"His Character -- Our Calling"
1 Peter 1:13-16
1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Introduction: Of all the things that the Bible says about God there is one thing that stands out and it is what God says about Himself. He declares that He is holy! I would think that I would be safe in saying that this is the single most undervalued and underappreciated quality of the character of God not only in our culture but also in the church world. Almost every ill facing the church today is directly related to the loss of appreciation for the holiness of God and His demand that we be holy!
ILL - Let's not drag God's standard of truth down to our level of performance. -- Morris Vendon
What else could explain the acceptance of practices that used to be universally condemned by the Church but are now being condoned and even embraced? A loss of appreciation for the holiness of God leads to superficial worship practices and precepts. A loss of appreciation for the holiness of God leads to a compromised lifestyle.
ILL - Dr. David Wells (GCTS) observes, "Worldliness is what makes sin look normal in any age and righteousness seem odd."
I. His Character
God is holy! That is the declaration of our text. But what does this mean?
a. The truth scrutinized
What does it mean when God says that He is holy? The holiness of God is the most difficult of all God's attributes to explain, partly because it is one of His essential attributes that is not shared, inherently, by man. We are created in God's image, and we can share many of His attributes, to a much lesser extent, of course--love, mercy, faithfulness, etc. But some of God's attributes, such as omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence, will never be shared by created beings. Similarly, holiness is not something that we will possess as an inherent part of our nature; we only become holy in relationship to Christ. It is an imputed holiness. Only in Christ do we "become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). God's holiness is what separates Him from all other beings, what makes Him separate and distinct from everything else. God's holiness is more than just His perfection or sinless purity; it is the essence of His "other-ness," God's holiness embodies the mystery of His awesomeness and causes us to gaze in wonder at Him as we begin to comprehend just a little of His majesty.
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/holy-holy-holy.html#ixzz3X2D9uSjX
R.C. Sproul in his book "The Holiness of God" says this about God's holiness. "What God does it always consistent with who God is, He always acts according to His holy character. God's internal righteousness is the moral excellence of His character. It is rooted in His absolute purity. There is no "shadow of turning" in Him. As a holy God, He is utterly incapable of an unholy act. . . .There is a consistency in God, a "straightness" about him." (Sproul, pg.109)
b. The theme of Scripture (611 times holiness is used )
Isaiah was a firsthand witness of God's holiness in his vision described in Isaiah 6. Even though Isaiah was a prophet of God and a righteous man, his reaction to the vision of God's holiness was to be aware of his own sinfulness and to despair for his life (Isaiah 6:5). Even the angels in God's presence, those who were crying, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty," covered their faces and feet with four of their six wings. Covering the face and feet no doubt denotes the reverence and awe inspired by the immediate presence of God (Exodus 3:4-5). The seraphim stood covered, as if concealing themselves as much as possible, in recognition of their unworthiness in the presence of the Holy One. And if the pure and holy seraphim exhibit such reverence in the presence of Jehovah, with what profound awe should we, polluted and sinful creatures, presume to draw near to Him! The reverence shown to God by the angels should remind us of our own presumption when we rush thoughtlessly and irreverently into His presence, as we often do because we do not understand His holiness.
John's vision of the throne of God in Revelation 4 was similar to that of Isaiah. Again, there were living creatures around the throne crying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty" (Revelation 4:8) in reverence and awe of the Holy One. John goes on to describe these creatures giving glory and honor and reverence to God continually around His throne. Interestingly, John's reaction to the vision of God in His throne is different from Isaiah's. There is no record of John falling down in terror and awareness of his own sinful state, perhaps because John had already encountered the risen Christ at the beginning of his vision (Revelation 1:17). Christ had placed His hand upon John and told him not to be afraid. In the same way, we can approach the throne of grace if we have the hand of Christ upon us in the form of His righteousness, exchanged for our sin at the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/holy-holy-holy.html#ixzz3X2De2dcx
c. The transcendent trait of the Sovereign
But why the three-fold repetition "holy, holy, holy" (called the trihagion)? The repetition of a name or an expression three times was quite common among the Jews. In Jeremiah 7:4, the Jews are represented by the prophet as saying, "The temple of the Lord" three times, expressing their intense confidence in their own worship, even though it was hypocritical and corrupt. Jeremiah 22:29, Ezekiel 21:27, and 1 Samuel 18:23 contain similar three-fold expressions of intensity. Therefore, when the angels around the throne call or cry to one another, "Holy, holy, holy," they are expressing with force and passion the truth of the supreme holiness of God, that essential characteristic which expresses His awesome and majestic nature.
In addition, the trihagion expresses the triune nature of God, the three Persons of the Godhead, each equal in holiness and majesty. Jesus Christ is the Holy One who would not "see decay" in the grave, but would be resurrected to be exalted at the right hand of God (Acts 2:26; 13:33-35). Jesus is the "Holy and Righteous One" (Acts 3:14) whose death on the cross allows us to stand before the throne of our holy God unashamed. The third Person of the trinity--the Holy Spirit--by His very name denotes the importance of holiness in the essence of the Godhead.
Finally, the two visions of the angels around the throne crying, "Holy, holy, holy," clearly indicates that God is the same in both testaments. Often we think of the God of the Old Testament as a God of wrath and the God of the New Testament as a God of love. But Isaiah and John present a unified picture of our holy, majestic, awesome God who does not change (Malachi 3:6), who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), and "with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning" (James 1:17). God's holiness is eternal, just as He is eternal.
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/holy-holy-holy.html#ixzz3X2EClHRR
d. The testimony of the Servants (611 times He is called holy or things consecrated to Him are referred to as being holy)
There are seventy-two Scriptures from the Old Testament that tell us God is Holy.
Leviticus tells us God is Holy six times
Joshua tells us God is Holy once
I Samuel tells us God is Holy twice
II Kings tells us God is Holy once
I Chronicles tells us God is Holy three times
Job tells us God is Holy once
Psalms tells us God is Holy fourteen times
Isaiah tells us God is Holy thirty one times
Jeremiah tells us God is Holy twice
Ezekiel tells us God is Holy eight times
Hosea tells us God is Holy once
Amos tells us God is Holy once
Habakkuk tells us God is Holy once
Here is a sampling of OT passages where God is described as being holy:
For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Leviticus 11:44
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. Joshua 24:19
There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. 1 Samuel 2:2
Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel. 2 Kings 19:22
Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. 1 Chronicles 16:10
Then should I yet have comfort; yea, I would harden myself in sorrow: let him not spare; for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One. Job 6:10
But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Psalms 22:3
But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness. Isaiah 5:16
There are nine Scriptures from the New Testament that tell us God is Holy. Surprised? This does not account for references to the Holy Spirit or Jesus Christ, the focus here was on God the Father.
Luke tells us God is Holy once
John tells us God is Holy once
I Corinthians tells us God is Holy once
I Peter tells us God is Holy twice
I John tells us God is Holy once
Revelations tells us God is Holy three times
Here are some of the 9 NT scriptures:
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. Luke 1:49
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. John 17:11
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 1 Corinthians 3:17
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 1 Peter 1:15
But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 1 John 2:20
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. Revelation 4:8
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? Revelation 6:10
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. Revelation 15:4
The unmistakable truth is that God is holy. He is holy indeed!
Now comes the difficult part. How can we be holy? We learned earlier in this lesson that holiness is not something that we possess inherently. Our capacity for holiness is directly related to the righteousness of Christ that is ours by faith in Him.
Song: Steven Curtis Chapman "If the truth were known, and a light were shown, On every hidden part of my soul, Most would turn away, shake their heads and say, He's still got such a long way to go. If the truth were known you would see, that the only good in me -- is Jesus, O, it's Jesus."
II. Our Calling
a. Our perception (mind)
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ESV
Holiness for us begins with our attitude about God and His holiness. Do you take a high or low view of His holiness? Is a desire for holiness the motivating force of your life? The Bible makes it plain that without holiness we cannot see God.
Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
To be "sober" means to control your thoughts and thereby controlling what you think about.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
b. Our pattern (He which hath called you)
Our pattern, our example for holiness is God himself. Our pattern is not a man or a creed or a religious system but God! There is power in a life patterned after a holy God.
ILL - "In His powerful book The Holiness of God, R. C. Sproul observes that unbelievers often feel uneasy in the presence of an obedient Christian. The holiness of God reflected in a believer's life makes the non-Christian uncomfortable. Sproul then shares this truce incident to make his point.
"A well-know professional golfer was playing in a tournament with President Gerald Ford, fellow pro Jack Nicklaus, and Billy Graham. After the round was over one of the other pros on the tour asked, 'Hey, what was it like playing with the President and Billy Graham?' The pro said with disgust, 'I don't need Billy Graham stuffing religion down my throat!' With that he headed for the practice tee. His friend followed, and after the golfer had pounded out his fury on a bucket of golf balls, he asked, 'Was Billy a little rough on you out there?' The pro sighed and said with embarrassment, 'No, he didn't even mention religion.'
"Sproul comments, 'Astonishingly, Billy Graham had said nothing about God, Jesus, or religion, yet the pro stomped away after the game accusing Billy of trying to ram religion down his throat.' What had happened? Simply this: The evangelist had so reflected Christlikeness that his presence brought the same feeling to the golf pro as experienced by Isaiah. He knew he was 'lost, a man of unclean lips, and living among a people of unclean lips.' In the life of Billy Graham, the lost pro had sensed the presence of our Holy God."
c. Our practice (obedience)
1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ESV
Aristotle said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act. It is a habit." So what kind of habits have you developed in your life?
d. Our promise
One of the greatest blessings of this entire passage is expressed at the end of verse 13. A good translation of the last sentence is:
"...set your hope perfectly (without doubt) on the object of that hope (Jesus Christ) that is already on its way..." What does this mean? It means that the pursuit of holiness is worth every effort. That one day in the not too distant future I think, the holy one of God will come in the clouds of glory to receive His bride, the church and we want to make sure that we are dressed in white!
ILL - In his book, A Ready Defense, Josh McDowell states: "You can laugh at Christianity; you can mock and ridicule it---but it works. If you decide to trust Christ, start watching your attitudes and actions, because Jesus Christ is in the business of changing lives."
Conclusion:
MAKE IT YOUR AIM NOT TO SIN
The whole purpose of John's letter, he says, is that we not sin. One day as I was studying this chapter I realized that my personal life's objective regarding holiness was less than that of John's. He was saying, in effect, "Make it your aim not to sin." As I thought about this, I realized that deep within my heart, my real aim was not to sin very much. I found it difficult to say, "Yes, Lord, from here on I will make it my aim not to sin." I realized God was calling me that day to a deeper level of commitment to holiness than I had previously been willing to make.
Can you imagine a soldier going into battle with the aim of "not getting hit very much"? The very suggestion is ridiculous. His aim is not to get hit at all! Yet if we have not made a commitment to holiness without exception, we are like a soldier going into battle with the aim of not getting hit very much. We can be sure if that is our aim, we will be hit--not with bullets, but with temptation over and over again.
Jonathan Edwards, one of the great preachers of early American history, used to make resolutions. One of his was, "Resolved, never to do anything which I would be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life"' Dare we modern-day Christians make such a resolution? Are we willing to commit ourselves to the practice of holiness without exceptions? There is no point in praying for victory over temptation if we are not willing to make a commitment to say no to it.
It is only by learning to deny temptation that we will ever put to death the misdeeds of the body. Learning this is usually a slow and painful process, fraught with much failure. Our old desires and our sinful habits are not easily dislodged. To break them requires persistence, often in the face of little success. But this is the path we must tread, painful though it may be.
(Jerry Bridges. The Pursuit of Holiness (pp. 129-130). Kindle Edition.)
