Hope and Holiness 09/24/2023

First Baptist Church Leominster

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:36

Our New Testament reading today is Romans 13. We're in this portion of Romans where there's practical instruction that is given.

00:51

And here we have exhortation of the apostle for us to be subject to our governmental leaders and then instruction to love our neighbors and then concluding exhortation to put on Christ particularly in view of the difficult times in which

01:13

Christians live. Romans 13, let every soul be subject to the governing authorities for there's no authority except from God and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

01:27

And therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

01:37

For rulers are not a terror to good works but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority?

01:46

Do what is good and you will have praise from the same. For he is

01:52

God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid for he does not bear the sword in vain for he is

02:02

God's minister and avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

02:09

Therefore you must be subject not only because of wrath but also for conscience sake. For because of this you also pay taxes for they are

02:19

God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

02:37

Oh no one anything except to love one another for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

02:43

For the commandments you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet.

02:53

And if there is any other commandment or all summed up in this say namely you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

03:02

Love does no harm to a neighbor and therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

03:09

And do this knowing the time. It is high time to awake out of sleep for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

03:18

The night is far spent, the day is at hand and therefore let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light.

03:28

Let us walk properly as in the day not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy but put on the

03:39

Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts.

03:47

Let's pray. Our father in these days we see there is a great deal of resistance and rebellion to ordained authority, civil authority and we just pray our

04:05

God that this spirit of rebellion would not characterize any of us but rather we would recognize that you have ordered society and appointed persons in authority to govern and to administer justice.

04:20

Whether or not they're faithful to their calling is really immaterial, help us our

04:26

God to be faithful to our calling, to trust you and look to you and may you preserve us our

04:31

God when we attempt to do right even when it's not popular to do so.

04:39

We pray that you would help us to love our neighbors, our God, to owe no one anything except to love one another for we recognize our

04:48

God that this is ultimately the fulfillment of your law that love according to your word is ordering our relationships according to your law and therefore our

05:00

God we pray that you would help us not to be as those who commit adultery in their heart or hate others, commit murder in their heart or steal or bear false witness or covet.

05:14

All of your commandments our God help us to truly love others as we love ourselves.

05:21

And father we pray that you'd always help us to be attentive of the brevity of this world, the relative shortness of the time our

05:32

God that we shouldn't be ones who are characterized by lethargy, sleeping for indeed our salvation is nearer than when we first believed and we know our

05:44

God that the time is coming. We don't know when but certainly the night is far spent the day is at hand and so help us by your grace to cast off works of darkness, help us our

05:56

God to put on armor of light that we might live righteously before you. Let us walk properly our

06:04

God each and every day according to your word, according to your will may you enable us by the power of the

06:09

Holy Spirit to do so. May the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ continually cleanse us from sin, help us to put on the

06:17

Lord Jesus Christ our God in faith that we would make no provision for the flesh, sanctify us our

06:25

God, enable us, give us the desire and ability to consecrate ourselves to be persons our

06:31

God who are more holy and better suited, better equipped to serve you faithfully.

06:38

Now Father we pray that you would take your word and inform us, instruct us, inspire us our

06:46

God, reveal to us our sin by your word if that's your purpose.

06:52

Enable us our God, encourage us to be better prepared to walk before you this coming week and so with that desire our

07:01

God, we ask your blessing upon Pastor Jason as he brings forth your word to us. Fill him with your blessed

07:08

Holy Spirit to speak, fill us with the blessed Holy Spirit to hear and then enable us our

07:14

God to live rightly accordingly for we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Knowledge of God's truth, our knowledge of the scriptures, our knowledge of sound doctrine can be potentially condemning and even dangerous if it is not accompanied by practice.

08:01

Orthodoxy, right doctrine should result in orthopraxy, right practice.

08:08

In other words as we contemplate, understand and behold the great truths of the scriptures, the application of those truths, the practice of those truths must necessarily follow.

08:22

Charles Spurgeon remarked, all the doctrines of God's word may readily be turned to good and practical account if we are willing to employ them.

08:36

Those who regard doctrine as simply a subject for debate, an opportunity for displaying one's argumentative powers miss the mark altogether for we are taught the truth in order that it may lead us to holiness of life.

08:55

As we understand, learn and behold the great truths of the scriptures, the effect of those truths should produce in us righteous living, faithfulness and holiness.

09:11

This means that anytime you read, hear or study a passage of scripture, you need to contemplate and ask yourself certain questions.

09:21

What specific action does this truth require me to accomplish? How should this truth influence my thinking?

09:30

How should it influence my perspective? How should this truth influence my daily walk in this world?

09:39

In light of this truth, what does the Lord God expect and require me to do? What is the application of this truth?

09:50

In 1 Peter chapter one verses one to 12, there are some marvelous and encouraging truths.

09:57

We learn that the Lord God has elected us to salvation according to his foreknowledge in the sanctification of the spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ.

10:08

By his great mercy, the Lord God has caused us to be born again to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading and this inheritance is secure.

10:21

It is reserved for us in heaven and we too by the Lord God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation that will be revealed to us in the last time.

10:35

In these things, we are to rejoice even though for a little while we are plagued and grieved by various trials and sufferings.

10:45

But these various trials and sufferings are necessary for these prove the genuineness of our faith.

10:53

Trials and suffering test our faith just as fire tests the authenticity and the quality of gold.

11:01

And though we have not seen him, we love him. Though we do not see him now, we believe in him and we rejoice with a joy that is inexpressible and full of glory.

11:13

Obtaining the outcome of our faith, the salvation of our souls.

11:20

Therefore in light of all these tremendous truths, what then does the

11:25

Lord God require? What is the application? Please turn with me to the book of 1st

11:33

Peter. 1st Peter chapter one verses 13 through 16 is our text this morning and this passage deals with our response to the marvelous truths of the scriptures.

11:45

It deals with our response to our great and glorious salvation. 1st

11:51

Peter one verses 13 through 16. 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.

12:10

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.

12:23

Since it is written, you shall be holy for I am holy. This passage marks a dramatic shift in thought.

12:33

In 1st Peter one verses one to 12, all of the verbs are in the indicative mood, meaning they state fact.

12:41

But beginning in verse 13, the verbs shift to the imperative mood, meaning they make commands.

12:49

So the facts have been stated, verses one to 12, and now come the commands, verses 13 through 16.

12:56

Salvation has been described and now comes the responsibility of those who have received this great salvation.

13:04

There are two imperatives, two commands in verses 13 through 16.

13:10

Let's look at each one in more detail. 1st Peter one, 13, 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.

13:30

In light of our great salvation, the first command is to set your hope.

13:37

To the elect exiles, you must set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

13:47

What does this phrase mean, set your hope? Well, it means to fix or to settle.

13:54

It means to confidently look forward. It means to rest the full weight of your hope entirely, completely, and unfalteringly upon the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

14:10

This is not a faltering, flimsy, or emotional hope, but a confident, strong assurance of certainty.

14:18

I will set my hope and be absolutely certain of that hope.

14:27

In other words, not only is it a strong and certain belief, it is also an action.

14:35

It coincides with our belief. It is a hope that results in action.

14:40

In light of our great salvation, our first responsibility is to live in hope.

14:47

And what is hope? Hope is an attitude. It's an attitude regarding the future. Hope is believing in the word of the

14:55

Lord God. It is trusting in the word of the Lord God. Hope is actually very similar to faith.

15:03

Well, what's the difference between hope and faith? One commentator remarked, faith is trusting

15:09

God for the present. Hope is trusting God for the future.

15:15

Both are trusting God. To put it another way, faith accepts and hope expects.

15:22

Faith appropriates and hope anticipates. Faith believes God for what he has done and hope believes

15:29

God for what he will do. And what is it that the Lord God is going to do?

15:35

What are we to set our hope upon? Beloved, we are to set our hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

15:47

Our hope is to be set on the future grace of the Lord God. Our hope is to be set on the return of the

15:54

Lord Jesus Christ when hope and faith will become a reality. At his return, the

16:01

Lord Jesus Christ will pour out his blessing upon us and we will obtain the outcome of our faith, the salvation of our souls.

16:11

Titus 2, verse 11, for the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self -controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great

16:32

God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

16:48

This is a very common theme all throughout the scriptures, but especially in the book of 1

16:54

Peter. Eight times in this short epistle, Peter reminded his readers to look past their current circumstances and to look to the future, to the future revelation of the

17:06

Lord Jesus Christ, the future salvation of their souls, the day of visitation, the end of all things, when his glory is revealed, when the chief shepherd appears.

17:19

Beloved, stop looking at the world around you and look to the end.

17:25

Set your hope on the Lord Jesus Christ. Fix your hope on the Lord Jesus Christ.

17:33

Securely rest in his word, his promises, his return, his reign, and live your life as if these truths were a present reality.

17:46

Far too often we set our hope on temporal things. Far too often we set our hope on momentary things, fleeting things, things that are passing, and then we expect that these transient things will give us lasting joy.

18:03

Far too often we expect that the things in this world will provide us with satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment.

18:12

But remember, all of the things in this world are temporal, and all of these things will perish.

18:19

All of these things will fade away. It is only when we set our hope fully on the grace that will be ours that we will be immune to the suffering, the difficulties, and the losses of this life.

18:37

Beloved, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

18:45

In light of our great salvation, this is the Lord God's command. Well, how do

18:52

I do this? How do I set my hope fully on the grace that will be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ?

18:59

Well, Peter gives us two ways. Look again at verse 13. 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.

19:15

The way to set your hope on the grace that will be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ is by preparing your minds for action.

19:25

The term preparing is an interesting word. It means to gird up, or to cinch up, or to tie down.

19:34

Prepare, gird up, cinch up, and tie down your minds. In ancient times, men often wore long outer robes, which made it very difficult to move easily and freely, and it was very easy to get tripped up in these robes.

19:52

The fix was a belt that they would tuck the ends of the robe into. The corners of the robe would be pulled up through the belt and cinched down, and this made their movements much more easy.

20:05

In Exodus chapter 12, this term was used when the Lord God told the Israelites that he was going to deliver them from their bondage in Egypt.

20:15

The Lord God gave them specific instructions to prepare them for their deliverance. In speaking of the

20:21

Passover supper, Exodus 12, in this manner you shall eat it, with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, your staff in your hand, and you shall eat it in haste.

20:33

It is the Lord's Passover. In other words, Israel, you need to be prepared and you need to be ready.

20:41

You need to be prepped and equipped to move at a moment's notice. So tie up those robes and fasten those sandals, grab your staff, and wait in preparedness and readiness.

20:55

Now Peter applies this principle to the mind. He applies this principle to our thinking.

21:02

Peter is saying, gird up the loins of your mind and prepare your mind for action.

21:09

Cinch it up, tuck it in, tie it down. Do not be caught unprepared, but be ready to move and wait in readiness.

21:19

In other words, do not let your thoughts be open and free to any influence.

21:27

Do not be tossed to and fro by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes.

21:33

Do not let your thoughts be seduced by false doctrines, false philosophies, or by false ideologies.

21:41

Instead, pull in all the loose ends of your thinking and anchor them.

21:47

Nail down your thoughts, nail down your thinking. Second Corinthians 10 five says, we destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey

22:03

Christ. This is an important principle. We need to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

22:14

Beloved, our thoughts are not to be held captive by selfish and temporal desires. Our thoughts are not to be held captive by worldly arguments or worldly opinions.

22:24

Our thoughts are not to be held captive by anything that contradicts the knowledge of God.

22:31

Rather, we must take every thought captive, captive to obey the

22:36

Lord Jesus Christ. Do you take your thoughts captive? Do you interrogate your thoughts?

22:44

Do you examine your thoughts and seek to ascertain their origin? This is a discipline that every believer must partake.

22:52

Every thought should be taken captive. Every thought should be taken captive and examined in the light of the scriptures.

23:04

Do you ever feel that your life is not worth living? Do you ever feel like you're a failure?

23:11

You ever feel like you're a worthless waste of space? Take these thoughts and tie them down one by one.

23:20

Examine, study and dissect them. Is this a good thought or is this a harmful thought?

23:27

Is this a thought from the Lord God or is it from the adversary? Does this thought line up with the truth of the scriptures?

23:34

Does it line up with the will of God or is this thought contrary to the word?

23:41

Is it contrary to the will of God? Is it contrary to the character of God? Will dwelling on this thought progress and enhance my relationship with the

23:51

Lord God or will it hinder and retard me in my relationship with the

23:56

Lord God? Beloved, the reason why so many Christians struggle in their circumstances, the reason why so many

24:04

Christians struggle in their walk with the Lord God is because their minds are not prepared for action.

24:10

And rather than setting their hope on the grace that is to come, they often look to a lost and dying secular world to help them in their spiritual need.

24:22

Rather than the truth, their minds are filled with wrong thoughts, wrong perceptions and pragmatic solutions that contradict the revealed knowledge of the

24:32

Lord God. And these wrong thoughts, wrong perceptions and pragmatic solutions become a stronghold.

24:40

These become a stronghold for the adversary to launch his attacks. I just can't do it.

24:47

It can't be done. It just doesn't work. I've tried everything. There's no way to solve this problem. There's no way to save this marriage.

24:54

There's no way to save this relationship. There is no way I can make peace. I can't forgive them.

25:01

There's nothing else I can do. There's no more hope. If you hear a

25:06

Christian saying these types of things, you can be sure that their mind was not prepared.

25:11

They did not take their thoughts captive to obedience to Christ. Rather, they allowed the adversary a stronghold.

25:21

The hope to which Peter refers will never become a reality in your life without disciplined and ordered thinking.

25:30

Beloved, your thoughts will determine your actions. What you think about, what you dwell upon will determine how you live your life.

25:41

Proverbs 23, seven says, for as he thinks in his heart, so he is.

25:49

The reformer Martin Luther said, you can't keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair.

25:59

In your thinking, you must be disciplined. You must guard, you must protect, you must secure your thinking.

26:07

And every one of your thoughts must be taken captive. To prepare your mind for action, you must rid your mind of everything that violates the truth of the

26:16

Lord God. You must rid yourself of everything that violates the will of the Lord God, and you must fill your mind with the truth of the scriptures.

26:28

In Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, which is an allegorical story of a

26:33

Christian's journey from this world to the next, the main Christian, the main character

26:38

Christian encounters Mr. Worldly Wiseman. And Mr.

26:44

Worldly Wiseman counsels Christian to travel to the village of Morality to meet a gentleman named

26:50

Legality, who is said to be able to ease Christian of his great burdens. Bunyan writes this, when

26:58

Christians unto carnal men give ear, out of their way they go and pay for it dear.

27:05

For Master Worldly Wiseman can but show a saint the way to bondage and to woe.

27:13

Beloved, you need to rid yourself and get yourself untangled from the so -called wisdom of this world.

27:22

You need to get yourself untangled from the philosophies of this world. Make a deliberate and volitional choice and commit to live your life in the reality of the grace that is to come.

27:34

Prepare your mind for action. The second way to set your hope on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, again, look at verse 13.

27:45

Therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober -minded. You set your hope on the future grace of the

27:52

Lord God by preparing your minds for action and by being sober -minded.

27:58

Well, what does it mean to be sober -minded? Well, the opposite of being sober is being drunk.

28:05

The opposite of a sober mind is an intoxicated mind. Being sober -minded is descriptive of someone who is free from drunkenness or free from the effects of any other intoxicant.

28:18

It refers to someone who does not live according to his passions, someone who does not live in a state of excess and overindulgence.

28:28

A sober mind is a clear -thinking mind. It means that your thoughts are disciplined.

28:34

It means that you are restraint, self -controlled, and temperate in your thinking.

28:40

You're not subject to the whims and corrupting influences of the world, but you are steadfast.

28:46

You are circumspect. You walk wisely in this world. The sober -minded are mentally alert and discerning.

28:57

Rash judgments are not made, but all things are lined up with the truth of the scriptures. The sober -minded do not look to the world, but to the rule and the counsel of the

29:07

Lord God. The sober -minded will not be influenced by the world.

29:12

They will not be influenced by the majority or by those who hold the greatest sway. Rather, the sober -minded will prayerfully and thoughtfully make decisions based upon the truth of the

29:24

Lord God, the truth of his scriptures, not upon popular opinion.

29:31

Peter uses this same term later on in his epistle in chapter five. 1

29:37

Peter 5 .8, be sober -minded, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

29:48

If an actual lion were roaming the halls of this church, it would be exceedingly unwise to get drunk and roam the halls.

29:58

It would be exceedingly unwise to dull your senses and dim your wit. If an actual lion were on the loose, you would be alert.

30:07

You would be on the lookout. You would be watchful for yourself, for your family, and for everyone else here.

30:14

You would take every available precaution so that no one would be injured or worse, devoured.

30:23

It's important to remember the context of this letter, the context of 1 Peter. The recipients of this letter are described as elect exiles, elect exiles.

30:35

Why does Peter refer to them as elect exiles? Peter is reminding his readers of their status.

30:42

In this world, Christians are the strangers. Christians are the aliens.

30:50

Christians are the foreigners and the sojourners. In this world, we are the ones who do not belong.

30:57

Our citizenship is not on earth, it is in heaven. But until then, we continue to live in dangerous and hostile territory.

31:08

Our entire lives are lived in enemy territory, and the enemy is always on the prowl.

31:14

He is always seeking to devour and destroy. So to live in a state of spiritual drunkenness, to live according to one's passions, not with a prepared mind, not in control of one's thoughts, not in control of one's emotions and passions, is to live with a giant bullseye on your back.

31:35

You're gonna be easy pickings for the adversary. Spiritual drunkenness will dull you to the greatness of your salvation.

31:45

It will dull your mind and your thinking, and through carelessness and the distraction and allurements of the world, it will lull you into a drowsy sleep, and you will lose sight of the great grace that will be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

32:02

If you set your mind on the temporal, on the momentary, on the earthly desires and riches of this world, then you will never be fully able to set your hope on the future grace to come.

32:16

Throughout the scriptures, this is a theme that is repeated again and again. Romans 8 .18,

32:22

for I consider the sufferings of this present time not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

32:33

2 Corinthians 4, 16 through 18. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer man is wasting away, our inner man is being renewed day by day.

32:44

For this momentary light affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, while we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are not seen.

32:59

For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

33:06

Colossians 3, 1 through 3. If then you've been raised up with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

33:17

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

33:27

Beloved, you cannot consider the sufferings of this present time not worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed without clear and lucid thinking.

33:39

You cannot look past the transient things of this world to the eternal without a clear and sober mind.

33:46

You cannot seek the things above, where Christ is, without setting your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

33:57

So beloved, keep your head up. Look alive, look alert, and keep your eyes fixed on the

34:06

Lord Jesus Christ. In light of our great salvation, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ by preparing your minds for action and by being sober -minded.

34:24

The second imperative, the second command in this passage is holiness.

34:30

In light of our great salvation, we are to be holy. Verses 14 through 16.

34:38

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.

34:50

Since it is written, you shall be holy for I am holy. Setting your hope on the grace that will be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ by preparing your minds for action and by being sober -minded means that you will strive to live a righteous and holy life.

35:09

It means that you will strive and discipline yourself to put off sin and to walk in obedience to the

35:15

Lord God in submission to his will. It's interesting that walking in hope and walking in holiness are often linked together.

35:27

First John three, two through three. Beloved, we are God's children now and what we will be has not yet appeared.

35:36

But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is.

35:42

And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

35:49

As children of God, we have a sure and certain hope. We know that when he appears, we will be like him.

35:57

We know that when he appears, our faith will become sight. And this is the certainty, the certainty of our glorious future that should motivate us to live righteous and holy lives now in the present.

36:14

The fruit of hope is a pure life. The fruit of hope is holiness.

36:21

Everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

36:28

Leviticus 20, 26. You shall be holy to me for I the

36:34

Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples that you should be mine.

36:40

2 Corinthians 7, 1. Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

36:53

Hebrews 12, 14. Strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one will see the

37:01

Lord. To be holy means that we are set apart from the world and we are set apart to the

37:07

Lord God. It means that we are going to be like the one whose image we bear. To be holy means to be like God, to be without sin, to be without spot, to be without blemish.

37:21

Well, how is that even possible? How can I be holy when I still struggle daily with my sin?

37:29

Well, the answer is found in John 13. John 13.

37:35

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper.

37:44

He laid aside his outer garments and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

37:57

He came to Simon Peter who said to him, Lord, do you wash my feet? Jesus answered him, what

38:04

I am doing, you do not understand now. But afterward, you will understand. Peter said to him, you shall never wash my feet.

38:13

Jesus answered, if I don't wash you, you have no share with me. Simon Peter said to him,

38:20

Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus said to him, the one who is bathed does not need to wash except for his feet, but is completely clean.

38:33

And you are clean, but not every one of you. In this passage, a distinction is made between a bath and the basin.

38:43

At the time of your salvation, you are bathed, you are cleansed, you are sanctified, you are set apart, you are made holy because of Jesus Christ.

38:56

Before the Lord God, you are considered clean because you are clothed in the righteous robes of Christ.

39:03

You are positionally holy. But as you live and walk in this world, we continue to sin.

39:11

But when you sin, you don't need to bathe again, you need the basin. You need to wash your feet.

39:17

You need the daily cleansing from sin through the washing of the word and through confession of sin.

39:23

The Lord God cleanses us from all unrighteousness. And the goal of the

39:29

Christian life is for our practice to mirror our position, our conduct is to mirror our creed, our actions are to mirror our knowledge of the truth.

39:42

Our behavior and our beliefs must be inseparable. Positionally, before the

39:48

Lord God, we are holy and we are clean. And thus, practically, in our daily lives, we must also strive to live holy and clean lives.

40:00

How do we do this? Well, again, Peter answers, verse 14. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.

40:11

The phrase do not be conformed means to form according to a pattern or a mold.

40:17

And it means to fashion alike, to fit the same outward pattern. It means to mold one's behavior with a particular pattern or a set of standards.

40:29

Christians are not to conform to the passions of their former ignorance. Christians are not to conform to the habits and practices that characterize their lives before salvation.

40:42

Christians are no longer to be fashioned and molded by selfish and sinful pursuits. Paul expresses this same thought in the book of Romans and Ephesians.

40:53

Romans 12, one and two. I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

41:05

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

41:20

Ephesians four. Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the

41:26

Gentiles do. How did the Gentiles walk? In the futility of their minds.

41:33

They're darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

41:43

They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

41:50

Verse 20, but that is not the way you learned Christ. How can

41:57

I be holy? By not conforming to the world. By no longer living and walking in darkness.

42:03

By no longer walking as the world walks. By no longer living in the futility of the mind.

42:09

By no longer walking in ignorance. Do not be conformed to the sinful pattern that was yours before salvation, but rather live according to the holy standard that is set by the

42:22

Lord God. But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.

42:29

Since it is written, you shall be holy for I am holy. Beloved, the Lord God is the standard.

42:36

The Lord God is the benchmark. The Lord God is the only rule by which we must be measured.

42:45

Matthew 5, 48, you therefore must be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.

42:52

The Lord God is holy, holy, holy. The Lord God is perfect, he is without sin. In our thoughts and our conduct, we too must strive to be holy.

43:02

We too must strive to put sin to death in all our conduct. Holiness should touch and embrace every aspect of our lives.

43:12

In our lives, every thought, every word, and every deed should reflect the holiness of the

43:17

Lord God. Peter is essentially saying that the great pursuit of our lives should be holiness.

43:24

Even in the seemingly mundane and ordinary activities of everyday life, we are to strive to be holy.

43:31

You shall be holy for I am holy. I wanna close with some very practical help.

43:40

This is a passage I've shared with you many times, and I share it with you because it's had such an impact in my own life.

43:48

Ephesians chapter four, verses 22 through 23. And if you've got your

43:53

Bibles, you should turn there and underline it or mark it or star it. Very practical passage.

43:59

Ephesians 4 .22, put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

44:18

In your pursuit of holiness, if you want to be conformed, not to this world, but to the

44:26

Lord God, then here's the formula. Number one, you put off the old self.

44:32

Number two, you be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And number three, you put on the new self.

44:41

Putting off the old self, laying aside the old self, the old self is concerned with one thing, pleasing self.

44:49

The old self is conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. So put it off and put on the new self.

44:58

The new self is also concerned with one thing, but it is concerned with pleasing the

45:03

Lord God. The new self is being conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. So how do we put off and how do we put on?

45:12

Verse 23, by being renewed in the spirit of our minds. In other words, as we behold the scriptures, as we hear them, as we read them, as we study them, as we memorize them, as we meditate upon them, the

45:27

Holy Spirit illuminates, convicts, and teaches us the truth so that we can apply it, so that we can walk in obedience to it.

45:38

In the strength of the Lord, we put off the old man with its evil practices, with its evil passions, and we replace it with the new man, with new practices, practices that please and honor the

45:51

Lord God. A great example of this formula being played out before our eyes is

45:56

Ephesians 5, 25 through 31. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

46:07

Falsehood is to be put off, truth is to be put on. Verse 28, let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

46:22

Theft is to be put off, hard work and sharing are to be put on. Verse 29, let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth, but only such as is good for building up as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

46:38

Corrupting talk is to be put off, edifying talk, talk that encourages, talk that builds up is to be put on.

46:47

In Ephesians 4, 31, we are to put off bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and slander along with all malice.

46:54

In verse 32, we are to put on kindness, tenderness and forgiveness as God in Christ forgave you.

47:03

Change is really that simple for the believer. You put off, you be renewed in the spirit of your mind and you put on and this works with every sin out there.

47:14

You struggle with pride, put off pride, what should you put on? Humility and what scripture should renew your thinking?

47:21

Philippians chapter two, have this attitude in yourselves who is also in Christ Jesus. We have the whole gamut of sins that we put off and we replace them with godly behaviors.

47:36

Put off the old man, put on the new man and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Do not be conformed to your old habits, your old practices or the passions of your former ignorance.

47:48

Rather, be conformed to the Lord Jesus Christ. Set your hope on the

47:54

Lord Jesus Christ. Set your hope on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

48:02

J .C. Ryle wrote, look to anything of your own and you will never feel comfortable.

48:09

Your own life and doing, your own church going and sacrament receiving, your own

48:14

Bible reading and your prayers, your own almsgiving and your charities, what are they all but a huge mass of imperfection?

48:23

Rest on nothing but Christ crucified and the atonement he made for you on Calvary.

48:31

Beloved, in light of our great salvation, set your hope, prepare your mind, be sober minded, put off, put on and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

48:45

Look to the Lord Jesus Christ and be holy in all your conduct. Since it is written, you shall be holy for I am holy.

48:55

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, this is a hard passage to hear because so many of us are unholy.

49:06

So many of us are not sober minded. Lord, help us to be disciplined in these areas.

49:14

I think about my own life, Lord. There are many times I'm not thinking clearly as I should. I'm not thinking in alignment with the scriptures but I'm thinking in some other manner.

49:26

Maybe it's my fears, maybe it's my pride. Lord, we confess these things to you.

49:32

Help us, Lord, to surrender. Help us to bend the knee to you. Help us to recognize that there isn't anything as important as walking in obedience to the truth of God.

49:44

So Lord, help us, help us to see things clearly. Help us to examine our own lives.

49:50

Reveal to us, Lord, the areas that are not right. Reveal to us where our thinking is not right.

49:56

Lord, help us to be disciplined about taking thoughts captive. Help us to take those thoughts and tie them down and interrogate them.

50:04

Help us to figure out what's a friend and what's a foe. What is gonna benefit us and what is going to harm us?

50:11

Lord, I pray that you would protect our thinking. Help us, Lord, to think on the things that are true, the things that are lovely, the things that are of good repute.

50:21

Help us to think about the things that are excellent. Help us, Lord, to look to the eternal things of the

50:26

Lord God. We pray, Lord, that we would strive to be holy, that we would pursue holiness with all our hearts.

50:33

Lord, we thank you for your patience with us. We thank you that you gave us the perfect example, Jesus Christ, that we are to follow.

50:41

And Lord, in the power of the Spirit, we pray that we would do this. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.