It Matters More Than You Think Brick by Brick - The Foundations of Christian Doctrine
Main Text - 1 Peter 1:13-16
"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."
Holiness vs. Religion
We need a revival in holiness again.
You are in fact "made holy" - not just identify as holy.
If you are made holy, you should therefore behave holy.
Holiness and religion look the same. The only difference is the motive.
Religion acts holy in attempts to become holy.
Holiness is behaving holy because you've been made holy.
We must ask ourselves today why some of our holy ghosts don't come with fruit.
The Holy Spirit has never gone somewhere where there wasn't evidence of his coming.
We can no longer afford to identify as a Christian with no evidence of that claim in our behavior.
The Behavior of the Believer Matters
The Bible makes it clear several places throughout scripture that the behavior of the believer matters.
You can tell a tree by its fruit.
Good and bad fruit can't come from the same tree.
James 3:13 - "Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom."
1 Peter 2:12 - "Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles."
1 Peter 2:15 - "For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men."
Colossians 4:5 - "Conduct yourselves with wisdom towards outsiders, making the most of every opportunity."
1 Timothy 4:12 - "Show yourself an example of those who believe."
Titus 2:7 - "In all things show yourselves to be an example of good deeds."
[ Story - son from last night ]
I wasn't tempted to disown him. To hurt him.
I was embarrassed his behavior is an extension of me.
The Foundation of Grace and Salvation
Righteousness is imputed and holiness is obtained by grace through faith.
There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God.
His mercy is new every morning.
His grace is sufficient.
His face is always shining upon us.
We are the apple of his eye and the object of his obsession.
What we do and how we do it can't take away the free gift of salvation that is found in Christ Jesus and the finished work of the cross.
We Still Represent Him
But we fail to see - we still represent him.
Our behavior matters more than we think because we fail to understand - our behavior is an extension of whose we claim to be.
2 Corinthians 5:20 - We are ambassadors for Christ, called to represent Christ to the earth.
How We Treat One Another Matters
So how we treat one another matters more than you think.
The phrase "one another" appears 100 times in the New Testament. Approximately 59 of these are direct commands teaching us how - and how not - to relate and treat one another.