Holiness: Walking in the Newness of Life

Holiness: Walking in the Newness of Life

1 & 2 Peter: Faithful Endurance

1 Peter 1:13-25 - 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. 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.” 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. Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Main Idea: We are called to live differently than the world. 

I: Make up your mind to live differently.

While the indwelling Spirit of God makes it possible to walk in the newness of life, it doesn’t make it automatic.  

Listen to what Paul tells the church in Rome: Romans 6:1-7 - What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.

In other words, we have a choice in the matter.

1 Peter 1:13-17 - 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. 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.” 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,

A. Peter begins this challenge to live a holy life with a reminder, he writes, “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.”
B. The reminder is that our salvation is brought to us by the grace of God.  Remember last week? It was all about God’s mercy and the resulting grace of God.  So, the reminder is that you have been saved by grace through grace.
C. Now, he is pivoting from your salvation to how we live out that salvation.
D. He writes, “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” – Our lives should progressively look different from the time before we were saved by God’s grace.
E. He continues, “conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile” – that word “fear” is also translated as reverence – remembering who we are and who God is, should result in a holy fear.  And that fear should motivate us to holy living.

Main Idea: We are called to live differently than the world.

II: Look to Jesus as your example.

One of the best ways of learning something is watching someone else do it well.  It’s one of the reasons why YouTube videos are so popular for learning how to do something, like car repairs.  

When it comes to living a holy life, we have the best Teacher ever to learn from and to try to imitate.

1 Peter 1:18-21 - 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.

A. Before looking at Jesus as our example, Peter reminds his readers that they were ransomed and what they were ransomed with.
B. Ransomed from their futile ways (the Law- more than just the Ten Commandments, but all the rules the religious leaders added) by the precious blood of Christ.
C. Peter later makes clear that we are to mimic this Jesus who died for us with our lives: 1 Peter 2:21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
•1 John 2:6 - whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
•Ephesians 4:22-24 - to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
D. Jesus demonstrated the holy life, His Spirit empowers us to live holy lives, but we still have to deal with our flesh.  
Galatians 5:16 - But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

E. Is it even possible for us to live holy lives? 1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Main Idea: We are called to live differently than the world.

III: A holy life is not meant to be lived in isolation.

Far too many Christians spend time reading their Bibles but they don’t spend enough time with other Christians living our their faith. Christianity is a team sport!

1 Peter 1:22-25 - Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

A. Holiness is connected to how we treat each other.
B. You can’t claim to be holy and treat others poorly. – the term “holier than though” is problematic because it assumes someone who thinks they are better than others because they have somehow “arrived”.
C. So what does holiness look like? Hebrews 12:14-17 - Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
D. To be holy is to live life differently from the world. 

Main Idea: We are called to live differently than the world.

Conclusion

A few weeks ago, I challenged you to start asking one another a question: How is your walk? So, with holiness in view, let me ask you that question today, how is your walk?

I believe holiness is a process for us – but that means we should be taking steps to achieve a holy life, and those steps are besetting sins that you are gaining victory over.  

What steps have you taken and what are the next steps you need to take? 

Don’t take them alone, share what you are working on with someone else, and recognize your dependance on God – we need Him if we are going to take those steps.