Title: Holy Conduct with Healthy Fear

Text: I Peter 1:17-21

FCF: We often struggle living holy lives in light of God being our Father and our Judge.

Prop: Because God is our Father and creator of our salvation but also our judge, we must conduct ourselves with fear.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I Peter chapter 1.

Last week, Peter began to apply his teaching on the centrality of our Great God in our salvation. For the first 16 verses, Peter showed his audience how God was the author, sustainer, revealer and finisher of their faith. Based on all this, Peter commands his readers to set their hope fully in the coming Kingdom of God and to be holy in conduct just as God is holy.

We noted at our Wednesday Night bible study that this sounds a lot like Jesus when people were worried about what they were to eat and what they were to clothe themselves with, Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and that all these things would be added to them.

Here Peter’s audience is suffering slander and suspicion, and Peter tells them to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness. Because if all this ridicule and suspicion occurs, but they still arrive safely into the Kingdom of God and the arms of Christ – then it is all worth it.

But now Peter wants to dive a little further into the motives of their holy living. He wants to command them, not just to live in holy conduct, but even the motive for doing that is important to Peter. Why should we be holy in our conduct as God is holy?

Peter gives that motive this morning. And it may not be what you think it is