Easter 3
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1 Peter 1:17–21 (NIV): 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
Peter reminds his audience that a dramatic change had happened in their lives. Before God brought them to faith in Jesus by having them born again by the word of God 1 Peter 1:23 (NIV): 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. Peter says that their way of life was empty. What does this mean? Perhaps he was thinking of the conclusions that wise King Solomon made and wrote about in Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 1:1–11 (NIV): 1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: 2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” 3 What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. 6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. 7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. 8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. 9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. 11 No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.
Ecclesiastes 3:18–22 (NIV): 18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?” 22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?
It seems very dismal, doesn’t it? An empty way of life is a life without purpose and which accomplishes practically nothing. It is a life that finds no satisfaction and which seems to have little or no impact on anyone or anything. Some philosophical people have compared it to footprints in the sand along an ocean shore. You walk along the beach and make deep impressions on the soft sand. But the waves wash over the place and the tide rises and when it recedes, there is absolutely no indication that you were ever there. Unless you littered which is just rude. Some environmentalists talk about a carbon footprint that we leave (how much non renewable resources we wasted) but even that is minimal. An empty life is an unfulfilled life and quite hopeless. Those who cannot observe great accomplishments in their lives or who alway fall short of expectations may even despair and believe that they don’t matter to themselves or to any one else. Sometimes this is referred to as a “midlife crisis” when a person draws the incorrect conclusion at around the age of 50 that they don’t really matter and will never acheive greatness.
But we do matter. First of all, we matter to God. It amazes me that in a world with a population of over 7 billion people, the Bible teaches us that each one of us is precious to God. It reminds me of a Scotty McCreery lyric. (He is a country singer in case you don’t know.)
Can You Feel It?
7 billion people in the world
But it feels like two
And baby, I'm feelin' you
So, tell me, can you feel it, feel it
Baby, tell me can you feel it too
7 billion people in the world but God gives each of us his undivided attention as though we are the only one is my way of believing how special each of us it to God. We can’t do that. We may have
5 intimate bonds: spouses, best friends, and so on
15 close friends: people you trust and spend time with regularly
50 friends: people you would invite to a personal event like a wedding or dinner
150 casual friends: people you would invite to a big party
And yet we sing, “What a Friend we Have in Jesus” as though we were one of his close personal frieinds.
Well, we are! Jesus loves me is not just a cute children’s song, it is a truth that gives us hope. God the Father loves us too. He has demonstrated his own love for us in this, while were yet sinners, Jesus died for us. Peter teaches this here: 1 Peter 1:18–19 (NIV): 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
We purchase things we consider to be important to us with “silver and gold” — money. The true value of something is what others are willing to pay for it. (Parable of the pearl of great price.)
How valuable are we to God? So valuable that silver and gold are not enought. He redeemed us (bought us back) from the consequences of our sins by sending Jesus to pay the ultimate price for us — his precious blood, of a lamb without blemish or defect. As one saying goes. “Our salvation is free but it is not cheap.”
This decision to redeem us took place already in eternity. 1 Peter 1:20–21 (NIV): 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
After Jesus died, God raise him from the dead and glorified him. Philippians 2:8–11 (NIV): 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Therefore, our faith and hope are in God.
What difference does this make in our daily lives?
We are special.
We have a responsibility to live for God.
Many (but not all) of you who are worshiping with us today were brought up Lutheran. Part of your experience was memorizing the Ten Commandments — and Martin Luther’s explanation to them. Remember how he answered that good Lutheran question, “What does this mean?”? We should fear and love God that . . .
Luther did not make that up. He taught what the Bible teaches.
We are to love God .1 John 5:1–3 (NIV): 5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
We are to live for him in reverent fear (explain)1 Peter 1:17 (NIV): 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.
There are passages in the Bible which emphasize being afraid of God and fearing his punishment. But an overemphasis on that would make us cowering children who approach God (or run away from him) in terror.
Reverent fear also means to have a deep respect for someone. We have respect for God because we believe that he is awesome and has shown such great care for us.
2 Corinthians 5:6–10 (NIV): 6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Conclusion: Most of us will never become celebrities or accomplish great things when judged by the world. We may just not be that good at what we do. But don’t stop doing. Our goal in live isn’t to become great in the eyes of the world but to serve our God in love and with deep respect. He is the one who really matters because he alone is the one who will judge us. He has already judged (through Jesus) that we are holy in his sight and his forgiven children loved by him. May this wonderful truth continue to lead us to live for him and for Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:14–15 (NIV): 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.