WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.099 1 Peter 1, verses 13-21 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:36.340 And if you call on Him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, 00:00:36.899 --> 00:00:40.320 conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 00:00:41.420 --> 00:00:45.899 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, 00:00:46.480 --> 00:00:49.480 not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 00:00:49.859 --> 00:00:54.840 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 00:00:54.840 --> 00:00:59.080 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, 00:00:59.460 --> 00:01:02.800 but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you, 00:01:03.460 --> 00:01:06.140 who through Him are believers in God, 00:01:06.500 --> 00:01:09.420 who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, 00:01:09.600 --> 00:01:12.340 so that your faith and hope are in God. 00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:19.900 The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio is just over two months away, 00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:23.159 and I don't know what your favorite Olympic event is, 00:01:23.159 --> 00:01:25.979 but mine has always been the 100-meter dash. 00:01:26.700 --> 00:01:33.859 There's so much tension and anticipation leading up to one explosive 9-10 second race. 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:39.299 The sprinters are meticulous in their preparation before the start of the race, 00:01:39.699 --> 00:01:42.539 their leading foot placed just behind the starting line, 00:01:42.939 --> 00:01:45.439 their knee bent at a 45-degree angle, 00:01:45.979 --> 00:01:48.599 their back foot placed firmly on the starting block, 00:01:48.840 --> 00:01:51.900 and their arms fully extended to keep their torso straight. 00:01:51.900 --> 00:01:53.660 And then when the announcer says, 00:01:54.020 --> 00:01:57.300 ready, they raise their butts, set, 00:01:58.020 --> 00:01:59.880 and their focus is razor-shower, 00:02:00.060 --> 00:02:04.160 fully aware that their failure to be alert in this moment could cost them the race. 00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:06.920 And as soon as they hear the gunfire, 00:02:07.260 --> 00:02:10.599 they propel themselves powerfully to run the 100-meter dash. 00:02:10.599 --> 00:02:19.019 This is the kind of readiness and preparation that Peter has in mind when he says in verse 13, 00:02:19.019 --> 00:02:24.139 Therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded, 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:30.479 set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:36.139 The word for preparing literally means to gird up the loins, 00:02:36.139 --> 00:02:40.859 which was a familiar metaphor in the ancient world where men wore long robes, 00:02:41.259 --> 00:02:45.939 and therefore had to pull up their robes and tuck them into their belt before any rigorous physical activity, 00:02:46.179 --> 00:02:46.659 like running. 00:02:48.119 --> 00:02:52.519 Jesus uses the expression in Luke 12, 35-36, 00:02:52.520 --> 00:03:16.360 The idea that Peter is getting at here is that God's final vindication of his people is imminent. 00:03:16.360 --> 00:03:22.240 Though our salvation has already begun, it has not yet been consummated. 00:03:22.760 --> 00:03:26.540 And though the kingdom of God is already here, its fullness is yet to come. 00:03:27.400 --> 00:03:31.200 So Christians, therefore, are marginalized and persecuted in this world 00:03:31.200 --> 00:03:36.960 because their beliefs and values are not of this world, but of the world to come. 00:03:38.140 --> 00:03:41.920 And because their ultimate allegiance does not belong to any authority here on earth, 00:03:41.919 --> 00:03:47.619 but to God, and they will be delivered and vindicated when Christ returns. 00:03:48.599 --> 00:03:51.879 This is why we ought to wait expectantly. 00:03:52.379 --> 00:03:56.500 This is why we must be ready and keep our loins girded up. 00:03:58.099 --> 00:04:02.699 The exhortation to be sober-minded conveys a similar idea. 00:04:03.579 --> 00:04:06.719 The literal meaning, of course, means to be sober and not drunk, 00:04:07.099 --> 00:04:10.299 but this too is a metaphor for readiness and attentiveness. 00:04:10.300 --> 00:04:14.880 An inebriated person is unprepared for action in many ways. 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:17.579 Their inhibitions and sense of caution are lowered. 00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:20.520 There is loss of balance and fine motor coordination, 00:04:20.860 --> 00:04:22.980 so they can't drive or do complex things. 00:04:23.620 --> 00:04:27.040 Their speech is slurred, and sometimes they speak too loudly or quickly. 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:31.319 Their muscle tones are loosed, and their reaction times are slowed. 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:34.819 And often, their reasoning ability is also compromised, 00:04:34.939 --> 00:04:36.439 so that they are frequently confused. 00:04:36.439 --> 00:04:39.540 And when the intoxication is quite severe, 00:04:39.779 --> 00:04:41.680 the person can even lose consciousness. 00:04:43.399 --> 00:04:46.959 This is a graphic portrayal of what it means not to be sober-minded. 00:04:47.300 --> 00:04:51.439 And the sober-minded person, in contrast, is ready for action. 00:04:51.839 --> 00:04:56.180 He is in full possession of himself, his body and mind, and is alert. 00:04:56.180 --> 00:05:00.319 That is what Peter enjoins us to. 00:05:00.699 --> 00:05:06.120 To set our hope fully on the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 00:05:06.680 --> 00:05:09.860 He wants us to be prepared and committed to his future grace, 00:05:10.319 --> 00:05:11.500 to God's future grace, 00:05:11.620 --> 00:05:15.620 to set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 00:05:15.699 --> 00:05:18.220 Not partially or haphazardly, 00:05:18.560 --> 00:05:22.360 but fully set your hope on the grace of Christ. 00:05:22.360 --> 00:05:29.540 And this is important because hope in God's future grace enables our present obedience. 00:05:30.860 --> 00:05:34.520 Like a sprinter who readies himself for the race at the starting line, 00:05:34.980 --> 00:05:39.720 Christians ought to always have their hope set on their future grace. 00:05:40.080 --> 00:05:44.139 Because it is this hope in future grace that enables us to obey God. 00:05:45.480 --> 00:05:51.100 This passage teaches us about three things that should make us hope in God's future grace. 00:05:51.100 --> 00:05:53.840 First is God's holiness. 00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:56.760 And then second is God's judgment. 00:05:57.540 --> 00:05:59.840 And third is God's ransom. 00:06:00.980 --> 00:06:05.420 And my prayer for you this morning is that your understanding and appreciation for future grace 00:06:05.420 --> 00:06:09.580 will be renewed and strengthened so that you wake each morning 00:06:09.580 --> 00:06:13.580 and spend each waking moment with the readiness of hope. 00:06:13.579 --> 00:06:16.699 So first, 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:21.240 Peter tells us that God's holiness should make us hope in God's future grace. 00:06:21.639 --> 00:06:23.879 He says in verses 14 to 16, 00:06:24.639 --> 00:06:25.959 As obedient children, 00:06:26.419 --> 00:06:29.319 do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 00:06:29.319 --> 00:06:31.500 but as he who called you is holy, 00:06:31.959 --> 00:06:34.459 you also be holy in all your conduct. 00:06:34.899 --> 00:06:35.699 Since it is written, 00:06:36.259 --> 00:06:37.099 You shall be holy, 00:06:37.500 --> 00:06:38.419 for I am holy. 00:06:38.420 --> 00:06:42.699 Peter calls believers obedient children. 00:06:43.939 --> 00:06:46.740 This is picking up the theme from earlier in verse 3 00:06:46.740 --> 00:06:51.240 where it says that God the Father has caused us to be born again to a living hope 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:54.259 through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 00:06:55.759 --> 00:06:59.080 Christians are those who have been born again into the family of God. 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:01.780 Because we now have God as our Father, 00:07:01.980 --> 00:07:03.600 we should, therefore, 00:07:04.060 --> 00:07:05.020 be obedient children. 00:07:05.019 --> 00:07:08.620 The Roman and Jewish cultures of the time 00:07:08.620 --> 00:07:10.779 highly valued and legally required 00:07:10.779 --> 00:07:12.740 the obedience of minors to their parents. 00:07:13.439 --> 00:07:14.799 So Peter is simply saying 00:07:14.799 --> 00:07:18.539 that just as it is right for children to obey their earthly parents, 00:07:18.859 --> 00:07:20.199 we, the children of God, 00:07:20.279 --> 00:07:21.620 should obey God, our Father. 00:07:23.799 --> 00:07:26.959 And disobedience involves not being conformed 00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:29.159 to the passions of our former ignorance. 00:07:30.019 --> 00:07:31.419 In our former ignorance, 00:07:31.599 --> 00:07:34.240 we devoted our lives to accumulating material possessions 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:35.060 here on earth 00:07:35.060 --> 00:07:36.579 and saw wealth and prestige 00:07:36.579 --> 00:07:38.160 as the measure of our success. 00:07:38.860 --> 00:07:40.500 Blindly climbing the corporate ladder 00:07:40.500 --> 00:07:41.600 and working long hours 00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:42.900 for no meaningful reason, 00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:44.100 but now, 00:07:44.660 --> 00:07:46.639 we ought not to be confirmed 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:47.420 to those passions. 00:07:49.300 --> 00:07:50.579 In our former ignorance, 00:07:50.960 --> 00:07:53.199 we indulged in all kinds of sensual pleasures, 00:07:53.699 --> 00:07:55.259 thinking that those temporary highs 00:07:55.259 --> 00:07:56.680 were all that we had to live for, 00:07:57.079 --> 00:07:59.180 hopping from one sexual partner to another, 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:00.800 both virtual and real, 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:01.639 but now, 00:08:01.740 --> 00:08:04.280 we ought not to be conformed to those passions. 00:08:05.620 --> 00:08:07.180 In our former ignorance, 00:08:07.319 --> 00:08:09.120 we feared men rather than God, 00:08:09.259 --> 00:08:10.879 groveling for their approval, 00:08:11.160 --> 00:08:14.620 devastated by the slightest hint of disrespect or disapproval, 00:08:15.060 --> 00:08:15.720 but now, 00:08:15.860 --> 00:08:18.060 we ought not to be conformed to those passions. 00:08:20.340 --> 00:08:20.900 Instead, 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:22.060 Peter says, 00:08:22.060 --> 00:08:36.419 We have been called by the Holy One, 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:37.539 so we ought to be holy. 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:41.139 This is not an example of divine fayette, 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:42.360 a unilateral decree, 00:08:42.679 --> 00:08:43.440 I am this way, 00:08:43.500 --> 00:08:44.399 so you should be this way, 00:08:44.460 --> 00:08:45.340 I am such and such, 00:08:45.419 --> 00:08:47.220 so you should like such and such, 00:08:47.220 --> 00:08:49.360 but rather, 00:08:49.460 --> 00:08:50.920 this is an appeal to another feature 00:08:50.920 --> 00:08:52.120 of paternal relationships 00:08:52.120 --> 00:08:54.080 that was highly prized in antiquity, 00:08:54.639 --> 00:08:55.120 imitation. 00:08:56.040 --> 00:08:57.560 You see a vestige of this 00:08:57.560 --> 00:08:59.580 in some of the common surnames of today. 00:08:59.740 --> 00:09:00.139 For example, 00:09:00.379 --> 00:09:01.800 those with the last name Baker 00:09:01.800 --> 00:09:03.759 have ancestors who are bakers 00:09:03.759 --> 00:09:05.040 that worked in the communal kitchen. 00:09:05.639 --> 00:09:07.120 Those with the last name Smith 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:10.080 have ancestors who are blacksmiths 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:12.800 who created objects from iron and steel. 00:09:13.160 --> 00:09:14.340 The last name Bauer 00:09:14.340 --> 00:09:16.180 is from the German word meaning peasant 00:09:16.179 --> 00:09:17.120 or farmer. 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:18.779 Until recently, 00:09:18.939 --> 00:09:20.279 children were usually expected 00:09:20.279 --> 00:09:21.519 to imitate their parents 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:23.059 and follow their respective professions. 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:25.539 So God says to His children, 00:09:26.059 --> 00:09:28.399 You shall be holy for I am holy. 00:09:29.339 --> 00:09:31.279 At an even more basic level, 00:09:31.439 --> 00:09:32.779 we simply expect children 00:09:32.779 --> 00:09:33.859 to be like their parents. 00:09:34.299 --> 00:09:35.259 So we have a saying, 00:09:35.479 --> 00:09:36.620 like father, like son. 00:09:37.299 --> 00:09:39.419 When we meet a particularly attractive couple, 00:09:39.719 --> 00:09:40.919 we assume that they will have 00:09:40.919 --> 00:09:42.039 very good looking children. 00:09:42.519 --> 00:09:44.699 When we meet a particularly intelligent couple, 00:09:44.899 --> 00:09:45.839 we assume that they will have 00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:46.940 very intelligent children. 00:09:47.580 --> 00:09:48.660 Using the same logic, 00:09:48.879 --> 00:09:51.120 Christians are the children of God, 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:52.300 the Holy One. 00:09:52.759 --> 00:09:53.160 Therefore, 00:09:53.740 --> 00:09:55.960 they should also be holy. 00:09:58.580 --> 00:10:00.720 Earlier in verse 2 of chapter 1, 00:10:00.820 --> 00:10:01.980 Peter had said that Christians 00:10:01.980 --> 00:10:04.019 are elect exiles of God 00:10:04.019 --> 00:10:06.820 in the sanctification of the Spirit. 00:10:07.960 --> 00:10:09.720 Christians are, by definition, 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:11.000 those who are holy 00:10:11.000 --> 00:10:12.879 because they have been indwelled 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:14.240 by the Holy Spirit. 00:10:15.240 --> 00:10:15.679 Yes, 00:10:15.940 --> 00:10:18.100 it is true that we are broken and sinful 00:10:18.100 --> 00:10:20.360 and must become more and more holy as well, 00:10:20.539 --> 00:10:22.000 but we are also already, 00:10:22.179 --> 00:10:23.940 in a real and definitive way, 00:10:24.279 --> 00:10:25.019 holy people. 00:10:25.720 --> 00:10:27.539 It says in chapter 2, verse 5, 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:28.940 that we are a holy nation. 00:10:30.419 --> 00:10:33.100 The command here is not in the present tense, 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:34.340 but in the aorist tense, 00:10:34.419 --> 00:10:35.879 which means that it's not referring to 00:10:35.879 --> 00:10:37.480 present ongoing action, 00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:38.700 become holy, 00:10:38.879 --> 00:10:39.879 but decisive, 00:10:40.299 --> 00:10:41.159 one-time action, 00:10:41.539 --> 00:10:42.779 show yourself holy 00:10:42.779 --> 00:10:44.019 once and for all. 00:10:44.980 --> 00:10:46.100 It's telling us, 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:47.939 you are a holy people, 00:10:48.100 --> 00:10:48.980 so be holy. 00:10:48.980 --> 00:10:52.779 You are the children of the Holy One, 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:54.080 so be holy. 00:10:57.480 --> 00:10:59.940 It's only when we are secure 00:10:59.940 --> 00:11:00.899 in our new identity 00:11:00.899 --> 00:11:02.200 as the children of God, 00:11:02.600 --> 00:11:03.860 only when our hope 00:11:03.860 --> 00:11:05.879 is fully set on the reality 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:08.080 that the Holy One is our Father, 00:11:08.420 --> 00:11:09.340 that we will be holy 00:11:09.340 --> 00:11:10.440 in all our conduct 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:11.680 as obedient children. 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:15.519 No matter how those around us live, 00:11:15.720 --> 00:11:17.779 no matter what anyone might say to us, 00:11:17.779 --> 00:11:18.879 talk this way, 00:11:18.980 --> 00:11:19.720 dress this way, 00:11:19.819 --> 00:11:20.759 believe these things, 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:21.839 love these things, 00:11:21.899 --> 00:11:23.039 and hate those things, 00:11:23.179 --> 00:11:24.519 we must not be shaken 00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:25.459 or caught off guard. 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:26.299 Rather, 00:11:26.379 --> 00:11:27.819 we must always set our hope 00:11:27.819 --> 00:11:29.079 fully on the holiness 00:11:29.079 --> 00:11:30.559 of our Heavenly Father. 00:11:31.159 --> 00:11:32.339 This is the first way 00:11:32.339 --> 00:11:33.120 in which our hope 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:34.079 in future grace 00:11:34.079 --> 00:11:36.600 enables our present obedience. 00:11:40.100 --> 00:11:42.019 The second aspect of our hope 00:11:42.019 --> 00:11:44.039 lies in God's impartial judgment. 00:11:45.279 --> 00:11:46.919 It says in verse 17, 00:11:46.919 --> 00:11:48.419 And if you call on Him 00:11:48.419 --> 00:11:50.399 as Father who judges impartially 00:11:50.399 --> 00:11:51.799 according to each one's deeds, 00:11:52.519 --> 00:11:54.120 conduct yourselves with fear 00:11:54.120 --> 00:11:55.719 throughout the time of your exile. 00:11:57.539 --> 00:11:59.299 It might seem odd at first 00:11:59.299 --> 00:12:00.620 to think of God's judgment 00:12:00.620 --> 00:12:01.699 as a source of hope, 00:12:02.059 --> 00:12:03.199 but if you reflect on it, 00:12:03.219 --> 00:12:05.019 it is true that there is no hope 00:12:05.019 --> 00:12:06.759 when there is no impartial judgment. 00:12:07.419 --> 00:12:10.019 When bribes blind the eyes of the judge, 00:12:10.019 --> 00:12:12.599 when the rich can hire expensive lawyers 00:12:12.600 --> 00:12:14.019 to find legal loopholes, 00:12:14.200 --> 00:12:16.420 when false witnesses rise up 00:12:16.420 --> 00:12:17.860 against the weak and the few 00:12:17.860 --> 00:12:20.399 to side with the strong and the many, 00:12:21.200 --> 00:12:23.040 when judgment is partial 00:12:23.040 --> 00:12:24.379 and justice is perverted, 00:12:24.840 --> 00:12:26.000 the wicked prosper 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:27.279 and the righteous suffer, 00:12:27.800 --> 00:12:29.379 the guilty are acquitted 00:12:29.379 --> 00:12:30.940 and the innocent are punished. 00:12:30.940 --> 00:12:34.420 There can be no hope 00:12:34.420 --> 00:12:35.600 in this kind of environment. 00:12:36.600 --> 00:12:38.920 But on the final judgment day, 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:42.000 God will judge impartially 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:44.640 according to each one's deeds. 00:12:45.440 --> 00:12:47.920 His judgment will not be swayed 00:12:47.920 --> 00:12:50.160 by money, power, fame, 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:51.440 or public opinion. 00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:53.520 His judgment will be accurate 00:12:53.520 --> 00:12:55.240 and exacting. 00:12:55.960 --> 00:12:58.860 This is a wonderful future grace 00:12:58.860 --> 00:13:00.759 that inspires Christian hope. 00:13:01.460 --> 00:13:03.620 Our obedience will not be for nothing. 00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:05.159 We will be vindicated 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:06.840 for all unjust suffering. 00:13:07.220 --> 00:13:09.480 Our faith will be proven right. 00:13:11.860 --> 00:13:14.120 Our hope in this future grace 00:13:14.120 --> 00:13:15.919 will lead us to conduct ourselves 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:18.440 with fear throughout the time of our exile. 00:13:19.379 --> 00:13:22.019 The prospect of God's impartial judgment 00:13:22.019 --> 00:13:23.379 should leave our knees knocking. 00:13:23.820 --> 00:13:25.460 But more than a simple terror, 00:13:25.659 --> 00:13:27.180 it should also inspire awe 00:13:27.180 --> 00:13:28.539 that leads to obedience. 00:13:29.820 --> 00:13:31.620 To conduct ourselves with fear 00:13:31.620 --> 00:13:34.320 is to think, feel, say, and do 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:37.000 everything before the face of God, 00:13:37.100 --> 00:13:39.060 knowing that God sees everything. 00:13:39.919 --> 00:13:42.659 The illusion of a private, secret life 00:13:42.659 --> 00:13:43.820 incubates sin, 00:13:44.180 --> 00:13:46.000 but a recognition that our Heavenly Father 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:48.960 always has us under His watchful eye 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:50.560 promotes holiness. 00:13:51.940 --> 00:13:53.740 When you fudge some of the numbers 00:13:53.740 --> 00:13:55.180 while filling out your taxes, 00:13:55.399 --> 00:13:56.019 God sees. 00:13:56.019 --> 00:13:56.220 God sees. 00:13:56.980 --> 00:13:58.600 When you gossip with your friend 00:13:58.600 --> 00:14:00.059 over the phone or on Facebook, 00:14:00.279 --> 00:14:01.139 God sees. 00:14:01.779 --> 00:14:04.059 When you are browsing through lewd websites 00:14:04.059 --> 00:14:05.639 at wee hours of the night, 00:14:05.799 --> 00:14:06.659 God sees. 00:14:07.379 --> 00:14:08.980 When you flirt with illicit relations 00:14:09.539 --> 00:14:11.000 while no one else is around, 00:14:11.159 --> 00:14:11.879 God sees. 00:14:12.259 --> 00:14:13.659 And when you say hurtful things 00:14:13.659 --> 00:14:14.699 to your friends or family 00:14:14.699 --> 00:14:16.059 in the privacy of your home, 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:16.980 God sees. 00:14:16.980 --> 00:14:19.659 And this should strike 00:14:19.659 --> 00:14:21.740 holy fear of God in our hearts. 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:25.300 And what is more, 00:14:26.440 --> 00:14:27.860 the God who judges impartially 00:14:27.860 --> 00:14:29.000 is our Father. 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:31.559 The fact that God is our Father 00:14:31.559 --> 00:14:32.700 becomes the linchpin 00:14:32.700 --> 00:14:34.580 of Peter's second exhortation as well. 00:14:34.679 --> 00:14:35.919 He says in verse 17, 00:14:36.539 --> 00:14:38.279 If you call on Him as Father 00:14:38.279 --> 00:14:39.799 who judges impartially 00:14:39.799 --> 00:14:41.220 according to each one's deeds, 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:43.039 conduct yourselves with fear 00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:44.580 throughout the time of your exile. 00:14:45.960 --> 00:14:47.860 And why is this significant? 00:14:48.539 --> 00:14:50.419 In the same way that we'd expect 00:14:50.419 --> 00:14:52.279 children who have a police officer 00:14:52.279 --> 00:14:53.039 as their father 00:14:53.039 --> 00:14:55.919 to show greater respect for the law, 00:14:55.919 --> 00:14:58.259 or in the same way we'd expect 00:14:58.259 --> 00:14:59.539 children who have a pastor 00:14:59.539 --> 00:15:00.339 as their father 00:15:00.339 --> 00:15:01.860 to show greater regard 00:15:01.860 --> 00:15:03.199 for spiritual things, 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:05.120 Christians who have God 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:06.399 who judges impartially 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:07.299 as their father 00:15:07.299 --> 00:15:08.939 should conduct themselves 00:15:08.939 --> 00:15:10.179 all the more with fear 00:15:10.179 --> 00:15:12.279 because we know our Father. 00:15:13.419 --> 00:15:14.399 We have an intimate, 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:16.360 familial knowledge of Him. 00:15:16.759 --> 00:15:18.459 We know that He is 00:15:18.459 --> 00:15:20.059 an impartial judge. 00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:21.620 And this should make us 00:15:21.620 --> 00:15:23.579 all the more reverent toward Him 00:15:23.579 --> 00:15:25.360 and make us conduct ourselves 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:26.019 with fear. 00:15:27.539 --> 00:15:29.580 This is the second way 00:15:29.580 --> 00:15:30.580 in which our hope 00:15:30.580 --> 00:15:31.960 in God's future grace 00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:33.919 enables our present obedience. 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:37.639 Now, 00:15:38.039 --> 00:15:40.039 at this point, 00:15:40.460 --> 00:15:41.740 many of us should be feeling 00:15:41.740 --> 00:15:42.440 a bit uneasy 00:15:42.440 --> 00:15:44.759 because if God truly is 00:15:44.759 --> 00:15:45.639 the Holy One, 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:47.220 perfect in His holiness 00:15:47.220 --> 00:15:48.960 and demanding of the same holiness 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:49.600 from us, 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:52.639 and if God truly judges 00:15:52.639 --> 00:15:53.659 impartially 00:15:53.659 --> 00:15:54.959 and we will each be held 00:15:54.959 --> 00:15:56.139 accountable for every single 00:15:56.139 --> 00:15:56.899 one of our deeds, 00:15:57.319 --> 00:15:59.620 if God sees everything, 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:01.419 not only what we do, 00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:02.759 but also what we say, 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:03.360 feel, 00:16:03.500 --> 00:16:04.219 and think, 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:07.259 then we will not fare well 00:16:07.259 --> 00:16:07.959 in the judgment. 00:16:09.120 --> 00:16:09.819 So then, 00:16:10.379 --> 00:16:13.240 how can we set our hope 00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:15.419 fully on God's future grace 00:16:15.419 --> 00:16:17.699 when the future holds for us 00:16:17.700 --> 00:16:19.160 the impartial judgment 00:16:19.160 --> 00:16:20.500 of the Holy God? 00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:25.100 This is why Peter reminds us 00:16:25.100 --> 00:16:26.660 of the basis for our hope 00:16:26.660 --> 00:16:27.440 in future grace, 00:16:27.580 --> 00:16:28.480 God's ransom. 00:16:29.620 --> 00:16:32.100 It says in verse 19 00:16:32.100 --> 00:16:34.379 that Christians were ransomed 00:16:34.379 --> 00:16:36.180 from the futile ways 00:16:36.180 --> 00:16:37.960 inherited from their forefathers, 00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:40.120 not with perishable things 00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:42.000 such as silver or gold, 00:16:42.200 --> 00:16:43.879 but with the precious blood 00:16:43.879 --> 00:16:44.740 of Christ, 00:16:45.139 --> 00:16:46.240 like that of a lamb 00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:47.899 without blemish or spot. 00:16:51.580 --> 00:16:52.980 Mark 10, 45, 00:16:53.159 --> 00:16:53.679 similarly says, 00:16:53.759 --> 00:16:54.439 The Son of Man 00:16:54.439 --> 00:16:55.539 came not to be served, 00:16:55.620 --> 00:16:56.240 but to serve 00:16:56.240 --> 00:16:57.460 and to give His life 00:16:57.460 --> 00:16:59.700 as a ransom for many. 00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:03.500 A ransom is a price paid 00:17:03.500 --> 00:17:05.259 for the manumission of a slave. 00:17:05.619 --> 00:17:06.759 It's the price for freedom. 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:09.220 And God ransomed us 00:17:09.220 --> 00:17:10.579 from the futile ways 00:17:10.579 --> 00:17:12.400 inherited from our forefathers, 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:14.480 so that we might have God 00:17:14.480 --> 00:17:15.340 as our Father. 00:17:16.040 --> 00:17:17.220 We have been ransomed 00:17:17.220 --> 00:17:18.440 from the futile ways 00:17:18.440 --> 00:17:19.920 inherited from our forefathers, 00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:21.100 so that we now have, 00:17:21.140 --> 00:17:23.660 as it says in verse 4 of chapter 1, 00:17:24.100 --> 00:17:26.240 an inheritance kept for us 00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:27.420 by our Heavenly Father. 00:17:28.280 --> 00:17:30.580 We are no longer enslaved 00:17:30.580 --> 00:17:31.759 to this sinful world. 00:17:32.120 --> 00:17:33.360 We have been ransomed 00:17:33.360 --> 00:17:34.560 by God. 00:17:36.080 --> 00:17:37.400 And with what price? 00:17:37.400 --> 00:17:40.940 Not with perishable things, 00:17:41.040 --> 00:17:42.400 such as silver or gold, 00:17:42.700 --> 00:17:45.720 but with the precious blood of Christ, 00:17:46.100 --> 00:17:47.019 like that of a lamb 00:17:47.019 --> 00:17:48.540 without blemish or spot. 00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:52.759 This verse alludes to Exodus 12, 00:17:52.900 --> 00:17:53.600 the Passover, 00:17:54.380 --> 00:17:56.300 when before the Exodus 00:17:56.300 --> 00:17:57.640 from their slavery in Egypt, 00:17:57.820 --> 00:17:59.019 the Israelites are instructed 00:17:59.019 --> 00:18:00.600 to take a lamb without blemish, 00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:01.640 kill it, 00:18:01.900 --> 00:18:03.120 and then to take some of the blood 00:18:03.120 --> 00:18:04.840 and put it on the two doorposts 00:18:04.839 --> 00:18:06.179 and the lintels of the houses 00:18:06.179 --> 00:18:07.299 in which they eat it. 00:18:08.139 --> 00:18:09.779 Then God promised the Israelites 00:18:09.779 --> 00:18:11.240 that the Lord will pass through 00:18:11.240 --> 00:18:12.439 to strike the Egyptians, 00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:13.959 and when He sees the blood 00:18:13.959 --> 00:18:14.659 on the lintel 00:18:14.659 --> 00:18:16.059 and on the two doorposts, 00:18:16.259 --> 00:18:17.980 the Lord will pass over the door 00:18:17.980 --> 00:18:19.779 and will not allow the destroyer 00:18:19.779 --> 00:18:20.779 to enter your houses 00:18:20.779 --> 00:18:21.579 to strike you. 00:18:24.179 --> 00:18:25.919 The night of the Passover, 00:18:26.099 --> 00:18:27.559 the destroyer sent by God 00:18:27.559 --> 00:18:29.619 killed all the firstborn sons 00:18:29.619 --> 00:18:30.319 of the Egyptians. 00:18:31.039 --> 00:18:32.659 But the Israelites were spared 00:18:32.660 --> 00:18:34.620 because they had the blood of the lamb 00:18:34.620 --> 00:18:36.000 on their doorposts. 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:38.080 As a result, 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:40.000 Israel was delivered 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:41.560 from their slavery in Egypt. 00:18:42.320 --> 00:18:44.540 And not a single one 00:18:44.540 --> 00:18:45.540 of these Israelites 00:18:45.540 --> 00:18:46.720 deserved to be saved 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:47.560 from the destroyer. 00:18:48.140 --> 00:18:49.840 Each one deserved God's judgment, 00:18:50.380 --> 00:18:51.460 but they were saved 00:18:51.460 --> 00:18:53.360 because God mercifully provided 00:18:53.360 --> 00:18:54.400 a substitute, 00:18:54.759 --> 00:18:56.120 this Passover lamb 00:18:56.120 --> 00:18:58.960 whose shed blood in death 00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:00.120 saves Israel. 00:19:00.119 --> 00:19:02.739 This Passover lamb represents 00:19:02.739 --> 00:19:04.519 and points to Jesus Christ, 00:19:04.919 --> 00:19:06.819 who was the blameless Son of God 00:19:06.819 --> 00:19:08.199 who bled and died 00:19:08.199 --> 00:19:09.399 to save sinners. 00:19:10.219 --> 00:19:11.699 And those who believe in Jesus 00:19:11.699 --> 00:19:12.679 have been covered 00:19:12.679 --> 00:19:13.879 by the blood of Christ. 00:19:14.379 --> 00:19:15.279 And it's because 00:19:15.279 --> 00:19:16.339 the righteous one 00:19:16.339 --> 00:19:17.259 died for sinners 00:19:17.259 --> 00:19:18.259 that we are now 00:19:18.259 --> 00:19:19.759 holy in God's sight. 00:19:20.139 --> 00:19:21.739 It's because the Son of God 00:19:21.739 --> 00:19:22.859 died in our place 00:19:22.859 --> 00:19:23.559 that we are now 00:19:23.559 --> 00:19:24.859 the children of God. 00:19:25.239 --> 00:19:26.379 Because God paid 00:19:26.379 --> 00:19:28.459 this most precious ransom price, 00:19:28.460 --> 00:19:29.900 we can now set our hope 00:19:29.900 --> 00:19:32.819 fully on the future grace of God. 00:19:35.819 --> 00:19:37.180 If you're with us today 00:19:37.180 --> 00:19:38.180 and you're not a believer, 00:19:38.660 --> 00:19:40.259 you must come to terms 00:19:40.259 --> 00:19:41.579 with your desperate need 00:19:41.579 --> 00:19:42.160 for redemption. 00:19:43.279 --> 00:19:45.059 No one can redeem himself. 00:19:45.680 --> 00:19:47.360 God alone can rescue. 00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:49.259 He alone can save. 00:19:49.480 --> 00:19:50.259 And He has provided 00:19:50.259 --> 00:19:51.440 the only means 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:52.860 by which we might be saved, 00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:54.039 the ransom price 00:19:54.039 --> 00:19:55.059 of His own Son. 00:19:55.059 --> 00:19:57.899 Reckon with this reality, 00:19:58.099 --> 00:19:58.419 please, 00:19:58.500 --> 00:19:59.879 before you leave the service. 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:02.200 What hope do you have 00:20:02.200 --> 00:20:02.799 for eternity? 00:20:06.419 --> 00:20:07.460 If you have placed 00:20:07.460 --> 00:20:08.740 your trust in Jesus Christ, 00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:10.200 then you have good reason 00:20:10.200 --> 00:20:11.379 to gird up your loins 00:20:11.379 --> 00:20:12.480 and set your hope 00:20:12.480 --> 00:20:14.299 fully on the grace of God. 00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:15.759 In fact, 00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:17.440 this command to gird up 00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:17.940 the loins 00:20:17.940 --> 00:20:18.759 was first given 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:20.019 during the Passover as well. 00:20:20.899 --> 00:20:22.079 In Exodus 12, 11, 00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:23.639 the Israelites are instructed 00:20:23.639 --> 00:20:24.980 to eat the Lord's Passover 00:20:24.980 --> 00:20:26.579 with their loins girded up 00:20:26.579 --> 00:20:27.439 and with sandals 00:20:27.439 --> 00:20:28.240 on their feet. 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:29.879 Because their exodus 00:20:29.879 --> 00:20:31.159 from Egypt was imminent, 00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:32.619 because God's deliverance 00:20:32.619 --> 00:20:33.419 was at hand. 00:20:36.819 --> 00:20:38.299 The message of the Passover 00:20:38.299 --> 00:20:39.879 is true for believers today. 00:20:40.679 --> 00:20:42.079 Your sins have been covered 00:20:42.079 --> 00:20:43.319 by the blood of the Lamb, 00:20:43.519 --> 00:20:44.699 by the precious blood 00:20:44.699 --> 00:20:45.639 of Jesus Christ. 00:20:45.960 --> 00:20:46.639 So now, 00:20:47.139 --> 00:20:48.379 gird up your loins 00:20:48.379 --> 00:20:49.379 and be prepared 00:20:49.379 --> 00:20:50.480 and sober-minded 00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:52.059 because your redemption 00:20:52.059 --> 00:20:53.460 is at hand. 00:20:55.180 --> 00:20:56.279 This is why 00:20:56.279 --> 00:20:57.599 we can set our hope 00:20:57.599 --> 00:20:58.279 fully 00:20:58.279 --> 00:21:01.360 in God's holiness 00:21:01.360 --> 00:21:02.299 because we are now 00:21:02.299 --> 00:21:02.940 His children 00:21:02.940 --> 00:21:04.640 and called to holiness as well. 00:21:05.079 --> 00:21:05.900 This is why 00:21:05.900 --> 00:21:06.960 we can set our hope 00:21:06.960 --> 00:21:07.819 in God's judgment 00:21:07.819 --> 00:21:09.180 because we have been ransomed 00:21:09.180 --> 00:21:10.460 from the futile ways 00:21:10.460 --> 00:21:12.339 inherited from our forefathers. 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:16.620 We do not obey God 00:21:16.620 --> 00:21:18.240 in order to earn His favor. 00:21:18.440 --> 00:21:19.140 We obey God 00:21:19.140 --> 00:21:20.180 because we are already 00:21:20.180 --> 00:21:20.900 His children. 00:21:22.060 --> 00:21:23.259 It says in verse 21, 00:21:23.980 --> 00:21:24.880 Through Christ, 00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:26.680 we are believers in God 00:21:26.680 --> 00:21:27.980 who raised Him 00:21:27.980 --> 00:21:28.720 from the dead 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:30.140 and gave Him glory 00:21:30.140 --> 00:21:31.580 so that our faith 00:21:31.580 --> 00:21:32.300 and hope 00:21:32.300 --> 00:21:33.240 are in God. 00:21:34.120 --> 00:21:35.320 We can have faith 00:21:35.320 --> 00:21:35.759 and hope 00:21:35.759 --> 00:21:36.480 because God 00:21:36.480 --> 00:21:37.500 has ransomed us. 00:21:37.880 --> 00:21:38.580 We can have faith 00:21:38.580 --> 00:21:38.980 and hope 00:21:38.980 --> 00:21:40.200 because Christ died 00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:40.880 in our place. 00:21:41.580 --> 00:21:42.780 This is how our hope 00:21:42.780 --> 00:21:44.160 in God's future grace 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:46.300 enables our present obedience. 00:21:46.299 --> 00:21:50.960 Gabriel Marcel 00:21:50.960 --> 00:21:52.740 was a French philosopher, 00:21:52.980 --> 00:21:53.759 a drama critic, 00:21:53.940 --> 00:21:54.379 playwright, 00:21:54.460 --> 00:21:54.919 and musician. 00:21:55.259 --> 00:21:55.740 I guess something 00:21:55.740 --> 00:21:56.759 of a Renaissance man. 00:21:57.399 --> 00:21:58.799 And he writes in his book, 00:21:58.919 --> 00:22:00.539 The Philosophy of Existentialism, 00:22:01.059 --> 00:22:02.419 that speaking metaphysically, 00:22:02.539 --> 00:22:03.919 the only genuine hope 00:22:03.919 --> 00:22:04.759 is hope 00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:05.879 in what does not 00:22:05.879 --> 00:22:06.879 depend on ourselves. 00:22:07.379 --> 00:22:09.180 Hope springing from humility 00:22:09.180 --> 00:22:10.460 and not from pride. 00:22:10.460 --> 00:22:12.600 And he adds 00:22:12.600 --> 00:22:13.579 in another one of his books 00:22:13.579 --> 00:22:15.559 that hope provides us 00:22:15.559 --> 00:22:16.480 with the foundation 00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:17.740 that allows humans 00:22:17.740 --> 00:22:19.640 who are radically contingent, 00:22:20.100 --> 00:22:21.160 frequently fickle, 00:22:21.360 --> 00:22:22.620 and generally weak 00:22:22.620 --> 00:22:24.019 to make a commitment 00:22:24.019 --> 00:22:25.799 that is unconditional. 00:22:28.039 --> 00:22:29.259 This is what he means. 00:22:29.380 --> 00:22:29.519 He said, 00:22:29.880 --> 00:22:30.600 If our hope 00:22:30.600 --> 00:22:31.860 is in our contingent, 00:22:32.039 --> 00:22:32.380 fickle, 00:22:32.500 --> 00:22:33.380 and weak selves, 00:22:33.640 --> 00:22:34.819 we will despair 00:22:34.819 --> 00:22:36.360 and be unfaithful to God. 00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:38.019 If our hope 00:22:38.019 --> 00:22:39.160 is in our contingent, 00:22:39.420 --> 00:22:39.720 fickle, 00:22:39.720 --> 00:22:40.920 and temporal world, 00:22:41.259 --> 00:22:42.259 we will despair 00:22:42.259 --> 00:22:44.220 and be unfaithful to God. 00:22:45.220 --> 00:22:47.019 It's only when our hope 00:22:47.019 --> 00:22:49.079 is in the future grace 00:22:49.079 --> 00:22:50.799 of our unchanging, 00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:52.220 eternal God, 00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:53.660 guaranteed to us 00:22:53.660 --> 00:22:55.059 by the precious blood 00:22:55.059 --> 00:22:55.660 of Christ, 00:22:55.920 --> 00:22:57.200 that we will, 00:22:57.380 --> 00:22:58.559 then we will be faithful 00:22:58.559 --> 00:22:59.400 to God. 00:23:01.079 --> 00:23:02.019 The hope 00:23:02.019 --> 00:23:03.460 in God's future grace 00:23:03.460 --> 00:23:05.779 enables our present obedience. 00:23:06.460 --> 00:23:08.220 So gird up your loins 00:23:08.220 --> 00:23:09.079 today. 00:23:09.720 --> 00:23:14.539 This past week, 00:23:14.660 --> 00:23:15.940 my parents were visiting 00:23:15.940 --> 00:23:16.660 from Seattle, 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:18.319 and my father told me 00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:19.539 a story that his father, 00:23:19.839 --> 00:23:21.160 that his father, 00:23:21.240 --> 00:23:21.980 my grandfather, 00:23:22.200 --> 00:23:22.900 had told him. 00:23:23.860 --> 00:23:25.700 And my great-grandfather 00:23:25.700 --> 00:23:26.180 and grandfather 00:23:26.180 --> 00:23:26.960 were sold into 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:27.920 household servitude 00:23:27.920 --> 00:23:28.799 due to poverty. 00:23:29.600 --> 00:23:30.259 And they lived 00:23:30.259 --> 00:23:30.720 at the house 00:23:30.720 --> 00:23:31.380 of their masters 00:23:31.380 --> 00:23:32.259 and worked for food. 00:23:32.259 --> 00:23:34.879 One of their regular chores 00:23:34.879 --> 00:23:37.099 was cutting up food, 00:23:37.720 --> 00:23:38.819 walking 20 miles 00:23:38.819 --> 00:23:39.940 into the commercial area 00:23:39.940 --> 00:23:40.779 carrying the lumber 00:23:40.779 --> 00:23:42.420 to sell the wood 00:23:42.420 --> 00:23:43.379 and come back. 00:23:44.839 --> 00:23:45.599 When they got 00:23:45.599 --> 00:23:46.480 to the commercial area, 00:23:46.700 --> 00:23:47.680 my great-grandfather 00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:48.500 would buy lunch 00:23:48.500 --> 00:23:50.119 for my grandfather, 00:23:50.599 --> 00:23:51.420 but would say 00:23:51.420 --> 00:23:52.519 that he is not hungry 00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:53.700 and buy a small piece 00:23:53.700 --> 00:23:54.759 of candy for himself. 00:23:54.759 --> 00:23:56.980 At the time, 00:23:56.980 --> 00:23:58.039 my grandfather 00:23:58.039 --> 00:23:58.980 didn't know any better, 00:23:59.079 --> 00:23:59.839 so he believed him. 00:24:00.539 --> 00:24:01.559 But when he relayed 00:24:01.559 --> 00:24:02.660 the story to my father, 00:24:02.779 --> 00:24:03.500 he was crying 00:24:03.500 --> 00:24:04.359 as he thought about 00:24:04.359 --> 00:24:05.700 how hungry his father 00:24:05.700 --> 00:24:06.379 must have been. 00:24:06.380 --> 00:24:10.200 The lunch that my great-grandfather 00:24:10.200 --> 00:24:11.420 always purchased for him 00:24:11.420 --> 00:24:13.160 became that much more precious 00:24:13.160 --> 00:24:14.960 and meaningful to him 00:24:14.960 --> 00:24:16.760 because he now understood 00:24:16.760 --> 00:24:17.480 how costly 00:24:17.480 --> 00:24:18.940 and sacrificial it was. 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:21.320 Brothers and sisters, 00:24:21.940 --> 00:24:22.860 do you know 00:24:22.860 --> 00:24:24.580 that you were ransomed 00:24:24.580 --> 00:24:26.100 from the futile ways 00:24:26.100 --> 00:24:27.800 inherited from your forefathers? 00:24:28.440 --> 00:24:30.360 Not with perishable things 00:24:30.360 --> 00:24:31.740 such as silver or gold, 00:24:31.740 --> 00:24:34.120 but with the precious blood 00:24:34.120 --> 00:24:35.120 of Christ. 00:24:36.380 --> 00:24:37.900 The grace 00:24:37.900 --> 00:24:39.980 that is freely extended to us 00:24:39.980 --> 00:24:41.740 comes at an infinite cost 00:24:41.740 --> 00:24:42.900 to our Heavenly Father. 00:24:43.440 --> 00:24:44.260 And he gave that 00:24:44.260 --> 00:24:45.360 which is more valuable 00:24:45.360 --> 00:24:46.600 than all of creation 00:24:46.600 --> 00:24:47.920 for our redemption. 00:24:48.380 --> 00:24:49.720 He gave his only 00:24:49.720 --> 00:24:51.920 beloved Son for us. 00:24:52.920 --> 00:24:54.160 Oh, remember 00:24:54.160 --> 00:24:56.900 that what you were ransomed with. 00:24:57.880 --> 00:25:00.040 Then set your hope fully 00:25:00.040 --> 00:25:01.440 on the grace 00:25:01.440 --> 00:25:04.280 that enables your obedience.