1 Peter 1:13-16 - Remembering Our Calling

In this episode of Proclaiming His Word, we're continuing our walk through 1 Peter 1:13-16, focusing on what it truly means to pursue holiness as those who belong to Christ. We consider three essential things believers must remember: where we are headed—the grace that will be fully revealed at the return of Jesus Christ; who we belong to—as adopted sons and daughters of the holy God; and what He has commanded—living holy in all our conduct, putting to death the deeds of the flesh and walking in step with the Spirit. This isn't about earning God's favor but responding to the reality of who we already are in Him.  Join me as we open God’s Word together, consider what it means to live with eternity in view, and look to Jesus, our true hope.

Transcript

7 - 1 Peter 1:13-16 - Remembering Our Calling

Intro

• Please take your Bibles and open with me to 1 Peter chapter 1 and find verse 13.
  • This morning we continue working through a passage that we started two weeks ago.
  • The passage we will again consider today is Peter’s first section where he calls the church to live a certain way.  
    • He does not waste any time, he calls the church… 
      • To a particular way of living, where we are set apart from the ways of the world and we are different because of Christ in us.
      • He calls the church to holiness.  
    • The foundation for this claim is rather simple and it is where we started a couple of weeks ago…
      • That we are called to live this way because the God we serve is Himself Holy.
      • It is His nature, that He is set apart, that He is pure, without fault, good, and just.  
      • Therefore, because He is holy we also are to be Holy in how we live.
    • Practical responses are built around this foundational truth, and that is what we began exploring last week…
      • We started where Peter started, with the mind.
        • We talked about the battle that we fight and how it is won or lost in how we prepare our minds.
      • With that came some practical challenges that centered upon reading, dwelling, and living by the Word of God.
    • My hope and prayer is that you have put some of this into practice this past week in pursuit of holiness.
  • This morning, we will continue our pursuit of holiness by considering additional practical ways we can live holy lives.
• With that in mind let us read our text and open in prayer.  

1 Peter 1:13-16

• Though we have read verses 13-16 the focal point of our time together today will be the end of verse 13 through the first half of verse 15.
  • Our time will be spent considering what we as believers need to remember as we pursue a holy life.
  • We should…
    • Remember Where We Are Headed…
  • We should…
    • Remember Who We Belong To…
  • Then, lastly, we should…
    • Remember What He has Commanded…
• Let us jump right into the first point…

Remember Where We Are Headed

• This is what Peter points out to us at the end of verse 13, look again with me.
  • Nearly halfway through the verse he writes… 
    • Vs. 13b - “...set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
  • Let me remind you again that Peter writes this verse to the church…
    • Those who have confessed Christ…
    • Who would be described as born-again…
    • Who have been filled with the Spirit of Christ…
    • Those who belong to Him.
  • You may get tired of me reminding you of this but we could easily drift off into a dangerous misinterpretation of these verses if we forget that Peter has penned this to the people of God.  
    • He is not calling the world to live Holy to please God, He is calling the redeemed to live Holy because they have already been transformed.
• Which means this first point that we will consider together this morning is strictly for those who are found in Christ.
  • If you are here today and you have not placed your faith in Jesus and repented of your sins then you need to understand…
    • This point does not yet apply to you…
      • If you repent and believe then it can apply to you but this verse is written to the church and is in reference to our great hope.
    • What this verse reminds us of is the eternal hope that we have in Christ and His imminent return.
  • Peter urges us to set our hope fully on the grace that we will receive at the return of Christ.  
• What does this mean, what is Peter calling us to do, practically?
  • When he writes for us to “hope” on something it is important we remember that Biblical hope is far different than how we use the word today…
    • We may hope for rain, or hope for a good year…
      • In this sense it is nothing more than wishful thinking as we are simply expressing our desire for something that has not yet come to pass.
        • The problem with this though is that we can hope greatly for rain and it may not come.
        • We can have a great enthusiastic hope for this year and it may fall flat before us.
    • For we do not know what tomorrow holds, and the reality is when we speak of hope like this it is nothing more than mere optimism.
  • That is worldly hope, Biblical hope is far different, it is not wishful thinking or mere optimism…
    • Instead, it is a future expected reality whose foundation is not naïve confidence but rather the promises of God.
      • We hope in an eternity with Christ not because it is what we wish will happen, but because it is what we have been promised to us.
    • Consider the words of Christ on the night that He was betrayed, He told His apostles…
      • John 14:3 - “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
        • He told them that He goes to prepare a place for us, for those who are found in Him. 
        • Later that same night Jesus’ prayer is recorded in John 17, listen to how He prayed…
      • John 17:24a - “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me…”
    • The hope we have in where we will one day be is founded upon the promises of God.
      • You see we have not dreamed up eternity but we have the testimony of the Word of God that tells us what awaits those in Christ.
        • This is such an important reminder to us because it shapes the way we live and the way we handle difficulties.
      • Paul makes the connection in this way…
        • 2 Corinthians 4:17-18a - “For this light mo-mentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.”
          • Or, how he writes in Romans…
        • Romans 8: 18 - “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
      • Either way the point he makes is the same, that we should view the world in which we live and the struggles that we face through that which awaits us in eternity.
    • “...glory beyond all comparison…” and a fully revealed Jesus Christ.
      • Some of my favorite verses that speak to what we will one day know is Revelation 22.
        • After the return of Christ, after the Great White Throne Judgment of God we have this declaration.
      • Revelation 22:3-4a - “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face…”
    • Again, this is not speculation, this is not wishful thinking, this is a promise that is found in the Word of God.
  • Which even pulls from what we talked about last week and what we believe about this book.
    • It is either the Word of God or it is not…
    • It is either the Truth and should be followed…
      • Or it is false and cannot be trusted…
    • It either reveals who God is, who man is, and how we are to be reconciled to Him, or it does not.
  • There is not any middle of the road here…
    • As for me and as for this church we believe this to be the Word of God…
      • Preserved, protected, and passed down to us to reveal to us who God is and what He has done.
    • It is Truth without any mixture of error and it contains the very Promises of God.
  • It is these promises that our hope is built upon, and this hope which is an expectant reality should cause us to live differently.
• You may wonder, how does the return of Christ or getting to be with Christ after death impact our pursuit of holiness?
  • It reminds us what we are living for and helps us reorient our priorities…
    • We are not living for what can be gained in this life, we are living for what Christ is preparing for us in eternity.
    • Those are two very different ways of existing…
      • On the one hand, if we are living for this life then we will make decisions based on the next five minutes or the next five years.
        • These decisions are often focused on comfort, what feels right, or what gratifies our immediate desires.
          • It is a near-sighted way of living…
          • Please turn with me over to 2 Peter, chapter 1… 
        • In this chapter he is again writing about the pursuit of holiness in the life of the believer.
          • Look at verse 3.
            • 2 Peter 1:3
          • He is telling them they have everything they need to live a godly life in Christ. 
            • He then, over the next several verses, points out specific qualities that should be growing in our lives.
          • After that he makes this point in verse 9, read it with me.
            • 2 Peter 1:9
        • In other words if we live for now and not live with eternity in mind.
          • We are living as though we are blind, having forgotten our former cleansing.
          • That is a striking verse, how could we forget our salvation found in Christ?
          • How could we forget being Redeemed?
        • The point he is making is that when we live for this life then we are living as one who has not experienced the grace of God.  
      • However, if we are living for eternity then we are making decisions for the next 5000 years.
        • Which means we are living for Christ and funneling our life decisions through what He has commanded and desires.
        • We will prioritize the things that He has commanded and the things that move us closer to Him.
          • Reading the Word will not be an afterthought but be something we are committed to…
          • Prayer will be foundational to daily lives…
          • Church will be a priority…
          • How we spend our time, our money, will glorify Him.
          • Discipleship will be of utmost importance in our lives and in those who we are investing into.
        • It is recognizing the only thing that will endure into eternity is those who we know.
      • Really think about that…
        • Your home…
        • This church…
        • This town…
      • None of it will endure, it will all be consumed.
        • Yet that child that you hold, that neighbor that you know, your family and your friends and your enemies.
      • They will exist somewhere for all eternity.
    • Dwelling upon this should motivate us all to live in view of eternity.  
  • As we prepare to move on toward the next point, let us consider the point one more with a pointed question…
    • Are the choices you are making, the life you are living, the priorities that you have…
    • Are they revealing that you are living for today, tomorrow, or eternity?
  • As you live for eternity you will grow in holiness. 
    • Please turn back with me to 1 Peter 1…
• Let us move forward into our next point where we…

Remember Who We Belong To

• Peter urges us to remember who we belong to in verse 14, read it again with me…
  • Vs. 14
• What Peter makes mention to here is the fact that those who are in Christ have been adopted as sons and daughters.
  • Dwell on that with me for a few moments…
    • The God who spoke everything we see into existence…
    • The God who is Holy and Pure…
    • The God who sent His Son to die in our place…
  • He has adopted us as His own children.  
    • Redemption would have been enough, but He has not just saved us, He has made us His own. 
    • Therefore we get to come before Him and call Him Father…
      • It is how Christ taught us to pray, starting out by crying out, “Our Father in heaven…”
  • Let us not make light of this, even though it is something we talk about often…
    • When it comes to the adoption process keep in mind who makes the effort…
      • It is not the child, they are often helpless or ignorant, it is the parents.
      • They take the initiative and say, “We want a child,” but without resolve, it will fall through.
        • It can be difficult, emotionally taxing and legally lengthy and expensive…
    • When we say that God has adopted us as sons and daughters we are confessing that…
      • He has made every effort…
      • That He has had the resolve…
      • That He has paid the price…
    • And praise God that He has because otherwise we would still be in our sins.
  • Consider these rich verses that speak to this adoption…
    • Ephesians 1:4b-5 - “In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will”
      • This verse shares His motivation for it, He has loved us and so He has pursued us.  
  • Now think about adoption again, those who have been adopted have a new family, have a new name, have a new inheritance…
    • Paul points out this change in…
      • Romans 8:15 - “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
    • He writes telling us that we have moved from being slaves to being His sons.
      • That we can come to Him as His children and He our loving Father.
      • He took us, lost in our sin, walling in our shame, ignorant of our wretched state.
        • He not only cleansed us…
        • He not only made us alive and saved our soul…
        • He said, “That one is mine”.
          • “That is my son, that is my daughter”
      • Do not make light of it…
    • He paid the price, He made the effort, and He had the resolve…
  • Do not miss what this means, if you are in Christ then you are…
• Sons and daughters of the King.
  • Do you think that the King then has certain expectations for those who are His?
    • Certainly He does, He expects us to live as His children, to live lives of Holiness before Him.
    • When we do not, because we are His, He disciplines us.
      • Even in the act of discipline we must consider it an act of love toward us.
    • For the commands He has given us are certainly meant to glorify Him but they are also for our good.  
      • Just as any good parent would slap the hand of their toddler reaching into the camp fire, so also will God discipline us to keep us from harm. 
    • Here is the truth regarding holiness, it is not only right but is good for us.
  • On that I would ask you to consider your own life, for we all have examples where we have wandered into sin.
    • Though it might bring pleasure for a short time it also brings about pain…
      • How many of us could look back at a time of rebellion in our lives and wish that it had not occurred.
      • That is because that moment of rebellion brought about pain for ourselves as well as those we care about the most.
    • What I want you to realize as we are on this point is that our God has not given us commands to keep things from us…
      • He has given us commands to keep us for something better.
    • I cannot help but think about a C.S. Lewis quote on this point…
      • “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
      • I would say that Mr. Lewis is correct, we must reframe our thinking…
    • Realizing that God is not keeping us from something good, He is keeping us for something better.
  • I remind you that if you are in Christ you have been adopted and you are a son or daughter of the King.
• As such I urge you to live with that mindset, pursue holiness because of who you belong to.
  • Now let us move to our final point as we…

Remember What He has Commanded

• Look again at our text and let us read verse 15 once more…
  • Vs. 15
• If you have the King James Version you may have noticed a different word used at the end of verse 15.
  • Instead of “conduct” which is how the ESV renders that word, you will find the word “conversation”.
    • Those are two very different words in the way we use them today, so it is important we know the meaning of it.
    • Is Peter telling us to watch our actions, our conduct, our manner of life…
      • Or is telling us to watch the way we talk with one another.
  • The ESV renders it better for our day and time.
    • This word means our “way of life” or our “behavior”.
      • King James translates it that way because that is what “conversation” meant many years ago.
      • So it is not that it is wrong but it is something we must realize as we read this.
    • Peter is writing about our whole existence, the way we behave, the way we chose to live and he tells us that…
  • The conduct of our lives then is meant to be holy.
• This is the very thing we have been talking about for these last three weeks.
  • That the whole of our lives are to reflect the goodness of God, to mirror the Holiness of God.
  • We have talked at length about practically what this looks like but I just want to remind you once more what it means.
    • It means putting to death the sin in our own lives, it means crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires and living for God.
    • You may think that sounds harsh, but I am not the one saying it, the Word of God testifies to us that we should do that very thing.  
      • I want you to see this today in our final point.
    • Turn with me to Galatians 5…
  • It is important to note as you turn there that Paul wrote this letter to a church that was struggling with the position of works.
    • They were trying to uphold works in a way that connected it to a right standing before God.
      • In other words, they had cheaped grace by embracing what they thought they could accomplish.
    • I point that out because even in light of this struggle Paul still called them to reject sin and to embrace the works of the Spirit.
      • Galatians 5:16-18
        • This is the setup, and he has just made the case that the desires of the Holy Spirit are contrary to the desires of the flesh.
        • Furthermore, connected to that, is the fact that you cannot walk in the flesh and walk in the Spirit at the same time.
        • Let’s keep reading as he continues to compare the two…
      • Galatians 5:19-21
        • This is one of the many lists of sins we find in the New Testament.
          • This is not meant to be an exhaustive list but covers sins in a broad sense.
        • Again the point he is making is that if the conduct of our lives align with these then there is a serious problem.
          • He even goes so far to say that those who practice these things…
            • “...will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
        • Is that because our salvation is works based?
          • No, it is because for those in Christ who are sealed by the Spirit…
            • And adopted by the Father…
            • Will cease to live in pursuit of these abominations.
          • The manner of life of the believer will be different.
        • It is important to note that I am not saying that we will not struggle with any of these…
          • What I am saying is the very thing I have said for the last two weeks…
            • A God big enough to save us for eternity is powerful enough to change our lives today.
          • When Peter is telling us to be “holy in all our conduct” he is just reflecting that reality.
        • Let’s continue here in Galatians 5 and see now the fruit of the Spirit.
      • Galatians 5:22-25
        • Here we find what the Spirit produces in us, what He pushes us towards.
        • Notice the wording as well in verse 24…
          • “...those who belong to Jesus… have crucified the flesh…”
        • And do not miss verse 25…
          • “Let us… keep in step with the Spirit.”
        • Paul writes about this pursuit toward holiness.
      • Peter calls the conduct of our lives to reflect the Holy nature of the Father who adopted us.
    • It has been commanded for our good and for His Glory.
  • Let us be sure that our lives are striving after this.

Closing

• It is here we will close…
  • Believer, think of all the wonderful truths we have reflected on this morning…
    • If nothing else you can rejoice in the fact that you have been adopted, redeemed, and you are being made more like Christ day by day.
    • However, it could also be that the Lord has used this time to remind you that you belong to Him and He has called you to more than what you are living for currently.
      • If that is the case today I urge you to repent of your sins and realign yourself to what He has called you to.
      • To borrow from Paul, be sure that you are walking in step with the Spirit of God.
  • Now for those who are not in Christ today…
    • I want you to know that there is no amount of holy living that could make you right with God.
      • It is something that only He can do in you, and something that He has already accomplished.
    • We have talked about adoption, let me reiterate this once more…
      • He has made the effort by sending His Son to live a perfect life and to die a death He did not deserve.
      • He has shown His resolve by pouring out His wrath upon His Son for our sake.
      • In this Jesus has paid the price for our adoption.
        • While on the cross, one of the final things that Jesus spoke was…
          • “It is finished.”
        • What was finished was the payment of redemption, that the wrath of God was satisfied and now a path has been made for you and I to be adopted as sons.
    • If you have never responded to this message, then I want you to know that this is extended to you today.
      • Would you come?
        • Place your faith in Christ, repent of your sins and you will be saved.
        • More than that you will be adopted as His son or daughter.
        • You will be sealed with His Spirit who will transform your life forever.
      • Let us pray.