1 Peter 1:13-25 "Holiness by Faith"

1. Introduction
   1. Review last week
      1. Author: Peter
      2. Audience: Believers throughout Asia Minor
      3. Context: Suffering
      4. Purpose: Encouragement
      5. Themes: Future grace, right living
   2. Tension
      1. Past
         1. Jesus' victory on the cross
         2. Our redemption experience
      2. Future
         1. Jesus' future appearance in victory
         2. Our future glory and inheritance in Christ
      3. Now
         1. Jesus not seen
         2. Our present suffering
         3. Life as an alien and a stranger
   3. Part I of Ch 1 was indicative and descriptive, now the second part is prescriptive--the two are linked! We are still in the conceptual part of the book, though.
2. The Text: 1 Peter 1:13-25
3. First imperative: Set your hope on grace
   1. This bridges the previous theological truth about past, present, and future grace to present action
   2. This command is the foundation for the others
   3. The means of persevering in suffering is the gospel
   4. Set your hope on grace by
      1. Preparing your minds for action
         1. Idiom: gird up your loins
         2. Similar to "roll up your sleeves"
      2. Being sober-minded/self-controlled
   5. Similar to Heb 12:1-3, Col 3:2, Rom 12:2
   6. Application
      1. The emphasis here is on your mind
      2. What do we think about, dwell on, etc.? (Phil 4:8)
      3. For me, no television
      4. Look for grace principles in all of life
4. Second imperative: Live your true family identity
   1. Negatively, do not conform
      1. to the evil desires of ignorance
      2. to the way of life "handed down from forefathers"
   2. Positively, be holy as God, our Father, is holy (quoting Lev 19:2)
5. Third imperative: Live in reverent fear throughout time in exile
   1. Closely tied with previous imperative (could even be considered as one)
   2. Because God is our father and is an impartial judge
      1. Response of fear is respect
      2. Every branch that does not bear fruit is cut off (John 15:2)
   3. Because we were redeemed by Jesus Christ
      1. Redeemed from "empty way of life handed down by our forefathers"
         1. Usually the way of life is positive, the foundation of society
         2. Empty or futile in that Christ is not in it
         3. Contemporary equivalent: the American dream?
         4. Even apart from the specific issues of culture and family, we are children of Adam and inherit a sinful nature bent toward evil desires and rebellion against God
      2. Perishable vs. imperishable
         1. When life is trying, we need a firm reference
         2. Jesus is that rock
      3. Precious blood, as of an innocent, unblemished lamb
      4. Chosen before creation of world but now made known
      5. Raised from the dead and given glory
6. Fourth imperative: Love one another earnestly, from the heart
   1. Again, closely tied with the previous two
   2. Perishable vs. imperishable again
   3. The four imperatives move from most general to most specific
   4. Why such general applications?
      1. A general epistle, passed around to many diverse churches
      2. The gospel is central, not the specifics of how it works out
      3. More specific applications are coming later
         1. Submission to authorities
            1. Emperors/subjects
            2. Masters/slaves
            3. Husbands/wives
         2. How to respond to mistreatment
         3. Serving and offering hospitality to one another
         4. Abstention from debauchery
         5. How to lead the church
      4. Be vs. do
7. Conclusion
   1. The grace of God (the gospel) and our holiness are inextricably entwined
      1. You cannot experience the grace of God without being moved toward holiness
      2. You cannot grow in holiness apart from the grace of God
   2. Grace is appropriated by faith and fueled by hope
      1. We look backward to the cross
      2. We look forward to Jesus' future return in glory
      3. We live the present by faith
   3. Fix your mind, your heart, and your hope on grace
8. Regen Reflection
   1. What competes with grace for your hope?
   2. What most draws your hope toward Christ and away from those things?
   3. Activity: As a group, create a way to present the main point of this passage without words. (E.g. draw something, act something, etc.)

Resource: Reading the Bible Redemptively, a few questions to ask when you read the Bible that will help you find grace and the connection to Jesus.

Sermon Audio