Be Holy

Well, good evening. It's a privilege to be here tonight and to go through this passage with you all.

And I'm just going to commit the time to God in prayer before we start.

God, Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you that it is available in our own language

and in many different translations and versions.

And we pray that tonight as we go through it, that you will speak to each one of us

and that we will grow in our Christian faiths.

And that if we aren't a Christian here tonight, we will be challenged as to what that means

and the response that we need to give to that question.

So we ask your blessing on this tonight and pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

So we're looking at 1 Peter over seven weeks.

And last week, Luca took us through the first 12 verses of 1 Peter.

So it's always good to know the context of what we are studying.

So in case you weren't here last week, 1 Peter is a circular letter written to non-Jewish Christians.

By that, I mean it was a letter written to be passed around the churches in Asia Minor,

which is modern day Turkey.

And it was for them to read to the congregation.

And it was mainly to the Gentiles or the non-Jews.

It was written during the reign of Emperor Nero, which is around 54 to 68 AD.

And so it's only 20 to 30 years after Jesus' ascension from the earth.

And it's called 1 Peter as it was written by the Apostle Peter.

And the main purpose of his writing was to encourage and challenge the Christians

to be distinct disciples in the world, even in the face of suffering.

So if you were here last week, you should have left thinking,

our salvation is great.

Our home is in heaven.

That is where we're going to.

We are to rejoice in this fact, even though we might be suffering right now.

The knowledge of our salvation and that our home is in heaven

puts our current suffering into perspective.

And it's from this point that I want us to start tonight.

The title for this week is Be Holy.

There we go. Lovely.

Be Holy.

So I think to start off, we need to know what that means

because holy is a difficult word.

We don't use it in everyday language.

So it's important to get to grips with it.

So Oxford Dictionary, always helpful,

defines holy as being devoted to the service of God

morally and spiritually excellent.

But as with many words, they can mean various things

in various contexts and situations.

So here we're going to translate holy as sacred,

fast forwarding, sacred, pure, morally blameless, set apart.

And I want you to keep this definition in your head

as we go through the passage tonight.

We are called to live holy lives as Christians in the world.

We're to be representatives of God,

blameless and morally upright among men.

We've been set apart by God,

made right before him to a life of distinct discipleship.

We are to be holy.

Have you ever held up a white shirt or maybe a bed sheet

and you think, oh yeah, that still looks good and clean,

only to put it beside a brand new one

and you find in fact it's more slightly yellow than white.

Now as much as the adverts of Daz or Purcell

will have you believe,

you can never get a shirt back to its original white.

Not sure if you can see that,

but one of them is slightly more yellow than the other.

We were once sinners.

We were once sinners dressed in filthy rags.

But as Christians, we have been made new,

clean, as white as snow by the Lord Jesus.

Now we aren't to go against this and roll around in the mud as it were.

We're to live holy lives,

giving praise to God for the position he has put us into.

We're to constantly compare ourselves,

our conduct and words,

to our ultimate example who is the Lord Jesus,

who lived a perfect life here on this very same earth that we are on.

So it's a large passage tonight

and I'll not be going through each part in detail,

but I would highly recommend you go home this week

and study it through the course of the week.

There's so much that we can take from this passage.

We're going to roughly split it in half

and we're going to look at 1.13 to chapter 2, verse 3

with the heading of,

we have been made holy

and looking at 2.4 to 10

with the heading of,

so we are to be holy.

And hopefully that will make more sense by the end.

So let's start with a question.

Are you holy?

We are called to be holy.

Read with me in verse 15.

But just as he who called you is holy,

so be holy in all you do.

For it is written,

be holy because I am holy.

The second part of this verse is referenced in Leviticus 11.44

where God is commanding the Israelites to be holy

and not to defile themselves by eating unclean animals.

You can check that up later on.

If the Israelites did eat an animal that was unclean,

then they themselves would become unclean

and they would have to follow the specific commandments

to be made clean again.

Now if you're a Christian,

this is what is being asked of you.

We are called to be holy.

We're called to be clean in the sense of not sinning

and following God's instructions.

And this isn't something we can nod along to and go,

yeah, I'll get to that at some point in the future.

We're to live a life that is completely different

to those around us.

We are to live lives which shine for Jesus

by both what we do and what we don't do.

Our words and actions are to point to the one

by whom we have life and have it to the full,

as Graham was telling us this morning.

So what does that entail, practically speaking?

Helpfully, this passage takes us through

what this looks like.

If you follow me down the passage in verse 14,

we see that as obedient children,

do not conform to the evil desires you had.

Verse 17, live out your time as foreigners here

in reverent fear.

Verse 22, love one another deeply from the heart.

Chapter 2, verse 1, rid yourselves of all malice

and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

And 2, verse 2, crave pure spiritual milk

so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.

Going back to the context of the passage,

which is always good practice.

Peter was writing to people who were suffering

and they were about to suffer even more severely

in the short-term future.

How much of a greater impact would these actions

we've just heard have on those

who are watching these Christians?

When times are tough, it doesn't give us an excuse

just to ignore these commandments

and just do whatever we want.

We're to be shining lights in the world

and it is in the darkest places

that the light shines brightest.

Let's go in through them.

Do you obediently do what God says at all times,

fleeing from sin and your old ways,

as verse 14 would tell us?

We have been made new.

We have a fresh start.

We can't go back to being slaves to sin,

letting our evil wants take over

and rule our lives.

Do you live as a foreigner,

not fitting in because you don't actually

belong here anymore,

as verse 17 would tell us?

Our home is in heaven.

In Edinburgh, you can spot a tourist a mile away.

Maybe that they're wearing unusual clothes

or speaking in a different language

or maybe they're actually just looking up and around

rather than at their phone or the pavement.

Basically, it's because of what they're saying

and what they're doing.

We have to be the same.

By our actions and words,

we are to be radically different in the world,

making people stop and think,

why are they different?

Why do they bless others

when they are suffering themselves?

We're to love one another deeply from the heart,

as verse 22 would tell us.

We're to be selfless in order to serve others

and put them first.

We're not to be friendly and loving on the surface,

but underneath, envious and spiteful.

We're to flee from all talk,

which puts others down.

It goes against who we are now as Christians

and isn't true or is hurtful to others.

2 verse 1 tells us we're to flee from those things.

There's always the phrase,

sticks and stones may break my bones,

but words will never hurt me.

How untrue is that phrase?

Words and what people say to each other

can be the most damaging of all.

I once had a guy who'd recently been started

going along to a church

and he said to me,

why would I want to become a Christian?

They all speak so badly about one another.

That's not to be us.

We're to be pure in word,

building each other up

and encouraging our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Finally, we're to crave spiritual milk.

That's God's word

in order to grow as Christians.

2 verse 2 tells us.

Being a Christian means to be Christ-like

and we can only be Christ-like

in our words and deeds

by learning more about him.

That's why it's so important

to read your Bible

and to come to occasions like this

where the Bible is taught.

The bracelets were popular

and they still are.

Say, WWJD,

what would Jesus do?

That should be our first thought

in any situation that we face.

He is our ultimate example and guide.

Now this is no short order

and I don't expect you to sit there

and go tick, tick, tick.

Yep, what next?

The truth is that we fall short

and we can't do this on our own.

We fail and we're weak

but this is exactly the point.

We can't do this on our own.

We need God's help.

Verse 18 to 21.

These verses explain

what our hope rests in.

Not imperishable things

but in the imperishable.

If you read with me

verses 24 and 25,

they explain

that all people are like grass

and their glory

is like the flowers of the field.

The grass withers

and the flowers fall

but the word of the Lord

endures forever.

It's what Christ has done

that matters

not who we are

or what we have done.

If you're a Christian here today,

if you aren't a Christian here today,

then you need to be made right

with God.

God is holy.

Completely separate

from sin and evil.

We on the other hand

are sinful.

We are all guilty.

Not a single one of us

lives a life without sin.

Our sins hurt others

and God in the process.

This means that God

being holy

is separate from us

in our sinful state.

There is this divide

which we cannot cross.

People try and bridge this gap

with good deeds.

Go into church

or some sort of balance system

where you do more right

than wrong

and you'll be okay in the end.

But none of that's good enough.

All our attempts

to be holy on our own

are futile

and they will fail.

Verses 18 and 19

read with me, say,

For you know that it was not

with perishable things

such as silver or gold

that you were redeemed

from the empty way of life

handed down to you

from your ancestors

but with the precious blood

of Christ

a lamb without blemish

or defect.

Only by trusting

in the Lord Jesus

can we be reconciled

to God

through Christ

and his redemptive sacrifice.

Jesus paid the price

for us.

He redeemed us

so that we can be set free

from a life of slavery

to sin

to a life of freedom

and a close relationship

with God.

Only Jesus could have

bridged that gap

between us and God

as he was fully man

and yet fully God

lived a sinless life here.

he gave up that life

so that sinful people

that's you

that's myself

so that we could have

that close relationship

we could be saved

from that eternity

separated from God

which is what we call hell

to an eternity with God

which is what we call heaven.

Jesus took our place

he took the punishment

that we deserve

so that we could become

children of God

adopted sons and daughters

of the living God

and it didn't just end there

Jesus was raised again

to life

as verse 21 tells us

by God

to show that death

was defeated

and the redemptive work

was complete.

How amazing is that?

We've been made holy

by Jesus' work

by the shedding of his blood

that is what our hope rests in

and this isn't a hope

that is unsure

but an assured hope.

We don't rely on anything

that we've done

but on what Christ has done

and this is a good job

because we aren't good enough

and we can never meet

God's perfect standard.

If you're sitting there today

knowing that you've never accepted

the Lord Jesus as your saviour

asking him to come into your life

and to forgive you

for your sins

then you need to act.

I'm struck by the words

of the hymn

and I'm very thankful

that we've sung it already

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus

O precious is the flow

that makes me white as snow

No other fount I know

Nothing but the blood of Jesus

We are to be holy

We are to set our hope on Jesus

Verse 13

The founder and perfecter

of our faith

We are to live our lives

obediently

Verse 14

As foreigners

17

Loving one another deeply

22

Ridding ourselves of all impure talk

2 verse 1

Craving God's word

2 verse 2

He is the ultimate example

and guide in our daily lives

We can learn about Jesus

and his life on earth

in the Bible

and it can be trusted

because unlike us

the word of the Lord

endures forever

as verse 25

tells us

Second half

moving into the

second part of our passage

We're called to live lives

of praise

prayer

and service

There's an identity crisis

going on in the world today

The idea of who someone is

and what defines them

is massively changing

I remember my grandfather

used to say

that he used to be known

as Tom's boy

or Jane's girl

and you would introduce yourself

and it would be the first thing

you would say

I'd say

Hi I'm Jonathan

son of Paul and Denise

But nowadays

we introduce ourselves

by our job

don't we?

You know

we say

Hi I'm Jonathan

I'm working the family business

Among young people

there's an identity crisis

with people not knowing

of who or what

they identify to

and this matters so much

because their identity

also defines them

and is as much a part of them

as their legs and arms

This passage tells us

that our identity

is in Christ

and we should really be saying

Hi I'm Jonathan

a Christian

In verse 5

we're called living stones

which are being

you can read with me

being built into a spiritual house

to be a holy priesthood

offering spiritual sacrifices

acceptable to God

through Jesus Christ

A spiritual house

is a house

in which God dwells

In Old Testament times

this was the tabernacle

and then later on

the temple

Now the priests in the temple

they would have various roles

and responsibilities

but ultimately

they were to serve

and bring praise to God

However this did not give

the priests

unlimited access to God

The high priest

could only enter

God's presence

once a year

into the place

called the Holy of Holies

We are a spiritual house

because God dwells in us

from the moment

that we become a Christian

God no longer dwells

in a temple

or a building

but in his people

We are living stones

of the spiritual house

being the church

with Christ as the cornerstone

as verse 6 and 7

tells us

Now there's much debate

as to what this actually means

or what stone in the building

it's actually referring to

Is it the capstone?

Is it the cornerstone?

But ultimately

Jesus is the indispensable stone

He is the one

who holds us all together

and aligns us correctly

We're not on our own

We have Jesus as our head

and as our foundation

We're described as being

a holy priesthood

in verse 5

and a royal priesthood

in verse 9

We have unlimited access

to God's presence

That's a mind-blowing statement

We have unlimited access

to God's presence

What a privilege

and a responsibility that is

When remembering Christ's death

on the cross

I've always been struck

by the curtain in the temple

being torn in two

from top to bottom

Now this curtain

was a heavy, thick

woven piece of material

which separated the holy place

to the holy of holies

which is where God's presence appeared

So Jesus' death on the cross

meant that man had direct access

to God's presence

We're to appreciate the gravity

and the opportunity

of this fact

We're all priests

with responsibilities

to serve

to praise

and to pray

Are you praying?

We're to pray for those around us

Our non-Christian friends

family, colleagues

our brothers and sisters in Christ

who may be rejoicing

or they may be suffering

We're to pray for our country

our government

our world

We're to go with thankfulness

in our hearts

for all that God has done for us

and the blessings

that he heaps upon us

We're to pray

with that reverent fear

knowing that we are

in the presence

of the holy God

and yet with the knowledge

that we are blameless

before him

because we are adopted

as his children

Wouldn't it be

of great encouragement

if we all knew

that we were fervently

praying for one another?

I'll ask again

Are you praying?

We're also to offer

spiritual sacrifices

as verse 5 says

Once again

in Old Testament times

the priests

were to carry out

duties of sacrificing

and presenting offerings

to God

Elsewhere in the New Testament

there are passages

about what these

spiritual sacrifices are

and some of these

sacrifices are

I'm going to read

the references out

in case you're making notes

or want to look them up

later on

In Hebrews 13

Hebrews 13:15

verse 15 and 16

some of these

spiritual sacrifices

are praise

good works

are possessions

Romans 12 verse 1

Romans 12:1

tells us that our body

is a spiritual sacrifice

Romans 15 and 16

says that service

is a spiritual sacrifice

We're to give God

the praise

that he deserves

for what he has done

and that he is doing

for us

We're to do good works

in order to bring him glory

We're to share

our possessions

and be hospitable

and selfless

in all situations

and to all people

We're to give our bodies

and have complete commitment

to God's ways

We're to serve God

in whatever he would

have us to do

using our God-given gifts

to do so

Once again

this is no easy task

but by relying on Jesus

the foundation

and cornerstone

of our faith

we can live a life

worthy of the calling

that we have received

Our sacrifices

are not perfect

but Jesus mediates

to make them perfect

before the Father

so we aren't to shy away

in fear

from our responsibilities

and our privileges

Finally

verse 9

is a great encouragement

to finish this section

You can read with me

But you are a chosen people

a royal priesthood

a holy nation

God's special possession

that you may declare

the praises of him

who called you

out of the darkness

and into his wonderful light

Our identity is in Christ

We have gone from being a nobody

to being a child of God

We have gone from being

a temple of sin

to a royal priesthood

We are chosen

God's special possession

Going back to who

this was written to

Imagine for a moment

the Gentile

the non-Jewish Christians

who were hearing all this

You know these phrases

which spoke of

God's people

the Jewish nation

the Israelites

and they were being described

in the same way

and it's true for us

tonight as well

These truths would have

given such comfort

at a time

when these people

were suffering

and they would go on

to suffer even more

These words should be

an encouragement

for us here today

whether we're going

through tough times

or not

We are chosen

a royal priesthood

a holy nation

God's special possession

Verse 10 says

Once you were not a people

but now you are

the people of God

Once you had not

received mercy

but now you have

received mercy

Summing it up

We have been made holy

by the redeeming work

of the Lord Jesus

We're therefore

to be obedient

as foreigners

in the world

loving one another

deeply

ridding ourselves

of all malice

craving spiritual milk

which is God's word

We do so by setting

our gaze on Christ

and his coming

when we will be

made new

and spend eternity

with him

in heaven

We are a holy priesthood

and have the privilege

and responsibility

of praying

and offering

spiritual sacrifices

to God

We're to put others

first

serving God

where he has placed us

and using the skills

and gifts

that he has given to us

We can take comfort

that we are chosen

We have received mercy

and are the people

of God

Our identity

is not in our job

It's not in where

we come from

or how many Instagram

followers we have

It is in Christ

We are to live this out

in the world

being shining lights

for God

in the darkest of places

Like we thought about

at the beginning

we've been made clean

as white as snow

not just the sort of

off-white

like your shirt

or your sheets

when they've been

through the wash

We've been made new

and so we aren't

to roll around

in the mud

and ruin what

has been done

for us

We are to live

holy lives

relying on God's

help

bringing the praise

and the glory

to him

and we're to be

constantly comparing

ourselves

to Jesus

who is our

perfect example

My friend got

married in the summer

and they had a hymn

which at the time

I hadn't heard before

but we've sung it

quite a bit since

and I've sung it

in the car even

more often

and I think songs

and hymns often

have a way of

saying things

so concisely

and succinctly

that just sum things up

and it's really powerful

So I'm just going to

finish with the words

of this

It's yet not I

but through Christ

in me

No fate I dread

I know I am forgiven

The future sure

the price

it has been paid

For Jesus bled

and suffered

for my pardon

and he was raised

to overthrow the grave

To this I hold

my sin has been defeated

Jesus now

and ever is my plea

Oh the chains are released

I can sing

I am free

Yet not I

but through Christ

in me

I'm just going to pray

to close

God and Father

we thank you

for your word

we thank you

that we

as Christians

have been made holy

by the work

of the Lord Jesus

We thank you

that it has nothing

to do with ourselves

that we

would never be good enough

going it alone

We pray that

as we

rely on you

day by day

that we will

fulfill our duties

as priests

that we will

bring praise

to you

we will serve

others

and that we

will pray

we pray

that we will

look out for one another

in our

daily lives

and in the struggles

that we go through

and that we will support

those who are suffering

and going through

tough times

so we thank you

for your word

and we pray

that these things

will continue

to have an effect

as we go away

from here

and I ask that you

will bless

our weeks

going forward

whatever that may

look like

we pray all these

things in Jesus name

amen

amen

amen

again

and

time

to repeat

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