Life.101 (Part 2)

A Life of Holiness
1 Peter 1:13-21

In 1 Peter 1, celebration comes first; commands come second.

1. Live a life of hope (v. 13).

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed” (v. 13).

The grace of God is the source of our hope.

“Hope” is not simply a wish for the future, as the word is most often used in modern English (e.g., “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow,” even though there can be no certainty about the weather). Rather, hope, as used in the NT, involves the idea of assurance that what is hoped for will certainly come to pass. This is because future hope in the NT is based on something that has already happened in the past, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

What should we do to stir up our hope?

a. “Prepare your minds for action.”

Cultural Background: "Gird up the loins of your mind" (KJV). The phrase describes the act of tucking up a long robe into a belt, allowing the legs more freedom of movement. Peter applies the expression to our thinking. In other words, roll up the shirt sleeves of your mind.

b. “Be self-controlled.”

2. Live a life of holiness (vv. 14-16).

“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (vv. 14-16).

The holiness of God is the source of our holiness.

What does it mean to be “holy”?

a. To be holy means to be separated from evil.

b. To be holy means to be separated for God.

“In all you do” refers to our lifestyle. The Greek word is used almost as much in 1 Peter as in the rest of the NT altogether. (It appears in 1 Peter 1:15, 18; 2:12; 3:1, 2, 16 as well as in 2 Peter 2:7; 3:11. It is found in James 3:13; Galatians 1:13; Ephesians 4:22; 1 Timothy 4:12; and Hebrews 13:7 elsewhere in the NT.)

3. Live a life of reverent fear (vv. 17-21).

“Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear” (v. 17).

The judgment of God is the source of our fear.

“Strangers” refers to those who do not have the rights of citizenship but are temporary foreign resident of an area. We are strangers in this world; our citizenship is in heaven. (If Peter’s readers are Jews living in Asia Minor, they are “strangers” in two ways.)

What should we fear?

a. Fear living as though Jesus' blood is not precious.

“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 forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake” (vv. 18-20).

“Empty” refers to something that is worthless, futile, and empty of hope. This description of Peter's readers’ lives before Christ is considered by most commentators to identify Peter’s readers as primarily Gentiles. It is argued that the way of Judaism could not be so described. One need only think of Paul’s testimony in Philippians 3:4-9 to hear a Jew describe the heritage passed down to him as “garbage” (useless) compared with “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord.”

Illutration: Imagine that you are $100,000 in debt, and there is no way you can get free of this debt. Fortunately, someone gives you $100,000 to pay off your debts. What would be be saying about his very generous gift if you immediately went back into debt?

When Peter describes Jesus as “a lamb without blemish or defect” he is probably thinking of the Passover sacrifice. Like most sacrifices, it had to be without “blemish or defect.” Christ is greater than the Passover lamb since that animal was chosen on the tenth of Nisan (the Jewish month falling in the March-April period) and sacrificed on the fourteenth, while Jesus was “chosen before the creation of the world” and “revealed” a few decades earlier than this letter (“revealed” probably includes the whole complex of events—Jesus’ incarnation, life, death, and resurrection).

b. Fear living as though your hope is not in God.

“Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God” (v. 21).

What I believe should affect how I live.

An Introduction to 1 Peter

AUTHOR: "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ"

A Quick Biography: (1) his given name was Simon son of Jonah (Matthew 16:17); (2) he was a fisherman from the village of Bethsaida in the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee (John 1:44); (3) Jesus called him to be one of His disciples (Mark 1:16-18) and he later became an apostle; Jesus gave him the nickname Peter (Cephas in its Aramaic form) or rock, which soon became better known than his given name (John 1:42; Matthew 16:17-18)

Liberal View: The author was an unknown person writing in Peter’s name. Arguments for this view: (1) the letter’s excellent Greek (Peter is described as “unschooled” and “ordinary” in Acts 4:13); (2) the supposed dependence on Pauline theology; (3) the author’s apparent lack of any “insider” knowledge of the events of Jesus’ life; (4) the absence of the kind of persecution described in the letter during Peter’s lifetime (1:6; 3:13-17; 4:12-19; 5:9)

Evidence: (1) it claims to be written by Peter (1:1); (2) the author claims to be “a witness of Christ’s sufferings” (5:1); (3) there are similarities between this letter and words attributed to Peter in Acts; (4) a number of expressions are used that would naturally come from an eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry (one example of this is 2:20-25); (5) Peter's description as “unschooled” and “ordinary” probably refers to the fact that Peter was not skilled in rabbinic training; (6) Greek was widely spoken in Palestine (there is no real reason for saying that a Galilean could not have considerable competence in the language); (7) the letter was written with the help of Silas (5:12), who may have polished up the language; (8) similarities between Peter and Paul’s theology are not surprising since they were both apostles and in agreement theologically (and to be expected if their letters were inspired by God); (9) the persecution described could have occurred under Nero instead of Trajan (the letter nowhere says that there was an empire-wide persecution)

DATE: Probably in the early 60s

Evidence: (1) it cannot be placed earlier than 60 since it shows familiarity with Paul’s prison letters (e.g., Colossians and Ephesians, which are to be dated no earlier than 60; compare 1:1-3 with Eph. 1:1-3; 2:18 with Col. 3:22; 3:1-6 with Eph. 5:22-24); (2) cannot be dated later than 67/68, since Peter was martyred during Nero’s reign

RECIPIENTS: “Strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia” (1:1)

Their Identity: (1) 1:18 seems to suggest that the recipients were mostly Gentiles; (2) however, this conclusion could be questioned since “the pilgrims of the Dispersion [Diaspora]” (NKJV) would normally be thought of as Jews (at that time there were about one million Jews living in Palestine and two to four million outside of it); (3) Peter was known as the apostle to the Jews (Galatians. 2:7); (4) it was possibly a circular letter (a letter than traveled from church to church)

PURPOSE: To encourage Christians to live godly lives in the midst of suffering (the suffering that Peter’s readers were experiencing was suffering caused by being a Christian, not simply bad events)

A Life of Hope (Part 1 of Life.101)

A Life of Hope
1 Peter 1:1-12

The Big Idea: The hope that God has given to us can fill us with joy even in the worst of circumstances.

How can I “praise God” and “rejoice” during difficult times?

I. Think of the new birth God has given us.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time" (vv. 3-5).

A. We have hope.

B. We have an inheritance.

C. We have spiritual protection.

II. Think of the benefits of suffering.

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (vv. 6-9).

A few facts about suffering:

· Suffering is temporary: “though now for a little while.”

· Suffering is sometimes necessary: “you have had to suffer grief.”
· Suffering comes in many forms: “in all kinds of trials.”

A. Our commitment during suffering proves the genuineness of our faith.

B. Our commitment during suffering will be rewarded with praise from Christ.

III. Think of how privileged we are.

"Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even the angels long to look into these things" (vv. 10-12).

A. We live in the amazing age that was foretold by the prophets.

B. We are the objects of God’s salvation, not the angels.

The Upside Down Way of God (Part 4)

Die to Live
Mark 8:34-38

The Big Idea: Following Jesus can be difficult, but all who choose this path will be greatly rewarded in the end.

I. Three Demands of Discipleship

“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me’” (v. 34).

A. You must deny yourself.

“Denying yourself” means that you have decided to exchange your will for God's will.

B. You must take up your cross.

“Taking up your cross” means that you are willing to make any sacrifice for Christ.

C. You must follow Jesus.

“Following Jesus” means that you make a daily commitment to imitate Christ’s life and obey His teachings.

II. Three Reasons for Discipleship

A. You will gain real life.

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (v. 35).

B. You will not be disappointed in the end.

“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (vv. 36-37).

C. You will not be ashamed when you stand before Jesus.

“If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels” (v. 38).

Lose Your Life to Save It

In preparation for this Sunday's mesage, "Die to Live" (Part 4 of The Upside Down Way of God), I have been studying Mark 8:34-38. Jesus said in verse 35, "For whoever wants to save his life will lost it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." Those words remind me of the story of Jim Elliot. Elliot was a missionary to Ecuador who, along with four others, was killed on January 8, 1956 (see below), attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people. His journal entry for October 28, 1959, contains his now famous quotation: "He is no fool to give what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." Some probably do consider Jim Elliot a fool, but I know he doesn't feel foolish as he stands in the presence of Christ at this moment. I don't believe that Jesus' statement means that we should seek martyrdom. He's saying that we should be willing to make any sacrifice for Him--even the sacrifice of our lives. When we exchange our will for His will, we demonstrate that our commitment to Him is real. "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:36).

Upcoming Sermon Series: Life.101

I'm planning on beginning a new sermon series on September 16 called Life.101. In this series I'll be going through 1 Peter. My goal is to cover the book in eight parts. Here are the eight titles as of now (there probably will be some changes, maybe a complete change):

1. A Life of Hope (1:1-12)
2. A Life of Purity (1:13-2:3)
3. A Life of Purpose (2:4-12)
4. A Life of Submission (2:13-3:7)
5. A Life of Suffering (3:8-17)
6. A Life like Christ’s (3:18-4:6)
7. A Life of Urgency (4:7-19)
8. A Life of Humility (5:1-14)

If anyone is aware of any resources (such as books, videos, illustrations, graphics) that might help me in my study and presentation of 1 Peter, please let me know. Also, if you have any questions or issues that you would like to see addressed in this series, just let me know.

The Upside Down Way of God (Part 3)

Slavery Is Freedom
Romans 6:15-23

The Issue: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” (v. 15; see v. 14). If God loves us whether we sin or not, then why not continue to sin just as much as we please? Freedom does not mean the absence of rules.

The Clarification: “I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves” (v. 19a). Paul admits that slavery is an imperfect illustration of the Christian life, but he uses it because it helps us understand a basic principle: God is our master to whom we owe total commitment.

The Challenge: Let God—not sin—rule your life. “Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness” (v. 19b).

The Big Idea: Since everyone is a slave—either to sin or to God—it’s best to choose the slavery that gives the best results.

I. THE TRUTH ABOUT FREEDOM

A. Misconception #1: Many people think that serving oneself is freedom.

B. The truth is that “freedom” from God is slavery to the power of sin.

“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (v. 16).

C. Misconception #2: Many people think that serving God is a loss of freedom.

D. The truth is that “slavery” to God is freedom from the power of sin.

“But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (vv. 17-18).

II. THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR FREEDOM

A. Slavery to sin leads to shame.

“When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?” (vv. 20-21a).

B. Slavery to sin leads to eternal death.

“Those things result in death” (v. 21b). “For the wages of sin is death” (v. 23a).

C. Slavery to God leads to holiness.

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness” (v. 22a).

D. Slavery to God leads to eternal life.

“And the result is eternal life” (v. 22b). “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (v. 23b).

The Upside Down Way of God (Part 2)

Strength in Weakness
2 Corinthians 12:1-10

“When I am weak, then I am strong” (v. 10b).

The Big Idea: My weaknesses cause me to rely on God, who supplies me with sufficient strength.

I. What Kind of “Weakness” is Paul Talking About?

“For Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties” (v. 10a).

A. "Weakness" is not wrong behavior.

B. "Weakness" is a problem we have no control over.

II. What Is the Source of Our Weaknesses?

A. Our weaknesses come from Satan who desires to harrass us.

“A messenger of Satan, to torment me” (v. 7b).

B. Our weaknesses come from God who desires to humble us.

“To keep me from being conceited … there was given me a thorn in my flesh …” (v. 7a).

III. What Is the Purpose of Our Weaknesses?

A. Our weaknesses keep us from being self-reliant.

B. Our weaknesses cause us to be God-reliant.

1. When I rely on God, He will give me the strength I need.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you’” (v. 9a).

2. When I rely on God, I display the power of God to others.

“For my power is made perfect in weakness” (v. 9b).