Transcription downloaded from https://yetanothersermon.host/_/centralgainesville/sermons/97915/real-hope-changes-everything/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] In any of your Bibles, 1 Peter chapter 1, you remain standing for the reading of God's Word.! 1 Peter chapter 1. It's been a beautiful day outside and always a beautiful time when we have an opportunity to open up the Word of God.

[0:10] Thank you for being here tonight. Hope you're enjoying our little study here in the book of 1 Peter. Peter's writing to a group of people that are living in a difficult world, difficult times, but he reminds them we have hope.

[0:22] And the same hope is still available today. It's a living hope. It's a lively hope according to the couple verses here we looked at already. We kind of took our time getting through the introduction. Really, the first 11 verses of this little letter are the introduction.

[0:35] And we took four or five sermons to get through that. We'll kind of start moving a little bit more at a faster pace now. But we still want to dig in and see what the Word of God has for us. So you found your place there in the first chapter of 1 Peter.

[0:46] We'll begin reading in verse number 13 where the Bible says this. Wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

[1:00] As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust in your ignorance, but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.

[1:13] Because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy. And if you call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.

[1:27] For as much as ye know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by the tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

[1:49] Who by him do you believe in God that hath raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God.

[2:01] We've talked every sermon about this already, the hope that we have. And what Peter's reminding us here in our text tonight is real hope changes everything. It's going to change the way we think, it's going to change the way we live, it's going to remind us of where that hope comes from.

[2:15] So we're going to look at that here this evening. Let's go to the Lord and ask him to bless our time together. Father, thank you for this opportunity to gather once again in your house this evening. Lord, thank you for the songs and the message of them.

[2:25] But Lord, we thank you especially for this time that we can gather around your word. And Lord, I pray that you would help us not just be familiar with it and maybe know some of these verses, but we would listen intently, not just to hear it, but to apply it to our life.

[2:38] And I pray that you would help us to take these truths with us as we live this next week for you. And Lord, I pray you would help me. Lord, you give me the words of saying we ask it in Christ's name. Amen. Thank you for standing.

[2:48] You may be seated. Have you ever known somebody that was prepping, preparing for something, but showed no signs of preparation?

[3:01] Yeah, some people are pointing at other people now. You know, we like to say things, yeah, I'm doing this. And you're like, really? You know, if somebody is going to be training for a marathon, but they never run, they're probably not going to train for the marathon.

[3:13] You know, if you're expecting a big test and maybe you have a test this week, but you haven't studied one time, you're not really preparing for the test. I mean, you're really preparing for failure is what's going to take place there.

[3:24] People that say, hey, we're preparing for the baby, but you haven't put the crib together, then you're not nesting properly. I learned all about nesting. It's a very important situation when you're going to have a baby.

[3:35] You've got to get the house all ready. The idea is we prepare for things. But when somebody is preparing or they say they are and we look at their life and we think, I don't get it here.

[3:46] Why is it so important? Because I think the idea that Peter is going to show us here in these verses, because real anticipation of what is coming really changes the way you live today. And Peter's been reminding them that, yes, life is hard and times are difficult, and it just seems like you might not get past this, but he's reminding them, there's coming a day when Jesus is coming again.

[4:09] Jesus is coming again. Okay, I know it's a time change, but he is coming back, and I'll just amen myself. Amen. Okay, now we're going to move right along. But the idea is if you truly believe something today that is coming, it's going to shape how you live your life.

[4:25] And that's really what he's been building in these first 12 verses, is sometimes in the midst of life we need to step back and be reminded of all the things that God gives us, of all the blessings that he has in our life.

[4:37] And really that's what Peter's been doing in these opening verses. He's kind of lifting their eyes from the world around them back onto Jesus. We sang many songs this morning about looking into Jesus, that we're to look there and life is found there.

[4:51] He encouraged them that Jesus, that if you know him as your Savior, you're chosen by the Father. That you're sanctified by the Spirit, that God's Spirit works in you and is moving in your life even today.

[5:05] And Jesus' blood covers your life. It's nothing but the blood of Jesus. I love that song. And I know it's a good song we sing all the time, but think about that.

[5:16] Think about what you have because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. But not only who we are, but we can have hope in what he gives. That's what Peter showed us there, moving down into verse number 3, that our hope is not dead.

[5:32] It's not something we're just kind of hanging on to. No, it's a lively hope. That Jesus is alive. We have an incorruptible inheritance. We talked about a man this morning who had all these things, but guess what?

[5:44] All that stuff fades away. But not what Jesus has promised us, and we have a promise that we are kept by his power. I'm so thankful my salvation is not based on me holding on.

[5:54] No, it's the fact that I'm in God's hands, and nobody can pluck me from the Father's hands. And because of who we are and what we have, we just need to be reminded how precious it is.

[6:05] We looked at last time we were together in the book of Peter that what you possess, if you know Christ as your Savior, the prophets were searching for. They were prophesying, and they were still trying to figure out exactly what it meant, and the apostles proclaimed it, and angels marvel at it.

[6:22] But by the time we come to verse number 13, it kind of has this idea, and Peter is saying, if all that's true, if the first 12 verses are true, and it is, then it should change the way that you live.

[6:36] That's really what he's coming to. And the main idea as we kind of walk through this is real hope changes how we think. Real hope changes how we live, and real hope remembers where it comes from.

[6:50] So the first thing that we see here, number one, is this. Hope prepares the mind. Hope prepares the mind. Wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober.

[7:01] Anytime we see that word in the Bible, wherefore, we need to back up. And that's what we kind of get a recap. Because of all of these things that I've said. That's what Peter is saying. All of the things that have happened.

[7:11] Because of everything I've just told you, here's how you should live today. Here's what I want you to do. He says, gird up the loins of your mind. Now sometimes we read verses like that, and we kind of have an idea, but it doesn't really maybe relate to us as much today as it would to the original here.

[7:29] Because when you see, you know, you've seen all the paintings and all the things like that, and we study history. Back in these days, they would have wore, men would have wore long robes. I'm glad fashion changes.

[7:43] Just saying. You know, maybe it was a little bit cooler. You know, there was the desert, and so it got a little more airflow situation going on there. But in Peter's day, men wore these long robes, and when it was time to, you know, put some effort out, maybe to run a little bit, they weren't running a whole lot, but when they would have ran, or maybe they needed a fight or in a situation like that, they would kind of bring their loins up, and they would gird them about.

[8:08] They'd tuck them into their belts so they could actually move without being hindered. You know, when you see the Olympics, you don't see anybody sprinting in the Olympics wearing a robe. No, I mean, they're wearing the lightest shoes, the lightest shoelaces.

[8:21] I mean, the leotards are absolutely never going to wear one of those, but they are trying to run as fast as humanly possible. That's the idea. We may not say it like this, but here's what we would say if Peter was saying to us, because of all these things are true, here's what I want you to do.

[8:38] Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work. That's kind of how we say it today. We understand what that means. It is not time to play around anymore. It's time to make sure that we're ready. And in this opening verse, verse number 13, Peter's saying, listen, you need to roll up your sleeves and get to work.

[8:52] You need to gird up the loins of your mind. Do that with your mind. Because Peter's original hearers and readers would have dealt with some of the same things that we deal with.

[9:04] The mind is a powerful thing. And we see our world and these advertisers and all the things around us, you know what they're trying to get? They're trying to get into our head. And they're very effective at it.

[9:15] And that's why these people get paid millions of dollars. That's why in the Super Bowl, they'll pay millions of dollars for 30 seconds of time. Because they are going to take that 30 seconds. They're going to get right in there.

[9:26] They know what makes us click. They know what's going to drive us to their business. And Peter's just reminding the world is constantly after us. That our enemy is real. He's going to tell us that later in this book.

[9:39] That we need to be sober. He's going to tell us again, we need to be vigilant. Why? Because our adversary, the devil, walketh about like a lion, seeking whom he may devour. And many times he does that by being in our mind.

[9:51] By what we think. And here's what Peter's kind of saying. Roll up that loose thinking. Tighten your mental discipline. It's time to prepare for action. Because the Christian life, we would look then and say, well, yeah, they've got a lot of things going on.

[10:06] But we're still in a battle, by the way. We're not in the age of peace and non-war. No, we're in a spiritual battle still today. I think turn on the news.

[10:16] Read the paper. I mean, it's all over the place. And the New Testament writers, they regularly emphasized the mind when it came to the Christian life. Paul told us in Romans chapter 12, verse 2.

[10:28] And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed, how? By the renewing of your mind. When Jesus is teaching, especially in the Sermon on the Mount and different situations like that, here's what he's trying to get us to do.

[10:41] Change the way we think. Because he said, you've heard it said all of these ways. And because of what they had heard said, they were living that way. But Jesus is saying, but I say unto you, here's what he's saying.

[10:53] I want you to think this way. Because when you think this way, it's going to change how you think about somebody. Because you may not go up and physically punch him, but in your mind you're thinking, I just want to punch him. But Jesus says, if you hate your brother in your heart, you've already committed murder.

[11:07] If you look upon a woman in lust, you've already committed adultery. And he was reminding us, hey, how we think is going to determine how we live our life. Paul also told the Philippians in chapter 2, verse 5, when he's calling them to live in one accord, and he's calling them to follow Christ, how are they to do that?

[11:23] Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus. How are we to live the life of Christ? We're to live the same way he did, by renewing our mind.

[11:36] It wasn't saying that we have to be intellectually on Christ's level. We're not going to obtain that. But it's the attitudes and the actions and the way that he lived. And see, Peter's just echoing what Paul has already commanded.

[11:49] And he's saying, listen, because, wherefore, because of your great salvation, let's tighten up the shoelaces of our minds. Let's focus on what we're allowing in there and run towards the hope that we have in Christ.

[12:06] You know, when you go to a track and when you go to a sporting event like that, it's pretty important that they stay in your lane. But you ever, you know, when you go to a, you're watching the Olympics, and then Summer Olympics come around.

[12:18] I'm ready for Summer Olympics. I don't understand Winter Olympics, except curling. Curling's the first event I'm just going to throw this in. I thought, you know what? I think I could do that. Every other Olympic activity, I'm like, yeah, I can definitely, but I'm like, I could do that.

[12:32] But I love watching the Summer Olympics and watch them run. But when they get out there, they're focused on their lane. They've kind of, they've gotten rid of all the distractions. But you ever go watch, and Brother Garrett's about to experience this, three-year-olds play soccer?

[12:47] Focus is not a word that I would describe a three-year-old soccer field. I mean, butterflies are flying, and grass is growing, and everything's distracting them. And they're going here, and they're going there.

[12:57] And it's super cute when you're three. But when it's our Christian life, and we're just kind of, which way the wind blows, and what's going on here, and what's going on here. And we're kind of going here, and we're kind of going there.

[13:07] It's not going to work like God wants it to. And he's saying, listen, you can't be distracted. You've got to roll up your sleeves. You've got to gird yourself about and run towards Jesus.

[13:19] So what does that look like in our life today? Yes, Peter's saying that. We understand we've got to have our mind together. But what does it look like? We may have to get a hold of our mind and stop letting it drift wherever culture pushes it.

[13:33] Because as much as we may not realize it, or we may even fight against it, the culture has a lot to do with how we live our life. We allow it to.

[13:44] Because we say things, well, it can't be that bad. I mean, everybody's doing it. Don't you love when you told your parents that? I tell my dad, well, everybody's doing it. All my friends, you know, and my kids say it to me.

[13:57] And I was like, okay, I'm going to call all your friends. Well, you don't have to call them. I mean, not all my friends. And we give kids a hard time. But listen, if we really actually step back and took the inventory of our life, some of the things we're doing is not because the Word of God says so.

[14:11] It's because culture says that's how you do it. Well, culture, I mean, this is how they raise their kids, so it can't be that bad. Well, no, no, that's not exactly how it goes. And maybe it looks like this, tightening up our mind is stop feeding it garbage all week long and then expecting clarity when you open up the Word of God or come to church on Sunday.

[14:31] So that's not real nice, preacher. I think that's what Peter's saying, though. That we can't just let whatever we want in and then we open the Word of God and say, well, I'm just not getting anything out of this.

[14:43] Well, you've been eating junk food. Anybody's parents say, you're going to ruin your dinner if you eat that before dinner. Yeah, my wife still tells me that. I'm like, I'm a grown man. I can eat what I want for dinner. But then I'm not hungry when dinner comes.

[14:56] Listen, it's hard to feast on this when you're feeding your mind junk all week long. And that's what Peter's saying, that we have to gird up the loins of our mind. Maybe it's just stop obsessing over things that won't matter in eternity.

[15:11] It doesn't mean just kind of be lazy and forget things, but sometimes we're worrying about things that we have no business to worry about. Jesus is going to tell us later, we're almost coming to the place in the Luke where he says, same thing he said in the Sermon Mount, take no thought for the morrow.

[15:25] He's not saying just live in a weird way. He's saying, worry about this. Worry about your relationship with me. That's why he says, seek ye first the kingdom of God.

[15:36] Because sometimes we're obsessing about all these things. And yes, they're important in certain areas of life, but they shouldn't obsess our time. And we can't focus on the word of God because we're so worried about all these other things. In fact, Peter's going to tell us later, hey, cast all your cares on me.

[15:49] Because I care for you. That's what Christ reminds us. And the idea is just simple. Because of the hope that we have, it should trim up our thinking.

[16:00] It should get it where it needs to be. That we're no longer as followers of Christ and as children of the Heavenly Father, that we are no longer living for the here and now.

[16:13] No, we're living for a hope of what is to come. That we're preparing for that. That we're training for that. That is our focus of our life. And if Christ is coming back, and he promised he would, when he ascended, he said, hey, why are you standing there looking up?

[16:29] This same Jesus is coming back. And Jesus told his followers that it should change what occupies our mental energy. You know, sometimes you ever just overthink all the things?

[16:41] Any overthinkers in here? You're like, should I raise my hand? Should I not? That's you. Have you ever just done that all day? Sometimes at the end of the day, you're so tired and you've done nothing. Listen, how we think affects how we live our life.

[16:54] It affects our relationship with Christ. It affects our relationship with others. So Peter says, here's what you need to do. Because of everything you have in Christ and who you are in Christ, you need to focus your mind.

[17:06] And he says this, be sober. He's not talking about sobriety like we would think. That we're not controlled by alcohol or other things like that.

[17:17] Here's what he's calling us to do. He's calling us to be self-controlled. That's what the idea of being sober is. When it comes to the biblical definition, it's balanced in our thinking. It's steady.

[17:28] It's clear. It's focused. That the mind that we should have should be focused on one thing and one thing alone. Christ. And then that's going to help us live in all these different areas.

[17:39] That's going to help us to have this self-control when it comes to maybe an impulse decision. It's like, what does the Lord have me to do here? We're going to be clear in our thinking. We're going to be focused on what actually matters.

[17:52] See, genuine, authentic Christianity requires a prepared mind. A mind that is immersed in the Word of God and the things of God.

[18:03] Paul said this, let the Word of Christ dwell richly in you. You know, I don't know if we take that command like we should. We read it when it's convenient.

[18:14] We kind of just gloss over it and we say amen to some verses and we know some by heart. But listen, are we just all in on the Word of God?

[18:26] And I'm sure you've noticed we live in a culture that is addicted to outrage and distraction. Anybody notice that? Yeah, I know it's shocking.

[18:39] Political chaos everywhere. Everywhere. Everywhere. You know, we kind of focus on our little corner of the world. Last time I checked, the world's kind of in chaos. We see political chaos. We see social tension, end times speculation, internet rabbit trails.

[18:53] You ever get down in a rabbit hole on the internet? That's a scary place to be. And I mean, by the time you get done, you're dying because you went on WebMD and the world's ending tomorrow. I mean, stay off the internet sometimes.

[19:05] But we live in a world that just feeds off that. And Peter reminds us, listen, this is where we should be immersed. Because here's what the Word of God does. It steadies your mind.

[19:17] It helps you focus on what really matters. Throughout the New Testament, and Paul especially nails it down, but he teaches of the imminent return of Jesus.

[19:31] That just simply means that Jesus could come back at any moment. And I think we should all live like that. And the idea that Peter is saying is, listen, you should be looking forward to what's coming.

[19:43] And I want to remind you, it could happen today. It could happen tomorrow. It could happen next week. And if that was the case, here's a couple questions to ponder. Would you still obsess about what you're obsessing about right now?

[19:57] When we see Christ face to face, because the Bible is clear, when he comes back, we're going to see him. We're going to meet him in the air. What's in our mind, is it going to be really important when we see Christ?

[20:12] Is it going to be the most important thing in our life? Would you still nurse petty bitterness in your life and unforgiveness towards others if you knew Jesus Christ was coming back tomorrow?

[20:24] He could come back tonight. And, you know, when our mind is kind of tangled up and it's not really girded and it's not sober, listen, it's going to go that way because we're bent that way.

[20:36] We're bent towards bitterness and unforgiveness and getting our way. Listen, if Jesus was coming back, would we still live this mentally cluttered life? Because Peter is saying, listen, real hope produces a disciplined mind.

[20:51] Because that's an important thing when it comes to living for Christ. And see, once we have our, we've anchored our mind in Christ and we've anchored it in his word, it's going to change the way that we live our life.

[21:04] And that's what we see in verses 14 through 17. He says in verse 14, As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust in your ignorance.

[21:15] This word fashion that we see fashioning here in verse number 14, it has the same ideas that we saw in Romans chapter 12 verse 2 of the idea of conforming.

[21:26] Do not conform. Do not fashion your mind to the way that this world lives. In your BC life, you know what BC life means? Before Christ.

[21:37] In your before Christ life, when it's painted in the New Testament, and Paul speaks about it, and Peter does as well, and John does, we lived like an animal.

[21:48] You think, preacher, that's harsh. No, that's how we lived. That we were slaves to sin. We lived foolishly, and we lived in bondage to our passion and to our desires, and we were captive to our fallen sinful nature.

[22:04] That's what the Bible describes. I mean, you want a great chapter, read Romans chapter 6 about this. That's what sin does. Sin promises freedom, but really it just binds you. It ruins your life.

[22:15] It causes you to be a slave to sin. And as lost people, I know this is going to shock you, you live like a lost person. That's what lost people do. That's how we were before we knew Christ.

[22:27] But praise the Lord, we're not that way anymore. If you know Christ. I'm so thankful that I'm not what I should be, but I'm not what I used to be either. And we see that sentiment over and over and over again.

[22:41] And because of Jesus' finished work, we are now a new people. Now we're going to skip ahead real quick, but look at verse number 9 of chapter number 2. Here's what Peter tells them.

[22:53] He said, but ye, he's talking to these believers, these ones that are scattered, these ones that have hope in Christ, and all the things we've talked about, but ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and holy nation, a peculiar people, that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light.

[23:19] See, the application is simple. At the beginning of this verse, in verse number 14, he's reminding of this, because of the hope we have, don't go back to where you used to live. Don't live the way you used to live before you met Jesus.

[23:33] That's that Jesus didn't save you, so you could just go back to your old ways. And the application is simple. Stop trying to blend in. You know, we're not called to be chameleons.

[23:43] You know, sometimes you get in a crowd, you don't want to be the one that sticks out like a sore thumb. I mean, we don't want to be the weirdo, and you know, you go to work, and you, I love when I was in high school, I said the same thing, but now teens are the same way.

[23:57] They're like, well, I'm different, I'm unique. But you go to their school, and they all talk the same, and dress the same, and look the same. Why? Because we're all creatures like that. Your friend group, the people you hang out with, you probably have a lot of things in common.

[24:12] You say the same phrases, you watch the same shows, you read the same books, or whatever it may be, but Peter's reminding us as Christians, stop trying to blend in, because you don't belong here anyways.

[24:23] This world is not our home, and because of that, we shouldn't dress like the world, and talk like the world, and chase what the world chases after. We used to do that. But he says, don't go back.

[24:34] You did that because you were ignorant. You didn't know any better. You were living like a lost person, but you're saved now. Because of that, that's how you should live. Paul said it like this in 1 Corinthians 1, 1 Corinthians 1, verse 6, is this, We talked about this morning, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

[25:11] Verse 11, and such were some of you. Paul said, that's not who you are. In fact, he said this, but you are washed. But you are sanctified.

[25:23] But you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God. Paul was reminding the Corinthians, because you know what they were doing? They were as carnal as could be.

[25:35] You study the church at Corinth. Corinth was like the first century Las Vegas. What happened in Corinth stayed in Corinth. I mean, that's what it was. It was a carnal, carnal city. And the problem is, is these believers had let it creep into the church.

[25:50] And they were saying, well, it's not that big deal. Everybody in Corinth does it. Paul says, that's not who you are. That's who you used to be. And your life is changed now. And he closes out that chapter in chapter number 6.

[26:02] He says, See, Paul and Peter and John are all echoing what Jesus told us.

[26:22] Listen, when we trust him, everything changes. That if any man is in Christ, he's a new creature. So don't try to go back. But you know what your flesh is going to try to do?

[26:32] Go back. But how do we fight that? We gird up the loins of our mind. We think on these things. Paul told us in Philippians chapter 4, whatsoever things are good and pure and holy and right, think on these things.

[26:49] Because what you think is eventually going to be who you are. And that's what he's telling us here. So he tells us, don't go back. We see in verse 15 and 16, well, what should we do then?

[27:00] Be holy. That's it. That's the point. Be holy. He says in verse 15, Because as he which hath called you, who called us?

[27:11] God called us. The Spirit sanctifies us. Christ covers us with his blood. Because of who has called you, he's holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.

[27:22] You know, when kids are real little, it's awesome because they want to be just like you. And they're like, Dad, I want to do everything you do. As they get older, they don't want to be like you, but the problem is, they are turning into you.

[27:36] And I'm sorry if you're here and you look down the aisle with your dad like, this is what it is, man. I was with my dad this weekend. We got to go down there for just a couple days. And I just, I used to think my dad was cool, and now for a while I didn't think he was cool, but now he's the coolest guy I know.

[27:49] Because I'm sitting on the couch, and I look over there, and I'm like, I felt like I was looking in a mirror. We're set in the same way. We're doing the same mannerisms. It's just like, it's just what it is. And you think, what's the point of that?

[28:02] Listen, children long to be like their fathers. Why? It's in their nature. We long to be like our girls, little girls love to be like their mom. It's wired into us. And don't miss this, our father in heaven longs for us to be like him.

[28:17] That we spend so much of our time as saved individuals, trying to act like we're blending in here. You know who we should really look like? Our father, which is in heaven. That should be the goal.

[28:28] That should be the aim of our life, that we are to mirror him, that he is our father, and we are his children. We'll say, what's he like? He's holy. That's the pattern.

[28:41] The pattern for holiness is, is not that you're just better, a little better than the person down the aisle from you. No, the pattern is Jesus Christ. It's how he lived his life. Now we hear this word holy all the time.

[28:53] We sing songs about it. But what does it mean? I love this definition. Here's what holy means. Other. It's completely separate. Distinct.

[29:04] Different. Set apart. God is holy. And it just means this. There's nobody like him. We try to be holy. We're going to try to move that direction.

[29:15] But really, in all reality, there's nobody that touches God. That he isn't a, there's everything that's ever was in God. He's other. He's different. He's set apart.

[29:25] You say, okay, well, what areas of my life should I be holy in like God? So be holy in all manner of conversation. That means everything.

[29:38] The word conversation means our lifestyle. The way that we live our life. So just in case we're wondering, it means what you think it means. That you should be holy in your marriage, and parenting, and business, and money, and entertainment, and social media, and attitude, and actions.

[29:54] And we can just keep going, and going, and going, and going, and going. Why? Because if we're to be like our father, that's what he's like. That he's set apart. That he's different.

[30:05] That's what he's already told us in that, that we should be a peculiar people. Like, we should be different. And we aren't to wait, and here's what he's saying, we aren't to wait for heaven to look like him, and to act like him, and to think like him, and to live like him.

[30:21] No, we are to display his character right here, and right now. That's what Peter wanted his readers to understand. He said, listen, life's hard, but here's, you know what your friends need, where you move to?

[30:33] I know you ran from persecution, but they need to see our father, which is in heaven. They need to see what God really looks like, and how he loves, and in fact, this isn't just some good advice, it's a command.

[30:45] It's an imperative. Be ye holy. It doesn't say, if you feel like it. No, be holy, because that's what God is like. Maybe just ask yourself this week, does my life reflect the world, or does my life reflect that I'm a child of a heavenly father?

[31:05] Because it should. That's the goal. That's the aim. That's what we're called to. So we see that the way that we think shapes the way that we live, and when we're thinking the right way, we're not going to go back, we're going to strive for holiness, but we see in verse number 17, that we're to walk in reverence of God.

[31:24] And if you call on the father, who without respect of persons, judges according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear. Now don't misunderstand what Peter's saying.

[31:37] He's not saying that we should live in terror of God, that we should live in fear of God, like we would think fear. Anybody scared of the dark? Yeah, thank you.

[31:48] I'm scared of all kinds of things. I'm scared of Garrett when I'm up here working. He purposely tries to scare me. He's a jerk. It's on the record now. And he's just in real way, and he knows what he's doing.

[31:59] Like, I'll be doing something, I'll have it in, and I turn around, he's just standing there like, what are you doing, man? Of course, after I have a heart attack, one of these days he's going to have to, I'm going to die right there, and then he's just going to have to take over.

[32:09] I don't know what's going to happen. I'll pray for y'all then. No, but really what this verse is reminding us, because of the glorious gift of salvation, we're going to stand before the Lord one day.

[32:21] That's a privilege. Don't be scared by that. Sometimes we read about in Corinthians, we read about the Bema seat judgment, or the judgment seat of Christ, and there is the great white throne judgment.

[32:32] You don't want to stand there. Those are for people that do not know the Lord as their Savior. And he's going to open the books, and he's going to judge them out of it. A lot of people say, well, you know, I think my good works are now, wait, my bad works, not going to happen.

[32:44] Because our good works, even the good things we do, are as filthy rags. That none are righteous, no, not one. But we are. If we stand before Christ, if we know Christ, we will stand before him.

[32:55] Not for condemnation, but for evaluation. And to see what our life, what we live for. You're not going to lose your salvation, but I want to stand before Christ, and want to say, hey, I did all that I could.

[33:09] And he's going to give us crowns for that. And it's not so we can have them. Here's what we're going to do. We're going to throw them back at his feet. Because he's the only one that's worthy. And I want to have something to give my Lord and Savior.

[33:20] And we need to think about that today. And I loved how Warren Wiersbe, the commentator, said it. He says that our outlook determines, or determines outcome, and attitude determines action.

[33:32] And Peter's saying, listen, you need to live your life like you're going to stand before the Lord one day, because you will. And when you stand before the Lord, and if you truly believe this is going to happen, it's going to change the way that you live right now.

[33:47] You know, when I knew my dad was coming home, I'd make a mess all day long at the house. And my mom would say, dad's going to be home in 20 minutes. I believed that. And I cleaned up real fast.

[33:59] Because I didn't want to stand before him with a mess all over it and say, well, I didn't know you were coming home. Well, mama just told me, mama just told you I was coming home. I know it's a crude illustration, but listen, the word of God says he's coming back.

[34:11] The word of God says that we're going to stand before him one day. And if we truly believe that, it should affect how we live our life here. It should affect our priorities and what we're doing. And Peter kind of anticipates our thoughts through the Holy Spirit, obviously.

[34:28] We think to ourselves, Peter, man, all this, this sounds like a lot of hard work. This kind of sounds a little demanding. I mean, Peter, I don't know if you know this, but it's 2026, and this world's not about holy living.

[34:41] You know, I'm going to try my best, but I can't make any promises. I mean, reverence, I can do that. I can do it on Sundays, but, you know, every day I'm not sure about that. And being watchful, have you seen my calendar?

[34:53] I got a lot going on, Peter. I'm going to do the best I can. But to address this concern, because, see, it wasn't just a concern for 2026. It was a concern for even back in the first century.

[35:05] Peter moves from the future, reminding us that Christ is coming back, and it should change how we think and how we live. And he takes us back. Takes us back to the cross. And he says, because of the cross, I want to remind you of something, that real hope, here's what it does, it anchors the heart in redemption.

[35:24] These are some of those beautiful verses in all of Scripture. He tells us in verse number 18, for as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold from your vain conversation, your past life, the way you live, received by the tradition of your fathers.

[35:44] Listen, it wasn't a bunch of rules that changed your life. The reason you're going to heaven is you weren't a good person. No, here's why you're going to heaven, but with the precious blood of Christ.

[35:54] That's what makes the difference. And Peter's saying, listen, I know this seems like a lot, but I just want to remind you what the price was. It was Jesus.

[36:06] It was the cross of Calvary. You should have been on that cross, but he took your place. And Peter's readers would have understood this idea of redemption intimately.

[36:18] You study history and you study the Roman Empire, there was at times, especially in Rome itself, there was more slaves in Rome than there were actual free people.

[36:29] Slavery was a very big business in the Roman Empire. And the only hope a slave had for freedom would be that someone would be willing and able to pay the price for their freedom.

[36:44] And many of them would have just given up hope and said, there's no chance. I mean, who's going to pay the price for me? Who's going to be willing to do that? And we look at that and think, man, what an awful situation.

[36:55] We were in a worse situation. We were his enemies, and yet he loved us. That he came, that Jesus came, and he saw us, and all we were was a slave to sin and a slave to self and really a slave to Satan, and all the silver and all the gold couldn't free you.

[37:15] We weren't redeemed with things like that. But there was one thing that changed your life. The precious blood of Jesus. There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins.

[37:32] And all that go underneath are washed of all their guilty stains. And it's not just some blood. It's not an okay. No, it's as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

[37:45] Holy blood. Why should we try to live a holy life? Because a holy God died for us. That he took our place. When holiness feels costly, when it feels weird, and it feels like it's going against the grain of everything that we know in our world, remember what it costs to save your life, to change your soul, to give you a new eternal destiny, when obedience feels inconvenient, remember the cross of Calvary.

[38:12] We should live in the shadow of the cross every single day. Because sometimes we hear things like this, and Paul tells us that we're to give ourselves a living sacrifice.

[38:25] Paul, man, that's a lot. Paul just said, look at the cross. There's never been a payment so great. We had a debt that could not be paid. Listen, our sin was immense.

[38:40] I mean, I can't even, I couldn't even count how many times I sinned this past week. Don't act like you didn't either. And that's just one week. And to be honest, I'm a lot better now than I used to be.

[38:54] That's called sanctification. You should be. That's not a boastful thing. But I am. I know that Christ is my Savior. Before that, I didn't care. I just did what I wanted to do, because that's what you do.

[39:06] I mean, just this past week, my sin was immense. So the payment had to be immense. Your sin was great. But Peter says, but your Savior is greater.

[39:20] He's willing to pay the price. He came all the way for you. He stayed on the cross. He could have called 10,000 angels to take Him down, but He didn't. And He stayed all the cross, and He said, it is finished.

[39:34] And because of that, we have the hope that we can hold on to. And Peter's just saying, listen, I know it's a lot, but just remember the price that was paid for your life. And it's going to change how you think about things.

[39:47] So He tells us in verse number 20, this wasn't just some, hey, this seems like a good idea. It's always been the plan. Verse 20, He tells us this, who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

[40:06] Listen, the cross was not a disappointing accident. It was a divine appointment before the world even was. If we knew, we get in our car tonight, we knew if we go on this road out here, you're going to be in a terrible accident.

[40:23] You wouldn't go on this road. You'd go another way. You'd avoid it at all costs. Listen, Jesus planted the seed that grew the tree that He was crucified on.

[40:34] He wasn't caught up in some political scheme, some religious outcry, and the wheels of all of the things going on. No, He wasn't a martyr. He was a sovereign Savior. And He came, the Bible tells us in Galatians 4, verse 4 and 5, that at the right time, that at the perfect time, that God came.

[40:51] That He came for us, and He came, and He was born to die. And before creation ever was, before there was angels, before there was time, there was a plan, and it was for you to know Him.

[41:04] And it was through a cross. See, redemption, simply put, what Peter's reminding them, was never a plan B. And because that's true, your life is not an accident.

[41:17] Your salvation is not random. It's precious. It changes how you live. And if God planned your redemption before the foundation of the world, here's what Peter's reminding us, it certainly deserves our present obedience.

[41:34] that whatever God asks for us, is never too much. We could never repay Him. We could never give Him what He deserves. And He reminds us of the plan, and of the price.

[41:46] And in verse 21, He just reminds us of the power that it happened by. Whom by Him do you believe in God? That raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God.

[41:59] Not only did God plan this, and He paid the price, He gives us the ability to believe it. He's the one that gives us the power to do that.

[42:12] And that's kind of what verse 21 does, that through our faith and trust and the accomplished work of Jesus, we're believers in God. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead.

[42:23] That's why He came. Listen, Jesus is God written in a language we can understand. See, in the Old Testament, they heard about this God, and they just heard about whispers about Him, and what does He like, and what does He look like, how does He love?

[42:38] I mean, we've got a bunch of rules. Jesus shows up and says, this is what God looks like, because I am Him. I am Him, and I love you, and I care for you. And because of that, we rightly place our faith and hope in this God, a God that so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believed in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

[42:59] And that God hath highly exalted Jesus, and has given Him a name that is above every name, that in the name of Jesus, every tongue will confess, and every knee will bow, that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

[43:12] And Peter says, that's what we have hope to look forward to. This is not some fairy tale. No, it has been the plan from all creation. And he just reminds us as he ends this section here, that without Christ, we have no access to this.

[43:30] We have no hope. We have no faith. All our hope rests on the fact that Jesus is alive. And He is. The tomb is still empty.

[43:42] It still is empty today. And when your faith feels weak, remember, it's not held by your grip. We see it once again. It's held by His power. And He has the power to save.

[43:53] He has the power to change lives. And see, Peter just reminds us in these verses of a powerful truth. That living hope, real hope, does not leave your life unchanged.

[44:09] When something drastic happens in your life, it changes everything. It could be good things and bad things, but you walk away from it, and we say things like this, well, it's never going to be the same again.

[44:20] Sometimes that's for the good, and sometimes it's for the bad. If Jesus changed your life, it should change your life. You shouldn't say, well, that was a good day, but I'm just going to live my life like it never happened.

[44:32] No, it should change how you do everything in your life. It should reorder all of your priorities, and what it does is it changes the way that we think, it shapes the way that we live, and it anchors our heart and a hope that is steadfast and sure.

[44:46] And really, these things are inseparable. A hopeful life and a holy life and a reverent life, they all come together, and they work together. Because the more that we love God, the more that we think about God and we love Him, it's going to change the way that we live, and the change the way we live, we're going to be more excited about the things of God.

[45:03] And then it kind of goes in this cycle, and then we start telling other people, like, hey, listen, look what God's done for me. This type of life will help us avoid the vanity of just counterfeit Christianity.

[45:18] I think we live in a world where Christianity really doesn't look any different than the world does. If we want to be honest, people say, oh, I'm a Christian. And when you say that, people are going to watch how you live your life, how you think, how you live, how much hope that you have.

[45:35] Not in some, we're not called to put a fake plastic smile on, but if this really happened to you, people want to know if it's real. And they want to see somebody that's authentic.

[45:46] And because this kind of life, Peter's not saying, it's forced morality. No, it's the proper response to the redemption of our souls. That if Jesus did this for you, it should change some things.

[46:02] Because here's what Jesus did. He came and bought you out of the slave market of sin with His own precious blood. And it changed you.

[46:13] And that's why we can sing, what can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again?

[46:26] Nothing but the blood of Jesus. That's why we have hope. We need to meditate on that truth this week. Let that sink in.

[46:38] Let it change how you think. Think of all the things that you have going wrong in your life maybe, and you look, well I got one thing going for me. Jesus loves me. And the things of earth, we sang it this morning, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim.

[46:55] Doesn't mean it's not important, doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, doesn't mean it's not difficult. But it refocuses our priorities. When we think about this this week, it's going to shape how we live our life. Instead of seeing that person as annoying at work and an interference to our life, maybe it's like, maybe they need the same Jesus I have.

[47:13] Why don't you come to church with me? It's going to change those things. Peter's saying, listen, because of all that you have, life's hard, but go live a genuine, authentic, Christian life.

[47:28] The world needs to see it. Be reminded of what God has done for you. A couple questions and we're done. If you know Christ as your Savior, are you living intentionally or casually?

[47:43] Some things in our life we're very intentional about. Other things we're like, hey, if it happens, it happens. Is your mind disciplined to the things of God? Is your life different than maybe the world around you and the environment God has placed you in?

[47:57] God didn't call you to be a weirdo. Let me just say that. But He did call you to be different. He did call you to point your life to Him. Is your heart anchored in the redemption of Christ?

[48:10] Maybe we just need to guard our thinking a little bit more. Maybe there's something on TV we probably shouldn't be watching. Maybe there's something on the social media we probably just need to get rid of it. Maybe we need to refuse some conformity to this world and walk in reverence of who God is and remember that cross was our cross but Jesus took our place.

[48:28] And just live like someone who expects to see Jesus one day. Because if you know Him, you will. And in fact, if you don't, everybody's going to meet Him. And if you're here without Christ, it's not to be mean but there is no living hope.

[48:43] There is no secure future. There is no internal inheritance apart from Christ. But the great news is the blood still redeems today. The blood still saves.

[48:54] The risen Christ still calls and you can still turn from your sin and trust Him. Because here's the thought to take on with this. If our hope is eternal, then our life should be intentional.

[49:07] That we should live differently because our hope is not sentimental. It's not passive. It's transformational. It starts at salvation but it continues to move through our life.

[49:19] Real hope changes the way we live. Would you stand with your heads bowed, with your eyes closed? Thank you. Peter just wants us to understand that truth.

[49:38] Maybe you can look at your life if you know Christ and for the first little while when you got saved, man, you were on fire. It really was changing the way that you live. Don't ever get over that. Because as much as you were saved that first time when you called upon Christ, you still are.

[49:54] The blood has not lost its power. It hasn't lost its effectiveness. No, it still works today. And it saved you but it has the idea of this.

[50:04] God wants to keep working in your life. But sometimes we stop letting Him work because we're so distracted. Our mind's all over the place. Maybe tonight we just need to gird up the loins of our mind.

[50:15] We need to roll up our sleeves and focus on what God has for us. Maybe there's some things we need to let go that God has no intention for us to carry around and obsess over it. Cast it on to Him and let it be.

[50:27] Maybe you're here and you don't know the Lord is your Savior. Listen, He loves you. He's shown it time and time again in your life if you really step back and think. And He's doing it for one reason to draw you to Himself.

[50:41] We all need a Savior. He paid a price we couldn't pay. Father, would you just help us to respond to you tonight? Lord, I'm thankful for a hope that's real.

[50:55] It's not fabricated. It's not to help us feel better. But it is to help us live better because it's true. Lord, that we would take a look at our mind and see what we're focused on and what we're allowing in.

[51:11] Lord, help us to get in the Word more and to be in communion with you. Lord, help us to live better for you tomorrow because of what you did for us already.

[51:23] And to share the glorious gospel that will anchor hearts that hear the truth. Lord, help us as we move into the invitation. We ask it in Christ's name.

[51:34]  With every head bowed, Brother Jared begins to sing. Lord, I have heard