17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live
your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it
was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed
from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but
with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
- 1 Peter 1:17-19, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
Dear Friends in Christ,
Let’s start with a couple of elementary questions. What is Christianity? And what does it mean to be a Christian?
The answer to both of these questions revolves around that glorious truth we simply and commonly refer to as “the Gospel.” The Gospel message is this: God in love sent His Son Jesus to live a perfect life as our substitute, and then to die on the cross as the punishment for the sins of the world. What Jesus did, He did in your place and mine...
And here’s the best news of all. Fully, freely and with no strings attached God credits everything that Jesus did to the account of those who believe in and look to Him as their Savior. That’s what we mean when we say we are saved by faith. Faith in what? Faith that I, a sinner, have been freed from my sin and its eternally damning consequences by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ...
That, in a nutshell, is the essence Christianity, and anyone who rightfully claims to be a Christian holds tightly to the Gospel as the core of their belief. Embracing that message through the power of the Holy Spirit is what gives you and me the right to say that we are Christians. Integrating that message into our daily existence is what the Christian life is all about... And this is what we’ll be talking about this morning.
Our text for today is from the first of two letters the Holy Spirit inspired the apostle Peter to write. It is a very practical epistle. In fact, one Bible commentator refers to First Peter as “the most condensed New Testament resume’ of the Christian faith and of the conduct that it inspires.” It was originally written to give counsel, instruction and encouragement to young-in-the-faith believers who were becoming very aware of just how different they were from the rest of the world. Like all of Scripture, however, these words are just as meaningful and applicable for us now as they were for them then...
The particular message of our text is a theme that runs throughout First Peter. It is this: The call to be a Christian is a blessing and a privilege. And especially before a watching world, the call to be a Christian is
THE CALL TO BE DISTINCT
1. As we understand who we are
2. And what we have
Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. Let’s take note of a number of things in this verse...
First, Peter says we call on a “Father.” This reminds us of how Jesus introduced the Lord’s Prayer. He told us that we can address God in this way, “Father.” And we do. So frequently, perhaps, that we may fail to fully appreciate the significance of this name and the relationship it calls to mind. Here’s what I mean...
All of us have or had human fathers and most of us undoubtedly appreciate them, but even the greatest of human fathers has his flaws and weaknesses. But not God. God as our Father is the whole package. He is the ideal Father. The ideal Father is the perfect combination of strength (think of God the Creator) and protection (think of how God watches over us) and wisdom (think of the human body, for example, and how it is “fearfully and wonderfully made”) and approachableness (as in prayer). The ideal Father is also perfectly fair and just and righteous...
This thought is expanded upon in the next description of God as One who judges each man’s work impartially. Anytime we hear the word “judge” the idea of performance or personal actions come to mind, so let’s be clear to understand what this phrase doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean that on the Last Day we will be judged eternally by our works – as if heaven or hell rests upon what we do or don’t do to earn it. If that were the case, Jesus as Savior would be unnecessary and the whole Gospel message of sin and redemption would be pointless. As mentioned at the outset, the good news of the Gospel is that we are saved by faith, not works...
However, the Bible also tells us that on the Last Day God will look at the “works” of those who are saved as evidence of the faith that resides within us. So there is a certain edge to these words which our sinful flesh needs to hear. Peter wants us to know that our fair and righteous Father God should not be perceived as a doting grandfather who shuts his eyes to the sins and carelessness of His children. Just as a father rightly has certain expectations that his sons and daughters will not dishonor the family name through their actions, so our Father has certain expectations of us. We do have a responsibility to live our lives for the One who died for us...
But as we circle back to the Gospel message, the Christian life is understood in terms of accepting that responsibility as an honor and a privilege. Consider our first lesson today from the Book of Acts where the early Christians are described as having “glad and sincere hearts” as they lived their faith. Consequently, those who see the Christian life as a burden or have reduced it to nothing more than grudgingly keeping some rules and regulations (and who of us has not been guilty of this?), have temporarily lost sight of the Gospel.
On the other hand, by keeping our eyes on the cross and
empty tomb of Christ and through an understanding of the loving Heavenly Father
we have and whom we want to please, we are moved to live for our Lord
alone. And as this portrays itself in the
world in which we live, work and play, Christians are also moved to carry out
the next words of Peter: “Live your lives as strangers in reverent
fear.”
Peter uses the word “stranger” or others like it a number of times in his letter. Why do you think this is, and what do you think he’s getting at? By definition, a “stranger” is someone who is away from home. Example: Have you noticed that 25 years after its original issue the movie E.T. is back? E.T. [extra-terrestrial] is a “stranger” to this planet. His most famous line is “E.T. phone home” – meaning he’s not there
Actually the original word Peter uses here isn’t too far away from that idea. The root of this word in Greek is “home.” It’s the same word from which we get our English term “parochial,” which, in its most basic sense is a recognition that we are but “strangers” here and that “heaven is our home.” The point is simply this: Christians are to live in this world as a place to which they do not really belong – and a place where they do not expect to stay...
Other passages of Scripture likewise describe the Christian life as a “pilgrimage.” Listen, for example, to these words found in the great “Faith Hall of Fame” chapter, Hebrews 11:
9 By faith he [Abraham] made his home in the promised
land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and
Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the
city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God...
The lesson is clear. Christians, do not get too attached to this world and its values, systems and goals. Don’t buy into everything the world is selling, because much of it is counterfeit. We must remember that as pilgrims we are in, not of, the world; that this world is but a passing point in time and a mere blip on the radar screen of eternity.
So we boldly go forward living our lives for Christ – recognizing that there may be a cost involved because we are “strangers.” Sometimes it is paid out in uncharitable perceptions; other times in snide remarks; still other times in wholesale dismissal as being outside the mainstream because our allegiance is to Jesus Christ. Be that as it may. Christians see it as part of the territory that comes with joyfully being distinct before a watching world.
The specific reason why we live our lives as “strangers” in “reverent fear” (respect and honor) to God is taken up in the next
words from our text: “For you know that it was not with
perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty
way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious
blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
In the Bible “redeem” means to free someone from something by paying a penalty or ransom. The Gospel message is that we have been redeemed from hell. The ransom paid was the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God whose sacrifice took away the sins of the world. That redemption means our eternal life.
Peter talks about being redeemed not only from sin, but also from an “empty way of life.” It would be good for us to think of the believers who originally received this letter. Some had come from a Gentile (heathen) background. Jesus redeemed them from a life driven by superstition and fear. Others came from a Jewish background and had grown up with the idea of salvation through performance. Jesus redeemed them from a life driven by their gnawing uncertainty about heaven.
We too have been redeemed from such fear and uncertainty about heaven. But there is more: we’ve also been redeemed from an “empty way (in the sense of understanding) of life.” The world will try to convince us that fullness and purpose in life comes through the pursuit and attainment of wealth or power or fame. But the world is wrong.
Jay Gould, 19th century American financier and one of the country’s then wealthiest men said at the end of his life that he must certainly be of all men living the most miserable. Money didn’t provide fullness for his life...
Alexander the Great is known as perhaps the greatest conqueror in history. But at the end of his last campaign after subjugating all his enemies, it is said that he wept in his tent because there were no more worlds to conquer. Power did not provide fullness for his life...
Curt Cobain, lead singer for the rock band Nirvana, had it all: money, power and fame. People flocked to his concerts. He was a mega-star. You might recall that about ten years ago Curt Cobain, at the height of an outwardly successful career, took his own life. Fame did not provide fullness for his life.
There is only one thing that does. There is only one source of redemption from an empty way of life: Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 10: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Life without Jesus at the center – no matter how much money or how many toys or how much prestige is involved – is empty. Jesus alone gives us fulfilled life in the present and eternal life in the future glory of heaven...
And knowing that makes us happily distinct from those who do not...
So we return to our original questions. What is Christianity, and what does it mean to be a Christian? Christianity is all about the gospel message of Jesus Christ. To be a Christian means to embrace this message by the power of the Holy Spirit and integrate Biblical truth into our daily living.
Or to put it another way, as Peter reminds us today, the call to be a Christian is the call to be distinct – because of who we are, and because of what we have.
As we continue to bask in the bright shadow of the Resurrection we celebrated but two weeks ago, may God grant us the will and the resolve to continually live out this life of distinction before a watching world. And may we always remember that, in the words of the beloved hymn, we are but strangers here; heaven is our home. Amen.