“Set Apart and Prepared”

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:13-22

5th in a 5 week series on living as the Church of Jesus Christ.

As we have been considering the qualities and blessings of the Church over these past 4 weeks, the importance of an active and honest faith has become quite obvious. The new life that we experience in Christ means that it is no longer about us; it is no longer about the world; it is no longer about what we can obtain or earn or deserve. The Christian life is all about Jesus and what he does and brings to us.
But when we deny what Jesus has done, and yet try to claim the salvation that is granted in his name, it is given the name that it so richly deserves – “cheap grace”. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book “The Cost of Discipleship” addresses the contrast between the cheap version of grace and the far more costly one of Jesus Christ. He wrote:

"Cheap grace [false, unBiblical perversions of God's word, translated {as} "Grace"] is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession.

"Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

"Costly grace, Biblical grace, is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has, (Matthew 13:44) It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. (Matthew 13:45) It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble. (Matthew 5:29-30) It is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him. (Matthew 4:18-22)"
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “The Cost of Discipleship”

If Peter had known of the expression “cheap grace”, he might have added that it is also grace without the Church. I think we have all known someone, at some point in time, who told us that they could worship God very well without going to Church. Well, I’m here today to tell you that this is not only a cop-out, it’s an impossibility! Worship is what the Body of Christ does in unity and not as an individual who is caught up in themselves. Ignoring the Church is paramount to ignoring Jesus and all that he has given to the world.
So, if that is what “cheap grace” is all about, what might “costly grace” entail?

Read 1 Peter 3:13-16

This section is what Peter’s epistle is all about. From the first moment that Jesus took to the highways and byways to share his good news with our world, the message and the Messenger has been despised and mistrusted. This can manifest itself in many and sundry ways – ways that range from ridicule and false teaching, to violent persecution of those who profess Jesus as Lord. There is absolutely no reason for this, but it happens just the same. People should welcome the goodness that comes to from the Church, but as often as people of God try to reach out in Christian kindness, the response of the world is just the opposite.
The world’s response to this kind of hatred and torment would be to run from it, but we are told not to fear the same things that “they” fear, and to stay the course. Peter tells us that even if we have to suffer for the good that we do, it will ultimately bring God’s blessing to us. Jesus told us this same thing in his Sermon of the Mount – Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” Jesus knows – he knows very well!
So put him first in your hearts, and when the world comes at you, let them know who gives you a hope that overcomes all fear, who gives you the capacity to love even when you are hated, who fills you with a vision and focus of a peace that always sustains you in those trying times.

Read 1 Peter 3:17-19

Now we get to the “costly” versus the “cheap”. Jesus laid it all on the line for us, and never hesitated, never deviated, never even considered taking a different path. It was his death on the Cross, the shedding of his blood, that broke the strangle hold – the “death grip” - that sin has on our lives. He took our rightful place in death so that we could approach the throne of Almighty God in new and glorious life. Grace was costly to Jesus, but he knew that it was worth every second of agony and separation from the Father to have us with him in eternity.

But here’s the rub! If we demean all that he did for us, or if we ignore the significance of it all, or it we take his life’s actions lightly, then we have “cheapened” both his humanity and his Spirit! If we aren’t willing to follow his example right up to our own Calvary, whatever and wherever that may be, then we have missed – we have snubbed - the point of his entire teaching. That’s what Bonhoeffer meant when he wrote “Cheap Grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate”. Without discipleship, without the cross, we are also without Jesus, and that cheapens our life to the point of worthlessness!

Read 1 Peter 3:20-22

Evangelist Greg Laurie wrote:
“Jesus did not command the whole world to go to church. Jesus commanded his Church to go to the whole world.”
--Evangelist Greg Laurie

His Church has been given a message for the world, and it is his disciples who are to do the carrying. Remember the parable of the Talents? (Matthew 25:14-30) Those who did the will of the Master were rewarded far beyond their wildest imagination, while the one who sat on his “message”, who buried it to keep it out of sight, lost everything he had been given. Everything!
Peter refers to the water of baptism as a sign of our “pledge of good conscience toward God.” This is another area that we have “cheapened”. We have our children baptized, we answer “I will” to all the vows, and for many, they think that is where it all ends. We get baptized, and never darken the door of the church again. We join the church, and believe that belonging is more than enough. Grace without discipleship is meaningless!

Where has the Church failed? Is it because we haven’t put enough emphasis on our life in Christ? Is it the church who has been the culprit in cheapening God’s grace? If I have been guilty of this transgression, then let me be perfectly clear – if our life is to reflect the fullness of a life in Christ, if we are to be a sign of just how costly and valuable grace really is, if we are going to follow Jesus as his disciples, then we need to begin acting as though we are disciples of Jesus. And that means that we acknowledge and accept and submit to the authority of Almighty God. It isn’t that we allow Jesus to have that authority – he already has it! Our responsibility is claim it.
Peter mentioned the fact that “authorities and powers” are submissive to Jesus. That is true – he has that power over all of creation – it’s just that the authorities and powers of earth haven’t understood that yet, haven’t admitted it yet, haven’t accepted it yet, haven’t rejoiced in it yet, but one day, whether they want it or not, it will come to pass. And if they haven’t come to that realization before that Day appears, it will be a sad day, to say the least.

If we set Jesus above all else in our lives, he will set us above all else in Creation. If we claim all of Jesus, including his Cross, he will claim us as his own. If we will turn away from our sin, it is then that we can be cleansed by the hard-won, the “costly”, forgiveness of Jesus Christ. And we need to begin taking our baptism and our Communion seriously and devotedly, and not just as “the thing to do”.

When we set Jesus as the pinnacle and focus and purpose of our lives, he sets us up in his. When we become one in the Lord of Salvation and Creation, it is then that we are prepared to be his Church, to be his messengers to the world!
The Church has this obligation to the One who is the power and authority behind her. Remember the final quote in our piece from Dietrich Bonhoeffer? “It is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him."
Do you hear him calling you? He is, you know! Leave your “nets”, your dependency on the things of earth – leave them far behind this very day, and be the most committed disciple of Jesus Christ that you can possibly be.

“The Good Life – Surrendered and Free”

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:11-21

As we have been moving through Peter’s first letter to the Church, we have discovered that faith is a major part of its structure and purpose. The Church grows and thrives because of the people who come to it as memorials to what Almighty God has done for them. And subsequently, it is our experience with God that leads us to share our story with others.
Today, we begin to see that belonging to the Church is not just a matter of following – it must be a whole lot more if our Lord Jesus is to be truly honored and praised - if others are to be brought into the glory of his kingdom. A good life in Christ is about becoming free and claiming that freedom to live as one of his disciples, which, incidentally, is not like the freedom that the world understands. Our own nation was founded on the principle of liberty, which in our context means that we have a right to self-expression. People living in our country are allowed to live their lives in the way that they decide, as long as it causes no harm to anyone else or, in a limited sense, to their selves.
But freedom in Christ takes on a whole new meaning – one which the world neither understands nor agrees with. Romans 8:18-25 (21) tells us that we have been “set free from the bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” In other words, our freedom is from the consequences of earth and it carries us into the glory of heaven.

Jim and Shelley Douglas wrote:
An executed Messiah. A powerless king. What kind of king winds up on a cross at the place called The Skull?
Whether it is the first or the 21st century, redemptive violence is the ruling myth. The Messiah, or superhero in this myth, saves himself and us from death at the hands of evil enemies. The means of redemption from evil is killing, massively, if necessary.
How does a king with no army, who dies on a cross, fit into our myth?
He doesn't.
--Jim and Shelley Douglas, Living the Word, Sojourners, Nov./Dec. 1995, 58-59.
It just doesn’t make any sense, does it?

Read 1 Peter 2:11-12

Aliens & Strangers in this world! Is that a comforting thought for you? For most people, they want to belong, because being an outsider frightens them. The world is, for the most part, distrusting of those who are not like them, and we are no different. And scripture is telling us that this is OK – that we aren’t here to live as the world lives, but that we have another home, one that the world might think is strange and alien.
And, Peter tells us, we are to live our lives as though we are at home. The old adage of “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” doesn’t apply to Christians. And this thought is even more crucial when we consider what the Roman life was like in Peter’s day! And quite honestly, it isn’t much different today! But the fact that it isn’t a Godly existence isn’t the only reason that we should avoid it. We are told that if we live a Godly life, regardless of what is going on around us, we could very well have a positive influence on the lives of others!
And isn’t that what our purpose in this life is all about? To show the world what right living, what “Jesus’ living”, is all about?

Read 1 Peter 2:13-17

So now we begin to get into the differences between Christian freedom and the world’s concept of the term. In verse 16, Peter tells us to “Live as free men (& women!), but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” And that is the telling difference – for the Christian, true freedom must be to God’s purpose, while the world’s concept is based solely in the advancement of self. We all understand that we are to submit ourselves for the Lord’s sake, but did you notice that it is to all authority, not just to God’s? To God’s law, as well as that of the President, the Governor, the County Executive, the Town Supervisor, the Village Mayor? That, too, is a major deviation from the world view. For them, social law, and specifically that which fits their own definition, is the only god they recognize, and the Divine has no place for them.
But didn’t Jesus tell us that we can’t serve two masters? (Matthew 6:24) That God is the only one for our lives? Why are we to submit ourselves to the world’s authority?
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was specifically addressing the issue of money, not authority, and now we are told that we are under all authority. This fits very well, of course, with Jesus’ response to the Pharisees regarding the question “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?” And of course, Jesus’ answer was “Yes”. (Matthew 22:15-22) And why not? Think about the consequences if God had told us that he is the only one we should obey? Confusion would reign!
And what if secular law stands in conflict with God’s? Then we obey the divine law, and seek the mercy of the courts when we are brought up for secular punishment. That may not be a pleasant thought, but it’s the only one that will allow us to “Show proper respect to everyone: … believers … God, and … the king.”

Read 1 Peter 2:18-21

And Peter kicks it up one more notch – submit yourself to all authority, not just those who you like and who are good! Again, we are being called to serve and submit as Jesus did. Pay your taxes, regardless of how they are going to be used; obey the speed limit, even if you think it is much too low; love your neighbor as yourself, even if they don’t deserve your love; don’t steal from your employer - and that includes paper and pencils and time - even if they can afford it; show respect to your elected officials, even if you disagree with their policies; and our list could go on for far longer than we have time for!

The point is, I believe, that the freedom that we have received in Christ doesn’t mean that we have license to do whatever we want. His liberating gift comes to us in our surrender to a new way of life – the gift that has freed us from the consequences of death – the gift that has lifted us up into a new kind of life. And that “lifting up” is closely tied to obedience to his teaching and his commands.
Jesus has set the standard for obedience, and it isn’t so high that we can’t meet it. It’s high, certainly, but it’s only too high when compared to the bar that the world has set. Let Philippians 4:13 be your inspiration in this regard – Paul wrote “I can do all things through him who gives me strength.” The Lord Jesus not only gives us commandments, but he gives us the power to follow them. That’s why the Holy Spirit is among us, and in a couple weeks, we’ll be talking about his part in the Church. The problem for most folks, though, is that they don’t want to claim the power of the Spirit – they want to do it all on their own, and that is a sure sign of impending failure.

Surrender to Jesus. Placing our life in him is the only hope for true freedom and the fullness of life. That is the way of eternity, and some people will never come to know it except though the actions of our lives.
Choose the best life, and live Jesus to the fullest, so that others might live in that way, too!

“Chosen, Ordained, and Holy”

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:1-10

For the past two weeks, we have been considering the qualities that elevate our fellowship from being just some other organization, into the living and breathing Church of Jesus Christ. We’ve seen the vitally important part that faith plays in growing the Church, as well as the fact that we aren’t just an organized group of people, but that being a part of the Church is about relationship – that there is an unbreakable bond between both us and God, as well as between each and every member of the Body. Today we begin to consider what the Church is all about, and how each one of us fits into its fabric.

First, we need to think about the foundational basis for the Church. In Luke’s gospel, 6:46-49, Jesus tells a parable about 2 houses – one that was built on the rock, and the other on the sand. If the underpinning of the Church isn’t rock solid and immoveable, it can, in no way, be grounded in Almighty God – the Lord is the same from eternity to eternity, and his Church must rest on the same principles. In the parable, both houses would be subjected to floods and storms, but the only one that would survive was the one that had a solid and unshakable footing.

When the Church is founded and built on the teachings of Jesus Christ, there is nothing that can waylay it. It can withstand controversy and heresy and divisiveness, and still survive. But when the church’s teaching begins to waiver and surrender the solid foundation, it will surely fall. Galatians 5:19-21 provides us with a list of what Paul calls “acts of the sinful nature” - those things that will divide any church every time and will, without question, be its downfall! You might want to take a look at these sometime, and consider the impact that they can have on the Church.

So how are we supposed to live and act and respond as Christians?

Read 1 Peter 2:1-3

Peter begins to teach how the Church is to live if we are to solidify the relationships that develop here. And he begins with a rather disheartening list of attitudes that we need to leave far behind as we move into and within this new life in Christ. Let’s take a quick look at each of this issues:

- Malice – Those cruel and hateful acts whose only purpose is to tear someone else down.
- Deceit – Those dishonest and deceptive times in our lives when we are out to cheat and steal to make ourselves appear to be better.
- Hypocrisy – Insincerity, living out our life in a double standard - acting one way with certain people, and in a completely different way with others.
- Envy – Jealousy, greed – that desire to have not only the same things that someone else has, but wanting the very things that they have.
- Slander – The lies that we spread regarding another person with the intent of demeaning them.

A very interesting list, to say the least! These are the everyday attitudes that people of the world live within, and I imagine that if each of us is honest, we just may see ourselves, at some point in our lives, in at least one of them, and maybe even more. And if they hit home in our current lives, Peter says that we need to do some deep, spiritual cleansing as soon as possible! If these attitudes are allowed to thrive within the Church, it won’t exist for long.

But when we put that old life behind, we can begin to grow and flourish in this new life in Christ. And just a thought on his reference to “new born babies”, and to “spiritual milk” – Peter is telling us that this life in Christ isn’t immediately complete and mature – it takes time to grow and to begin to understand the teachings of Jesus. Consider Jesus’ words to Nicodemus – “no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again from above” (John 3:1-21) – the birth process may be complete in a relatively short period of time, but after the birth, children have many years of growth and learning and maturing ahead of them. So too, does the disciple of Christ.

Read 1 Peter 2:4-8

And whether we are “newly born” or “fully matured” in Christ, we who are his disciples are called to be “living stones”. So what does that mean? To get a handle on this, we have to begin with Jesus, who is referred to as the cornerstone in Isaiah 28:16, he is described as the foundation of the Church in 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, and of course the parable of the two houses points toward Jesus as the foundation that can’t be moved (Luke 6:46-49). But now we are being told that we, too, are stones – and not just any old stone, but living stones! Jesus is the Living Foundation, the Living Rock that the Church is founded upon, and those who follow him must also be living and solid. To put our living “stonage” in perspective, in Joshua 3:14-4:7, we read of the nation’s crossing the Jordan and entrance into the Promised Land. They are led by the Arc of the Covenant, which causes the waters of the Jordan to part (sound familiar? [Exodus 14:10-31]), and after the entire nation was on the other side, 1 man from each of the tribes of Israel was called to return to the middle of the river and select a large stone from the spot where the priests stood with the Arc, and to set them up as a memorial to the power and blessing of their God.
And as his “living stones”, we, too, are called live in and through his life, to be memorials to our Lord Jesus Christ – witnesses to his power, to his grace, to his glory, to his mercy. And when we are asked who we are, we are to tell them that we are followers of the Living God, the Redeemer and Savior, the resurrected and living Jesus. If we are to live in him, then his name must live in us. This is our destiny!

Read 1 Peter 2:9-10

And we don’t simply proclaim Jesus as Lord because we are obedient servants of his – it’s because, in him, he has raised us up into greatness. Last week, I asked the question “How many here are comfortable with the fact that they are holy?” No one raised their hand, which, quite honestly, is a predictable and common response. Peter now takes this is issue to a whole new level – he tells us that those who follow Jesus are also “chosen”, “a royal priesthood”, a “holy people”, and a people who belong to God. If you didn’t like being called holy, you will probably like these terms even less!

And yet, here it is! God has chosen those who follow Jesus to be his messengers and heralds to the world. We are to tell others just how good and wonderful the Lord is, how grace-filled and glorious he is, how loving and forgiving he is.
We are also a Godly priesthood and, once again, holy in nature – not that we are necessarily those who perform the sacraments and who preach on Sunday, but that we are the ones who offer God’s blessings and comfort and hope and promise to others. In Exodus 19:4-6, God tells his people that even though the entire earth is his, they have been given a higher calling, that they “will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” That’s us, my friends! And as his priests, as his Church, as those who are “chosen, “royal” and “holy”, we are to be proclaiming him to the entire world, that while this life is immersed in spiritual darkness, he offers a glorious light to all, and it will bathe his own for eternity. And this all comes to us because we have exchanged our old life for the new and marvelous one in Christ, and because we have claimed the same principles that has perfected our Rock and our Foundation.

That is the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it is the Church’s responsibility to spread that good news throughout the earth. It isn’t an invitation, it isn’t an option, it isn’t a “once in a while” possibility if you happen to get around to it – it is a commandment (Matthew 28:18-20). Remember Jesus’ parable of the Talents? (Matthew 25:14-30) Remember the servant who buried his coin instead of using it? He not only suffered the wrath of the Master, but he lost all that the Master had given him. And none of us want that for the Church!

The Church, and all who live within her, have been Chosen for a great task and a great responsibility; they have been Ordained to spread the message of Jesus Christ throughout the earth; and they have been given a Holy covenant and a Holy charge for their Holy lives. Whether we are comfortable with being called the Chosen of God, or with being Ordained as the Priests of Christ, or with being made Holy because of our relationship with Jesus, we are all of these things, just the same. And we are called to share our Lord with the world.

And there are many opportunities for all of us – if a friend is struggling, can you visit them and pray with them, can you join your Christian brothers and sisters in the Strawberry festival parade in June, or bring a friend to the Glory tent to hear a Christian message during that celebration, or invite an unsaved friend to join you at one of the Revival events in September? Remember that this isn’t just an obligation that we have as followers of the Living Lord – it is an honor and a blessing that we can be in ministry together with Jesus Christ, and that we can be part and parcel in bringing others out of the world’s darkness and into the Light of our Lord.

Are we going to truly be the Church, or aren’t we?

“Holy Master, Holy Child”

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-25

We’ve begun a 5 week series that is looking at the Church – who we are, how we have changed, what we have become, and why God would care that much for us. Last week, we considered the aspects of the Church – what it is and how it is inextricably tied to faith. Today, we begin to think about the relationship that the Church – that we – have with Almighty God.
And that is an important point regarding the Church. The Church is not like a worldly organization - it is not a society or a group or an association or a business in the earthly sense, it is unlike any other body or fellowship that the world has ever seen. It is a gathering, a joining, of people who have answered the call of the Holy Spirit to be disciples of Jesus Christ, and as such, have an obligation to serve the Father, and worship the Son, and follow his Spirit as he leads us in the way that he prescribes. It is not just some social gathering that has some common purpose – it is a body of people who are committed to living as the Body of Christ for the world. We do not get to set the rules, we do not get to set the agenda, we do not get to determine the direction that we will go in – it is only the true Head – Christ Jesus – who gets to do that!

And that sets the tone for our relationship with him.

Read 1 Peter 1:13-16

A lot of folks aren’t too happy with the sentiments expressed in this passage. They have bought into the worldly view of individualism – that we are who we are, and no one has the right to try to change us. Well, it seems that Peter doesn’t quite agree with that thought – he says that the Church is to be obedient to God’s will and plan, just as every child should obey their earthly parents. The disciple writes “just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;” So maybe our first question for today should be “What is holiness and what does it have to do with obedience?”
The word relates to the nature of God, and implies that he is present wherever there is holiness. Moses had to remove his sandals as he approached the burning bush (Exodus 3), because the ground was God’s. The 4th Commandment tells us to “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy” (Exodus 20:2-17 & Exodus 31:11-17) – the day is God’s. Isaiah 35 tells us that the way to glory is holy (Isaiah 35:5-8) – that it is God’s way, and only the Lord’s people will be able to travel it. The Spirit of God is called “Holy” (Matthew 3:11, etal) – it is God at work in the world. And on and on throughout scripture, we see the presence and movement of God whenever the word “holy” is used.

Even the dictionary gives us some help – it defines the term “holy” as being set apart to the service of God; that it commands absolute adoration and reverence; that it implies spiritual purity. This is only a beginning at bringing understanding into the issue of holiness, but I hope that it helps.
So Peter says that as God is holy, so, too, will we be holy when we follow in his footsteps, and follow his “holy” example. But holiness is not humanity’s first choice! As human beings, we have an earthly nature that seems to have a controlling interest in us. And we need to change. “Do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.” You can even describe sin as living in ignorance, or at the very least, in defiance of God’s will! Holiness cannot exist in ignorance; it cannot exist side by side with evil; it cannot work in our lives unless we live and act as God is – Peter refers to Leviticus 11:44 – “I am the Lord your God; sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” It is a huge change for us, but it’s a change for the better.

A little boy who regularly played near a mission compound, was befriended by the [local] missionary. One day, the boy asked the missionary, “Do you recognize me?”
Surprised, the missionary replied, “Why, yes, of course.”
The boy explained, “I've become a Christian, and I didn't know if you would know who I was.” He expected that since he felt so changed within, that his [outward] appearance must be transformed as well.
- Homiletics Online, The Upper Room (June 14, 1984), E. Paul Hovey

Now that is a change worth taking about!

Read 1 Peter 1:17-21

Redemption from the empty ways of life. This is what the Church is – the people who are redeemed from a worthless existence, and into one of infinite value in Christ. We don’t gain salvation by coming to the Church – we gain the Church through the saving grace of Jesus.
And what does it cost us? Peter reminds us that we can’t buy our way into the Body! No amount of money placed in the offering, no amount of time working on committees, no amount of effort telling others about Jesus, no amount of sermons that we listen to (or preach, for that matter!), nothing in all that we can do or have control over can help. There is only one way, and Peter gives us that way – we were redeemed by the “precious blood of Christ” in a plan that was created long before anything else ever came to be. The way of holiness, the price of holiness, the welcome to holiness is put in place by no less than God himself.

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us that the things that we do can never win the most precious of all gifts – eternal life (Matthew 7:21-23). It is only by the will of God that entry into the kingdom can occur, and his will is that we will claim the name of Jesus as our Lord and Savior, that we will look to the gift of his Body and Blood as both the invitation and the means to salvation.
Too simple? For many, yes it is. But the Lord never meant for our gift of life to be insurmountable, to be overwhelming for us. He has made it as simple as anything could possibly be, and yet, there are those who still refuse to believe unless they are allowed to work or earn or deserve that place at his side. And it just can’t happen. None of us are that good!

“Through him you believe in God” – the life and death and resurrection and redemption of Jesus is our belief, and it can never be in our selves.
“Who raised him from the dead and glorified him”, - and in that raising into life and by the glorification of Almighty God, we, too can live again and gain glory.
“So your faith and hope are in God.” – the Church’s faith and hope can never be in the ways and efforts of earth, because they are finite and futile and without substance. The only true faith and hope for eternity must be in an eternal source – and that is in Christ, and Christ alone.

Read 1 Peter 1:22-25

As we read verse 22, we have to be careful that we don’t stop too soon! The Church can’t rest their hopes on “Now that you have purified yourself”! We have to see this passage in its fullest context – we have purified ourselves “by obeying the truth” – that’s what we have to do, and by implication, it is the truth of God that we are to obey. When Nicodemus secretly visited Jesus that dark night so long ago (John 3:1-10), he was told that he must be born again, and that it had to be from above. The Pharisee didn’t listen carefully – he missed those last few words, that his new birth had to be from heaven, from God. And Peter takes the opportunity to reinforce this thought – that our rebirth can never be by human means – it must be by holy and eternal ways.

Do we truly want to be with Jesus? Do we truly want to meet him in glory? Do we truly want to be part and parcel in his Body the Church? It isn’t about membership, it isn’t about our goodness, it isn’t about how often we are in church or how much we do or even how much we love others. Those things are important, but they don’t come first. Jesus must always be allowed to come into our lives first, and then these other things can begin to come about in the Spirit.

God alone is holy. God alone is worthy. God alone is perfect, and if we want to be with him, we have to allow him to make us as he is. We don’t get a say in this – we can only accept the gift on the Lord’s terms.
Remember the birthday party you had as a child? For some of us, that may have been more than a few years ago, but try to remember back. You received gifts – presumably, you didn’t select them, you didn’t buy them, you didn’t wrap them, you didn’t present them – all you got to do was to invite your friends, and accept the gifts they brought. That’s how it is with salvation – we don’t get to create it, we don’t get to define it, we don’t get to earn it, we don’t get to offer it – we only get to invite Jesus into our lives, and accept the gift he brings to us.

I think that the Church of today is afraid to claim the title of “holy”, and when we hesitate to claim this glory, we are missing out on an incredible opportunity. You are right, though – we aren’t perfect, we aren’t worthy, we can never become holy on our own. But if we contend that because of our limitations, we can never receive these Godly attributes, then we are saying that God can’t do it, either!
Don’t forget omnipotence! Our God is all powerful – that means that there is nothing that he can’t do – NOTHING! We just have to let him do it.
Nicodemus the Pharisee thought that it was all about what he did for God, but in the darkness of his life, and as he sought the light of Christ, he would discover that it wasn’t he who had to do anything, but that it was the Lord Jesus who would do it all for him.

Our Holy God wants to make his Church – those who will believe in him and follow him – just as holy as he is. If you are still on the “I can do it myself.” tract of life, then you need to take stock of that life you are working on and ask yourself “Just how well am I doing?” And if you are honest, you will discover that you aren’t doing all that well.
Let Jesus pick up the slack, let him do it for you, let him remake you in his image, and when you do, the Church will gain one more pinpoint of light to glorify Almighty God.

Praise him in his highest, you holy and worthy one in God!