J. Albrecht…Lent 5…March…1 Peter 1:17-25…Consider the Precious Price of Your Redemption!

¹⁷ And 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; ¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. ²⁰ He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you ²¹ who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. ²² Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, ²³ having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, ²⁴ because “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, ²⁵ But the word of the LORD endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen.

INJ by whose precious blood you have been set free from sin and death and reborn to a life of fear and love, DFR:

Do you ever feel out of place? Consider any aspect of your life – be it at work, at school, at the gym, or even here at church? Do you feel out of place when you look around the culture you are inundated by because you are a Christian, and much you see around you is obviously not? Or do you look at your fellow Christians and feel out of place because they appear much more Christ-like than you think you are?

If you can identify with any of those feelings, you are the exact person Peter is writing to in his epistle. Peter originally wrote the Jewish Christians who were scattered abroad. They were strangers in a strange land and truly did not “belong.” Today, outside of a few places in the world, you can find fellow Christians anywhere. Back then, however, the world was filled with paganism and occult practices. They were out of place. To encourage these saints, Peter urges them to consider the precious price of their redemption. Both the value it brings to them; and the value of what it makes of them.

To you, the Christian who feels out of place amongst your peers or amongst the world: Consider the precious price of your redemption. Know how precious you are to God that He sent His Son to shed His blood to pay for your sins and make you His child. Know the power of God that Jesus’ death and resurrection has to change your life – from following the desires of your former walk of life; to walk in love towards God and your neighbor.

As we consider these words of God, let us pray: Lord, may the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer, Amen.

¹⁷ And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, ¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

Our text begins with the assumption that the reader is already a believer. If you call upon Him, is a condition already fulfilled. Peter is really saying, “Seeing that you do call upon God, who judges, as Father, conduct yourselves with fear…” Remember the type of people he is writing to. These are Christians under great affliction. These words ought to serve as a great comfort to them. They have the privilege to call upon God as Father to do a Father’s part and dispense a Father’s gift.

What joy that should bring to our hearts as well. As often as we are met with affliction in this life; as often as we feel isolated or neglected, we can call upon God who judges all to act towards us as a father would act towards his child. But it also stands as an evangelical, that is a gospel-focused warning.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 7, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. We are not calling upon someone who is like us – someone with whom we can curry favor with by flattery or special conduct. God judges impartially each man’s work. As God’s people, we ought to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of calling upon God as Father. Our lives should be free from every defilement of body and spirit. So this fear has a unique meaning. It’s not fear of God’s judgment, nor is it the holy reverence with which we hold God, but this fear is the opposite of security and lightness, the opposite of indifference of the mind, the fear which recognizes that the all-just Judge must condemn evil in whomsoever found. The fear which keeps us from falling under such condemnation.

This holy fear is necessary because of the aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers. In the context, it makes sense that Peter would be talking to his first century readers about the Old Testament traditions. The Jews grew up with these traditions, but they are now aimless because Jesus has brought an end to the Law. They were not redeemed by keeping those traditions, but by something more precious. This holy fear was necessary that they not be tempted to fall back into those dead practices, for to do so would mean death.

It is a clear application for us today, that we inherit an aimless conduct from our fathers – that of original sin. Each one of us, from the moment of conception was consumed by sin, infected by it, killed by it. Our sinful flesh is a dangerous foe in that it can easily control and dominate our lives even today. Indifference to sin leads us away from God. Isaiah writes, but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. (Isa. 59:2 ESV).

This is our constant battle so long as we are sojourners on this earth. Satan never gives up trying to wrestle you away from God. Can you begin to see why the price of your redemption is so precious? This word, redemption, not only frees you from your sins and iniquities, but it is your constant hope, the foundation of your faith that carries you through this earthly journey under God’s grace. Your redemption took place on one day, sure, but its effects last a lifetime. The price:

 ¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold,¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. ²⁰ He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you ²¹ who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Jesus is described as a Passover lamb, the Passover lamb which was selected days before the sacrifice, whose blood was smeared on the doorpost in Egypt so that the angel of death would pass over. This Passover lamb needed to be outwardly clean without any imperfection. And on Calvary’s cross, Jesus looked anything but like a perfect lamb. He was beaten, bruised, scourged, and ragged. But inwardly, He was pure, holy, and without any imperfection. His blood did what the Passover Lamb could not – destroy the power of the devil, defeat death, and bring salvation’s peace to God’s people.

Only God’s eternal plan of salvation assures us of the comfort and deliverance we need. If the paschal lamb had to be chosen in advance, here is the Lamb of God that bears the sins of the world, chosen long before the Baptist stretched out his hand and exclaimed: Behold, the Lamb of God! long before Isaiah saw the Lamb led to the slaughter and not opening his mouth, yes, long before God himself in Paradise promised our first parents the seed of the woman who should crush the serpent’s head and in doing so suffer his heel to be bruised. Before the foundations of the world were laid, our salvation was complete in the mind of God.

This is what makes us feel assured and certain. Only Christ’s blood could be poured out for our redemption. The more we ponder this, the greater our fear will be and the greater our confidence, faith, and hope will be in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.

That is only a part of the precious value of your redemption. It also changes you.

²² Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, ²³ having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

New life is only found where the old life is thoroughly overcome. Our old life, the same which is handed down from our fathers is of a selfish nature. The love we had as lost sinners was a love for our natural, sinful selves. This love stems from an impure heart – a heart that will show love only if we have received love first. Conditional love is the love of the world, not the love of a Christian and certainly not the love of God.

The pure love of a Christian heart is always obedient to the truth, prompted by the Word and Spirit of God, doing the works of love for Christ’s sake, who first loved us; and loving especially those who with us love him as their Lord and Savior.

See how this follows the same track as our redemption? The condition handed down from our fathers brought sin and death. Only the blood of Jesus could overcome our debt of sin and give the victory over death. The sinful flesh handed down from our fathers brought calloused hearts, selfish desires, and a self-serving love. But the living and incorruptible Word of God creates life, reveals the selfless love of God our Father, and creates a new heart within us that seeks to do His will.

The confidence is not upon our hearts, but on God’s love. Our Confidence is not on our words of promise, but on God’s Word of promise. You have been made a child of God through the redemption won by Jesus Christ on the cross. The Holy Spirit, now, has given you new life through the incorruptible, enduring Word of God. When the enduring Word and truth faith meet in a heart, the Christian’s life overflows with brotherly love for one another. What does that look like? Seek after one another’s well-being. Pray for each other, worship together, call upon one another, always abiding together in the love of your Savior Jesus Christ.

John the Constant, Elector of Saxony had the initial letters of his motto, V. D, M. I. 22. (Verbum Domini manet in aeternum) inscribed on his coins and embroidered on the garments of his servants. Whenever misgivings assailed his heart at thought of the great opposition to the true church and the Gospel, he whispered these words to himself. What does it mean? The Word of the Lord endures forever.

Dear Christian, in the moments when you feel out of place; when you are assailed by Satan with seeds of doubt or worry, consider again the Precious Price of Your Redemption. Walk in a holy fear of the Father – always confident in His grace and mercy towards you. Let your life be dedicated to selfless love for one another that the love of Christ may dwell in your richly. Do these because you were bought for a price – the innocent blood of the Son of God, who willingly offered up His life for yours, making sure you always have a future with Him. Amen.