church

INI
Laetare
The 4th Sunday in Lent
March 14, 2010
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

THE GREATEST GRACE IS YET TO COME
I Peter 1:13-16

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our
Savior. Amen. Today we consider the Word of God in the first epistle of St.
Peter, chapter one, beginning with the 13th verse, as follows [ESV]:

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your
hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus
Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your
former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your
conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." This is the Word
of God.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, who said, I go to prepare a place for you that
where I am, there you may be also, Dear Fellow Redeemed,

Renowned 19th century preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon once told of a
wealthy patron who wanted to bestow a large sum of money on a country pastor
who was quite poor. Thinking that the amount was too much to send all at
once, the benefactor mailed a portion of it. Enclosed was a note that said
simply, “More to follow.” In a few days the man received another envelope
containing the same amount and bearing the same message, “More to follow.”
At regular intervals there came a third envelope, and a fourth, and so on for
many weeks until the entire amount had been disbursed. And each one was
accompanied by the cheering message, "more to follow!" Spurgeon noted that
the grace we receive from God always comes with a similar message, "more to
follow!" When God forgives our sins, there's more forgiveness to follow. When
God bestows upon us the righteousness of Christ, there's more to follow. He
adopts us into his very family, but there's more to follow. He prepares us for
heaven, but there's more to follow. He gives us grace, but there's more to
follow. He helps us even to old age, but still the very best is yet to follow. In
fact, when I read that story, it struck me that, if the occasion ever arose, this
would make a pretty good sermon theme: "There's more to follow!"

Well, that’s not my theme today, but it might as well be. For in our Lenten text
for this morning, the Apostle Peter reminds us that, out of all the grace that our
God has lavished on us to this point, the greatest grace is yet to come. He’s
speaking, of course, about eternal life in heaven. And he also asks some very
pointed questions about how we Christians ought to live in view of this fact.
For drowsy Christians, it’s a great wakeup call! Our theme today:

THE GREATEST GRACE IS YET TO COME
I. …So prepare for action,
II. …So practice childlike obedience.
III. …So strive for holiness.

If you ever listen to radio or television evangelists, you may have noticed an
interesting pattern. Most of them tell you how to live, but very few tell you
why. What I mean is, you’ll hear an awful lot about what the Christian life
should look like, but little or nothing about the reason that prompts people to
live like Christians. Well, Peter doesn’t make that mistake. Before talking about
the Christian life, he lays out the motivation for the Christian life in the clearest
possible terms. A little earlier here in chapter one he says, Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has
begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade
away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through
faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1:3-5. Peter was
encouraging them to think about that great grace that was to come – the
incorruptible inheritance of heaven that Jesus had earned for each one of them.

And they needed that encouragement. Why? He said, In this you greatly
rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by
various trials 1:16. They were going through trials, and persecutions and
difficulties in their Christian lives. Does that sound familiar? Maybe that sounds
a lot like your life right now!

But Peter didn’t want his hearers to be paralyzed into inaction. He didn’t want
them to be discouraged by these trials, and you shouldn’t be either. THE
GREATEST GRACE IS YET TO COME, he says, …so prepare for action.
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your
hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus
Christ.

What does it mean to prepare for action? The King James version here says
“gird your loins.” In Bible times, of course, people customarily wore long
flowing robes. If there was any kind of action coming – if you were a soldier
going into battle, or if you had to be ready to move quickly at a moment – you
would “gird your loins.” You would use a belt to tie up the ends of your loose,
flowing garment so you had free use of your legs and you were unimpeded.
When the Israelites were preparing to leave Egypt, the Lord told them to “gird
up their loins” and be prepared to move.

What about you? Are you prepared for action? Are you ready to buckle down
and do some effective work for your Savior during the time you have left in this
world? Or are the “loose ends” of life getting in your way and threatening to trip
you up? Clear them away. Put first things first. The writer to the Hebrews says,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us
run with endurance the race that is set before us - Heb 12:1. Remember the
incredible reward that is waiting for you! THE GREATEST GRACE IS YET
TO COME! Live and behave in a clear-headed and sober-minded way, Peter
says, and set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the
revelation of Jesus Christ.

“Hope” is another one of those words that is used somewhat differently in the
Bible from the way we use it in ordinary speech. “Hope” for us is something
tentative, something we’d like to happen, but we’re not sure it actually will. “I
hope the Seahawks make the playoffs” is a good example of something I’d like
to happen, but I’m not at all sure it will actually take place. But when the Bible
speaks of the Christian’s hope, it’s not talking about something tentative. It’s
talking about a sure thing, something we have every confidence in, something
we can eagerly look forward to, because it’s going to happen. And for those
who trust Jesus as their only Savior from sin, heaven is definitely going to
happen. That’s what Peter means when he says, set your hope fully on the grace
that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

THE GREATEST GRACE IS YET TO COME, he says, …so practice
childlike obedience. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions
of your former ignorance.

Ouch! That must have hurt! Most often Scripture tells Christians not to be like
the unbelievers who live around them. But here Peter uses his hearers
themselves as the bad example! “Remember the way you used to be before you
came to faith?” he says. “Remember the shameful way you used to live and the
kind of things you used to do? Don’t be that way now!” Do not be conformed
to the passions of your former ignorance. A little later, in chapter four he says,
For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles
[the unbelievers] -- when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries,
drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. But now you’re believers! Now
you’re on your way to heaven! THE GREATEST GRACE IS YET TO
COME, so in the meantime, why not live like Christians? Why not practice
childlike obedience.

Unfortunately, that’s not always the childlike quality we exhibit in our lives, is
it? Very often, I’m afraid, we’re guilty of childlike disobedience. Like petulant
children, something goes wrong in our lives and we immediately have a little
tiff: “How could God let this happen?” “Why doesn’t God love me?” “Why
doesn’t God give me this or that item that I’m convinced I need?” Like
disobedient children, we rebel against God’s will for our lives. We go our own
way, we ignore God’s Word and break His commandments. During this Lenten
season we’re reminded to repent of those sins, and to bring them all to our
Savior’s cross for pardon. He will surely grant you that pardon for the sake of
His sacrifice on Calvary, and in fact has already granted it. With His own blood
He has already written your name in the book of life.

So how shall we then live? In childlike obedience. Just as a young child takes
his father’s word at face value, let us trust in the unfailing Word of God. The
Bible has the answer for any question that may arise to trouble you in your life.
Your own human reason and logic and skepticism may lead you astray, but
God’s Word never will! So lay aside your doubts, and simply your Father’s
Word, as a child would. That’s why King David said, Thy Word is a lamp unto
my feet and a light unto my path.

Well, we know where that path leads, don’t we? It’s the old path, the narrow
path that leads to heaven! THE GREATEST GRACE IS YET TO COME,
Peter says finally, …so strive for holiness. But as he who called you is holy, you
also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am
holy."

Peter has told them what their behavior is not to be patterned on – their own
former ignorance. Now he tells them what it is to be patterned on, of course the
greatest example of holiness that could possibly be brought, the holiness of God
Himself. “Practice holiness in your life, because the one who called you to faith,
who made you into a Christian – He’s holy, and you ought to reflect His
holiness.

You’ll have noticed by now that Scripture often uses passages like this as a
thunderous preaching of the Law – “You shall be holy, for I the Lord thy God
am holy!” And this is good and proper, for it reminds us of the exacting
standard of righteousness God holds us to, and it makes us despair of ever
meeting that standard by our own works. All that is perfectly true, but that’s not
the meaning in this verse. For Peter has already laid out very explicitly how we
attain that perfect righteousness – by faith in the crucified and risen Lord Jesus.
He’s talking to people (as I am right now) who have already received the gift of
God’s grace. No, his point is that THE GREATEST GRACE IS YET TO
COME. “You’re approaching heaven, so let your lives reflect the holiness of
the One who earned that heaven for you!”

Since you’re a Christian, live like a Christian! Strive for holiness. That is,
inasmuch as in you lies, let your daily conduct be in holiness. Preachers are
often referred to as “holy men.” That phrase has always intimidated me. But in
the very best and highest sense, every Christian is meant to be a holy man, or a
holy woman. When you men refuse to use the harsh language or join in with the
off-color jokes in the workplace, when you women refrain from engaging in the
malicious gossip that’s so common nowadays, when you children (unlike most
young people nowadays) are obedient and respectful toward your parents and
elders, that reflects the holiness of Him who called you. That just might make
someone notice you, and wonder what the Christian faith is all about. You just
might find someone asking you about the grace that is exhibited in your life.
And then you can tell them about Jesus. Then you can tell them about all the
grace that God has poured into your life. And you can tell them the best part of
all: that THE GREATEST GRACE IS YET TO COME! Later on, in chapter
three, Peter says, sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to
give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you,
with meekness and fear. -- 3:15.

We know little about what heaven will be like. But while we may know little –
but we do know enough! A. M. Hunter wrote about a Christian doctor who, in
days gone by, was visiting the home of a elderly patient who was on his
deathbed. The dying man asked the doctor to tell him something about heaven.
The doctor was casting about for an answer to this, when he heard a scratching
at the door. “Do you hear that?” he asked his patient. “It’s my dog. I left him
downstairs, but he has grown impatient, and has come up and hears my voice.
He has no idea what is inside this door, but that doesn’t matter, for he does
know one thing. He knows that I am here. Isn’t it the same with you? You don’t
know what lies beyond the Door, but you know that your Master is there.”
That’s a door we will all walk through one day, but we needn’t be afraid. For we
know that our Master Jesus Christ is there is there waiting for us. So while we
remain on this earth, let us prepare for action. Let us practice childlike
obedience, and let us strive for holiness. For this one thing we know: THE
GREATEST GRACE IS YET TO COME. AMEN.