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chapter 1. So if you have your Bibles, would you all turn with me to 1 Peter chapter 1? And as you turn there, would you take a moment to think with me this morning about things that we say and sayings that we have to describe when someone sticks out from the crowd or when someone stands out from a group, right? We have sayings that we say and Things that we say to describe when someone truly sticks out or stands out, right?
Like they stand out like a sore thumb, right? Or they stick out like a fish out of water. Or they go against the rain. Or they swim against the current. There's sayings that we have, whether it's the greatest of all time or in a league of their own or cut above the rest or the odd one out. We have ways that we talk about people who genuinely. Stand out, right? There's ways that you can stand out in life, maybe by the things that you do.
There's ways that you can stand out in sports, maybe by the things that you wear, right? It'd be like going to an Angels game wearing a Mariners jersey or going to a Dodgers game wearing an Angels jersey. Or maybe it would be like wearing... a Mariners jersey and an Angels jersey and a Dodgers jersey at who knows what kind of game, right? Imagine the looks that we got and the heads that we turned pulling into the parking lot and walking into the Agile Stadium on Wednesday night.
It was actually Pastor Conrad who had to say, "These guys are my Uber drivers." He didn't want to be associated with us. By the end of the night, Tyler was most excited because the Mariners did win. on Wednesday night. But just so I know whether or not I stand out from this crowd, can I hear it this morning for the Dodgers? I'm glad to know that I am welcome in this crowd. And Pastor Conrad and Tyler, one of our elders, may be standing out from this crowd a little bit this morning.
You know, there's ways that we can stand out from the crowd, maybe as a fan, Or a follower. But what I want you to think with me this morning is what would it look like to stand out, not as a fan, but as a follower of Jesus this morning and this coming week? Like, what would it look like for you to wear? Regardless of what sports team you are most affiliated with, what would it look like for you to wear Jesus's jersey this week?
Like put yourself in that mindset of what would it look like to stand out from the crowd, to stand out from the culture and to stand out for your faith in Jesus and just put on his jersey this week. Whether you turn heads, no matter the looks that you get, what would it look like if you Like that image stood out from those in the crowd around you. What would it look like to stand out from the culture around you?
What would it look like to sport your jersey and remember that you are part of Team Jesus and you're not just a fan, but you're his followers? I want you to think with me this morning as Peter helps us think with him this morning what it looks like to genuinely stand out from the world around us and genuinely stand out from the crowd around us. This morning we're going to be talking about what it means to stand out, what it means to be different, what it means to live differently.
As followers of Jesus in this world. In fact, this morning, Peter is going to dare you and I am going to dare you to be. This morning's message is about daring to be different. And I want to challenge you in your walk with Jesus today. I want to inspire you in your walk with Jesus today to be willing and to be ready to sport your jersey as a member of Team Jesus and to stand out from the crowd and to stand out from the culture, to go against the grain and to swim against the current when God calls you to.
So this morning, let's turn our attention to 1 Peter chapter 1. We're going to see that there's three ways that Peter invites us to stand out and be different. Three ways that Peter dares us to stand out and dares us to be different. And we're going to see that, number one, we're dared to be different in our conduct, like how we conduct ourselves as followers of Jesus. Everyday moments, everyday decisions.
We're going to see how Peter dares us to be different in our convictions, like what we believe to be true about Jesus and about reality. And then we're going to see what it looks like to be dared to be different in our calling and how to live and how to love ultimately like Jesus. So today is all about that. Being different, standing out from the crowd, and remembering that we ultimately wear Jesus' jersey, we belong to his team, and we represent him to the world around us.
Are you with me this morning? Let's dare ourselves to be different. Let's go out from this place and be different from the world around us. Let's stand out from the crowd. Let's stand out from the culture. It's not about being weird. It's not about being famous. It's about following Jesus. And it's about representing him everywhere that we go. So let's read 1 Peter chapter 1. Let's see what God has to say in his word about daring to be different in 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 13 to 25.
I'd like to read the text and invite you to listen as I read in the ESV and then I'll pray and we'll get started this morning. This is what Peter says. He says, Therefore... Preparing your minds for action and being sober minded. He says, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, don't 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's written, you shall be holy. For I am holy. And if you call on him as father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the feudal ways inherited from your forefathers. Not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ like that of the lamb without blemish or spot.
He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in these last times for your sake, 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. And then Peter closes out the first chapter and says, having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. For all flesh is like grass in its glory, like the grass withers, the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you. Would you join me in a word of prayer? Father, we are so thankful. For this morning and for this opportunity we have to gather as your people and to worship in this place and to remind ourselves of Jesus and the fact that he has ransomed us and there's coming a day when he will raise us to indestructible life and indestructible glory.
God, that is our hope and I pray that as we set our hope fully on the day of Jesus, That we would live and learn to live differently in this day, differently in this place, differently on this earth. As we are ultimately part of Team Jesus, we wear his jersey and we are called to turn heads and to stand out, not for ourselves, but for him who we live for. Lord, help us to be challenged. Help us to be dared to be different even this coming week.
As we walk out of this place representing you everywhere we go. God, we love you. We commit our time to you in Jesus' name and all God's people said. Amen. I want to welcome you to our church and I want to welcome you to this series and just take a moment to acknowledge that just a few weeks ago we started a brand new series in the letter of 1 Peter. And I want to take a moment right now just to kind of set the context and
I want to tell you the setting of this series. What Peter does in chapter 1, verse 1 and 2 is he identifies who he is. And I want to think about who Peter is. He identifies who his audience is, and I want to think about Peter's audience. They are Christians. Their churches spread throughout the Mediterranean world back in the first century. And Peter is writing to them to encourage them. Peter identifies himself as an apostle, a disciple in chapter 1, verse 1.
You know, and it's interesting because Peter was the first disciple that Jesus called to follow him. And I've been making the case over the last few weeks that Jesus, I believe, is also the most relatable disciple that Jesus called to follow him. He's relatable because Peter, he has these moments and these seasons of ups and downs, moments when he gets it and he doesn't get it. And that's why I connect with Peter.
Does anybody else connect with Peter? A little bit, right? Because he's got these moments of up, these moments of down, right? One moment, right? He walks out on the water, fixing his eyes on Jesus. And what happens the next moment? Sinks right into the water, right? Because he took his eyes off of Jesus. Or one moment he's confessing Jesus is the Christ. And then the next moment he's denying that Jesus is his friend.
Like, come on, man. Like, I relate to Peter. Because there's moments where I have ups and I have downs. And there's moments where you probably feel like you have ups and you have downs. You know, Peter is an example for us to follow. Because the Christian life includes successes and failures. The Christian life is not about perfection but about progress, right? The Christian life is not about perfection but about progress.
Can I get an amen to that? So Peter's helping us understand this idea of progress, not perfection. Following Jesus of ups and of downs. His parents called him Simon. But Jesus called him Peter. Because Peter means rock. And what Jesus did is he gave him a new identity. A new purpose. He called him to be a foundational member and leader in God's church. He called him to leave behind fishing nets and become a fisher of what?
A fisher of men. And so Peter now, leaving behind his fishing nets, embracing this new identity, is a fisher of men, and he plants churches, and he gets locked up in prison. And we saw in Acts chapter 12 this last summer how God delivered him from that prison. And there's moments when we need to be reminded that this world is not our home. And following Jesus means taking risks, and following Jesus means maybe the world is not going to like us.
And so what happened to Peter is that he took risks, and the world didn't like him. And the Churches that he planted, they took risks and they experienced persecution for their faith. Peter experienced a fair share of challenges and the churches he planted experienced a fair share of challenges. So that's why he writes his letter. I shared with you last week that this is the thesis of 1 Peter. This is why he wrote this letter.
To establish them in believing... To direct them in doing and to comfort them in suffering. Like, why don't we have this book in our Bibles? To establish us in believing, to direct us in doing, and to comfort us in suffering. And then last week what we saw is the most complete and the most concrete message. depiction of hope in the entire Bible. Like if you're looking for hope today and you're wondering how hope is possible today, the most complete and the most concrete depiction of hope in the entire Bible is 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 9.
I encourage you to consider that this week. I encourage you to remember that this week. Remember what Peter said in our time together. He said that we have been born again to a living what? A living hope. To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, that is kept in heaven for you, and you are being guarded for it. So Peter's all about hope. He's all about our future. He's all about heaven.
He's all about our inheritance. He's all about the fact that God is guarding us. And that brings us to this idea of how Peter, what I love about Peter is that he doesn't have his head in the sand. But he also doesn't have his head in the clouds, right? Peter doesn't have his head in the sand. He knows that life is difficult and life happens. But Peter's head also isn't in the clouds. He's not so focused on heaven that he's no useful to earth.
And so what he does is he's down to earth and he brings heaven and hope to earth. And he reminds us what it looks like to have our future impact our present, right? Our future impacts our present. And that brings us to verse 13 in our passage where Peter says the word what? Therefore. Now everybody knows to ask, right? What is therefore? Therefore. And therefore is therefore a really important reason.
Let me tell you what therefore is therefore. Can I tell you what therefore is therefore for a moment? Okay. Therefore is therefore this reason to direct us to this idea of we have a future hope and we're supposed to live in light of that future hope, right? Everything that Peter said in chapter 1 This hope of the future, he's now bringing into the present moment and he's inviting us to consider how hope informs and how hope transforms our lives today.
And that's why he says, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus. Can I just repeat that? Set your hope fully on the revelation of of Jesus Christ when he returns. Set your hope fully on the revelation of Jesus Christ when he returns. Can I just tell you that when Jesus comes back, it's going to be the best day of your life? Can I just tell you when Jesus comes back, it is going to be the best day in history.
The day that Jesus comes back is going to be a day to remember and a day that we will never forget. The day that Jesus comes back is going to be the biggest day And best day of our lives. Like have you ever been, can you remember a time when you were looking forward to like a big, an important day on your calendar? Like a big important day in your future? Think back, maybe it's a few years ago, maybe it's decades ago.
Think back to that moment in time when you were looking forward to a big and important day on your calendar in your future. What was that day for you? - Wedding. - All right, wedding day, meeting your first child day, graduation day, maybe first day, maybe an interview, maybe first day of a new job, maybe a first day of school. Can anybody remember the first day of school? All right, there's probably two kinds of people here today.
Either you were nervous about the first day of school or you were excited about the first day of school. Just trying to be a little honest and vulnerable with my people today. Raise your hand if you were a little nervous about your first day of school. Raise your hand if you were excited about your first day of school. Okay, we had a couple of kids have their first day of school in the background today.
Not today, but just in the last few weeks. And they were thrilled, like, Absolutely thrilled about their first day of school. You know, do you remember those moments when you couldn't fall asleep at night? Naomi's going into third grade. Jess is going into kindergarten. I just wanted to make sure I could take photos as they go. Look at that kindergartner. Look at that excitement on that face, guys.
This is like the moment. They got some new backpacks. I'll tell you about that in a moment. This is that moment where you can't fall asleep at night, right? Do you remember that? There's something so big the next day, like you're having a hard time falling asleep. Maybe you're nervous, maybe you're excited. There's something big happening the next day. I asked Naomi, you know, what are you looking forward to the most about your first day of school?
And she's like, making new friends. And I asked Jesse, going into kindergarten, "What are you most excited about your first day of school?" And he goes, "Eating my lunch!" It's like we got the new backpacks and the new lunchbox and we packed the lunchboxes and we asked for a ham sandwich and Capri Sun and Gushers and Fruit rolls, remember all those snacks that we shouldn't have eaten? Yeah, so we packed those in the lunchbox.
We catch them peeking into their lunchbox the night before because they're so excited, not just about school, but what they're going to eat at school the next day. Does anybody remember looking forward to what's for lunch at school? I guess Jesse's the only one. There's that excitement factor, and it causes you to get excited. You're fixated and excited and you're looking forward to something that's coming.
It's impacting you now. You can't sleep. You're peeking into your lunchbox. You're thinking about what that day is going to be like. And that's what Peter is inviting you to do about the day that Jesus returns. Be excited. Be fixated. Think about what that day is going to be like. How great it's going to be when Jesus comes back. What it's going to be like. When Jesus comes back, how is he going to make everything right?
He's going to make everything new. He's going to restore everything in this world. It is going to be the best day of your life when Jesus comes back. And he's inviting us to get excited about it and be fixated on it. And that's why he says, set your hope. solely on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus. Like looking forward to the future impacts our present and we're called to conduct ourselves with hope as citizens of heaven.
And that's what Peter helps us understand. Like Christians are set apart, they look different because they actually have hope. Like we have something incredible that we're looking forward to. And it helps us wake up each and every day, and it gives us hope each and every day because we know how the story ends. Have you guys read the back of the book? I told you last week, all of the answers are in the back of the book.
Remember that from school? You get a book and there's like a footnote, like turn to the back for the answer sheet. All of the answers are in the back of the book, and we know how the story ends. We know that Jesus wins. And that gives us hope each and every day. We're called to conduct ourselves with hope, but also we're called to conduct ourselves with holiness. Like, think about what Peter goes on to say.
He doesn't have his head in the clouds and he doesn't have his head in the sand and he knows that the world is a certain way and Christians are called to live a different way. Right? We're daring ourselves to be different today and think about how we're called to be set apart and different and And so what Peter says is don't get too comfortable. Can I just remind you that this world is not your home?
Can I remind you that heaven is your home and you are a citizen of heaven and you have an inheritance in heaven? And but you're currently a citizen of earth and you have a responsibility on earth. And so so Peter wants us to begin thinking about what is that responsibility we have here and now? Like if we're living for the future, how are we supposed to be living in the present? If we're longing for the future, how does that impact our present?
So he reminds us that we are living in this earth as if exiles. He talks about our journey on earth as an exile. And he reminds us, don't get too comfortable, but conduct yourselves and conform yourselves to your heavenly citizenship. And to your heavenly father. And then he quotes a verse from the Old Testament. Did you guys notice that? Maybe your Bible has a footnote. Maybe it tells you that verse 17 is a direct quote from a book of the Bible called Leviticus.
And it's a reminder from the Old Testament that God is the same then as he is today. And he calls us to be like him today. God is calling you to be like him today. What does the verse say in verse 17 from Leviticus? I'm sorry. I'm referring to verse 17. That's verse 16, isn't it? You got me. Verse 16 says, for you shall be holy, God says, what? As I am holy. You shall be holy for I am, or as I am holy.
Like God wants us to live with hope. As citizens of heaven, but to live with holiness as exiles on earth, set apart from the world and set apart from the culture. What does the word holy mean? That just means unique. It means different. It means set apart. As it relates to God, it means he's majestic in a category by himself. And he's morally pure. He's righteous. He's good. And so God, not in the exact same way as he is holy, but in a similar way that he is holy, can
God's just calling us to look different. God's just calling us to be set apart. God's just calling us to resemble his character as our Heavenly Father. You know, I've noticed every year, just being a parent, I notice more and more, you know, how our kids end up. resembling us, imitating us, right? Their expressions, their mannerisms, right? Their vocabulary and sometimes their personality. You know, they even pick up the things that we would rather them not pick up from us.
You know what I'm talking about? Funny story though, lately my daughter and I have been, like have a new father-daughter bonding experience on Sunday afternoons. Like we get home from church, we have lunch, And then looking ahead to the week, you know, I just got to say it. We're doing this thing where we fold our laundry together, right? We've got a laundry folding party on Sunday afternoon, guys.
And the reason is I love to fold laundry, okay? I know that's weird. I know you're having a hard time wrapping your mind around it. Come on over. I like precision. I'm particular. clean, neat. That's how I like things, right? It's how I like my laundry. It's how I like my shirts and my pants, okay? And so, you know, my daughter is picking this up, and she's like, I want to fold my laundry like you fold your laundry, Dad.
And so every Sunday after church, we're doing this thing where we've got a father-daughter laundry folding party on Sunday. And she's folding her shirts just like me. She's asking me, you know, do I do a two-part fold or a three-part fold? Which are you? I'm Three. Three. Three part? My shirts are three part. My pants are four part. Shorts, two part. But anyway, just besides the point, what I need you to know is that your children end up becoming like you.
Right? And in good ways and in not so good ways. They embrace your personality and your particularities. Right? We are children of God. And we're called to imitate and resemble God. Our Heavenly Father. Like we are truly His children. And we call on Him as Father. And the Christian life has been conformed to the image of our Creator. And resembling the image of our Heavenly Father. And that's what verse 16 is all about.
Be holy as He is holy. Be set apart as He is set apart. Be like Him in integrity and in purity. And in honesty. And in generosity. And in hospitality. Like these are traits that are true of God that he has demonstrated time and time again in scripture. And in our lives today. And he's calling us to be like him. And to be set apart from this world in the same way that he is set apart from this world.
Right? It was Corrie ten Boom. Who stood out in World War II as she gave shelter to the Jews in the midst of Nazi Germany, right? It was Eric Little who stood out in the Olympic Games when he was projected to win his race, but he rejected to participate in his race because they scheduled it on a Sunday. And he believed that he was supposed to be with the people of God, worshiping, not competing in the Olympic Games.
Corrie ten Boom stood out because of her moral conviction of the sanctity of life. Eric Little stood out because of his spiritual conviction of the importance of God's people and the gathering on Sunday. Then you fast forward through history, Jim Elliott stood out because he decided to consider his life not as precious or valuable to himself, but the lives of other people, groups that have yet been reached with the gospel.
And so he flies out Into Ecuador and risk everything to tell people about the name that is above every other name, the name of Jesus. Right. And then it's Johnny Erickson Tata in our day who stood out because she decided to turn her disability into a ministry to tell the world about Jesus and his love for them. And then they can have hope in the midst of suffering. And you don't have to be Corrie ten Boom or Eric Little or Jim Elliott or Johnny Erickson Tata to stand out from the world around you.
Standing out is not about these big moments of faithfulness necessarily, but about little moments of faithfulness. And you know what? God is going to give you opportunities this week to stand out. He's going to give you opportunities this week to resemble the character of your Heavenly Father. He's going to give you opportunities to stand out from the crowd and from the culture this week in small little moments of faithfulness.
Are you ready to stand out? Can I dare you to be different this week? Can I dare you to stand out from the crowd this week? Can I just challenge you to consider what would it look like to resemble the character of your Heavenly Father and look different from the crowd this week? To wear that jersey that tells others that you belong to Jesus. With the things that you say and the way that you live, are you ready to stand out this week?
Will you do it with me? Will you dare to be different with me? And stand out from the world and stand out from the culture as we resemble the character of our Heavenly Father. This is Peter's whole idea of daring to be different and what it looks like to be different in our conduct. And then he says in our convictions. There are two beliefs that set us apart from the world around us. You know what the word conviction means, right?
It means like strong belief. Whether it's about morality or theology or others. So there's this idea of having convictions, having beliefs, and it's our beliefs that also set us apart as followers of Jesus. And there's two beliefs. There are two convictions that set you and me apart from every religion in this world and from every worldview about this world. And those two beliefs, those two convictions that we hold so dearly are Jesus' death and resurrection.
Right? If you are a Christian, your two deepest convictions, I'm sure, are Jesus' death and Jesus' resurrection. And what Peter does is he helps us understand that that is the story of reality. Jesus died and Jesus rose again. And it's when we believe those two things that we are truly different and we shine a light of hope into the world today. Around us and that's what he says in verses 18 to 21 if you if you turn your attention at verse 18 with me He says the word knowing Right everything in our faith hinges on Jesus's death and resurrection Right everything in the Bible hinges on Jesus's death and resurrection Everything that Peter has to say in verse 18.
You'll notice hinges on knowing Jesus's death and resurrection And those two things are truly the foundation of our lives. He says in verse 18, knowing that you were ransomed with the precious blood of Christ. The most important thing that you could know, the most important thing that you could believe is that you have been ransomed by the precious blood of Jesus. If you have faith in Christ, you have been ransomed
By the precious blood of Jesus. Now, what does the word ransom mean? The word ransom, it means to free, right? It means to liberate, right? It means to set free, right? You can ransom a hostage from their captor, right? You can ransom data from a cyber attack, right? You can ransom a mortgage from the bank. You can ransom a car from From the impound. I've got a funny story of how I ransomed a car from the impound.
Probably not going to get into it this morning. But let's just say that I spent hundreds of dollars to ransom my wife's car from the impound lot. At the time she was my girlfriend. And I'm really glad that that day worked out all right. And she's now my wife. And she's still my wife and I got her car back from the impound that day after parking it where I shouldn't have parked it. And got a ticket and a tow and got locked away in the city of Los Angeles.
I paid a few hundred dollars to ransom that car, I think it was a Toyota Camry if I'm not mistaken, ransom that car out of the impound. You know there's Fortune 500 companies that actually pay millions of dollars to ransom corporate data after a cyber attack. You're hearing a lot about crazy things going on in the digital world online with AI and cybersecurity and all these questions and concerns. There are Fortune 500 companies paying millions of dollars after ransomware steals
Their corporate data, to ransom that back, to buy that back, to get that back, right? The idea of ransom is you have to pay a price to free or to liberate something, that car or that data. Hey, as valuable and precious as cars and data and future relationships and marriages really are in those moments, think about how much more valuable you are. Just think about it. In our economy, things are worth what someone's willing to pay for them.
We might pay hundreds of dollars to get our car back. We might pay millions of dollars to get some data back. Those things are important. But think about how something is worth what we're willing to pay for it. And in God's economy, you are worth what Jesus was willing to pay for you. And this verse is telling us that we have been ransomed. How? Peter says, not with hundreds of dollars, not with millions of dollars, not with silver, he says, not with gold.
You haven't been ransomed with those perishable things like silver and gold. You have been ransomed with what? The precious blood of Jesus. And something or someone's value is what someone else is willing to pay for it. And you have infinite value because of the infinite valuable price that was paid for you. The precious blood of Jesus to liberate you and to free you from the hold and from the grip of sin and death.
Because Jesus died. That's what we believe. And he rose again. That's what we believe. And his death. God has ransomed you and the infinite, precious, valuable blood of Jesus has freed you. And I want you to think about how valuable you are to God. And how valuable Christ's blood is to us. Because he's redeemed us. And then not only has he redeemed and ransomed us, but what does the next few verses say?
He's going to raise us. He ransomed us with his blood. He's going to raise us with his glory. And that's the most important part. If you've read Peter before, you know that he is absolutely captured, riveted by the future return of Jesus and the future glory of Jesus and what that means for us and what that does for us. And so in this verse, he wants to remind us that Jesus, he was foreknown by God.
He was revealed, made manifest recently for you, And God raised him from the dead and gave him glory. And the result of that is that you have faith and hope in God. Like Jesus paid his precious blood to ransom us. But he was raised in power so that he can glorify us. And the great hope of the Christian is that Jesus lived and died and rose again. He ascended into heaven. And he is going to return. And scripture talks about that glorious day, the day that we're supposed to set our hope on.
Jesus is going to return. He's going to ransom his church. He's going to right every wrong. He's going to make all things new. And he is going to raise us to indestructible life. And he is going to recreate the heavens and the earth to indestructible life. What a great and glorious day that is going to be. And that is the glorious hope of the Christian that transforms the present, that we believe that Jesus ransomed us and will raise us, and that is how we are truly set apart.
We know that there's nothing we can do to earn God's favor or God's love, right? That's what every other religion tells us. There is nothing we can do to earn God's favor or earn God's love. God's love and God's favor has been earned for us by the finished work of Jesus on the cross. And the great hope that we have that this world so desperately needs is that Jesus is going to return in glory and we are going to be raised in glory with him.
Can I get an amen? So Peter wants us to be fixed on that day, to be set apart by that day, to be thinking about that day, for us to be set apart in conduct and conviction. By the way, Hebrews 11.1, a great verse. Write it down. Just trust me on this. Write it down. Hebrews 11.1. You need a pen? There's pens in front of you. Just write down Hebrews 11.1. Okay, it's a great verse. All that it says is very simple.
It defines faith. It's the greatest definition of faith in the Bible. It just says what faith is. What is faith? He says that our faith and hope are in God. What is faith? What is hope? And he says, faith is the assurance of things hoped for. The conviction of things not seen. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for. The conviction of things not seen. Guys, we can live with assurance and we can live with conviction that Jesus is coming back and we will be raised with him in glory.
And that causes us to live differently. And so he wraps this up. He says, be different in our conduct, be different in our calling. Dare to be different in your conduct and your conviction, but also your calling. And that's what he says in these last few verses. I'm going to try to land the plane right now. This is when I'm supposed to come into the runway and kind of just wrap some things up. I'm going to try.
I'm going fast, but I'm going to try to slow down right now. It's this idea of, look at verse 22. How we're called to live differently. We're called to love differently. We're called to love the way Jesus loved. And that's what verse 22 is about. He says, having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth. Okay, this is what it is. For a sincere, brotherly love. And then he says what? Love one another how?
Earnestly. Okay, so Peter's like, hey guys. We're different. We're different in our conduct. We're different in our conviction. We're certainly different in our calling. You remember what Jesus told his disciples in the upper room? These are his last moments. These are his last moments with his disciples. Peter was there. Peter was up in that room, the upper room. And this is what Jesus said. He said in John 13.
He said, guys, guys, listen. If I've lost you, this isn't Jesus talking. This is me talking. If I've lost you, just Lean in. I need you. Okay, this is now Jesus talking. He says in John 13, he says, friends, brothers, sisters, a new commandment I give to you that you what? Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love. Okay, I went too fast on that. Just as I have what? Loved you.
You also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples. All people will know. You'll stand out from the crowd. You'll stand out from the culture. People will notice and acknowledge and recognize something different about you, Jesus says. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples. If what? If you have love for one another. Guys, there's nothing that sets us apart.
The authentic love of Jesus. If we're going to love the way Jesus loved, which is certainly laying down your life for the good of those around you. If we're going to love like Jesus loved, authentically, sincerely, earnestly, and eagerly. If we're going to love the way that Jesus loved, that will set us apart. from the world around us. That will get people to start asking questions. That will make people notice there's something different about us.
Let me just ask you, what do you need to love this week? You know, maybe it's an adult child. There's some tension there. Maybe it's a young child. There's definitely going to be tension there. Maybe it's a co-worker. Maybe it's a supervisor. Right? Maybe it's... A friend or family member. Maybe there's someone that's maybe been challenging to love the way that Jesus loves. Maybe you're loving someone but it's easy and it's not yet sacrificial or costly.
Maybe you just need to take that next step and demonstrate your love for them. Maybe it's people that don't believe in Jesus. Maybe it's people that do believe in Jesus. Sometimes we're hard to love, guys. Let's be honest. Who is Jesus calling you to love this week? What would it look like to love them the way that Jesus loves them this week? What would it look like to be authentic and earnest and sincere in that love?
Do something tangible for them. Do something sacrificial for them. What would it look like this week? I need you to picture who it is God's calling you to love. God's going to love them. Go be different. Go stand out. Don't do that thing that God puts on your heart to just love that person and demonstrate that you are called to a sincere brotherly love earnestly from a pure heart. And you're just going to you're going to remember Jesus saying, by this, all people will know that you are my disciples by the love that you have for one another.
So go, go, go love them this week. Go love them this week. I don't know who it is, but I know God will show you. Go love them this week. This weekend we're called to love the way that Jesus calls us to. And then finally we're called to live the way that scripture calls us to. I love this. Are we landing the plane? I'm never sure. When a pastor tells you that they're landing the plane, it probably means that they're nowhere near landing the plane.
And they just need to remind themselves to wrap this up. So I'm going to do that. I'm going to wrap this up. Here's how Peter reminds us to live out our calling. As we love the way that Jesus calls us to, and we live the way that Scripture calls us to. Right? Verses 23 to 25, Peter says that you've been born again, not by something perishable, but by something imperishable, the living and abiding Word of God.
It's not like grass. It's not like flour. It doesn't dry up in the day's heat. It remains. It endures. It lasts forever. And if we live our lives according to Scripture, we'll last forever. And guys, that's not because this book... This book can't give us eternal life. Oh, but this book can tell us who does give us eternal life, right? And listen to what Peter said. Ah, Peter, he got it. John chapter 6, this is what Peter says.
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of what? Eternal life. When we listen to this book, we're going to look different. When we follow this book, we're going to be set apart. When we pattern our lives after this book, we're going to stand out. When we actually follow the teachings of Scripture, people are going to notice. And the hope and the courage that we have is that Jesus has promised us eternal life.
He has ransomed us. He will raise us. And that should give us the courage to go against the grain, to swim against the current, to stand out from the crowd. And to stand out from the culture in our conduct, our conviction, and our calling. And I want to remind you of what 1 Peter is all about. Chapter 3, verse 15. We're going to get there in a few weeks. I promise. We're going to get there in a few weeks.
Peter says this. He says, always be prepared. Right? Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the what? For the hope. That is in you. Christian, we can live with hope because Jesus came and Jesus is coming back to him. And we can live differently now as we long for the future that is to come. As we stand out in our conduct, we stand out in our conviction, we stand out in our calling.
We love the way that Jesus loves. We live the way the scripture tells us to. People are going to ask questions. We're going to look different. And 1 Peter 3.15 says, and I want to challenge you, dare you to be different this week so that somebody asks, and as 1 Peter 3.15 says, that you'll always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason of the hope that is in you. Will you dare to be different this week?
Let's pray.