The scene in the delivery room is almost surrealistic. The air is tense and not a word is said. The one assisting the delivery offers up a silent prayer to the only One who can complete this procedure. Then, breathing a sigh of relief, he says, “Here he is, brand new healthy baby Christian. Welcome to the family.” In verses 3-12 Peter has described this new birth experience in terms of the greatness of God’s work in bringing about our salvation. He states in no uncertain terms that you have become part of a new family.
Then in verse 13, being the lynchpin of the entire book, Peter gives us the key with which to understand this section. In referring again to this new birth experience, Peter says, “Therefore,” (because of this new birth) “prepare . . .” All these terms are thinking terms. Peter is saying that by firmly setting our minds upon the truth of our new birth we will live victoriously in our Christian lives. As I mentioned last week, too much of our society is bent on feeling good while thinking poorly. This has passed into the Christian realm as well. I call it the bungee jump mentality. We go from one thrill to the next looking for some new activity to find that next high. Even the Christian world is looking for that entertainment. They want ecstasy not repentance, experience not transformation. But what Peter is saying is that the battle is won or lost in the mind. Our thinking should control our feelings and not vice versa.
Verse 13 though it leads up to this next section is really the ground for the whole letter. These believers were experiencing great trials and began to question if what they were doing what was right. Peter told them to set their mind on the fact of this present new birth experience and fix their hope on the future glory that Christ will bring.
So in verses 14-25, Peter now describes how we must act as partakers of this new birth experience or as he says in 2 Peter, “partakers of the divine nature.” It is all in relation to the fact that we now have new responsibilities as members of a brand new family. And so if you were to come away with one idea from this message today it is Peter’s key thought that: As part of a new family we must be distinguished by an obedient lifestyle.
And Peter says that this obedient lifestyle should be evidenced by three results occurring in our lives:
I. Holy conduct (vv. 14-16)
The first result that our obedient lifestyle should evidence is holy conduct. We see this in verses 14-16. In the end of verse 15 Peter says, “You shall be holy yourselves also in all your behavior.” This holy conduct expresses itself in 2 radical ways:
A. We are characterized by new desires
The first radical way in which this holy conduct expresses itself is that we are characterized by new desires. Peter says that our new birth experience brings about new desires within us. 2 Cor. 5 says that we are new creations in Christ. In verse 14, Peter says that these desires that were a part of us when we were ignorant should be a thing of the past. Its one thing to touch a hot stove as a child and be ignorant of the fact that the stove will severely burn you, but it is quite another to touch one after you do know!!!
Now Peter is not saying that these old wrong desires cannot once again gain a foothold. What he does say is that we must care-ful so we don’t become entangled again. That is why he told us in v. 13 that we must be spiritually on guard. Peter tells us that the way to prevent the encroachment of the enemy is to set our minds firmly in the fact of our new birth experience that he described in vv. 3-12.
How do we do this? We must as Paul says renew our minds. What are our thought patterns? Is Scripture in the forefront of our minds? What does our mind find itself drawn to when it wanders? The battle is fought in the mind. So Peter tells us don’t be caught up in your old wants. Pursue Christ, His kingdom and righteousness and all the rest will be added unto you.
B. We possess by a new calling
The second radical way by which this holy conduct expresses itself is that we possess a new calling. As Peter says in verse 15, “Like the Holy One who CALLED you, be holy yourselves.” The Father has called you to be like Him. We possess a new calling. This divine initiative which God made in calling us requires our response. And Peter describes two incredible aspects associated with this calling and our response to it.
1. Our new calling is to be reflected in our lifestyle
The first aspect associated with this calling and our response to it is that it is to be reflected in our lifestyle. This call carries with a duty to live a holy life. Peter says, “In all your behavior be holy.” What is a holy life? We can get a glimpse of a holy life by looking at the life of Jesus. Here is a man who has His heart set on living life the way the Father wanted Him to live it. We see Jesus, in John 4, sitting by a well under a desert sun and though parched from thirst He uses His thirst as an opportunity to bring a woman to really know God. He never did get a drink. The woman ran off and left her water pot to let others know about this amazing discovery she had made about God. We see Jesus in Matthew 3 discoursing with Satan. Here we see an individual, who when confronted with the opportunity to literally gain control of the whole world NOW if He compromised just a little, did not take the offer but went to the cross instead because that was His Father’s will. This is a holy life.
O to be like Jesus! To be uncompromising when it comes to wrong, to be selfless when it comes to our rights!!! And we can be! If not completely, then at least progressively. God wants to form the image of His Son in you. John says in his first letter, “Beloved now we are the children of God and it has not yet appeared what we shall be. We know that when He appears we shall be like Him for we shall see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself even as He is pure.” As part of our hope of one-day being like Christ, it should drive us to be more like Him today. Holiness is not making our hairline shorter or our hemline longer, though that could be a result. For outward conformity is not what makes us holy. Holiness is comprised of seeking God as the commander-in-chief of our lives and desiring to carry out His orders. It is a life style of saying, not my will be done, but yours be done.
2. It is sourced in our relationship to the Father
The second aspect associated with the calling and our response to it is that it is sourced in our relationship to the Father. We find this in verse 16. The Father says, “You shall be holy because I am holy.” As a believer in Jesus Christ, you are a child of your heavenly Father. Children tend to reflect the character of their parents. Your Heavenly Father says, “Be like me.” People should look at our lives and see God. We should look into His Word and say, “Dad I want to be like you.” For those of you who did not have a good example of a real father, God offers you the opportunity to have an awesome heavenly one. And we have the opportunity to become like Him. We need to ask ourselves, “How can I be? Father, in what ways do I need to look more like you?” Exodus 34 is a beautiful passage of Scripture where God discloses himself to Moses and describes who He is. It says, “The Lord, The Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness.” Do you want to be like more like your Heavenly Father? If you would only start to work on those 4 characteristics in Exodus 34, “compassionate, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness” you would be a lot closer to being like your heavenly Father.
II. Reverent respect toward the Father (vv. 17-21)
Secondly, the fact that we are part of a new family and must be characterized by an obedient lifestyle is not only evidenced by holy conduct but also by a reverent respect toward the Father. In verses 17-21, Peter shows for us that such a fear is necessary in the Christian’s life. In verse 17, Peter says, “conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth.”
This word fear isn’t a fear that causes one to cower in dread of a beating, but it is a reverent respect and trepidation due to the worth and greatness of the individual. We see this kind of reverent respect is in our lives whenever we meet someone important. When our submarine was expecting a visit from an admiral, the floors would be scrubbed and the equipment put in top shape for his inspection. There was a reverent respect and trepidation that went along with his visit, since we knew that he had great authority. How much greater is God who has all the authority of the universe. And how much greater should our fear of Him be who overshadows all the potentates of the earth. Peter gives us three reasons why we ought to have reverent respect toward the Father.
A. We have a Father who doesn’t play favorites
The first reason that we ought to have a reverent respect toward the Father is that we have a Father who doesn’t play favorites. Peter says in verse 17, that our Father “impartially judges according to each one’s work.” The word “impartial” literally means “not receiving the face.” It means that God does not look at the outward appearance to judge but looks at the heart. This should cause us to live in reverent respect of our heavenly Father.
This reverent respect toward the Father should affect our attitude. It should cause us to reflect on who we really are and if need be, to repent. God doesn’t judge us according to how we appear on the outside but by who we really are on the inside. He knows who we really are. We can’t hide ourselves from Him. He knows our thoughts and we know He knows our thoughts. This should cause us to think about ourselves. Is what we are on the outside, the same that we are on the inside? Do we portray one side of ourselves to those around us, when we are something completely different inside? God judges the thoughts and intents of the heart. God’s impartiality should cause us to judge our own motives. This is crucial for me to judge my motives when I preach. If I am consumed with a particular issue at the time of message preparation, I have to be sure that what I’m preaching is coming from the text not from my being consumed by the issue. Our Father judges impartially so we must carefully guard the motives behind our actions. He knows not only what we do but what we think and what we are.
B. He bought us from a meaningless/powerless existence
The second reason why we ought to have a reverent respect toward the Father is that He bought us from a meaningless/ powerless existence. In verse 18, Peter declares that we were not bought with perishable things like silver or gold from our futile way of life inherited from our forefathers. The word that Peter uses here “futility” describes just how we had lived. There are two character-istics of our previous life that are seen by this word “futility.”
1. Characterized by idol worship
Peter says first of all that our previous life was characterized by idol worship. The word “futility” is related to the worship of idols. You may be thinking of some primitive tribe somewhere bowing down to statues, but that is not the full picture. The concept of worshipping idols has to do with putting something above God in your life, in essence, making it a god. We all lived in this empty lifestyle. Whatever it was that we worshipped. Perhaps you worshipped the idol of money (your thoughts, your worries and your joy centered around money). Maybe it was the idol of self. We see this idol expressed in statements such as, “You deserve a break today!” “You are the most important person in the world to you.” We can still be trapped in idol worship now. Peter says that it is still possible for us to get caught up in this. Remember the battleground of the mind. Perhaps it’s the corporate ladder idol, or the personal security idol. I’ll do anything for you God but just don’t rock my world. That is idolatry. Whatever the idol, it results in emptiness, not in the fullness of life that Jesus described (John 10:10).
2. Characterized by lack of restraint
Not only were our lives characterized by idol worship, but also by a lack of restraint. This word “futility” indicates a lack of restraint. This kind of existence leads to more and more excess in order to fill the emptiness in one’s life. There has to be more and more. One level doesn’t satisfy and so you look for a bigger high. But the more man tries to overcome, the more he is overcome. Man is in the process of taming outer space (sending out space probes and exploring the universe) but he cannot control his inner space. In this empty life, he is powerless against an unseen and deadly enemy who has who has taken God’s rightful place on the throne. For this reason we were characterized by a lack of restraint. This is what Peter means by a futile way of life.
C. He sent the very best
The third reason that we should have a reverent respect toward the Father is because He sent the very best. Peter expresses three ideas concerning this in verses 18-21 that make it clear God sent the very best.
1. There was precious blood shed
The first idea that Peter shares to show us that God sent the very best is that there was precious blood shed. In verses 18 & 19 Peter says that you were redeemed not with silver and gold but with precious blood. We see from these verses that the Christian worldview is radically different from the naturalistic/humanistic worldview. We can see this because the things that are normally considered precious by the world (silver and gold) Peter calls perishable, and the thing that the world calls perishable, (namely blood) Peter calls precious. It is precious because without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. And apart from the Spirit of God we never would have understood these things ourselves. We didn’t come to some plateau of learning to bring us to this point, no! It is totally incomprehensible to the world. And until God revealed it, it was totally incomprehensible to us. It was the blood that Christ shed on the cross. Christ paid the penalty for our sins with His blood. This is why it is so precious. Christ was sinless and He shed that blood for you and I. He took our place. It was precious blood. God sent His very best.
2. There was a pronouncement before the world began
The second idea that Peter shares to show us that God sent the very best is that there was a pronouncement before the world began. Verse 20 says that Jesus “was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you.” This wasn’t some last minute plan that was thrown together because plan A failed. God didn’t say, “Oh no Adam and Eve sinned, I’d better think of something else.” No God in His infinite wisdom knew what would happen and the Godhead chose the second person of the trinity (whom we know as Jesus) to purchase man’s salvation through His death on the cross. So now we can say, “Not by works of righteousness that we have done but according to His mercy He saved us.” It was this pronouncement before the world began that gave us life. God sent His very best, not His second best.
3. There is a production of new life in those who believe
The third idea that Peter shares to show us that God sent the very best is that there is a production of new life in those who believe. Peter says in verse 21, that you “Who through Him are believers in God.” Nothing else could have produced this new life. Only the resurrection of Jesus Christ could have produced the life changing power to transform us from hell bound sinners into saints (holy ones). Nothing but the power of God through Christ could have done that. If you’ve never experienced the life changing power of Christ then you need to come to Him today.
III. Brotherly love among one another (vv. 22-25)
Thirdly, the fact that we are part of a new family and must be characterized by an obedient lifestyle is evidenced by brotherly love among one another. Peter says that in these verses the purification that Christ provided gives us the ability to have a sincere love for each other as brothers and sisters in this new family. He goes on to describe what this love looks like in our lives.
A. The type of love
First, Peter describes the type of love. He says that it is sincere, “sincere love for the brethren.” It is genuine love. Its opposite is the word hypocritical. This word used to refer to actors on the stage who wore masks. They were someone else then who they appeared to be. This sincere love that we are to have to one another is one which does not have ulterior motives. It is not two faced. I have seen firsthand how God can change someone to love others sincerely. We are free to love one another sincerely because we have known the freedom of God’s forgiveness.
B. The command to love
Next Peter describes the command to love. Peter tells us to love fervently. This word “fervently” has the idea of being stretched out or tensed in action. It describes the rower whose every muscle is brought into action as his oar is hauled through the water. This love should be practiced fervently from the center of our being. We should engage all our energy to show love to one another. There are so many ways that we can fervently love one another. We should imitate God’s love. How? God so loved the world that He gave. In showing our love to one another we should give. We can give our time in praying for one another, or in caring for the needs of one another.
When we see a need in the lives of one of our brothers or sisters we should extend our lives to meet that need. Ask God to show you someone to whom you can show love. Our love for one another should be a picture of Christ’s love for us, so that others might see it and believe that Christianity does change hearts and lives. I think this culture has taught us that everything is mine or yours, but our fervent love for each other should expand that boundary. We should willingly share with our brothers and sisters who have needs. Paul says that it’s not so that we are lacking while they have plenty, but that so everyone’s needs are met. The blood of Christ should bond us with a love that cannot be broken. And this is what Peter is trying to say in verses 23-25
C. The basis for this love (the indestructible family)
Thirdly, Peter describes the basis for this love. It is not based on some temporary arrangement that will be shortly broken. He once again calls us back to fact of this new birth experience. (Verse 23) “For you have been born again . . .” But this family relationship isn’t something to be thrown away. It’s a relationship which cannot perish (Not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring Word of God). Other relationships may perish, but this new birth experience never will. Because the source of this new birth (The Word of God) will never perish. Peter quotes from Isaiah 40 to contrast the enduring nature of the Word of God with the temporary transient quality of the world and all its achievements. Everything that the world has to offer will pass away. Its glory (the grandeur of civilization) will pass away, but God’s Word which has brought about your transformation, the only true basis for your love is going to remain.
In returning to the theme of new birth again and again Peter is adamant about the importance of this in securing our family status. No one ever born into a family can ever be removed from it. How much more so, an eternal family. Our new birth has ushered us into a new family and our lives should be characterized by one of obedience.
Are you living a life of holiness? Are you striving to be more like Christ or are you stagnant in that goal?
Is your life showing reverent respect toward the Father? Are you reveling in a Father who doesn’t play favorites? Are you rejoicing in the fact that you have been rescued from a meaningless and powerless existence or are you trapped in it?
Are you loving your brothers or sisters in the body or loathing them?
The battle starts in the mind. Are you overcoming or overcome? The key is fixing our mind on our coming salvation brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Diligently think upon the truth of our new birth experience.
Guard your thoughts, pull down any strongholds which Satan has tried to erect in your mind and renew it through God’s Word and His promises to us concerning our new life in Christ.
Have you been born into this family of God by the imperishable Word of God? If not you need to be today and find a place in the family.