"Until He Returns" - 1 Peter 1:13-21 (Larry Malament)

Sermon Quotes:

2 Peter 1:10 – “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall."

Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ - 1:13

1 John 3:2 – “Beloved, we are God’s children now and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is.” 

Edmund Clowney: “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. Without the indicative of what God does, the imperative is addressed to a helpless sinner, the victim of his illusions; it becomes a commandment that crushes or that drives to vain and presumptuous efforts. Our hope is God’s gift, an inheritance created for us by Christ’s resurrection. Because we have been given hope, we are called to live in it.”

1 Peter 5:8-9 – “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world."

Edmond Hiebert:“Sober-minded denotes a condition free from every form of mental and spiritual loss of self-control; it is an attitude of self-discipline. It inculcates a calm, steady mind that evaluates things correctly, so that it is not thrown off balance by new and fascinating ideas."

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Be holy in all your conduct - 1:14-16

Fear God - 1:17

2 Corinthians 6:16 - 7:1 – “For we are the temple of the living God; as God said. I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore, go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will come to you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord almighty. Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God." 

2 Corinthians 5:10 – “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done n the body, whether good or evil."

Wayne Grudem: “Fear in this context means primarily 'fear of God’s discipline'. Although many today dismiss fear of God as an Old Testament concept which has no place in the New Covenant, they do so to the neglect of many New Testament passages and to the impoverishment of their spiritual lives. Fear of God’s discipline is a good and proper attitude, the sing of a New Testament church growing in maturity and experiencing God’s blessing. Moreover, fear of God is connected with growth in holiness elsewhere in the New Testament. Fear of God is not inconsistent with loving him or knowing that he loves us. If it were, we would have to say that Old Testament believers who feared God could not have also loved him – which is clearly false – or that God did not love them – which is also clearly false.”

Edmond Hiebert:“Peter’s primary reference is to God’s present dealings with his saints in the development of holiness in their lives. But God’s judgment of the believer will find final application at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:11-15, 2 Cor. 5:6-10). That judgment will not be to determine their salvation but their future reward. The faithful or unfaithful work of saints will make a difference both here and hereafter.”

2 Peter 1:10 – “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall."

Colossians 3:1-4 - “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

Thomas Schreiner: “There is a kind of fear that does not contradict confidence. A confident driver also possesses a healthy fear of an accident that prevents him from doing anything foolish. A genuine fear of judgment hinders believers from giving in to their old passions. The background to such fear can be traced to Deuteronomy, and the wisdom of Proverbs where the fear of the Lord informs all of life. What is remarkable is that God's tenderness and love as Father is mingled with his judgment and the fear that should mark Christians in this world.”

Edmund Clowney: “We are told that God’s verdict on us has already been pronounced; in Christ we are justified; we have passed from death to life. The Judge in the last day is our Savior. God’s final judgment will glorify his justice; he will pronounce for all the redeemed the satisfaction of Christ’s atoning death and the merit of his perfect obedience. Yet the faithfulness of the Lord’s people will also be displayed, not as the basis of their acceptance, but to show the reality of their faith to the Savior. To those who have been unfaithful, the Lord himself will declare the folly of their hypocritical confession: ‘Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!' God’s examination of his saints will also make evident the worthlessness of shoddy ministry. Heavenly reward will be proportionate to the faithfulness of the Lord’s redeemed stewards.”

Getty’s adaption of St. Patrick’s prayer:

Christ with me and Christ before me

Christ behind me and Christ in me

Christ beneath me and Christ above me

Christ on my right and Christ on my left

Christ when I lie down and Christ when I arise

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me

Christ in mouth of everyone who speaks of me

Christ in every eye that sees me, and

Christ in every ear that hears me.