We are now three weeks into a study on 1 Peter. A letter sent to a group of churches in Asia Minor who were experiencing the cost of following Jesus. You see, it was a time that bearing the name Christian was a difficult thing to do. It brought great challenges and suffering and tremendous persecution every day – just because they were called Christians.
And in the midst of all of this suffering, they starting thinking to themselves, maybe I should just dump this whole Christianity thing because it’s going to be a lot easier if I just stopped following Jesus and started acting like everybody else.
And some were even thinking that their suffering was some kind of cosmic act of God because God was mad at them or he had forgotten about them.
And that's when peter steps in and writes this letter of encouragement; letting them know that they are not alone, God hasn’t left you, God isn’t angry with you. He’s as close to you now in your suffering as he’s ever been. So don’t give up.
And then Peter says something completely unexpected, “Rejoice”.
At first hearing, you would think that Peter is off his rocker and has lost touch of reality but Peter is very aware of the reality of bearing the name Christian. He knows firsthand the cost of following Jesus.
But he also knows that there is reason for joy in the great future God promises for us through his son, Jesus. And so he says, “rejoice in your new life in Christ and your future hope of resurrection through faith in Jesus Christ.”
In other words, as Christians you have a new way of looking at your problems; a different perspective.
The world suggests that we despair over our problems – and that we try to make lemonade out of lemons or try to experience our best life now – because this is it.
But as Christians, we have a hope of a future resurrection.
Last week, I gave you this image of a rope that represents a timeline of your existence.
You see this pink part; this would represent your time on earth. You’ve got a few short years here on earth and then you’ve got all of eternity somewhere else.
And Peter is saying . . . I know this part is really tough and you’re really struggling and you want to just give up but don’t lose perspective. “This time, this place, these circumstances are all part of God’s plan to bring about restoration and salvation for all people. You’re suffering isn’t something to run from, it’s something to embrace because it will give you an opportunity to show Jesus to the world.”
And then he reminds them that they are sons and daughters of God and by his Grace he has redeemed and restored them through the sacrifice of his son, Jesus. And that this same grace that redeemed and restored them will sustain them in this trial.
In fact, God is going to use this suffering to produce joy in you that is beyond anything you can imagine.
And that’s just the first 12 verses. We’re not even out of the gate yet.
And today Peter picks up and says, in light of your position as sons and daughters of God who have experienced the grace of God through his Son, Jesus, and who have hope of a future resurrection . . . Prepare your minds for action.
I actually prefer the King James translation which says “gird up your loins”. It stems from an ancient practice, long before the days of dry fit workout clothes and yoga pants, when people wore long robes and tunics.
In order to run, you would have to take the ends of the robes and pull them up between your legs and tuck them in your belt . . . gird up your loins . . . so you could run and not trip. So you could run unhindered.
Peter is saying . . . as you exist here in this pink part, bookend by grace; a grace that has already come and a grace that is yet to come . . . prepare your minds in such a way that you will run and not be weary. So you can run unhindered.
And then he describes three ways to prepare; holiness, fear of God, and love. All fueled by grace.
Holiness
Now this kind of holiness isn’t something that you just drift in to . . . like my kids don’t just drift into cleaning their rooms on their own. It doesn’t work that way. There’s going to have to be some preparation beforehand.
So in order to prepare for it, you have to know what it is . . . right?
I think that a lot of people think of holiness as morality. You know; do the right thing, never cheat, never lie, never smoke, don’t date people that do, and if you’re Baptist . . . never dance.
But holiness is so much more than morality. Yes, it includes morality but holiness, as described in scripture, is anything that has been set apart by God for his purposes . . . for his glory.
And when we look at scripture we see that anything can be deemed as holy.
• Things can be holy . . . in the Old Testament, we see the temple has been set apart as holy because it was where God dwelled
• The ground can be holy . . . Moses when he came upon the burning bush, God said take off your shoes because you are standing on holy. Ground set apart because it was where God dwelled.
And in this context, it’s people. As Christians who have been saved by Grace in Jesus Christ and in whom God spirit dwells, we are set apart as holy.
And so Peter is saying that we need to take our identity as sons and daughters of God who have been set apart and become reflections of God, who is holy.
Our whole beings; our minds, our hearts, our actions, our possessions that he has put on loan to us . . . they are all set apart so that we can glorify God and fulfill his purposes.
And as we live out our lives here on earth, in this pink part, we need to lean heavily into God’s grace . . . the grace that has already come and the grace that is yet to come . . . and the Spirit of God that dwells within us, that makes us holy, will shape and guide us and give us peace even in the midst of suffering.
Fear
The second place where we are to prepare ourselves is in the attitude of fear towards God. Now a lot of us get tripped up here because the God we know and serve and worship is a God of love and grace and so the idea of fearing God seems absurd but God is also in the position of judge.
But Peter’s words aren’t of terror inducing fear.
You’re not meant to read and think to yourself, “oh my gosh, God is going to look all the things I’ve done that have already caused me a lot of shame and guilt and he’s gonna call me out and shake his fist at me and judge me, and make bad things happen to me, and make me feel ever worse about myself and cause even more suffering so I had better step up my game and put on a better performance for God.”
That’s not what he’s saying.
That’s why he began his letter reminding them of their position in Christ. As a Christian, your sins have already been forgiven. Yes, there will be a throne of judgment but we’ll be standing there with Jesus by our side and we can say, “I’m with him”.
That’s why Paul comes right out the gate in Romans 8 and says, “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Jesus”.
The judgment Peter is referring to is found in 2 Corinthian 5. The judgment of the believers. When we stand before God and he takes account of what we did with our time here on earth. And those things that we did for our own glory will be tossed aside and those things that we did for God’s glory and for his kingdom will be all that remain. And based on those things, we will be rewarded.
This is why Jesus says, “Don’t store up treasure on earth but rather store up treasure in heaven.”
The fear Peter is talking about isn’t the kind of fear a slave has of his master, who knows that if they fail, if they really mess up . . . they will pay the price. Maybe even with their lives.
But rather it’s the fear of a child who holds the position of their father is such high regard that they want to do everything they can to bring honor to his name. This is a fear of reverence, not of terror.
So spend your days living for his glory. Set apart for him in holy and reverent fear. Receiving the grace that he’s given you so that he might transform you . . . even horizontally.
Love
Which is the third characteristic that sets us apart. The love we demonstrate towards one another in the body of Christ; the church.
• The truth is that we need support and encouragement.
• We need the church to be a place of refuge.
• We need a place filled with hope; where we remind ourselves and each other of the promises of God and that we’re not alone in this thing.
• To remind us grace; the grace that has already come through the suffering of Jesus and the grace that is yet to come.
So that we might be fueled to preserve in this time and be able to run the race, unhindered.
And what makes our love distinct are these things.
Sincerity; the Greek word here is hoop oh crean which is a theatrical term that literally means without a mask. In that time, actors would wear masks to become the characters they were playing. To be someone they were not.
It’s this same word that we get our English word, hypocrite.
Peter is saying, love one another without hypocrisy. Don’t put on masks when you come to church but rather bring your pain and suffering and get real with one another so that way we can better encourage one another.
And let this love you have for one another be from the heart. Let the love God has for us overflow from within us and express itself in our love for one another.
And if you just can’t do that . . . then it’s a great indicator that you haven’t fully understood God grace. Because when God’s love and grace fill you, you can’t help but love others.
This is what it means to be set apart in holiness, reverent fear, and in love.
Logos Dei, you have been chosen to be set apart. It doesn’t mean that we’re perfect. It doesn’t mean that we won’t continue to mess up. It doesn’t mean that our suffering will go away. But it gives us a new understanding of what it means to be Christians. Living now for a glory that is not our own.
And so as we gather together this morning let us remember the grace that has come, through the suffering and death of Jesus. And let us remember the grace that is coming.
And in the words of Peter, let us love one another deeply . . . for this will help us to run the race, unhindered.