THE CHRIST-FILLED LIFE
1 PETER 1:13-25
PRINCETON CHRISTIAN CHURCH 25 JUNE 2023
In this passage, Peter tells us about three characteristics of a Christ-filled life.
For each of these, he also finds compelling reasons why they should characterize the life of the Christian.
1. The Christ-filled life is the life of obedience and holiness (vs 14-16)
Because we are chosen by God, we are allowed two things:
We are allowed into great privileges.
We are allowed entrance into great responsibilities.
The Christian is God’s man or woman.
And as God’s people we have a task in the world to keep the commands of God and to share Christ with others.
(Ezekiel 20:18-20)
We can look forward to everlasting life with Him in eternity.
We live our lives for God now and with Him in eternity.
We must obey God and reproduce life – that is spiritual life.
We prove that we are the children of God by our obedience to Him.
A. The command which is at the very heart of the Hebrew religion is this command: found in Leviticus 11:44:
“For I am the Lord your God.
Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy..
Also, in Leviticus 19:2; 20:7; 20:26. When God repeats what He says over and over again, I tend to believe that that statement is true – that it is important that I listen to it and obey it.
The word “holy” means different (Set Apart).
God is Holy because He is different.
· The Lord’s Day is to be kept holy because it is different.
· The Christian is to be holy because he is different from those who live for the world without Christ.
· We, as Christians, are given the great task of being different.
Look at Paul’s teaching on holiness and living the holy life in 2 Corinthians 6:17-7:1.
“Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. And I will be a
Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me” says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2. The Christ-filled life is the life of Reverence – 1 Peter 1:17-21
Reverence is the attitude of the mind of one who is always aware of the presence of God.
Peter, here, gives three reasons for Christian reverence:
A. The Christian is a Sojourner in this world, put here by God into this world.
A sojourner is a stranger or a pilgrim – Hebrews 11:13 – This is where all the heroes of the faith are listed, and in verse 13 the writer says:
“All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were
strangers and exiles on the earth.”
These faithful – Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah – all these are honored because of their faith and because of their understanding that because they
were of God, they were to be different in this world.
We must remember that our lives are lived in the shadow of eternity. We must be constantly looking ahead to eternity – and to the reward that will be ours.
B. The focus of our life here on this earth, as Christians, must be on the fact that we are on a journey – and our destination is to be with God and His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
We call God our Father. We know God is also the Impartial Judge of every man and woman.
Hebrews 12:28-29 tells us this:
“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”
The Christian’s life in this world is important because it is leading to the life beyond this one.
C. The Christian must live life in reverence because it costs so much. It really is priceless.
1 Corinthians 6:20 and Acts 20:28 teach us that we are bought with a price. And because of that we are to glorify God in our bodies. And that we are to guard the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
Because of its great value, life cannot be wasted or thrown away. Our salvation was purchased, costing Jesus His life. Our salvation was purchased by His blood.
That is the great price He paid.
We were redeemed from our futile way of life – never to return to it again.
We were not saved by an institution. Our loyalty cannot be to manmade things.
We are to practice reverence to God – have confidence in God as our Father – we are to have a reverent fear of Him as a Judge.
When we consider our redemption and the price paid by Jesus Christ for our lives, we should be compelled to holiness, obedience, and reverence of God.
All of these actions will result in another action which is the third part of the Christ-filled life.
3. The Christ-filled life is the life of brother love (vss. 22-25 1 Peter)
Love for the brethren must be sincere, hearty, and steadfast – preceded by a purifying of the soul.
These attitudes toward our Christian brethren come from the fact that we have been reborn of immortal seed.
We are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13)
In Christ we are re-made – we become Christ-like.
Because we are reborn, the life of God – His Spirit – is in us.
The rebirth causes us to be brethren in Christ. It puts us in a new and close relationship with our Savior and with one another.
The greatest characteristic of our life in God is love. So, the Christian must show that love for their brethren.
The Christian is the one who lives the Christ-filled life – the life that is different – different from his own old life and different from the life that the world lives.
The Christian is the one who never forgets the obligations which go with the privilege of being a child of God.
It is the life that is made beautiful by the love of God who gave it birth.
Look again at 1 Peter 1:24: “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass, the grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
All flesh is grass. Life here is temporary. Then it will fall away, rot, because it is corruptible. But life can go on eternally – because the Word of the Lord endures forever.
If we expect our life to endure forever, we must take hold of what, and who, can take us through to eternity. And that, of course, is God, His Son Jesus Christ,
and the Word which endures.
The writer of Ecclesiastes 12:13 sums it up for us: “Fear God, keep His commandments – the whole duty of Man.”.
Comments