Opening illustration: A California driver’s license examiner told about a teenager who had just driven an almost perfect test. “He made his only mistake,” said the examiner, “when he stopped to let me out of the car. After breathing a sigh of relief, the boy exclaimed, ‘I’m sure glad I don’t have to drive like that all the time!’” (Reader’s Digest [1/84].)
That boy was like a lot of churchgoing Americans. They put on a good front when they know someone is watching, but the rest of the time they let down their standards. There’s not much difference between them and those in the world, except that they go to church a little more. The divorce rate among Christians is about the same as in society at large. In fact, the third highest divorce rate occupationally, after doctors and police, goes to pastors! Christians watch the same TV shows and movies for the same number of hours weekly as everyone else. Christian youths are involved in sexual immorality to the same extent as those not naming Christ as Savior. Many Christian businessmen have a bad reputation. It would seem that our Christianity doesn’t have much effect on the way we live.
This just tells us that we are no different from the world. It helps us to see whether we are genuine Christians or not and to do something about it. If we are to be separated from the world, then our standards and data collected on us will be way different (extreme) from the rest of the world.
Introduction: The word holiness sends up red flags in the minds of many. After all, holiness smacks of legalism, and few of us want that. Besides, we're trying our best to be culturally relevant for the sake of winning unbelievers to Christ. Holiness sounds a little outdated.
Is holiness out of vogue in the church? And if so, what do we do with Scripture's unequivocal call to holiness? The answer to these questions may lie in our definition of holiness. In our day and age, holiness is usually defined as a person's private moral choices. Somewhere along the line, we've missed the real meaning. So what is God's definition of holiness? It can be defined as "being dedicated for God, and set apart from sin and its influence." Is it even possible to be holy? Are holiness and cultural relevance mutually exclusive? Is holiness a personal or a corporate calling?
I know of no text that needs to be burned into the thinking of the church in the West more than 1 Peter 1:13-16. Writing to many who had come from pagan backgrounds, living in a pagan society where there was great pressure to conform, Peter calls his readers to holiness in light of the coming of Jesus Christ and the holy character of the God who calls us to salvation. Here he gives us three reminders that will help us stay motivated to be holy, when we lack motivation:
Why should we lead a life of holiness?
1. Reminds us the CHARACTER of God (vs. 13-16)
One of the fun things associated with having a child is watching everyone ask, "Who does the baby take after?" I always find it amusing as people identify the nose as coming from the father's side, the mouth from the mother, and the legs from Uncle Tom. Even so, there usually is some sort of family resemblance.
Here Peter says, be like your heavenly Father - pattern yourselves after him “in all that you do.” Literally in every day, every moment, every thought, and every action. You see; it's the nature of children to imitate their parents. And we should delight in being like God, because he is our Father, and because his moral excellence is beautiful and desirable to be like him is the best way to be.
It can be helpful to remember how good, and loving, and just, and holy God is and to remind ourselves, "If Jesus were in my shoes, he wouldn't do this!" The recipients of this letter knew that the Roman gods were warlike, adulterous, and spiteful. They knew that the pagan gods were bloodthirsty and promiscuous. Peter says, "Your God is holy and just - imitate him."
Illustration: David Brainerd was a missionary to native Americans, and out of his missionary work, he wrote this: I never got away from Jesus, and him crucified. When my people were gripped by this great evangelical doctrine of Christ and him crucified, I had no need to give them instructions about morality. I find my Indians begin to put on the garments of holiness, and their common life begins to be sanctified even in small matters when they are possessed by the doctrine of Christ, and him crucified.
2. Reminds us the DISCIPLINE of God (v 17)
Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. God is an impartial, penetrating, and absolutely honest judge. 1 Peter 4:17 tells us that God's judgment will begin with "the family of God." But I think it's likely in this verse that Peter is not just talking about the future judgment at the end of time, but God's daily weighing of our actions and thoughts. God both blesses and disciplines Christians according to their conduct, and we're told that the healthy outcome of knowing that God is scrutinizing every action we take and every thought we think is "reverent fear." Fear, I believe, that if we don't act in a godly manner, God will bring discipline (consequential) into our lives that will correct us.
Growing up, I had a reverent fear for what would happen if I disobeyed my parents. I didn't particularly look forward to their discipline when I was the age that I could be left alone for a few minutes, but not quite the age I could be counted on to behave, my mother would take off her glasses, put them down in front of me, and say, "I'm stepping out for a minute, but I'm leaving my glasses here, and I'll be watching everything you do while I'm gone." It worked for a while in every action, we need to ask, "Does this stand up under God's scrutiny, because if it doesn't, it's going to bring his discipline!"
A friend of mine many years ago spotted at temptation that was coming my way he said, "You had better watch this certain area, because I can see Satan using it in your life pretty soon!" I turned back and said, "You're right, because I've learned that if I get weak in that area, God doesn't take too long before he begins to discipline me in no uncertain terms." Do we have a fear of God's discipline? Remember at temptation time that God is watching, and if necessary, he will bring discipline into your life to bring you correction.
3. Reminds us the PRICE and PLAN of our SALVATION (vs. 18-21)
In this text, Peter reminds us of the highest motive for holy living - our salvation, and he reminds us of the price that Jesus paid. The word redeemed in verse 18 is lost on us today, but when this passage was written, there were probably 60 million slaves throughout the Roman empire. A slave could purchase his or her own freedom, if they could collect enough funds. Redemption was a precious and a costly thing. This passage reminds us that we were slaves to the empty way of life handed down generation after generation.
Peter witnessed firsthand Jesus' death on the cross. A slave could be redeemed by money, but no amount of cash could set a lost sinner free. Jesus shed his precious blood for us - he gave his life as a sacrifice. Jesus paid such a high price for our freedom - why would we want to go back into slavery? When tempted by a sin, remember the price Jesus paid to bring you freedom, remember the pain that it brought him.
1 Peter 1:20 says: He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. In other words, this was no afterthought. God always knew he was going to do this for us. God didn't slap together some contingency plan - our salvation is so great; it was part of his eternal plan. As Eugene Peterson's, The Message translates it:
"It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately - at the end of the ages - become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you."
The more we continue to sin knowingly, the more curses we bring upon our land according to 2 Chronicles 7:14, eventually there is no sacrifice anymore according to Hebrews 10:26. According to Hebrews 6:6 we also put Christ again on the cross with our repeated sins. Holiness demands our separation from the world and sin to live a life of purity before and for our Creator.
Illustration: So, when the woman at the check-out aisle tries your patience. When your children provoke you. When you face a temptation towards impurity. When your anger is getting the best of you. Remember that obedience is a product of the relationship you have with Christ. And remember three things:
• the character of God
• the discipline and scrutiny of God
• and remember the price of salvation that Christ paid on the cross as a part of God's eternal plan
Application: Many of us here have struggled and continue to struggle with a holiness-deficiency? Slips of the tongue, impure thoughts, moments of anger or selfishness? or perhaps, more generally, a lack of a passion to please and obey God in all things?
As many folks have a secret place of sin, how many of us have a secret place of holiness – which no one sees but God alone.
The three reminders give us ample of reason and will keep us motivated to pursue and lead a life of holiness.
