Christian Altitude (Part B)

God has one determined and for mankind and that is holiness and that is what will get fully when we arrived in that paradise that he is promised.

The eight Tiger wrote in man will not die in this life. Those beastly characteristics will be with us and will have to engage them and resist them. We will not devolve 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 is 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 of a parent of God, God the son, father, the Holy Spirit connection to mankind. That is the important part is not just his spiritual platitudes that are referred for the Angels is for us again, regardless of what you going to life got a lot of junk to throw at us. If you don't get the right altitude, you won't get over the mountains.

Sometimes, as Adm. Byrd had to do when he was flying to the South Pole. Sometimes you gotta get rid of some fuel and cargo. If you going to get to the altitude you need not to crash. So verse 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance Peter. This that's a low blow grow it, telling them that Christians now don't get to act as a used to behave before they came to Christ and get a pass missing as obedient children, you once were.

Not that you are now to be obedient children were to live lives which revealed that if not transformed, we are at least pursuing it. Righteousness is conformity to God in action not lipservice. That's what righteousness is it not to know. I went to church.

I love the message and that it will you do it now, you may be the one that says I've heard these kind 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 and going to take that step. If you been courted by something in life it's me power that is going to get you through it in Christ 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 is been trying to send you calling out to me before you see the dangers I needed to be in the way you live life the way you rolled through this life. Romans chapter 12 do not be conformed to this world pause there, Paul. Have you tried this yourself. You know the stuff the world throws at us. That is so we pitilessly appealing to our lower self yes yes I mean a man like Paul, have you know, he struggled with pride points in his life looking down at people who were dumb within him and held put up with these kind of people. Many 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 Digital's snide, snarky remark, then walks away at the bottom in the back of their head to never do that again to you that would be sin. Don't be that person takes you little cheap shots and walks on hurt somebody so you feel better. That kind of stuff comes right out of hell. You can smell the sulfur on that kind of behavior.

First Thessalonians has a verse that's not in a lot of Christians Bibles. I'm convinced God did not call us to uncleanness, but to holiness, uncleanness of attitude. Also, not just the moral sins of you and all stealing and lust of various sorts, not just those close to you talk to other people, how 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 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 this is a letter from a moderate to be because he's going to die a violent death of Christ, so he is not stopping him from pursuing the ideal is not saying you know what I tried to reach this ideal and just can't do it. He does not take that approach, we are told to be harmless and separate his best we can. We are told to be kind to one another, which seems to be a forbidden commandment with some 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 discontinued it.

Your from your theological schools. 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 will be your right and have peace with God. You will be effective you will be a witness that will be a Christ likeness about you more than they otherwise would be had you not adhered to the word of God.

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 will be an oddball. You be abrasive, you be foul mouth and ill tempered. He doesn't tell us that quite the other way around. Never does God encourage the lowlife and the Christian always he says yeah my standards are very high. I don't lower them you won't reach all of all of it in this life, but the pursuit of righteousness has so much fruit in it so much interested in going after righteousness. That alone makes it worth it to not like hearing this is a silent admission of guilt satellite to be told I'm snarky and I'm good I'm graceless and I'm Vista and I'm that, you know, I hearing it is because you are those things in the goddesses. I'm trying to get you out of it but you being too thickheaded. Well you going to be dumb in the presence of God. You better be tough is going to be a hard road. God has one determined and from mankind, and that is holiness and that is what will get fully when we arrived in that paradise that he is promised in the eight Tiger coat 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 where 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 the Scripture says that the Bible says it is telling these believers brings them back to the Scripture is quoting Leviticus chapter 11 verse 44. If 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 not distill nothing like this and he would be found.

This verse removes from the believer. Any idea that we can find sin acceptable was holiness cancels out send him his purity, utter purity, uncreated purity in God.

Developed 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. You will find out that there are things about us that will allow that to be so ours is to be in attitude of altitude works well in the English and I would say it in some other language that 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 will and mowing the lawn, the leaf blowing war trying 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 declined 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 as anybody serve the Lord with a grudge that a benefit to someone is not even a benefit to you. So going to have to clear mountains get over them rise higher Christian attitudes. This is what this route for us from the Scripture verse 17 held positive all these things that Peter is saying again is under the shadow of the hammer of persecution in their lives in his life and that makes is 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 do it. I told you was going to do this, and there is doing it so you say you're a follower of Jesus Christ. You call on him who judges incidentally he does judge still the fatherly tone is in this when you write is not a preaching tone. It's not into you get in front of people does it become a preaching tone and mood largely dictates that but that doesn't take away from the con tent if it be true without partiality that is the this is not about your salvation. Incidentally, he says, who judges without partiality.

According to each one's work is talking about service here. God is looking at how we serve.

Should he not should he just had 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 just going to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear now that word fear is that the idea of reverence. Reverence is a type of fear but it's a balanced fear to sober fear. It recognizes God is not to be trifled with. That's what this type this reverent fear. Understand this is not the paralyzing fear that trains life. The Terra is the sense of the awesomeness of God.

The stupendous essence of God. How many lives in Christianity and out of Christianity, lack reverence, the house of God in a junkyard really is no difference with them is they don't ever connect what goes on in one place. 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 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 is about to go into this was on YouTube thing and he referred to the church.

He said okay let's go inside this joint doesn't stay. 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 them 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 their submitting to him what is said in his word, supposing that holiness somehow is not beneficial is not a good way to think about holiness will what Jennifer may why should I suffer for Christ once will 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 is that written who says so in heaven.

Being holy is the coolest thing you could be in heaven will all have sunglasses on nonprescription ones to and so people try to bump you off of holiness, especially you younger Christian someone there they always shine.

Okay tone it down at St. be overly righteous either and become a pain in the neck and killjoy can even laugh at anything that is genuinely humorous in fear.

The fear that brings life. Proverbs 1427 the fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life to turn one away from the snares of death. There are such things as healthy fear as we all know it is what keeps us in our lane when were driving especially on a single lane road with others.

One traffic going one way and the other going the other. Our lower selves. As I mentioned, confined courage and irreverence.

This would explain why the profanities fly when a person is hot, angry and building themselves up to attack something they do not have the courage that comes from holiness.

They have it that comes from that type of courage that comes from irreverence gives them a sense of power that they do not have to submit can just give free license to their own passions.

Hebrews 1228 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 English conduct received by tradition from your fathers you think it was maybe somebody that would've would've liked to been waiting at the door at the end of service if if Peter preached these words and take issue with one of the traditions of my father if he would be the guide, like to go up to them and mess with incidentally just might have carnal flashback of something and wouldn't be good for me but but these are strong words that he is throwing out there and he's getting people between the eyes of the Scriptures do you know we come to Christ.

We don't realize we can we see the salvation the love Jesus has for us and all the sins of passed away.

We have a we are born again. That means we die we a baby one of child was born. They have no past is no record that 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 away to the end. There is conflict there is struggle there.

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 this would become puffed up so he says you know you were redeemed with with trivial things you want 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 on tile a dog from a lease or something like that but free from a legal burden is 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 aim was 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 not have come to Christ you have these things that old way of life is moral folly. Christ is calling us out of that now. Flesh is calling us back to that in the tug-of-war is 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 to do 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 of you and I can be guilty of this myself, but I've seen you mess up. I wish it could be so one day will never have to make such analogies. The day is coming.

We will be in that place all of this is forgotten to do any of you want to remember any of this when there's, you know you you want to say that you know I wish so-and-so was here to see this well up there in heaven. There wishing you were with them to see that you're not there. Not the one missing out. We are without. Time is coming and you know I don't know how it's going to be that transition into heaven. I know that I won't die Jesus that he believes in me shall never die will be sort of a tuck and 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 is made I will be glad and rejoice, to teach ourselves to praise in this life takes work because anybody can do it.

We've got things to thank God for. But how do we really enter into expressing a genuine gratitude and not sort of going on a checklist to help lights check gauges check going political pilot by the Dick office. I 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 got I've been asking for some time. Teach me to praise you but 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 aim was conduct that empty way by tradition of your fathers. He's talking to Jews and Gentiles in this letter.

Yes, he still tossed starts out talking about the Jews of the Diaspora.

This dispersion butting 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're the majority of people on in the world who we are so glad you tuned in today to study the book of first 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 are 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 cross reference radio.com. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never have to miss a program.

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