GOD’S WORD STANDS FOREVER
1 PETER 1:14-25
INTRODUCTION… Inspirational Nature of Scripture (www.carm.org)
This morning as we begin, I want to share some interesting truths found in the pages of the Bible. They are interesting in that they describe things that human beings have discovered by science in the past few centuries.
First, the shape of the earth. "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in," (Isaiah 40:22, NIV).
Second, the Earth is suspended in nothing. "He spreads out the northern [skies] over empty space; He suspends the earth over nothing," (Job. 26:7, NIV). This is particularly interesting considering that the cosmology of other cultures at that time did not have the earth suspended in nothing, but rather upon pillars, or people, or animals.
Third, the existence of valleys in the seas. "The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of breath from his nostrils," (2 Samuel 22:16, NIV). This was “discovered” by geologists in the 1900s.
Fourth, the existence of springs and fountains in the seas. "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month -- on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened," (Genesis 7:11, NIV). See also Gen. 8:2; Prov. 8:28.
Fifth, the existence of ocean currents. "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!...When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,...You made him [man] ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet...the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas," (Psalm 8:1,3,6,8, NIV). “Discovered” by Matthew Maury, 1855.
Sixth, the water cycle of climate. "He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight," (Job. 26:8, NIV). "He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind," (Job. 36:27-28, NIV). "The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again," (Ecclesiastes 1:6-7, NIV). “Described” in 1580 by Bernard Palissy.
I find these interesting only because as human knowledge grows we are finding that the Words of the
Bible contain truth in many areas. The Bible is certainly not a scientific textbook and was never designed to be one. Yet, the Bible does describe the world that God created and the people He put in it in a divinely inspired accurate manner. The Bible is a book that contains eternal words that mean much for our lives here on Earth. God’s Word, the Bible, is a book inspired by Almighty God and contains within its pages truth:
Truth about the world and creation God made.
Truth about human beings and our failings and our struggles in life.
Truth about Almighty God and His dealings with human beings throughout history.
Truth about God’s nature and His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Truth about moral and right living.
We are in 1 Peter 1 today. 1 Peter 1 begins by describing believers in Jesus Christ as “strangers in the world” (1 Peter 1:1) and expands on why believers stand out in a dark and hopeless world. We looked at that last week. The passage from Scripture that we will look at today is the second half of 1 Peter 1 in which the Apostle Peter expands the words he already shared in the first part. The passage is anchored at the end by a quote: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." That is a quote from Isaiah 40:8. 1 Peter 1:14-25 is all about a life anchored in God’s Word which stands forever.
READ 1 Peter 1:14-25
“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.”
I. HOLY LIVING (VERSES 14-21)
A life anchored in God’s Word is one that has holiness at the center. The word “holy” means “separated for God’s use” or “separated to God” (Vine’s 307-308). Holiness indicates a character quality in us which emulates the character qualities of God. In the Bible some things are given the quality of holiness because they are set apart especially for God’s use:
* The seventh day is a holy day separated out for rest and worship (Gen 2:3, Ex 20, Neh 9)
* Ground on which God communicated with people was holy (Ex 3, 19, Ps 43, Josh 5)
* The whole nation of Israel was used by God to be His witnesses and therefore holy (Ex 19, 22, Ez 9:2)
* The holy Ark of the Covenant was used to hold the 10 commandments (Ex 26, 1 Sam 6)
* The tabernacle and the temple were to be places of worship and were holy (Ex28, 1 Ki 6-8, Mt 24)
* The holy Day of Atonement was a day set aside for prayer and forgiveness (Ex 30, Lev 23)
* King David’s toes stuck out of his socks and here holey… wait… wrong kind of “holey-ness”
* Jerusalem was set aside as God’s city and was holy (Neh 11, Joel 3, Mt 3, 27)
There are of course many other things, people, and uses of the word “holy” in the Bible. What does any of this have to do with us? One of God’s defining characteristics is His holiness. God says Himself “I am holy” over 30 times in the Old Testament. God defines Himself by His holiness. He is perfect. He is without sin. He is perfect in knowledge and power and intent. We who are believers in Jesus Christ are commanded to live out lives for God set apart for His perfect use. These verses in 1 Peter tell us that holy living is rooted in:
Obedience to God (verse 14): our holiness focuses on what we do
Accepting God as our Father (verse 14, 17): our holiness focuses on our ongoing relationship with God
Ignoring evil desires and empty ways of life (verse 14, 18): our holiness focuses on what we do
Living as a stranger in this world (verse 17): our holiness focuses on what we do
Living in reverent fear of God (verse 17): our holiness focuses on our ongoing relationship with God
The Word of God is the anchor in our lives which teaches us about holy living which focuses us on our ongoing relationship with God and what we do. The Bible teaches us how to obey God. It communicates to us how God interacted with people in history as their Father. The Bible shares with us the paths of life which are full of life and joy and meaning rather than emptiness. It is the Word of God which shows us the way to live as strangers in this world while we wait for Judgment Day. Our God is holy and He wants us to emulate Him in His holiness.
ILLUSTRATION… Holy One Use Things (p)
Holiness might be a concept that is foreign to us. To be honest, we strive for holiness, but I am not so sure how often we attain it. There are some examples in life and in our culture that help us understand holiness.
* Weddings and Marriage has some holy things in it: Wedding dresses are used on one day for one purpose and in that sense the wedding dress is a holy thing. A wedding dress is not worn at other occasions for other reasons. It is set aside for one use. Even though we have lost this emphasis in our culture, the color white indicates the virginity of the bride which means sex is reserved for the wedding night only.
* Death has some holy things in it: A funeral home is dedicated to be used for funerals and does no other kind of business. Also, coffins are used for dead bodies and we do not rest in them on a daily basis or use them as boats or for transportation of items. Coffins are for dead bodies.
* In my own life, I have a CPAP machine which I only use at night when I sleep. I do not walk around with a strange mask all day like I am “Bane from a Batman movie.” That machine has one use and one use only and I use it only at that time.
* I have a pair of shoes that I use to run. In fact, my dog Lily knows what clothes I run in and what shoes I put on when I take her for a run. She gets excited when I put them on. Not only that, I have a certain harness and a certain long training leash that I use when we run. When I get those out, she jumps up and down (which is fun given how big she is) and knows we are going running.
II. LOVE EACH OTHER (VERSE 22)
A life anchored in God’s Word is one that has love for each other at the center. Another way that God wants us to emulate Him is in our love for one another. God is love and He wants us to be all about love ourselves. The Bible is a holy book which teaches us to love each other sincerely from our hearts. Loving each other is a command from Jesus Christ and from those Apostles who taught about His teachings:
John 13:34-35: "A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Romans 12:10: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
Romans 13:10: “Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
Ephesians 4:2: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
1 John 4:11-12: “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
One of God’s defining characteristics is His love. The love that God expresses is true unconditional love. God expresses love in its purest form. That is the kind of love we are to strive for our in our lives with people we like, people we hate, people we barely tolerate, people that we enjoy, people that hurt us, people that we hurt, people we work with, people we live with, and on and on. Our normal mode of speech, conduct, emotions, and thought should be love. A Christian who has an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ is someone who strives in all things to act in love.
We should notice from 1 Peter and from the other verses we read:
To love is a response to the love we have received from God
To love is a command from Jesus Christ our Savior
To love is a command from the Apostles who followed Jesus Christ
To love is obedience to what we find in the Scriptures
To love is a beacon which shows us to be believers in Jesus Christ
To love requires humbleness, willingness, patience, and honor
The Word of God is the anchor in our lives which teaches us about loving one another. This may be one of the hardest commands to follow. It is difficult to follow because many times we feel that love is something that should be earned. For God, unconditional love is simply given because it cannot be earned in any way. We are to be people that give love no matter the conditions.
ILLUSTRATION… Love is an Action (p)
Love is an action more than it is an attitude or emotion or feeling or thought. Love is an action word that God expects us to take seriously.
Love means we choose to forgive each time someone asks.
Love means we ask for forgiveness when we know we have wronged someone.
Love means we want to do better each day at treating our spouses with respect and kindness.
Love means we tip well at a restaurant.
Love means we hold our anger back and do not shout.
Love means we give our time to those we say we love.
Love means purchasing thoughtful gifts for those around us.
Love means acts of service for those who are in our lives.
Love means, if appropriate, physical touches that communicate tenderness and affection.
Love means sacrificing money for someone else.
Love means giving up our own desires that someone else might be happy or fulfilled.
Love means discipline when someone needs it.
Love is an action more than it is an attitude or emotion or feeling or thought. Love is an action word that God expects us to take seriously.
III. IMPERISHABLE LIVES (VERSES 23-25)
A life anchored in God’s Word is one that has the hope of eternal life at the center. The Apostle Peter focuses our attention on our identities as being born again in God. Our status before God is not perishable, but imperishable. It is enduring. God’s Word teaches us that those of us who have entrusted our souls to Jesus Christ by placing our faith in Him have nothing to fear when this life ends. God’s Word teaches us that those of us who have entrusted our souls to Jesus Christ by placing our faith in Him have nothing to fear when judgment day comes and all people have to give an account of their lives.
A life anchored in God’s Word which stands forever has some unique perspectives about life here on Earth. As I have thought and prayed about it, I have decided there are definitely two attitudes which should filter into our lives as believers.
First, we do not cling to the things of this world. When we realize that it is our destiny to occupy eternity with God, the normal things that most people strive for in this life seem to be less important. Fame in this world is overrated because when we get to Heaven the most Famous One will be Jesus Christ and the rest of us are saved peons. Spending significant amounts of time to own houses and property on this earth is pointless as Revelation describes this old earth as passing away. Spending vast amounts of money on cars, boats, motorcycles and toys in this world is pointless as it all goes away when we die anyway.
Second, we do not fear death. Notice exactly what I said! As a believer in Jesus Christ, I have no fear of death whatsoever. Death is the great unknown. Death is scary. Death is often painful. Death is filled with sorrow. I. Do. Not. Care. My soul is safe and secure in the arms of the Almighty God of the Universe who spoke everything into existence. He promises me in His holy inerrant Word that I have nothing to be afraid of in physical death because to be absent from this physical body means I am absolutely without a doubt present with Christ. I have that assurance as a baptized believer in Jesus Christ.
If you aren’t a believer, you had better pee your pants when you think about death because your soul is in trouble.
ILLUSTRATION… All Perishable Things (p)
I think I have decided that every single thing on this whole planet is perishable except for one thing. By perishable I mean it dies, errodes, gets stolen, or doesn’t last.
* Cars, motorcycles, and all other fun toys rust.
* Diamond rings get stolen or loose value.
* Dogs, cats, fish, hamsters, and all other pets die. Even roaches die if you hit them hard enough with a shoe.
* Buildings crumble or get torn down over time… even ones with people’s names on them.
* A body that is fit and healthy and follows a gluten free diet will eventually hunch over and die.
* Money gets devalued.
* A business you might build with blood sweat and tears gets run into the ground by your children.
* Education we achieve eventually makes no difference because the person who learn-ded it dies.
* Books we write get forgotten or burned.
* Entertainment we enjoy gets forgotten.
* Memories we make are eventually taken from us by old age or illness.
* Photographs fade or get lost.
* Trees die. Rivers dry up. Valleys get filled in. Volcanoes erupt. Flowers fade.
Absolutely every single thing on this whole planet is perishable except for one thing. Our souls. Our souls begin at conception inside our mothers and is fashioned uniquely by God Almighty. Our bodies may fade and our minds may go away, but our souls remain even after death. The soul is the one thing we should care for and care about more than anything else in the world.
CHALLENGE
The challenge put forth to us today by the Apostle Peter is to anchor our souls in God’s Word which instructs and cares for the only thing on this whole planet that does not fade away.
We are to challenge ourselves in holy living because this cares for our souls.
We are to challenge ourselves in loving one another because that cares for the souls of others.
We are to challenge ourselves to live imperishable because this is the right perspective to have on life.
CONCLUSION
