Hope in Future Grace

1 Peter 1, verses 13-21

1 Peter 1:13–21

And if you call on Him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds,

conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,

knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers,

not with perishable things such as silver or gold,

but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world,

but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you,

who through Him are believers in God,

who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory,

so that your faith and hope are in God.

The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio is just over two months away,

and I don't know what your favorite Olympic event is,

but mine has always been the 100-meter dash.

There's so much tension and anticipation leading up to one explosive 9-10 second race.

The sprinters are meticulous in their preparation before the start of the race,

their leading foot placed just behind the starting line,

their knee bent at a 45-degree angle,

their back foot placed firmly on the starting block,

and their arms fully extended to keep their torso straight.

And then when the announcer says,

ready, they raise their butts, set,

and their focus is razor-shower,

fully aware that their failure to be alert in this moment could cost them the race.

And as soon as they hear the gunfire,

they propel themselves powerfully to run the 100-meter dash.

This is the kind of readiness and preparation that Peter has in mind when he says in verse 13,

Therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded,

set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The word for preparing literally means to gird up the loins,

which was a familiar metaphor in the ancient world where men wore long robes,

and therefore had to pull up their robes and tuck them into their belt before any rigorous physical activity,

like running.

Jesus uses the expression in Luke 12, 35-36,

The idea that Peter is getting at here is that God's final vindication of his people is imminent.

Though our salvation has already begun, it has not yet been consummated.

And though the kingdom of God is already here, its fullness is yet to come.

So Christians, therefore, are marginalized and persecuted in this world

because their beliefs and values are not of this world, but of the world to come.

And because their ultimate allegiance does not belong to any authority here on earth,

but to God, and they will be delivered and vindicated when Christ returns.

This is why we ought to wait expectantly.

This is why we must be ready and keep our loins girded up.

The exhortation to be sober-minded conveys a similar idea.

The literal meaning, of course, means to be sober and not drunk,

but this too is a metaphor for readiness and attentiveness.

An inebriated person is unprepared for action in many ways.

Their inhibitions and sense of caution are lowered.

There is loss of balance and fine motor coordination,

so they can't drive or do complex things.

Their speech is slurred, and sometimes they speak too loudly or quickly.

Their muscle tones are loosed, and their reaction times are slowed.

And often, their reasoning ability is also compromised,

so that they are frequently confused.

And when the intoxication is quite severe,

the person can even lose consciousness.

This is a graphic portrayal of what it means not to be sober-minded.

And the sober-minded person, in contrast, is ready for action.

He is in full possession of himself, his body and mind, and is alert.

That is what Peter enjoins us to.

To set our hope fully on the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

He wants us to be prepared and committed to his future grace,

to God's future grace,

to set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Not partially or haphazardly,

but fully set your hope on the grace of Christ.

And this is important because hope in God's future grace enables our present obedience.

Like a sprinter who readies himself for the race at the starting line,

Christians ought to always have their hope set on their future grace.

Because it is this hope in future grace that enables us to obey God.

This passage teaches us about three things that should make us hope in God's future grace.

First is God's holiness.

And then second is God's judgment.

And third is God's ransom.

And my prayer for you this morning is that your understanding and appreciation for future grace

will be renewed and strengthened so that you wake each morning

and spend each waking moment with the readiness of hope.

So first,

Peter tells us that God's holiness should make us hope in God's future grace.

He says in verses 14 to 16,

As obedient children,

do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,

but as he who called you is holy,

you also be holy in all your conduct.

Since it is written,

You shall be holy,

for I am holy.

Peter calls believers obedient children.

This is picking up the theme from earlier in verse 3

where it says that God the Father has caused us to be born again to a living hope

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Christians are those who have been born again into the family of God.

Because we now have God as our Father,

we should, therefore,

be obedient children.

The Roman and Jewish cultures of the time

highly valued and legally required

the obedience of minors to their parents.

So Peter is simply saying

that just as it is right for children to obey their earthly parents,

we, the children of God,

should obey God, our Father.

And disobedience involves not being conformed

to the passions of our former ignorance.

In our former ignorance,

we devoted our lives to accumulating material possessions

here on earth

and saw wealth and prestige

as the measure of our success.

Blindly climbing the corporate ladder

and working long hours

for no meaningful reason,

but now,

we ought not to be confirmed

to those passions.

In our former ignorance,

we indulged in all kinds of sensual pleasures,

thinking that those temporary highs

were all that we had to live for,

hopping from one sexual partner to another,

both virtual and real,

but now,

we ought not to be conformed to those passions.

In our former ignorance,

we feared men rather than God,

groveling for their approval,

devastated by the slightest hint of disrespect or disapproval,

but now,

we ought not to be conformed to those passions.

Instead,

Peter says,

We have been called by the Holy One,

so we ought to be holy.

This is not an example of divine fayette,

a unilateral decree,

I am this way,

so you should be this way,

I am such and such,

so you should like such and such,

but rather,

this is an appeal to another feature

of paternal relationships

that was highly prized in antiquity,

imitation.

You see a vestige of this

in some of the common surnames of today.

For example,

those with the last name Baker

have ancestors who are bakers

that worked in the communal kitchen.

Those with the last name Smith

have ancestors who are blacksmiths

who created objects from iron and steel.

The last name Bauer

is from the German word meaning peasant

or farmer.

Until recently,

children were usually expected

to imitate their parents

and follow their respective professions.

So God says to His children,

You shall be holy for I am holy.

At an even more basic level,

we simply expect children

to be like their parents.

So we have a saying,

like father, like son.

When we meet a particularly attractive couple,

we assume that they will have

very good looking children.

When we meet a particularly intelligent couple,

we assume that they will have

very intelligent children.

Using the same logic,

Christians are the children of God,

the Holy One.

Therefore,

they should also be holy.

Earlier in verse 2 of chapter 1,

Peter had said that Christians

are elect exiles of God

in the sanctification of the Spirit.

Christians are, by definition,

those who are holy

because they have been indwelled

by the Holy Spirit.

Yes,

it is true that we are broken and sinful

and must become more and more holy as well,

but we are also already,

in a real and definitive way,

holy people.

It says in chapter 2, verse 5,

that we are a holy nation.

The command here is not in the present tense,

but in the aorist tense,

which means that it's not referring to

present ongoing action,

become holy,

but decisive,

one-time action,

show yourself holy

once and for all.

It's telling us,

you are a holy people,

so be holy.

You are the children of the Holy One,

so be holy.

It's only when we are secure

in our new identity

as the children of God,

only when our hope

is fully set on the reality

that the Holy One is our Father,

that we will be holy

in all our conduct

as obedient children.

No matter how those around us live,

no matter what anyone might say to us,

talk this way,

dress this way,

believe these things,

love these things,

and hate those things,

we must not be shaken

or caught off guard.

Rather,

we must always set our hope

fully on the holiness

of our Heavenly Father.

This is the first way

in which our hope

in future grace

enables our present obedience.

The second aspect of our hope

lies in God's impartial judgment.

It says in verse 17,

And if you call on Him

as Father who judges impartially

according to each one's deeds,

conduct yourselves with fear

throughout the time of your exile.

It might seem odd at first

to think of God's judgment

as a source of hope,

but if you reflect on it,

it is true that there is no hope

when there is no impartial judgment.

When bribes blind the eyes of the judge,

when the rich can hire expensive lawyers

to find legal loopholes,

when false witnesses rise up

against the weak and the few

to side with the strong and the many,

when judgment is partial

and justice is perverted,

the wicked prosper

and the righteous suffer,

the guilty are acquitted

and the innocent are punished.

There can be no hope

in this kind of environment.

But on the final judgment day,

God will judge impartially

according to each one's deeds.

His judgment will not be swayed

by money, power, fame,

or public opinion.

His judgment will be accurate

and exacting.

This is a wonderful future grace

that inspires Christian hope.

Our obedience will not be for nothing.

We will be vindicated

for all unjust suffering.

Our faith will be proven right.

Our hope in this future grace

will lead us to conduct ourselves

with fear throughout the time of our exile.

The prospect of God's impartial judgment

should leave our knees knocking.

But more than a simple terror,

it should also inspire awe

that leads to obedience.

To conduct ourselves with fear

is to think, feel, say, and do

everything before the face of God,

knowing that God sees everything.

The illusion of a private, secret life

incubates sin,

but a recognition that our Heavenly Father

always has us under His watchful eye

promotes holiness.

When you fudge some of the numbers

while filling out your taxes,

God sees.

God sees.

When you gossip with your friend

over the phone or on Facebook,

God sees.

When you are browsing through lewd websites

at wee hours of the night,

God sees.

When you flirt with illicit relations

while no one else is around,

God sees.

And when you say hurtful things

to your friends or family

in the privacy of your home,

God sees.

And this should strike

holy fear of God in our hearts.

And what is more,

the God who judges impartially

is our Father.

The fact that God is our Father

becomes the linchpin

of Peter's second exhortation as well.

He says in verse 17,

If you call on Him as Father

who judges impartially

according to each one's deeds,

conduct yourselves with fear

throughout the time of your exile.

And why is this significant?

In the same way that we'd expect

children who have a police officer

as their father

to show greater respect for the law,

or in the same way we'd expect

children who have a pastor

as their father

to show greater regard

for spiritual things,

Christians who have God

who judges impartially

as their father

should conduct themselves

all the more with fear

because we know our Father.

We have an intimate,

familial knowledge of Him.

We know that He is

an impartial judge.

And this should make us

all the more reverent toward Him

and make us conduct ourselves

with fear.

This is the second way

in which our hope

in God's future grace

enables our present obedience.

Now,

at this point,

many of us should be feeling

a bit uneasy

because if God truly is

the Holy One,

perfect in His holiness

and demanding of the same holiness

from us,

and if God truly judges

impartially

and we will each be held

accountable for every single

one of our deeds,

if God sees everything,

not only what we do,

but also what we say,

feel,

and think,

then we will not fare well

in the judgment.

So then,

how can we set our hope

fully on God's future grace

when the future holds for us

the impartial judgment

of the Holy God?

This is why Peter reminds us

of the basis for our hope

in future grace,

God's ransom.

It says in verse 19

that Christians were ransomed

from the futile ways

inherited from their forefathers,

not with perishable things

such as silver or gold,

but with the precious blood

of Christ,

like that of a lamb

without blemish or spot.

Mark 10, 45,

similarly says,

The Son of Man

came not to be served,

but to serve

and to give His life

as a ransom for many.

A ransom is a price paid

for the manumission of a slave.

It's the price for freedom.

And God ransomed us

from the futile ways

inherited from our forefathers,

so that we might have God

as our Father.

We have been ransomed

from the futile ways

inherited from our forefathers,

so that we now have,

as it says in verse 4 of chapter 1,

an inheritance kept for us

by our Heavenly Father.

We are no longer enslaved

to this sinful world.

We have been ransomed

by God.

And with what price?

Not with perishable things,

such as silver or gold,

but with the precious blood of Christ,

like that of a lamb

without blemish or spot.

This verse alludes to Exodus 12,

the Passover,

when before the Exodus

from their slavery in Egypt,

the Israelites are instructed

to take a lamb without blemish,

kill it,

and then to take some of the blood

and put it on the two doorposts

and the lintels of the houses

in which they eat it.

Then God promised the Israelites

that the Lord will pass through

to strike the Egyptians,

and when He sees the blood

on the lintel

and on the two doorposts,

the Lord will pass over the door

and will not allow the destroyer

to enter your houses

to strike you.

The night of the Passover,

the destroyer sent by God

killed all the firstborn sons

of the Egyptians.

But the Israelites were spared

because they had the blood of the lamb

on their doorposts.

As a result,

Israel was delivered

from their slavery in Egypt.

And not a single one

of these Israelites

deserved to be saved

from the destroyer.

Each one deserved God's judgment,

but they were saved

because God mercifully provided

a substitute,

this Passover lamb

whose shed blood in death

saves Israel.

This Passover lamb represents

and points to Jesus Christ,

who was the blameless Son of God

who bled and died

to save sinners.

And those who believe in Jesus

have been covered

by the blood of Christ.

And it's because

the righteous one

died for sinners

that we are now

holy in God's sight.

It's because the Son of God

died in our place

that we are now

the children of God.

Because God paid

this most precious ransom price,

we can now set our hope

fully on the future grace of God.

If you're with us today

and you're not a believer,

you must come to terms

with your desperate need

for redemption.

No one can redeem himself.

God alone can rescue.

He alone can save.

And He has provided

the only means

by which we might be saved,

the ransom price

of His own Son.

Reckon with this reality,

please,

before you leave the service.

What hope do you have

for eternity?

If you have placed

your trust in Jesus Christ,

then you have good reason

to gird up your loins

and set your hope

fully on the grace of God.

In fact,

this command to gird up

the loins

was first given

during the Passover as well.

In Exodus 12, 11,

the Israelites are instructed

to eat the Lord's Passover

with their loins girded up

and with sandals

on their feet.

Because their exodus

from Egypt was imminent,

because God's deliverance

was at hand.

The message of the Passover

is true for believers today.

Your sins have been covered

by the blood of the Lamb,

by the precious blood

of Jesus Christ.

So now,

gird up your loins

and be prepared

and sober-minded

because your redemption

is at hand.

This is why

we can set our hope

fully

in God's holiness

because we are now

His children

and called to holiness as well.

This is why

we can set our hope

in God's judgment

because we have been ransomed

from the futile ways

inherited from our forefathers.

We do not obey God

in order to earn His favor.

We obey God

because we are already

His children.

It says in verse 21,

Through Christ,

we are believers in God

who raised Him

from the dead

and gave Him glory

so that our faith

and hope

are in God.

We can have faith

and hope

because God

has ransomed us.

We can have faith

and hope

because Christ died

in our place.

This is how our hope

in God's future grace

enables our present obedience.

Gabriel Marcel

was a French philosopher,

a drama critic,

playwright,

and musician.

I guess something

of a Renaissance man.

And he writes in his book,

The Philosophy of Existentialism,

that speaking metaphysically,

the only genuine hope

is hope

in what does not

depend on ourselves.

Hope springing from humility

and not from pride.

And he adds

in another one of his books

that hope provides us

with the foundation

that allows humans

who are radically contingent,

frequently fickle,

and generally weak

to make a commitment

that is unconditional.

This is what he means.

He said,

If our hope

is in our contingent,

fickle,

and weak selves,

we will despair

and be unfaithful to God.

If our hope

is in our contingent,

fickle,

and temporal world,

we will despair

and be unfaithful to God.

It's only when our hope

is in the future grace

of our unchanging,

eternal God,

guaranteed to us

by the precious blood

of Christ,

that we will,

then we will be faithful

to God.

The hope

in God's future grace

enables our present obedience.

So gird up your loins

today.

This past week,

my parents were visiting

from Seattle,

and my father told me

a story that his father,

that his father,

my grandfather,

had told him.

And my great-grandfather

and grandfather

were sold into

household servitude

due to poverty.

And they lived

at the house

of their masters

and worked for food.

One of their regular chores

was cutting up food,

walking 20 miles

into the commercial area

carrying the lumber

to sell the wood

and come back.

When they got

to the commercial area,

my great-grandfather

would buy lunch

for my grandfather,

but would say

that he is not hungry

and buy a small piece

of candy for himself.

At the time,

my grandfather

didn't know any better,

so he believed him.

But when he relayed

the story to my father,

he was crying

as he thought about

how hungry his father

must have been.

The lunch that my great-grandfather

always purchased for him

became that much more precious

and meaningful to him

because he now understood

how costly

and sacrificial it was.

Brothers and sisters,

do you know

that you were ransomed

from the futile ways

inherited from your forefathers?

Not with perishable things

such as silver or gold,

but with the precious blood

of Christ.

The grace

that is freely extended to us

comes at an infinite cost

to our Heavenly Father.

And he gave that

which is more valuable

than all of creation

for our redemption.

He gave his only

beloved Son for us.

Oh, remember

that what you were ransomed with.

Then set your hope fully

on the grace

that enables your obedience.