Welcome to Day 2359 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Day 2355 – OUR LIVING HOPE – STAYING CLEAN IN A CORRUPT SOCIETY 1 PETER 1:13-21 – Daily Wisdom

Putnam Church Message – 04/14/2024 Our Living Hope – Staying Clean in a Corrupt Society 1 Peter 1:13-21   Last week, we began an extended, systematic study of the letters of 1^st and 2^nd Peter. Our message was “Smiling Through Suffering.” We highlighted the grace that strengthens us to go on in spite of our circumstances, and Peter shines the light on the resurrected Christ| not on us or the world| as the one reliable source of living hope in hurtful times. Peter emphasizes hope to go on despite suffering. This hope grows stronger as we focus on the relief we’ll enjoy in our heavenly home.| Still focusing on the believer’s life in this fallen world, Peter now shifts his emphasis from physical trials to spiritual temptations. If the question last week was, “How can I remain joyful while suffering?” the question this week is, “How can I stay clean in a corrupt society?” The Bible does not encourage us to become hermits, monks, or Utopians. Believers have a mission to accomplish in the world; therefore, we can’t afford to lock ourselves outside it. The Christian’s solution to the problem of holy living in an unholy world is not isolation; it’s insulation. This is why 1 Peter 1:13-21 challenges us to be different from our depraved society without fleeing to the caves, cloisters, or communes. Let’s begin our study reading 1 Peter 1:13-21 on page 1887 in your Pew Bibles. ¹³ Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵ But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”^{[a] 17} Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. ¹⁸ 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, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. ²⁰ He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. ²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. -1:13-16- I can imagine that Peter dictated the first twelve verses of his letter in a posture of praise as he paced the room in Rome where he was staying. Perhaps he stared out the window, directing his prayerful words partly to his secretary, Silas, and partly to his heavenly Father, as he praised Him for the living hope believers have through Christ. But then, after he spoke the words “angels are eagerly watching these things happen” in 1:12, I can picture Peter stopping in his tracks, closing his eyes, and taking a deep breath. His tone changes from exultation to exhortation, and he says, “So prepare your minds for action” (1:13). In other words, in light of the great salvation that has been lavishly poured upon us, it’s time to get serious. He fires off a series of staccato commands, one after the other. He might have used bullet points if he were writing in today’s style.

• Prepare your minds for action!
• Exercise Self-Control
• Put all your hope in the gracious salvation
• Don’t be conformed! (Live as God’s Obedient Childre NLT)
• Be holy!

Peter wants believers to realize that even though we live in a wicked world filled with thousands of daily trials and dark temptations, our focus must rise above the present circumstances. This means living by a higher standard than the world around us. That’s the meaning of “holiness” Peter’s addressing. The word Holy does not mean you live some ethereal pious life; it always means set apart for God’s purpose. Peter says it starts in the mind: “So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control” (1:13). But it leads outward, beyond ourselves: “Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.” According to 1 John 3:3, hope and holiness belong together: “And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.” (It sounds like Peter and John hung out often, doesn't it?) Peter then assumes their obedience in verse 14. It's not an unreasonable assumption if they were obeying the commands of verse 13; if they had prepared their minds for action, exercised self-control with regard to the world around them, and fixed their hope on the coming of Christ, obedience would come more easily. Their obedience took a specific form: “So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. (1:14). We've already seen how Peter and John used similar language regarding hope and holiness. Now, we observe a striking parallel between Peter and Paul. You may remember Paul’s language in Romans 12:2: “ Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Another reminder: Holiness starts in the mind. It includes a departure from ignorance and a renewal of your thought life. And it leads to conforming to Christ's holiness rather than the world's lusts. This leads to Peter's exhortation to holiness: Like the Holy One Himself, believers are to be holy (set apart) in all their behavior (1 Pet. 1:15). He reinforces this practical outworking of their hope and obedience by quoting the book of Leviticus. In Leviticus 11:44-45, God declared, For I am the Lord your God. You must consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. . . . Therefore, you must be holy because I am holy. In Leviticus 20:26, this same mandate is linked to the role of Israel as God's special people: You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own. Today, believers individually and the Church collectively are ‘set apart.’ What does it mean for Christians to be “holy”? In its primary sense, the term means to be set apart, that is, separated for a special, unique purpose. This is why marriage is sometimes called “holy matrimony." A husband and wife separate from their former family commitments as they commit themselves to each other in a unique, intimate relationship. We also call the Bible “Holy Scripture” because these writings, inspired by the Holy Spirit, are of such perfection that they have been set apart from all other human writings; however excellent and helpful other writings may be. So it is with God's people. Israel in the Old Testament and now Christians in the New are set apart for the glory of God. What's true in marriage is true in our relationship with God. Our gracious God declared us “holy" when we were saved, ‘set apart’ to enter into a permanent relationship with Him. But daily, we must continually remind ourselves of our holy calling, recommit ourselves to it, and live in it. In the same manner, I must recommit myself to Paula in marriage. Our relationship is set apart from all other relationships. Bulletin insert - This is why we should begin each day saying, “Lord, I set apart my mind for You today. I set apart my passion, my eyes, my ears, my lips. I set apart my motivations, my attitudes, and my disciplines. I set apart all these things to You.” This simple reminder will keep us moving toward the goal of holiness Peter mentions in 1 Peter 1:15-16. I urge you to do the same. —1:17 — Not only are we to live holy lives in light of our hope (1:13-16) but also conduct our walk in the fear of the Lord (1:17). I know we're living in a world that doesn't like to talk much about the fear of God. People don't mind talking about God's love, grace, mercy, and blessings; but to refer to God as the Judge who evaluates our work—this thinking bothers many people today, even Christians. But Peter doesn't hesitate to refer to the great holiness and justice of God, who demands allegiance to Him and reverence before Him. We would be wise to conform our attitude to Peter’s words rather than the world’s preferences. When Peter says, “And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray.” (1:17), If we're going to pray to God as “our Father,” then we must speak and act as “obedient children” (1:14). We should pledge our allegiance to Him and hold Him in high reverence, knowing that we will one day give account to Him for our time spent on this earth as believers. Hope again fills in the gap—but this is a realization that the hoped-for ascent to our heavenly dwelling will be accompanied by rewards directly related to the genuine quality of our lives. Paul gives us a similar sobering reminder: “Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.” (Rom. 14:12). In 2 Corinthians 5:10, he writes, For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. These verses refer to believers, not those who have rejected Christ. One day, believers will be brought before the judgment seat of Christ, where we will give account for our lives before God, and He will reward us accordingly. 1 Corinthians 3:15 makes it clear that even the believer who gains no reward will still be saved, but God's judgment will separate the quality things from the wasted things, which could be time, money, energy, and motives that tainted a believer's holiness. On this earth, Christians applaud other Christians who have dynamic ministries, impactful evangelism, and powerful testimonies. On the surface, some appear to be super-saints or have achieved celebrity status in the Christian realm. Regardless of all that admiration and applause, we must never forget God is the Judge. He alone knows the true motivation behind a person's life. In the final analysis, verse 17 says, He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” This is why our hope for heaven must induce us to holiness on earth.   -1:18-21 — Peter wants believers to live in holiness (1:13-16) and conduct their walk in reverent fear (1:17). He also wants them to focus their minds on Christ (1:18-21). Our focus must be on Christ because our primary battlefield is the mind. The enemy has his sights set on our minds. If he can get us to focus on something other than the hope we have in Jesus Christ, he will have won the battle; everything else will be just claiming the spoils of war. We live holy lives in reverence of the Lord (1:18-19), knowing that it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. ¹⁹ It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. Let me explain what this means. All those who don't know Christ are merchandise in the slave market of sin. Whether they realize it or not_; they are in bondage to desires, impulses, and ignorance— alienated from God, the one source of true freedom. They live in a condition where they cannot help or change themselves. Spiritually blind and shackled in sin, they are jostled and abused by the uncontrollable flesh, the alluring world, and the seducing demons. They continue to dwell in that futile, frustrating lifestyle passed down from previous generations. Their only hope is help from the outside. Christ provided that help at the cross, where His own blood paid the penalty for sin—death. He didn't pay in silver or gold—worthless scrap metal compared to the price of a human soul. No, Christ paid with His blood, breaking the chains, opening the door, and calling the unredeemed to step out of the bondage from which they had been purchased. That's redemption. The only thing keeping any person from receiving this freedom is their own decision to accept the free offer of eternal life, stepping from the darkness of futility into the light of a joyous, meaningful life. God, of course, knew our total emptiness—that we were helpless to work or buy ourselves out of sin's slave market. (1:20). God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake. And that plan meant that His eternal, divine Son would set aside His celestial comforts and privileges, take on full humanity, and voluntarily take the cross upon Himself on our behalf so that our faith and hope could rest in God. There is no other solid ground of hope in hurtful times than the fact that Christ Himself took it all on and rose victorious, ready to lead us to victory with Him. (1:21). Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. APPLICATION: 1 PETER 1:13-21 General Instructions for Christ's Ambassadors Christ didn't purchase us with His precious blood to turn us all into hermits, monks, and Utopians. We have been redeemed from slavery and called to be His ambassadors—special agents with a mission in the world. This requires us to stay clean in a corrupt society and to be representatives of light in a world of darkness. How can we do this? I have four suggestions I would urge you to remember. Think of them as your four general instructions as an agent or ambassadors of Christ sent on a mission into the world. We are ambassadors from the Kingdom of God to the world's empires! Bulletin Insert First, pay close attention to what you look at. That takes us back to 1 Peter 1:13—So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. Your eyes are the closest connection to your mind. They capture images that are alluring, attractive, sensual, and pleasurable. Take care of what you allow to pass through the gates of your eyes, especially when you're alone. To reinforce this principle, read Job 31:1, Colossians 3:1-2, and 2 Peter 2:13-14. Second, give greater thought to long-range consequences than to immediate pleasures. You'll notice that one of the characteristics of the world is that nobody ever mentions the disastrous consequences of pornography, an affair, or feeding your greed at the expense of your family. Walk through the consequences of your actions, thinking through the effects, naming the people whose lives will be harmed, and reminding yourself of the high cost of a ruined reputation. Journey through all the consequences of your actions. To help consider the consequences of sin, study Proverbs 7. Third, start each day by renewing your sense of reverence for God. Don't limit that to the church or Bible study. Start each day by investing time with the Lord. Sometimes, simply say, “Lord, I'm here. I'm yours. I give You my day. As inadequate and fragile as I am, I need Your help this day.'' Revere Him as the source of your power. Start each day by renewing that Father-child relationship. To remind yourself of the need to fear God daily, read Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 and 2 Corinthians 7:1. Fourth, refocus on Christ throughout the day. As people, events, and temptations cross your path, you’ll begin to drift from that original course. Whatever happens, realign your focus upon Christ. Even if it means regularly scheduling short times of prayer or reading your Bible or devotional during breaks or lunch. Take time to focus on Him throughout the day. Take a close look at Hebrews 12:1-2 to consider new ways to focus entirely on Christ. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. ² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.^[a] Because of the joy^[b] awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. We must stay clean in a corrupt society because we are ambassadors for the Kingdom of God to the Empires of the World! Next week, we will continue to explore the letter of 1 Peter in a message titled “Reasons for Pulling Together.” Invest some time reading 1 Peter 1:22 – 2:3 for next week’s message.