"The Call to Holiness"

How difficult can these words be: "Be holy, because I am holy"? God calls for us to live our lives in a way that reflects His holiness.

The Call To Holiness

(1 Peter 1:13-2:3)

Introduction:

A.  A theory class in school is there to help teach you the concepts, it helps you to understand how something works.  Theory classes identify patterns and structures in a particular subject.  My problem is some things seem better in theory than in practicality.

B.  An example of the distinction between theoretical and practical uses is found in the discipline of medicine: Medical theory involves trying to understand the causes and nature of health and sickness, while the practical side of medicine is trying to make people healthy. These two things are related but can be independent, because it is possible to research health and sickness without curing specific patients, and it is possible to cure a patient without knowing how the cure worked.

C.  When it comes to the Bible there are a great many people who appear to know a lot about the theory of Christianity, but not as many that seem to put it into practice.  Peter will call us to put into the practice the things we know in theory.

D.  Peter wants to apply what he has said so far, “therefore” (v.13) refers back to v. 3-12.  If we have been saved, if we possess an inheritance, a living hope and are kept safe by God, and if we have a joy that inexpressible – all of which was not ours before salvation
shouldn’t we be different than the world around us?

E.  This entire section that was read is summed up in vs15-16.  It sounds so easy in theory, “be holy in all you do because God is holy in all he does.”  That makes sense.  But now the challenge in verse just before it and right after it talks about the practicality of how to live a holy life and brethren, it is not easy.  We can cheapen grace if we think all we have to do is say a quick prayer of “God forgive me” each night and then keep on living like the world.  The calling is for holiness.  The very word “holy” in “be holy” has an old meaning of being cleansed.  The Jews understood the Hebrew equivalent to mean “dedicated or sanctified.”  Therefore God made the ground on which Moses met him at the burning bush “holy” or dedicated.  In the Greek this word continues that thought and can be used as to “set something aside” or give it special purpose.

F.  So how do we take this theory of being holy, and make it practical in our lives?  Peter comes back and helps us to see the actions that need to be taken.  Let’s go back to our text to help us.

I.  Prepare Your Mind

A.   It is literally, “gird up the loins of your mind.”  That phrase is not one most of use on a daily basis.  The idea behind the word pictures is preparing to run.  A person would tuck up their outer garment into their belt so that they could run easier and faster.  In this case Peter is telling these Christians that they need to prepare their minds and that happens by being sober minded.

B.  We often think of the word sober with alcohol, but Peter uses it in the wider sense of alertness, being aware, thinking clearly.  And Peter brings us to the reason for this whole section, be holy.  I learn to think differently so that my actions can be different.

C.  Jesus tried to make that point when he told the people in Mark 7:20-23.  What is inside of us, what we think, becomes the actions we do.  Now jump back to our text and look at the first couple of verse of 1 Pet. 2;1-3.  The calling is that we need to take control of the things that take control of us and that starts by changing the way you think.

II.  Jesus Role

A.  Peter wants you to understand why it is so important for you and me to make these changes.  Look at the plan to save you.  Look at how important you are to God.  Since you call on a father who judges your life live your life as strangers.  Remember what we have been talking about.  We call on God for our salvation.  We call on God to bring us to an inheritance that will never perish, spoil or fade away.  That is what we are asking.  God responded to that by coming to this earth in the flesh as Jesus and redeeming us from our empty way of life.

B.  Let’s be honest, what is so great about this life.  Now I am not talking about relationships, they are great, but this empty way of life is the sin that separated you and me from our inheritance.  That sin has been going on since Adam.  It would be wonderful if you were perfect, but you’re not.  So Jesus paid the price to redeem you.

C.  You once belonged to him, not original sin, but original salvation, but not are have to be redeemed or bought back because we sinned.  The price for our salvation was the precious blood of Jesus.  That lamb without blemish or defect.  He so wanted you that even before creation, before God formed the earth, he knew that we would separate ourselves from him by sin, he decided to buy us back, to bring us back into relationship with him and knew the price.

D.  That was God’s part through Jesus.  He died and rose again so that we could die to our sins and rise up to live with him a new creation.  As humans we will die, but through a relationship with God that we have understood through His word we will live.  That is awesome.  The calling, again, is to be holy, the way to do that is to rid ourselves of the sin and desire the spiritual milk of salvation.

III.  Putting It Into Life

A.  While we have seen from this text what it means to be holy and are told to put away sin and accept the salvation of Jesus, doing it is not always easy.  Let me share with you some steps that I think can help us achieve this holiness.

B.  Attend every opportunity to worship God and study with your Christian family.  Heb. 10:24-25.  You can’t spur each other on to love and good works by attending when you have nothing else to do.  The Hebrew writer understood the need to assemble.

C.  Stop practicing the sin that takes you away from holiness.  That is not easy.  Jesus talked about it in extremes in Matt. 5:27-30.  The best way to stop doing something is to stop feeding the sin.  That is the mind.  James 1:13-15.  We are enticed by what we think.  We get dragged away starting in our mind.  If I start thinking about things that pure, love, of good report instead of anger, bitterness, lust or deceit I will find it much easier to not do them.  So here we are, a hospital of sinners that come together to encourage one another and to help us think differently.  And we still fail.  1 John 2:1-6.

Conclusion:

A.  You want to be holy, then you are going to have to work at it.  You will prepare your mind and get rid of the evil.  You will thank Jesus for salvation and find yourself in the body of Christ every opportunity you get.  Because you family want to help.  We all know how hard it is to walk in the steps of Jesus.  We don’t condone sin or say “it’s okay you’re only human.”  Instead we hold each other accountable because the one who judges is Jesus and he will give us the strength to be holy.

B.  For me it realizing that I can’t beat my sin.  I am a slave to sin, but I know choose a new master and he, not me, has set me free from the power of sin.  Until I come to Jesus I will remain in bondage to that which separates me from the grace of God.  Have you given yourself over to the one who can redeem you from this empty way of life?  Let me tell you, life is short.  Like the grass that withers and flowers that fall, we will one day die.  But we can die holy.  We can die in Him who will raise us from the dead.  I invite you to accept his grace and walk in his steps as we stand and sing.