Living Like No One Else - [1 Peter 1:13-16]

Well, good morning, everyone. Can I just tell you something holy living that is the idea that Christians should not live just like everybody else that is a doctrine that is scorned and ridiculed and minimized.

A friend of mine recently in fact this week sent me a An email where he pointed me to a place on the web where he had written a letter To a pastor that he knows and a sermon that he'd heard and this sermon was called sharing your faith without losing your friends.

This preacher went on to say that we should evangelize By showing the kindness of God not the condemnation. He called the him he was using Matthew as an example, and he called the Pharisees church people.

The Pharisees, Evangelism, and a False View of God

Here's the picture. Those Pharisees are just like people who go to church every week. They have no love. They're judgmental. We have to be different than that. Can I just tell you that is so far removed from a biblical worldview where the Pharisees even believers no.

No, this is this is just a False idea. This is a worldly perspective. As Christians we certainly don't want to offend anyone. I tell everybody all the time when we're evangelizing. We don't want to be the stone of stumbling and the rock of offense, but guess what?

Jesus Christ is the stone of stumbling in the rock of offense. People will be offended. You tell them the truth. They don't want to receive it, and they shake your hand and say gee. Thank you for telling me the truth.

I am so thankful to know that I'm gonna stand condemned before a holy God, and if I don't repent I'm going to go to hell. Thank you. They don't say that. They don't say that. But God is most glorified when we present him as we would like him to be as people want to hear about him as Someone who will pat us on the head and send us on our merry little way.

God is most glorified when we present him as he presents himself. And in the Bible there is no room for doubt about how God is presented, please open your Bibles to 1st Peter chapter 1. Continuing to look at the book of 1st Peter.

Peter writes as an exhortation and encouragement to people who are in part of modern Turkey and are going to come under severe persecution. It's important to keep that in mind all these things. It's not like Peter was writing a list of rules and regulations on how to conduct a holy life.

He was saying listen. Bad times are going to come, but you can have hope and here's how you can have hope. 1st Peter 1 verses 13 to 16 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 as Obedient children do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in ignorance.

But like the Holy One who called you be holy yourselves also in all your behavior. Because it is written You shall be holy for I am holy. My purpose this morning as we walk through this brief passage of four verses is to see two responses that you should have to this passage.

Two responses to this reality of hope in the life of a believer so that you will be both or so that you will both measures yourself against the biblical standard and strive to improve. Analyze yourself look at how you fall short see where you're doing well, and these responses to this passage are first.

Genuine hope biblical. Hope is displayed by action. Secondly genuine. Hope is displayed by obedience. In other words if you are a Christian you will want to honor God in your willingness to think and Act in ways that glorify the one who bought you.

Genuine Hope Is Displayed in Action

First there is genuine. Hope displayed in action. The first word there therefore practically begs for a review. You know the old cliche. What's the therefore therefore? It's a summary of everything they said before.

In one word he says look based on everything that I said in verses 1 to 12. Here's what you need to do about it. I've told you all these truths now. Here's how you act. The first great truth is in verse 1.

God chose you. God chose us as believers. Secondly God's great mercy in causing believers to be born again and Giving us a living hope because of the erection of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's in verse 3.

Thirdly our inheritance is guaranteed by the power of God. So when these trials and tribulations come he said what think about these things. God chose you. God gave you great mercy in causing you to be born again and giving you a living hope in Guaranteeing your inheritance with his own power.

Then he says you should have joy even in the midst of trials and difficulties because of The surety of the promises of God in verses 6 7. Fifthly he says our joy in Christ is because of our faith in him describes faith in verses 8 9 6 our unique privileges.

Last time I spoke we talked about that our unique privileges. We are more privileged than the Old Testament prophets. We are privileged to hear the gospel and we are even more privileged than angels things that angels Long to look in we are living.

Now in writing to believers to encourage them in times of difficulty Peter urged them to first focus on doctrinal truths doctrine the sovereignty of God and salvation. Again, he caused us to be born again.

Peter taught the security of salvation. Cannot lose it. It's secured by the power of God not by our goodness. Why why would he do that? Today, what are we here? We go to churches and we hear doctrine divides.

Oh, why do you have to be such a stickler over doctrine? Why can't we just be loving? Why do we have to have all these kind of divisions and worry about these heavy issues? Well, the Word of God tells us that when we understand rightly what God has done for us.

How blessed you are to be in Christ what a work of God that is and what awaits us when we get to heaven. Then and only then will the trials illnesses emotional heartaches pain persecution and other difficulties of life Become tolerable and by the grace of God you will respond rightly to them.

When we think rightly about God. When we focus on all that he has done for us all that he has given to us and all that he has promised us the difficulties of life are rightly seen as minimal as lasting for a time.

When we're focused entirely upon Christ life is Joyful even in difficult times and Keeping that in mind Peter tells his readers in verse 13. In the New King James, it says to gird up the loins of your mind.

In other words, we're going to get ready for action. Peter wants us to prepare for action prepare your minds for action is what the New America Standard has gird up. The loins of your mind is the actual literal Greek and the picture is as many of you have heard a military one back then.

You know, even that, you know ladies today wear skirts. Well, even the men wore skirts. No, it wasn't skirts, but they wore robes and these robes were long. And if you had to do something quickly, I mean, I wonder about.

I don't know if you've seen This completely aside, but you know having worked in the jails for so long, you know you see these guys these young men wearing these pants that I You know go down so low and I've often wondered, you know, how they could run away from the police when they were wearing those.

And I've seen the videos of them trying to do that and it's not pretty because it's just like one two three, you know. So, you know the times change the fashions change, but then they always come back and these are kind of those kind of things.

But they would wear these robes that were super long. And if you have to run if you have to move quickly and specifically when you were engaging in battle. It wasn't very handy. You get caught up in that and you trip and you'd fall.

So what they would do is they would gird them up. They would pull them up cinch them tight with their belts so that now they can move around and That is the picture here to get ready for action. You do that and you're ready to move quickly.

You're ready to join the battle. So when trouble was anticipated that's what they would do they would pull that up secure it with their belts and they would be ready to roll as we used to say a Peters message is a simple one.

It's not pull up your pants, you know get ready to run. It is push off every encumbrance every hindrance everything in your life. That would prevent you from being fully engaged that would prevent you from being Alert prevent you from being totally devoted to The Christian life it is a call for spiritual alertness when he says girth the loins.

The loins are basically the center of or seen in ancient times as the center of all power of the body. So he's saying listen get ready with all your might be be super focused be ready be alert. Now, how can you be spiritually alert?

How can you be that person that is on the ready ready to go? Well, you can only be as alert as you are informed. In other words, if you don't know something's going on. How are you gonna respond? So what can you do?

Well, the study of Scripture is one way that certainly you can be ready for action. You want to evangelize somebody? You have to study. You have to if you don't know what's in the Bible. How are you gonna share it with anybody?

Let me tell you about the Bible. Can I get back to you next week on that? You want to know how to answer difficult questions study and here's a key. You want encouragement in your life? You want to know how to think rightly.

You want to learn to count your blessings study the Word of God. And may I say that the lack of biblical understanding today? Is a plague in the evangelical church. John Piper wrote that people are starving for the glory of God.

Why did he say that? Because people come in week after week after week and they hear nice messages about. What 15 ways to be a better neighbor? 10 ways to be a better steward of your finances. 6 ways to relieve stress.

How about a message the glory of God the holiness of God? Even the love of God the judgment of God anything about God. Let's focus on God. That's what his people want to hear about. And the sad truth.

Is that most Christians file into church every week and they get bread and water. They don't get meat. But Peter issued this command to individual Christians. We are individually responsible to be alerts to be ready for action.

To prepare our minds for action to put off every hindrance. That would keep us from engaging in spiritual battle. Once we are ready for action He says in verse 13 that we need to stay ready. Look it says right there keep sober in spirit.

You have to be alert and then he says keep sober in spirit. You are to exercise. Spiritual restraint is what that means. It's not a comment on drunkenness but on self-control. Commentator Hebert says the present tense calls for a continuing state or habitual temper of sobriety.

Meaning what? Well, you're not to be tossed about by every wind of doctrine nor by the circumstances of life that will certainly Come to you. Grudem rightly says now get this. Even good things can challenge our spiritual sobriety.

In other words our temperament our steadiness our ability to remain focused on. What we're supposed to be focused on. He lists some of the things that can cause us to lose steadiness. Cause us to lose our state of readiness career possessions recreation reputation friendships scholarship or Authority now these things in and of themselves are not sinful.

But when we allow things to get out of balance what happens? We lose that focus. We lose that steadiness. So many people can put their career in front of everything else it's all about priorities. About keeping your priorities, right and.

This is not an exhaustive list. The overall theme of this is that any single thing too much of anything can be spiritually dangerous. Think about it this way. Peter wants to encourage the Saints to have hope even in the toughest of trials.

So. What would happen? If they were stuck in a rut of sin, or if they neglected the Word of God because they were focused on their career. If trial comes their way if difficulty comes their way, and it will.

Are they going to be ready. Are they going to be focused and the answers no? Pradeep this morning in Sunday school briefly mentioned Job. And I would say this think about all the job lost. What do you lose?

His children his property and even his health. The idea of scraping his skin with pieces of pottery. I mean every time you read that that's painful. Now if he was living a life that was not pleasing to God and Knew that his relationship with the Lord was not right.

How would he respond? Would he respond well or with despair. But Job 1a tells us why he was ready. You don't have to turn there. The Lord said to Satan. Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth a blameless and upright man.

Fearing God and turning away from evil. Job was focused. Job was ready. And the trials and difficulties surely came his way. What did he do. He did well for a long time. Really? Well got a lot of trials a lot of really bad counsel.

He went to our lady of bad counsel and received it over and over and over again. But Job eventually does succumb. But how long would he have held out if he were not blameless and upright. Well, I think it's speculative but certainly not as long he wouldn't have done as well as Christians we struggle when we are in sin.

We struggle when our lives are out of balance. Those things are a distraction. They take us off of our focus. They've caused us to take our eye off the ball so to speak. We know we're not where we need to be we're already struggling and then new issues come into our lives and we are what?

Overwhelmed. Depression sets in. I'm not talking about clinical depression. I'm talking about just an overwhelming sense that I am failing. But when our relationship with Christ is right. When we are sober and steady minded.

The trials and difficulties of life are far easier to handle. Why. Because we have our eyes focused on Christ we don't have to lift or lower our heads because. Our heads are already in the right place.

Our eyes are already focused on him. When you live like no one else in other words when you live a life that is not like the world lives. You will have hope like no one else. You must be sober in spirit in order to remain Spiritually alert you've got to be ready and stay ready.

So if we're going to get ready for action stay ready for action. We also need to keep our vision focused. 13. Verse 13 the end of the verse fix your hope completely. Completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ a biblical hope.

One writer says is a sense of confident expectation an Expectation strong enough for one to get this to act on the basis of it. It's not I hope something will happen. I Have a sense that something good will happen.

It is a confident expectation. Peter writes that we should fix our hope completely on The grace everything that we have we're all in everything that we have is all writing on the grace to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

And If salvation hasn't given you a hope that changes your outlook on life. Can I just tell you I think you have reason to be concerned if you say that you're a Christian and Your outlook on life is no more hopeful than it was before Christ.

You may not be saved. And If your hope is not focused entirely on Christ, what else would you hope in? What else is there? The psalmist writes in Psalm 33 verses 16 18 the king is not saved by a mighty army.

A warrior is not delivered by great strength. A Horse is a false. Hope for victory. Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength? Behold the eye of the Lord is on those who? Fear him on those who hope for his loving-kindness.

These other things the power of an army a horse a delivering horse. Cavalry whatever. Those things do not save. What saves is those who hope for the loving-kindness of God. John MacArthur writes this.

Christians are not to hope half-heartedly or indecisively. But with finality without any equivocation or doubt concerning the promises of God. You know, it's like that old bumper sticker. God said it.

I believe it that settles it. No God said it that settles it that needs to be our mindset. No matter how bad or how good things are going for you right now. Even if you think life is great right now. Better things are coming.

You know, I've said on several occasions during this series life is tough and then you die. Well, what if life is great right now? You're still gonna die and guess what? It's gonna get better. God's promises are true and will be fulfilled at the end of time at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

When he returns all of our hopes are going to be brought to fruition all of them Completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. What greater grace is there? We will stand before God we will plead the blood of Christ and we will spend eternity with him.

What great grace is ours? So number one genuine hope is displayed in action by a mental readiness by preparation by a focus. Action that is exhibited by being ready. By staying ready and by having our vision completely focused on our hope in Christ.

Genuine Hope Is Displayed in Obedience

Secondly genuine hope is displayed in obedience. Again, I just think this is just so amazing. There are people Teaching and this has become quite popular that you can receive Jesus as Savior and then not obey him.

Peter didn't know about this. This was a strange doctrine to him. Paul didn't know about it. None of the writers of the New Testament knew about it and I cannot fathom why the church today would hold this.

Why they would lower the standard genuine hope is displayed in obedience. Look at verse 14 and we'll keep in mind that we should. You should obey your father verse 14 as obedient children. Stop right there.

What a contrast scripture gives us if you are a believer you are to be an obedient child of God. Listen to this before salvation. Ephesians 2 3 we were by nature children of wrath. Apart from salvation.

In other words unsaved people. John 8 44 Jesus says this you are of your father the devil and you want to do the desires of your father. That wasn't very loving of him to say that to those people didn't he know how to embrace them and how to Show them his kindness.

But apart from salvation Unbelievers are not Anything but children of the devil we were after salvation. Ephesians 5 8 says describes us as children of light as opposed to children of darkness. First John 3 2 says now meaning after salvation.

We are children of God. Romans 8 14 describes us as sons of God all of these blessings all of these descriptions of us so may I suggest that there is a contradiction here if we're going to say well, I'm a child of God, but I am a disobedient child of God.

Now am I saying that you know, I'm a Christian and therefore I don't sin. No, in fact, I had a good laugh Some time ago with Jerry about that listen Christian sin, that is not the issue, but Christians do not delight in sin.

Christians sense the weight of their sin. Christians long to be delivered from sin like Paul. We say who will deliver us from this body of death. We long to be in heaven because we will no longer sin.

We will no longer offend God and we long for that day. Do we have a perfect Heavenly Father? Absolutely is Rebellion, I mean certainly children rebel, but is rebellion against a perfect father something that can be taken lightly.

A perfect father who has Adopted us has brought us into his family. And let me tell you something sin is Not a boo-boo not a mistake. It is rebellion against God and Given the overall theme of the letter of Peter hope we show our trust in and love for Christ.

By obeying him We have put our lives. We have entrusted ourselves fully to Christ. Our hope is fully in him and we therefore obey him. Jesus said If you love me, I don't care if you keep my commandments or not.

No, he said if you love me, you will do what keep my commandments. We can say that we love Christ, but what shows it? In fact first John 1 9 says if you. It's in first John. I'll struggle with the exact address, but if you say That you love God and you don't obey.

What does John say? That's okay. He says you're a liar literally in back at first Peter this phrase Translated here as obedient children or obedient children is children of obedience and as a common description of believers in the Old Testament and the New Testament and it indicates That obedience is a characteristic.

It is just a natural. It's in the DNA of believers to obey and That's what we ought to expect as believers. In other words sinning is not something that we just treat lightly. Children inherit to one degree or another the nature of their parents.

Our Father in heaven is absolutely holy. We are to obey him. 2nd Peter 1 4 again Peter on this says. For by these he has granted to us his precious and Magnificent promises so that by them you become partakers of the divine nature.

Having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust We have been granted the ability to obey God by virtue of his gift of faith. We've been grafted into the family of God and obedience is our Response.

It should be our response. Notice also that ignorance is not an excuse. I didn't know any better. Verse 14 again do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance. Peter cannot be more clear.

Salvation changes our attitudes and our actions. Christians are to put off their evil desires. Listen there are things that we used to do that appealed to us. There are things that we even live for. Things that we most desired and you cannot.

Peter tells us go back to them. The verb conformed here is in the middle voice indicating that is something that you do to yourself. Do not be conformed. In other words don't. You yourself conform yourself to the former lust.

Stop doing that put it off. Notice also he doesn't blame the devil. Hey, don't let Satan conform you into the image of your former lust. No, don't you do it? You are responsible. You sinned everything you did before salvation was sin, but it was in ignorance and you no longer have that excuse.

Now just as a footnote. I absolutely love this. I couldn't pass it up. In the Greek the root word for ignorance is The same word that applies to agnostics. So when somebody says I'm an agnostic, I it always just makes me laugh because they're basically saying I'm ignorance.

I don't really get that. I don't know why anybody wouldn't want that label but this this whole focus here is very reminiscent of acts 1730 where Paul is preaching at the Ariake bus. I could say it Mars Hill.

And he says therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent. The times of ignorance Lacking understanding are over. It is time to repent and for us.

We can no longer say that we were ignorant at all because we know Christ. We've been called by him. We also need to emulate the caller. We need to be like the one who called us. Look at verse 15. But like the Holy One who called you be holy yourselves.

Now it's easy to skip this this word the one who called you this verb here As simply being just another called a holy living. And the verb they're called Means that the dictionary definition is from the meanings summon and Invite.

There develops the set the extended sense choose for receipt of a special benefit or Experience. In other words God who is the Holy One? Called us he Extended or he he chose us for receipt of a special benefit or experience.

And what is that special benefit or experience that special benefit is? Salvation. And Peter uses this verb several times in first Peter. I'm gonna go through them quickly first Peter 2 9, but you are a chosen race a Royal priesthood a holy nation a people for God's own possessions so that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

He has Removed you from the darkness and into the light first Peter 2 21 for you have been called for this purpose. What purpose is that? Since Christ also suffered for you leaving you an example for you to follow in his steps.

First Peter 3 9 for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing first Peter 5 10. After you have suffered for a little while the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ.

Will himself perfect confirm and establish you? So why is it important? Why is it going to give you a sense of? Hope a sense of comfort and difficulty to remember that it is you who have been called as believers.

Because it shows God's purpose in choosing you and the right response to his choosing again. Look at those verses 2 9 or listen to them. The purpose out of the darkness into his marvelous light. What is our response to that?

We've been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of lights not by our own work, but by God's mercy. How do we respond with joy with adoration with hope 221 called for the purpose of following the example of the Savior who suffered for us and He didn't complain while he was doing so.

Response. So we will respond as he did to unjust treatment. You talk about a great encouragement in times of trial. Look to the one who saved you act like he did First Peter 3 9 the purpose to inherit a blessing again.

Response. Joy. Overwhelming joy and understand what God has done on our behalf. Adoration loving him and hope in times of trial 5 10 the purpose the glory of God. Responding in joy adoration and hope.

God gets glory out of saving us. It was God's eternal purpose. He called us. For what reason he saved us. For what reason that he might glorify himself. That God has called us is not a divisive doctrine.

That he has a purpose in calling us is not some intellectual exercise. He chose us to bestow blessings upon us, but ultimately he chose us for his glory. We are the beneficiaries of it. We will suffer for a little while.

But if we were chosen to be conformed in the likeness of Christ God himself will bring this about for his glory and our benefits. Again Peter's purpose to provide hope. Encouragement in times of trial.

Is this encouraging. God chose you? To receive a special benefit or experience namely salvation from the eternal torment you deserve and the promise of eternal life with Jesus Christ. He took you away from hell gave you heaven.

Is that encouraging? We also need looking again at verse 15 to be integrated. We need to live an integrated life a holy life 15 be. Be holy yourselves also in all your behavior. Can I stress that this is not?

About removing the playing cards or the dice from your house. It's not about avoiding movies that are rated higher than G or listening to music with the you know some of them electric guitars. There is no Bifurcation there is no division in life between the holy and the secular.

Again look at that be holy yourselves in all your behavior. There is nothing in your lives that God is unconcerned about on the positive side you are called to live as if God is watching you all the time because he is our conduct our lives 24 hours a day seven days a week should consistently Reflect the perfectly holy God and father who called us and has given us such great blessings.

Ask yourselves these questions anytime you're going to do anything. Well what I'm about to do glorify God. Well what I'm about to do. Cause me to stumble. In other words am I just greasing the skid for me to go into sin?

Third question well what I'm about to do cause others to stumble. Regardless of my rights my freedom in Christ am I intentionally inflicting distress on someone else? One commentator says this though absolute holiness can never be achieved in this life.

Perfection. We're never going to be perfect. All Areas of life should be in the process of becoming completely conformed to God's perfect and holy will. Is there a part of your life that you just want to hang on to?

God you can have this you can have that but don't take that don't touch it. I like it. Just the way it is. What we desire? What we want and what we do reflect our Christ likeness our holiness or our lack of it.

Again Christianity is not a set of rules. I would say this if you want a religion full filled with rules you can go to Islam. They tell you how to do everything how to eat how to use the restroom everything from A to Z.

In The New Testament we have two commandments. Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. May I submit we can't even obey those two but rather than water things down rather than simply present God as a God of love as Someone who wants to be our buddy.

I mean I remember listening to a message While I was in Israel about about Peter Getting out of the boats walking on the water falling in Jesus Picking him up and the the thrust of this message was Jesus wants to have a relationship with you.

I'm going that has nothing to do with the passage zero. Nothing, but that's the that's the way Jesus has presented now as your buddy. Hold the standard high present God as he is. God is holy. Verse 16 because it is written you shall be holy for I am holy.

Now what's the definition of holiness? We've talked about it at length his separation From all that is morally impure and evil and actually it's just the the overall Definition would be that he's just a whole level that we can't even imagine in all of his attributes.

He's holy in his love. He's holy in his wrath. Everything about God is holy. So that's the beginning of it we have to understand what holiness is. But secondly Please note in that verse verse 16 where it says it is written.

It's in the perfect tense. The Greek verb is in the perfect tense meaning that it was written in the past and it has continuing results. It was written it remains written. The first time God said you shall be holy for I am holy was in Leviticus it was in Written by Moses thousands of years ago.

That has not changed. It was written. It stands written. It was true. It remains true. Why would anyone seek to minimize what God says about himself? God calls his people to be holy to reflect his holiness his separateness.

Israel was given the law for what reason. So they'd have a bunch of stuff to do to keep them happy and so they could feel like they were kind of working their Way to heaven. No. It was so that the nation's all around them would hate them.

Is that shocking? Ephesians 2 verses 14 to 16 for he himself talking about Jesus is our peace who made both groups talking about Gentiles and Jews into one into the church and Broke down the barrier of the dividing wall by a polishing by abolishing in his flesh the enmity.

Which is the law of commandments contained in ordinances so that in himself He might make the two into one new man thus establishing peace and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross by having put having it.

By it having put to death the enmity the enmity was between the Jews and Gentiles and it was caused by the law. They had all these rules and regulations. Why so that the people around them would not like them.

We don't live under the law. But we are called to be holy. Separate to act differently than the world to live like no one else. If you're living like a Christian your co-workers your friends. The people that you interact with on a regular basis should not be completely comfortable around you.

What did Jesus say if they hate me they're going to love you. They're gonna hate you too. The more you reflect Christ the more they're going to hate you. If they hate God's rulership if they don't like God's rules.

So they don't like God's laws as evidenced by their complete rebellion against him. Will they not hate his heirs his children? Holiness. A life marked by holiness has a cost. And that cost is enmity with the enemies of God.

We don't want them to not like us. But they're probably not going to in essence. Peter would say this rejoice in trials. Focusing completely on the blessings God has given you. Even so live lives that are in keeping with your calling as the children of God.

Even if that means additional trials in other words by living a holy life you might bring additional trials upon yourself. What should you do. Rejoice. Why? Because in reflecting God to an unsaved world if they despise you.