WEBVTT 00:00:05.679 --> 00:00:09.439 You know how some houses have the good towels? 00:00:09.599 --> 00:00:11.199 You know what I'm talking about, right? 00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:14.800 It's uh the towels you don't actually use. 00:00:15.199 --> 00:00:23.760 Those are apparently different towels from the ones that you use to dry off with or have to at your disposal when you're done washing your hands. 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:28.800 No, apparently these good towels, right, they don't actually dry anything. 00:00:28.879 --> 00:00:30.079 They're set apart. 00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:36.719 They're they're chosen for a specific role to sit neatly hanging on the towel rack. 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:41.759 We had those in my house growing up, and everybody in the house knew you don't touch those towels. 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:51.119 And then anytime we had company come over, obviously we would set out another towel next to the sink because you don't use the ones that are hanging up. 00:00:51.359 --> 00:00:54.560 Those are designated, those are set apart. 00:00:54.640 --> 00:01:04.239 And the reason I mentioned that this morning, it may sound a little silly to be talking about towels that are designated as the ones that sit there and look pretty. 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:17.040 But it kind of relates to our sermon this morning because it's actually a pretty close idea to what it means to be holy, to be set apart, to be used by God. 00:01:17.359 --> 00:01:25.359 But here is where the illustration breaks down because God hasn't set us apart just to sit up on a shelf. 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:28.640 God hasn't set us apart just to hang there and look pretty. 00:01:28.799 --> 00:01:32.560 No, you've been chosen to be used by him. 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:36.959 God set us apart to be used by him. 00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:48.560 In 1 Peter 1 in verse 15, it says, As he called you is as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:55.519 And I think that holiness has developed kind of an image problem when it comes to Christianity in a lot of ways. 00:01:55.760 --> 00:02:03.120 Because when we hear the word holy, I think the first thing we picture is maybe someone that is a little weird. 00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:04.799 Is that fair to say? 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:11.360 We hear the word holy, we think, well, because they're holy, they don't go where everybody else goes. 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:23.039 They don't watch what everybody else watches, they don't wear what everybody else wears, and they certainly don't say the same words that everybody else speaks. 00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:35.439 And I think maybe somewhere along the way, we started to believe that being holy meant becoming the kind of person that nobody wants to sit next to at the dinner table. 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:36.719 Is that fair? 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:42.960 But holiness doesn't mean weird, and that's what I want you to realize this morning. 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:45.759 That's what I want us to lean into this morning. 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:52.080 This idea of holiness isn't about becoming weird, it's about being different. 00:02:52.400 --> 00:03:07.759 And different because you belong to someone, different because you've been set apart for a specific task, different because your life is being increasingly shaped by a holy God. 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:17.840 And I think when we think about this idea of holiness, our first thought is to look at him, and it should be to recognize the one who is holy. 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:28.319 And as we begin this journey of growing in favor with God, I think one of the ways that we grow in favor with him is to become more like him. 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:36.319 And one of the ways we do that is to encounter his holiness and begin to put it into practice in our own lives. 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:49.680 We look at him and who he is, and then we remember we've been set apart to be his, set apart to live in a certain way, to respond to the love that he has for us. 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:53.039 Be set apart for good works. 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:54.960 So, what does this look like? 00:03:55.520 --> 00:03:59.280 If we take it to a practical level, we have four quick points this morning. 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:04.879 The first one says holiness begins with identity, if you're using your outlines this morning. 00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:10.800 Before Peter ever tells them to be holy, notice what he has already told them. 00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:15.520 And if you're following along this morning, I encourage you to open up your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 1. 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:19.519 We're gonna be focused on primarily on verses 13 through 16. 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:25.759 But as we take a look at this text, notice he begins with this idea of identity. 00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:29.439 They've been born again, they have this living hope. 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:35.120 They have an inheritance that cannot perish, it cannot spoil or fade. 00:04:35.439 --> 00:04:38.160 They're being guarded by God's power. 00:04:38.319 --> 00:04:42.000 And in this, their faith is more precious than gold. 00:04:42.319 --> 00:04:45.759 Their salvation was anticipated by the prophets. 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:56.480 And then Peter says, therefore, and I think that's important, we get to verse 13, therefore, holiness is a response to what God has already done. 00:04:56.560 --> 00:04:58.800 And that's the reason that word is in there. 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:03.120 Because of who you are, because of what God has done for you. 00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:10.480 Notice your identity, notice who you are, and because of who you are, this is how we respond. 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:14.560 So our holiness begins with our identity. 00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:18.399 Christianity doesn't say, live differently so God will love you. 00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:19.600 That's not the point. 00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:26.000 Christianity says, God has loved you, he has already redeemed you, he has called you his own. 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:29.600 So now go live like you belong to him. 00:05:30.240 --> 00:05:34.959 So we respond in what he has done for us. 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:38.399 I think that's an entirely different motivation. 00:05:38.800 --> 00:05:46.879 We aren't trying to earn some type of identity, we're learning to live out the identity that's already been handed to us. 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:50.480 And that's where holiness starts. 00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:54.160 Imagine a child that's being adopted into a family. 00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:58.319 The parents don't sit down with the child and say, okay, here's the deal. 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:00.720 You're on a six-month probationary period. 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:02.319 We're gonna watch how you behave. 00:06:02.399 --> 00:06:10.079 And if you're good enough, if you follow the rules, if you act enough like us, then maybe we'll give you our name. 00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:12.639 And maybe we're gonna make you part of our family. 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:14.319 No, it doesn't work that way. 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:18.160 That's backwards to the process of adoption. 00:06:18.319 --> 00:06:20.879 First, the child is made part of the family. 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:30.160 The child is given the name, given a home, given a place at the table because in this moment they now belong to that family. 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:33.680 And then over time, something happens. 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:36.720 And what happens is they begin learning. 00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:40.000 This is what it means to live in this family. 00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:47.120 This is what it means to be called one of theirs, this is what it means to carry this family name. 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:53.600 And I think this is exactly what Peter is trying to share with us. 00:06:53.920 --> 00:06:58.160 We respond in a certain way because we already belong. 00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:01.360 Because we've already been given that name. 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:08.319 Because we've encountered his holiness, and we're called to reflect that into the world. 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:20.639 Before Peter ever says, be holy, he spends the first part of the chapter telling Christians who you already are, who you belong to, what's your identity in this world. 00:07:20.879 --> 00:07:28.560 You've been born again, you've been giving a living hope, you have an inheritance, you're being guarded by God's power. 00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:29.920 You have been redeemed. 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:32.959 In other words, you belong to Him. 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:35.759 And then comes the therefore. 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:38.639 Therefore, be holy. 00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:41.279 And that's the gospel order. 00:07:41.439 --> 00:07:45.600 First is identity, and then comes behavior. 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:50.879 We don't become holy enough that God finally says, okay, you can be mine. 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:53.360 No, God says, you are mine. 00:07:53.600 --> 00:07:55.839 Now live like you belong to me. 00:07:56.079 --> 00:07:58.319 Learn to live like you belong to me. 00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:00.480 That's a lifelong journey. 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:10.639 It's not something that happens overnight, but as we begin to dedicate our lives to Him, as we begin to seek Him, we grow in holiness. 00:08:10.959 --> 00:08:16.800 We grow towards that identity that has already been given to us. 00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:26.560 And I might even add this holiness isn't an audition for the family of God. 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:34.320 It's what happens when people who are already in the family begin to resemble the Father. 00:08:42.720 --> 00:08:47.919 As much as it is growing in our holiness. 00:08:48.080 --> 00:08:57.120 And if holiness begins with who we are, the next question becomes what does someone who belongs to God actually look like? 00:08:57.360 --> 00:09:02.480 Because Peter doesn't leave holiness as some abstract theological idea. 00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:04.080 He breaks it down for us. 00:09:04.240 --> 00:09:05.759 Look at verse 13. 00:09:06.080 --> 00:09:11.840 Therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded. 00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:18.639 Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:26.240 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. 00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:29.519 Peter says, don't just fit in. 00:09:29.919 --> 00:09:31.440 Don't be conformed. 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:36.159 If you're using your outlines, number two, holiness means we don't just fit in. 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:42.320 Don't let the world around you determine the shape of your life. 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:50.960 And it's easy to say on a Sunday morning, but it's harder to live out once we encounter that world, once we live in that world. 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:58.559 Because most of us don't wake up in the morning and decide, today I'm going to go against God. 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:06.240 No, it's something that wears on us, it's something that we begin to blend into if we're not careful. 00:10:06.559 --> 00:10:09.840 It usually happens much more subtle. 00:10:10.559 --> 00:10:17.360 We just start accepting what everybody else accepts, laughing at what everybody else laughs at. 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:23.519 It happens when we begin to want everything that everybody else wants. 00:10:23.919 --> 00:10:31.840 We begin watching what everybody else watches and we start talking like everybody else talks. 00:10:32.159 --> 00:10:36.960 We define success the way everybody else defines success. 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:46.159 And before we know it, instead of seeking after him, we're pursuing the things that our culture tells us are important. 00:10:47.039 --> 00:10:58.159 And the things of God begin to take a back seat, begin to be reinterpreted by what our world is telling us should be our identity. 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:05.519 Eventually, without even realizing it, we start looking exactly like the culture around us. 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:08.159 Have you seen that in the church? 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:19.360 Have you seen that in God's people before the culture around them begins having more of an influence than the church has? 00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:22.799 That's what he is addressing here. 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:24.159 That's what he's pointing to. 00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:29.759 Because of who you are, change should be everything. 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:36.480 Because of who you are, we no longer conform to the patterns of this world. 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:39.039 Instead, we seek him. 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:42.000 And I think that's the danger of conformity. 00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:49.919 You don't have to intentionally walk away from God and just simply drift towards everyone else. 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:54.480 And then Peter reminds these Christians that was your old life. 00:11:55.360 --> 00:11:58.320 You used to be shaped by those desires. 00:11:58.559 --> 00:12:00.000 But now something has changed. 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:01.039 And what has changed? 00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:03.279 Well, you now belong to God. 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:06.879 Your identity is now found in him. 00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:11.519 So holiness will inevitably make you different. 00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:13.600 Think about this. 00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:28.879 You ever notice when someone moves to a new place that they begin to act like, sound like maybe someone from up north that moves down to Florence, Alabama. 00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:38.159 You notice at first how different they sound than everybody else, but as the years pass, now all of a sudden the you guys is swapped for the y'all. 00:12:38.799 --> 00:12:44.399 And so now their language begins to blend in to the culture around them. 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:45.679 Notice that? 00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:47.840 There's a reason that happens. 00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:49.360 They're being influenced. 00:12:50.399 --> 00:12:52.000 Their speech patterns. 00:12:52.159 --> 00:12:59.200 And now you can't quite tell the difference between who moved here a decade ago and who's been here the whole time. 00:13:00.159 --> 00:13:02.320 Because their accent has changed. 00:13:02.639 --> 00:13:06.480 They don't just wake up one morning and say, you know what, today I'm gonna start saying y'all. 00:13:08.559 --> 00:13:16.000 They begin hearing it and it gradually seeps in and they probably will tell you, I don't say that, but they do. 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:26.480 It happens because the people around them were shaping them before they even realized it. 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:29.440 I think that's exactly what Peter is warning us about. 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:37.120 He says, as obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:43.440 I think the danger isn't always that we consciously decide I'm going to stop following God. 00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:55.360 Sometimes we simply spend enough time surrounded by the values, priorities, desires, and attitudes of the world that we start picking up its accent. 00:13:56.240 --> 00:14:05.360 Those little things that we say, oh, it's not a big deal, they begin to seep into our minds and our behaviors and the way we talk. 00:14:05.759 --> 00:14:09.840 And the accent around us becomes a part of who we are. 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:13.679 That's the danger. 00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:15.919 That's where holiness is meant. 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:17.759 It's gonna set us apart. 00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:20.720 Not to dive into it. 00:14:22.080 --> 00:14:23.679 We start talking like it. 00:14:23.919 --> 00:14:25.759 We start thinking like it. 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:28.159 We begin wanting what it wants. 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:38.000 We begin getting angry about what it gets angry about, and again we start defining success the way our culture defines success. 00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:47.679 And eventually, without ever making a conscious decision to leave God behind, we begin sounding like everybody else. 00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:50.399 Have you seen that in the church? 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:54.720 Seen that in people who claim to belong to God. 00:14:55.840 --> 00:14:57.840 I think that's our challenge. 00:14:58.799 --> 00:15:00.559 But here's where your identity point. 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:05.600 We talk about what this identity is all about. 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:10.000 Here's where it blends in to who we are. 00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:14.720 We belong somewhere else. 00:15:15.039 --> 00:15:31.519 The truth is, if we belong to God, we ought to increasingly pick up his accent, his compassion, his patience, his purity, his generosity, his forgiveness, his love. 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:37.919 And so holiness isn't about trying really hard to be the weird person who doesn't fit in. 00:15:38.159 --> 00:15:47.039 No, it's about spending so much of your life being shaped by God that eventually you start sounding more like you belong to Him. 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:51.360 Holiness means we don't just fit in. 00:15:54.960 --> 00:16:02.480 Be careful to accent your be careful who we belong to. 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:06.000 I think that leads us to something important. 00:16:06.559 --> 00:16:15.919 If holiness means that our lives are being shaped by God instead of the world around us, then holiness cannot just be something we talk about. 00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:19.519 It has to show up somewhere in our lives. 00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:29.679 And Peter says, as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your show up. 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:30.399 What does it look like? 00:16:30.559 --> 00:16:37.039 Well, in everything you do, in your conduct, it should be evident that you belong to him. 00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:47.840 Not just a church, not just when people are watching, not just in the area of your life where holiness comes in. 00:16:50.879 --> 00:16:53.120 Holiness touches everything. 00:16:53.679 --> 00:16:56.080 It should be a part of who we are. 00:16:56.720 --> 00:17:01.919 I think sometimes, and this isn't a new concept, but it's one we need to consider often. 00:17:02.080 --> 00:17:06.640 Sometimes we have this tendency to compartmentalize our lives. 00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:10.799 There's my church life, and then there's my work life. 00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:13.599 Oh, and then there's my family life and social life. 00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:16.960 Also of my private life and my online life as well. 00:17:17.119 --> 00:17:20.000 We have all these different parts of who we are. 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:25.440 And I think without realizing it, we can begin to have different standards for each one. 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:30.079 But Peter says, just don't give that an option. 00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:32.079 It's not who you are. 00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:35.920 He says, be holy in all your conduct. 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:41.599 Holiness isn't something we turn on on Sunday morning and then on Monday we say, Oh, we've had enough of that. 00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:44.559 Let's move on to the next part of who we are. 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:50.160 No, your holiness defines who you are as a whole, not just in moments of your life. 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:55.680 So if I belong to God, then every part of me belongs to Him. 00:17:56.000 --> 00:18:04.720 I think last week we talked about how sometimes we begin to prioritize our lives and we're saying, I'm gonna make God number one and my family number two, and then everything else. 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:09.599 And that's a good idea, but it doesn't capture the essence of who we are as Christians. 00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:13.599 It's not about making God number one, it's about making God everything. 00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:17.759 And his influence permeates through all of those other priorities. 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:22.720 We love him first and foremost, but we also love him in our families. 00:18:22.960 --> 00:18:29.680 We also love him, and he becomes a part of who we are at work in our private time and our recreational time. 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:33.839 So it's not about God number one, and then I do all these other things. 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:39.599 It's about God everywhere and throughout and in each part of who I am. 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:42.000 That's what holiness is all about. 00:18:42.559 --> 00:18:45.599 It's about choosing him each and every day. 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:50.160 It's about seeking him in every aspect of my life. 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:52.400 My words belong to him. 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:55.200 My relationships belong to him. 00:18:55.759 --> 00:18:58.000 My sexuality belongs to him. 00:18:58.559 --> 00:19:04.000 My money belongs to him, my entertainment belongs to him, my anger belongs to him. 00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:08.480 So, what do I do when nobody else is looking? 00:19:08.640 --> 00:19:09.359 Well, guess what? 00:19:09.519 --> 00:19:11.359 That belongs to him as well. 00:19:13.359 --> 00:19:16.559 I want you to see it's all about him. 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:24.000 He's calling us to change, he's calling us to live a life that's separate from the world. 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:31.359 So often our our question is, well, can I do this and still belong to God? 00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:34.880 I think we're asking the completely wrong question. 00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:38.240 Is this bringing glory and honor to him? 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:41.200 Is this bringing me closer to him? 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:48.319 It's not about what I can get away with, but what I can do to seek him more fully in my life. 00:19:54.480 --> 00:19:56.559 I think that's a bigger question. 00:19:57.519 --> 00:20:00.799 Because sometimes we're looking for the line. 00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:05.599 Sometimes we say things like, How close can I get without crossing the line? 00:20:05.759 --> 00:20:09.440 How much can I do and still technically be okay? 00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:13.200 But holiness isn't interested in finding the line. 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:19.359 Holiness is interested in becoming more like Him, becoming more holy. 00:20:19.599 --> 00:20:22.319 That's why Peter's standard is so challenging. 00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:23.839 He says, Be holy. 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:24.559 Why? 00:20:24.880 --> 00:20:26.799 For I am holy. 00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:29.680 God is holy. 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:32.640 That should impact who we are. 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:37.680 The goal isn't simply to become a slightly better person than the people around us. 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:44.240 The goal is to increasingly reflect the character of our Heavenly Father. 00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:46.480 And again, that doesn't happen overnight. 00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:51.759 You don't dip in that water and there's something magical about it, and all of a sudden you're a perfect person. 00:20:52.240 --> 00:21:01.279 No, it happens gradually as we seek Him, as we choose Him, as we fix our eyes on Jesus and model His behavior in this world. 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:06.960 And slowly begin to develop those characteristics in our life. 00:21:07.279 --> 00:21:09.599 We become more holy. 00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:12.720 I think it's a lifelong journey. 00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:18.319 It's something we're never gonna get exactly right on this side of heaven. 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:25.279 But it's something we seek, it's something we want to grow in fish and every day. 00:21:25.839 --> 00:21:41.119 Holiness is interested in becoming more like God, his goodness, his purity, his compassion, his truthfulness, his faithfulness, his love. 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:45.839 How many of us today have a little work to do almost? 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:51.599 But we're all seeking that abundance. 00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:53.839 We're all seeking that truth. 00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:59.759 We're all seeking that holiness in our lives, and that means there is. 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:07.680 An area of our lives where Jesus gets told, You can have everything else, but this part of me I'm gonna keep. 00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:10.160 It's not biblical. 00:22:10.480 --> 00:22:14.160 That's not who we are when we declare ourselves Christians. 00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:16.079 You remember the illustration? 00:22:16.559 --> 00:22:18.640 Take the word Christian and you remove Christ. 00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:19.920 What are you left with? 00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:20.960 I am. 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:22.000 What does that stand for? 00:22:22.160 --> 00:22:23.440 Somebody tell me. 00:22:24.079 --> 00:22:25.359 I ain't nothing. 00:22:26.160 --> 00:22:30.400 It doesn't mean I take away Christ and I still have my private life. 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:35.039 I take away Christ and I still have that time on the internet when I'm by myself. 00:22:35.359 --> 00:22:40.000 I still have Christ, except when I'm running in these social circles that don't follow Jesus. 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:43.680 I still have Christ on Sunday, but my work life doesn't belong. 00:22:43.839 --> 00:22:45.440 That's not what it says. 00:22:45.759 --> 00:22:49.039 It says when you take away Christ, you are left with nothing. 00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:54.480 And that's who you are declaring yourself as when you become a Christian. 00:22:54.720 --> 00:22:56.720 Because it's all about Him. 00:22:56.880 --> 00:23:02.799 And our holiness is all about Him as we seek Him with every part of our being. 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:08.480 It's not about making Him the first priority. 00:23:12.319 --> 00:23:12.960 Everything. 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:21.920 If holiness touches everything, eventually we have to deal with the part that makes us uncomfortable. 00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:29.440 Because if we're honest, there are places in our lives that don't look like God very much. 00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:30.880 Isn't that fair? 00:23:31.920 --> 00:23:34.079 I think all of us have a little bit of work to do. 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:36.960 And it's probably not the same place for each of us. 00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:42.880 Whatever part it is for you, it's important for us to recognize that. 00:23:43.920 --> 00:23:47.519 Open that part up to Him and seek Him more fully. 00:23:47.759 --> 00:23:50.799 Peter isn't writing to people who have already arrived. 00:23:51.119 --> 00:23:53.599 He's writing to people who are becoming. 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:55.839 And that brings us to four. 00:23:56.319 --> 00:23:58.720 Holiness requires transformation. 00:23:59.119 --> 00:24:02.079 Our holiness means we are changing. 00:24:02.319 --> 00:24:04.640 It means we've left the old self behind. 00:24:04.799 --> 00:24:08.960 Peter says, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. 00:24:09.119 --> 00:24:11.359 Notice that word former in there. 00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:14.640 There's an old way of living, an old way of thinking. 00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:18.240 There are old desires and old habits and old priorities. 00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:23.359 And Peter says, in essence, that doesn't have to be who you are anymore. 00:24:23.599 --> 00:24:25.519 You've left those things behind. 00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:27.680 And that's why we're crucified with him. 00:24:27.920 --> 00:24:32.960 That's why we're buried in that watery grave of baptism and raised up to walk in what? 00:24:33.119 --> 00:24:34.640 In newness of life. 00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:37.680 That means we've left the old self behind. 00:24:38.160 --> 00:24:43.599 And all those old things are our former self. 00:24:44.880 --> 00:24:48.000 And I think that's one of the beautiful things about the gospel. 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:51.519 Because we don't come to him having figured it all out. 00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:54.640 We don't come to him having turned our lives around. 00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:56.319 We come to him broken. 00:24:57.119 --> 00:25:03.440 And in that illustration, we come to him and say, I am nothing and I need you. 00:25:04.319 --> 00:25:10.400 It's the fundamental position for us as Christians to recognize our need for a savior. 00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:14.400 I come broken, I come empty. 00:25:14.880 --> 00:25:17.759 I rely on him to change me. 00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:26.480 Jesus doesn't simply forgive the person you used to be, he also transforms you into someone new. 00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:30.079 But transformation means some things have to change. 00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:31.279 Do you get that? 00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:36.880 God made me this way and he makes us perfect. 00:25:37.039 --> 00:25:39.680 No, God calls us to transformation. 00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:45.359 God calls us to a new standard, despite what our culture tries to tell us. 00:26:03.920 --> 00:26:06.160 We want Jesus to give us peace, right? 00:26:06.400 --> 00:26:07.519 Amen to that. 00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:09.039 We want him to give us hope. 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:11.200 Anyone gonna disagree with that? 00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:14.079 We want Jesus to heal what's broken. 00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:16.319 We want him to forgive our sins. 00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:20.880 But holiness says Jesus gets to change me too. 00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:24.480 He gets to change my attitudes and my habits. 00:26:24.960 --> 00:26:28.160 He changes my relationships, my priorities. 00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:30.160 He changes my desires. 00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:33.039 Even the things I've spent years defending. 00:26:33.359 --> 00:26:37.759 And sometimes we excuse those things by saying, Oh, that's just who I am. 00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:40.000 I've always had a temper. 00:26:40.400 --> 00:26:41.279 Oh, it's okay. 00:26:41.359 --> 00:26:43.359 I've always talked like that. 00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:45.839 Yeah, I've always struggled with that. 00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:47.759 That's just my personality. 00:26:48.400 --> 00:26:52.720 But the gospel never says, come to Jesus and stay like you are. 00:26:53.279 --> 00:26:55.119 Stay exactly how you are. 00:26:55.279 --> 00:26:59.759 No, it says, come to him and then let him make you more like him. 00:27:00.480 --> 00:27:04.400 Let him assist you in growing into holiness. 00:27:08.319 --> 00:27:11.599 Peter isn't saying that holy people never struggle. 00:27:11.839 --> 00:27:14.400 He's talking about the direction of our lives. 00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:17.759 Am I becoming more like Jesus? 00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:22.160 Is there anything different about me today than it was a year ago? 00:27:22.400 --> 00:27:27.279 Are there things God has convinced me about that I'm actually surrendering to Him? 00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:32.079 Because holiness isn't a trophy that we receive when we've finally gotten everything right. 00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:41.200 No, holiness is a lifelong work of God reshaping his people who belong to him into the image of the one who called them. 00:27:42.640 --> 00:27:43.839 It's a journey. 00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:46.559 So maybe the question isn't, am I holy enough? 00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:49.519 Maybe is it, Am I allowing God to change me? 00:27:49.759 --> 00:27:53.359 Is transformation actually happening in my life? 00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:58.640 So when Peter says, Be holy, for I am holy, he's not calling you to be weird. 00:27:58.880 --> 00:28:01.200 He's not calling you to be self-righteous. 00:28:01.440 --> 00:28:07.440 He's not calling you to walk around looking down on everybody else who doesn't live like we do just yet. 00:28:07.680 --> 00:28:10.319 No, he's calling you to be different. 00:28:10.640 --> 00:28:22.400 Different because we belong to God, different because we're no longer allowing the world around us to shape our lives, different because every part of our life is now being surrendered to him. 00:28:23.359 --> 00:28:28.960 Different because little by little, transformation is happening. 00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:32.799 He's changing us one step at a time. 00:28:32.960 --> 00:28:37.359 And I think maybe that's the question we need to leave here with today. 00:28:37.759 --> 00:28:42.480 Does my life look any different because I belong to Jesus? 00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:45.680 That question is not: do I go to church? 00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:47.920 Do I believe the right things? 00:28:48.240 --> 00:28:50.240 Do I know all the right answers? 00:28:50.480 --> 00:29:13.359 But when someone watches the way I live, when they watch my day-to-day interactions, the way I treat people, the way I speak, the way I handle disappointment, the way I respond when I'm hurt, or when somebody cuts me off in traffic, the things I pursue, or the things that I refuse. 00:29:14.400 --> 00:29:16.559 Maybe it's the way I love. 00:29:42.720 --> 00:29:46.000 Because that is our goal as Christians. 00:29:46.319 --> 00:29:50.319 See, holiness isn't about proving that we're better than everybody else. 00:29:50.480 --> 00:29:54.400 Holiness is about showing the world who we belong to. 00:29:59.279 --> 00:30:03.839 There's a block of marble that eventually became David. 00:30:04.480 --> 00:30:07.440 It had been sitting around Florence for decades. 00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:13.039 And you may have heard this story, but other artists had commissioned to work with it. 00:30:13.359 --> 00:30:18.319 One began even cutting into the project, but he abandoned it. 00:30:18.480 --> 00:30:23.839 And so this enormous piece of marble sat exposed for years. 00:30:24.079 --> 00:30:29.359 And then in 1501, Michelangelo was commissioned to do something with it. 00:30:29.680 --> 00:30:32.720 Michelangelo was only 26 years old at the time. 00:30:32.880 --> 00:30:39.279 And for more than two years, he worked on that damaged, neglected block of stone. 00:30:39.599 --> 00:30:47.519 And then eventually, what emerged was David, one of the most recognizable sculptures in the world. 00:30:48.400 --> 00:30:53.279 And I think that's a pretty beautiful picture of what we've been talking about here this morning. 00:30:53.680 --> 00:30:56.480 See, holiness requires transformation. 00:30:56.960 --> 00:31:00.960 God finds us with places that are rough. 00:31:01.279 --> 00:31:08.640 God comes to us, and maybe he finds places somebody else may have given up on. 00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:15.359 He finds things in our lives that don't make much sense, places where we might have given up on ourselves. 00:31:15.680 --> 00:31:19.279 And he doesn't simply say, try harder to look holy. 00:31:19.519 --> 00:31:23.039 No, he goes to work, and the truth is sometimes it's painful. 00:31:23.359 --> 00:31:28.799 He goes to work in our lives, removing, shaping, changing, forming. 00:31:29.519 --> 00:31:32.640 Sometimes it's with a chisel and a hammer. 00:31:33.920 --> 00:31:36.880 Sometimes he's removing huge blocks. 00:31:39.359 --> 00:31:46.000 Process isn't always comfortable because there are things that don't resemble Jesus that need to go. 00:31:46.400 --> 00:31:47.839 Here's the important part. 00:31:48.160 --> 00:31:55.119 The goal isn't merely to remove the bad parts, the goal is to reveal more and more of Christ in us. 00:31:55.519 --> 00:32:03.359 Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3.18 that we are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. 00:32:03.599 --> 00:32:06.000 I think that is holiness. 00:32:06.480 --> 00:32:09.680 Not instant perfection, but transformation. 00:32:10.079 --> 00:32:14.960 And I think maybe some of us look at our lives and mostly see the unfinished marble. 00:32:15.519 --> 00:32:17.519 But God looks at us and says, guess what? 00:32:17.599 --> 00:32:18.640 You're not finished. 00:32:19.440 --> 00:32:21.359 I'm not finished with you just yet. 00:32:21.680 --> 00:32:23.119 He sang his kids, right? 00:32:23.279 --> 00:32:25.039 He's still working on me. 00:32:26.400 --> 00:32:28.000 Make me what I ought to be. 00:32:28.880 --> 00:32:30.240 He's still working on God. 00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:32.319 Holiness is a project. 00:32:33.440 --> 00:32:35.440 He's still transforming you. 00:32:36.079 --> 00:32:41.759 And I think we need to continually ask this question what is God trying to shape me into? 00:32:42.160 --> 00:32:45.119 Because holiness isn't God making you weird. 00:32:45.680 --> 00:32:47.920 It's God making you look more like Jesus. 00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:53.599 And if we're going to grow in favor with God, and I think that's what we're asking him. 00:32:54.480 --> 00:33:02.400 Keep shaping me, keep changing me, keep removing what doesn't look like you until more and more see Jesus. 00:33:06.240 --> 00:33:07.440 What is God working on? 00:33:08.720 --> 00:33:12.000 Maybe you've never submitted to him as your Lord and Savior. 00:33:12.640 --> 00:33:16.799 Let me just say He's calling you to something new. 00:33:17.119 --> 00:33:18.960 He's calling you to something better. 00:33:19.759 --> 00:33:26.400 All those ways that we have fallen apart, God has a way to bring us back into fellowship with Him. 00:33:26.480 --> 00:33:33.200