Called to Be Holy

1 Peter: Chosen • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

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1 Peter 1:13-17 “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. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,”

1 Peter 1:22-23 “22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;”

As you might remember, my original home church was called Laws Mennonite Church

The name “Laws” had nothing to do with it being a legalistic church, although people liked to make that suggestion with tongue in cheek from time to time.

Rather, it was called that because the building was a converted Methodist Chapel which was built in 1856 on land donated by one Joshua Laws

The church was called Laws Methodist Chapel. And when the Mennonites purchased the building in the mid 1950’s, they called the church Laws Mennonite Church

But, be that as it may

I remember as a little kid sitting on those hard wooden benches, my mind wandering during a long sermon

And looking up above the pulpit

We had a screen up there that could be pulled down if someone was showing slides or using an overhead projector

And the screen was hidden inside a valance

And on the valance, in bold, script letters, I believe cut out of foam or something like that were these words:

“Be Ye Holy For I am Holy”

And I would sit there on those hard wooded benches, swinging my legs follow the script writing with my eyes, admiring the flowing lines

And thinking about this: What does that mean?

How am I do be Holy, as God is holy?

Because in my young mind, what I heard was, “Be sinless like God. Be perfect like God”

And I wondered, how is that possible?

And I ask this question to you. “How is this possible? How is it possible to be holy as God is holy?”

Well, again, as with other things, we could talk a long time on this.

But holiness is something that God’s people have to understand and take seriously

Because not only is holiness a big concern for Peter in this book, it is a major theme in Scripture:

The Holiness of God’s people.

So what does it mean to be holy?

Well, just to touch on it briefly, I don’t believe that the command to be holy as God is holy is a command to be sinless just as God is sinless.

I don’t believe that is what Scripture is teaches us, and I don’t believe that is what is on Peter’s mind here.

Now, Jesus does tell us in Matthew 5:48 “48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Again, a tall order, and one that deserves close attention. But again, i don’t think that is the main thing that is on Peter’s mind

So what does he mean

Well, the Greek word that is used here is hagios

And this word means to be set apart. Consecrated, dedicated to a purpose

It has the idea of being chosen, selected, and given a new identity and purpose in life. Holiness means being distinct in identity and purpose from those around you

It is God choosing a people, putting His stamp, His mark on them and saying, these are my people now.

And people who are Holy, or chosen, are dedicated to that one who has called them

Their allegiance is to another. Their way of life is to honor that one who has called them

In other places in the NT, the people of God are referred to as saints.

Such as

Ephesians 1:1 “1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:”

This is the exact same word: hagios

Saints are not people who sit around with their hands folded and say wise things and never sin.

Rather, they are people who have been chosen and called out to be separate and dedicated to a new purpose

In that way, we are to be holy as God is holy

God is intimately involved in His creation, yet He is wholly other than His creation. Completely separate and distinct from His creation.

And this is what is on Peter’s mind as he writes this letter to persecuted Christians.

Remember, that you have been chosen and called out.

In times of persecution and hardship, when you start to wonder why and is it worth it, remember that you have been chosen for something different

In the previous verses, he has just told them that they have the immense privilege of receiving the Gospel

Something that the the Spirit of God foretold through the OT writers. Men who wrote down what God told them, yet were not able to see the fulfillment of their prophecies

Something that the angels didn’t even understand

And now, here is what you need to do in response:

Live lives that are holy.

Live as those who have been called out and chosen for something different!

Prepare your minds for action

Many of you have jobs that require you to prepare your mind for action

Truck drivers, as they walk up to their truck need to be in a new frame of mind. They aren’t going to be able to drive like they are in a little compact car anymore

Farmers, climbing into their combines need a frame of mind that will allow them to safely operate their combine

When I approached an airplane for a flight, I needed to prepare my mind for action

Believers also need to prepare their minds for action

Not enough gets said about the mind of a Believer

Even though Jesus said to love the Lord your God with all of your mind.

This word in 1 Peter is the exact same word

Our mind is where we think and feel. It’s where we rationalize and think through things

My instructors in school were always telling us

You need to be a thinking mechanic

You need to be a thinking pilot

That meant, when you come to do this job, you need to be in the mindset of a pilot or a mechanic

The KJV tells us in this passage to “gird up the loins of your mind”.

In those days A soldier or a worker would gather up his robes, pull them through their legs and tuck them into his belt

It was his way of preparing for action.

They would tell each other, “Gird up your loins”.

It was their way of saying, “Man up!”

Get ready! IT’s going to be tough. So don’t go out there unprepared!

Believers cannot afford to go into life unprepared mentally. We have to take the time to “gird up the loins of our minds”.

Prepare them for action.

Take intentional time at the start of your day and during your day to reset your mind and remember that it’s going to be a battle out there. You need to be prepared

Take some time as you approach each day to prepare your mind

Study a passage of Scripture and ask the Lord to show you more about who He is and what He is asking of you

Spend time in prayer talking to Him

Be reminded that you have been called by Him into His mission, into HIS work

Be sober-minded

Also, in relation to preparing your mind, Peter says, “Be sober-minded”

I used to think that a sober person was one who never laughed. Never smiled. Never had any fun.

But I don’t think that’s what this means.

What he is saying is “Be clear headed”.

You know when a person is drunk, what do we say? “He’s not sober”

When a person is not sober, what is it that he isn’t able to do?

He’s not able to think clearly

He’s not able to make good decisions, exercise good judgement

He’s often not aware of what is going on around him

He often doesn’t have good control over his body or over his emotional responses.

He’s unpredictable.

But a sober-minded person is the opposite of all of that.

A sober-minded person is one who

Thinks clearly about things

Is aware of his surroundings

Makes sound decisions

We are reminded a number of times about being sober in the Bible

Peter is going to remind us again in chapter 5: 1 Peter 5:8-9 “8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”

In Romans 12, Paul reminds us that when we think about ourselves, we need to use sober judgement

It’s so easy for us to ignore our own weaknesses

Or to downplay the gifts that God has given us to serve His body

Paul says, “Hey, think clearly about yourself.”

Being sober-minded is such an important thing. That is why Paul says in Eph. 5:18, don’t be drunk with wine. Rather, be filled with the Spirit.

Let the Holy Spirit control your thinking!

Let Him direct your steps

One who is Holy and chosen will strive to be sober-minded

Set your hope fully

When you are sober-minded, you can set your hope fully on the grace that is going to be revealed to you.

We are told in a number of places to “believe and not doubt”

In James, he tells us to ask for wisdom when we are in difficult times and it will be given freely by God. But...

James 1:6 “6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”

But in this case, Peter is saying to set your hope fully on the grace that will be revealed to you.

Believe that it is going to happen. Believe fully and don’t doubt it!

This is one of these “already, but no yet” things

Believe that while we have been shown incredible grace, there is an even greater grace that is going to be revealed to us.

A sober-minded person can in the midst of persecution and trial set his hope fully on that grace

One who is chosen knows by whom he has been chosen and knows that the One who has chosen him is worthy to be trusted

One who is chosen can set his hope FULLY on Him and not doubt because He is completely trustworthy!

Be obedient

One who is chosen is one who is committed to obedience

Jesus told us, “if you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Your obedience will be a natural result of your love for the One who has chosen you.

One who is chosen will value what the One who has chosen Him has to say and out of His love will seek to be obedient

What does that obedience look like?

It will look like a transformed life

Don’t be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance (the world)

One who is chosen is one who is being transformed, not conformed

You wonder if Peter and Paul got their heads together on this one.

Romans 12 reminds us to “not be conformed to the the world, but be transformed

The Greek word for “conformed” is συσχηματίζω syschematizo

Paul and Peter use the exact same word to express this idea

Don’t shape your behavior as

Don’t be assimilated to

Don’t be like concrete being poured into a mold

Don’t go back to the passions of your former ignorance.

Peter says, being conformed to the world is living in ignorance

Ignorance is “not knowing”. Not having knowledge of

Peter says, at one time you were ignorant, that is true.

At one time you had no knowledge of the truth. You didn’t know what God has done for you through Christ.

But that is not the case now. You AREN’T ignorant anymore

So don’t live like you are

Conduct yourself with fear

I believe that It should bring fear to our hearts and the prospect of going back to living like we were ignorant of what Christ has done

Because you have a Father who judges impartially

And sin is still an offense against your Holy God

You may hear, or have heard preachers who talk about sin as if the worst thing about it is that it’s just not fulfilling.

They will say things like, “God has so much in store for you. When you sin, you don’t experience God’s blessing”

Which is somewhat true. But that’s not THE worst of it

The worst part about living in sin, like you are ignorant of the truth is that it is an offense against our Holy God

And He is still The God who judges impartially

Know you know the truth and it would be dangerous to go back to living the way that you used to.

Hebrews 6:4-6 “4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.”

It should bring some fear to your heart when you think of our tendency to wander away from the truth and grace that we have been given

Because if we reject that grace, there is nothing left for us. We can’t go to the store and get a different kind of grace. His is all there is, and it is Enough!

And the price that was paid for our ransom was the precious blood of Christ.

It was a great price!

So conduct yourself with fear and trembling..a respectful reverence and awe of the incredible grace that you have been given

Because you know that in His judgement, he judges impartially and completely fairly. Don’t presume upon His grace

Love each other earnestly.

Other translations: Love each other fervently.

The Greek word used means to love each other eagerly, earnestly, intensely.

This particular form of the Greek word is used only once in Scripture, right here in verse 22

But other forms of the word are used in Scripture

Once to describe Jesus praying in the Garden. Luke 22:44 “44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Another time to describe the church praying for Peter who was in prison. Acts 12:5 “5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.”

These are prayers being made by people who are in great distress. Who are crying out for help because they have nowhere else to turn

Peter says, “Love each other like that. Hold tight to each other like that. Love each other like your life depends on it!”

Church, can we love each other like this?

Because this is part of being Holy and Chosen.

God’s chosen people, His saints, love each other like this.

Again, we are looking forward to Darren being here this week.

I just want to remind us all to be in earnest, fervent prayer about this.

Asking God to direct him and direct us.

Honestly, Darren may tell us some things that we don’t want to hear.

He may tell me things that are hard for me to hear.

But I need to be humble and welcome whatever council, encouragement, or rebuke he has to give to me.

Darren his not a miracle worker. He can’t wave a magic wand and make it all better.

But what he can do is be used of the Holy Spirit to direct people whose hearts are seeking after God.

And above all, church, love each other earnestly. Fervently. Love each other

Not enough can be said about this and certainly not in the time that we have left.

The new birth must result in a fervent love for one another.

Chosen people must love each other fervently

Church, you and I, people of God have been chosen. You are saints. You have been called out to live Holy lives.

Called to Be Holy

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