Responding to Salvation: Hoping, Living, and Loving

Sunday, May 29, 2016 Speaker: Doug Virgint Responding to our salvation:Hoping, living and loving 1 Peter 1:13-25The 3rd message in our 9-part series on 1 Peter.

Our outline Our response to salvation: Introduction Hoping (13) Living (14-21) Loving (22-25) Conclusion

Introduction Therefore – points back to verses 1-12 We have obtained mercy – great mercy! We have been born again. We have obtained an inheritance: Imperishable and undefiled. Reserved by the power of God. In heaven – the most secure place We are assured of final salvation … … so great a salvation that the angels make it their study.

2) Hoping The key thought in verse 13 is “hope” Peter takes us back to vs. 3 – “living hope” He tells us how should we should live in appreciation of all that God has done for us.

2) Hoping The key thought in verse 13 is “hope” “Set” or “Fix” your hope A verb in the aorist active imperative A decisive action An act of our will – not our emotions Hope is similar to faith Faith – believing what God has done Hope – believing what God will do

2) Hoping The key thought in verse 13 is “hope” “Fully” – completely, perfectly Our Lord loves it when we believe without doubting Hope – believing what God will do Our hope is based on God’s grace Based on what God has done for us, not what we are doing for God Our hope looks forward to Christ’s return and his revelation

2) Hoping To have “perfect” hope we must: A) “Prepare our minds for action” “gird up our loins” Pull in the loose ends of our lives Disentangle ourselves from this world’s hindrances Not drifting after this and that momentary distraction Energetically set on going somewhere Paul uses same expression in Ephesians 6 when speaking of the Christian’s armour.

2) Hoping To have “perfect” hope we must: A) “Be sober minded” Not intoxicated In control of our mind – self-control The opposite of infatuation with the things of this world A calm steady state of mind that enables us to make right decisions If we find other things more attractive – more intoxicating – than the Lord’s return, then we are not sober-minded.

2) Hoping “RESOLVED, never to do anything which I would be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.” (Jonathan Edwards) “And everyone who thus hopes purifies himself, as He is pure” (1 John 3:3)

3) Living We must also respond by living in holiness and in honour: A) Holiness: We are obedient children (“children of obedience”). Not conformed to former passions (lusts). The Jewish community had the law but looked for justice and salvation in their works. They were ignorant of God’s justice and grace. The non-Jewish cultures worshipped idols. They too were ignorant of God’s justice and grace. We used to be able to plead ignorance, but no longer.

3) Living We must also respond by living in holiness and in honour: A) Holiness: We are obedient children (“children of obedience”). Not conformed to former passions (lusts). We used to be able to plead ignorance, but no longer! We should be like our Master. In both the O.T. and the N.T. we are told that God is holy and that we therefore should be holy like him.

3) Living We must also respond by living in holiness and in honour: A) Holiness: Holiness refers to purity and cleanliness But more than that it means that God is separate, different from what is earthly. In the O.T. “holy” vessels were consecrated only for a special use in the temple. We also should have lives that are pure, clean. But more than that, lives that are separated from this world’s system, reserved for God’s use

3) Living “Holiness does not consist in mystic speculations, enthusiastic fervour or uncommanded austerities; it consists in thinking as God thinks and willing as God wills.” (John Brown) “Holiness sounds scary. It need not be, but for the average person it is. Our tendency is to think that holiness needs organ music, long prayers and religious sounding chants. But nothing could be farther from the truth. “Chuck Colson stated that holiness is the everyday business of every Christian. It evidences itself in the decisions we make and things we do, hour by hour, day by day.” (Chuck Swindoll)

3) Living We must also respond by living in holiness and in honour: B) Honour: Vs. 17 starts with “and” – tied to last point We will all face that incorruptible judge. God has called us (vs. 16) We therefore call on him (vs. 17). And we call on him as our Father – what a privilege! But the one we call on is not only our Father, He is the Holy One.

3) Living We must also respond by living in holiness and in honour: B) Honour: This brings us back to the concept of the fear of the Lord. “When men demand a God they do not fear, they demand an idol that does not exist.” (Lenski) Both the O.T. and N.T. also teach us to fear God. Are we living in such a way that we bring honour to God?

3) Living B) Honour: And then Peter gives us another reason to honour God… The awful price he paid to redeem us. “Precious blood” – animal blood is not precious. Someone died in the place of another: “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

3) Living B) Honour: The idea of a lamb: This is the concept of substitution. “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” This lamb must be perfect – no blemish or spot – beyond even the O.T. requirements. And all this was by “foreknowledge” Decided by God in eternity past. When God acted in creation, he knew that he would also have to act in redemption.

4) Loving As a result, we must love one other: One example of holiness in our life, and of honouring God, is that we love each other Vs 22 – if we think that our hearts are pure and we live in obedience, love for others will be evident in our lives. We will chase from our hearts and souls evil thoughts about our sisters and brothers. Loving from our heart: earnestly, with depth, with intensity

4) Loving “If I belittle those whom I am called to serve; talk of their weak points to contrast with what I think are my strong points; if I adopt a superior attitude, forgetting “Who made you to be different? And what have you that you did not receive?” then I know nothing of God’s love. “If I take offense easily; if I am content to continue in a cool unfriendliness, though friendship is possible, then I know nothing of God’s love “If I feel bitterly towards those who condemn me, as it seems to me, unjustly, forgetting that if they knew me as I know myself, they would condemn me much more, then I know nothing of God’s love.” (Amy Carmichael)

5) Conclusion Let’s be honest with ourselves: How much time do I spend thinking about heaven and preparing myself for my true future? Do I skate as close to this world’s way of doing things as possible? Do I have habits and practices which a holy God disapproves? Do I nurture angry thoughts about others? Is the intensity and depth of my love for others really evident?

Responding to our salvation: Hoping, living and loving 1 Peter 1:13-25

Responding to Salvation: Hoping, Living, and Loving