Okay, good morning. It's wonderful to be with you again, and I'm very excited to continue this series that we've called The Splendor in the Furnace as we journey through 1 Peter together.
For those of you that are back from summer vacation, welcome back. It's good to have you.
For those of you that are visiting, welcome. We're so pleased that you're with us this morning.
Now, last week, Chris kicked off fantastically this series going through the book of 1 Peter.
And he reminded us of what's going on here.
Peter is writing to a bunch of Christians in the northeast part of modern-day Turkey, and he's writing to them because they are discouraged.
They are being persecuted, they are being discriminated against, and they are being ostracized.
And it was around this time that Nero is emperor of Rome.
A few years later, three or four years later, Nero is going to crucify Christians, hang them up on crosses in his garden,
set them alight to burn as entertainment for his guests when he has parties in his royal gardens.
So the Romans were, and Nero in particular, was adamantly against the Christians.
And if the Christians weren't being directly persecuted, they were being discriminated against, ostracized,
because they wouldn't honor the cultural gods.
The company had things against them, their colleagues would ostracize them,
or the family would discriminate against them because they brought shame and dishonor on the family.
They wouldn't honor the family gods.
And so Peter writes this very, very important letter to them.
And this is his main point.
He says, don't be surprised when this happens to you.
Don't think that something strange is happening to you,
because this is what it means to be a Christian.
This world is not your home.
You are a different people, and you belong to a different home.
Your true home and your true people are where Christ is.
And so in this time, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.
And so as Chris reminded us last week, he said, you are a different people.
You live with a different hope, a hope which does not perish, spoil, or fade.
And therefore, you have a different view of suffering and hardship.
And as a result of this, you live with a different anticipation of joy.
A joy that's not based on circumstances or the situation around us, but who we are in Christ.
And so that framework is going to shape this whole letter and our understanding of hope and suffering and hardship.
And we live in an age of great entitlement.
Many people think we are entitled to a comfortable and easy life.
And one of the consequences of that is in our day and age, most people feel like a victim.
Does that make sense?
And politicians love to exploit this.
On the campaign trail, you deserve a better life.
A better life for all.
Politicians love to exploit the fact that so many people these days feel like a victim.
But as Christians, we're not tricked by that rhetoric.
We know that our life and our hope isn't found in this life, but it's found in Christ and who He is.
And if you're a Christian, you're life in Him.
And so that was kind of introduction and last week.
Now, the question is, what does that actually mean?
How does that shape the way that you go to work tomorrow or you pursue a relationship or you parent your kids or you engage on the sports field?
What does that actually mean for our everyday life?
And so in light of this, Peter's going to give us two instructions today.
First one is a short one.
We'll spend most of the time on the second one.
So, first thing, first instruction, we're going to look at verse 13 to 25 is this.
Fight for hope.
Okay?
Fight for hope.
One of the things that's good to know as we read through the book of Peter is that Peter's obviously a Jewish believer.
And so in his mind, the whole Old Testament is right there as he's writing this letter.
And particularly the image of the Exodus.
The fact that the people of God were delivered from Egypt, as slaves from Egypt, set free by the blood of the Lamb, and became sojourners, pilgrims, exiles out of Egypt on the way to the Promised Land.
And so Peter's got this imagery in his mind as he writes this letter.
And he applies this.
And throughout the book, he's going to refer to Christians as sojourners, exiles, pilgrims on their way to their inheritance.
And so in verse 13, he says this.
Therefore, therefore, in light of everything that we've said about our hope and our home being in heaven and not in this world, therefore, preparing your minds for actions, being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Now, that phrase, prepare your minds for action, it literally means gird up your loins.
Okay?
And the picture here is back in the day, I guess even in the Middle East today, men and I guess everyone used to wear these long robes, right?
And so the men, if you had to be prepared to go somewhere or to run or to move quickly, you would tie up your long robes and tuck them into your belt so that your legs were free so that you could run.
Okay?
Does that make sense?
You get the picture?
And so that phrase was, gird up your loins, tie up your robes, tuck them into your belt, get ready for action.
And so Peter says, gird up the loins of your minds.
Get ready.
Be prepared.
And the phrase he's quoting is Exodus chapter 12, which is the night before the people of God leave Egypt.
Moses comes to the people of God and he says, tonight is Passover night.
Tonight the blood of the lamb is going to be shed.
Tonight Pharaoh is going to set you free.
Gird up your loins and get ready to leave Egypt.
And so Peter's quoting Exodus 12 and he's saying this.
Be prepared.
Get ready.
Set your minds for action.
In other words, be ready for who Christ is and what he's calling you to do.
And secondly, he says, be sober minded.
In other words, don't just go with the flow.
Don't just see where your emotions take you or how you feel about life today or tomorrow.
In light of the fact that your hope is not in this world, be prepared, be intentional, be diligent.
Set your minds on what?
The hope that is in Christ Jesus.
Friends, in our culture, every day our culture is intoxicating us with a message of where to put our hope.
If our children get the right education, get into the right schools, the right university, their future will be secure and we can be at peace.
Every day our culture is telling us that if you work hard enough and get that promotion, you'll be somebody.
Every day our culture is telling us that if we do enough overtime, our bosses will look favorably upon us and our career will be on track.
If we buy the right clothes, wear the right accessories, shop at the right places, we'll be recognized as someone sophisticated, someone in the know, someone acceptable.
And Peter's telling us that if we set our hope, if we set our identity, if our heart's rest is found in these things, it is what he calls futility.
It's like putting all your life savings in the stock of a company which you know is about to go bust.
It's not only futile, it's going to lead to heartache.
And so Peter says, what should we do?
Be prepared.
Be sober-minded.
Set your heart fully on the grace that will be yours in Jesus Christ.
Okay, so there's the first command.
In light of everything that Chris told us, in light of the fact that our hope is not in this world, but it's in the coming Christ, set your hope on that Christ.
Second command, and this is the main thing we're going to look at today, is pursue holiness.
Pursue holiness.
Look at verse 14 with me.
It says, because we are a different people with a different home and a different hope, therefore pursue holiness.
Verse 14.
Sorry, let me just find it here.
I'm in the wrong book.
1 Peter.
There we go.
I was wondering why this looked different in my Bible today.
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but just as he who called you is holy, so you also be holy in all of your conduct.
Since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy.
Now, what does this word holy mean?
Well, as Christians, and if you've been in church circles, you probably would have heard this word a lot.
When we think of holy or holiness, we sometimes think of somebody who's very pious, somebody who's very religious.
Maybe somebody who has a certain air about them, someone who looks down at others, or someone who thinks that they are better than other people.
But in the Old Testament, which is the seed of the gospel, the basis of the gospel, and the scriptures that these people would have had, if something was holy, it meant two things.
Firstly, it meant something was set apart, something was distinctive, different from that which was ordinary, particularly different from that which was dirty, or unclean, or evil.
So there was something distinctive about it, set apart for it.
But secondly, it was set apart for God, for his glory, for the praise of his name.
To somehow make a statement that God is different, and therefore this is meant to be a picture, resembles something of God's distinctiveness.
So for instance, in the Old Testament, the Sabbath day is regarded as holy.
It's set apart, it's different from the endeavors on the other days of the week, and it's set apart to glorify God, for the worship of his name.
In the Old Testament, the priests were considered holy.
They were set apart, there was something distinctive about them, different from just the rest of the community.
They were set apart for the praise of God's name.
And the pinnacle of this is where, in Deuteronomy 14, God says to his people, the nation of Israel,
you are a holy people to the Lord your God.
The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the earth to be his chosen, treasured possession.
So the nation of Israel, there's something distinctive about them, set apart from the rest of the nations.
Not that they were better than, or more moral than, not that they were more righteous in and of themselves.
There's something about them that God said, I want you to be distinctive to make a statement about who I am.
Now look at what Peter says here.
If you are a Christian, this morning, a follower of Jesus, as he who called you is holy, you be holy in all of your conduct.
Know that this world is not your home.
Know that your hope is not found in the things around you.
Because your true home is found in Christ and your inheritance with him in the Lord.
And therefore, he calls you to be devoted, set apart, distinctive, to give yourself wholly to the Lord.
See, we live in a city that unashamedly demands our devotion, right?
Are they right?
Your workplace demands your devotion.
Your family demands your devotion.
Either your children or your parents or both at the same time, right?
If you're part of a sports team, that probably demands your devotion as well.
Or, and let's be honest, church can do that as well, right?
Sometimes you might feel like, hey, work's all right, but church, they're asking a lot of me.
Anyone feel like that?
Okay, you don't need to lift up your hands.
That's not what Peter's asking for here.
Peter's not saying, hey, work asks for a lot.
Family asks for a lot.
Now, give a lot to church to make sure that you're a well-balanced, well-rounded individual.
That's not what he's saying.
He's saying, lift your sights higher than that.
In everything that you do, in all of your conduct, whether you're at the office, whether you're negotiating a deal with a supplier,
whether you're at CG, whether you're on the sports field, whether you're going on a date with someone,
in everything that you do, go into that situation with this realization,
realization, I am set apart, I am distinct, devoted to Christ in this moment.
And so, friends, what would it look like if tomorrow you go to the office,
and while you're there at your desk working, or you're at the negotiating table,
in the back of your mind, you're thinking, I'm set apart for Christ in this moment.
What would it look like to go on a date with someone, and you like them, and you hope that they like you,
and in that moment, you know, I belong to Christ.
I'm set apart, I'm distinct for His glory.
Even here at the dining, the dinner table.
What would it look like to go after a job or a promotion,
and knowing that this thing doesn't define me, but actually in my heart, I'm set apart for Christ.
I'm devoted fully to Him.
What would it look like to handle money, either the way we spend it, or the way we save it,
knowing that you're set apart for Christ.
And so Peter says, in your life, as you travel as an exile in this life, as you go on this pilgrimage,
whatever you do, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
when you didn't know who God was and who you are in God,
but rather, just as He who called you is holy, so you be holy.
Be set apart, distinct for Christ, since it is written,
you shall be holy, for I am holy.
And Peter here quotes a little phrase from the book of Leviticus, Leviticus chapter 19,
be holy, for I am holy.
Now, the book of Leviticus is a tricky book, right?
I remember when I was probably seven or eight years old, one morning,
I've got a clear memory in my head, coming downstairs, and it was about half past five in the morning,
I walked past the lounge, and I saw my dad there,
in the same position my dad was in every morning at half past five.
He was on his knees, the Bible opened to him in prayer.
And so I went to him, and I was interrupting him, and I thought, let me be like my dad.
And so I got a Bible and said, Dad, I want to read the Bible.
What should I read?
For some reason, he told me to read Leviticus.
I don't remember a single bit of it, reading it,
but for some reason, he thought that was a good idea.
But actually, I don't know how much sense it makes to an eight-year-old,
but actually, Leviticus is an amazing book of the Bible.
It's a difficult book to get our head around,
because it seems like there's lots of laws, but it's a brilliant book.
And the main theme of Leviticus is this.
Chris helped me with it this week.
God wants to set apart his community through his word,
that they will be a distinctive community from every other nation in the known world.
Tim Chester and Steve Timmis write it like this.
It's quite a long quote, but it's good.
Let's listen to this.
They say,
Leviticus was intended to create this distinctive people,
shaping every aspect of life, both individually and corporately.
It was not just about what people did in the temple.
It's about what they did in the marketplace.
This distinctiveness, this holiness, knows no boundaries.
It defined relationships, marriage, work, finances, leisure, and politics.
Holiness is as much about what you do on a Monday morning on the factory floor
as it is what you do on a Sunday morning in the church service.
Holiness is as much about the kind of neighbor you are
as it is about the kind of church member you are.
Holiness, distinctiveness, is as much about who you are
when you're holding a steering wheel as it is when you're holding a Bible.
Just like Leviticus,
Peter spells out what it means for the church to be distinctive in every area of life.
But the headline is this.
Be holy because I am holy.
Be distinctive because I am distinctive.
And so for those of us who are Christ followers,
this is what it means to be exiles.
Not to be holier than thou.
Not to be arrogant or bigoted.
It's to see that God has got a calling to be distinctive
and to reflect something of Him in our world.
Be holy because He is holy.
Now, in the rest of the passage,
Peter gives us three reasons why we should do this.
Three reasons to pursue holiness.
But before we get there, I want you to take notice of something.
Not one of these three reasons
has anything to do with earning your acceptance before God.
Peter doesn't once say,
be holy, be distinct,
and then God will look upon you favorably.
Or God will be pleased with you.
Or God will then accept you.
You see, the difference between Christianity
and every other religion,
every religion says,
be holy and then the gods will accept you.
Do right things.
Follow the eightfold noble path.
Follow this Dharma, this teaching.
Be holy.
Do the right things
and the gods will accept you because of your holiness.
Jesus Christ says,
come to me in faith and repentance.
I will accept you.
And then, go and be holy like me.
See the difference?
So Peter's going to encourage us
to pursue a life of holiness,
but not because he wants us
to earn our acceptance before God.
That we get from Jesus
because we believe that he died on the cross.
But once we do that,
he says, now come and be like God.
Pursue holiness.
Does that make sense?
Okay.
So three reasons to pursue holiness.
First is this.
Because you have a new father.
Is that what I said?
Because you've got a new father.
Okay.
So Peter's already told us,
as Chris mentioned last week,
you have a new home.
This world is not your home.
Now he's going to tell us,
you have a new heritage as well.
You have a new family.
Look at what he says in verse 14.
He says,
as obedient children,
okay,
there's the important word children,
do not be conformed
to the passions of your former ignorance,
but just as he who called you is holy,
you also be holy.
And then in verse 17,
he says,
and if you call on him as father,
conduct your life with holiness.
As Asians,
I want to say we,
because I consider myself a Hong Konger,
we,
but you,
understand this better than many people from the West,
right?
That something of your family,
your family shapes who you are,
right?
Who you become as a person
is instinctively tied to your family
and your family background.
In biblical language,
to be somebody's child
doesn't just mean that they brought you
into the world biologically.
It means that they've shaped who you become.
It means that you are like them.
You take after them,
okay?
So for instance,
in John chapter eight,
Jesus is discussing some stuff
with some religious leaders.
And Jesus says to them,
you're speaking just like your father.
And they say to him,
well,
Abraham is our father.
See what they're doing there?
They're claiming solidarity with Abraham.
They're saying,
Abraham's our father.
We are children of Abraham.
We are just like Abraham.
They recognize that,
that the one that you claim solidarity with,
the one who you say,
we are his children,
that,
that means you like that person,
okay?
And so they say,
Abraham is our father.
We are just like him.
And Jesus then gives them the ultimate insult
because he says,
if Abraham was your father,
you would do the same things that Abraham did.
But actually,
you're children of your father,
who's the devil.
And your will is to do your father's desires.
And the next thing that happens,
they pick up stones to stone him.
See,
Jesus has just said something radical.
He's given them the ultimate insult.
He said,
you're just like your father.
You think your father,
you're children of Abraham.
You think you're just like him.
Don't you realize from your conduct
and the condition of your heart
that actually you're children of the devil
and they are riled.
They want to get stones and kill him.
Now friends,
look what Peter says here.
He says,
let your conduct,
not only be that of exiles,
that from another world,
but that of obedient children
to your true father.
In verse 17,
if you call on him as father,
then let your conduct be like him.
And,
and this is what God has always said to his people.
That as Christians,
not only is this world,
not our home,
not only do we have a new home,
but we have a new heritage.
We have a new family.
We are born again into a new family
with a new father
and we have a new DNA inside of us.
And therefore,
the nature and the character of this God,
of this father,
should become something of our nature
and our character.
And what is this father like?
Well,
he's many things.
He's supremely just.
He's sovereign over everything.
He is glorious and majestic,
but he is supremely holy.
Absolutely holy.
He is utterly distinctive.
He is set apart in a class by himself.
Unequaled,
unrivaled.
1 Samuel chapter 2 says,
there is no holy one like the Lord our God.
There is no one besides him.
Friends,
this is the staggering claim of the Bible.
That there is one true God.
He's not just one of a plethora of gods.
Little with here,
Jesus here,
others there.
There is one true God.
And he is distinct from all other gods,
all other religions,
in all creation.
There is no one and nothing like him.
Unrivaled,
unequaled.
He is not slightly better than us,
slightly more intelligent than us,
slightly more powerful.
This God is not made in our image.
He is not a pious old man with good morals.
He is utterly and gloriously,
supremely,
holy.
And he has no equal.
He is ultimate reality.
Everything else will fade away.
Everything else will come to pass.
Everything else is finite.
But not Yahweh.
He is from everlasting to everlasting.
And there is no God like him.
He is utterly holy.
And one day,
every single knee
will bow down
in the face
of his holiness.
And Peter says,
if you are his children,
be holy
like your father is holy.
Now,
does that mean we must be distinctive,
that we are unrivaled
and unequal
and we are infinite?
No,
of course not.
But it does mean
that something of our nature
and our character
is distinctive.
It's set apart,
that we reflect something
of his character,
that we don't live
for the things of this world,
but that we know
that our hope
and our home
is with him.
Friends,
for those of us
that are Christians this morning,
do you and I live this way?
Do we go to work
or social gatherings
with this conviction
that we are children
of a holy God?
Do we go wholly devoted
to him?
Friends,
does the distinctiveness
of the holy God
drive
and our motivations
shape our dreams
and our desires?
Are there some practices,
some habits,
which more closely resemble
our former ignorance?
For those of you
that are not Christians
this morning,
I want to ask you,
how would this change your life
if you were to become
a child of this father?
How would it change your life
if you were to become
a child of the one true God,
of ultimate reality,
of truth himself?
How would it change your life
if you were to come
to know him?
Friends,
today Christ is inviting you
to become a child
of the living God,
of the one true holy God
and to come and find
your hope
and your home
in him.
First reason,
if you call on him
his father,
be holy
for he is holy.
Second thing is this,
be holy
because you were bought
with a price,
bought with a price.
In Genesis chapter 3
in the Garden of Eden,
remember Satan comes
to our forefathers,
our grandparents,
Adam and Eve,
and he says many things
to them
and one of the things
he says is,
he says,
I know God said to you
don't eat of this tree
and don't eat this fruit
but come on,
let's be real.
He says the reason
God said that
is he doesn't want
you to be happy.
He doesn't want you
to be free.
If you really want
to be free
and you really want
to be happy,
just take a bite.
It's not going
to do any harm.
Well, Adam and Eve
believed the lie
and they gave themselves
to their own glory.
They devoted themselves
to what they thought
would make them happy.
And what would give them freedom
but the consequences
were catastrophic.
The result is that
rather than being free,
they became slaves
to their own desires,
slaves to sin,
slaves to destructive
patterns of behavior.
Rather than becoming happy,
they were miserable.
Rather than becoming
full of life,
they became children
of death.
But not only that,
because they were
our forefathers
of all humanity,
everybody who's born
is born as children
of theirs
under their headship
and therefore
we walk in their footsteps.
We follow their same conduct.
And so we are caught up
in their sin,
we are their children
and our lives
follow their same patterns.
And so listen to how
Ephesians chapter 2
describes it.
This describes me and you
before coming to Christ.
It says,
You see, friends,
the problem with sin
is not just that
one day we will face judgment
or one day we will go to hell
or one day we will pay
the price for our sin,
though those things
are all true.
That's not the only problem of sin.
The problem of sin
is that today it enslaves us.
Today we become children
of our forefathers.
Today we become enslaved
to our destructive patterns
of behavior
and to our own desires.
What Peter calls
are futile ways of living.
We become children
of disobedience.
And so the hope
of the gospel
is not just that
we get out of jail
free card
for one day down there.
The hope of the gospel
is not just life insurance
to keep us out of hell
one day there.
That is true.
The hope of the gospel
is that today
you get a new father,
you get a new life,
but you're also bought
out of slavery.
Look at what Peter says here.
He says,
live with fear and trembling,
live devotedly,
purposely,
knowing that you were ransomed
from the futile ways
inherited
from your forefathers.
You know what a ransom is, right?
A ransom is someone
that is caught,
enslaved,
and you pay a whole pile
of money to set them free.
Peter says,
you were ransomed
from your former way of life.
You're set free.
You are a new person.
Friends,
the Bible tells us
that in our heart of hearts
we are just like
our forefathers.
We followed in their footsteps.
We live for our own glory.
We pursue the high life
and now the high life
catches up with us.
And the consequence
is that we are slaves to sin.
We are trapped.
I don't know
if you ever feel like this.
I echo Paul's words
in Romans 7
where he says,
the things I want to do
I cannot do
and the things I don't want to do
I end up doing.
Who will deliver me
from such a body of death?
Thanks be to God.
And so Peter says here,
we were ransomed
from that futile
and destructive way
inherited from our forefathers.
How?
Not with perishable things
such as silver
or gold
or stock options
or houses
but with the precious blood
of Jesus.
Friends,
Jesus Christ
didn't just pay
our parking ticket.
Jesus Christ
didn't just pay
that restaurant bill.
Jesus Christ
didn't just pay
what you owe
to the inland
revenue department.
He paid,
he bought
our lives
out of death
and he paid it
with his blood.
Maybe an analogy
will help you.
Imagine this.
Imagine you come
from a very wealthy family.
Your parents
are oil barons.
They're worth
tens of billions
of dollars
and you've got
a younger sister
and your younger sister
likes to live it up,
right?
And so she's always
out clubbing
and at these parties
and those parties
and someone comes to you
and says,
the people that your sister
hangs out with
aren't the best kind
of people in the world
and I think,
you know,
there's rumors
that they're involved
in narcotics trade
and human trafficking
and I think you should
speak to your sister
and warn her.
And so you do,
you go and speak to her
and she doesn't want
to listen,
right?
And so you're keeping
an eye on her
but one day she goes out,
she doesn't come back
that night,
the next day you're
looking for her
frantically,
going everywhere
where she likes to go,
you're calling her friends,
calling her phone,
can't get hold of her.
You go to the police station
one day,
two days,
three days,
on the fourth day
you get a ransom note.
We have your sister
we want a hundred million dollars.
Okay?
Your first response,
this is ridiculous,
we don't negotiate
with terrorists,
you say all the usual things,
right?
But pretty soon you realize
this isn't the movie,
this is real life.
And so you sell
a couple of extra barrels
of oil,
sell some stock options,
you get the money together,
you wire the transfer
into a Swiss bank account
and tell you
where your sister is
and you go
and you find her
and she's set free.
She's fine.
You ransom her
from slavery.
Now tell me this,
that next weekend,
are you going to go
to your sister and say,
hey,
are you going to hang out
with your friends again?
Do you want me to drive you
down to town?
I'm sure you're missing
your friends
and you haven't seen them
for a while.
I know they're not
the greatest people
but do you want to go
hang out with them again?
Of course not,
right?
And if your sister
comes to you and says,
hey,
will you just take me
to my friend's house?
I think I'm sure
it was some bad mistake,
I'm just going to hang out
with them again.
You're going to say,
are you joking?
You're never going to see
those people,
right?
Why?
Because you've been ransomed
from that way of life.
You've been saved.
You've been bought
out of slavery.
You don't dare go back there.
You're a new person
and now you give yourself
to a new way of life.
Friends,
this is what Peter's saying.
You are a distinctive people.
You are a holy people.
You've been bought
with a price,
bought out of your
former way of life.
Don't go back there.
Friends,
if you're a Christian
this morning,
hell was once your destiny
but now you're a child
of the holy living God
welcomed into his family
with an imperishable hope
and eternal home
welcomed for you
and everything you are
and everything you have
is because of him.
Because of him.
Friends,
the reason you and I
can go to work tomorrow
with hope in our hearts,
the reason that you and I
can survive
when a loved one
passes away,
friends,
the reason that you and I
don't need to be crushed
by a bad medical report,
friends,
the reason why you and I
can joyfully and wonderfully
give ourselves to Christ
is because everything we have
if you're a follower of Jesus
and everything you are
is because of him.
He's paid the price.
He's bought your soul
and you're free.
Remember the words
of that old hymn.
When I surveyed
the wondrous cross
on which the prince
of glory died,
my richest gain
I count but loss
and poor contempt
on all my pride.
And so were the whole realm
of nature mine
that were an offering
far too small,
love so amazing,
so divine,
demands my life,
my soul,
my all.
Friends,
this is what Peter's urging
his listeners.
And this is still
God's word to us today.
That we will be those
who live with a different hope,
who walk to a different drumbeat,
who put our confidence
not in the things
of this world
but in our eternal home
because Christ has purchased us
and bought it for us
and secured it for us.
Be holy because
you're bought to the price.
Third thing and finally,
be holy because
your life will bear fruit.
Look at verse 22
to 25 with me.
Peter now is going to give us
one specific application
of this phrase,
be holy for God is holy.
Okay?
And this is what he says.
He says,
having purified your souls
by your obedience
to the truth
for a sincere brotherly love,
love one another earnestly
from a pure heart.
Okay?
So he says,
you want to be holy
like God is holy?
Love one another
sincerely,
earnestly
from a pure heart.
Okay?
Is there any other way
to be more like God
than to love one another?
Remember Jesus,
the greatest command,
love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
soul,
mind and strength.
And the second greatest
is like it,
love your neighbor
as yourself
for on these two commands
hang all the law
and the prophets.
You want to be like God?
Love other people.
Okay?
Sincerely,
earnestly.
So Peter gives
a specific application.
Be holy like God is holy.
How?
Love one another
earnestly and sincerely.
Then he says,
then he gives the reason.
For,
or since,
you have been born again,
born to a new family,
the new father,
not of a perishable seed,
but an imperishable one,
one that will never perish
through the living
and abiding word of God.
For,
all flesh is like grass
and its glory
is like the flower
of the grass.
The grass withers,
the flowers fail,
but the word of the Lord
remains forever.
And this word
is the good news
that is preached to you.
Okay?
Almost coming to an end now.
Peter here quotes
Isaiah chapter 40.
In the book of Isaiah,
the nation of Israel
are in exile.
They're away from
the promised land.
Things are not going
particularly well for them.
They wish they could be back
with God's people
and God's land.
And while they're there,
they're wondering,
God,
is your word unfaithful?
Are you not able
to keep us
like your word said?
We thought you were faithful.
God,
should we trust you?
Are you really going
to do with us
what you said you would?
And so Isaiah writes them
in chapter 40.
He says,
comfort,
comfort for my people
in exile.
And then he says,
all other kingdoms,
all other words
are going to fail.
You trust Nebuchadnezzar,
that word is going to fail.
You trust Babylon,
that word is going to fail.
You trust your own expertise,
that word is going to fail.
All other kingdoms
is like the grass
of the field.
Here today,
tomorrow is going to be
thrown in the bin.
But the word of the Lord
proves true.
So while the people
are in exile,
Isaiah says,
God is faithful.
You can bank your life
in it.
Trust him.
Now Peter writes
the same thing.
And he says,
don't you realize
you're in exile?
You're exiles in this world.
This world is not your home.
You're being persecuted,
you're being ostracized,
you're being discriminated against.
But don't lose hope.
Because every other word
is like the grass
of the field.
It's going to fail.
But there is a word
that you can bank your life on.
The word of the Lord
remains true.
And so this is what he's saying.
So in this world,
pursue holiness.
Be distinctive like your father.
Love one another earnestly.
And when it seems like
this is a hopeless endeavor,
when it seems like
this pursuit
is never going to bear any fruit,
when it seems like
it would be far more expedient
to blend into culture,
to take a shortcut,
to look after yourself,
to not be distinctive for God,
but just to look after
your own interests,
remember this.
This word will not fail.
This word may look like
a tiny seed.
It may look like
nothing impressive.
But this seed
is imperishable.
It will never fail.
Remember Mark chapter 4,
Jesus says this.
He says,
The kingdom of God
is like a grain
of mustard seed.
I think we've got
a little picture there.
Which,
when sown on the ground,
is the smallest
of all the seeds
in the earth.
And yet,
when it's sown,
it grows up
and becomes larger
than all the garden plants.
Jesus says,
Don't you realize
your life is like a seed
that's got to be planted
in the soil?
It's got to die there.
It's got to become obsolete.
But it will bear fruit.
It will bear fruit.
And friends,
this is what Peter's saying.
When you're tempted
to give in
and blend into culture,
don't do it.
When you're tempted
to give in
to your desires
which are counted
to God's will,
don't do it.
When you're tempted
to live for yourselves,
don't do it.
Pursue holiness
because you've been born again,
born of a new life.
And it may seem insignificant.
At times,
it may seem like
it's holding you back
in your career.
At times,
it may seem like
this seed
is never going to bear fruit.
Friends,
every other word
that you're tempted
to bank your life on
is like the grass
or the field.
It's like a flower
in a vase
that next week
is going to be
thrown in the bin.
But the word
of the Lord
proves true.
You can bank
your life on it.
It will bear fruit.
Friends,
this is what Peter
is saying
to these first century Christians
and this is what Christ
is saying to us
in Hong Kong.
They were persecuted,
discriminated against,
ostracized.
They may have been
tempted to sell out,
may have been tempted
to blend in,
pursue a comfortable life.
Peter says,
don't do it.
Don't sell out.
Don't give up.
Christian,
you fight
the fight
for hope.
Christian,
you fight
to pursue holiness
because you have
a new father
in heaven
and he's called
you to be like him
because he's bought
you with a price,
the precious blood
of Jesus
and because this word,
this seed
is an imperishable seed.
It will not fail.
It will not falter.
It will not give up on you.
You've been born again
of an imperishable word
and the gospel
gives you
an imperishable hope
because of that word.
It may look small.
It may look insignificant.
But you can bank
your life on it.
You can hope on it.
Don't give up.
Don't sell out.
Don't pursue comfort.
Fight the fight
of holiness
until you reach
your true home.
Let's pray together.
Oh, Father God,
we confess, God,
that it's so easy
to listen to the word
of our culture,
to be intoxicated
by its message.
But God,
you call us
to be sober.
You call us
to fix our eyes
and our hearts
on you, God.
Oh, God,
as a church community,
we pray,
won't you,
won't you
by the Holy Spirit,
God,
come and open our eyes
to see you freshly,
to fight for hope
and to pursue holiness, God.
I pray that we
as a church
and every Christian
in Hong Kong
will be distinctive.
Oh, God,
come and help us
to be holy.
I pray we'll be
set apart
for the praise
of your name, God.
I pray that,
God,
we're not better than,
more morally superior.
I pray there'll be
something about
our devotion,
that we give ourselves
to you wholeheartedly.
We walk to a different
drumbeat.
God,
come and help us,
I pray.
God,
won't you come
and dislodge
the idols
in our hearts, God.
God,
I pray that those things
that are holding us back,
those things
that are telling us
to trust in them.
God,
won't you loosen
the grip on our hearts?
Won't you melt them away,
little God,
that we can trust you?
Friends,
some of you here
this morning
maybe are not Christians.
You've never become
a child
of this glorious
Holy Father.
You may think
you're a child
of your own ideas.
You may think
yourself an independent thinker.
Don't you realize
you're a child
of your culture.
You've been shaped
by your culture
and your society.
Friends,
if you're not a Christian
this morning,
the one true God
is calling you
and inviting you
to Himself
to put your hope
in Him.
He's inviting you
to,
He's offering
to pay the ransom
for your soul,
to buy you
out of a futile
way of living,
to give you
a new hope
and a new home,
a new family
and a new heart.
Why don't you
come and do it
this morning?
Maybe He's been
calling you
for a long time.
Maybe today's the day.
Come and surrender.
Friends,
for those of us
that are Christians,
maybe the areas
of our lives
we've been holding on to,
why don't you
come and surrender
those to King Jesus.
ask Him to
let His holiness
come and permeate
even that area
of your life.
Your relationship
with your parents,
your relationship
with your children,
your relationship
with money.
Christ,
come and make us holy.
Come make us set apart.
Make us distinctive
for your glory,
we pray.
Amen.