Our Holy Father

Sermon Transcript:

(transcribed with AI)

Promontory Community Church exists to make disciples of Jesus who know, live, and share the gospel for the glory of God. Amen.

Well, good morning everyone. It is good to be here with you all. If you have a Bible with you, let me invite you to open to the book of First Peter. We're going to be continuing on our series walking through this book, and as you find your way there, let me ask you a question. How many of you today, right now after service, would be ready to run a marathon? Anybody? I'm impressed. I would not be — there's no way — I would be collapsed on the side of the road. How many of you would be prepared to have someone over for lunch today? We get ready for various things, and the way that we get ready is going to be very different. The way you get ready to have someone over for lunch is not the same as preparation for a marathon. Those are two widely different things. Depending on what you do, you're going to prepare differently. If I were to ask how many of you are prepared right now to perform surgery, well, that's a whole different question altogether, isn't it? That preparation takes decades — or well, at least many, many years — of schooling, residency, training, all that sort of stuff. And by the way, I really want my doctor to be prepared. I don't want him to wing that one.

The more serious something is, the more important it is, the more we are going to prepare, because we recognize there's a bigger cost involved. If you are unprepared and someone comes over for lunch, it might be embarrassing — oh no, I didn't clean up — but that's not that bad. If you are unprepared and you are going to go run a marathon, it's going to hurt. You're going to be in pain on the side of the road. If you try and perform surgery unprepared, well, people die. What you are doing, or rather how you prepare, depends on the cost of being unprepared.

In fact, let me suggest the same thing is true of our spiritual lives. As we approach our spiritual life, are we actually prepared for what God has called us to do? I think sometimes as Christians, we're wonderful at preparing for all kinds of things. We have schedules, we have all manner of things worked out, but when it comes to our spiritual lives, so often we are unprepared. We're just winging it, sometimes because we've considered the cost to be so low. This morning as we open our Bibles, what we're going to see is Peter calling the church to be prepared for what God has in store for them.

So if you have your Bibles open, let me invite you to follow along with me, starting in 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 13. It's our tradition to stand as we read God's word. If you're able to, would you stand with me?

Therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. And if you call on him as father, who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you, who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God.

Thus far the reading of God's word, you may be seated.

We are continuing on in this letter of First Peter, and if you've been with us, you'll remember that Peter has addressed this letter to a whole bunch of churches spread through what is modern day Turkey. Right at the beginning he says, you are exiles — people who don't actually belong there. As believers, he says, our home is not of this earth, but rather in heaven. As Peter goes on into our passage, he begins to unpack what that difference is. Why do they not belong? Here he calls them to be holy. Holiness is what is to define them as distinct from everything else around them. That is the calling on every believer, and Peter is making the point that to do that, to actually live in a holy way, is going to require preparation. He calls the church to be prepared, to put some effort and thought into what is going on. Holiness is not a byproduct of the Christian life, rather it is an intentional direction and pursuit.

So this morning what I want us to see is how we are called to prepare for this holiness, and the reasons that Peter has for why we should do it. Here is really what everything is going to boil down to: we are called to intentionally pursue holiness because our heavenly Father is holy. We are called to be holy because God is holy.

Let's start off here and look at what preparation is needed. Look back at verse 13. Peter starts off and he says, "therefore." If you've done Bible study, you know the thing you need to ask whenever you see that word is, what is it there for? What Peter is doing is connecting what he's just talked about to what he's about to say. If you were with us last week, you'll remember that Peter has spent a while just praising God — the whole first section of this chapter is just Peter praising God for the work that he has done in our salvation, over and over, just all of the reasons we have to praise God for our salvation. In fact, over and over again, it's just about what God has done, not about what we are to do. And lest we think, well, everything was done by God, I guess the rest of my life is just about sitting on the couch — wash my hands, I guess I'm done, Jesus did it all, so now I sit down and I don't have to do anything — Peter says, well, now therefore, because of what God has done, now here is what we are called to do. The foundation of what Jesus has done now motivates our action.

Here he says, "therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Peter calls the church: here is what you are to do — set your hope, set your hope fully. Don't leave anything back, set your hope fully on what Jesus is going to do. You notice there he's talking about the grace that will be revealed, as in still future. He's looking forward to heaven, and he's saying, church, that's where I want you to be paying attention. We act now as if the only thing we have in this world is heaven that is still coming. It's the only thing we can bank on — that for everyone who trusts in Jesus, we can actually spend eternal life with God. Everything else in this world may change. Investments don't pan out, businesses fail, housing markets crash, cities and countries come to ruin, our health will fail, people let us down, our time comes to an end — but that does not change. So Peter says, put everything on that hope that we have in Jesus.

That is the call for us as believers. In fact, everything in this passage is going to rest on that. Do you trust Jesus Christ for the salvation of your soul and that you will spend eternity with him? That is where Peter says, put all your hope. Everything in your life is sitting there — the one who has died and risen again to pay for our sins.

The reason that Peter is writing this is because we often forget. Let's be very clear, we do often forget. We get caught up in all manner of things that are happening around us. We get distracted by all kinds of things. We're in the midst of election season here — go vote — but do remember, no government official will ever solve this world's problems. Our hope is in heaven, not the correct government. Jesus even warned about this in the parable of the Four Soils, if you remember.

The cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

The reality is our focus on everything happening around us, our focus on our money, on our things, so easily distracts us. So Peter is writing to the church: keep your mind focused on the coming of Jesus.

How do we actually do that? That's why he says, "prepare your minds for action, be sober-minded" — think clearly and actually be prepared, not physically, but mentally. They are to remind themselves, to keep their minds on the things of heaven. And let me suggest, this is where our battleground begins. So often our minds just wander. We just let them wander off into whatever happens to capture our attention at the moment. Throughout the day, what are you thinking about? Where does your mind go? Whatever we are thinking about, our hearts begin to desire. What our hearts desire, we begin to act on, we begin to live out, and so on and so on. The question begins: what are you spending your time thinking about?

This is why people spend millions and millions of dollars on advertising — because they know if they can get your attention, your money follows. The reality is what we are thinking about, our life then follows. So Peter says, prepare your mind, get ready, because you know that there is going to be a struggle coming. Take your attention captive. Paul writes in Colossians:

If then you've been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

Paul says actually set your mind, take it and place it on what Jesus is going to do, and the glory that is waiting ahead. There is an intentionality to this work. There is an effort involved. So what has your attention? Peter says prepare your mind, set it on heaven. It means you'll actually have to plan for that. If you aren't prepared, you've got to plan a little bit ahead of time. You know that there's going to be a fight for your attention. Arguably right now, we have more fighting for our attention at this point in history than ever before. We're all carrying little devices in our pockets that clamor for our attention over and over again all throughout the day. Prepare for it. You know it's going to happen. There are no surprises there.

But here's the good news: we actually have the ability, more than at any other point in history, to actually set our minds on the things that are above. Please don't take it for granted that you can open a Bible and read it in your language. That's not been true throughout all of history. In fact, not only do we have a Bible in our language, we have them in our pockets. They can even read to us as you are walking around or driving — you can have the word of God read to you. We have access to hundreds of millions of sermons online that can all help you focus again on the grace of Jesus Christ. We have podcasts, we have worship music. In fact, you can call other believers at the touch of a button at any moment during your day. But not if we don't plan for it.

Prepare. Prepare your minds. We have so many ways to set our attention on the hope of Jesus. Let us make use of those things. Find a time, sit down with your Bible. Honestly, one of the best things that you can do is just get a Bible reading plan. If you don't have one, come talk to me, I can give you one — just so that every day you're not having to figure out, should I read the Bible? How should I do that? Where should I go? Just look at it. Prepare your minds so that we can actually follow what God has for us.

This is not the end of the road — this is not even what God is fully calling us to. In fact, Peter is saying, look, you need to get prepared. Prepare your mind, set your hope on Jesus and him alone. Why? Because God has called us to holiness. Look back at verse 14.

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy.

Here is the calling that Peter has for us as believers. We are to demonstrate the holiness of God in every area of our lives. The holiness that Peter is talking about here is really simply two things. First, it is a separation from sin — we don't let sin continue in our lives. And second, it is a positive moral purity — we're actually following what God wants. We need to understand that if we are going to strive for this holiness, it means we are fighting against our sin and pursuing what God loves, representing his character. Because God is holy.

All throughout the Bible, that is one of the most common descriptions that we get of God — that he is holy, over and over and over again. He is perfect, he is pure, morally perfect in all that he does. He is the one who defines what is good and right and true. In fact, the prophet Isaiah, when he gets this vision of the throne room of heaven, says:

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory.

Calling God holy once is true, twice is emphatic, three times is superlative. He is the holiest of all that is holy. The very definition by which we are to understand this term is the character and the glory of God — that is his holiness, and that is what you as believers are called to represent. You are called to show the perfection of God himself.

All throughout the Bible, that is what we are called to do. In First Thessalonians Paul writes:

For this is the will of God, your sanctification.

Sanctification is just a fancy word for growing to be more holy. What does God want for your life? What is his will for your life? That you would be holy — that's what he wants for you. In fact, just a few verses later in the same passage, Paul writes:

For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.

Here is the purpose that God has for your life, even for your salvation — it's so that you would be holy. Peter here is quoting from Leviticus 11:

For I, the Lord, am holy, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

The same calling — God rescued the people out of Egypt, out of slavery, out of bondage, and then called them to be holy. Peter is saying this is the same thing God has done for us: called us out of the bondage of sin, and now calls us to be holy as God himself is holy. In fact, Jesus again is going to repeat this command in the Sermon on the Mount:

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Display the perfection of God.

Hear me, the biblical pattern is very clear — God calls us to be holy as God is holy. But here's where we need to make sure we're guarding against two errors. Error number one: we see this and we say, in order to be saved, I need to be holy. That's not what the text is saying. It's not that we need to be holy enough in order to get saved. In all the examples, God first saves through Jesus, and then we are called to be holy. This is a call on believers, not to get saved, but as you are saved, now what we are to do.

That's the first error, but the second error is perhaps on the other side, and perhaps even more common in the church — to say yes, there is a call to be holy, and Jesus died, he's made me holy, so I don't have to do anything anymore. I can just sit back, I can just relax, it doesn't even matter what I do because all my sins are paid for. And actually, I think that's what Peter is writing about in this passage. It's a true point that Jesus has forgiven our sins, taken to the wrong conclusion. Remember, who is Peter talking to in this passage? Believers. These are those who trust in Jesus, and Peter is saying, now you are to actually strive and prepare to be holy, as God is holy. It's going to take preparation, it's not going to happen all on its own.

Sometimes we as Christians say, well, I'm sure I'm growing in my faith — not really doing anything — I'm sure it's happening. God by his grace does allow us to grow, but he also calls us to pursue this. The book of Hebrews, again speaking to believers, says:

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Striving for holiness is not an optional activity for the Christian life, it is the calling of God on our lives.

So let me be very practical. What does that mean for us? Let me suggest two things. Number one, we are to be prepared to fight our sin. If holiness means separation from sin, we ought to be prepared to fight against it. Not in our own strength — let's be clear, this is what we rely on the Holy Spirit for. Romans 8 says:

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit, you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

We can only fight sin in the power of the Holy Spirit — everything else is just shuffling. We can shuffle bad habits, trade one for another, but if you want to kill sin, you actually need to rely on the Holy Spirit's work in your life. So are you prepared to fight against sin? Are you spending time in the word? Are you relying on the Holy Spirit in your life to actually fight this sin?

Hear me, your sin is not nearly as sneaky as you think it is. A lot of times our sin goes in patterns. We know exactly where it's going to come from. You sit down with a co-worker at work, and you already know where that conversation is going to go. You already know it's going to start with complaining about everyone, it's going to be gossip, it's going to be inappropriate conversations, and you're going to get sucked into it over and over and over again. It's not that surprising — it happens every day. Are you prepared? You know that after a long day you're going to ask your kids to go brush their teeth, get ready for bed, whatever it is — the thing you ask every day — and they complain about it every day, and you freak out about it every day. It's not surprising anymore. Are you prepared?

Be prepared to actually fight and say, you know what, that's sin, I don't want that to be in my life. Take action now in order to respond rightly. When you have time alone, are you ready for that? If you know that's where you struggle, prepare. Be ready to fight sin — have strategies in mind, rely on the Holy Spirit, talk to other believers who can hold you accountable — so that you're not just continuing on over and over in sin, but actually prepared to fight against it in the power of the Holy Spirit.

To pursue holiness means we fight against our sin. But hear me, that's only half of it. That's not the end result. The dirt on the ground does not sin against God, but neither does it show God's holiness. You are called to more than dirt, brothers and sisters. So do you have a plan? How can you show the glory of God? How can you show his character, what he is actually like? How can you show the heart of God in your life?

Hear me, you're going to need to know what God loves. You're going to need to know what God is like. Open your Bible, spend time and pour yourself into it so that you actually know what God's heart is like, so that your heart is actually conformed more and more to his image so that you can live it out. It's not enough to just not yell at your kids — rather you're called to respond with patience, grace, mercy, kindness, even justice. But to do so in such a way that actually shows what God is like, not just what mom and dad are like when they're angry. We're called to holiness, we're called to something greater than just not sinning, but rather showing the character of God himself. Do you know what God loves? Do you love what God loves? We need the Holy Spirit to help us, to transform us, to conform our hearts — not to simply assume we know, but to know God's heart over and over and over again.

We are called to holiness — to separate ourselves from sin, but also to put on display God's righteousness for others to see. So here is the command Peter has for the church. Then he begins to unpack why. Why should we actually pursue that? That seems like a lot of work. It is. So why? In fact, Peter gives us five reasons in this passage, two of which we've already seen.

The first is because he has cleansed us from our sin, back in verse 14 — God has cleansed us from sin, so as we are cleansed, don't go back into it. It's one of the most obvious reasons. If you are rescued out of a burning building, the response is not, great, walk back in. That's what you have been saved out of — don't go back into it.

Reason number two: God is now our Father. Notice there in verse 14, "as children," and verse 17, we'll see in just a moment, God is our Father. Just as a child learns and imitates their father, so we are to learn from and imitate our heavenly Father.

The next reason we see in verse 17. Look at it with me:

If you call on him as father, who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourself with fear throughout the time of your exile.

Here is Peter's third reason for why we should be holy — because God is our judge. He even says conduct yourself with fear. Now, remind ourselves once again, who is Peter writing to? Believers. Christians. Peter is saying God will hold you accountable for your actions. God is a judge, an impartial one.

You might say, wait, I thought the whole point of salvation is that we would not face God's judgment. Don't make that mistake. Jesus has paid for our sins in full, and yet we will also still stand before God. Later on in the letter Peter is going to write:

For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. And if it begins with us, what shall be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Christian, you will still stand before God's judgment, and he will impartially hold you accountable. Now the good news is that on that day, Jesus will stand by our side and say, but I have paid for it all. That is our great hope — it's not that we will never stand there, but it is that Jesus will stand by our side. It's not that we skip the judgment, it is that we are saved through it. But hear me, God is not ignoring your sin. He's paid attention to every part of it. In fact, God disciplines us as we sin. Hebrews tells us:

They, that is our earthly fathers, disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he, God, disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.

Again, God disciplines us — why? For holiness. God wants us to be holy. Of course he's not ignoring our sin. Of course he's not going to just brush it off and say, who cares. God cares deeply about our sin and is calling us to show his holiness. If we have an earthly father, a good dad who is not willing to just let his kids run wild, hurt themselves, harm others — he would restrain them — how much more should we expect our heavenly Father to do that with us, for the purpose that we would grow in holiness.

Peter says we should conduct ourselves with fear. Why? Not fear of eternal judgment, but fear because God's discipline still hurts. Sometimes God disciplines us in some painful ways, because there's some sin that's deep set into our lives, and it's going to hurt to get it out. Christian, you don't need to be afraid of the final judgment — Jesus is our advocate — but conduct yourself with fear, because God's discipline is very real. Either you discipline yourself for holiness, or God will. That is exactly the point Peter is trying to make.

Why should we strive for holiness? Because God will discipline us. That's not the only reason. In fact, the fourth reason — it's because when we realize how much God has done to forgive our sins. Verse 18, look at it with me:

Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

Peter says, conduct yourselves with holiness. Why? Because of how much it cost for your sin to be forgiven. Let me give you an example. Let's say you owe money to the mob. You got mixed up in some bad dealings, you now owe money to the mob, and they are coming after you. And just before they break into your house to exact their toll, your dad comes and he steps in and says, hold on, I will pay the debt. Here's the problem — your dad doesn't actually have all that much. So he sells his house, he cashes out all of his retirement, everything he's got — his car, his home, even his wedding ring — to cover the amount. Everything that he has is given over and your debt is cleared. Would you then look at him and go, great, now I can borrow more? Of course not. You've seen how much it cost, and as you see that cost, you would say to yourself, I never want to borrow another thing again in my life.

Hear me, the debt of our sin did not cost money, but the very life of Jesus Christ. He poured out his own blood, carried our debt, paid the price of our sins so that we could be forgiven — not so that we simply go back. To do so would be to spit on the sacrifice of Christ. We are saved to live a holy life before God.

Why should we pursue holiness? Because God has cleansed us, because he is our Father, because he will hold us accountable, because the cost was so great, and finally, because it glorifies God. Look back at verse 20 with me:

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in the last times for you.

God created this world to show us Jesus, and his work on the cross was always the plan. Now he's been shown to us. Verse 21:

Who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory.

God the Father raised Jesus from the dead so that we would know him, so that we could actually live forever with him. And so he concludes:

So that your faith and hope are in God.

All of this — our faith, our eternal salvation — rests on God, not on what we can accomplish. So here is the final reason why we are to pursue holiness: because when we do, it shows how much we are willing to trust and hope in God alone.

Here's the thing — it does not make sense for you to pursue holiness if God isn't real. If there is no God, if there is no eternity, it makes no sense to do so. Even Paul will say, look, we are most to be pitied if there is no resurrection, if there is no eternal life — then eat, drink, be merry, indulge yourself as much as you can. If this is all there is, just go for it, ignore holiness. Living a good life maybe has some nice perks — you're nice to other people, they're nice to you — that's really nice. But to actually strive for the holiness of God himself is far beyond what anyone should do if there is no eternal life.

But if there is — if there is, if Jesus has come and paid for our sin so that we could live forever with him — there is nothing more important than to show that our hope is fully set in him and to live according to what he has called us to do. When we pursue holiness, we are showing our full hope is in Jesus in heaven, and that's exactly what Peter said at the beginning. Set your hope on Christ, on the grace that is yet coming. We're not seeking what is best right now, we are seeking what is best on that day when we stand before God and see Jesus face to face. That is our hope. Our life now, our pursuit of holiness, is all in light of what God has done in Jesus. Why should we strive to be holy? So that God is glorified.

So the question we began with is how important is it to actually pursue holiness? If it's actually important, we need to prepare ourselves — set our hopes and our minds on Jesus, put effort into the pursuit of holiness, rely on the Holy Spirit to help us fight against sin and actually bear the fruit of the Spirit. Let us look to the example of our heavenly Father who has cleansed us, disciplines us, and glorify him because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As exiles here on this earth, let us live lives of holiness that glorify God.

Let's pray together. Our heavenly Father, what a privilege we have to approach you as our Father, as your children, because of what Jesus Christ has done. We can come to you, we can trust in you, we are saved through what Jesus has done, not what we can accomplish. Father, I pray that as we have come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, that we would now seek to reflect what you are like to the world around us. Father, I pray, keep us from distraction, keep us from sin. Focus our minds, our hearts, and our lives on pursuing after your holiness, that the world might see the goodness and the worthiness of following Jesus Christ. We ask all these things in your name. Amen.