"How do I get to the place where I actually love others like Jesus loved others?”

This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament called the book of 1 Peter. And it is in this section of this letter that we discovered the timeless truth that the hope we have in Jesus should lead to a life that loves like Jesus. In 1 Peter 1:22-2:3, we see Peter reveal for us three reasons why, as followers of Jesus, the hope we have in Jesus should lead to a life that loves life Jesus.

So far, we have seen Peter reveal for us the reality that we are to love like Jesus because we have dedicated ourselves to living lives that look like Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we are to set ourselves apart to genuinely love like Jesus loved. As followers of Jesus, as a result of dedicating our lives to look like Jesus, we are to love with the constant, consistent, and persevering love that Jesus had for us. As followers of Jesus, as a result of dedicating our lives to look like Jesus, we are to love others from the core of our beings.

We have seen Peter reveal for us the reality that we are to love like Jesus because we have been given new life by Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we are to recognize and remember that this new life did not originate from that which was perishable. Instead, as followers of Jesus, we are to recognize and remember that this new life originated from the incorruptible promises of God. As followers of Jesus, we are to recognize and remember that the promises and glory of God are eternal and not forgotten. And just as God fulfilled His promises to the Jewish people in exile by bringing them back to the Jewish nation, God is a promise maker and a promise keeper that will fulfill His promises in His timing.

Now a natural question that could arise at this point is “Well Dave that sounds great. I mean it sounds great to say that we are to love like Jesus because we have dedicated ourselves to living lives that look like Jesus. It sounds great to say that we are to love like Jesus because we have been given new life by Jesus. But how exactly do I get to the place where I live a life that actually loves like Jesus. Because, Dave if I am brutally honest, I have a hard time actually loving others like Jesus loved others. So, how do I get to the place where I actually love others like Jesus loved others?”

 If that question is running through your mind, I just want to let you know that that is a great question. And fortunately for us, we see Peter provide the answer to that question in 1 Peter 2:1-3. Let’s discover that answer together:

Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, ² like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, ³ if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

Now when Peter uses the word therefore here, he is basically saying “in light of the reality that the hope that we have in Jesus should lead to a life that loves like Jesus because we have been given new life by Jesus in fulfillment of the life giving and eternal promises of God, we need to do something as followers of Jesus that will enable and empower us to love like Jesus. And what we need to do is what Peter commands followers of Jesus throughout history to do in verse 2: long for the pure milk of the word.

When Peter uses the word long, this word literally means to have a strong desire for something. What Peter commands followers of Jesus throughout history to do is to have a strong desire for is the pure milk of the word. But what does that even mean? What is so interesting here is that the word pure refers to something that is unadulterated. In addition, when Peter refers to milk here, he is referring to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. Peter here is painting a word picture of a newborn baby feeding on physical milk to command followers of Jesus throughout history to crave, to strongly desire the spiritual milk of the message and teachings of Jesus.

Have you ever been around a baby when it is feeding time? Or better yet, have you ever been around a baby when it is feeding time and mom is not around? Have you ever been there? Have you ever been at that place where it begins as a small little cry that slowly and steadily escalates to an ear piercing scream? Have you ever been in that place where you are trying to distract that baby with a toy or with a funny face, all the while hoping and praying that mom would get home soon? Have you ever been in that place where, no matter what you do, you cannot make the baby stop screaming?

The reason you can’t make the baby stop screaming is because there is only one thing that will stop the baby from screaming and you do not have it, because you are not the mom. Simply giving a baby a glass of water will not work. And you wouldn’t even think about giving that newborn baby a soda, I hope. You do not want to give that newborn baby anything that would hurt that baby; you know that the baby can only have one thing, and that one thing is the unadulterated and unaltered milk that comes from momma.

And so you wait. And so you pray. And you rejoice when momma arrives. You rejoice because the only thing that can satisfy that craving, the only thing that can satisfy that newborn baby’s desire, is the milk that comes from momma. And it is the pure, unadulterated, and unaltered milk from momma that results in the physical growth and nourishment of that baby.

And it is here that we see Peter reveal for us the reality that we are to love like Jesus by desiring the spiritual nourishment that comes from the Lord. You see, 1 Peter 2:1, Peter reveals the things that will get in the way of us loving like Jesus and that reveal a lack of desire for the spiritual nourishment that comes from the Lord. 

In verse 1 Peter reveals the reality that we are to desire the spiritual nourishment that comes from the Lord by putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. When Peter uses the phrase, putting aside, this phrase literally means to rid oneself of something. Peter states that, as followers of Jesus, we are to rid ourselves of all malice, which is a mean spirited or vicious attitude. As followers of Jesus, we are to rid ourselves of all deceit, which is to take advantage of another through crafty and underhanded methods. In other words, as followers of Jesus, we are not to be shady in our dealings with others.

As followers of Jesus, we are to rid ourselves of all hypocrisy, which is to create a public impression that is at odds with one’s real purposes or motivations. In other words, as followers of Jesus, we are not to be a poser. As followers of Jesus, we are to rid ourselves of all envy, which is a desire to want what others have and not want others to have what they do have. And as followers of Jesus, we are to rid ourselves of all slander, which is to speak ill of, to defame or to slander someone.

Now what do all of the words on this list that Peter commands followers of Jesus throughout history to rid themselves of have in common? You see, the words on this list are all things that destroy relationships and destroy community. You cannot love others like Jesus loved others if you have a mean spirited or vicious attitude towards others. You cannot love others like Jesus loved others if you are shady towards others. You cannot love others like Jesus loved others if you are a poser towards others. You cannot love others like Jesus loved others if you want what others have and not want others to have what they do have. You cannot love others like Jesus loved others if you speak ill of, defame or slander others.

These attitudes and actions destroy relationships and community. And that is Peters’ point. Peter here is revealing for us the reality that we are to desire the spiritual nourishment that comes from the Lord by ridding ourselves of those things that destroy relationships and community. We are to desire the spiritual nourishment that comes from the Lord like a newborn baby craves their mother's milk.

And in the second half of verse 2 and in verse 3, we see Peter reveal the reality that we are to desire the spiritual nourishment that comes from the Lord so that we may experience spiritual growth. When Peter uses the phrase, so that you may grow in respect to salvation, salvation refers to our rescue from our rebellion by Jesus so that we can experience eternity in relationship with Jesus. This phrase refers to the possession of a genuine trust in Jesus and that Jesus has rescued us from our rebellion and into an eternal relationship with Jesus that transcends this temporary human existence.

You see, the promises of God not only initiate our life in relationship with Jesus. In addition, the promises of God sustain our life in relationship with Jesus, regardless of the circumstances that we find ourselves in as followers of Jesus. That is, as Peter points out in verse 3, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. With this phrase, Peter is alluding to a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible called the book of Psalms. In Psalm 34:8, the Psalmist proclaimed the following:

O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

Peter’s point here is that followers of Jesus are to crave the Lord for their spiritual nourishment, as God in Christ both conceives and sustains the life that we have as followers of Jesus. Peter is revealing the reality that, if we have truly experienced the grace and kindness of Jesus, that grace and kindness will produce within us a craving, a desire for the nourishment that comes from Jesus.

Because the timeless reality is that the hope we have in Jesus should lead to a life that loves like Jesus. We are to love like Jesus because we have dedicated ourselves to living lives that look like Jesus. We are to love like Jesus because we have been given new life by Jesus. And we are love like Jesus by desiring the spiritual nourishment that comes from the Lord.

So here is a question to consider: Does the hope that you have in Jesus leading to a life that loves like Jesus? What does your willingness to love others like Jesus loved others reveal about how dedicated you are to living a life that looks like Jesus? Is the new life that you have as a result of what God has done for you producing a life that loves Jesus supremely and others sacrificially? Is the grace and kindness that you have experienced for Jesus producing a craving a desire for the message and teachings of Jesus? If the answer to these questions are no, then why not?

Because the hope we have in Jesus as a result of the new life that we have because of Jesus should result in a life that loves like Jesus...

The hope we have in Jesus should lead to a life that loves like Jesus...

At the church where I serve we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled the power of hope. During this series, we are addressing the reality that we live in a time where our culture is changing occurs at a frequently increasing rate. And as followers of Jesus, we feel this rapid change in our culture most acutely when it comes to how the culture views Christianity. It would seem that as culture and society continue to rapidly change, that Christianity is being left behind.

So during this series we are asking and answering the questions “How are we as followers of Jesus to respond to such a rapidly changing culture? How are we as followers of Jesus to respond to our faith being minimized and marginalized? How are we as followers of Jesus to respond when our faith results in us being ridiculed, criticized, and slandered?

This week I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this letter that the Apostle Peter wrote to early followers of Jesus, we will discover another timeless truth about how we are to live in a rapidly changing culture as followers of Jesus together. So let’s discover that timeless truth together, beginning in 1 Peter 1:22:

Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,

Now when Peter begins this section of his letter with the word since, he is making a connection between what he has previously written to what he is about to write. To fully understand that connection, however, we first need to understand a few things. First, when Peter uses the phrase “purified your souls”, this phrase, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to cause to be morally pure so as to be set apart for someone or something. Last week, Peter called followers of Jesus throughout history to be holy as God is holy. Peter revealed the reality that the hope we have in Jesus should lead to a life that is set apart and dedicated to looking like Jesus.

In addition, when Peter uses the word souls here, this word refers to the center, the seat, and the sum of life that transcends human existence. Peter then explained that what they have purified and set their souls apart and dedicated for is for a sincere love of the brethren. This sincere love is a warm regard for an interest in another that is selfless, sacrificial, and persevering in nature. Also, when Peter uses the phrase, in obedience to the truth, this phrase refers to the truth that is contained in the message and teachings of Jesus and the message of the gospel. Finally, when Peter talks about the heart, he is referring to the center and seat of one’s physical, spiritual, and mental life. This word refers to the center and core of who we are as a person.

So Peter’s statement in verse 22, if communicated in the language that we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “since you have responded to the reality that the hope we have in Jesus should result in a life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus by being obedient to the message and teachings of Jesus so as to live a life that looks like Jesus; Since your obedience to the message and teachings of Jesus has resulted in a life that has been set apart to genuine love other followers of Jesus; then make sure that you are constantly and consistently demonstrating a genuine, selfless, and sacrificial love for one another from the core of your being.”

Peter here is commanding followers of Jesus throughout history to respond to the reality that our lives are to be dedicated to looking like Jesus by living in obedience to the message and teachings of Jesus so as to love one another as Jesus loved others. And it is here, in this section of this letter, that we see Peter reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to the power that hope has in the life of a follower of Jesus in that the hope we have in Jesus should lead to a life that loves like Jesus. Just as it was for these early followers of Jesus who were experiencing sadness and suffering as a result of their current circumstances; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, the hope we have in Jesus should lead to a life that loves like Jesus.

And in 1 Peter 1:22-2:3, we see Peter reveal for us three reasons why, as followers of Jesus, the hope we have in Jesus should lead to a life that loves life Jesus. First, in verse 22, we see Peter reveal for us the reality that we are to love like Jesus because we have dedicated ourselves to living lives that look like Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we are to set ourselves apart to genuinely love like Jesus loved. As followers of Jesus, as a result of dedicating our lives to look like Jesus, we are to love with the constant, consistent, and persevering love that Jesus had for us. As followers of Jesus, as a result of dedicating our lives to look like Jesus, we are to love others from the core of our beings.

And as followers of Jesus, as a result of dedicating our lives to look like Jesus, we have set ourselves apart to live in obedience to the truth of the message and teaching of Jesus. And as we have talked about in the past, for Jesus, what matters most to Jesus is that we love Him with our total being and love our neighbor as ourselves. The timeless reality is that you cannot live a life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus without loving like Jesus loved. And to love like Jesus loved, we are to love God supremely and we are to love others with a selfless and sacrificial love that reveals and reflects the love that Jesus demonstrated for us. Peter then reveals a second reason why the hope we have in Jesus should lead to a life that loves like Jesus in verse 23-25:

 ²³ for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For, "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, ²⁵ BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." And this is the word which was preached to you.

In verse 23, Peter explained to followers of Jesus throughout history that the reason why they were to fervently love one another from the heart was due to the fact that “you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.”

As we discovered in the opening sermon of this series, when Peter uses the phrase “you have been born again”, this phrase is passive and is past tense. In other words, this is something that has already been done to you if you are a follower of Jesus. You have already been born again. The phrase "born again" is the idea of being born from above. To be born again is a figurative phrase used to describe the spiritual birth of followers of Jesus into new life in relationship with Jesus. As Jesus pointed out in a conversation that is recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of John, being born again, being born from above is not something you do. To be born again, to be born from above is something that the Spirit of God does to you.

Peter then explained that this spiritual birth into new life in relationship with Jesus is not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable. Now this word, seed, in the language that this letter was originally written in, conveys the sense of origin. Peter uses this word as a metaphor to describe the origin of this new birth and life.

Peter states that this seed, the place where this new birth and life in relationship with Jesus originates is not perishable. In other words, this new birth and new life in relationship with Jesus did not come from something that will perish or come to ruin. Instead, Peter states that this seed, the place where this new birth and life in relationship with Jesus originates, is imperishable. In other words, this new birth and new life in relationship with Jesus came from something that is impervious to death and is incorruptible.

Peter then explained that the seed, the origin of this new birth and new life in relationship with Jesus, is through the living and enduring word of God. Now when Peter refers to the word of God, he is not simply referring to the Bible. Instead, Peter is referring to the specific promises of God that form God’s message of rescue that is contained in the Bible.

You see, Peter wanted followers of Jesus throughout history to clearly understand that the new life that we have is the result of the Holy Spirit’s activity in our lives that is the direct fulfillment of God’s promises to bring new life. And God’s promises to bring new life are living and enduring. God’s promises are promises that have the power to produce life and God’s promises are promises that stand the test of time. Peter then reinforces this reality by quoting from a section of a letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible called the book of Isaiah.

Peter quotes a section of the book of Isaiah that begins in Isaiah 40:6. At this time in history, the Jewish people were living as a conquered people in exile in the nation of Babylon. As a conquered people living in a foreign country under the rule of their conquerors, the Jewish people were experiencing a time of significant suffering and trials in their lives. And as the Jewish people suffered as a result of the trials that they were experiencing as a conquered people living in captivity in exile, many of the Jewish people began to question God’s promises to them in light of the circumstances of trials and suffering that they were facing.

And it was in this context that God sent the prophet Isaiah as His messenger to proclaim His message to the Jewish people who were suffering in exile. And God’s message, through the prophet Isaiah, to His people who were suffering as a result of their circumstances was this: God does not forget His promises to His people. Just like the grass of the fields in the desert, the trials of God’s people are temporary. Just like the glory and splendor of the flower that grows on the top of that grass, the glory of human power is temporary. Just like the seed that is perishable produces physical life whose glory is temporary, the circumstances of this life are temporary. However, the imperishable and incorruptible promises of God produce the spiritual life that results in us experiencing eternal life with God. The imperishable and incorruptible promises of God are eternal and produce a glory and splendor that is eternal.

And it is in these verses that we see Peter reveal for us the reality that we are to love like Jesus because we have been given new life by Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we are to recognize and remember that this new life did not originate from that which was perishable. Instead, as followers of Jesus, we are to recognize and remember that this new life originated from the incorruptible promises of God. As followers of Jesus, we are to recognize and remember that the promises of God produce spiritual life with God. As followers of Jesus, we are to recognize and remember that the promises of God produce enduring, eternal life with God.

As followers of Jesus, we are to recognize and remember that the trials and glory that come from humanity are only temporary. And as followers of Jesus, we are to recognize and remember that the promises and glory of God are eternal and not forgotten. And just as God fulfilled His promises to the Jewish people in exile by bringing them back to the Jewish nation, God is a promise maker and a promise keeper that will fulfill His promises in His timing.

Now a natural question that could arise at this point is “Well Dave that sounds great. I mean it sounds great to say that we are to love like Jesus because we have dedicated ourselves to living lives that look like Jesus. It sounds great to say that we are to love like Jesus because we have been given new life by Jesus. But how exactly do I get to the place where I live a life that actually loves like Jesus. Because, Dave if I am brutally honest, I have a hard time actually loving others like Jesus loved others. So, how do I get to the place where I actually love others like Jesus loved others?”

We will see Peter answer this question on Friday…      

A life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus and that is driven by a reverent respect for the Lord...

This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of 1 Peter. And in 1 Peter 1:13-21, we see Peter reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to the power that hope is to have in our lives as followers of Jesus in that the hope we have in Jesus should lead to a life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus.

We talked about the reality that a life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus is not dominated by the selfish desires that dominated our life before we came to know Jesus. Instead, a life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus is set apart and committed to revealing and reflecting Jesus in how we live out our day to day lives in obedience to Jesus.

As followers of Jesus, we have been chosen by God and rescued by God’s gracious activity through Jesus to live distinctly different lives.  We are called to live distinctly different lives when it comes to how we handle our sexuality, our family relationships, how we love and treat those who are different than us ethnically or socioeconomically, how we respond to wrongdoing and injustice, and how we worship, then the culture around us.

And when we live such distinctly different lives than the culture around us, we are perfectly positioned to be the vehicle that God used to reveal Himself to the world. In 1 Peter 1:13-21, we see Peter reveal three different reasons why we as followers of Jesus are to be driven by a reverent respect for Jesus. First, as followers of Jesus, we are to be driven by a reverent respect for Jesus that recognizes the Lord as the impartial judge. At the end of God’s story here on earth, we will all stand before the Lord to give an account for how we lived our lives. And the Lord is an impartial judge; the Lord will judge our behavior without partiality; the standard is the same for all humanity.

Second, as followers of Jesus, we are to be driven by a reverent respect for Jesus that recognizes the priceless life of Jesus. We discovered that there is no price that can be placed on the life that Jesus lived that we refused to live, and the death that Jesus died, that we deserved to die. You see, while God’s grace is free, it is not cheap. While God’s grace does not cost us anything, it was very costly to Jesus.

And because of that reality, our lives should be driven by a reverent respect for Jesus in light of the price that He paid to rescue and redeem us from a life of selfishness and rebellion that enslaved us and separated us from God. Peter then concludes this section of this letter by revealing for us a third reason why we as followers of Jesus are to be driven by a reverent respect for Jesus. Let’s discover that reason together, beginning in 1 Peter 1:20-21:

 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you ²¹ who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Now to fully understand what Peter is communicating here, we first need to understand what the word foreknown means. The word foreknown is a big fancy church mumbo jumbo talk word that means to know beforehand. This word conveys the sense of knowing beforehand so as to choose beforehand. In addition the phrase “before the foundation of the world” refers to the creation of the world.

Peter’s point here is that God chose Jesus before the creation of the word and before time began to enter into humanity during the time of history that Peter was writing this letter so that He could live the life we were created to live but refused to live and willingly allow Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives, so that God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life. That is what Peter is referring to when he uses the phrase for the sake of you. 

Because, as Peter points out in verse 21, it is through Jesus life, death, and resurrection that we come to the place where we believe, trust, and follow Jesus as Lord and Leader so as to experience forgiveness and the relationship with God we were created for. It is through Jesus life, death, and resurrection that we can place our trust in God. And it is through Jesus life, death, and resurrection that we can look forward to the future with confidence in spite of our current circumstances at Jesus return.

And because of that reality, as followers of Jesus, we are to be driven by a reverent respect for Jesus that recognizes the Lord’s eternal plan to bring us hope and bring Jesus glory. You see, Peter wanted followers of Jesus throughout history to clearly understand that the hope we have for the future that is greater than any trial should lead to something leading and driving our life.

And the timeless reality is that the hope we have in Jesus should lead to a life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus. A life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus is not dominated by the selfish desires that dominated our life before we came to know Jesus. Instead, a life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus is set apart and committed to revealing and reflecting Jesus in how we live out our day to day lives in obedience to Jesus.

A life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus and that is driven by a reverent respect for the Lord: A reverent respect that recognizes the Lord as the impartial judge. A reverent respect that recognizes that we have been redeemed by the priceless life of Jesus: A reverent respect that recognizes the Lord’s eternal plan to bring us hope and bring Jesus glory.

So here is a question for us to consider: How is the hope that you have as a result of Jesus life impacting how you are living out your day to day life? How is God’s grace in your life impacting how you are living out your day to day life? Does your life treat God’s grace as cheap? Or does your life treat God’s grace as costly? 

Because, while God’s grace is free, it is not cheap. While God’s grace does not cost us anything, it was very costly to Jesus. And because of that reality, our lives should be driven by a reverent respect for Jesus that is dedicated to looking like Jesus.

The timeless reality is that the hope we have in Jesus should lead to a life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus…

A life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus is driven by a reverent respect for Jesus...

This week, we are looking at a section of this letter that the Apostle Peter wrote to early followers of Jesus that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of 1 Peter. Yesterday, we looked at 1 Peter 1:13-16, where we discovered the timeless truth that the hope we have in Jesus should lead to a life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus.

As followers of Jesus, the reality is that a life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus is not dominated by the selfish desires that dominated our life before we came to know Jesus. Instead, a life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus is set apart and committed to revealing and reflecting Jesus in how we live out our day to day lives in obedience to Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we have been chosen by God and rescued by God’s gracious activity through Jesus to live distinctly different lives. 

We are called to live distinctly different lives when it comes to how we handle our sexuality, our family relationships, how we love and treat those who are different than us ethnically or socioeconomically, how we respond to wrongdoing and injustice, and how we worship, then the culture around us. And when we live such distinctly different lives than the culture around us, we are perfectly positioned to be the vehicle that God used to reveal Himself to the world. As Peter continues this section of this letter, we see him unpack the motivation that should drive our desire to live lives that are dedicated to looking like Jesus in 1 Peter 1:17-19:

 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; ¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹ but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

Now Peter’s statement in verse 17, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: If you claim to be a Christian; if you claim that you have a relationship with God the Father, you better live out your day to day life in a way that recognizes that God will judge how you live your life in an impartial manner, so you better live your day to day life in a way that demonstrates a reverent respect for God so as to submit and obey Him.”

When Peter uses the word fear, this word does not describe what we experience when we watch the latest “Alien” or “Resident Evil” movie. Instead, when we see the word fear throughout the letters that make up the Bible, this word conveys the sense of having a reverent respect for someone that result in submission and obedience to that person. And it is here that we see Peter reveal for us the reality that a life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus is driven be a reverent respect for Jesus. As followers of Jesus our day to day lives are to be driven by a reverent respect for Jesus that results in a life that strives to live in submission and obedience to Jesus.

Peter revealed three different reasons why we as followers of Jesus are to be driven by a reverent respect for Jesus. First, as followers of Jesus, we are to be driven by a reverent respect for Jesus that recognizes the Lord as the impartial judge. At the end of God’s story here on earth, we will all stand before the Lord to give an account for how we lived our lives. And the Lord is an impartial judge; the Lord will judge our behavior without partiality; the standard is the same for all humanity.

All humanity will have to answer for how they answered the question “Who is Jesus?” And for those who never heard of Jesus, all humanity will have to answer for how they responded to God’s activity in their lives through the creation and through their conscience. The standard is the same for all followers of Jesus; did you respond to my gracious activity in your life by leading a life that was dedicated to look like Jesus? If not, why not?

Second, in verse 18 and 19, Peter explains that followers of Jesus are to be driven by a reverent respect for Jesus “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” Now the word redeemed here, in the language that this letter was originally written in, means to be purchased by ransom. This word was also used to describe how a slave would be purchased from a local slave market.

In addition, when Peter uses the phrase from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, he is painting a word picture that these Jewish followers of Jesus would be very familiar with. And this word picture was that of a sacrificial offering that would be offered as part of the Jewish sacrificial system. In the Jewish sacrificial system, there were two times every day that sacrifices were made to God for the sins of the people, one early in the morning and one in the in the late afternoon at 3 p.m. The sacrificial offerings involved animals who were offered as a substitute to pay the penalty for acts of selfishness and rebellion that had been committed against God by the Jewish people.

Peter’s point here is that the Jewish sacrificial system involved objects that were used to pay for the acts of the selfishness and rebellion of humanity that were perishable. Whether it was the silver of the gold that was used to purchase the animals that were used in the Jewish sacrificial system, or whether it was the animals themselves, they would all perish or be ruined over time. Even the purest gold over time becomes ruined over time.

However, unlike the Jewish sacrificial system that used things that would perish or be ruined over time to pay for the selfishness and rebellion of humanity, as followers of Jesus, they were purchased with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. Peter’s point here is that the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross, in our place, for our selfishness and rebellion, does not lose its value over time. Jesus blood is priceless, perfect, without any defect, and is not subject to ruin over time.

And because of that reality, as followers of Jesus, we are to be driven by a reverent respect for Jesus that recognizes the priceless life of Jesus. There is no price that can be placed on the life that Jesus lived that we refused to live, and the death that Jesus died, that we deserved to die. You see, while God’s grace is free, it is not cheap. While God’s grace does not cost us anything, it was very costly to Jesus.

And because of that reality, our lives should be driven by a reverent respect for Jesus in light of the price that He paid to rescue and redeem us from a life of selfishness and rebellion that enslaved us and separated us from God. Peter then concludes this section of this letter by revealing for us a third reason why we as followers of Jesus are to be driven by a reverent respect for Jesus.

We will discover that third reason Friday…

The hope we have in Jesus should lead to a life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus...

At the church where I serve, we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled the power of hope. During this series, we are addressing the reality that we live in a time where our culture is changing occurs at a frequently increasing rate. And as followers of Jesus, we feel this rapid change in our culture most acutely when it comes to how the culture views Christianity. It would seem that as culture and society continue to rapidly change, that Christianity is being left behind.

So during this series we are asking and answering the questions “How are we as followers of Jesus to respond to such a rapidly changing culture? How are we as followers of Jesus to respond to our faith being minimized and marginalized? How are we as followers of Jesus to respond when our faith results in us being ridiculed, criticized, and slandered?

To answer these questions, we are looking at a letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 1 Peter. Now this week, I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this letter that the Apostle Peter wrote to early followers of Jesus, we will discover another timeless truth about the power that hope has in our lives as followers of Jesus living in a rapidly changing culture. So let’s discover that timeless truth together, beginning in 1 Peter 1:13:

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Peter begins this section of his letter with the word therefore. With this word, Peter is basically saying “In light of everything that I just said; In light of the reality we as followers of Jesus have hope for the future that is greater than any trial as a result of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus that provides us new life in relationship with Jesus and a confident expectation for the future that is certain and secure; In light of the reality that we have hope for the future that is greater than any trial that results in an eternal inheritance; In light of the reality that we have hope for the future that is greater than any trial that is proven through our faith in the midst of trials; In light of the reality that we have hope for the future that is greater than any trial that has been predicted and proclaimed through the message of the gospel; In light of all of that, I want you to do something as a result of the hope that you have that is greater than any trial.”

And what Peter wanted followers of Jesus to do in light of the hope that they have is to fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Peter here is commanding followers of Jesus throughout history to respond to the hope that they have for the future that is greater than any trial by fixing their hope on that future when Jesus will return. That is what Peter is referring to when he uses the phrase “the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

The word grace refers to God’s transformational intervention and activity in the world through Jesus. And God's transformational intervention and activity in the world will be most clearly seen at the end of God’s story here on earth, when Jesus will return to earth to defeat selfishness, sin, and death, and usher in the kingdom of Heaven in its fullest sense. As followers of Jesus, we are to look forward with confidence to Jesus return in the midst of the sadness, suffering, and difficulties that we may experience as followers of Jesus.

Now a natural question that could arise at this point is “Well Dave that sounds great, but how am I practically supposed to look forward with confidence to Jesus return? How do I do that?” Peter provides the answer to that question with the two phrases that precede his command.

First, Peter explains that we are to look forward with confidence to Jesus return when we prepare our minds for action. What is so interesting is that this phrase here, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally reads “gird the loins of your mind”. This phrase, in the culture of the first century, was a word picture of lifting up long garments to facilitate work or walking.

Peter’s point here is that, as followers of Jesus, we are to look forward with confidence to Jesus return by resolving to live out that confidence in the present. Just as we prepare ourselves physically for a future day’s work, we are to prepare ourselves mentally for Jesus future return. Jesus future return should shape and mold our resolve when it comes to how we live in the present.

Second, Peter explains that we are to look forward with confidence to Jesus return when we keep sober in spirit. Now the phrase “keep sober” here refers to being well-balanced. This phrase conveys the sense of being self controlled. Peter’s point here is that we look forward with confidence to Jesus return by being self controlled in our thinking.

As followers of Jesus, we are not to allow our mental or emotional states to be filled with the confusion that comes as a result of excess emotion and rash responses to our circumstances. Instead of becoming emotionally or mentally intoxicated by riding the emotional or mental roller coaster of “what if”, as followers of Jesus we are to focus on the confident expectation that we have for the future in light of Jesus return so as to have balance in our lives emotionally and mentally.

As followers of Jesus, such a balance and self control will result in an ability to live in light of our true identity as a follower of Jesus, regardless of the circumstances around us.  After giving this first command, we see Peter give a second command to followers of Jesus throughout history in verse 14-16:

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, ¹⁵ but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; ¹⁶ because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."

Now to fully understand what Peter is commanding followers of Jesus to do in these verses, we first need to define some terms.  First, when Peter uses the word conformed here, this word literally means to be formed according to a pattern or a mold. In addition, the word lusts here refer to a desire for something that is forbidden. Finally, when Peter uses the word ignorance, this word refers to someone having a lack of information about God that results in a life of selfishness and rebellion against God.

So Peter here is commanding followers of Jesus throughout history to not allow the selfish desires for what is forbidden by God that once dominated their lives to continue to shape and mold their lives. Instead of continuing to live according to their selfish desires that went against God’s desires that once dominated their lives prior to becoming followers of Jesus, Peter commands followers of Jesus throughout history to “be like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior.”

Now the word holy is a big fancy church mumbo jumbo talk word that simply means to be set apart to God. When Peter refers to God as the Holy One, he is revealing for us the reality that God is set apart as being distinct and different from anything else that exists. You see, there is the Creator God and there is the creation. God, in His nature and character is distinctly different and separate from the creation.

When Peter states that God called you, this phrase means to be chosen to receive a special benefit or experience. And that benefit or experience, as Peter stated last week, is the forgiveness of sin and the relationship with God that we were created for as a result of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. That benefit or experience, as Peter previously stated, is a hope for the future that is greater than any trial.

So in light of the reality that God, who is set apart from the rest of the creation as being distinctly different; in light of the reality that we have been rescued from the selfishness and rebellion that separated us from God so that we could experience forgiveness and the relationship with God that we were created for by God’s gracious activity through Jesus; In light of the reality that God has chosen us as followers of Jesus to experience such blessings, Peter commands followers of Jesus throughout history to respond to such realities to be holy yourselves in all your behavior.

In other words, Peter is commanding followers of Jesus throughout history to respond to God’s gracious activity in their lives that chose them for rescue and relationship to live a life that is set apart to God. Paul here is commanding followers of Jesus throughout history to respond to God’s grace in their lives by dedicating themselves to live out their day to day lives in a way that is distinctly different from how they used to live their lives.

Paul here is commanding followers of Jesus throughout history to respond to God’s grace in their lives through Jesus by dedicating themselves to live out their day to day lives in a way that is set apart to God and that looks more and more like Jesus in their character and conduct as a result of their obedience to God. And it is here, in this section of this letter, that we see Peter reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to the power that hope is to have in our lives as followers of Jesus in that the hope we have in Jesus should lead to a life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus.

As followers of Jesus, the reality is that a life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus is not dominated by the selfish desires that dominated our life before we came to know Jesus. Instead, a life that is dedicated to looking like Jesus is set apart and committed to revealing and reflecting Jesus in how we live out our day to day lives in obedience to Jesus. And to back his command, the Apostle Peter quotes from a section of a letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible called the book of Leviticus. In Leviticus 11:44, 19:2, and 20:7 God commanded the Jewish people to be holy, for I am holy.

You see, God in His very nature and character is distinct and different from the rest of the creation. And in the book of Leviticus, God was commanding the Jewish people, as His chosen people, to live out their day to day lives as a nation in a way that was distinctly different from the nations around them. How the Jewish people were to handle their sexuality, their families, their justice system, and their worship was to be distinctly different than they nations that surrounded them. By living lives that were distinctly different from the nations around them, the Jewish people would be the vehicle that God used to reveal Himself to the world.

And in the same way today, as followers of Jesus, we have been chosen by God and rescued by God’s gracious activity through Jesus to live distinctly different lives.  We are called to live distinctly different lives when it comes to how we handle our sexuality, our family relationships, how we love and treat those who are different than us ethnically or socioeconomically, how we respond to wrongdoing and injustice, and how we worship, then the culture around us. And when we live such distinctly different lives than the culture around us, we are perfectly positioned to be the vehicle that God used to reveal Himself to the world.

And as Peter continues this section of this letter, we see him unpack the motivation that should drive our desire to live lives that are dedicated to looking like Jesus. We will pick up there tomorrow…

Followers of Jesus have hope for the future that is greater than any trial...

This week we have been looking at the opening section of a letter that is preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of 1 Peter. So far this week, we have looked on as Peter explained to these early followers of Jesus that God's transformational activity and intervention in history through Jesus life, death, and resurrection results in a new life in relationship with Jesus and a confident expectation for the future that is certain and sure. 

Peter then explained to these early followers of Jesus that this confident expectation for the future that is certain and sure that flows from God's activity in history through Jesus that brings them into relationship with Jesus provides them an inheritance as a part of the family of God. God is actively at work to guard, protect, and provide security, through our trust in what God has done for us through Jesus, so that we would experience the incorruptible, pure, and unfading inheritance that He has in store for us in Heaven. Today, we will see Peter transition to address the circumstances that these early followers of Jesus found themselves experiencinvg in 1 Peter 1:6-7:

 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, ⁷ so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Now to fully understand what Peter is communicating in these verses, we first need to define some terms and phrases. First, when Peter uses the word distress, this word means to experience sadness or suffering. In addition, when Peter uses the word trials here this word, in the language that this letter was originally written in, was used to refer to both temptations and trials. In addition this word conveys the sense of something happening to you.

Peter here is referring to something that comes upon us that reveals that nature and character of what is within us. You see, character is like toothpaste; you never really know what is inside until it is squeezed. And these early followers of Jesus were being squeezed. These early followers of Jesus were being squeezed as a result of being strangers in a strange land as a result of their ancestors being scattered during the Babylonian invasion of the Jewish nation.

These early followers of Jesus were being squeezed as a result of a persecution against followers of Jesus that is recorded for us in Acts 8.  These early followers of Jesus were being squeezed as a result of the new movement of Christianity beginning to experience persecution at the hands of the Roman Empire.

These early followers of Jesus were being squeezed as they found themselves feeling marginalized and isolated by those around them. These early followers of Jesus were being squeezed as they found themselves the object of ridicule and slander for clinging to a religious belief system that was viewed as being both strange and outrageous as compared with the religious systems that were prevalent in the culture around them.

And as a result of being squeezed, these early followers of Jesus were beginning to question, or even doubt the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. The issue that Peter is addressing here is the temptation to renounce faith and Jesus and walk away from following Jesus as a result of the external circumstances of sadness and suffering that they were facing. You see, while we are not necessarily responsible for the circumstances we face, we are responsible for our response to those circumstances.

And here we see Peter call these early followers of Jesus to view their current circumstances of sadness and suffering in two specific ways. First, Peter called these early followers of Jesus to view their current circumstances of sadness and suffering in the right context. Peter reminded these early followers of Jesus of the exceeding  joy and gladness that they had experienced as a result of their new life in relationship with Jesus that produced such a confident expectation for the future that is certain and sure and is for all eternity. While these early followers of Jesus were experience sadness and suffering as a result of their current circumstances, their current circumstances were temporary, while their relationship with Jesus and their inheritance in the kingdom of Heaven was for all eternity.

Second, Peter called these early followers of Jesus to view their current circumstances of sadness and suffering as providing the evidence of a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus. Peter used another word picture, this time of the refining of gold by a smelter. In the culture of the day, and even today, a smelter uses an extremely hot fire in order to refine metal. As the metal was heated, the dross and impurities rise to the top and are removed, thus leaving pure gold. However, as Peter pointed out, even pure gold that has been tested by fire is perishable. Even pure gold becomes ruined over time.

Peter used this word picture to reveal the reality that the outward circumstances of sadness and suffering would reveal the genuineness of their faith that was being proved through the fires of the trials and circumstances that they were experiencing. Peter then pointed these early followers of Jesus to the reality that the evidence of their genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus that would be produced by placing confident trust in Jesus in the midst of their circumstances would result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Upon Jesus return to defeat selfishness, sin, and rebellion and to usher in the kingdom of Heaven in its fullest sense, the confident trust in Jesus that was displayed in the midst of their sadness and suffering would result in God receiving admiration and approval. Their confident trust in Jesus that was displayed in the midst of their sadness and suffering would result in God's reputation being enhanced. Their confident trust in Jesus that was displayed in the midst of their sadness and suffering would result in God receiving the honor, respect, and reverence He was worthy of.  Peter then hammers his point home with a timeless word of encouragement in verse 8-9:

 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹ obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

Peter's statement, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would sound something like this: "Even though you have never seen Jesus, you love Jesus with a selfless and sacrificial love. And even though you do not see Him in the midst of your sadness and suffering as a result of your circumstances, you trust Him and rejoice with an exceeding gladness that causes Jesus to look splendid and great. And your response to Jesus in the midst of your sadness and suffering reveals the reality that you possess a genuine trust in Jesus and that Jesus has rescued you from your rebellion and into an eternal relationship with Jesus that transcends this temporary human existence." Peter then revealed how God's message of rescue through the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel was revealed to humanity in verse 10-11:

As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, ¹¹ seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.

Now, when Peter refers to the prophets, he is referring to those who were gifted by God to be was a spokesman for God who proclaimed God’s message to the Jewish people and the world. In addition, when Peter uses the phrase "prophesied of the grace that would come to you", he is revealing for us the reality that God's spokesman throughout the Old Testament predicted and proclaimed that God would send a rescuer, a deliverer, a Messiah that would provide humanity that opportunity to be restored to the relationship with God that they were created for but had rejected through their selfishness and rebellion.

And as the prophets proclaimed God's message to humanity, the prophets tried to figure out when the Messiah would come. The prophets, as they proclaimed God's message, searched and made a thorough effort to understand what the Holy Spirit was proclaiming to them when it came to what the Messiah would experience in terms of His death and resurrection. Peter then reveals what answer the prophets received when it came to their searches and efforts to understand God's promise of a Messiah in verse 12:

 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-- things into which angels long to look.

Now this morning, did you catch that? Did you catch that the Holy Spirit made known to the prophets that they were not proclaiming God's message to humanity for their own benefit. Instead, the Holy Spirit made clearly known to the prophets that they were functioning as an intermediary on God's behalf to communicate His message of rescue through the message of the gospel to followers of Jesus throughout history.

The message of the gospel that was first revealed and proclaimed by Jesus and was now being proclaimed by Peter to these early followers of Jesus who were experiencing sadness and suffering as a result of being squeezed by their circumstances.  The message of the gospel that in which angels long to look. In other words, the angelic beings in Heaven did not see the gospel coming. The angelic beings in Heaven had a strong desire to get a glance at the gospel.

However, the angels were not the focus or the point of the gospel; humanity was the focus and the point of the gospel. A humanity that had a living hope, a confident expectation for the future that was certain and sure as a result of God's activity through Jesus that provided an eternal inheritance in spite of their current circumstances.

And it is here, in this opening section of this letter, that we see Peter reveal a timeless truth about the power of hope for followers of Jesus throughout history in that followers of Jesus have hope for the future that is greater than any trial. As followers of Jesus, we have hope for the future as a result of the resurrection of Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we have for the future that results in an eternal inheritance. As followers of Jesus, we possess an inheritance as a child of God who is a part of the family of God.

An inheritance that is incorruptible, is pure, and is unfading in its character or quality: An inheritance that is preserved in Heaven for followers of Jesus to experience in the future: An inheritance that God is actively at work to guard, protect, and provide security for: An inheritance that will be made fully known when Jesus returns to defeat selfishness, sin and death and to usher in the kingdom of heaven in its fullest sense.

As followers of Jesus, we have hope for the future that is proven through our faith in the midst of trials. While we may experience sadness and suffering as a result of our current circumstances, our current circumstances are temporary, while our relationship with Jesus and our inheritance in the kingdom of Heaven is for all eternity. The outward circumstances of sadness and suffering that we experience reveal the genuineness of their faith that is proved by our confident trust in Jesus through the fires of those trials and the circumstances.  And as followers of Jesus, we have hope for the future that has been predicted and proclaimed through the message of the gospel.

So here is a question to consider: Do you feel squeezed? Do you feel squeezed by the sadness and suffering that you may be experiencing as a result of your circumstances? Do you feel squeezed because you feel like a stranger in a strange land as a result of a shifting and changing culture? Do you feel squeezed as a result of feeling marginalized and isolated? Do you feel squeezed as a result of being the object of ridicule and slander for clinging to a religious belief system that is viewed as being outdated and outrageous?

For while we are not necessarily responsible for the circumstances we face, we are responsible for our response to those circumstances. So how are you responding? Where are you placing your hope in?

Because, as followers of Jesus, we have hope for the future that is greater than any trial....