Book of Praise(1984)
Psalm 89: 7								Rev. S. de Marie
Psalm 119: 65, 66
Psalm 139: 1, 13						Reading	1 Tess. 4:1-8; 
Psalm 84: 1, 3, 4								1 Peter 1:1-12
Psalm 84: 5, 6						Text:		1 Peter 1: 13-19

Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
In our time we have experience a lot of disasters like a worldwide pandemic of corona, frequent forest fires, massive floodings, earthquakes and a horrible war. All are signs that should wake us up: the Lord is active in coming back! It is important to ask ourselves what the meaning and purpose of our life is. And test ourself against God's Word.  Are we really ready to receive Him? Do we expect Him?
In this sermon on 1 Peter 1 we see our life as a journey. A journey through time. A life journey that we go on as called children of God, under His guidance. The question is: do we always see our destination clearly on the road? On our journey we encounter temptations, difficulties and hostilities. Do we recognize them, and how do we deal with them? How do we behave during our trip? The question then is: do we really want this trip? Or do we feel more at home where we are now?
I may proclaim God's Word to you from 1 Pet. 1: 13-19 with the theme:

Christ makes our life a safe journey
1. Full hope on the completed salvation (v. 13)
2. Holy before God the Father (vs. 14-17)
3. Grateful for the work of Jesus Christ (18,19)

1. Peter's letter is addressed to congregations in Turkey. He calls them “elect pilgrims” in the opening verses. They are called “pilgrims” because they are called by God out of the darkness of the world without God. To seek their homeland not here in this world, but where Christ is.
They—and we too—have every reason to rejoice in seeing the grace we receive: forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
Faith in Jesus Christ gives us a glorious future, with a view to eternal salvation. Yet we still live in this world. And we notice that too; that does not pass us by. On the contrary, we are then not of the world, for we are pilgrims, but that is why we are still in the world. In a world that does not know or no longer wants to know God and Christ.
In his first letter, Peter constantly points out that we, as believers on this earth, are still undergoing all kinds of trials. Not only through suffering, toil, worry and sorrow, but also through sinful temptations. The first, that suffering often weighs heavily on us; but the others, the worldly, the sinful, may seem less serious, especially if you do not take it so seriously. The temptation that proceeds from suffering and affliction is that you become discouraged, the temptation that proceeds from the sinful worldly is that you should become careless. God wants to keep us from both.
As pilgrims, we still have a long journey to make to our homeland. Throughout that journey we, on earth, are exposed to troubles and tribulations on the one hand and to allurements and temptations on the other. It may be a long time before we, as God's children, can receive the inheritance that has been promised to us.
Congregation, in our lifetime we run the risk of giving up or perhaps losing our faith unnoticed. That is why the Lord always wants to wake us up. So that we ask ourselves: what about my faith? What of my bond with Christ? What about my life with God? With my expectation for the future?
Peter outlines the situation we live in as believers and teaches us how to continue our life's journey, to reach the goal. In verse 13 he begins precisely with its purpose. After all, that purpose is the return of Christ! That is where we are headed, yes, we are being brought on our way there.
For you as believers, Christ's return means unimaginably rich grace. Eternal life in glory. The eternal bliss. You do not see any of that yet, you have to take it as a promise. But soon it will become reality, at the revelation of Jesus Christ. When we can finally meet our Lord. Verse 13 says that then comes the grace of eternal salvation. Peter says about this: on that grace of eternal salvation, you must fully concentrate on your journey and focus with desire.
Congregation, your faith must hope. Wholeheartedly hope. So that is not hoping in the sense of just seeing if it happens. Or let us hold on to a straw in this difficult and dangerous time. No, "hope completely," says Peter in verse 13.:
....rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 
But Peter does not say with that: work now so that you deserve that salvation, make sure that you are entitled to it. No, it is and remains grace, undeserved favour which is brought to you. If you sincerely believe and live by that faith, that salvation is already ready and God brings it to you as pure grace, through the merit of Christ.
Peter realizes that our "hope" is not so easy in the world we live in. We are so easily distracted from that hope. We so easily turn our attention to things of this world without God.
If you were to tell people what your hope is, namely salvation by Christ when He returns, they would just declare you a daydreamer. Someone who does not have both feet on the ground. Someone who has imagined ideals with which you can do nothing in this world. They may even declare you insane. But it is also possible that you yourself are despondent, because of all kinds of grief and difficulties and tensions, so much so that you threaten to give up that hope. You are gloomy and you wonder: everything for what purpose?
That is why Peter first says:
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind.
The word “Therefore” refers to what we read before. In it, Peter has indicated the troubles and suffering that a believer experiences. Therefore, because you will experience this suffering, and there is a chance that it will weigh you down so that you no longer see the purpose of the journey:
Therefore - gird up the loins of your mind.
That is imagery. In other words: Put a belt around your waist, on your hips to continue on your journey to the final destination. In the east people wore long clothes that reached to the ground. You might perchance trip over that. In any case, those long clothes can hinder you from walking fast enough. Therefore: your belt has to go around your waist, to pull up your clothes; so you can continue the journey. That is the metaphor here.
Gird up the loins of your mind, that is, take care now that your thinking and hopes are not hindered, so that you do not see the goal, and do not reach it. Make sure you can put your feet down on the path that the Lord wants you to go. Towards eternal bliss, which will dawn at the second coming of Christ.
Congregation our minds must be enlightened by the Holy Spirit, but the need is also that it is not obscured by earthly concerns, and not distracted from the goal. If you let yourself be distracted by what comes at you from the world, you no longer pay enough attention to the big goal. Then you do not really hope.
Then as a Christian you can succumb to worry, suffering, enmity and fear so that you fall in the way. Or you get distracted by temptations that make you join the world. In either case, you will not reach the goal.
But brothers and sisters, boys and girls, if you, with the right discernment and with the right understanding of what is going on around you, yet keep your eyes on the glorious purpose of the journey then you will be saved from stumbling.
Peter adds:
... be sober.
Do not be besotted, do not be intoxicated by cares or sinful desires. Instead of that, we must discern, be alert,  be awake, watchful in our life's journey with complete hope.
Congregation, it is clear that we need the help of the Holy Spirit to do this. We must continue to pray that He leads us from strength to strength and from glory to glory. That He keeps us awake and helps us fix our eyes on Jesus Christ our Savior and Guide.
We will also have to test ourselves again and again: Am I capable of travelling, am I aiming for the ultimate goal, the eternal glory? And as to the communion of saints: Do we help each other to keep that hope in sight, and to stay sober together? Do we help each other to see what is really important in this world, for our faith, for our salvation and above all for the glory of God? Do we keep each other awake; or if necessary: ​​do we wake each other up from sleep?
Let us always emphasize the joy of hope. Girding up the loins of our mind and being sober, especially includes time and attention for God's Word and for your prayers. Important for our image - and smartphone culture. If you put aside the focus on God's Word and prayer in your everyday life, then you cannot be sober: then you do not see the point, then you cannot concentrate fully on the hope of the grace that you may receive in Christ. That hope then gets out of the picture, and with that Christ himself gets out of the picture. Then you will just stumble on your life journey.
But congregation, if you are allowed to focus everything on your life purpose, on the return of your Saviour, then you have a living hope. Verse 4 says that hope is focused on the incorruptible, undefiled and unfading inheritance, which is kept for you in heaven. Then you already know the inexpressible joy of verse 8. Even with worries and difficulties. And in the midst of a world full of rubbish and immorality. Then set your eyes on Jesus, who pleads for you in heaven and always provides you with everything you need.

2. Christ makes our life a safe journey. We saw 1. Full hope on the completed salvation (v. 13). 2. Holy before God the Father (vs. 14-17).
Now that Peter has pointed out the purpose of our journey and how we should focus on it, he then speaks about our behavior during the journey. It is still our journey as pilgrims on this earth, which leads to a new homeland.
Peter then writes:
...as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance.
For Peter, believers are children of obedience. They are distinguished from the children of disobedience. Those are the people who do not love God and do not follow Him. We are like God's children on a journey, as children of obedience. Then we must not join in the sins of the world, which the children of disobedience commit.
The congregations that received this letter had formerly been like children of disobedience. They also followed their own hearts before their conversion; they first did what they felt like, like the world does. They did not follow the Lord to serve and honour Him.
Congregation, see how here the dividing line is marked on earth. You have two kinds of people: children of obedience who belong to God's covenant and live by it, and children of disobedience who do not care about God but follow His adversary. They follow the lusts of their own flesh, of their sinful self.
Paul also says in Ephesians 2, of himself, that before his conversion he also belonged to the children of disobedience. That is also the case with these congregations. But now they have been adopted as God's children by grace. Now they are no longer allowed to equalize with the people of the world. Conformed, literally: having the same scheme as the sinful world. They are not to be conformed to the sinful desires they formerly had before their conversion. Have they now distanced themselves from that?
Congregation, let us also test ourselves on this: do we distance ourselves from the lusts of the world? Young people, the difference between being God-centred or having worldly desires becomes clear when you go online. Then you can look up things to watch, for example videos, or to listen to songs, or to play games. If those things can perchance be about free sex, dirty language or violence, then they do not fit with God. If you are a child of God, you are not allowed to participate in that. Why not, you may ask? Now Peter answers that in verse 15:
But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.
In fact Peter says: it is not allowed, because God Himself is not like that, and therefore He does not want to see it in us. We must not conform to the world, not be conformed to wrong desires. But we must go with God, be conformed to Him. Look like Him, show His image. As He is,  so must we also be. Not only as He does but also as He is. We are His children, are we not? Then should we not look like Him? Literally the text is even clearer:
But as He who called you is “the Hole One”, you also be holy in all your conduct..
Congregation, God is characterized as "the Holy One." He is the Exalted One who bears no sin. Well, you, yourself, must mirror Him. Peter wants to emphasize this. That is why he points to the absolute authority of God's Word:
Because it is written!
That is the end of all contradiction, is it not? “Because it is written!” Thus the Lord Jesus answered the devil in the desert to his crafty questions:
 For it is written.
So God Himself has said:
Be holy, for I am holy!
And then Peter points to the Father bond that exists between God and us. God is our Father. We are His children. He is holy, so are we! For we belong to Him and have to resemble Him. That is how the Lord wills it, that is how He is and that is what He asks of us.
Brothers and sisters, Holy. What is “holy” to us as humans? Well, to be holy, for us, is to  have turned away from sin and the sinful world, and turned to God. In our thinking and acting. As His children, we want to serve and honour Him, not the world. That is being holy.
Now you could say, well, in this world it is not possible to be sinless or to be truly holy. As long as the Lord forgives your sins, everything will be fine. But God the Father does not approve of such an attitude. He gave His Son not only for the forgiveness of our sins, but also that we imitate Him and His Son as His children. To follow the mind of the Holy Spirit. Christ now also wants to live and work with His Spirit in us, so that we are constantly renewed and show more and more God's image.
Being holy out of love to God. That is what the Lord God wants to see in us. He pays attention to that. Yes brothers and sisters, boys and girls, do not forget that. Be sober about that too! God is watching you. God sees everything you are doing. Yes He Himself sees to the depths of your heart. He sees whether your actions are holy. For example, during courtship. Whether you keep your body pure. He sees whether your thinking and your desires are holy, for example when you use you-tube. He sees in your heart whether you want to be holy.
Peter goes on to say:
And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your sojourn here in fear.
Yes congregation, the Lord is watching you whether you really love Him, with reverence and awe, that is, in the fear of the Lord. Holy. He judges, He watches if you behave like pilgrims, and therefore do not have your homeland on earth. The Lord sees and judges. Without partiality, that also means: He will not be deceived; not even by a semblance of godliness.
Congregation if you really love God, if you love Him and His Son from the heart, then you want to be holy yourself. Then you also want to keep His commandments. Then you also want to get rid of what does not fit. And then if we find sin in us, let us ask forgiveness for it by the blood of Christ our Lord. God will also see that; that pleases Him.

3. Christ makes our life a safe journey: 3. Grateful for the work of Christ (verses 18, 19),
Peter first pointed out the goal for our life's journey. For our hope is the salvation which is given to us when the Lord Jesus Christ returns on the clouds. Then Peter showed us how we should behave on our journey: conformed to God, holy because He is holy. He is our father, we are His children.
Finally, Peter returns to the beginning of our journey. How did this journey with that purpose become possible? He thus gives an extra reason to continue the journey full of joyful expectation and also full of love for God. To show joy of faith and faithfulness.
He writes in verse 18:
...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.
The Apostle Peter points out that there is something we must keep in mind in our whole lives. Something that should not get out of our minds. The whole life journey from beginning to end. And that is: that we have been redeemed. Redeemed from an aimless conduct of life. We were at a dead end road at first. A journey that leads nowhere. Only to destruction. We were under the power of the devil. In the power of sin and death. But we are now ransomed! Bought, from slavery!
But we have been redeemed in a very special way: not with things that are perishable, subject to corruption. For comparison, Peter mentions things that are in themselves still very precious and also quite durable: gold and silver, precious metals. But even gold and silver are nothing compared to the value of the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
His blood is imperishable. That means: its saving power is final and eternal. Salvation through His blood extends to eternity.
Christ gave His blood as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. Just like with the Exodus from Egypt. Then a passover lamb without blemish was slain as a sign of Christ's coming redemption. By that blood the destroying angel passed by, and the people of Israel were delivered from the hand of Pharaoh. Christ, He delivered us from the power of Satan. By His blood we were delivered from the wrath of God. He paid for it with his precious blood and earned eternal bliss for us.
We were once aimless, useless and perishable, now we are saved. He turned an aimless way of life into a way of eternal salvation. He made us children of God the Father. And thus heirs of eternal life.
Let us now live with God always in that knowledge, in the grateful realization that we have been redeemed by Christ, recognizing that Christ has given Himself up for us for this purpose, in the sense of His holiness and blamelessness. That gives us firm hope of salvation, but now also makes us live holy: after this Christ, led by His Holy Spirit, on the way to that eternal bliss that dawns at His return.
Congregation, what a great exhortation this is, to keep our eyes on Him in our lives. To keep remembering him gratefully. Not just on Sundays, but throughout our lives.
Let us keep asking ourselves: Are we capable of travelling? Do we see the target clearly? Are we walking with God? Do we live in gratitude for Christ's sacrifice?
May the Lord grant us the sober faith to consider and act upon all these with His help.

Amen