Personal Holiness Amidst Perverted Worldliness, Part 2b

Turn with me in your Bible if you would to 1st Peter chapter 1. It says in verse number 13, therefore gird your minds for action Keep sober in spirit Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ He says gird your minds number two keep sober keep sober Sober Have a calm steady mind That evaluates and makes right decisions Now when you think of someone who's sober The opposite of that is someone who's what?

Who's drunk right who's intoxicated? When you think of somebody who's drunk, they don't walk properly. They don't talk properly They do things that for all practical purposes are rude and crude and yet The sober-minded man is a calm man. He's in control of his emotions. The drunkard is out of control of his emotions And so so Peter says listen, you got to gird your mind. You got to keep sober. You got to have a calm steady mind Peter would say something similar over in chapter 4 verse number 7 He says the end of all things is at hand and when we get to chapter 4 in verse number 7 We're going to explain to you that that's about the coming of Christ The end of all things as next it's at hand Therefore be of sound judgment and what?

sober spirits for the purpose of prayer Listen, if you're gonna be a prayer warrior, you got to have a sober mind. You got to have a calm and steady mind you can't be an emotional person listen If you are an emotional person that is governed by your thoughts and governed by your your your desires and emotions You'll be a bad prayer warrior You gotta stay sober. You're gonna have a calm mind He says over in first Peter chapter 5 verse number 8 something similar He says this be of sober spirit beyond the alert your adversary the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour You gotta you got to be sober in spirit when it comes to understanding the the wiles of the devil and how he seeks to attack our lives Think about this Peter knows about having a calm and steady mind that is able to evaluate things and make proper decisions Think about the time that he was in the garden And he was not able to stay awake at night Think about the time where Christ said, you know, stay with me for just one hour watch and pray with me for one hour To be sober is translated in Matthew's account of being on the alert being ready being prepared So remindedness and sound judgment go together It talks about a self-disciplined life And Peter says you need to be concerned about your future To do that.

You can't be thinking about everything else that's going on in life so much so that it distracts you from what really is going to happen at the revelation of Jesus Christ at the Appearing of our great God and Savior when his grace will be bestowed upon you in great measure You got to keep sober You got to keep your your mind intact You think about Paul's word over in Ephesians chapter 5 verse number 18 and what he said and be not drunk with wine And which is excess but be filled with the Spirit be controlled by the Spirit He gives a similar analogy if you're controlled by the Spirit of God if God's Spirit dominates your life if God's Spirit Fills every thought word and action in your life, then you are able to do the will of God and it uses the analogy of drunkenness because as a Drunken man is consumed by alcohol and it controls his thoughts and emotions and actions So you two as a believer need to be controlled by the Spirit of God So God's Spirit controls every motive every action every thought every word that comes out of you and Peter says I want you to be holy in all your conduct everything about your life everything about your attitude everything about your words So therefore make sure you are concerned with your future.

Hope how you gonna do that gird your minds stay sober stay calm and Fix your hope above Number two Not only should you concern yourself with your future hope but you need to conduct your walk in the fear of God You need to conduct your walk in the fear of God Peter says these words in verse number 17 and If you address as father The one who impartially judges according to each man's work Conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay up on earth Now think about that He's talking to people who are going through great pain, so you'd think that he would Refer to the father as one who pities those who go through great pain Has compassion toward those in great pain Who forgives those who are in great pain?

Who who loves those who are estranged from their families? But Peter doesn't do that It's a surprise companionship, isn't it father? Judge I Was reading that and I was thinking over that for a moment thinking, you know, that that is amazing If I was writing the letter I wouldn't have said it that way But I didn't write the letter the Spirit of God did through the pen of Peter And so there's this strange reference to the father as the judge So he says listen If you want to be holy as your father in heaven is holy Not only do you have to be so consumed with your future?

Your walk here on earth needs to be governed by one instance number one By the personality of your father and by the impartiality of the judge The judge is impartial he's gonna judge every man's works and Therefore make sure That you understand that he is your father and you are accountable to him Peter doesn't let him off the hook Reading this I'm thinking, you know We are always looking for ways off the hook saying, you know You know I know I acted that way if you went through what I went through then you would excuse me for the way I acted If you knew what I had been through today, if you knew all the hardships I'd gone through then you would excuse me for my behavior Peter doesn't give them an excuse for sinful behavior Because their father Is their judge?

Now think about that and he wants to make sure that your conduct is such that it's pleasing to the Lord So therefore you walk in the fear of God during your stay on earth here while you're here Make sure you maintain your walk with God, but you do it in fear and trembling Because he is your judge Now what kind of counsel is that to people who who are suffering tremendously Well, if you're concerned about the holiness, it's great counsel and Peter's concerned that they live a holy life a separate life a life that honors the Lord He says very simply since you address As father The one who approves you judges You're you're addressing God as your father.

He's already called them in the verse number 14 obedient children, right? So we know that they're children of of the Living God And he wants him to understand that because he is father. He is judge. He's emphasizing the holiness of the father Remember our prayer in Matthew 6 verse number 9 our father who art in heaven. What's next phrase? Hallowed be thy name. Holy be thy name Now, do we make the father's name? Holy? No No, when we pray as we are taught to pray our father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name We are asking God to make sure that the holy name of God is revered in our life God wants us to understand that when we begin to pray we are praying to the Holy God of the universe the sinless God of the universe Who is completely separate from creation and corruption Utterly different than what we are And when we address him as such we are petitioning him to make sure that his name is hallowed in our lives Peter says the same thing He's just going back to the disciples prayer his own mind and saying look this father of yours is the Holy God and therefore Because he's a holy God.

He is the judge of all men He would go on to say in first Peter chapter 4 verse number 17 what for it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God If judgments going to begin it must begin with us the people of God We must examine our lives in light of what the Word of God says in light of who God is Match us according to him And judgment must begin with us first You know, there are many Christians who pray our father on Sunday, but live like orphans the rest of the week That's not original with me, but it sure is good in it.

I think some of you missed it Many people who pray our father on Sunday live like orphans the rest of the week It is they live like they have no or heavenly father right So Peter says if you address him as father If you're addressing God as father you you are as children so you are going to address him as father There is a relationship there between you and him a relationship of accountability as well as you know As well as I know that every good father never lets sin go undisciplined, right? Every godly father will discipline sin.

Every ungodly father will let sin just fly by the wayside But if you're concerned about your children's spiritual development You are concerned about on the holiness in their lives and you will discipline the sin that's there. The same is true with our heavenly father Do you think the Holy God of the universe wants his children to act in an unholy manner? No, not at all So therefore he will judge you and he judges you impartially Impartially He doesn't judge you differently than he judges somebody else.

He doesn't say well I'm gonna judge you because you know, you got a certain income over here and you dress good. You look good. You act good I'm gonna judge you differently this guy over here because this guy he's really bad No, he's a God's impartial Everybody has the same standard. What's the standard? perfection It's God's standard Complete and utter holiness. That's the standard Everybody's judged by the same standard God's standard the holy standard the just standard the righteous standard That's the way God judges and God's holiness is best seen in his Judgment.

In fact the holiness of God is best seen at Calvary, right? That's when the the greatest of all judgments on our sin took place and That's where his holiness is seen the greatest Peter alludes to our appearance before the Father who is the judge who Who one day we will stand before and give an account for our lives second Corinthians 510 for we must all appear before the judgment Seat of Christ that we may receive that which is done on our body whether it be good or whether it be evil, right?

Romans 14 verse number 12 and 1st Corinthians 3 verses 11 to 15 speak about God's Judgment seat God's beam a seat where he will judge the believer for his works and We need to understand that our God measures us against his holy standard He says that we need to conduct ourselves In the fear of God We need to live in the fear of God Now for some people that's a hard thing to swallow But why should we fear God? He loves us We love him Well Psalm 130 verse number four there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be Feared God forgives us not so we go to heaven God forgives us so that we will fear him That's why God forgives us of our sins that we might have a Reverential fear of our God.

I love what W E Vine says when he talks about this word Phobos Phobos he says this is not a mere fear of his power and righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing him a fear which banishes the terror that shrinks from his presence and Which influences the disposition and attitude of one whose circumstances are guided by trust in God through the indwelling? spirit of God Charles bridges in his book on the exposition of Proverbs says this the fear of God is that Affectionate reverence by which the child of God bends himself humbly and carefully to his father's law His wrath is so bitter and his love so sweet that hence springs an earnest desire to please him and because of the danger of Coming short from his old weaknesses and temptations a holy watchfulness and fear that he might not sin against him Let me tell you something the believer Fears his God Not because his God will condemn him because He won't there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus But it is that holy fear of the discipline of God upon an unholy life God will do that.

That's how he is God wants his children to be as holy as he is holy And so if there are avenues in our life that take us down the wrong path that keep us further and further away from him Then we will bear the the chastisement in the discipline of a of a heavenly father Who of course loves his children deeply Are there privileges for the child of God? Oh you bet in chapter 2 verses 4 to 10 we're going to talk about all those wonderful privileges that are ours because we are children of the Living God and yet that never negates never negates God as Judge He is And we are to conduct ourselves in the fear of God What does that mean?

This is the Proverbs 8 verse number 13? The fear of the Lord is to hate evil pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth That's the fear of the Lord if we conduct ourselves in the fear of the Lord, then we hate evil We hate pride we hate arrogance we hate every evil way That's what it means to conduct yourself in the fear of God over in Proverbs chapter 16 verse number 6 It says this by lovingkindness and truth Iniquity is atoned for and by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil If we conduct ourselves in the fear of God we stay away from evil We stay away from those things that will bring a reproach upon the name of Christ We stay away from those things that will will bring a reproach upon the Church of Jesus Christ We keep away from evil Proverbs 14 verse number 2 says it this way He who walks in his uprightness Fears the Lord but he who is crooked in his ways despises him The Bible says that the one who walks in uprightness he walks that way because he fears the Lord he walks a righteous kind of life because he fears the Lord those who walk a crooked path and Unrighteous path they despise God.

They don't care about God Not afraid of God and yet the fear of the Lord Is how we are to conduct ourselves? during our stay upon this earth Over in Proverbs chapter 19 verse number 23. It says these words the fear of the Lord leads to life So that one may sleep satisfied Untouched by evil Now think about that If I conduct myself in the fear of the Lord, then then I'm the one who goes to sleep satisfied I'm the one who goes to sleep untouched by evil I'm the one who who is keeping myself clean before my God To honor and glorify his his wonderful name Proverbs chapter 14 verse number 26 says it this way In the fear of the Lord There is strong confidence And his children Will have refuge The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life that one may avoid the snares of death Peter says during your stay on earth Conduct yourselves in the fear of the Lord.

You want to know why because that's your refuge There it is right there These people who are suffering and going through great turmoil He says if you conduct yourselves in the fear of God You need to be more concerned about how God's going to deal with you than how but your persecutors are going to deal with you You see we don't look at it that way doing we are more concerned about what our persecutors are going to say and do to Us then we are about what God might do to us if we live in a holy life And yet if we live in the fear of the Lord, he says That those children have strong confidence Why because they have a refuge in their God.

They have a hiding place in their God They have a place of security with their God And that's why they conduct themselves in the fear of God Says over in Proverbs chapter 23 verse number 17 Do not let your heart Envy sinners But live in the fear of the Lord always You know, we we get to the point where we begin to envy the sinners You know, you look at the sinful crowd you realize well, they're not going through any Hardship or any discipline or any chastisement or any punishment?

It looks like they have a life on the easy street They can drive what they want. They can wear what they want. They can live with where they want to live They can do what they want to do. They got things so easy so good and the Bible says don't envy those people Don't do that Live in the fear of the Lord why next verse?

Surely there is a future and your hope will not be cut off You know why you don't envy sinners because you have a future and they don't And your hope will not be cut off and theirs is Because their hope is only in this life, but your hope was in the life to come See that that's why we conduct ourselves in the fear of God That's why we need to understand what Peter's saying God is your father But God is also your judge and One day you'll stand before him and you'll give an account of all of your deeds One day you will And during your time on earth, you know Peter says conduct yourself in the fear of God live in the fear of the Lord always Why because that's your confidence as proverb says that's your strong confidence.

That's your refuge How do I do that you hate evil you hate pride you hate arrogance you hate the evil way Don't envy the sinner. They have no hope But you do You do need to give more thought to the consequences of sin More so than the pleasures of sin We do a lot of thinking about the pleasures of sin. Oh We wouldn't readily admit that because we don't want people to examine our thought life But we do a lot of thinking about the pleasures of sin And yet we need to do more thinking about the consequences of sin Because the consequences for sin there are tremendous Many years ago there was a a great preacher I Used to quote him regularly.

I Have not quoted him much lately His name is Robert Murray McShane He ministered at st. Peter's Church in Dundee, Scotland for seven and a half years He died at age 29 And yet His Biography Has gone through 116 different edition editions Has been read by millions of people across the country across the world He was a holy man of God Who pursued holiness? He was used in a mighty way and all he did was minister for seven and a half years. That's it as a pastor That at a very young age Yet he said these words He says remember you are God's sword His instrument I trust a chosen vessel unto him to bear his name in great measure according to the purity and perfection of the instrument Will be the success It is not great talents God blesses so much as likeness to Jesus a Holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God And I wonder if We will be those kind of holy weapons in God's hands Let's pray Our most gracious heavenly father.

We thank you for our time together this evening And thank you Lord for the challenge to live a holy life We need to be reminded once again Lord that your word says that your commands are I'm not a burden These are not weighing us down to see me we're not sitting there saying Oh Lord we can't do it We're saying Lord. We need you to give us a strength To focus above and not below to conduct ourselves in the fear of God every single day And pray Lord that we'd be able to gird our minds and stay sober stay calm tie up the loose ends Living each day in the fear of God Knowing that our God Wants his children to be as holy as he himself is home.

We pray in Jesus name