Be What? - [1 Peter 1:13-16]

The Hope of Inheritance Versus Despair

Lord, we thank you. We praise you once again for an opportunity to hear from your word. Lord, it is a word that you did not have to give to us. Yet you chose Out of your goodness out of your mercy out of your grace to provide a message to man.

So that we could be saved. Lord, we thank you for this word. We ask that you would just bless those who are here tonight. We ask that you would be with those who are out camping still she would bless the time that they have give them safety.

And Lord, we just humbly ask you to take this message and allow us to just Learn from it and know you even better and we ask all these things your only precious name. Amen. I'm gonna take my watch off just because I don't think I can I can see it over there, but Put it up here on the side.

So I'm gonna open the message today. We'll get into the text in just a second. I'm gonna open the message today with two illustrations and I want you to think about these as they'll probably assist as we go through the text as.

To what Peter was trying to get across? To the people that he wrote the book to initially. So the first illustration is this. Imagine if you would I know most of us probably have when we were a child imagine being born into a fairly wealthy family.

For myself again Bill Gates from Microsoft. It could be someone like Warren Buffett or the Rockefellers or one of those other famous families that you might be aware of. Now imagine you were born into this family again, you would have a want for nothing in most cases the wealth and the Respect that the family would have you would be pretty much set in life.

And you would have a security being part of that family. Even in times where others may be suffering that you may see in the world now imagine. Around your 13th birthday 14th birthday, whatever that might be your parents sit you down and they say We have something important to tell you your inheritance our money and everything that you had hoped for in the future is Going to our pet cat fluffy.

So fluffy now gets everything and you now get nothing. Again growing up. It would be a tragedy. It would be something that you would turn around and say, what do you mean? Where is our hope? Where's my hope that I had?

What did I trust in as? I had no need in the past and now fluffy will have lots of toys and food. I'm sure Now may not be too surprising some of you may have even read That there was a lady recently who donated three million dollars to her dog and 1 million to her beloved son because he did not deserve the rest.

So it's not very far-fetched but think of how that would really bring you to Just despair in a lot of ways you would have no hope you would have lost. The hope that you had trusted in since you were born and that's all you knew, right?

You didn't know any hard work. You got everything you needed and now you'll have to fend for yourself. It's a it's a very different thing. Your hope has been replaced with other memories now you now instead of tranquility you now have doubt and fear and Worry, so let's move off from fluffy and let's say now imagine you are a child Very poor your parents died at an early age.

You probably didn't know them. You had nothing you grew up in disease and poverty. You didn't know where your next meal was coming from you owned nothing. Your hope your future. Hope was really for just a quick and painless death, which oftentimes would not come most times people in that situation who suffer through Starvation or disease suffer very painful and horrible deaths.

But imagine now that and again, this is a story just a illustration. So bear with me, but imagine now a king comes by and Decides to adopt you into his house to become his child. Your world's now turned upside down a lot of ways.

Your needs have changed your desires have changed your hopes have changed. You now are given whatever you wish. As you mature you get to speak on behalf of the king himself. You now are living in a palace again without any needs or any wants.

Your future is secure. Because you're now a child of the king. And again, this isn't rare at times it has happened where people from poverty have been taken back and and have been adopted by children or by kings and.

And in this case in The second illustration the adopted child now has a hope currently and even a hope into the future. It's not just an immediate hope but it is a hope that will be lasting. So let me ask you this question.

Just think about this as to which of these two children. Would you rather be? Would you like to have the immediate pleasure knowing that all your things will go to fluffy or would you prefer instead? To have maybe suffered and had pain trouble Tribulations and yet know that we can have a future hope of glory.

So we'll be talking about some of this as we go through the message today. Keep those two stories in mind. But I have a couple other questions to ask you first. Some of you are parents here and I probably said this some of you who are not parents have probably heard their parents say this.

You probably heard things such as Be good. Right. Your parents have told you be good. Be nice be friendly, right some of the bees and Society and the worldview. What do they tell us? They tell us to be successful to be rich.

The military even says be all you can be but the question and what we're going to be talking about today is Most important for the Christian and that is what does God say we are to be and we'll be looking at that today.

Peter’s Call to Be Holy in 1 Peter 1:13-16

So the scripture in many places the one we'll be looking at here this evening commands God's children to be Holy and the reason for this is quite clear in the scripture. It says we are to be holy because God himself is holy and today we're going to look at holiness.

And how Christians can be holy like our Father in heaven. I would pray for you who are here today Christians that you would be encouraged by this. Hope we know that there are many trials. There are many tribulations going on in people's lives not only here in the local church, but around the world.

And I pray for those here who are not Christians that You would be pricked by hearing what future hope we have and That you would have a desire to be holy as God is holy. For the Christian the Bible promises eternal life with our Father our Savior our King yet for the unbeliever.

The scripture is clear that it promises eternal punishment apart from God. I Know which place I would rather put my hope in. How about you? So let me give you some background information. We're gonna be looking at the book of first Peter so you can open your Bibles if you like to first Peter.

But I want to provide just a little bit of background really quick on the book of first Peter. The overall context of the book of first Peter is encouragement to Christians who are being persecuted. This was a time when Christians were losing the houses losing their families losing their inheritance and Some losing their lives for faith that they had in Jesus Christ.

I Have to say that it was not their quote best life now quote. This persecution continues today in our religious in a very many region. Excuse me many regions within the world. And we even see it coming more and more to the u .s. As this country becomes more secular.

Peter's desire in the book of first Peter was to teach believers that suffering and trials no matter how hard they may be are only Temporal. The Christian needs instead to focus on the riches and we're not talking monetary riches here.

But the riches promised to the children of God which are eternal and greater than anything we could imagine. Remember as Christians we are adopted into the family of the king of kings. He is the sovereign over all.

How much better is that than even the initial story of the king in my illustration? Which may just be Sovereign of a small area. This is the king of kings who has adopted us if we if you are a child of God.

Peter is often called by historians the Apostle of hope. He's seen always encouraging Christians to live in a way that is pleasing to God no matter what they face here on earth. And Hope is something that is based hope is something that is not based on feelings.

But it's the continued believing in the promises of God that we see in the scripture. We have to put our trust and our hope in the work of Jesus Christ as we will see later in our text. Peter's key theme in the book is for believers to remain focused on the future.

Hope. Because of the finished work of Jesus Christ his death his resurrection. And I hope this book will be as encouraging to those back then who read it and heard it. As it was for myself as I studied it.

Remember again, and you'll hear it over and over as I talk that no matter what your struggles are today There is a hope that is better there is a future hope and That's the hope of heaven. We serve a great and sovereign God.

Preparing Your Minds for Action and Setting Your Hope Fully

So let's take a look at the text. We'll be studying tonight open with me to your Bibles to first Peter chapter 1 verses 13 through 16 and read along with me if you would as I read the text and we'll see why historians call Peter the apostle of hope starting in verse 13 chapter 1 therefore.

Preparing your minds for action and being sober minded set your hope. Fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.

But as he who called you is holy. You also be holy in all your conduct. Since it is written verse 16. You shall be holy for I am holy. Wow, what a great passage packed with scripture packed with doctrine trues and direction Peter provides.

But before we can proceed We have to look at the very first word if you look at the first word in your text. It's either going to say something like therefore or wherefore. That word in of itself should be telling you in your mind as you're reading through scripture and studying it.

Therefore what Peter? What were you talking about before that? What should we look at? What did you want us to know? What comes after usual what therefore is some instruction? So we need to know what's important in verses 1 through 12 of chapter 1.

To understand the scriptural context of why and what Peter is trying to tell us. So just quickly I'm going to give you a little bit of information about verses 1 through 12 and that is Peter exhorting his readers to live godly lives.

As Peter lets the reader know that all of one's hope must be founded upon the work of Jesus Christ and the promises given to the believer. Does not the scripture say that God cares for his children more than the birds and the flowers?

Are we not created differently as mankind is the only created thing made in God's image. We are an icon of God. Peter wants his reader to focus their attention upon the perfect work of Christ and one's future hope of heaven and glory.

Again, no matter the trials that they were facing. They were very different from the trials we are facing today. But we still face trials. You're gonna hear me over and over say words such as hope and holy glory future these are key words to Peter's message both in verses 1 through 12 and The verses we'll be looking at here 16 or a 13 through 16.

I hope you don't get tired of those words. One commentator said it clearly when he said the word. Therefore moves the reader from statement to application and we're going to be looking at the application that Peter has given to us in our text.

Although we're going to be looking at verses 13 through 16 of 1st Peter chapter 1 I'll actually want to turn our attention first to verses 16 15 and 16. Well, we'll see the key point and the command Peter wants his readers to understand.

If you take anything away from this message take away what we see and read in verse 15 and 16. We're to understand that this is a command from God that his children are required to obey. It is not optional.

Look back with me again at your Bibles and Read with me in verse 15 and 16 again as it says verse 15. But as he who called you is holy you also be holy in all your conduct. Since it is written. You shall be holy for I am holy.

God commands his children to be holy. So let me ask you the question. Do you feel holy today? I know I've said it over and over going through the text. But for the Greek students again in verse 15 and 16, those are imperatives meaning that is a direct command from God.

We are to be holy as Christians it's equivalent to a policeman given an order. You have a choice to obey or not to obey. But remember there's consequences either way. But what good is a command if you don't understand what it means?

If a police officer told you to essentially modal your dirks. You would say what how do I do that? What do you mean? Such a command would be hard to obey. So we need to first understand. What's holiness?

What does it mean to be holy? It's used often in Christian circles. But if a mature if a less mature Christian came to you today and said I need to obey this command that God has given me. What does it mean to be holy.

Could you answer them again? We see this in Christian circles oftentimes, but when people are asked what does holiness mean? They often see it as something that's kind of a theory all out there. It's hard to define.

Again, holiness is not a suggestion or just a good idea that we're to strive for. God says in the Bible that those who are his children will obey his commands meaning that his children will be holy. I know many of you will be thinking of different holy things out there and in a postmodern world.

Can't we just make it say what it what we want it to be. Do we really have to define it? I mean we have things such as holy water. Holy sand. Holy dirt. Holy undergarments, holy utensils. Holy oil. Holy cows.

They could go on. The words used so often in various means and for ways. So I ask you the question. What is holiness? I'd like to take a quote from Warren Wiersbe. He said happiness not holiness is the chief pursuit of most people today including many professed Christians.

What a sad but true quote that is. Most of us want happiness. We want our best life now. We want what we deserve. We want the blessings of God. But we want happiness not holiness. And I hope as we look through our text more tonight.

That you're gonna understand the difference between happiness and holiness as they are not the same things Peter's People that or the audience that Peter wrote to were not often happy. But they were striving to be holy.

Spurgeon actually said quote. I believe the holier a man becomes the more he mourns over his unholiness which remains in him. Do you mourn daily over your unholiness as Paul did? Let's take a quick look at the definition of the word and Because I'm an engineer by trade.

I hate to say this. I like my stats and my numbers. So I'm gonna throw you out a couple stats and numbers here. I looked up a few frequent words Along with the word holy just to see how many times they appeared in the pages of Scripture.

I looked up the word sin love heaven and holy and Found the results somewhat interesting. I will have to state as an engineer just because something appears many times doesn't mean that it is important.

But it's something we should probably understand. The word sin in the ESV is used 764 times in 656 verses and if you want see me afterwards I can show you the breakdown between Old and New Testament. Love is used in the ESV 745 times in 652 verses.

Heaven is used in the ESV 734 times in 690 verses and The word holy is used 698 times in 626 verses. Nearly 700 times this word holy is used in the scriptures. I think we should best understand what it means.

Erdsman's Bible Dictionary says the following of the word holy. It's usually translated from two different words one Greek and one Hebrew. The Hebrew root word suggests cutting off or separation in Cultic usage separation from the mundane existence and for the service of worship of God in later usage It came to mean primarily the separation of holy otherness of God himself in relation to everything creaturely for a little simpler definition.

Tyndale's definition says this holiness is The chief attribute of God and equality to be developed in his people. The primary Old Testament word for holiness means to cut or to separate. Fundamentally holiness is a cutting off or a separation from what is unclean and a consecration to what is pure.

Endquote. So we see from the Bible That only God is holy and based on the above definition. It's clear why God himself would be called holy in the pages of Scripture. It shows his complete difference his otherness his separation.

He cannot be defiled by sin. He is unable to sin. It describes God's transcendence for those who like the big words We See in the scripture his eminence his closeness to man, but the holiness of God is showing his otherness from his Creation that he is the creator and that is what makes him God.

As we'll see God himself is the definition of holiness. It is not the other way around. It's one reason God commands his children to be holy that if you are a child of the king you are expected to be set Apart separate different and pure from the things that would defile you or that would go against what the king taught.

Remember that only mankind was made in the image of God and because we reflect his image We are to be holy as he is. Holy you are commanded and expected to reflect him in your life if you are his child.

Are you. I found it interesting that Tyndale's Bible Dictionary said that the holiness is the chief attribute of God. We do not read in the Bible that the angels gathered around the throne said things such as love love love.

Or do we hear them crying out things such as wrath wrath wrath or grace. Grace grace and as R .C. Sproul had said or even justice justice justice. All of those are attributes of God. All of those are ascribed to him.

All of those are things that the angels could have easily stated. Yet, what did they cry out? They cried out. Holy Holy Holy. We need to remember that in Hebrew Repeating of words provides emphasis. We don't see the angels crying out just holy and we don't see them crying out.

Holy. Holy. We see them instead crying out. Holy. Holy. Holy which displays just how holy God is. Think about even whenever we say the Lord's Prayer Hallowed be thy name. He's holy be thy name. We're ascribing holiness to God.

If you look at all the false gods out there, you see unholy unrighteous and unjust gods. That's God with lowercase g That were created by unholy unrighteous and unjust men. It is God's holiness which sets him apart from all false gods and false religions.

What a wonderful God we have a privilege to serve. On a side note you may find it interesting that holiness is also ascribed to every part every one of the Trinity. Christ, of course the Holy Spirit and God himself are all in the pages of Scripture Said to be holy and yet the Bible says only God is holy.

It's a perfect description of the Trinity. A .W. Tozer said it well when he said quote God's holiness is not simply the best we know and definitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness it stands apart unique unapproachable incomprehensible and unattainable.

Holy is the way God is. To be holy does not conform to a standard. It is the standard. Tozer also said the true kiss the true Christian ideal is not to be happy. It's to be holy. I hope this brief overview of God's holiness provides you with some Understanding of what the word holy means and why we are to be holy and how it can only be attributed to God.

So you may be asking yourself, but I thought the Bible said God and man are about as far apart as anything could be prior to salvation. How could God ask us to be holy when the pages of Scripture are clear that the cross to the unsaved is foolishness moronic.

The unregenerate man is at enmity with God. We're at war with him. The natural man is dead in his sin and trespasses. We have a heart that's deceitfully wicked. Those who are not saved are called children of the devil.

So how can God expect someone in this state of being? To be holy God expects it not of the unregenerate, but God expects it of his children. And you may be asking yourself, but hasn't God set a standard that's just too high that will never be able to please him.

And he's really just a mean cosmic God who wants to see us fail so that he can have pleasure and punishing us for it. To quote the Apostle Paul out of context may it never be. I would agree that God's intentions.

And I think you would too are not in this verse. Something that we are unable to obtain. But it's clear from what Peter says. We are commanded to be holy. And I'm gonna break it down into a couple areas as to how we can be holy how man himself can be holy.

But turn with me once again to chapter or to a verse 15 and it says. But as he who called you is holy you also be holy in all your conduct. Since it is written you shall be holy for I am holy. Although we're commanded to be holy by God in these two verses we are commanded to be holy.

Not by our own strength or ability. Look in the text. It says as he who called you. Just as in your calling of salvation the children of God. We did not raise ourselves from the dead as Christ did. Instead it is by God's grace his mercy and the pot and his power alone that reached down and saved us.

That permits us to even be holy. He's the one that made us alive and it is only by God's power that we can be holy. It is because of Christ's power over sin and death. Through the resurrection and indwelling of the Holy Spirit that the children of God could ever even hope to be holy.

Again our text says he who called you. It's important to know that we cannot be holy by using our own power. If we do we will fail. Just as any works-based attempt fail in salvation we must lean on the strength and power that can only come from the one who first called us as Children to obey his command to be holy and that is God himself.

Many of you here understand the three stages of salvation. And no, I'm not preaching something heretical here, I think Steve would stop me first. But there are things such as you were once saved. Regeneration the actual changing of our selves.

Right. Christ saved us in the past. You're continuing to be saved in the present. That's our sanctification and We have a future hope of ultimate salvation of heaven which comes in glorification. This command to be holy Can only be applied to our sanctification and ultimately only be come to fruition in Our glorification we can strive to be holy.

But until we are with God in heaven where we can no longer sin will we ever ultimately be holy? We will continue to struggle on this earth with sin. But we must trust in the power of God to work in our lives.

To make us want to be more holy than we are. We see again from our text that holiness is not by one's own power. And now let's look at a second reason. How man can be holy as God commands us? Secondly as a Christian we are to imitate and Display God's character as his children and that includes his holiness his main attribute.

Verse 16 could not make this point any clearer. It says quote since it is written. You shall be holy for I am Holy, I know that many of you here are afraid to admit I'm sure my parents would be too that your children often mimic your own traits.

And you've probably seen that before. Some of those are good traits. Some of those are bad traits even adopted children. Who may not look like their adopted parents ideally? Grow up to mimic their mannerisms and their traits.

Children pick up on what they know best and their parents. Are where most kids get a lot of their information until they grow up as Christians. We are to act as our Heavenly Father does as we see in the pages of Scripture.

Says we are to be icons. Mirrors images of God himself and he made us in his image. How can we blasphemy that by not being holy or trying to be holy ourselves by the power of God? Again even though children oftentimes will fail and fall short of our expectations.

It's the same with God. He knew from the beginning That Eve was going to take the fruit. He knew what was going to take place in Sodom and Gomorrah. He knew that Moses would fail him so many times in the desert.

He knew Pharaoh was going to hold captive his chosen people. He knew that the children of Israel were going to disobey him so many times. He knew his chosen people would cry out one day to crucify Jesus and demand his death.

He knew the times the Apostles would fail him and he knew that we as his children Would at times fall short of his expectations to be holy. Augustine said let the acts of the offspring. Indicates similarity to the father.

God commands us to be holy and we are to mimic that. Look back at the verse and you will see it says. Quote. You shall be holy. The word shall says we should have a desire to be holy. It should be what we want more than anything else is to be like our father.

It's something that we as Christians will want at all times. We'll want to it'll become a part of our new nature to be holy. To be like our God as I said earlier if you were child of God God expects you to act like a child of his and not like a child of the devil.

Yet there are times we will fall short of his expectations and his holiness, but God's grace his patience and his love Will hope to bring us back To his holiness. So first we saw that it's not by our own power that we are holy.

We must need to full put our needs fully and trusting in the power of God for his holiness. And secondly, we saw that we should be holy because God himself is holy and we would want to mimic our father.

Now let's move to a third reason and that will be to believe the promises of Scripture just briefly. We need to trust in the promises that Scripture gives us to be holy. We ourselves as we saw earlier cannot achieve holiness, but we can fall upon the promises laid out in the pages of Scripture.

That give us this future hope of glory. To learn from the mistakes of others and learn from the promises that God has given so long ago in the pages of the Bible. We can read the Bible and just see how gracious God was towards his children as any father is towards his own children.

His promise is found in the pages of Scripture give the Christian hope no matter what they may be and what may be happening to them. You might not have a job. You may have illness marriage issues money issues other issues.

But yet you can trust fully in God that he will keep his promise of a future. Hope of eternal glory in heaven for his children as we read and study the Bible more. We can see that God has never reneged or called for take backs.

When it comes to his promises God's promises will always become true. So those are the three key areas and reasons one should strive to be holy. We saw that man cannot be holy on their own strength. We must trust in Christ and in God.

We saw that a Christian That the children of God are to be like their father icons and mirror them. And lastly we saw that we can fall back on the promises of the Bible as many did during the persecution as Peter wrote this text.

Girding the Mind, Sobriety, and Hope in Christ

So you may be asking yourself now now that I better understand some of this. I Really would like some practical advice. How can I be more holy? How can I live a life that's pleasing to God? And I'm glad you asked.

I Can assure you you do not want my advice. But I think you would like to have Peter's advice that I'll share with you and we're gonna look at verses 13 and 14 of our text that we read earlier and that is our practical advice.

So in our remaining time I'll examine just what you need to do to be more holy as we are commanded by God. So let's begin to look at this practical advice that Peter Often references in his text as if you read if you read much of Peter He will often reference scripture at the end of Advice that he's already given the practical side then he'll give scripture.

And what we read in verses 16 were was the scripture that he quoted from Leviticus 11 44 through 45. So now let's take a step back and look at what practical things Peter says We can do as Christians to be more holy.

So step back with me to verse 13 first of all. Many many Christians new Christians were people who are looking for their quote hell insurance quote. They just want to sit around and do nothing after they've gotten saved.

They know that I've got my insurance I'm paid up and I have nothing else to do. I might as well just sit back. And I'll wait for Christ's return as we're promised in the pages of Scripture. But you cannot be.

You cannot be more like your Heavenly Father without understanding and studying the scriptures more and more daily. We can't have a hope just to win our own minds. We need to understand what God has promised us in the pages.

As silly as it sounds to a majority of you. That's exactly what many people call themselves Christians want to do. They want to sit and do nothing. It reminds me of the bumper sticker theology that says let go and let God.

I Can tell you that Peter would not agree with such a bumper sticker theology and neither should we? Look with me at verse 13 and we'll see what Peter has to say about let go and let God. I Will give you a hint.

It doesn't say to verse 13 says. Therefore preparing your minds for action and being sober minded. Let your hope full set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Peter says prepare your minds for action. He doesn't say anything about becoming a spiritual couch potato. The word used here for prepare is often translated elsewhere in the scripture as gird. It's a similar word that was given to the Israelites when they were told at the night of Passover.

To gird their loins be ready be ready for action. Be ready to move at any moment. To put it in context. Let me tell you a bit about the word prepare a gird and I'm sure most of you know that in the Bible times Men wore tunics or robes.

Long-flowing robes usually would go. One or two piece would go all the way down to the ankles. It was a very loose-fitting garment but oftentimes it would hinder motion. A person would not be able to run jump or Do other activities climb.

Maybe it would impede those activities. Going into battle dress this way would be one of the most difficult things to ever accomplish. It Was not unusual for men who were getting ready for action or battle for a fight.

To gird up their tunics by taking the four corners turning them around and tucking them into their belt. Which would be another piece of clothing they would wear on the outside. It would help to Stop impeding their motion their action.

It would take their long robe and turn it into almost like a knee-length skirt similar to what the Romans often wore. It free the person to move. I'll tell you that if I saw a person looking at me while girding up their loins I'd be doing the same thing and ready to run the other direction.

Because they are getting ready. They're being active. It's something that's coming and Peter is saying here That we need to be ready. We need to take action. We can't sit on the let-go let God type of theology.

Peter's not using this word in a literal sense. He's not telling his readers here to wear tunics and prepare to gird them when we are going into battle. The phrase is merely a metaphor telling us to gird up our minds or prepare our minds for the future.

Hope of glory. We're to be ready. You can be more holy by getting yourself ready for the return of Christ. Focusing on that and understanding the eternal hope of glory. If that's your focus in your mindset, you will not fret the temporal things of this world.

Look to the eternal. How silly would it be for a person in that time to gird their loins in preparation for battle and sit down on the couch? and watch TV. It wouldn't be proper. When you took the time and action to gird your loins you were saying both internally and externally you were ready for a fight.

You're ready for action. You weren't sitting there doing nothing. And as a Christian we are to be ready by being holy. Focusing on the things of God. You as a child of the king or not to rest on what you already know about God and your glorification like the infamous bumper-sticker you need to always be ready to battle the worldview as the world becomes more secular and Christianity becomes more of a outcast.

We need to know our Bibles and understand them and know what God wants. And we are to be more holy. We are to focus our attention on the things of Christ. By doing this we will have a desire to be more godlike more like his icon his image his mirror.

Some commentators said this portion of scripture could be translated into a today into today's language by saying. Roll up the sleeves of your mind and get to work. So first you need to be active. Ready for action by girding up your mind.