Are you properly motivated?

1 peter 1:13-21

CE and Bible translations pamphlet

Scripture introduction: this is the 5th sermon in our 1st peter series…

Scripture reading: 1Pe 1:13-21 ESV 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. (14) As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, (15) but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, (16) since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." (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, (18) knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (20) He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you (21) 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.

Prayer for illumination:

Sermon Introduction: Several months ago we started training our youngest son to come when we called him.

At this point he had no clue what the command – “Peter come” meant so we had to train him. One night I brought home a bag of peanut M&M’s and I gave half the bag to my wife and kept half the bag for myself. We sat on our dining room floor about 25 feet apart with Peter between us. I held up an M&M and said “Peter come”. I did not have to ask him twice. He was now highly motivated to run to me. Then a few seconds later my wife held up an M&M and said “Peter come.” And sure enough he ran right to his mother. Again he was highly motivated. We did this several times with the candy and amazingly it worked every time.

Next we put the candy away and tried to see if he would still come. I said – “Peter come” and he came and tried to pry open my hand looking for the candy but I did not give him any. Heidi said- “Peter come” and he walked to his mother but her candy was gone as well. Then I looked at him and said “Peter come” and he sat in his mother’s lap. He knew that I was not going to give him candy anymore. His motivation disappeared with the candy.

Without proper motivation he was not going to budge. We are all the same way. With the right motivation it is amazing what people are willing to do. The key is finding out what motivates us. This is especially true in the Christian life.

On a scale of 1-10 how motivated were you this week to live the Christian life? Do you want to be more motivated? One of the reasons we make such little progress in the Christian life is lack of proper motivation. This brings us to 1 Peter 1:13-21. We see in these verses that proper motivation is the key to holiness…

Again the message is simple proper motivation is the key to holiness!

To understand this we are going to look at two things this morning-

The mandate to be holy!

The motives to be holy!

First, the mandate to be holy

What does it mean to be holy? It means to be set apart! Look with me at verses 14-16. “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, (15) but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, (16) since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

In these verses Peter defines holiness by talking about its opposite. The opposite of being holy is found in verse 14 – “do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.” In other words one who is holy does not live like they used to before they were Christians.

Instead of living like we used to verse 15 tells us to be holy as God is holy. To be holy literally means to be set apart or different. It is also a call to moral purity.

Peter is quoting directly from the book of Leviticus where God says “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” Because this is so important God repeats this command four times in the book of Leviticus.

God wants us to live lives that are different or set apart from the surrounding culture. Therefore, he commands us to be holy. Is holiness your passion?

Illustration: Unfortunately holiness is not the passion of the evangelical church in America. Those who claim to be Christians live just like the surrounding culture. Here is what pollster George Barna has discovered about those who claim to be Christians in America-

“The likelihood of married adults getting divorced is identical among born again Christians and those who are not born again.” “Among born again Christians adults, only 8% tithe their income to their church; 16% give no donations to their church throughout the year.”

“Born again Christians spend seven times as much time on entertainment as they do on spiritual activities.”

“Among born again Christians- 10% believe that people are reincarnated after death, 29% claim it is possible to communicate with the dead, and 50% contend that a person can earn salvation based upon good works.”

“Substantial numbers of Christians believe that activities such as abortion, homosexuality, sexual activity (outside of marriage), cohabitation, drunkenness and viewing pornography are morally acceptable.”

Recently I heard from a friend that his “Christian Contractor” stole $30k from him. How tragic!

Many who claim to be Christians live just like the world!

What does it mean to be holy? It means to be set apart….

How far does holiness extend? To every square inch of our lives! Look with me again at verse 15 “but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,” We must not be selective about which area of our lives we will submit to king Jesus. We must be holy in all our conduct. What does the world all mean? It means all!!!

Our view of sexuality must be different from the world’s view of sexuality

Our speech must be different from the world’s speech

Our response to criticism and correction must be different…

Our attitude towards the boss must be different…

Our spending must be different from the world’s spending

Our entertainment choices must be different from the world’s entertainment choices

Our dress must be different…

Our use of free time must be different…

Our work ethic must be different from the world’s work ethic

Our response to trials and adversity must be different than the world’s response to trials Our level of faithfulness must be different from the world’s faithfulness

I’m not saying that Christians are better than non Christians I’m simply saying that God calls us to be holy in every area of life.

Not only must we be holy in all our conduct. This also implies we are holy all the time.

We are holy when we are at work

We are holy when we are at home

We are holy at the athletic club

We are holy while on vacation

We are holy with our non Christian friends

We are holy when with our extended family

Nothing in life is neutral. There is a holy way rise in the morning, there is a holy way to take a shower, there is a holy way to eat breakfast, there is a holy way to drive to work, there is a holy way to respond to that jerk who just cut you off, there is a holy way to greet your co workers, there is a holy way to surf the web, there is a holy way to confront a friend, there is a holy way to be a student, there is a holy way to react to an unruly toddler, there is a holy way to ground your teens, there is a holy way to relate to your boss, there is a holy way to eat lunch, there is a holy way to drive home, there is a holy way to talk about your day, there is a holy way to spend your free time in the evening and there is a holy way to go to bed. Yes holiness extends to every area of life.

Is there any area of your life where you are not submitting to King Jesus?

Illustration: In a moment I’m going to read you a quote by John Owen of the 17th century. Many Theologians agree that he was the greatest English speaking theologian to ever live. John Owen had eleven children. Ten of them died before adulthood and the eleventh died in early adulthood. All his children and his wife died before he did. He lived a very difficult life. Yet despite all these difficulties he was committed to living a holy life.

John Owen- “I hope I may own in sincerity that my heart's desire unto God, and the chief design of my life ... are, that mortification and universal holiness may be promoted in my own and in the hearts and ways of others, to the glory of God, that so the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be adorned in all things”. What is the chief design of your life? Is it making money, is it taking the next vacation, is it having a bigger house, is it raising impressive kids, is it preparing for retirement, or is it holiness to the LORD?

By the way, the path to holiness is also the path to happiness.

You may be thinking ‘well I want to live a holy life but so often I’m totally unmotivated’. That brings us to our next point.

We have looked at the mandate to be holy…

The motives to be holy

(I will mention several motives for holiness from this text)

First, Holiness is motivated by grace! look with me at 1Pe 1:13 “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.”

Peter starts verse 13 with the word “Therefore”. The word “therefore” usually indicates a key transition and that is exactly what is happening here. Peter is summarizing verses 3-12 (one long run on sentence in the Greek) so that he can transition to the next section of the letter. The heart and soul of verses 3-12 is the word hope. Jesus Christ has gives us hope! It is the firm hope that when Christ returns he will pour out grace on us.

This is why we are told to set our hope fully on the grace that will be brought to us. If we are Christians we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that our hope of heaven is real.

The order of chapter one is very theologically significant. God first tells us what he has done for us in verses 1-12 and then and only then does he tell us what he requires of us.

This is exactly what the Apostle Paul does in Romans 12:1 and Ephesians 4:1.

Rom 12:1 ESV I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Eph 4:1 ESV I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

God says in 1 Peter 1: 3-12 “I have given you the hope of heaven through my son Jesus Christ”. Now in light of verses 3-12 you must live a holy life (verses 14-16).

Edmund Clowney commenting on these verses says. “The imperatives of Christian living always begin with ‘therefore.’ Peter does not begin to exhort Christian pilgrims until he has celebrated the wonders of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ. The indicative of what God had done for us (and in us) precedes the imperative of what we are called to do for him.”

Again I want you to see the order. God is saying “in light of the hope I have given you, in light of the gospel, in light of the grace I promise to pour out on you, go and live holy lives.”

Application: So often we get this order mixed up. We think that we must live holy lives and then God will be gracious to us. Wrong!!! God always reminds us of his grace before he tells us what to do. He says in light of what I have done for you now go and live holy lives.

Many of us frequently forget how grace works. Grace is free! We can’t earn it! God pours out grace on us despite our sins. He knows we are going to sin and he still lavishes us with grace.

We don’t live holy lives because we want God to love us. We live holy lives because he has loved us. We must never forget this order.

When you are unmotivated to push yourself to be holy remember how much grace God has shown you!!! He has shown you grace because he loves you. When you see how much he loves you then you want to love him more in return and you love him by living a holy life.

Illustration: The last two weeks the Farley house has been a hospital. My wife has lavished our family with love. When I see how much she has poured out her life for me it makes me want to love and serve her more.

Not only is holiness motivated by Grace…

Second, Holiness is motivated by fear! (17) look with me at 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,” God has adopted us as his children. Once we were wayward children of the Devil but now God is our heavenly father. But we are to fear our heavenly father because he judges us impartially.

What does this mean? Some think this is a reference to final judgment. God will judge Christians impartially on that great and somber day of Christ’s return in order to give his children rewards.

Other commentators think that verse 17 is not a reference to final judgment because it is in the present tense- “And if you call on him as a Father who judges impartially”. In other words, our heavenly Father judges or disciplines his children when he sees us misbehaving in the present.

I think both interpretations are probably correct.

God our gracious father is going to judge or Discipline us in this life so we should fear him. This is not the fear of a slave for a master but the fear of a son for his loving Father.

We should also fear God because he paid a great price to redeem us according to verses 17. More on this in a moment!

Some think that it is impossible for us to love God and fear him at the same time. On the contrary it is very possible. Because God loves us he disciplines us. When our gracious father sees sin ruining the lives of his children he disciplines them so that they will not sin as much.

When I see my 20 month old run into the street I grab him, take him in the house, and discipline him. Why? Because I love him and I don’t want him to get hit by a car.

Holiness is motivated by the fear of God!

Illustration: Do you remember the story of Moses in the desert of Zin (Nu 20:2-13)? The people of Israel have been marching through the wilderness for nearly 40 years and they are about to enter the promise land. But they are thirsty and tired. As one they lift their voices against Moses and Aaron and say “why have you brought us to this evil place? There is no water for us or for our livestock. It would be better if we would have perished a long time ago with our brothers.”

Moses and Aaron are desperate so they go into the tent of meeting and prostrate themselves before God asking for His help. God tells Moses to have the people gather before a rock. Once they have gathered Moses was suppose to call out to the rock to produce water. Instead Moses beat on the rock twice with his staff. Do you remember the story of David??? David disobeyed God by committing adultery with Bathsheba and then having Bathsheba’s husband knocked off. Did God forgive David? Yes. Did he pay a terrible price for his sins? Yes….

Do you remember the story of Samson??? Samson disobeyed God by shacking up with Delilah. Did God forgive him? Yes he is in Hebrews 11. Did he pay a terrible price for his sins? Absolutely….

Application- When you are unmotivated to be holy remember the fear of God! God disciplines those that he loves and his discipline is painful.

As soon as you think “it is ok if I sin, my heavenly Father will forgive me, after all he loves me” then you are in trouble. Yes God will forgive you when you sin but he will also discipline you and the discipline will hurt.

When you think it is ok if I click on this site, or it is ok if I shade the truth a little, or it is ok if my parents don’t know about this, or it is ok if a lash out in anger again it just feels so right… you are in trouble and God’s discipline is coming.

Holiness is motivated by grace

Holiness is motivated by fear

Third, Holiness is motivated by freedom! Look with me at verses 18-19. “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

We have been ransomed by the blood of Christ. In order to understand what ransom/redemption means we need to go back to the 1st century. In the 1st century there were roughly 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire and some of the people that Peter is writing to were no doubt former slaves. These slaves had no rights whatsoever. If they looked at their owner the wrong way the owner could have them thrown into the local arena where they would be eaten by Lions.

The only hope a slave had of gaining his freedom was to save up enough money to purchase his freedom. This payment was called a ransom payment. When he had the money saved he would give the money to the temple of his favorite God. Then the temple would purchase the slaves freedom by giving the money to his former owner. Now the slave was free but he theoretically belonged to the God of the temple he initially gave the money too.

Peter is telling his audience that their freedom has been purchased. Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price to redeem them. Christ ransomed them with his blood. He freed them by dying on the cross and shedding his blood for them. He did not pay for their freedom with silver or gold, he paid for their freedom, for your freedom with his life.

God could have left us enslaved to sin but he sent Christ to free us with his blood. If you ever doubt that God loves you remember that he paid for you with the death of his son. He did not spare his own son but sent him to suffer and die on a roman cross so that you could be free. No amount of money could ever free us only the death of Jesus can free us.

Theologically we could talk about how Christ freed us from death, guilt, and the Devil. But this passage specifically mentions that the audience has been freed from “the futile ways inherited from their forefathers”. The NIV says – “the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers.”

In other words, we have been freed from living a useless and empty life. Think what life was like before you were a Christian. You probably lived for money, sex, power, relationships, hobbies, popularity, or something else. None of these things will satisfy in fact they will all leave one empty at the end of life.

As many of you know Michael Jackson recently died. He had everything the world offered- money, fame, and fortune. But his life was empty, sad, and torn asunder by sin.

This is what Jesus freed you from. He freed you from a life dominated by emptiness and brokenness.

Jesus has freed us from a life of futility.

Illustration: I came across this article a while ago. “South Korea paid the Taliban $950,000 -- or $50,000 a head -- to secure the release of 19 church workers abducted in southeastern Afghanistan. The negotiations took on urgency after two female hostages who were released last month reported being viciously abused by their Taliban captors. The kidnappers also killed two of the male hostages, who were abducted six weeks ago riding by bus through southeastern Ghazni province.

"The Taliban initially asked for a million dollars a head, and for some prisoners to be released," he said. "When they realized time was not on their side, they dropped their price and their demand for prisoners." The missionaries told of being separated into small groups and moved frequently at night on motorcycles with lights turned off to avoid detection over the six weeks they were in captivity. The former hostages left Afghanistan on a chartered United Nations flight today to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. They were due to arrive in Korea early on Sunday.

These people desperately needed to be ransomed. They had been deprived of sleep, water, food, and physical comfort. They hoped beyond hope that someone would pay to redeem them. If you are currently a Christian you must never forget that at one point you too were enslaved and in desperate need of redemption. You were enslaved to sin and the Devil. You were also enslaved to the futility of living an empty and meaningless life apart from Jesus Christ. Thankfully, our redeemer came and purchased our freedom with his blood.

Our holiness must be motivated by the knowledge that we have been set free.

Application-

When you are unmotivated to be holy remember how much Christ paid to purchase your freedom from your futile way of life!!! He paid the ultimate price for your freedom. When we see how much it cost to secure our freedom we must respond with love. Love for God and love for others. What does love for God look like? Love for God is manifest in holy living. If we love God we will obey his commandments.

So if you are lacking motivation to be holy simply remember what your life was like before God freed you from your futile and empty way of life.

And remember that God will not be pleased when you casually disregard how much it cost to redeem you. God redeemed you for a purpose- that you would live a holy life!!!

If you are not a Christian you may not be physically enslaved but you are spiritually enslaved by sin and the Devil. Your only hope is Jesus Christ! He is the only one who can ransom you and free you from your slavery. So please don’t hesitate, turn away from your sins and trust him to free you this morning.

Conclusion: While in college I worked in a large bakery where everyone was paid the same no matter what they did so they took smoke breaks every twenty minutes. There was nothing motivating them to work hard and get the job done.

Around the same time period I also worked at a restaurant where hard work was rewarded with better tips. It was amazing how hard people were willing work to make more tip money. I have often thought about those two jobs and laughed at how different the employees were. At one job the employees were totally unmotivated at the other job the employees were very motivated. Proper motivation makes all the difference.

In the Christian life we must be motivated properly if we are going to have any success in holiness. The passage we looked at this morning tells us that holiness must be motivated by grace, holiness must be motivated by fear, and holiness must be motivated by freedom. Let’s pray…