Sermon – 1Peter 1:10-25 – Living Holy Lives

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – 1Peter 1:10-25 – Living Holy Lives

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

April 6, 2008

This is the second in a series of sermons focused on the implications of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Last week we saw that as a result of the resurrection we now have new life, so that even if we still experience problems we can still rejoice because of all that Christ has done for us and the hope we have for a glorious future. Today we will be looking at how we get this new life and how that new life changes us in important ways.

Will you pray with me? Holy Father we ask that you allow us to be in your presence this morning as we worship. Help us to hear your word through my preaching today. Transform us by that word into holy people who truly love one another. We pray this in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

1 Peter 1:10-25 ¹⁰ Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry, ¹¹ inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-- things into which angels long to look! ¹³ Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. ¹⁴ Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. ¹⁵ Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; ¹⁶ for it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." ¹⁷ If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. ¹⁸ You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. ²⁰ He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. ²¹ Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God. ²² Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. ²³ You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, ²⁵ but the word of the Lord endures forever." That word is the good news that was announced to you.

A prophet is someone who sees clearly what is happening in the world and discerns what God thinks about it. They are not future tellers or psychics although what they say does have an element of timeless truth. Rather they are truth tellers who understand what is going on in the world around them and are connected sufficiently to God’s spirit through prayer to discern what God wants done about it. Moses saw the oppression of the Israelites and discerned God’s desire for their freedom. Amos saw the injustice to the poor and needy in his society and discerned God’s warning that the destruction of the nation was near if they did not repent and change their ways. Prophets are needed whenever the world we live in diverges from the Creator’s intent.

The Apostles of Jesus Christ who witnessed his resurrection were prophets. They saw clearly what was happening in the world around them and they knew what God wanted through the Holy Spirit. They spoke in synagogues, homes and later churches proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. As the church grew Apostles trained other preachers teaching them the message that God wanted proclaimed about the grace of Jesus Christ. So long as these new preachers proclaimed a message consistent with the teaching of the Apostles their words were considered to be the word of God. This was made possible by the Holy Spirit who speaks though the faithful words of the preacher to the attentive hearts of the congregation. According to Peter, the angels, God’s own messengers, are so interested in what is be proclaimed in the churches by faithful preachers they bend over to listen to what is going on. Because of this we can believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead because in the New Testament and in faithful preaching the teachings of the Apostolic witnesses are preserved. So long as my preaching is based on teachings of the Apostles who witnessed the event and is carried from my mouth to your ears by the Holy Spirit you are hearing God’s holy word.

When we hear and understand the Word of God proclaimed we are filled with hope of receiving the grace of Jesus Christ which was revealed in his resurrection. This is what brings us to new life in Jesus Christ. As you sit here in this sanctuary you are being transformed by God’s Word into God’s obedient children. That is why, as we listen to the word of God more and more, we find ourselves leaving our old lives behind, our lives of dishonesty, drunkenness, promiscuity, violence, anger. We begin to realize that these things are in our pasts and were washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Recently I heard a story from a woman working in the entertainment industry. She had been a talented singer at one point, but her lifestyle eventually caught up with her and the hope of a promising career turned into a night of darkness and desperation. She contemplated suicide as the only solution to her problems. But then she looked at the calendar and saw that it was Christmas Eve. She did not know Jesus, but he seemed like the only alternative for someone in her situation. So she prayed that Jesus would send his spirit to help her. And that night she received new life in Jesus Christ. I can’t say that a story as dramatic as this one will happen to everyone who accepts Christ in their lives. But I can say the Christ is offering new lives to anyone who comes to him.

Shortly you will have the opportunity to ask Christ for new life. We have been hearing the word of God read and proclaimed so Christ’s work of transformation has already begun. As we gather around this table we will be sitting at the family table of God with Christ at the right hand seat of honor. We will be eating with the Creator, the transcendent God of the Universe and Supreme Judge. This should terrify us and scare us to death. Approaching God in this way should fill us with fear, awe, reverence and wonder. We should we amazed at what is happening. Coming into the presence of God can’t help but be transforming, and a new life can’t help but be terrifying to someone who is comfortable in his old life. But if the word of God is faithfully preached and this sacrament is properly administered then we will come into the presence of God and our lives will never be the same again.

When this happens and we find ourselves with new lives we just can’t stop giving glory to God for all she has done for us, for our news lives, for the forgiveness of our sins, and for the promise of eternal life. Coming into the presence of God has the effect of purifying our lives. We become holy just as God is holy. And this allows us to do what God really wants us to do. God gives us new lives so that we will love each other, genuinely, truly, love one another. This is an intense, fervent concern for the well being of the people in the church, in our community and around the world. We are to love each other as much as God loved his own son. And this love will burn in us forever because it is indivisible from the new life we have in Christ.

There is an old story about a man named about a man named William Beeterwolf. Dr. Beeterwolf lived around a hundred years ago. One day while working on a scaffold three stories above the ground Dr. Beeterwolf tripped and plunged to the ground for what appeared to be certain death. But a workman below saw Dr. Beeterwolf falling to the ground directly above him so he braced himself breaking Dr. Beeterwolf’s fall and saving his life. But as a result of breaking Dr. Beeterwolf’s fall nearly every bone in his body was broken. The crippled man was asked how Dr. Beeterwolf had treated him since the fall. He replied saying, “Well he gave me half of everything he owns. I also have a share in his business. He never lets me want for a thing. He is constantly concerned about me and hardly a day passes that I don't receive from him some little token of remembrance.”[1]

This is a wonderful story of gratitude and love. Remember that Jesus died for you so that you could live a new life. Like Dr Beeterwolf we should be grateful to Jesus for giving us new life. And our response to Christ’s sacrifice for us should be to love one another as much as God loves us.

So, the word of God is what God uses to transform our lives into people who love one another. That is why it is so important to immerse yourselves regularly in the Bible. Every day as you read from God’s holy word you take on a new life and become more holy, hopeful and loving.

Lord Jesus transform us into the children of God so that we can love others as fully as you love us. Continue to speak to us your transformative word through the Bible and my preaching. We pray this in your glorious name, Amen.

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[1] John Macarthur, http://www.gty.org/Resources/Transcripts/60-14

Sermon – 1 Peter 1:3-9 - Rejoice in the Midst of Suffering

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – 1 Peter 1:3-9

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

March 30, 2008

This morning I am beginning as series of sermons on the implications of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. As we saw last week Jesus’ resurrection was an historical event which gives us a glimpse of a glorious future reality when all of God people will be resurrected into God’s recreation of the world. Today we will look at one of the implications of the resurrection for the followers of Jesus, now that we have new life in Christ.

Will you pray with me? Lord Jesus, we know that you now sit on the right hand of God ready to rule this earth. We come to you as your people and pray that you will transform us into God’s children. Mold us into the lives that you would have us live. And we pray this in your strong name, amen.

1 Peter 1:3-9 ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, ⁷ so that the genuineness of your faith-- being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire-- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Although I grew up going to church with my parents I stopped almost as soon as I went to college. This is common as many people find this transition difficult. There are many people in their 20s and 30s who have stopped going to church. Many of these will return when life events occur: a parent dies, a marriage starts, a child is born. I went back to church after my mother died because I needed something that was old and familiar. Church seemed like the right thing. And I assumed that if I went back to church many of my problems would be solved. My business would grow. I would have more friends and find a wife. I would be happier. Although I came closer to God as I attended worship the problems I had experienced continued. Christianity, I found was not something that solves all your problems like a good luck charm. And when we find that our problems remain we are tempted to conclude that church is worthless and it is time to leave. It was to a group of people in a similar situation, who believed in Christ but their problems continued, to whom Peter wrote his letter.

The Apostle Peter wrote what we now call First Peter from Rome near the end of his long and important career. Originally he was known as Cephas, a fisherman on the Lake of Galilee. He lived in Capernaum, a city on the shore of the lake and on the main highway leading from Egypt to Damascus. So he grew up meeting people from different ethnic groups, cultures and languages. One day he was asked by a rabbi from Nazareth to follow him as a disciple, which he did. And his life was never the same after that.

Cephas knew better that anyone else what it means to follow Jesus. He knew that it is not easy. He knew that following Jesus might not turn out as you expected. But he also knew of Jesus’ love, grace and forgiveness. Jesus knew that Cephas, though not perfect, was stable and strong so he renamed him “Petros” or Peter, which means “rock”. Jesus used Peter as the bedrock upon which he would build his church.

In the first thirty years after the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead the church experienced spectacular growth. Peter was partially responsible as an evangelist who went out from the Jerusalem to other communities. His activities are not as well known as Paul’s because they are not covered as well in the Book of Acts and the only writings we have from Peter are two short letters in the New Testament.

In the Book of 1Peter we have a circular letter that was sent to a group of churches in Asia Minor. A messenger would arrive at one church, read the letter to the congregation and then move on to the next church. The people in these churches were experiencing the cost of following Jesus and needed encouragement. So Peter was encouraging them to maintain their faith even in the midst of their hardships.

The Christians in these churches had experienced difficulty in their lives. Many of them, before accepting Christ, participated in the debauchery of the popular culture. They would get drunk; have sex outside of marriage and so forth. But once they encountered Jesus they stopped drinking and were faithful to their spouses. This strained the relationships they had with friends who continued in their old type of behavior. Christians were considered asocial.

These Christians also had problems politically. By following Christ they would necessarily stop worshiping the pagan god of their city. Now the city leaders had no problem with Christians worshiping their own god because in pagan culture there were many gods to worship. But by not worshiping the god or goddess of the city they were risking the displeasure of that god. And if misfortune happened to the city, then the Christians would be blamed. Christians who did not worship the god of the city were called atheists. Another problem was that by calling Jesus Christ “Lord” Christians were denying the lordship of Caesar thus opening themselves up to charges of treason. So Christians were considered asocial, atheistic, and treasonous and thus were ostracized by their culture.

In this letter Peter begins by assuring them that the new life they have experienced in Jesus Christ is not their choice but an act of God. Just as God raised Jesus from the dead to new life so too does God raise us, through the waters of baptism, into our new lives. In our new lives we have a new way of looking at our problems. The world we live in suggests that we despair over these problems. But Peter wants us to focus not on the problems of today but on our present new lives in Christ and our future hope of resurrection through faith in Jesus Christ. Just as the Israelites were promised land by God centuries ago so too does God promise us an inheritance of forgiveness of sin and eternal life. And God also promises protection in this life though our faith and the promised salvation.

Peter points out that Christian faith is not permanent. He should know. When Jesus needed him most Peter denied ever knowing him. Three times Peter denied him as Jesus was on trial for his life. This memory must have haunted Peter his entire life. And it was a story the church new well. Peter eventually realized that the faith he now has is far stronger because of this experience, just as gold is refined in a fire so too was his faith refined by sin and suffering. So Peter is urging the congregation to persevere in the faith even in the midst of their suffering because the faith that survives suffering is much stronger.

So if you are wondering where the money will come from to make your next mortgage payment, or if you worrying if it is time to go into a retirement home, or if you are having trouble finding a job, or if a loved one is suffering with a disease remember to maintain your faith in Jesus Christ and God will sustain you and comfort you. And in the end your faith will be even stronger than it is now.

Of course it is difficult keeping faith when troubles befall us. When the world looks bleak it is hard to see Jesus at work. When a loved one dies, or a home is lost to foreclosure, it is tempting to wonder where Jesus is. But if we keep faith through these times the promise of scripture is that Jesus will be revealed to us. When we see Jesus in the midst of our pain, our response turns from gloom to joy, praise, glory, and honor because we experience the great love of Jesus in our lives. And this allows us to love Jesus even though we have never seen him in person.

So rejoice in the Lord because of all the benefits you have received. Rejoice for the steadfast love that God has given you. Rejoice for the salvation of your life from sin and death. Rejoice for your hope in a future resurrection. And rejoice in the new life that has been given to you through your faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Father in heaven, we thank you for the wonderful gifts of salvation and eternal life that you have provided us. Help us to deal with the difficulties of our lives. And help us to keep our faith by revealing to us Jesus Christ in the world around us. In this we rejoice and offer praise, glory and honor to you, amen.