Now Act like It!
Text: 1 Peter 1:13-2:3
Introduction
The Owner’s Manual of my car gives special instructions for the type of fuel & oil and how to operate my vehicle
Now I can operate my car without following the guidelines in the owners manual but I do so at my own peril. The Bible is the owner’s manual for humankind.
Sometimes people get confused about the issue of holiness, we are saved by grace they say, so why should it matter what we do? Christ died for my sins, he’s already paid the price, and the Bible says we aren’t ruled by the law’s regulations, do this, don’t do that. And while that is all true, once the heart has found it’s true home in the salvation offered by Jesus Christ it only makes sense that we operate our lives in such a way that we will be ready for our intended purpose--serving God.
Furthermore, if I believe God is my creator and this is His book of life why would I want to operate my life contrary to his instructions? To do so would only make my life miserable. The apostle Paul wrote that all things were lawful for Him but all things are not profitable. I could say, "Hey I’m not under the law so why not lie, why not steal, why not commit adultery?" But future hope or no future hope if I do those things they make my life miserable here & now.
Also if I continue to live in that way it becomes evidence that I haven’t really put my hope in Jesus anyway.
Our text today begins with the word "therefore" last week we saw how Peter began his letter by reminding us what is so great about our salvation, this week He says Therefore, meaning because we have recieved such a wonderful gift,
Proposition: Here’s how we should conduct ourselves. We should live holy lives
Interrogative: But what does it mean to be holy and why should we bother?
Transition: Those are the questions this passage answers and I’d like to look at each of them separately even though the answers are woven together throughout the text. First let’s look at:
1. How to Be Holy
Holiness fundamentaly means being separated for special service to God. We must be separated from anything that would make us dirty or unsuitable for God’s service. Looking at our text I see three areas of our lives that we need to kkep clean to be useful in the Lord’s service. First we need...
a. Clean Heads
I’m not thinking of dandruff shampoo here. It’s not what’s one your heads but what’s in them that God is concerned about
V.13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
A life of Holiness requires some mental preparation. The literal rendering here is "gird up the loins of your minds..."
We need to be prepared for the battle that rages for our minds and hearts every day.
ILLUSTRATION: Perhaps the greatest illusionist and escape artists who ever lived was Harry Houdini. He was known for his tremendous physical condition, and could withstand blows to the abdomen by tensing his muscles. While performing in Canada, however, he was challenged by a student who didn’t give him time to prepare for the punch. A few days later Houdini died from a ruptured appendix.
Unless we are prepared for them, the spiritual battles of life will sucker punch us and leave us for dead.
So how do we gird up the loins of our minds? The clue is in Chapter 2 verse 2
"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation"
We need to be strong in the word, growing every day, gaining understanding about God’s truth.
The second area of our life that needs to be clean is our
b. Clean Hands
This is about doing the right thing.
14-15 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
Obedience. Doing what is right. This is where the rubber meets the road. It’s not about a rule book. We are set free from the law. It’s about behaving the way we were created to behave. It’s about doing the things that will please our blessed Savior.
Imbedded in all of the requirements of the law are the kernels of truth that transcend the law. In verse 22 Peter speaks not of "obedience to the law" but of "obedience to the truth."
The Sabbath--rest; Stealing--order; murder--value of mankind, Adultery- disease, family bonds, etc.
So to be holy we must have Clean Heads & Clean Hands but we must also have...
c. Clean Hearts
22Now 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
This is perhaps the hardest of all becuase it goes to motive, and attitude. It’s about being so transformed by our relationship with Christ that His life and His love flow through us. Note that the ordering is intentional here, love flows in our lives only as we begin to master obedience.
Clean Heads, Clean Hands & Clean Hearts, That’s the How of Holiness, Now let’s look at the rationale....
2. Why to Be Holy
a. Readiness
V.13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
I won’t spend too much time here becuase it’s simply the other side of what we looked at earlier under the heading clean heads. But note with me that it’s not just a "How to" for Holiness, it’s wrapped together with a "why" Why be holy? Why grow on the pure milk of the word?
To be ready for those trials of life that we talked about last week. If you are a subsitence level Christian and you really haven’t devoted yourself to following Jesus, you will be run down by the storms of life. You’ll be like those that Jesus spoke about in his story about seeds. The seed that fell among the rocks and the weeds, that get choked out by the cares of life and the lure of materialism, or burned by trials and persecution.
Why should you strive to be holy? Because it’s the only way to be Ready for all that life may bring. Secondly we should be holy for the sake of...
b. Resemblance
15-16 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
When You’re a part of the family you ought to have the family resemblance. When we trust in what Christ did to pay the price for our sins, when He died on the cross, we are adopted into God’s family. It’s only normal that we should take on the family characteristics.
I want Him to be proud of me so I imitate Him.
The final reason why I should desire holiness is for the sake of...
c. Remembrance
18-19 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, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
If you are struggling with sin, Satan’s telling you, go ahead, don’t worry about it. When you’re about to give in remember this:
Two thousand years ago the son of God became a man. He lived a life without sin to show us all we were meant to be and then He died in our place. Think about him laying on the cross as they drove the nails in His hands, and in his feet. Think about him being raised up on the cross, hanging by those nails. See him in your minds eye and remember that it was for your sin He died. That blood running down his arms, dripping from His elbows to the ground paid the price for the sin you are contemplating. But somehow I think if you do this little exercise you’ll find it harder to commit that transgression against Him.
Why should you live a life of holiness? Because it wasn’t with Perishable things that you were bought out of the slavery of sin, The price to free you from sin and death was the blood of a spotless Lamb called Jesus.
Conclusion
How to Be Holy:
Heads,
Hands and
Hearts
Why to be Holy:
Readiness
Resemblance
Remembrance
