A New Life of Reverence Part 2

All right, let's start reading with verse 13 today. We're in 1 Peter 1, and this is part two of A New Life of Reverence. All right, verse 13, New King James. 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. As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lust as in your ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, also be holy in all conduct. Because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy. Today's verse. And if you call on your father, I like it since 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 are not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold, but from aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers.

But with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish, without spot, He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 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.

All right. So as usual, let's take a look at where we left off last week. And by the way, I kind of did a review of all the whole thing last week, but today we're going to focus in on the last couple of verses and really drill down in those in more detail.

So the first thing is calling on the father. That's expected here. And I think the first class conditional is well supported by almost all commentators. Since you call on your father, it's expected. that this new group of believers, remember this is a dispersion, a lot of the Jewish believers in the areas of Jerusalem and other aspects of Israel have been now moved up into the Gentile world to a large extent. And that's to whom Peter is writing for the most part. So since is a better interpretation, so calling on the father is an expectation of this new class of believers.

And God's judgment is not partial. So there's no respect of persons here. It's not partially directed to some, not others. And our sojourn, which meaning is this walk of life that we're in, or possibly more directed to the dispersion. Your sojourn in a foreign land is called to be in fear or better yet I think in respect and reverence. So remember the title of this section of scripture is A New Life of Reverence and this is what Peter is trying to emphasize and those who are reading this letter.

And third, our redemption is only due to the shedding of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was a lamb without blemish and without spot. And I don't think we need to review the gospel message 101 here. I mean, we all accept this as justification by faith in the shed blood. of the Lord Jesus Christ. All right, what I've chosen to do then is combine the next two verses into one. We're going to kind of drill down deeper a little bit in these two verses.

For he was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared at the end of the times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God. Hey, we've got a stacked verse here of important truths that relate to our day-to-day life. For he who was foreknown is propogadoska, or foreknown by God. And although it's not yet manifest, this is something that God had foreknown.

Now, we can get into a lot of detail on this, and we're going to drill down a little bit further. And it's interesting, because ultimately Miles was teaching on this actually just very, very recently, wasn't he? And that'll be one of the verses we'll share here. So let's drill down on some of the other uses of this particular Greek term, prognoska.

OK, Acts 26.5. I'm going to switch glasses here for a second. And we'll come back and comment on these four verses here in a second. Since they have known, and I've got, by the way, I read it in these numbers in the Strong's Bible to kind of indicate that they're shown in red, but they're shown in blue, so you've got to just put up with this. This is the same Greek term.

Since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion. We'll come back to that. This meaning the people, those Jews who were criticizing him had known beforehand. They already had foreknown.

Romans 8.29 is what we just covered last week. For those whom he foreknew, He also predestined, actually it was Andrew who preached last week on this, for those whom he foreknew he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son so that he would be the firstborn among many brethren. This is a stacked verse and ultimately Andrew I think ultimately addressed many of the issues here but ultimately Those who would come to the Lord by faith, remember God would have all come to him by faith. Those who come, God saw it that they would become conformed to the image of his son. That's really the will of God, if you will, to conform us to the image of his crucified and risen son.

Romans 11.2, God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Or do you not know that the scripture says in the passage about Elijah how he pleads with God against Israel? The important part is the first part of this verse. And yet to come in 2 Peter is that you therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you're not carried away by the air of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness. Now, ultimately, What we're looking at here is the foreknowledge can be of God or it can be actually of man.

And the first example I gave was, you know, simplistically, it means to know beforehand, but for the Acts passage, the Jews knew all about Paul. I mean, it's incredible how much they knew about Paul. When we studied Acts, the Jews had seen him witnessed time and time and time again. So this idea that since they had foreknown, they knew about him for a long time. So that's the use of the term in a very practical sense.

It's not God's foreknowledge, but the idea of the term here is used of the Jewish nation's foreknowledge of Paul and everything that he represented. that God knew beforehand about those who believe that his purpose was to conform all of them, including all of us here, to the image of his son.

So God didn't foreordain that some would be saved and some not saved, but for those who are saved, he wants us to be conformed. I mean, that's the best, simplest explanation for this. The idea of a Calvinistic approach, where God foreknew everybody ahead of time and all the others are lost, is not acceptable biblically. But here, He foreknew all of us that we're going to be conformed to the image of the Son by faith. And as we walk by faith, that process is taking place day in and day out, sometimes too slowly. Comments, anybody? All right, three, God's plan for Israel. Can we doubt that?

I mean, the Old Testament is laced with God's future plan for the nation of Israel. And he would have had the nation of Israel believe that Christ was the Messiah and was not there to rule the earthly kingdom, but ultimately to be the sacrifice for the sin of all mankind for all time. So foreknowledge, God knows Israel. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.

He's not done with them yet. No, he's not. Even after all they've been through. And the last example, this whole idea of Peter is really, this is kind of a very human interpretation of the use of the word Peter, is ultimately reminding the brethren about what they already knew about false doctrine. You know, we've been over all this, guys.

You know what's right, what's not right in terms of the Word of God, what I've been preaching to you, what I've been teaching to you, and now I'm reminding you about the foreknowledge, in other words, what I've already been telling you about false doctrine. So these are the uses of this term scripturally, some from God and some from the human application of having foreknowledge about things that were known but now are in the process of being revealed or will be revealed. Now here in 1 Peter, for he was foreknown, relates, I think, to the eternal covenant between God and his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's see if we can document that scripturally. All the texts here are in Hebrews because this is where this is dealt with specifically.

Hebrews 9.15, for this reason, He, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the mediator of a new covenant so that since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, the whole Israeli covenant of man being under law, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Moving on in Hebrews 12.20, and to Jesus, I don't have the verses before this, but it leads to the Lord Jesus Christ, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks better than the blood of Abel. So the blood of Abel, God demanded, but the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is this new covenant that we all fall under.

And Hebrews 13.20, now the God of peace brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant even Jesus our Lord.

So I think in context this whole foreknowledge related to the eternal covenant being fulfilled in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And remember Peter's roots are in Jewish tradition. So that Jewish tradition that he has, the multiple covenants in scripture, and we could go review all of them, there's only one that deals with this relationship between the Lord Jesus Christ and his Heavenly Father before the beginning of time, that ultimately now is being fulfilled. And that is foreknowledge. God and Christ knew this before the beginning of time, that this would be the fulfillment of the cross and everything that it serves to benefit all of us.

How should we interpret the end of times? A question. Yeah, just an observation on eternal covenant there. I'm thinking along these lines and just as a comment, that's in contrast to the new and to the first, that there was an eternal covenant between our Lord Jesus and the Father. that he would come and offer himself and God would raise him from the dead for salvation of humanity, wow, isn't that something? Yes, and it's only in his perfect timing that things occurred and that kind of relates to the question of the class now, how should we interpret the end of the times.

And that's a better translation, I think, than the one that was... It seems like that expression is used in a lot of other places. It's a time period. It's the end of the... until the Lord returns, almost, it seems like. The end of the... working out of God's plan until Christ returns. Last times or end times. Yeah, I think I tried to summarize this here the best I could.

In scripture, I reflected that times always refers to periods or chosen moments or instances where God has designed for his own purpose And here specifically it was the Son of Man coming to fulfill the Eternal Covenant in context. So the end of the times isn't the end age, New Heaven and New Earth. It's a period of time where God has fulfilled a promise and here the Eternal Covenant is being fulfilled. So the end of the times is the end of a period.

And you know, Jimmy, we were talking about this and Michelle a little bit last night, this whole issue of any division of the word of God must at least divide two sets of time, law and grace, in terms of our belief system. But then we have all the other time periods that relate to the rapture ahead of us, the kingdom age and beyond. But here, this specific use of the end of the times is the end of the times before and up to the cross. And there's really only one dispensation mentioned in scripture, and that's the dispensation of the fullness of times, if I remember right. And the fullness of times, what do you interpret that to mean, Roy?

I would have to give my personal perspective. That's okay. Well, I believe the fullness of times comes in his millennial reign. when he begins that for a thousand years, and then there's a period after that of a thousand generations, and then finally with that perfect thousand generations, the fullness of times comes about, that he presents that perfect kingdom to the father. But that's a personal interpretation, okay? Okay. All right, good. Well, thank you for sharing that. All right, let's continue. So I'm going to share some verses from Acts here in chapter 3, 25 and 26.

So, it is you who are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God coveted with your fathers, saying to Abraham, and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. For you first, God raised up his son and sent him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways. So that in terms of the early preaching of Peter in the early church age, ultimately he's reminding them of ultimately the quote from the Old Testament about the promissory note about the cross and what was to be accomplished there. Okay, Colossians 126, that is the mystery which had been hidden from past ages and generations, but now has been manifested to his saints.

And 1st John 1.2, which shows us that... and the life was manifested and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested with us. Alright, now let's turn from this whole coverage of the eternal covenant and how it relates to this particular passage in Peter and turn to this.

It turns to this, to God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory. So ultimately, how do we take a look at this? When and why did God give Christ glory? He said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. He glorified the son. I've actually forgotten the passage, but anyway. He specifically pointed out, this is my beloved son, whom I will follow him. So he was glorifying, making him great, magnifying him. It was right after his baptism.

I thought the topic was so difficult in some sense and challenging, so I turned to artificial intelligence. Bear with me, but I think this is pretty good. Using co-pilot. Well, the coupon is permitted by my university, so anyway, I use that because they believe that that's a useful use of AI. Okay, but see if you like this. I did. God gave Christ glory because he's God. Good.

And because his mission required the full revelation of his divine nature. I like that, too. This glory was restored to him at the resurrection, ascension, and in the final return, affirming his identity, authority, and worth. It is both a declaration of truth and an act of worship. The father honoring a son is the one who perfectly represents him to humanity. Don't you think that's scripturally pretty sound? that it only portrays him as a human receiving glory. Remember, he's still God.

Well, no, but it says ascension. So in his ascension, where he's back at the right hand, he ultimately is glorified, is he not? I mean, I paused with that also. But he began his glory, I mean there's no question, that was part of who he was, that's mentioned in the first sentence.

Well, we're not here to criticize AI, I just thought that this is reasonably close to assuming the time periods in which his glorification took place. I think Warren has a good point. He's glorified because he's the most unique person ever. He's fully God and fully man. Because he's God, right? We have to keep that in view. He's totally unique. There's no other God-man ever, ever will be.

But he left his glory when he came as a man, correct? but he was glorified because he's God and then he became a man, he lost that glorification and at the resurrection he regained it during the ascension and that's where he is now in the ascended Christ at the right hand of God and in the final return he will be glorified.

So yes, Patti? I mean I tie it in with even Philippians 2 where it talks about Christ coming as a man and then in verse 9, well in verse 8 it said Where are you again now? Philippians 2, where it says, will hold itself by becoming obedient to the cross. Even death on a cross for this reason.

Right, that's good. Also God highly exalted him and bestowed on him The name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Those are great verses. Thank you. I feel like he gave glory at the Transfiguration too. Yeah, but the Transfiguration is almost like the Ascension in a sense, is it not? I mean, it's not the Ascension permanently into heavenly places. Yeah, but that's good for you, Bonnie. Yeah, glorified there too. All right, good. So that, you know, when and why did God give Christ glory? Well, why? Because He's God, right? Because he deserved it. He's three in one, right?

So how important is this and what follows? This glorification of God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God. How does that impact us? So that usually, well the purpose of that, so that's the purpose. The purpose is that your faith and hope are in God. So that cements your faith and hope. I think that takes us back to Romans 8, 28 and 29. I mean, first of all, God's will is to be conformed to His image.

We're not glorified in these earthly bodies, just like He wasn't in the earthly body, but in His resurrected body, that glory does relate to our faith and hope. the fact that we see God becoming man, now he's glorified again. That glory will ultimately be by faith and our hope in our ultimate destination, will it not?

I think Roy had a point. Go ahead, Roy. I was just thinking about the purpose of God is to conform us to the image of his son as humans, as he was the perfect man He wants us to mature to that maturity as well. And to be part of His family, that's a requirement.

So He gives us His righteousness, right? Absolutely. And that's the only way we can actually live by faith to His glory. It's not improving the sin nature, the old man, the flesh, if you will. It's in fact having a new life worked out in us day in and day out by the power of the Holy Spirit. Right, we're new beings, we're newly created, right? Yes. Jimmy, you want to comment on that? No. Was that a no? You don't have to. I was thinking about the point in time where done everything that his father had asked him to do in his entire life and God glorified him right there too. It was like fata complete.

He hadn't gone to the cross, he hadn't been crucified quite yet, but it was a glorification of all that. But does scripture indicate he's glorified in the garden? I think maybe it was the Christ Well that could have been, he brought glory to his father and his prayer to the father before, you know, being crucified on the cross. But I don't know that he was actually glorified as we're mentioning right here right now.

So I guess the next question is, is it not to bring, the answer to the question, what is the promise here, is it not to bring out and ultimately return us to this true glory, which is in and from the Lord Jesus Christ to God. I mean, in a sense, Jimmy, just to build on what you just said, in the Garden, the glory was God's and that He was turning to His Heavenly Father, but we as we walk by faith, the things we do and wish how we're here, I mean, are to bring glory to God. Isn't that our purpose? It's not to bring glory to ourselves. is to bring glory to God and I think that's really what in part is related to so that your faith and hope are in God. To God be the glory, not us.

It's the walk, in fact, that we're called to based on what scripture has had to say here. Alright, how do we do this? I think by turning to the Lord where you know, he, sorry for the type of word, his will for us is clearly stated. That will again is to be conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. So as a reminder for him, he foreknew that to be progested, to be conformed to the image of his son, that we might be the firstborn among many brothers. We've been over the verse before today and from last week from Andrew's preaching.

And secondly, Philippians 3.28, who will transform the body of our lowly, humble state into conformity with the body of His glory by the exertion of the power that He has given to, that is, even to subject all things to Himself. In other words, our walk here is ultimately to His glory as we bring glory to Him and not to ourselves.

In looking at the text with you, it's really outstanding, I think, that it says in verse 20, who verily was ordained, programmed in purpose, I think would be good for that, for the foundation of the world. That's that eternal covenant again, isn't it? that he would be revealed in these last times for you, and that you is us. God's purpose was an eternity task to do that. And that's really humbling, isn't it? That he foreknew us to be conformed to his glory.

And that's by faith, and that's why this particular verse says, by faith and hope. Well, in this case, the context is that he is God's Lamb. without formation, without spot, and that that is the foreordination. To make a family of us, yes, that's really it, but the way that he was going to do it was provide his lamb as the perfect lamb, Jesus Christ. Wow. Yeah, I think it leads into a couple of verses that support this.

In Ephesians 1.12 it says, that we who first trusted in Christ should be in the praise, or to the praise of His glory, I think reflects the application of this.

In Colossians 1.27, to them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. I mean, so this whole faith and hope in terms of these new creations we're on Christ Jesus is a promissory note to whom Peter's reading here that has clearly applications to us day in and day out today. So I think the faith and hope, ultimately the goal of that is to bring God glory. And as Roy has reminded us, this was before the foundations of the world, that this was God's purpose.

Okay, do you agree with Robertson here, and I'm just pulling something out of one of the commentators, that the Greek grammar indicates that the result And our faith and hope is more probable than design. In other words, for the sake of you who through him are believers in God who raised him up from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God. Do you believe that the grammar is more probable than design?

What are your thoughts? Is that true? The object of our faith is to be what God wants it to be, and that's in God himself, not in ourselves. Right. So the equivocation that Robertson brings to this is something we could challenge. This is by design. It's God's design that we would be conformed to the image of his Son, and that's an act of faith and hope. And the hope is typically translated into, you know, the home of all of us, either by rapture or by physical death, and ultimately separation from our human bodies in the presence with them. But ultimately I think this is not probable, it's by design from the times gone by.

So I think that's where in commentators you have to kind of pause and just say, you know, is this right or is this wrong? Some of them are really, really good and some of them are questionable, like I believe this quote from him. And I think I'm going to conclude with this, is that apart from Christ, we would only have feared, meaning fear God, and not believed and hoped in God. So remember, this fear in context relates to our respect and our reverence to God, not an atmosphere of fear of God in terms of being putative when we fall short of His glory.

This is a section of scripture that calls us to believing and hoping in everything that God has promised. And I think that's kind of the bottom line of this particular text. And I think next week we're going to continue to look at how a life manifested by love is really the continuation of a life of reverence that's reflected in these verses we've covered in the last two weeks. So I've got a nice picture for you like I often do, and I just want to point out that in this verse, in context, the resurrection's everything. We've mentioned that so many times, but it's ultimately the glorification and ascension and the reestablishment of Christ's glory that brings the truth to God's eternal purpose from time eternal, going way, way back. Amen. Okay. Mike, you want to close us in prayer, please? Father, thank you for this time we've shared together in fellowship with your son. And bless the teaching that's going to partake in the main service. In Christ's name I pray. Amen.