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…