1 Peter 1:17-19 - God, Judge & Redeemer

In this message, we continue walking through 1 Peter and consider how the character of God shapes the way His people live. Peter reminds us that the God we call Father is both Judge and Redeemer—He judges impartially according to our deeds, and He has ransomed us not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.

We look honestly at the danger of misunderstanding God’s nature, the sobering reality of His just judgment, and the glorious hope found in our redemption through Jesus. This passage presses us beyond mere knowledge and calls us to obedient, holy living in light of who God truly is.

Join me as we open God’s Word together, consider His holiness, and look to Jesus—the Lamb who was slain, our only hope and perfect Redeemer.

Transcript

8 - 1 Peter 1:17-19 - God, Judge & Redeemer

Intro

• Please take your Bibles and open with me to 1 Peter chapter 1 and find verse 17…
  • Today we will pick up where we left off and continue forward discussing the type of life that Peter is calling the church to live.  
• In a word he is calling those who are redeemed to live lives that are holy.
  • Lives that are free from the stain of sin…
  • Lives that are distinctly different from the world in which we are found…
  • Lives that reflect the person of Christ and His perfect existence…
  • Lives that truly are light in the midst of darkness…
• There are many ways of saying the same thing and I do not desire to rehash what we have already covered.
  • However, it is necessary at the start of our time to remember that as we step into verses 17-19 we are not starting a new passage…
    • Instead, we are continuing through these verses.
  • Which means we must at least be concerned with what we saw previously as we step into our text today.
• In our specific case, the verses we are about to read come on the heels of Peter reminding us what was written of God in the Old Testament.
  • He writes in verse 16…
    • 1 Peter 1:16 - “since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
  • This truth is really the centerpiece of this passage…
    • It is the rock solid truth that holds it all together…
      • The church that Peter has commanded to walk in obedience and to pursue holiness is because the God they serve is Holy.
      • We are to be Holy because He who called us is Holy. 
    • We are to be like the One who has paid for our salvation with the precious blood of His Son.  
  • Not only is this the centerpoint of this passage but it is the verse that comes immediately before our text that we are going to examine today.
• That means that we cannot forget this call to Holiness…
  • We cannot ignore our God who is Holy, for that foundation is what brings us to our text today.
  • So as you keep in mind the call of the church, and the character of our God… 
• Let us turn to verse 17, read these verses together, and open in prayer…

1 Peter 1:17-19

• What we are going to examine today in our time together is how God is described in our verses today.
  • We are going to examine what Peter writes about His character and about how He is described.  
    • There are two ways God is described in the verses that we just read and not only are we going to consider how He is described…
    • We are also going to consider what that means for you and I.
  • That is important to realize…
    • This time that we gather is not just about growing in knowledge of who God is but it is also about growing in obedience to who we know God to be.
    • To not follow through in obedience is for this to be a merely academic exercise in the same category of memorizing multiplication tables.
      • Where that knowledge is certainly useful it means nothing if it is not applied when solving a problem.
    • So my prayer is that not only would we know more about God today but I also pray that we would also grow in obedience to Him.  
  • Specifically though I want to point out what we believe about God is directly connected to how we will respond to Him.  
• We can all reason at this point that the character of a person will determine how you interact with that person…
  • If you had a father who was particularly harsh and cruel, and you accidentally broke your brand new Christmas bike.
    • Would you want to tell him?
      • Or…
    • Would you seek to hide the broken bike and make excuses for not riding it?
  • For many it would be the latter because there is a realization…
    • That if he found out that you had broken this brand new bike, accident or not, you would receive…
      • A lecture, a disappointing scowl, or worse swats for your carelessness…
    • Some of you may not have to imagine such a home and such a father…
  • Others though, maybe you had a different dad, a forgiving and gracious father…
    • In that case if you accidently broke your new bike maybe instead of concealing it you would run to the one who you knew could fix it.
    • Knowing that it would be grace and forgiveness that you would receive instead of disappointment and a lecture.
• Though this is a simple illustration I hope you can see how it can be applied to any relationship that you have…
  • With your spouse, your children, your friends, your coworkers…
    • Depending on the character and the nature of the person you are dealing with will drive how you interact with that person.
  • Church, the same reality is true with us and with our God whom we serve…
    • What we believe about God’s character and His nature, how we understand who He is will drive how we respond to Him.
    • That is a vital thing for all of us here today…
      • Because there are many in our world, many in our churches who do not know who God is…
      • They believe all sorts of untruths about Him and because of that they will respond incorrectly to Him.
    • Let me share with you two very different examples regarding how this can play out…
      • One person believes that God is a quote, “loving god”, without defining what they mean by love.
        • Let’s say they define love just as acceptance and affirmation, in that case…
          • They believe that God will not judge them in who they choose to love or how they choose to let that love play out.
          • They think that God desires that they follow their heart, whatever that looks like.  
        • Well this is dangerous because it makes light of the justice of God and presents a god who justifies sin.
      • How about another person though…
        • A man who believes that God is so just that he could not possibly forgive the sins that he has committed. 
          • This man thinks that any hope of being right with God is found in him cleaning up his life before coming to God.   
        • This is just as dangerous because it does not present a full picture of who God is…
    • Certainly, God is love as defined in the scripture, and God is just without any wrongdoing…
      • Yet He is also merciful, gracious, kind…
        • He burns with righteous indignation at the same time He is ready and willing to forgive your sins.
      • What for us may seem as something contradictory in His nature is nothing short of a representation of His Holiness.
    • So we must lean in to it and we must seek to understand it… 
  • What we believe about God will determine how we interact with Him.
• So as we step through these points this morning I want to challenge you to set aside your preexisting ideas about who you think God is and you take an honest look with me at what scripture has to say about the God we serve…
  • Starting with…

God is Judge

• Read with me again in verse 17 and you will see this truth with me… 
  • Vs. 17
• Peter points out that as Christians we call upon a Father who “judges impartially”...
  • Meaning that He is just and righteous…
    • This is one of the first realities we see about God in the scriptures…
      • In Genesis 1 He speaks Creation into existence and it all bows perfectly to His Will…
        • In this we see His Glorious Power on display.  
      • In Genesis 2 we see the focus narrow and we see how He Created Man…
        • And we learned that God is Personal.  
          • Forming man from dust, breathing into his nostrils the breath of life…
          • Then fashioning the woman from the man and interacting with the two of them together.
      • Then comes Genesis 3 and man’s rebellion against the command of their God.
        • In that chapter we learn that God is Judge.
          • That He has authority over His Creation to Judge His Creation according to His perfect standard.
        • Adam and Eve ate the fruit they were commanded not to eat…
          • God responded and cast them from the garden of Eden where they eventually died.
            • They learned first hand what scripture tells us later on in…
          • Romans 6:23a - “For the wages of sin is death…”
        • God Judged rightly, justly, without bias, something we see time and again throughout the Scriptures.
      • In fact there are a plethora of other stories throughout the Word where we see God…
        • Establishing justice and displaying Himself as Judge of all the Earth.
          • When He brought a global cataclysmic flood that destroyed most of His Creation.
          • When He rained fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah…
          • When He pours out the plagues upon the Egyptians…
          • When He exiles the people of Israel because of their rebellion…
      • Just to name a few…
    • All of these examples teach us…
  • That His Judgments are right, that He is impartial, and that He sees perfectly.  
    • This is not only the work of our hands but also the intent of our hearts…
      • The final snapshot we see of this, the point for which all Creation is headed is found in Revelation 20.
      • This passage is known as the Great White Throne Judgment and it is found just before the New Creation.
        • Revelation 20:11-13 - “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.”
      • It says it twice in this passage, the dead that are standing before this throne are judged based on what they have done.  
    • On the surface many may think that that is a good thing, but is it a good thing?
      • Is it good that God has books that contain all of what we have done?
        • It is good that He knows perfectly our thoughts, our desires, our actions…
          • Even that which is hidden from others is known to the Lord.
        • Hebrews 4:13 - “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
      • Consider that the verses I just shared with you reveal to us that our thoughts and actions are not just known by Him but we will be judged by them.
    • This is problematic when we consider that under the perfect Law of God we are all guilty of sin.
      • Romans 3:20a - “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight…”
        • If you think by the works of your hands that you will stand you are sorely mistaken.
        • A favorite verse of mine that illustrates this perfectly is…
      • Isaiah 64:6a - “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment…”
        • I like that verse because Isaiah reminds us that even our best we have, that which we would list to cite as “good people”.
        • That God views those things as a “polluted garment”, something that is wretched.
          • This phrase is used to describe a cloth that has covered over the infected area of a leper.
          • A leper was one who had a skin disease that could at times be so severe that bone would even be exposed.
          • You can imagine then the pus and the blood that oozed out of that wound.
        • This polluted garment would capture all of that filth, all of that uncleanness, all of that disease.
          • God points to it and tells us that “good works” are to Him as this blood and pus filled garment.
      • I remind you of this today because of what Peter tells us in this verse…
    • That God judges impartially, according to each one’s deeds.
  • This should hit us in one of two ways…
    • First, for the unbeliever, those who are not in Christ and outside of this salvation, there should be terror.
      • That is because of what we have already talked about, we cannot stand on our own merit.
      • Please hear me on this…
        • If you are sitting here today thinking that you can just do better, or that you just need to try and be good enough, then you are missing the point.
      • Let me illustrate it this way…
        • If you were to take a pig that had wallowed in the mud and you cleaned her up, and you put a dress on her, and you put makeup on this pig, do you think that would make a difference?
        • None at all, that pig might smell better, might look better, but that pig is still a pig.
          • As such that pig wants the mud, because that is in its nature.
        • To try and do good works to satisfy the perfect holiness of God is like dressing up a pig and expecting class.
      • Friend if you are outside of this glorious salvation then please understand…
        • You do not need to clean yourself up…
          • You do not need to “get better”...
          • You do not need to come to church more to check off the right boxes.
        • What you need, what we all need is faith in Christ and repentance of our sins.
          • For in that we find that we can become new Creations in Him.
      • If you have never responded by faith I urge you to do so today. 
        • That is one response to understanding God as Judge.
    • The second response, specifically for the Christian…
      • Is a fear, not a terror like for the unbeliever, but a Holy Respect and Reverence.
      • Peter is calling us to live in remembrance of the watchful eye of our God.
        • That though we are exiles…
          • We should still conduct ourselves in a manner of holiness and righteousness.
      • Consider the prophet Daniel, he was carried off from his home and placed in the service of the king of Babylon…
        • Though he was in a place not his own, though he was surrounded by the best that the world could offer…
        • He continued to conduct himself according to who he belonged to.
      • That is what Peter is urging us to do as well…
        • As Christians we recognize that God is Judge and He will Judge rightly…
        • However, we get to come before Him and address Him as a Father.
      • What a beautiful connection that Peter makes here and what a good reminder for us today.
        • So let us remember that God is Judge as we pursue Holiness.  
• Second, as we turn our attention back to our text we also see that…

God is Redeemer

• Look again with me at 1 Peter 1 and this time verse 18…
  • Vs. 18-19
    • As we begin considering these verses I want you to grab onto one word in verse 18.
    • In the ESV it is rendered as “ransomed” and in the King James Version and the NASB it is translated as “redeemed”.
  • Underline that word, or circle that word, because it is a very rich word that draws from Israel’s history to make a clear point about our salvation.
    • This word means “to buy or pay off” or to “buy back”.  
      • We see this illustrated perfectly in how God “redeemed” the people of Israel from the hand of the Egyptians.
      • That is not a stretch, it is the same language that the Lord used to describe what was going to happen.
    • Exodus 6:6 - “Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.”
      • This is just the second time the word redeemed is used in the Bible and the first time used by God.
      • What followed was the redemption of the people of Israel out of slavery.
        • He did this through the 10 plagues that He poured out upon the Egyptians.
      • This whole Exodus then becomes not only a story where we see the Redemptive nature of our God but it is also an illustration that mirrors our own salvation.
    • Let’s consider a few connecting points today…
      • Just as God ransomed Israel from the hand of the Egyptians…
        • So also has He ransomed the Church from the bondage of sin…
          • Paul makes this point very well in Romans 6…=
            • Romans 6:17-18 - “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”
          • We have been set free from sin and we are now slaves to Him.
        • Let’s consider how we have been set free…
      • In the case of Israel He did this by the 10 plagues which built up to the final plague, the death of the firstborn.
        • Do you remember that final plague?
          • It was one that could have affected Israel.
        • However, so that Israel was unaffected by this plague they were instructed to kill the first passover lamb and to spread its blood over the doorpost of their homes.
          • This was so that when the Destroyer came though He would pass over their homes when He saw the blood applied.
      • What about us and our salvation?
        • For us it is not a lamb but the Perfect Lamb of God, the One and Only Son of God…
          • Jesus, who came in perfection and died in our place.  
          • His blood was spilled for our benefit…
        • Now, the blood has been applied so that the wrath of God can pass over our sins.
          • God remains just because our sin debt was paid for by the perfect life blood of Jesus.
          • The debt that we owed to Him was cast upon the Son of God and He bore the wrath of God completely.
        • He is our Great Redeemer, purchasing us by His own blood. 
      • Before we leave this comparison behind we must also consider what He is preparing us for.  
        • As God brought the people out of the land He then led them to a different land, a Promised Land…
          • A land of rest for them, a land flowing with milk and honey.
          • Was this a perfect place?
            • No, but it points forward to a perfect place…
        • We are awaiting a day in which Jesus will return and we will enter into that final Land of Promise.
        • The New Creation that awaits those who have been redeemed.
    • What a glorious reality that God is Redeemer…
      • Though this is seen time and again through His Word it is most clearly displayed in the Cross.  
        • Where Christ paid for the sin of man and bore the wrath of the Father so that justice could be satisfied.
      • There is nothing more precious than this salvation that has been provided for us by His blood.
        • I love that Peter takes two of the most valuable things in our world, gold and silver, and calls them perishable.
        • He does this because he compares them to the blood of the savior.
      • He also with this makes the connection that this redemption is meant to change us now.
    • This is where we will see the practical response to God as Redeemer…
  • He has Redeemed us “from the futile ways” that we “inherited from” our “forefathers”.
• Here is the good news about this redemption and how we should respond to it…
  • Generational sins bow in submission to the power of the blood of Christ.
    • The sins that are present in your life that you can see also alive and well in the life of your parents, can be put to death.
      • Though you may be prone to those sins you are not bound by them.
      • They have no power over you if you are in Christ…
    • Consider the words of Christ…
      • John 8:34-36 - “Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
      • Here is the good news, if you are in Christ then you have been set free, you have been redeemed and you are not bound to that sin any longer.
  • Any power it has over you is power you allow to continue in your life.
    • Let me illustrate it with a story found in the book of Acts.
      • In Acts 12 we find persecution hitting the church hard…
        • James, one of the inner three apostles is killed with the sword.
        • Then Peter is arrested and set to be killed the next day.
      • He is unconcerned about it as he is simply sleeping in his jail cell surrounded by guards and behind lock and key.  
        • The church, we are told, is praying for him and praying for his release.
      • God shows Himself merciful and sets Peter free miraculously.
        • Sending an angel, opening the cell, and the gates of the city.
        • How this story can connect to us today is that Peter did not respond as a free man when the chains fell off of his arms.
    • He is awoken by the angel, and then is walked through step by step how to leave that prison.
      • There may be many of us who are acting as Peter only in regard to our prior bondage in sin.
        • The chains have fallen off, the cell door is thrown open, but we are still dwelling in that wretched place.
      • The Bible is clear, I read it to you just moments ago…
        • Who the Son sets free, is free indeed.
        • There is no sin for which holds sway over the blood of the Son.
      • So I urge you if you are in Christ, and if you feel as though you are in bondage to some sin…
        • Wake up, get up, and get out of that cell.
        • The Son has set you free, start living like it, start acting like it.
  • This is not only for your own benefit, as you pursue holiness…
    • As you live for Christ and put to death the things of the flesh you will spur others toward Christ around you.  
    • Parents, this is especially true for your children…
      • Paul said, follow me as I follow Christ…
        • Parents, you do not need to say anything, your children will follow whatever you give yourself to.
      • If you are in Christ do not give yourself to something that you have been set free from.
    • Do not mock the blood of Christ by acting as though you are powerless against the sin you prefer.
      • Practically if you are struggling with something, then reach out to a brother in Christ.
        • Ask them to lift you up in prayer and to push you toward Christ, to keep you accountable to Him.  
      • It should go without saying but to be specific…
        • Men if you are struggling with sin do not confide in a woman but find a mature man to confess to and to hold you up.
        • Women if you are struggling with sin do not confide in a man but instead find a mature woman and let her lift you up.  
      • If we have been Redeemed then we should be pushed and should be pushing one another toward a holy life.

Closing

• Here we will close…
  • We have been reminded that God is Judge and His judgments are Just…
    • He does not overlook sin, He does not turn a blind eye to sin…
  • We have also been reminded that God is Redeemer and that He has made a way through the Cross of Christ.
    • Where you sin can be atoned for, and your debt paid in full…
• There are many ways to respond…
  • For the believer…
    • Pursue holiness, put to death sin, and live knowing that God has Redeemed you.  
  • For the unbeliever…
    • I urge you to place your faith in Christ, to repent of your sins and be saved.  
• Let’s pray.