Introduction
Let me begin with a discipleship question: how will you follow Jesus in prayer and dependence on God this week?
Main Points
In this lesson shaped by Calvary Boise's teaching on 1 PETER: Live Your Most Valuable Life, Christ invites us to receive truth with humility, practice repentance, and walk in faithful obedience.
Sin and Salvation
we've been in first Peter since Easter we are taking time to go from Easter to Pentecost which is a remembrance of God point. out his Holy Spirit on the church to really think about the implications of what a born-again life looks like if the same Spirit. dwells in us that was in Christ raising him from the grave we are born again and this is not a Christian denomination this. is not a title that some believers wear and others have it as an option Jesus says you must be born again to inherit. eternal life and so we've taken the last couple weeks to study this epistle by the Apostle Peter of what that born-again life looks. like and we're gonna go deeper into that question maybe in the most challenging way this morning as we finish off the first chapter. of this book and I let me just say I'm so grateful just to be here this morning I had one of those very. busy and full weekends that I'm sure many of you also had because that's the day and age that we live in I went. from Friday to Saturday in a strategy retreat with missions pastor and a number of elders some other pastors and some key leaders in. the missions of our church where we're going with that so we went and prayed and I cannot wait to see what God is. doing thank you for all of you who have been praying with that last prayer card that we came out with for what it. means for us to take part in God's plan for salvation in this generation I went straight from the strategy retreat into an amazing. production put on by ballet Idaho for my three-year-old daughter's ballet recital and it was an intense experience for me to watch her learn. how to dance and do it in front of an audience which is never easy I went right from that into to my first. ever quinceanera I got to go from an invitation from a family of our church to go pray from a young lady for a. young lady who's turning 15 years old and that culture celebrates that as an entrance into womanhood an amazing experience I went right from. that into our Saturday night service and got to worship and get into the word and had a quick nap and now I'm here. again and I say all of those things as a segue.
Sin and Salvation
into what we're going to talk about this morning because in all of the things that filled up my weekend and filled up your. week since the last time we met we realized that it really is a picture of how fast our life is going to go. by and as I think about my week it seems like a week that was full of joy as busy as it was it. was just so joyful and I think about what brings me joy and realizing that every one of us have decisions to make about. how we live our lives in the brief window of life that we have to get the most out of them what is the. most valuable thing that we do in our lives so that when that fullness of time comes and the twinkling of an eye the. vapor of our life is over how do we live our lives in a way that says wow that was full but it was. delightful and joyful and it meant something that's what we're gonna get to this morning so let's consider the question what is the value. of your life what is the thing that you're doing with your life that brings you the joy of your life that is the. question that we are going to answer this morning and we're gonna start looking for that question in verse 17 it says if you. call on the father who without partiality judges according to each one's work conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear. knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers but. with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot Peter is going to go on to continue to. encourage these believers the first recipients of this letter to remind them what they have in this promise of the Living Hope the born-again. life that they now have you'll end this thought as we go on in verse 23 with our born-again series being the emphasis that. overlays everything that we just read having been born again not of corruptible seed but incorruptible through the Word of God which lid and. abides forever because all flesh is as grass and the glory of man as the flower of the grass the grass withers and it's. flower fails or falls away but the word of the Lord.
Sin and Salvation
endures forever now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you and that will put an end to the first. thought that Peter has for this church to encourage them as pilgrims or sojourners and there stay wherever they're at to say be hopeful. because what you have is gonna make it to the end and it is going to be good news it is going to be. as we studied when we first started this series when you get to the end of that withered life that is compared to the. grass of the field that's fit falling away the flower that comes up like your glory failing falling away but when you get to. the end when you endure to the end because you're born again of the incorruptible life now that doesn't fail away when you get. there it will be joy inexpressible it will be so exciting to see what your life was really worth and I want to live. my life and teach us as a church by God's Word to be a church that is that aim is our life how we. get to the joy inexpressible at the end of our life a life that was worth living a church that was worth gathering and. doing things in and before we look into where this is going I want to point something out it says in verse 17 where. we started that if we call on him as father if we are people who are receiving God's Word as though it is coming. to us as a father instructs children he judges without partiality we if we call on him as a father it means that we. also accept his judgment and we should conduct our lives as though the judgment actually is coming which means your life matters which means. it will be weighed in the balance it will be caught it will be looked at and said what's it worth that's not something. that we typically think about in the church age that we live in but it's accordingly conduct yourselves with fear with trembling with awe. knowing that what you're receiving this morning as the instructions of your father in heaven matter it matters how you respond and you'll be. judged accordingly here's how this helped me think about this there was a show that I used to watch with my grandfather he's since. passed away but one of the his favorite shows and.
Sin and Salvation
we watched it together was a show called Antiques Roadshow well if you've ever tuned into it maybe it's still on the premise of. the show was people would gather their prized possessions to find out what it's really worth and they would come into the gathering of. this and they would present their prized possessions to an expert now this expert essentially is nothing more than a judge they have the. expertise and the knowledge and education to look at something and tell you the value of it and one of my favorite episodes of. my memory was a man who came with these little Chinese bowls that he had been collecting and he presents them to this ancient. Chinese art expert as a judge and he says here's my here's the value that I think I have this is my prized possession. for life what's it worth and the expert examines it he judges it and he says where did you get these tell me the. story and the man says in the 70s I was traveling around Europe saved up everything I had and went to go live out. of a backpack and on my travels in England I walked into a store and I saw and this cup and it was I. could tell it was different and it struck my eye and for some reason I fell in love with it and I decided to. spend everything that I had for my travels on that cup and so I had a cup and a backpack and I stopped sleeping. in hotels and hostels and I started living on a budget that was completely outside of anything that I had now I spent everything. on the cup he said well I have some good news for you based off what I'm examining what I know about what you. own the appraisal that I would like to give you conservatively is a million dollars you might be able to get anywhere up to. 1.5 million dollars at an auction that man's to that good news gospel message for his life was joy inexpressible that's what joy inexpressible. is the idea that he had something that was of incredible worth that it was only until the judge told him what he actually. had that he was able to stand back and say I cannot believe this and that's the picture that's being painted here the picture. is that there is a judge of your life and there.
Family Discipleship
is something that can be presented the day that you meet him that will turn into a revelation and understanding and a knowledge and. it's all of its fullness of the glory of what's presented that will be joy inexpressible but the show comes with a warning so. does our text there was times where you'd get these incredible examples of people who had no idea the value of something that they. owned and then there was the more common example that happened every show where someone would come into this antique show this Roadshow and. they'd come to the judge with a family heirloom they'd say this family heirloom has been in my family for as long as we. can remember my great-grandmother had it my grandmother had it my mother have it I have it and now I am here to finally. get it appraised because I think it's worth millions and that is a different kind of news instead of good news the judge will. look at the expert of the art will look at the family heirloom and they'll look at it and say I'm sorry but this. is a fraud it's not worth anything this is a counterfeit piece of art your family heirloom is worthless and instead of joy inexpressible. there were all sorts of people who thought they had prized possessions that were totally valueless and they walk away with sorrow that is. the picture that is given to us presented by Jesus says that there is something so invaluable that I have come to bring to. the earth in fact there is a parable in Matthew chapter 13 that sounds a lot like the story that I first told let's. call it the parable of the Antiques Roadshow it's Matthew chapter 13 verse 44 Jesus trying to help people understand the kingdom that he's. bringing this is more than a message it's more than a teaching this is an higher dominion of his rule that he is bringing. from heaven to earth and he says the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field you have no idea what. you have a man finds it and he covers it up and then in his joy realizing what has he has discovered the kingdom. of heaven has been discovered he sells everything that he has and he buys that field he's telling us something about the joy inexpressible. that is being offered and because his disciples like us need.
Sin and Salvation
the message twice he tells the same parable with different characters it says again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search. of fine pearls who on finding one pearl of great value went and sold all that he had and he bought it that is. the good news that Jesus brings there is something that you can live for there is something that you can discover about how God. created you to live your life that is worth everything else that will be a life lived upon the day of judgment when you. meet the expert not of art but of life because it says in God's word you're his handiwork he's making you to be something. that is valued and treasured by him and when you meet him face to face which is going to happen there will be an. examination of the life that you live and Jesus says there's a way that you can do this there is a kingdom that I. am inviting you into that will end with an examination that is joy that you cannot express you will be so excited about the. treasure that your life is how do we do that well this is what essentially is called the gospel that's why Peter says the. word which by the gospel was preached to you and this morning I want to talk about the gospel in economic terms because we're. talking about the value of something that's being offered to you and I want to talk about it in terms that go beyond what. we often put the gospel into that have nothing to do with value because if you're like many people in the 21st century Church. you hear the word gosh well and you're thinking about a presentation of truth that you need to believe in or not believe in. Jesus it says preach the gospel of the kingdom he preached the gospel that would change the entire orientation of your life to take. you from one citizenship to an entirely different one and that is the gospel that we are going to preach today we will not. stop at the gospel that simply says here is a message for your choosing the gospel that has the economy of the kingdom comes. in three parts and we must have all three we must not stop at the first part the first part of the economy of. the gospel is the price of redemption that is something that we.
Sin and Salvation
must understand it will not be good news until you understand how Redemption is afforded but we must continue as Peter continues in his. therefore sentences that are throughout this letter presenting the mercy of God as the good news and also saying therefore this is how you. respond the gospel is the price of redemption it is also the cost of something else we're going to talk about the price and. we're going to talk about the cost and then we're also going to talk about the proof the proof of your purchase the proof. that you have been purchased that the price has been paid for all three of those must exist in your life all three of. those will be examined and judged as the conduct of your life will be weighed in the balance when you meet the expert of. life face to face it will happen that's not up for debate that is something that the Bible makes very clear that God is. your father who loves you is your judge who will examine the value of the life that he gave you to live let us. start now with the price of redemption it says in verse 17 that if you call the father who without partiality judges according to. each one's work conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear in reverence in awe why knowing with confidence that you. were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold you will conduct yourselves with fear and honor and love of God any receiving. the merciful and gracious gospel because you know how you redeemed because you know the price that was paid and we must start by. the price of redemption for the first part of the economic gospel by saying what doesn't redeem you what is not the thing that. redeems your life or pays the price for your life there is something inside all of us that realize that we need some sort. of redemption we need something that is missing from our life something to bring us into the fullness of our life and I can. share with you headlines from news stories we could look back into history or look at our present day to realize that the world. is broken and God is doing something to redeem people from brokenness and put them into his plan of reconciliation to His Holiness how. does it happen the answer that we start with is how it.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.