The Hope of Being Holy

Please open your Bible to 1 Peter Chapter 1.

If you have been with us these past few Sundays…you know that we are working our what through, as a congregation, a verse-by-verse study right now through the book of 1 Peter. This is part of our study this year on Hope for Everyday Life.

We are doing this because each and every one of us, this year, will need to find a place of hope. We will all encounter challenges, difficulties, and things that we may not even have dreamed we would have to deal with this year.

I know for myself, I can point to a number of times this year, already, where God has, at part of his providence and plan, placed situations in my life that are very challenging…and the question that we all need to ask is…in this midst of that…where will we find hope?

We started this study of 1 Pe with our Sr. Pastor Steve Viars coming here and considering that we have hope because of How Long God has cared for us.

We were reminded that, despite our imperfections, God loved us. He loved us in our hard times and will continue to love and care for us.

Then, last week, Pastor Aucoin shared with us the hope of Being born again into a living hope that enabled us to live though hard circumstances with joy.

Some of the same words and concepts from that passage, such as “born again” will appear here…we saw how trials were a purifying of our hearts…to move us away form the things that we love here on earth, to help us love the things of heaven.

This week, we are going to finish chapter 1 and consider r The Hope of Being Holy and we will see with our time 4 Ways Hope brings about holiness in our lives

[Read 1 Peter 1:13-25]

With our time today let’s look at ….

I. Hope prepares you for action (v13)

1 Peter 1:13 ^{- 13} Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

There is an interesting euphemize used here in the Greek….Gird the loins of your mind…

Like the picture is of you having a long tunic/robe and you need to go work…so it’s time to wrap that puppy up.

You might have been resting before…but no more…

Hope, as opposed to despair…actually get’s busy.

When you are in despair…are you normally busy doing something?

When you are in despair…are you thinking…how can I solve this problem?

No…the picture of a person who is hopeful is a person that is geared up and ready for action…he has…as the text would put it…girded up his mind.

It also is a picture of a person focused on something. You are not just randomly doing this…you know that there is a task to be done…and you are getting ready for that very specific and purposeful task.

As we consider this then…let us also keep in mind that Biblical hope is not wishful thinking…it is the conviction and trust of what is promised to come…

Then…what is this action? It is…

Action that has Gospel centered motivation

We saw this verse earlier in our study last week…but it remains us how this action is motivated by what Christa has done for us…

1 Peter 1:3–5 -³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

The first thing we do…in these moments is we consider all that Christ has done for us.

Meaning, when you are in hard times…and you need to gear up your mind…where should you first rest your thoughts…on the gospel.

Should the first thing be how hard the trial is?

Should the first thing be how overwhelming the journey is?

Should the first thing be how everyone and everything is against you?

No, the first thing that we should do, as we gird up our minds…is to remember Christ.

So we look back on what Christ has done…and that secures our hope of what is to come…Think about our inheritance in heaven that we are looking forward to….that is secure because Jesus resurrected from the dead and secured it.

The Living God brought us into a relationship with Him…saved us from eternal death apart from Him….and now we have not just prospects on a good future…but the greatest future…and inheritance that can never decay…

The good news moves up to action…but it is not action that is self-centered and wild and crazy…it is not just making noise and thrashing about…it is…

Action that is focused and sober

Hope moves us to action…and that action is very focused…because….

II. Hope conforms you to God’s character (v14-16)

1 Peter 1:14–16 -¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, ¹⁵ but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; ¹⁶ because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

By responding as obedient children

Peter continues this New Birth…If you have been born again…God is your heavenly Father….Just like a child needs to obey their parents…so are we who have been born again need to grow in an obedient way. Children copy and mimic their parents…

Corinthians 11:1 -¹ Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

Ephesians 5:1 -¹ Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;

If we are going to have an authority that we submit to that is outside of us…that means part of this process of living out our faith means…we must respond by….

By not being conformed by your lusts

Hope says there is something better than what I want…Hope says that what God is doing, what He has promised…that is going to govern my life.

If you are climbing the rock face of El Capitan, you can’t just do whatever you want…you need to climb in a way that is wise, and safe based on the person who is guiding you…So too is the Christian life filled with Joy and Hope when we are not driven and shaped by our own desires….

instead we are to be…

Conformed by God’s holiness – (Leviticus 20:26, Deuteronomy 4:5–8)

This means we identify with Him…we recognize we are His children…He has rescued us for His glory and His purposes…

The book of Leviticus helps God’s people understand after they were rescued from Egypt…How to dwell in the presence of a Holy God….and the impact that was to have on their lives…Be Holy Because I am holy is stated 4 different times in Leviticus…

Leviticus 20:26 -²⁶ ‘Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.

Notice that holiness is all about having a relationship with God where you recognize He is near…and the way He calls you to live with Him at the center of your life… gives you wisdom and understanding and is good…

Deuteronomy 4:5–8 -⁵ “See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. ⁶ “So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ ⁷ “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him? ⁸ “Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?

Living with Hope sends a message to all those around you…about Who your God is…who you are trusting for the Future…

Just like a rock climber…who climbs all the time…The mountain shapes who they are…they only wear Patagonia clothing…their hands are worn and leathery, their muscles are well defined, and they have a permanent sun tan…The mountain has shaped them and you can tell they are a rock climber… So too is the holy character of our God to shape and mold us so others say…that is a follower of Christ.

Holiness in not letting your lusts/desire control you, but rather the holy character of God your father, who caused you to be born again is to conform your whole being, the core of who you are and what you want out of life.

There is great hope…when you are not enslaved to what you want…and we find that what God wants for us…to be close to Him…is infinitely better.

You see Hope restructures your value system…..

III. Hope changes what you value (fear) – (v17-21)

We really value what people think of us…if they think we are good, competent, smart, attractive, funny….Hope is looking forward to being with the Lord…and that means we are to…

Recognize that He is the only judge that matters

1 Peter 1:17 -¹⁷ If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work,…

We have hope because we know God judges rightly…he is not partial….but that means we can’t bribe Him, or manipulate Him, intimidate him or fool him…and that should cause us to have a fear and respect of Him…that He sees our rebellion and He is not be treated as common.

the time of your sojourn,” picturing the Christian’s life in this world as a temporary stay in a foreign country

Our sin against Him can’t be ignored….it must be addressed.

It is really important for Christian’s to….

Understand that Godly fear is good

1 Peter 1:17 …conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;

Proverbs 9:10 -¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 31:30 -³⁰ Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 -¹³ The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.

When someone says to fear the Lord…that means to value and respect the Lord…If you are rock climbing, you are tied in and secure…but that does not mean you can’t get injured.

Many of you know me…I like to joke around a lot…but there are times when there is no joking…If I am operating firearms…there is no joking…when I am driving in traffic or bad weather…I tell my kids…Dad needs to danger right now, this is a dangerous situation…or your climbing, or on a ladder…You still keep going…but you have a respect and a humility that you are dealing with things much more powerful than you…and so it is with walking with the Lord…His power, majesty, holiness should cause us to worship and be in awe and reverence….the highest level of respect.

We should understand that I am a sinner…and because of my sin against God…His holiness should utterly consume me…and I need the greatest of protection against His holy Wrath….That fear gives way to appreciation and thankfulness because…

Godly fear helps us appreciate the precious blood of Christ

1 Peter 1:18–19 -¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹ but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

To be redeemed, means to be bought back…something of value had to be given in your place…This passage reminds us that it was not gold or silver…that is not valuable to pay the debt we owe eternally to a holy God….

What is the most precious thing on earth….it’s life…if you are running from a forest fire…you are not worried about your phone, your watch…you backpack….you are worried about your life…and you are worried about the lives of your children.

Life is precious…and there is nothing more precious that the Life of Christ…the blood of Christ…that was the payment that was required to redeem you and I….it was either your life in Hell forever…or it was the wrath of God poured out on Christ so that He gave His life in your place.

A fear of God…helps you appreciate what had to be paid. Our hope comes from trusting that God paid the price for us…to redeem us and bring us into a relationship with Him.

This changes your whole value system…When a person has hope things change…what is important to you changes…

What we trust in is the most important thing about us

What you trust in defines who you are…how you live your life…it is more important than your last name, more important than your gifts and abilities, more important than any aspect of your life because it impacts every aspect of your life….it defines who you are and how you live…

Peter emphasizes who Jesus is…and He is the most important person in the world, b…so what you think about Him…and if you trust Him….is the most important thing about you.

1 Peter 1:20–21 -²⁰ For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you ²¹ who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

How you respond to trials reveals what you really trust in, what you really believe…and that is more precious than gold…and what you trust in is what brings God glory and honor…

1 Peter 1:6–7 -⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, ⁷ so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

The reality is Hope changes how we think…it changes what influences us and what we fear…it also changes how we love…

IV. Hope refines our love to be enduring – (v22-25)

1 Peter 1:22–25 -²² Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, ²³ for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For, “All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, And the flower falls off, ²⁵ But the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word which was preached to you.

When you have hope…because You have been loved…with a perfect live that you don’t deserve…and you have been accepted and redeemed…that results in love for others.

Hope refines our love…

Because it is based on obedience to the truth

There is something outside of you…that changes your soul….when you agree with God, that you are a sinner and you need to be forgiven and accept His love…you are now operating not on you feelings, but on the truth…of who you are…who God is…and the truth that you need a savior…and Jesus is the one who loves you and died for you…and is coming back to you…

Simply put…

1 John 4:19 -¹⁹ We love, because He first loved us.

This kind of live is different than just attraction….

Because it is based on imperishable seed that have caused you to be born again

If you have trusted Christ…you have been born again…you are a new creation in Christ…and this seed…does not grow like a normal seed, that sprouts, and gets bigger and then dies….it is something that keeps growing forever…and what is to grow is your love for God and your love for others…

Having a hope of heaven changes you…

Because it produces genuine and fervent love toward others

1. Brothers and Sisters in Christ

John 13:35 -³⁵ “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

1. Our enemies

Matthew 5:44–45 -⁴⁴ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Romans 5:8–10 -⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Because it is based on the unchanging and enduring word of God

What someone says to you might change…how someone feels about you might change...but what does not change is what God says about you.

What never changes is the word of God…and so we have Hope…because what God says He will do….raise us up in Christ….give us an eternal inheritance in heaven with Him….what He says he will do…It will never fade away….

May that Give you hope to live with purpose and action for the glory of the Lord.

May the God of Hope conform you to His character….and may you put off what you want out of Life and want the author of life instead.

And may that fill you with such hope…that He loves you and He wants you to be with him…that you overflow with love toward others.

Lets pray…