SERMON STRUCTURE: A Holy Life

1 Peter 1:13-25

CIT (Central Idea of the Text): Peter called upon his readers to be holy, because God had ransomed them from their “futile ways.” (17 words).

SERMON FOCUS: Because God has also ransomed us from our “futile ways” through the precious blood of Christ, we too should live a holy life.

MO: Consecrative

SO: Strive to be holy, because God is holy.

TITLE: A Holy Life

Then … the completed sermon should be evaluated in terms of how well it adheres to the CIT and SF, and accomplishes its SO.

INVOCATION

OUTLINE OF 1 Peter 1:13-25

1. A Call to a Holy Life. (1:13-16).

1. “¹³Therefore prepare yourselves for action; discipline yourselves….” (1:13).

2. “¹⁴Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires you formerly had in ignorance.” (1:14).

3. “¹⁵… be holy yourselves in all your conduct.” (1:15)

4. “¹⁶for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (1:16)

2. Living in Fear of God. (1:17).

“¹⁷If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile.”

3. The Cost of Our Redemption. (1:18-21).

1. “¹⁸You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways of your ancestors not with perishable things like silver or gold ….” (1:18)

2. “¹⁹…but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.” (1:19).

3. “²⁰He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake.” (1:20).

4. “²¹Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.” (1:21).

4. Loving One Another Deeply. (1:22).

“²²Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth, so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply, from the heart.” (1:22).

5. The Living and Enduring Word of God. (1:23-25).

1. “²³You have been born anew, not of perishable, but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1:24).

2. “²⁴For

All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers, and the flower falls, (1:24).

²⁵But the word of the Lord endures forever.” (1:25).

3. “²⁵That word is the good news that was announced to you.” (1:25).

SERMON DEVELOPMENT

A Holy Life

1 Peter 1:13-25

Introduction

1. This is the second sermon from the book of 1 Peter.

1. Last Sunday’s text came from verses 3-12 of the first chapter in 1 Peter.

2. In those verses we found five significant themes:

   1. A new birth in Christ. (1:3-5).

      1. A new birth into “a living hope.”

      2. A new birth into “an imperishable inheritance.”

   2. Our joy in Christ, even in times of suffering. (1:6).

   3. A life that brings “praise and glory and honor” to Christ through the genuineness of our faith. (1:7).

   4. Our faith in, and love for, the Christ who cannot visibly be seen. (1:8).

   5. The outcome of our faith: salvation in Christ. (1:9).

2. Today we continue with the last half of the first chapter of 1 Peter.

Scripture

1. Our passage begins at verse 13 of the first chapter of 1 Peter. I’m reading from the New Revised Standard Version.

[Read here 1 Peter 1:13-25 (NRSV).]

2. In this passage, Peter called upon his readers to be holy, because God had ransomed them from their “futile ways.” (CENTRAL IDEA OF THE TEXT).

3. And because God has also ransomed us from “the futile ways of our ancestors,” we too must strive to be holy, even as the God who calls us is holy. (SERMON FOCUS).

4. What then does it take to live a holy life?

5. Peter tells us that we should remember four things if we want to live a holy life.

Exposition

1. First of all, remember who calls you. (1:13-16).

1. Verse 13 is a clear statement of the task before us: “discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when He is revealed.” (1:13).

   1. The God who calls you is the same God who has called all others who are in his care.

      1. His name is simply “I AM.” (Exodus 3:14).

      2. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Exodus 3:15, 16).

      3. He is the God of Elijah, Samuel, and David.

      4. He is the God of the great prophets of the Old Testament: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Micah, Hosea, and all the others.

      5. He is the God of Paul, and of Peter, who writes this letter to us.

      6. And He is the God who now lives within YOU!

   2. Do not forget who it is who calls you!

2. And verses 15 and 16 are a clear statement of the goal that God sets before us: because God is holy, God says to us, “be holy in all your conduct.” (1:15).

   1. God says to us, “You shall be holy, because I am holy.” (1:16).

      1. Now you might think, as I did at first, that this command to be holy comes from somewhere in the New Testament.

      2. But actually it is a quotation from the Old Testament book of Leviticus, where it appears in 3 places: 11:44, 19:2, and 20:7.

   2. Now “holiness” means being set apart in some particular way, being different from other items of similar kind, being reserved for a special purpose.

   3. And in two weeks we will come back to this special purpose for which God has set his saints apart!

3. So the question immediately appears, in what way are we holy? In what way are we — that is, you and me — set apart or different?

4. Do you remember what I said to you on Easter morning?

   1. “The resurrection of Jesus Christ does you no good unless it makes a difference in your personal life every day.”

   2. God’s commandment to us to “be holy, because [He] is holy” is just another way of saying the same thing.

5. Part of being holy is to “live in reverent fear during the time of your exile,” as verse 17 reminds us.

   1. To “live in reverent fear” means to live in proper respect and reverence to God.

   2. And part of “living in reverend fear” is to imitate or pattern our lives after God’s own nature.

   3. Here’s an illustration of what that is like in human terms:

On September 06, 1995, Cal Ripkin, Jr., broke the baseball record that many believed would never be broken: Lou Gherig’s iron-man feat of playing in 2,131 consecutive games. Ripkin gives much of the credit for his accomplishments to the example and teaching of his father, Cal Ripkin, Sr., who played minor league baseball, and coached and for the Orioles.

During the 1996 season Ripkin Sr. was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame. After he gave his acceptance speech, his son Cal Jr. came to the microphone in a emotional moment that Cal Jr. later recalled in his book The Only Way I Know:

It was difficult [he said]. I wasn’t certain I could say what I wanted about my father and what he means to me. So I told a little story about my two children, Rachel, six at the time, and Ryan, then three. They’d been bickering for weeks, and I explained how one day I heard Rachel taunt Ryan, ‘You’re just trying to be like Daddy.’ After a few moments of indecision, I asked Rachel, ‘What’s wrong with trying to be like Dad?’

When I finished the story, I looked at my father and added, ‘That’s what I’ve always tried to do.’¹

6. God’s purpose for us is that we should walk in His ways; and God’s work in us is to conform us to the image and likeness of his own Son.

7. So it is not unexpected that God’s command to us is “You shall be holy, because I am holy.”

2. Second, remember what God paid for you to become his child. (1:18-21).

1. In verses 18-20 of our passage for today, Peter reminds us

¹⁸You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways of your ancestors not with perishable things like silver or gold ….” (1:18)

“¹⁹…but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.” (1:19).

“²⁰He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake.” (1:20).

1. Peter reminds us that our redemption came at the cost of “the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.”

2. In comparison with that cost, the value of the most precious things of this world, like silver and gold, are of no account.

3. Do you remember the image of heaven from the book of Revelation (21:21), where the streets of the heavenly city are said to be paved with gold?

   1. That’s just another way of saying that the most valuable things of this earth are like asphalt and concrete in the kingdom of God.

   2. And the most valuable things of this world are like perishable vegetables and fruits in comparison with the blood of Christ that redeems us.

4. Do you remember Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion from a few years ago?

   1. It was a dramatic portrayal of the violence and suffering of Christ’s beating and crucifixion.

   2. The scene in which Christ was beaten is one of the most violent and horrifying events I have ever seen enacted.

   3. But as repulsive as that was, and as difficult as it was to view, I think it is probably a lot closer to what really happened than any of us would like to think.

3. Third, remember your duty to one another. (1:22).

1. In verse 22, Peter tells us plainly that if we are “obedient to the truth,” we will “have mutual love” for one another.

2. Our duty is clearly to “love one another deeply from the heart.” (1:22).

3. And we remember that Jesus told us plainly, “This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you” (John 15:12), and “This I command you, that you love one another.” (John 15:17).

4. And fourth, remember the source of your instructions. (1:23-25).

1. Remember that “²³You have been born anew, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1:23)

2. It is the “living and enduring word of God” that must always be our source of instruction and wisdom in living a holy life.

3. In support of that claim, Peter quotes Isaiah, that great prophet who foresaw the Messiah himself:

“²⁴For [he says]

All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers, and the flower falls, (1:24).

²⁵But the word of the Lord endures forever.” (1:25).

4. There are many places in Scripture that speak of the authority and power of the Scriptures, perhaps none is so meaningful to me as Hebrews 4:12, 13:

“¹²The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.” (Hebrews 4:12,13).

Reflections and Conclusions

1. God has indeed “¹⁸ransomed [us] from the futile ways of [our] ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.” (1:18,19).

2. And that redemption should make a radical difference in the way we live from day to day.

3. God’s calling to us, indeed, His command to us, is “You shall be holy, because I am holy.” (1:16).

4. If we are indeed to be holy, even as God is holy, we need to remember four things:

1. We need to remember that it is Almighty God who is calling us to be holy.

2. We need to remember what God has paid for our redemption.

3. We need to remember our duty to love one another, even as God loves us.

4. And we need to remember the source of our instructions about living a holy life before God and before each other.

5. Let us strive, therefore, to be holy, because the God who calls us and redeems us is holy.

ADDENDUM

On the day after I preached this sermon, Allan Green shared with me his very insightful meditation on the themes of this message. I gratefully commend his reflective comments, which follow here, to you.

I appreciated your message last Sunday, and the reminder that our lives as Christians need to be emphatically separate from the mundane.  I began thinking about the concept of "Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy", as in Lev. 19:2.   It is interesting to me that the Hebrew word for "holy" in Lev. is "qadowsh", meaning "sacred", purified, clean and apparently applies (in Lev.) both to us and to God Himself, a state of being, rather than a way of behaving.  When talking about the priests, as in "He is holy unto the Lord" another word is used, "qodesh", from the same root, but meaning dedicated or reserved.  Then there is a third word,  “chaciyd,” which is translated as Holy One, saints, godly man, etc, which does seem to be more reflective of conduct.  The point in all this is that the call in Lev. to Be Holy as I am Holy, is essentially to possess the very nature of God Himself, not just to behave piously or in a saintly manner. There is nothing wrong with that, obviously, but at the moment, I have no idea what that might mean for my life. 
Thanks for provoking this meditation.

Allan Green