Christian Altitude (Part A)

What do you have if you have a Christian that's not sober minded? You have a sloppiness, you have a carelessness, you have a recklessness, you have something that does not bring glory to God regardless of how much they may insist it does.

It does not. So how do we keep it? The sobriety. How do we share it? How do we have it rub off on others and others have it rub off on us? How do we benefit from this word? Be sober.

Be mature. 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. But for now let's join Pastor Rick in the book of First Peter chapter one as he begins a new message called Christian Altitude. If you have your Bibles please turn to First Peter chapter one. First Peter chapter one. We will take verses thirteen through twenty one.

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to form a lust as in your ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you all also be holy in your conduct because it is written be holy for I am holy 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 knowing that you are not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot he indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God. Peter is well aware of the persecution that is going on and I'll probably say that every time we open the study introduced that to reintroduce it to us over and over again because it is critical. It is important to understand these are real lives, real people just like we have real lives and we are real people and aware of their persecution having himself witnessed the deaths of his Lord Jesus on the cross of his friend James the brother of John and of a fellow servant Stephen. He understood fully the threats, the severity of what they were facing and he will eventually face it himself to the point of death, but he tells these persecuted believers that they must rise above their circumstances. What's the benefit of Christ if it does not help us to rise above that which we are faced with regardless of how unpleasant or how successful we may be because success can bring us down from Christ.

And so I've entitled this consideration this morning Christian Altitude because that's what Peter is trying to do with these beloved saints he's trying to get them to go higher and his own faith shines very brightly. So we're going to now move to verse 13 where it's going to be safer. How many times or how much of the Bible are we exposed to as Christians in such passages as I just read when we stood a moment ago and yet refuse to act upon what we learn and hear. May we always be working to act upon things that God is showing us from his word and not reduce them to mere philosophy. It is supposed to be lived out in our lives and Peter is going to hammer that point home. Verse 13, therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Therefore, well that joins what he is saying with what he has already said in the earlier verses.

Speaking about their salvation, mentioning that the angels would love to look into these things, the walk that we have in Christ. He's saying because of all that Christ has done for us, because of that gird up the loins of your mind. Well before I comment on the gird up part I want to go back just briefly to the therefore in verse 13. I'm reading from Hebrews 12 now. Therefore we also since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witness, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.

And so the same therefore that the writer of Hebrews uses in Hebrews 12, Peter is using here in verse 13. Do something with what you have. Don't just sort of just take it in and that's it, it dies. There's no fruit coming out of it.

There's no further result. Just gird up the loins. It's an eastern expression where they would take the long robes and pull it up and tie it up or wrap it under their belt when they wanted to get down to business and get busy at work or to engage in some physical struggle. What he is saying here is pull it together. Your thoughts, your mind, how you think in the light of Christ and the faith that you have.

Therefore, because of all the things I've said, you pull it together. This shows up in Exodus chapter 12 at the Passover. The other Jews having that final meal in Egypt before they were to depart. They were told by God through Moses, you shall eat the Passover with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste.

It is the Lord's Passover. There he's expressing a sense of urgency, a readiness, and it's not far from what Peter is saying also. There needs to be a sense of urgency and readiness about the things we do in Christ. There are not things to be taken with a nonchalant attitude.

Be ready, be busy. That's the mandate on the Christian. But I think as Peter is speaking these words, knowing what we know about him, all the things he experienced. He saw Jesus walk on water. I mean, how did he get atop that?

You can't even come close to it with anything else. But these things shaped the man who made him who he became. I believe that he is saying these things, therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, in a fatherly tone. Not the tone of, you know, a drill instructor, like get it together or consequences will be on you.

I think, again, it's a fatherly tone. And if you receive it that way, may it not be wasted. May we not waste the things that we hear when he says be sober, not somber, sober. Sobriety, as in self-control, uninfluenced by things that take away from us the sense of reality and control. What is left of the person who is not sober?

What do you have if you have a Christian that's not sober-minded? You have a sloppiness. You have a carelessness. You have a recklessness. You have something that does not bring glory to God, regardless of how much they may insist it does.

It does not. So how do we keep it, the sobriety? How do we share it? How do we have it rub off on others and others have it rub off on us? How do we benefit from this word? Be sober.

Be mature. Paul writes to Titus about these same things. I think he helps us even further with it. He says, for the grace of God, Titus 2, that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, lighteously, and godly in this present age. Right now, we are supposed to live this way, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

That's what he says. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special people, zealous for good work. Wanting to do good, that is.

Eager to do things that are helpful. And then he says to Titus, who is a pastor, he says, speak these things, exhort and rebuke with all authority, let no one despise you. Go in the authority of God and preach sobriety and righteousness and godliness right now in this present age. It was for him and it is for us. Peter continues here in verse 13, rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you. Again, facing persecution, all that that means, he's telling them. Rest your hope fully, that word fully in the Greek, teleos, the word that Jesus spoke from the cross when he said it is finished.

It means just that, it's finished completely, without wavering to the end. Rest your hope to the end upon the grace that is to be brought to you. Difficult to do, impossible in the flesh to do it in Christ. You can do it outside of the flesh, the world has its way of making itself brave in the face of things that are terrifying.

They're just not righteous things. We are supposed to behave as though we are an example of what Christ is and who he is and his work in us and this is not easy. So when he says upon the grace that is to be brought to you, there's many meanings but one I like about this as I look at it is the kindness of Christ that awaits me in paradise. I won't be here forever and I'm looking forward to it.

I cannot rush the event, I'll take it when it comes and I want to be ready. Luke 23 verse 43, Jesus said to him, assuredly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. You know that thief, that outlaw did not say then get me off of here. If you've got all that power, if you are all who you say you are, then stop my suffering. He doesn't do it. He receives it. He rests his hope fully on the grace of God. You've got to order your life to do this. You can't just call down to the union hall and get a dose of righteousness when you need it for the job. It's got to be there by a life that is ordered in this direction.

Yep, you're going to fall, you're going to fail, but you better get up. It's said in a fatherly tone, I would say this to my child, you take hits for Christ, the flesh stumbles, get back up, keep going, all the way to paradise. That's how far you and I are to take this ambition to be useful to Christ. He says at the revelation of Jesus Christ, he's not talking about the book of Revelation. He's talking about the appearing of Christ.

It is the same word. We get our word apocalypse. It is the appearing, the appearance of Christ. And so he's lifting their thoughts beyond their troubles. Focus on Christ. Brothers and sisters, look at him. If you look at him and you say, I'm looking at him but I'm still suffering, then you're not really getting it. But if you're looking at him and you're just saying, yes, Lord, whatever it is, the Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. That is the attitude that we have to have.

That is repeated often enough, I hope. 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. So verse 14, as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the formal lusts 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, once we're 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. 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 gives you a little snide, snarky remark, then walks away. Like they'll bop them in the back of their head. They'll 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. 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 it's 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 as Lord. We are told to be diligent with spiritual things. How many of you have, 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, when 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 be all right 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. It is still, 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 it. 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 am 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. 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.