I Peter 1:13-25

What we see clearly on this side of Calvary, the OT prophets saw only in shadowy foreview. V. 8-12  We can know with certainty what the prophets could see only dimly.  These suffering believers that Peter is speaking directly to could take heart and not find cause for excessive worry or doubt…that same surety of a completed salvation should encourage our hearts.

 Through the first half of first chapter, Peter has written encouraging words…he proceeded to name and describe some of the glories of our great salvation.  The Christians had not yet learned that their blessings far outweighed their distresses.  And Peter is encouraging them to focus on the gift of their salvation!

To summarize: our great salvation brings a living well-founded hope, a security based upon God’s power, an assurance that gives victory and joy in times of suffering, and a knowledge of spiritual truth exceeding that of angels and the greatest O.T. saints.  What shall we do in view of all these blessings?  Shall we just sit back and enjoy them?  Peter’s answer is NEVER!  Here are the responses the LORD expects from us:

 

     1. Face life squarely without fear.V. 13 “Get ready for action.  Be tough-minded.    

         Face life sensibly and confidently”   Expect to triumph and determine not to   

         betray.  We are not to cower in fear, wondering if we can take it and worrying     

         about ourselves.  That is not hope, but doubt and despair.  In periods of hardship

         or persecution, let us expect to triumph, and determine not to betray the Lord.    

         He’ll honor that attitude and strengthen us to meet every demand. 

 

2.Be marked by obedience.V. 14-16 “Be ye holy for I am holy!”  True devotion to

        God expresses itself in holiness. 

 
3.V. 17 REVERENTIAL FEAR! How can we not stand in awe of His so great a  

         love? God is infinitely holy, is the final Judge of every man.  He has provided for our salvation at tremendous cost.  He gave His son to be our Savior.  Jesus gained our redemption by shedding His precious blood on the cruel cross. 

 IMPOSSIBLE! The Lord will do the work in us…our part is yieldedness to His life in us so that He can live His life out through us! The LORD never makes a demand without providing for its fulfillment.

 A life of reverence: (the first obligation of a child of God)Peter knew how it was to fail! He had fled disgracefully but the loving Savior later restored their broken fellowship and through the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter became a bold and fearless witness for Christ.

Peter establishes a doctrinal base for our living a life of reverence:  Our new relationship with God … we are in His family and He is our heavenly Father.  We KNOW we must answer to Him.  We are to receive instruction and will be disciplined when we do differently.

Living in fear of the Lord…the constant awareness that He knows everything that I think, say and do and will deal with me accordingly impacts our behavior and a reverential walk daily.

To live IN FEAR does not mean that we are to be terrified of the Lord.  IN FEAR refers to a deep respect for the Lord.  We are to stand in awe before His majesty and holiness and to worship Him as Almighty God. 

With our new relationship with God, we are to live with the knowledge of our great privilege of being a member of His family, but also there comes responsibility.  We live a better life when we know we must answer to someone.  The knowledge that God knows everything that I think, say and do often keeps us from misdeeds we otherwise might commit. 

 2^nd doctrinal basis for a life of reverence is the tremendous price that was paid for our redemption.  We were redeemed by the greatest of all Price. V. 18-19.  From an empty life alienated from God and marked by sin and guilt, we have been emancipated, as the apostle points out by this precious blood of the Lamb without blemish and without spot.

V. 20-21 live believingly…(the 2^nd obligation of a child of God is to live believingly!  Living daily a life of humble trust in God.  Peter is speaking of the day by day trust that is the essence of Godly living, not the act of faith at the time of salvation.  Peter couples our responsibility with important doctrinal teaching to give us instruction and help.

1. Our salvation is grounded in God’s eternal plan and

2. The resurrection of Jesus is the guarantee that the price for sin has been paid in

    full and the power of death has been completely broken.

*Our salvation was planned in eternity, *His resurrection is proof that God was complete *love-filled lives – mutual fondness for one another and agapao love that willingly sacrifices one’s own interest.

 v.22-23 This is a call for the kind of love which rejoices when good things happen to people…sacrificing valuable time or giving generously of scarce commodities, sharing the sorrows of people whose attitudes and actions ordinarily are distasteful to us, praying for those who may oppose us, turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, and actually sacrificing our own desires to help the other person.

This agape love is impossible in our own strength. The miracle of the new birth gives us the capacity to love purely and unselfishly…God has implanted new life within us.

V. 23-25 Sometimes we do not feel as if we are born again. We fail to love as we ought. We become discouraged but be reminded that our salvation is grounded in the infallible, unchanging, and incorruptible Word of God. Learn to appropriate the wonderful truths of your new life in Christ. Yielding to His life in you and letting Him live His life out through you is when you “do the impossible!”

In summary of this first chapter:  * Peter’s practical exhortations and related doctrinal truths for “doing the impossible.”  First LIVE REVERENTLY.  Let every day be marked by reflecting upon God’s salvation and the cost involved.

Second, LIVE BELIEVINGLY!  Take seriously the Biblical affirmation that your salvation was in God’s plan from all eternity, and that His complete satisfaction with Christ’s sacrifice has been demonstrated.

Third, LIVE LOVINGLY.  Learn to appropriate the wonderful truth of your new life in Christ.  As a born-again person, you are enabled by the indwelling Holy Spirit to achieve a degree of love far beyond your natural inclinations.  He will enable you to turn the other cheek, and to pray for those who may disagree with you and to seek the welfare of others even above your own. 

You will be “doing the impossible!”