’?
WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR US TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF LIVING TO PLEASE OUR FATHER & NOT live as a SPOILED CHILD that REFUSES TO GROW UP?
ILLUSTRATION:
The story is told of a group of women that met for Bible study. While studying in the book of Malachi, chapter three, they came across verse three which says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled the women and they wondered how this statement applied to the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out more about the process of refining silver, and to get back to the group at their next Bible study.
The following week, the woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him while at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest, beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith work, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire, where the flames were the hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot, then she thought again about the verse, that "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the entire time the silver was being refined.
The man answered yes, that not only did he have to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on it the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "But how do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that’s easy - when I see my image in it."
APPLICATION
1. Oh that you and I, as children of our heavenly Father, could truly understand the sacrifice that He as our real Father has made so that we could enjoy the inheritance prepared for us.
2. Oh that you and I, could really understand the cost that He paid.
3. Oh that you and I could really understand the value of brotherly love!
Vs. 15
“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all that you do”
