Christian Altitude (Part B)

God has one determined end from mankind, and that is holiness. And that is what we'll get fully when we arrive in that paradise that He has promised. And the ape, the tiger, the goat in man will not die in this life. Those beastly characteristics will be with us. And we'll have to engage them and resist them.

We will not evolve into perfection in this life. This is Cross Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of First Peter.

Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. Today, Pastor Rick continues his study that he's called Christian Altitude in First Peter chapter 1. So this phrase at the revelation of Jesus Christ, at the appearing, at the coming. Peter uses it in his writing. Paul uses that same phrase in his writings. John uses that same phrase in his writing. The Bible is the revelation, the making apparent of God.

God the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. In connection to mankind, that is the important part. It's not just these spiritual platitudes that are for the angels. It's for us. Again, regardless of what you're going through, and life's got a lot of junk to throw at us, and if you don't get the right altitude, you won't get over the mountains.

Sometimes, as Admiral Byrd had to do when he was flying to the South Pole, sometimes you've got to get rid of some fuel and cargo if you're going to get to the altitude you need not to crash. And so verse 14, as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the form of lust as in your ignorance. Peter, that's a low blow, bro. You're telling them they're Christians now. They don't get to act as they used to behave before they came to Christ and get a pass. He's saying as obedient children, you once were not that, you are now to be obedient children. We're to live lives which reveal that if not transformed, we are at least pursuing it. Righteousness is conformity to God in action, not lip service. That's what righteousness is. It's not just, oh, I went to church, I love the message, and that's it.

What are you going to do with it now? You may be the one that says I've heard these kinds of sermons time and time again, and I've not made a step forward. Have you tried walking on your knees?

Because if you haven't, you ain't going to take that step. If you've been cornered by something in life, it's knee power that is going to get you through it in Christ. It is contact with the throne, deliberate contact with the throne, no matter what is happening.

That's how we gain altitude. One of the proofs for this is when you are in dire straits, you call out to God. God has been trying to say, I need you calling out to me before you see the dangers. I need it to be the way you live life, the way you roll through this life. Romans chapter 12, do not be conformed to this world.

Pause there. Paul, have you tried this yourself? Do you know the stuff the world throws at us that is so ridiculously appealing to our lower self? Yes, he has. I mean, a man like Paul, you know he struggled with pride at points in his life, looking down at people who were dumber than him. He's like, man, how long do I got to put up with these kind of people? Then he comes to Christ, and everything changes. He spends his life pulling people up, not dragging them down. It's easier to pull somebody down than it is to pull them up. Anyone can pull someone down, you know, the person who gives you a little snide, snarky remark, then walks away. They like to bop them in the back of their head. They never do that again to you, but that would be sin. Don't be that person.

Takes your little cheap shots and walks on, hurts somebody so you can feel better. That kind of stuff comes right out of hell. You can smell the sulfur on that kind of behavior. First Thessalonians. Now here's a verse that's not in a lot of Christians' Bibles.

I'm convinced. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but to holiness. Uncleanness of attitude also. Not just the moral sins, you know, all stealing and lust of various sorts. Not just those, those do. But how do you talk to other people?

How do you view them? Saved and unsaved, expect to see something from us that matches Jesus. Other Christians hope to see something in you that resembles Christ and so is the world. Imagine working in a place for 10 years and no one knew you were a Christian.

That's a spooky thought. Verse 15. But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Again, this is written from a, this is a letter from a martyr to be. He knows he's going to die a violent death for Christ. So this is not stopping him from pursuing the ideal. He's not saying, you know what, I tried to reach this ideal and it just can't do it.

He does not take that approach. We are told to be harmless and separate as best we can. We are told to be kind to one another, which seems to be a forbidden commandment with some who claim Christ is Lord. We are told to be diligent with spiritual things. How many of you don't answer, but how many have kept up your personal devotion time? Even when you don't want to.

Even when you think it doesn't matter and it doesn't count, it's not bringing the results you want. So you've discontinued it. You're from, your theological school is the rabbit foot school. Just put the rabbit's foot in your pocket and you'll be okay. Just read the Bible and you'll be okay. Where is that in the scripture? You'll be okay spiritually. You'll write and have peace with God.

You will be effective. You will be a witness. There will be a Christ-likeness about you more than there otherwise would be had you not adhered to the word of God. And so, again verse 15, but he who called you is holy. And he goes on of course to say, he who called you is holy. You also be holy. I'm glad he did not say, be odd.

God is holy. You be an oddball. You be abrasive. You be foul-mouthed and ill-tempered. He doesn't tell us that.

It's quite the other way around. Never does God encourage the low life in the Christian. Always. He says, yeah, my standards are very high.

I don't lower them. You won't reach all of it in this life, but the pursuit of righteousness has so much fruit in it. So much in just the going after righteousness.

That alone makes it worth it. To not like hearing this is a silent admission of guilt. You say, I don't like to be told I'm snarky and I'm graceless and I'm this and I'm that. Well, if you don't like hearing it, it's because you are those things and God says I'm trying to get you out of it, but you're being too thick-headed. Well, you're going to be dumb in the presence of God.

You better be tough. Because there's going to be a hard road. God has one determined end for mankind and that is holiness. And that is what we'll get fully when we arrive in that paradise that He has promised. And the ape, the tiger, the goat in man will not die in this life. Those beastly characteristics will be with us and we'll have to engage them and resist them.

We will not evolve into perfection in this life. We can fight for large tracts of territory that otherwise would not be ours. Left to ourselves as human beings go, we will construct and then we will deconstruct. We will build tools to build and then build and then build weapons to destroy it all.

How many large cities have been bombed into rubble since men have been making bombs? So we accept that this is the battlefield we live on. We're not excused from being called to holiness, a Christ-like life. Verse 16, he says, because it is written, be holy for I am holy. Because that's what the scripture says. The Bible says that He's telling these believers. He brings them back to the scripture. He's quoting Leviticus, chapter 11, verse 44. For I am Yahweh your God, you shall therefore consecrate yourselves and you shall be holy for I am holy. I like it. Even after all these years of struggling and failures, I still like it.

I love it. There's still nothing like this and He would be found. This verse removes from the believer any idea that we can find sin acceptable. Because holiness cancels out sin. It means purity, utter purity, uncreated purity in God. Developed in large degrees in our own lives, we will put our hands to the plow. This destroys any notion that I'm good enough for God. When He says be holy, just try to do it and you'll find out that there are things about us that won't allow that to be. And so ours is to be an attitude of altitude. It works well in the English.

I don't know how you would say it in some other language, but I know how to say it in English and I know what it means. You know, sometimes, almost every time, on a Monday, sometime Monday while I'm mowing the lawn or leaf blowing or doing something I don't like, parts of the sermon come back to me. And I don't really care for that all the time. Because I know I make points under the anointing of the Holy Spirit that I otherwise would not make. And I know I am accountable to Him to live them out and to practice as best I can what has been preached. And this is one of them, to climb to those altitudes where righteousness is, to get above the clouds. If your love for Jesus Christ inspires you to serve Him, then be inspired to serve Him well. Does anybody serve the Lord with a grudge? Is that a benefit to someone?

It's not even a benefit to you. So we're going to have to clear mountains, get over them, rise higher, Christian attitudes. This is what is for us from the scripture, verse 17.

Let's pause here. All these things that Peter is saying again is under the shadow of the hammer of persecution in their lives and his life and that makes this real and that is one of the benefits from understanding who the writer is addressing in the scripture and why. So that I can be joined to that lesson that awaits me as the Holy Spirit opens it up for me. In verse 17 he says, And if 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. I love preaching this part of the verse.

I don't know if I like hearing it sometimes. If you call on the Father, if you call yourself a Christian, that's what He says. He holds them to it.

I told you He was going to do this and there He is doing it. So you say you're a follower of Jesus Christ and if you call on Him, who judges incidentally, He does judge. Still the fatherly tone is in this. When you're right, it's not a preaching tone. It's not until you get in front of people does it become a preaching tone.

And mood largely dictates that, but it doesn't take away from the content if it be true. Without partiality, that is, this is not about your salvation incidentally. When He says, who judges without partiality according to each one's work, He's talking about service here. God is looking at how we serve.

Should He not? Should He just serve us? Redeem us? Conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here. In this life, back to being sober-minded about these things, in this life, live as though you are a believer, that you are serving a great King. This mention of where He says, let me go back a minute here, without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear. Now that word fear is the idea of reverence. Reverence is a type of fear, but it's a balanced fear. It's a sober fear. It recognizes God is not to be trifled with. That's what this type, this reverent fear understands.

This is not the paralyzing fear that drains life, the terror. This is the sense of the awesomeness of God, the stupendous essence of God. How many lives in Christianity and out of Christianity lack reverence? A house of God in a junkyard really is no difference with them. They don't ever connect what goes on in one place and what goes on in another place. They don't understand that there is a throne and there is a God on the throne, the God of the Bible, and that in His presence we don't have the right to be reckless about holy things. I heard one, probably a well-meaning Christian, who was speaking about a church he was about to go into, and this was on a YouTube thing, and he referred to the church. He said, okay, let's go inside this joint.

He doesn't understand. I don't think he was intentionally trying to be irreverent, but if that kind of attitude catches on, reverence dies. Someone needs to pull him aside and say, listen, this is the house of God bought with His blood. It is made so by the intention of those who attend there, submitting to Him what He has said in His Word. Supposing that holiness somehow is not beneficial, is not a good way to think about holiness. Well, what's in it for me? Why should I suffer for Christ?

What do I get out of it? Who could applaud such an attitude? Because there are those that want to sort of communicate in some way that being holy is not cool.

Where's that written? Who says so? In heaven, being holy is the coolest thing you could be, and heaven will all have sunglasses on.

Non-prescription ones, too. And so people try to bump you off of holiness, especially you younger Christians. Someone, they're always trying to, okay, tone it down. I'm not saying be overly righteous either and become a pain in the neck and kill joy.

You can't even laugh at anything that is genuinely humorous. In fear, the fear that brings life. Proverbs 14, 27, the fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life to turn one away from the snares of death. There are such things as healthy fears.

We all know it. It's what keeps us in our lane when we're driving, especially on a single lane road where there's one traffic going one way and the other going the other. Our lower selves, as I mentioned, can find courage in irreverence. This would explain why the profanities fly when a person is hot and angry and building themselves up to attack something. They do not have the courage that comes from holiness. They have that type of courage that comes from irreverence. It gives them a sense of power that they do not have to submit. They can just give free license to their own passions. Hebrews 12, 28, therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

I hope we got that. Verse 18, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers. You'd think there was maybe somebody that would have liked to have been waiting at the door at the end of service if Peter preached these words and take issue with, what about these traditions of my father? Peter wouldn't be the guy I'd like to go up to and mess with incidentally.

He just might have a carnal flashback or something and wouldn't be good for me. But these are strong words that he is throwing out there and he's getting people between the eyes as the scriptures do. You know, we come to Christ, we don't realize, we see the salvation, the love Jesus has for us and all the sins have passed away. We're born again, that means a baby when a child is born they have no past.

There's no record. Everything is ahead of them and that's what it's like being born again. And we don't stop to think, wait a minute, from the book of Acts all the way to the end, there is conflict, there is struggle, there are these apostles trying to constantly tell Christians to get it together, gird up the loins of your mind, pull it together, stop drifting back.

We do good to remember that, lest we become puffed up. And so he says, you know you weren't redeemed with trivial things, you weren't bought with gold or silver, that could never buy peace with God. Nothing man-made can buy peace with God, gain peace with God. It is the precious blood of Christ. Redeemed, that word redeemed at its root in the Greek means freed.

Not from, say, the way you would untie a dog from a leash or something like that, but free from a legal burden. It's been taken away. You don't have this thing hanging, this judgment hanging over you any longer. And he says, knowing that you were not freed from judgment with common things, from your aimless conduct, your meaningless conduct, your useless life that was garnished with things that have no lasting value, they have no place in eternity.

Now you do. Now you've come to Christ, you have these things. That old way of life was moral folly, and Christ is calling us out of that, and our flesh is calling us back to that, and the tug of war is constant. That's why Paul said, don't get tired of doing good.

Why would anybody have to tell you that? Because doing good is often rewarded with trouble. You try so hard to come to do something the right way and nobody else sees it, they attack you for it. Your own brothers and sisters can be guilty. You and I can be guilty of this.

I've never done it myself, but I've seen you'd mess up. I wish it could be so. One day we'll never have to make such analogies. The day is coming when we will be in that place where all of this is forgotten.

Do any of you want to remember any of this? You want to say, I wish so and so was here to see this. Well, if they're in heaven, they're wishing you were with them to see that.

They're not the one missing out. We are, but our time is coming. I don't know how it's going to be that transition into heaven. I know that I won't die. Jesus said, he who believes in me shall never die.

It will be sort of a tuck-in, wake-up-in-a-flash kind of a thing. But I like the picture that the psalmist paints. I shall enter his courts with thanksgiving in my heart. I shall enter his gates with praise. I will say, this is the day the Lord has made.

I will be glad and rejoice. To teach ourselves to praise in this life takes work because anybody can do it when you've got things to thank God for. But how do we really enter into expressing a genuine gratitude and not sort of going down a checklist?

Lights check, gauges check, like a pilot about to take off. There's got to be something better to praising God. How much does God hear coming off the planet? And how much of it is praise? How much of that is genuine praise? And how much of that genuine praise has been learned in the school of the Holy Spirit?

I am asking God, I've been asking him for some time, teach me to praise you. But remember, I'm really weak. So if you can skip hard lessons and just kind of instill it, it's greatly appreciated, sign the management.

But anyway, pseudo-management. By tradition of your fathers, your aimless conduct, that empty way, by tradition of your fathers. He's talking to Jews and Gentiles in this letter. Yes, he starts out talking about the diaspora, this dispersion, but he includes as he moves through his letter all the Christians and by this time there were many Gentiles coming into the church and in the church until finally they were the majority, which makes mathematical sense because they are the majority of people in the world. We're so glad you tuned in today to study the book of 1 Peter on Cross Reference Radio. Cross Reference Radio is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. And we're blessed to bring you God's word with each broadcast. If you'd like more information about this program or want to listen to additional teachings from Pastor Rick, please visit our website, crossreferenceradio.com. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never have to miss a program. Just search for Cross Reference Radio in iTunes, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. We hope you'll tune in again next time to join us as we continue our study through the Scriptures, right here on Cross Reference Radio.