Living out our lives as Citizens of God’s Kingdom

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Good morning church! As a church we’ve been doing a series called “Living out our identity in Christ”.

Why is this important? Because everything we do, every decision we make flows out from our identity. What makes us who we are. Who we are at the core of our being.

Over the last two weeks we learnt how we build our identities on many things – it can be our jobs, our role in the family, how much money we make or even in the relationship that we have. And all these identities leave us empty and unsatisfied. God has given us a new wonderful identity in Christ which is eternally significant.

So we learnt how we are Chosen and Adopted in Christ. And last week we learnt how we are Accepted, Loved and Forgiven in Christ. Today we’ll be look at 1 Peter 1 to understand our identity as “citizens of God’s kingdom”. I love 1 Peter because I believe this entire letter talks about this identity. Let’s look at 1 Peter 1:13-21.

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action,[b] and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,

15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

17 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,

18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,

19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you

21 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.

I’ve always found the life of a foreign diplomat interesting. Imagine an Indian ambassador that’s posted in another country. Even though the Indian diplomat is in a new culture and tries to engage with the culture as much as he can, he still preserves his national identity.

Maybe he might use a fork and spoon instead of hands when he’s in a foreign country but his allegiance to India will not change.

Even though he’s in a foreign country, he will responsibly manage his speech and his actions because he is a representative of India.He represents India to the world.

Similarly, you and I who have trusted in Jesus as Lord are citizens of God’s kingdom. We might have a passport saying that we belong to a certain country but much more than that we are citizens of God’s kingdom. Representatives of God to the world.

As citizens what do we do and difference does that make to you and me?

We live with an eternal focus
(v13) We need to set our hope fully on the grace that will be revealed to us in Christ Jesus. What is this grace that will be revealed when Christ comes back? The passage right before this one talks about that.

We will receive an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading. The reward for those who trust in Christ’s work for them is an eternal inheritance. We will also receive a new physical body that will be like Christ’s – one without corruption and sin and that will last for eternity! So if that’s the grace that will be revealed to us when Christ comes, then how can we live with an eternal focus:

Prepare our minds for action
preparing your minds for action,[b] and being sober-minded (v13)

The Greek word for “prepare your minds” in the Greek is actually a visual term used to depict how people in ancient times with their long robes would tie a leather belt around their waist to get ready to go on a journey or to do some physical work. Basically they didn’t want their long robes to impede their journey.

And that’s the term that’s used in the command – prepare your minds for action! In the light of receiving a wonderful gift of an eternal inheritance, you have to prepare your minds for action.

Have you heard of the term “spiritual vacation”? Well spiritual vacation is when people decide to take a break from their spiritual lives. Relax from all the spiritual disciplines or from living in holiness or serving people.

In my life there is a strong temptation to take a spiritual vacation on weeks when I’m not preaching. It constantly needs to be fought! And I believe we fall into this temptation because at some level we don’t believe that Christ’s coming is imminent. Or we don’t believe in the eternal value and worth of that future reward.

This kind of spiritual vacation needs to be fought. We need to remind each other that because God has assured and confirmed our eternal destiny through the work of Christ, we need to prepare our minds for action.

So even when we are on vacation with family or friends, there’s no concept of spiritual vacation for a believer. We are always pursuing the things of God. Okay, you might ask – how do I prepare my mind for action?

b.Pursue our calling for holiness

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

The verse starts of by reminding us of our identity – obedient children. Relationally we are God’s children – chosen and adopted before the foundation of the world.

In our attitude to our Father, we are obedient. The verse goes on to say “do not 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”. There is an active participation in this pursuit of holiness. Christian life isn’t about relaxing and allowing sin to take its course but it’s a constant war with sin.

The reason for Holiness – is because our Father is Holy! As believers sometimes, we forget or minimize this attribute of God. Because we are on this side of the cross – having experienced God’s grace and mercy, knowing that we’re relationally his children and His Friend we end up emphasizing less on the Holiness of God. God is still the same, yesterday today and forever.

When Moses meets God for the first time through the burning bush – God tells him to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground because God is Holy.

In Exodus 19, right before God gives them the 10 commandments on Mount Sinai, God commands Moses to consecrate the people for 2 days, on the third Day He said put limits around the mountain because whoever touches the mountain will be put death because God is Holy.

Isaiah 6 when he sees a vision of heaven and the 2 seraphim covering their faces and feet with the wings, they call out to each other: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty” because God is Holy.

Isaiah seeing this says “Woe to me! I am ruined for I am a man of unclean lips among a people of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the King the Lord Almighty” because God is Holy.

Hab 1:13 “it says You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong” because God is Holy.

Revelations we see the 4 living creatures who Day and Night never stop saying “Holy is the Lord almighty, who was and is to come” because God is Holy!

And if this is our Father – who we worship and who Has adopted us, how should we live? We live in a culture today where what’s unholy is glorified and praised and what’s holy is looked down upon.

Taking a stand for holiness would mean being severely pressurized by the sin within us and the people around us. One of my believer friends recently wrote a Facebook post in response to the Supreme Court verdict section 377. With so much gentleness he wrote his thoughts and provided a biblical view for marriage and how homosexuality is a perversion of that design.

It’s a sin that needs to be repented of. The flak he got for writing that post was quite bad. He received such terrible abuses that I can’t even mention that in public. Another mutual friend of ours saw the post and said “if this is what your God says, then I would rather be in hell rather than support this view”.

That’s how extremely difficult it can be today for believers to live out their faith in holiness. That’s why I think it’s so very important to be in Gospel Communities where we get to encourage each other to pursue our calling for holiness and also speak into situations when we struggle to pursue that.

Both preparing our minds for action and pursuing our calling for holiness helps us to live with an eternal focus. Not only that but

2.We operate out of a gospel focus

Tying to the previous point. Holiness needs to be pursued with the right motivations. What is the right motivation for living in reverence and godly fear?

(v17-21) 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,

18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,

19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you

21 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.

Christ is the irreplaceable sacrifice ->  Peter gives an amazing picture to what actually happened on the cross.

We inherited sin, Satan and death from our forefathers. We were bound to sin and its passions. Sin saturated our minds and hearts and bodies.

We were literally on the highway to hell trying to get there as quickly as we could. But God wanted to rescue us out of His abundant love and mercy.

He needed to pay a ransom amount and that was the precious blood of His Son – Jesus Christ that He shed on the cross. It wasn’t gold. It wasn’t silver.

It was something way more precious than that – the perfect lamb who was chosen before the foundations for you, who willingly gave up His life for you & was raised on the third Day so that you could believe and hope in God! Do you see why it’s irreplaceable? Do you see the worth and value of Jesus Christ?

I want us to take a moment and think honestly: what motivates you to pursue a holy life? What drives you to observe spiritual disciplines? What drives you to fight sexual sin? What motivates you to speak the truth? What compels you to not cheat? Is it because you want to be seen as morally good before others? Is it because you don’t want to be judged by the others in the church? Or Is it because you don’t want to feel guilty for not being holy?

Or is it because you fear that you’ll lose out on God’s favor? If your answer is yes to these questions, then in some way or the other you are still operating out of a performance-based focus or identity.

The truth is none of this pleases God. There is a better way.  Allowing the gospel to motivate you to live in holiness. Let it coming out of a heart that wants to please our Savior and Lord because of Jesus’ irreplaceable sacrifice.

For all of us who have believed in Jesus Christ we know that it was seeing and understanding the love of Christ on the cross that melted our hearts and brought us to His feet for surrender.

Even as we grow in our relationship with Christ obedience continues to be a response to His love. Whatever helps you remember the gospel each day – do that so that it can fuel the right motivation for holiness. Maybe its passages like these. Or a song that is gospel centred or even thinking about your testimony of what God has done for you and is continuing to do in you are ways by which you can remember the gospel daily.

We are citizens and representatives of God’s kingdom! What a privilege for people who never deserved to be part of that kingdom. What do citizens of God’s kingdom do? We live with an eternal focus unlike the rest of the world that lives only for this earthly life & We operate out of a gospel focus wanting to please the Holy Judge in every way because of the irreplaceable sacrifice of His Son that has ransomed us. This is also contrary to the world that operates out of a performance-based focus.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]