Sunday, December 13, 2009

1 Peter 1:13-16 - Be Holy, For I am Holy


Lesson 4 -- Written by Marcia McCance
1. What it says:
13 ¶ Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.
2. What it means:
13 ¶ Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
The words “gird up the loins of your mind” are a word picture for strengthening the “back muscles” of your mind in preparation for future ease of use and prevention of injury. How do we go about strengthening the back muscles of the mind?  How do you strengthen physical back muscles?  Exercise!  As you pray and read the Word of God you will be growing in your knowledge of Jesus. You will be so familiar with the truth of God that the philosophies of the world will appear to you to be as shallow as they really are. Since you will recognize the difference between the truth of God and the philosophies of the world, you will desire to keep yourself dedicated to God and not be swayed by things that are not true. You will be levelheaded which is what “sober” means. And you will know that your destiny (destination) is to live with Jesus Christ.
 14 as obedient children,
What a joy “obedient children” are!  What do “obedient children” do?                            
not conforming yourselves
What does “conforming” mean?                                                           
 If we look at the “ORIGIN” of the word “CONFORM” we see:
                “CON” means                              ‘FORM” means                 
                If we combine them we get:                                                       
What is it that Peter says should not be conforming?                                           
to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
What does “former” mean?                                                      
What does “lusts” mean?                                                               
What does “ignorance” mean?                                                             
When were we ignorant?                                                                 
Look up: Jude 1:17-21 (all verses from NKJV)
 What word in this verse is used to describe ‘LUSTS”?                                      
What four things do these verses say about “mockers”?                                                                                                                       
 Look up: Romans 6:11-14
What does this verse call ‘LUSTS”?                                                          
What does “reckon” mean?                                                       
We are to reckon ourselves dead to...?                                                        
We are to reckon ourselves alive to...?                                                        
 Look up: 1 Timothy 6:9
“Lust” is a “strong desire”... what DESIRE is spoken of in this verse?                                      
What 3 things does it say that those who desire this lust will fall into?
                   1
                  2
                  3
What does this particular lust do to men?                                                      
Look up: 2 Timothy 2:22*
What does “FLEE” mean?                                                                 
What does ‘PURSUE” mean?                                                               
What are we to flee from?                                                        
What are we to pursue?                                                                 
Looking back at the verse in 1st Peter again:
 not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
It says NOT CONFORMING  -- YOURSELVES -- to your PAST PRACTICES – when you did not know Christ. It means to leave behind the  activities and forms of pride and selfishness that formerly shaped us. Kill the desire for power over others, and the cravings for things that you now know are not good for you. We know what all those things are, but, as a reminder look up: Galatians 5:19-21 and list the works of the flesh:


                                                                                                                                          
What happens to those who practice such things?                                                 
15 but as He who called you is holy,
What does “called” mean?                                                               
What does “holy” mean?                                                            

Our Most Holy Father and God, has invited (called) you to become part of His family and has given you His name: Christian.
He wants us to conform ourselves to Him with the new practices of a Christian heart and life!   “As He who called you is holy.” -- God does not participate in unholy activities -- God is always, and only, Holy and Good!
 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
The word “as” says a comparison is being made.  What two things are being compared?                                  
                                    
And what are we being told to be?          
Does this mean we are supposed to try to “be like God”?         
Genesis 3:4-5 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Can we “be like God?” Should we try to “be like God?” NO -- that was the sin that Adam and Eve committed! We can’t really be like God -- we sin every day -- God never sins. So what do these words mean? Look again at the words in the verse:
 be holy in all your conduct,
What is “conduct”                                                                     
God is already holy in all His conduct -- we are to be holy in all our conduct -- just like He is. This is about conduct, or behavior, or actions.

Read Galatians 5:22-26
“The fruit of the Spirit” is another way to say “conduct.” List the Christian conduct we are to nurture:

                                                                                                                                                                                   
What do they crucify?
What do they live in?
What do they walk in?
What is required for us to be able to bear this kind of fruit (act this way)?
Read Luke 11:13
What can we do to be filled with the Spirit?                                               
Back to First Peter:
16 because it is written,     
What do the words “it is written” mean?                                                       
God reveals Himself in His word; that’s why we obey His word. (For confirmation read: Leviticus 11:44-45; Psalm 86:2)
“Be holy, for I am holy.”
Since “holy” means “consecrated” (set apart) and God never goes near sin -- that is what we are to do.  Just like God never goes near to sin -- we must draw near to God and stay away from sin.
3. What does this mean to me?
What kinds of worldly things tempt me most often?


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
   Scofield Notes on the bible:  Sin, Summary: The literal meanings of the Heb. and Gr. words variously rendered "sin," "sinner," etc., disclose the true nature of sin in its manifold manifestations.  Sin is:
--transgression, an overstepping of the law, the divine boundary between good and evil
--iniquity, an act inherently wrong, whether expressly forbidden or not;
--error, a departure from right
--missing the mark, a failure to meet the divine standard;
--trespass, the intrusion of self-will into the sphere of divine authority
--lawlessness, spiritual anarchy
--unbelief, an insult to the divine veracity (reality, authenticity, truth)
   Sin originated with Satan #Isa 14:12-14, entered the world through Adam #Ro 5:12, was, and is, universal -- Christ alone excepted -- #Ro 3:23; 1Pe 2:22, incurs the penalties of spiritual and physical death #Ge 2:17 3:1, Eze 18:4,20; Ro 6:23 and has no remedy but in the sacrificial death of Christ #Heb 9:26; Ac 4:12 availed of by faith #Ac 13:38,39. 
Sin may be summarized as threefold:
--An act, the violation of, or want (lack) of obedience to, the revealed will of God;
--a state, absence of righteousness;
--a nature, enmity toward God.
How do I, personally, draw near to God?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
 Albert Barnes Notes: James 4:8. KJV -- Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. (Compare #2 Ch 15:2-4.) This declaration contains a great and important principle…. If we wish the favor of God, we must come to him; nor can we hope for his mercy, unless we approach him and ask him for it. We cannot come, literally, any nearer to God than we always are, for he is always round about us; but we may come nearer in a spiritual sense.
--We may address him directly in prayer;
--We may approach him by meditation on his character;
--We may draw near to him in the ordinances of religion.
We can never hope for his favor while we prefer to remain at a distance from him;
--none who, in fact, draw near to him will find him unwilling to bestow on them the blessings which they need.
Drawing near to God means focusing on Him and walking in His Presence day by day. Just like using a camera with a telephoto lens, we first focus, then refocus.  As you focus in and out things in the lens become more or less sharp. It takes practice. and must be done over and over again.
Another look at: SOBER = levelheaded
                If we want to know what a word such as “levelheaded” means, we can look at the two words that were combined to make this one word.  LEVEL and HEADED have been combined to create a word picture related to “sober.”
                LEVEL – Think of a carpenter’s level.  This is a device made from a sealed glass tube which is partially filled with liquid, revealing an air bubble whose position tells us whether a surface is perfectly level, straight, and true -- or not. The eye, on its own, cannot tell whether something is level, because distracting angles in the background can make something look level when it really is not level. So the good carpenter will measure his work with a level to make sure it is perfectly straight and true.
Our “level” is the Bible. With it we can measure our lives to make sure they are level, straight, and true.  Reading the Bible keeps us level -- levelheaded -- sober. We can use our level to make needed corrections because the Bible points out where we may need to make those changes. “On the level” means being honest, faithful, and true.
                HEADED -- the mind -- the thinking processes that we use. “Levelheaded” is a mind that is not wavering and rippling about in strange waters. It is settled on the Word of God. A mind that remains smooth because it is focused on Jesus!
 We’ve also heard of the phrase “headed in the right direction” -- meaning that a person is facing a particular direction and moving towards a specific goal. “Headed” means the decision has already been made and he’s on the road traveling in that direction.
So... to a Christian, “levelheaded” (SOBER) is:
                --one who seeks God in his/her personal life – PRAYER, PRAISE, WORSHIP
                --one who strengthens his/her own mind -- BIBLE STUDY -- ENCOURAGES THEMSELVES IN HIS WORD
                --one who lives according to God’s word -- OBEDIENT, IN THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST, CONFORMING  HIM/HERSELF TO HIM
                --one who is grateful for God’s gifts – THANKFUL FOR: JESUS, THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, SALVATION, GRACE,
                --one who trusts in God’s grace -- RESTS HIS/HER HOPE (DESTINY) UPON THE GRACE OF GOD IN JESUS CHRIST
4. Personal Application – a note to myself:
BELIEVE, TRUST, CONFORM                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               


Read, again, 1 Peter 1:13 -16 -- at the top of this study, and in another translation.
DEFINITIONS AND SYNONYMS
called -- to call aloud, to invite, to give a name to, to inspire or urge (someone) to do something, a vocation (calling), a powerful force of attraction
conduct -- the manner in which a person behaves, manner of life, behavior, actions in life
conforming -- (of a person) to behave according to acceptable standards; to be similar in form or type; agree, comply with rules, standards, or laws  -- ORIGIN: Middle English (in the sense [make (something) like another thing] ): from Old French conformer, from Latin conformare, from con- ‘together’ + formare ‘to form.’
consecrate -- sanctify, bless, make holy, dedicate to God, devote, reserve, set apart
  flee -- run away from a place or situation of danger
form -- shape, develop, grow, mold, produce, structure, kind, style, method, practice
former -- past, bygone, olden, long-ago, gone by, of old. antonym: future, present.
gird up -- tie up, bind; prepare and strengthen oneself for what is to come.
grace -- God’s freely given gift of good will, loving-kindness, favor; of the merciful kindness  by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, and increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, and affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues
holy -- set a apart, sacred (physically pure, morally blameless, ceremonially clean, consecrated to God)
hope -- expecting something good to happen, a person or thing that may help or save someone, grounds for believing that something good may happen,
ignorance -- unaware of, unfamiliar with, lack of knowledge about; informal: clueless. Antonym: understanding, familiarity, knowledge, education.
levelheaded -- confident, well-balanced, sensible, practical, wise, mature,  sober, no-nonsense, calm, self-possessed, having one's feet on the ground; unflappable, together, grounded. Antonym: excitable, foolish.
loins -- back muscles, on both sides of the spine between the lowest ribs and the hipbones
lusts -- feel a strong desire for something, craving, appetite, fleshly appetite
mock  -- ridicule, tease, laugh at, scorn, deride, fake, pretend, imitate, mimic, parody, ape
perdition -- complete and irreparable loss, ruin, complete loss of the soul, hell
pursue -- run after, chase, go after; follow, hunt, stalk, track, trail, shadow, hound, strive for, work toward, seek, search for, aim at, aspire to
reckon -- consider, think, deem, suppose, surmise, calculate, add up, count,
rest -- depend on, be grounded in, be placed or supported to stay in a specified position,
sanctification -- set apart, declared holy; consecrated
sober -- clearheaded, serious, not drunk, sensible, thoughtful, levelheaded, objective, matter-of-fact, no-nonsense, rational, logical, straightforward. ANTONYM: frivolous, drunk, flamboyant, silly

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