SERMON NOTES
1 PETER 1:13-31 (NIV)
(13) Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. (14) As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. (15) But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; (16) for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (17) Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners 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 ancestors, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (20) He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. (21) Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
THE STABILITY OF THE PAST
- Jesus’ death and resurrection in the past sets up our present and future.
- This inheritance from the past…has a future view.
- We walk into the future, backward.
GET STABILITY BY LIVING DIFFERENT
- Holiness is being distinct or different.
- We’ve made holiness a burden to bear, whereas God has consistently invited us into the beauty of holiness and to experience and share God’s character.
GET STABILITY FROM “FEAR”
- Fear is the foundation for wisdom.
- Proverbs 1:1-7 (NIV)
- Proverbs 3:5-8 (NIV)
APPLICATION QUESTIONS:
- The sermon began with the image of uprooted trees during a storm. What are some of the "storms" or competing voices that most threaten your stability right now? How do they shape your attention and decisions?
- Holiness is living distinctly according to God's design. What are some practical ways Christians can live differently from the culture around them while still demonstrating love, justice, and mercy?
- One key statement in the sermon was, "We walk into the future backward," remembering God's faithfulness in the past as we face the future. Can you share a time when looking back on God's faithfulness helped you trust Him in a current challenge?
- Which of the two pathways to stability that Peter highlights, living a holy life or cultivating the fear of the Lord, feels most needed in your life right now, and why?
SERMON AUDIO
