September 17, 2023
Morning Service

Last week Peter encouraged us by reminding us that God “according to His abundant mercy has begotten us to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1:3) He went on to describe this hope as “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.”  This inheritance (our future hope) is the foundation we stand on as we journey through this life and encounter the many changes and challenges along the way.  In following Jesus, He becomes the One thing in our life that does not change.  We will fight many battles and shed many tears, but He promises in the end our reward will be there “reserved in heaven for you!”  In verse 5, he told us that we are “kept by the power of God through faith for salvation.”  It is God who holds us tightly in his hand and He assures us no one can remove us from Him.  He does however allow our faith to be tested through trials and even persecutions.

 Our goal needs to be, according to verse 7, that we “be found in praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus.”  We need to strive, despite the trials of life both physical and spiritual, that we follow faithfully through the difficult times keeping our eyes on Jesus our Lord and Savior.  He asks us through our faith to “rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” knowing in the end we will win with the salvation of our souls.  This salvation message was taught by the prophets in the OT, but we are in an age where we know the plan of salvation and can receive it as a free gift.  As we begin at verse 13 this morning, Peter begins with the word “therefore” which is pointing back to all we just reviewed.  Because we have a living hope, our inheritance will never change, our faith will be tried by fire, and the message of salvation has been revealed to us we need to keep those things in mind as motivation for going the direction he points us.  In other words, now that Peter has explained to us all the blessings God has given to us, here is what we need to be doing about it.

1Pe 1:13-16 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (14) as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; (15) but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, (16) because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."

            In the time that Peter wrote this, it was common to wear a long flowing robes.  If they needed to get somewhere in a hurry, walking fast or even running, they would tie the robe up around their waist with a belt “girding their loins.”  To “gird the loins or your mind” is to prepare your mind to be strong, composed, cool, and ready for action.  It is a mind that is not panicked or unprepared but one that is in the moment and well-grounded to handle the challenges life throws at us.  How do we do that?  By being sober, which means being poised and stable, and optimistic knowing and trusting fully that God is leading and we are following.  We are comfortable in our own skin confident that whatever comes up, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13).  We stand firmly upon a solid foundation of faith in Jesus who not only is our Savior, but also our Friend. We are also to be like obedient children aligning ourselves up with the new expectations of our Heavenly Father and leaving our “former lusts” behind.  Paul told the Corinthians this about the time we chose to become God’s children:

 

2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

            Paul’s “therefore” pointed to how he explained how the love of God should compel us to change knowing what He did for us, we now desire to love Him back through obedience to His Word.  Peter points us to that change by quoting scripture that commands us to “Be holy, for I am holy.”  In reality we know we cannot fully attain God’s level of holiness, but there is to be a transformation in us that creates a desire within us to imitate our Lord.  To become “new” means there is change by both the putting on of new things and the removing the old.  Sin is what we are removing and holiness is what we are now to be wearing. (Gal. 5) We as the children of God now need to walk, talk, and act like His children; not out of a sense of duty but out of an act of love. 

How are you doing with that?  Do you feel you are growing in the Lord and putting on His white garments and removing your old sin stained ones?  It is a process that never ends because there is always more growth available to us than we can attain.  Keep seeking to be all that God desires you to be by investing yourself fully into following Jesus.  Peter again exhorts us to do this by again reminding us why.

 

 

1Pe 1:17-21 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; (18) knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.  (20)  He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you (21) who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

            As motivation to be holy and walk in obedience, Peter reminds us that it is God who will judge us without partiality according to our works along our journey through this life.  With that in mind he commands us to “conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear.”  This fear is not the fear a slave has for a ruthless master, but the healthy respect of a believer for the all-powerful God.  Solomon tells us in Proverbs 1:7 that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”  We must respect God for who He is first and then we can build upon that foundation.  In essence it is like a child who truly respect the wishes of his Father as an obedient child and not that of a spoiled child who takes for granted that being His child makes him privileged.  Salvation is a free gift, but it came at a heavy price.  Our sins were not paid for with things that are corruptible, “but with the precious blood of Christ.”   He truly was the “lamb without blemish and spot” undeserving of death, but He paid the price we owed so that we could receive the gift of salvation which we did not deserve.  His gift to us motivates us to give back to Him by imitating His holiness in our lives.  Peter continues with a familiar theme:

 

1Pe 1:22-25 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, (23) having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, (24) because "ALL FLESH IS AS GRASS, AND ALL THE GLORY OF MAN AS THE FLOWER OF THE GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND ITS FLOWER FALLS AWAY, (25) BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

            How many times in the three letters of John did we encounter this command; love one another?  Peter encourages us to love with a sincere love; one that involves selfless giving as Jesus gives to us.  We must get our eyes off of ourselves and sacrificially seek to meet the needs of others.  We do this because we have “been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible through the word of God which lives and abides forever.”  We are part of something big, something that is eternal and abides forever.  “Love one another fervently (with great effort) with a pure heart (love because He first loved us).”  All things in this world will pass away, but the things we do for God last forever.  I want to live like that.  I want my life to point others to Jesus who is the author and finisher of our salvation.  This command to live holy is not about me, but about me dying out to myself and allowing the Holy Spirit to work within me and through me.  I want to live a life that God can use to help, bless and challenge others to do the same.

            In this challenge to “Be holy as I am holy” don’t forget the motivation.  Why should I do that?  Because all that God has done for you and made available to you.  He has given us a living hope or eternal life, promised us an unchanging inheritance, and promises to walk with us through everything we encounter in this life and use it to make us more like Him.

 

Heavenly Father build strong our foundation of faith so that the winds of change and trials will not move us from our belief in You.  Show us things in our lives that need to be taken off and the things of righteousness that need to be put on.