1 Peter 2:17-25
April 30, 2017
“REMEMBER THAT GOD PAID THE PRICE”
Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 22Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
It wasn’t so long ago that it was Good Friday, April 14th to be exact. It wasn’t so long ago either that the whole world seemed to shut down for Good Friday. Public schools, private schools, businesses, banks – everything would close down from noon to 3 pm. And on Good Friday churches from all different denominations would hold services at different hours throughout the day. The church my wife grew up in had a three hour worship service from noon to three pm that was so packed chairs had to be set up for the overflow. Why such attention to God on Good Friday? Well, something happened on Good Friday that never happened before and will never happen again till Judgment Day. The sun stopped shining. For three hours thick darkness covered the planet. For three long hours darkness covered the earth as the greatest transfer of all time was carried out and completed. God transferred the sins of the whole human race to the blame of the one innocent Person hanging on the cross. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we become the righteousness of God.” During those three hours Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” as he suffered the torment of hell for humanity. Then at the end of it he cried, “It is finished!” All sins of all time of all people are paid for in full. Only then did the sun start shining again.
Of course, nobody shuts down on Good Friday anymore. Many Christian churches no longer have worship services, not even one hour let alone three hours. Many Christians don’t even pause to remember what happened on Good Friday. Even though man forgets it, the Bible still proclaims it: “Christ died for all.” Whether people believe or feel it or not, God has forgiven them. The greatest tragedy is that so many don’t want it. People spend hours shopping for bargains, planning vacations, working themselves to death and then dismiss in a moment the message of a God who wants to do nothing but love them and take them to heaven. Last week a man bit by rattle snake said he would have died if not for the paramedics who saw the problem and got him in a helicopter to get the serum. Later he went to them and personally thanked each one of them. God has given us the serum for sin and death and hell in the Person of his Son. All we can do is say thanks. Peter reminds us of that today, “Remember That God Paid the Price.”
1-By the way you live in reverent fear. Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.God is our dear Father, and we are his children by faith in Jesus. Peter reminds us that our loving Father is also a holy Father and without sin. He wants us to be holy, too. Jesus said to those who believed in him: “Be holy, even as your Father in heaven is holy.” Peter says that God is “judging” us; that is, constantly evaluating our “work.” Not just a few good deeds here and there, but 24/7 he is evaluating our whole life. And he is doing this “impartially.” He doesn’t care if you are a pastor or prisoner, pillar of the church or new convert, really rich or dirt poor. God looks at your heart: Are you with Jesus? Do you believe Jesus paid the price for your sins? That faith of yours will show itself in your work - a life of reverent fear, or awe of God’s grace, that doesn’t want to commit even one sin anymore out of love and gratitude to Jesus. Our work, our life, doesn’t get us even one inch closer to God. But our life shows that we are already with God by faith in Jesus.
This year we celebrate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses. When Luther discovered and taught from the Bible that Jesus fully paid the price for our sins, and there are no works we have to do to get to heaven, his enemies accused him of encouraging people to sin. But Lutherexplained every commandment of God in his Catechism by saying, “We should fear and love God that we do not…” Like Joseph, who said about sexual sin: “How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God.” Like Paul, who asked, “Does God’s forgiveness mean we should go on sinning? God forbid!” Like the psalmist who said, “I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Remember that Jesus paid the price for your sins. You’re a stranger here; heaven is your home. Live the rest of your life here in reverent fear and awe of God’s grace and love for you.
2- By the way you ask for forgiveness. In spite of our best efforts to live a holy life, we daily sin much. That means there is never a time in our life that is not a good time to ask God to forgive us. And there is never a time when we ask God for forgiveness that we are not dead serious, whether it’s the beginning of our worship service or in the privacy of our closet. It’s not a time for mindlessly mumbling a few words under our breath without even thinking of what we are saying. We not only hate our sins and don’t want to do them anymore, but we also want to have our facts straight about why we expect God to forgive us. And these are the facts: For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
We come to God’s throne boldly and confidently when we ask him to forgive us. We know he forgives us even before we ask, because Jesus paid the price. It’s all fair and square for God to forgive us, because the precious blood of Christ paid for all those sins. Jesus’ blood is more precious than money because money could never redeem us from sin. Most people think that money is the most important thing in the world, but it doesn’t matter how much money you have when it comes to having your sins forgiven. I could have more money than Bill Gates and Donald Trump, and it still couldn’t pay the price for even one of my sins. But the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purifies us from all sin. When we come to God for forgiveness, reember that Jesus paid the price for all your sins. “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to your cross I cling.”
3-By the way you read your Bible. How did we find out this wonderful truth that Jesus paid the price for our sins? God revealed it to us in his Word. Peter tells us that it was no accident that we heard about Jesus and came to faith in him. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Just as God chose Jesus before the world was created to be the One to pay the price for our sins, so also he chose you and before we were born to believe in Jesus. Then in our course of our lives he revealed Jesus to us through the Word and gave us a new birth and a new life of confidence in God’s love.
The same Word that first brought us to faith in Jesus is the Word that will keep us in the faith. To remain a believer in Jesus you must not simply own a Bible or complete Catechism Class at some point in your life. Jesus’ words must be a daily part of your life. “If you continue in my word,” Jesus said, “you will be my real disciples.” Jesus said, “Search the Scriptures, for in them you consider that you have eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me.” St. Paul said to the Roman Christians: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the words of Christ.” Everything we do and accomplish in our life and even our life itself is like the grass and flowers of the field, gone in a moment. But the Words about Jesus endure forever. Only those who spend time in the Word will remember by faith that Jesus paid the price and will live forever.
Conclusion:The world little notes nor long remembers what happened on Good Friday. But no matter if people hear it or believe it or not, God still proclaims it. Jesus paid the price. Remember it by living your life as a foreigner in reverent fear. Remember it by the way you daily and confidently ask God for forgiveness. Remember it by staying close to the Word of God. Thank God that Jesus paid the price. Amen.