02-08-09 Trust And Obey

We return this morning to our study of 1^st Peter,

a short but powerful letter

written by Peter to encourage his fellow Christians

who were going through some very difficult times.

For many of those who first read this letter,

now nearly 2000 years ago,

their loyalty to Christ,

their identification with Him,

and their willingness to call themselves Christians

was bring tremendous turmoil into their lives.

Many of those within the Nation of Israel

violently objected to their fellow Jews who became Christians

because their recognition of Jesus as the Messiah

freed them to let go of many of their Jewish religious rules and traditions.

They no longer offered blood sacrifices for their sins,

they no longer trusted or followed the legalistic leadership of the scribes and Pharisees,

and they proclaimed that this Jesus was indeed the Messiah promised by the prophets.

And the Roman Empire as a whole

found these Christians especially offensive

because they were so extremely narrow,

and so inflexible,

and as a result, so divisive in their proclamation of just one God,

a God who created all things,

a God to whom we all owe allegiance,

and before whom we will all one day bow.

Interesting, isn’t it,

the parallels between the 1^st century Roman world

and the society in which we live today.

The Roman Empire maintained its power in part

by allowing each conquered people group

to follow any belief system they chose,

to worship any collection of gods they chose,

to follow any preferred life-style they chose,

so long as they submitted to the Roman rule

and didn’t try to impose their belief system on anyone else.

Pay your taxes

and live with an attitude of tolerance toward others

and everything was fine.

Now doesn’t that sound remarkably like our nation today?

There are no absolutes,

there are no universal standards by which to measure a person’s life.

The key to success is tolerance -

each person can choose their own preferred life-style,

their own religious beliefs,

their own concept of morality

so long as they don’t infringe on the rights and freedoms of others.

The problem the first century Christians ran into

in their relationship with the Roman government

was that, having met their Creator personally,

and having submitted to His Lordship in their lives,

they simply could not deny what they knew to be true.

It was no longer a matter

of simply choosing their favorite religious system,

and then being tolerant and accepting

of others who chose differently than them.

Once they knew the truth there was no going back,

and having come into the light through faith in Christ

the darkness around them was all the more evident.

And those first century Christians

simply could not pretend they didn’t know what they knew.

Nor could they care about the people around them

without doing whatever they could

to point them to the truth as well.

And Rome hated them for it

because everywhere they went

these Christians caused turmoil and division.

And now here we are, 2000 years later,

in a society that wants so very much

to unite all people under a banner of tolerance and acceptance,

a society in which there are no absolutes,

there is no such thing as universal truth,

there is suppose to be only freedom, peace, and unity.

But then there are these Christians

who simply refuse to set aside what we know to be true

for the “greater good” of society.

We talk about morality as if it really mattered,

and having met the living God,

we simply cannot deny what we know to be the truth.

And here is the really sticky thing,

the thing that makes us such an irritant in this world -

it isn’t that we run around condemning others with our words or attitudes,

it’s that, because we live lives of growing moral integrity ourselves,

it makes those around us uncomfortable.

It’s just the way things are -

it’s the way they were then,

and it’s the way they are now.

But let me get us back to Peter.

There were times in the early years of the Church

when things became very difficult indeed for the people of God,

times when being a Christian

made their lives a whole lot harder.

And Peter wrote his first letter to his fellow Christians

to help them cope with some of the hard stuff

that came along with their union with the King.

As we’ve moved through his opening words

we’ve seen Peter begin his letter

by offering his readers two important truths.

The first is that, as Christians, we will always feel like aliens in a foreign land,

because we are.

And second,

he tells us that, though we will discover that we do not always fit well in the world systems around us,

yet there is another Kingdom in which we fit perfectly,

the Kingdom of God.

A short while ago

I happened to come across

a copy of a note that my wife, Sandee, had written to a friend who was facing a very difficult time.

What she had written

said better than I ever could

what I see Peter telling us in his opening words of this letter.

She wrote in part, “When the pressures and sorrows of life seem so overwhelming I like to escape to the eternal, remembering that one day soon this fleeting life will be over and I will be forever with the One who loves me most. This world truly is not my home - my joy and peace do not come from this life but from the One who is eternally good who is waiting for me.”

It is that understanding,

and only that understanding

that allows us to face and fulfill

whatever role our Lord has assigned to us on this earth here and now.

And this isn’t an age thing, you know,

it’s mostly about the audience we’re playing to,

and the place from which we’re seeking affirmation and approval.

If our point of focus is on what brings us the easiest life here and now

we may find some hiding place

but there is no way our lives, our being here will mean anything,

or change anything,

or make a difference

because there’s no way we’ll allow ourselves to hurt for another person’s good,

or to reach out to someone in need or in pain,

or to risk loving

because loving makes us vulnerable,

and forces us to relinquish control.

Only when we allow our Lord to be our ultimate audience

can we begin to make those sometimes difficult and painful choices

that bring about a life that helps change our world for good one hurting person at a time.

And that’s where Peter starts, writing...

1PE 1:1-2... to those who reside as aliens, ... who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father...

But that isn’t where he ends his opening comments.

He goes on to say that we ...are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood...

OK, I don’t know if you noticed it or not,

but in these opening two verses

Peter makes reference to God the Father,

God the Holy Spirit,

and God the Son.

He doesn’t try to explain how there is one God in three Persons,

he just accepts it

and then gives us a little insight

into the distinct roles that each Personality plays in our redemption.

Last week we talked about the Father choosing us,

about His being especially fond of each of us,

and about His selecting us for Himself because of the high value He places on us.

And then Peter goes on to comment on the Spirit’s role in all of this.

He tells us about the sanctifying work of the Spirit.

Now, I don’t know if you’ve fully appreciated this or not,

but this whole thing between us and our God is very personal to Him.

This is NOT religion as usual.

This is certainly not about God trying to get people to join His side,

or about movements,

or masses.

As we look at the role of the Father, the Spirit, and the Son in all of this,

we are going to see that it is always very personal indeed.

When our Lord was here on this earth

He never chose groups,

He never called masses,

and He certainly never ever tried to head up leadership of a throng.

Certainly He taught publicly,

but we never ever see Him counting votes to see if He’s going to win the election.

And whenever we see Him relating

it’s always one-to-one.

He didn’t organize special “Fishermen For Jesus” meetings

to see how many Galilean fishermen He could win over.

He called each one to Himself by name - Simon, Andrew, James, John...

And as Peter begins this first letter

we see once again

that it’s always personal between us and our God.

The Father chose you for Himself

and called you to Himself

because of His knowledge of you.

He likes you - He always has and always will.

And when the Spirit of God gets involved in your life,

accomplishing this “sanctifying work” that Peter talks about,

here again it is intensely personal.

He doesn’t just hand out a printed list of the moral commandments of God

and tell us all to do what it says.

He takes each one of us

with full knowledge of where all the broken places are,

all the lies we’re clinging to,

all those hiding places that keep us from the pain.

He knows not just where we continue to live lives of immorality or rebellion or fear or lack of faith,

but He knows why.

He knows the wounds that drove us to our lies

and He knows how to heal.

And even more,

He knows how to protect and guard us in the healing process.

You know what “sanctify” means, don’t you?

It means to set apart, to cleanse and purify, to make holy.

Sounds like something God would want to do in our lives, doesn’t it?

But do you know why?

Do you think He does what He does

because He’s offended by the sin

and feels compelled to rid the world of as much filth as possible?

Do you think He’s waging some kind of war against evil?

Sin never has been a threat to God

and it never will be.

Sin can never separate Him from His people,

nor can it in any way ever disrupt His plans and purposes on this earth.

He doesn’t fight evil within our lives

because He is threatened by the evil,

He fights evil in our lives

because He loves us

and He knows the destructive power of that evil in our lives.

And the most crucial thing of all for us to notice here

is the one thing we so frequently fail to realize -

it is the Spirit who accomplishes this sanctifying work within us.

It is not us trying to sanctify ourselves for God,

it is the Holy Spirit sanctifying us for Himself.

It’s a two step or perhaps more accurately two phase process.

It begins with a sovereign work accomplished within the human spirit by God,

a work in which the Spirit of God creates within us a new heart,

a heart that loves God,

a heart that longs to please Him.

That is part of what He accomplishes for us

the day we come to Him.

He sanctifies us at the spirit level -

sets us apart for Himself,

and makes us as holy and sinless in spirit as God Himself.

Then, with that work as the foundation,

He begins His sanctifying work within our souls - our personalities,

our minds and wills and emotions.

And that process, of course,

continues on as long as we remain within these physical bodies.

But even here

it is essential that we keep bringing this changing process back to Him,

that we share it with Him,

openly admitting to our God

that He alone knows not just where we’re struggling in our lives but why.

And He alone knows how to bring the healing

that will then allow us to choose righteousness, to choose obedience.

Sometimes the healthiest thing we can ever say is,

“Lord, I’m broken and I don’t know how to fix myself. Please, let the sanctifying work of the Spirit be accomplished within me.”

And then, after talking with us about the Father choosing us,

and about the Spirit sanctifying us,

Peter talks with us about our relationship with the Son, Jesus Christ.

And what he says about the Son

gives the best one-line description of the Christian life we’ll ever find.

He tells us that the Father chose us,

and the Spirit sanctifies us

so ... that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood...

And I want very much to find some way

of giving you this phrase

in a way that gives each of you

the foundation for your life it’s designed to be.

Do you know what the phrase is?

It’s the basis upon which

we can begin every day of our lives

with the right kind of quiet, hope-filled confidence.

The first part of the phrase is obvious -

it is the longing of our spirits,

and when we are thinking most correctly,

it is what we want the most - that I may obey my Lord Jesus Christ.

But right here is the sticky part,

the place where, if we don’t understand the basics of this relationship between us and our God,

we can so easily get ourselves in trouble.

Because none of us ever fulfill the longing of our spirit,

and unless we understand what’s really going on

we can leave ourselves wide open to needless and devastating attacks.

Maybe I can say this best by making it personal.

Every morning of my life

I begin with a heart longing to live a life that day

that honors and pleases my Lord Jesus Christ.

That isn’t because I’m a preacher.

That’s simply the imprint of the Spirit of God within me,

the expression of that new heart.

But every night I can look back over the day

and see places where I fell short of what my heart longed for.

Several years ago

I shared with you

a piece of paper that Chuck Crapauchettes handed me one Sunday morning.

He said he wanted me to have it

because it reminded him of me.

Then he sort of laughed and walked away.

I’ve carried it in my Bible ever since.

It says,

So far today, God, I’ve done all right.

I haven’t gossiped, I haven’t lost my temper,

Haven’t been grumpy, nasty, or selfish.

I’m really glad of that.

But in a few minutes, God, I’m going to get out of bed,

and from then on I’m probably going to need a lot of help.

Thank you.

He knew I’d like it

because...well because it’s saying exactly the same thing that Peter is saying to us here.

It captures both the heart of the Christian,

with that longing for a life that truly honors our Lord,

and at the same time expresses the reality

of the battle we face every day of our lives

in our efforts to be, in performance,

what we have already become in heart.

And in this one phrase

Peter is giving us the perfect balance -

... that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood...

In our spirits we long to please our King,

and yet our security with Him,

our foundation in this daily walk with Him

is not in whether we can pull that off perfectly - because we cannot -

but rather it is in the fact that we live forever sprinkled with His blood -

His blood poured out for us,

the absolute and total payment for all our sin forever

so that when we finish the day

and look back and see where we missed the mark,

and where we misread His leading,

and where we just plain allowed our flesh to run wild,

we can thank Him

that we are so much better than we would have been without Him,

and we are still His,

and we can look forward to tomorrow when we will once more walk with Him, sprinkled by His blood.

Never ever deny the great work God has already done within your heart -

the work that gives you a longing to live in perfect obedience to Him.

That is who you really are -

that is the new creation,

that is God’s great redemptive work displayed in you.

And yet never allow yourself to believe

that your union with Him

is built upon your ability to fulfill perfectly

that longing within you.

What we long for

and what we produce

will never line up perfectly,

and every day of your life

there will be some areas where you will be less than what your spirit longs for.

Peter knew what it was to long for a life the proclaimed the truth about His God,

and he also knew what it was to fail.

And what he offers us is a daily calling ... that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood.

Then, and only then will...grace and peace be yours in fullest measure.

Now isn’t that a nice way for Peter to start his letter to us?

Doesn’t it help to be reminded

that long before you even dared think about Him

God the Father chose you for Himself,

and God the Spirit was well pleased to involve Himself in your life at the deepest possible level,

sanctifying your spirit,

never leaving you, never quitting on you as He works daily for the daily redemption of your soul,

and God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, is well pleased that you bear His name

and that you live each day sprinkled with His blood.

And that isn’t where Peter stops with the good stuff, either.

And with what we see next week

it gets even better.