The Clarion Call to the Pursuit of Holiness

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the sermon's main theme: Peter's clarion call to universal holiness in 1 Peter 1:14-16. He first unpacks the foundation for this call, explaining that Peter…

Martin explains the Hebrew idiom of expressing character by connecting two nouns (e.g., 'children of transgression') rather than an adjective, to clarify 'children of obedience' as a display of fundamental character.

Well, as one commentator has very helpfully distilled the essence of Peter's emphasis, the ancient Hebrews sometimes expressed character not by an adjective as we are accustomed to do. We speak of a cursed man. We speak of a bitter man. Or we may speak of an enlightened or a brilliant man.

9:50 - 10:12 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin delves into the clarion call itself, starting with the negative command: 'not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in the time of your ignorance.' He…

The analogy of a sculptor fashioning clay after a model is used to illustrate what it means for believers to 'fashion yourselves' according to a pattern, either former lusts or God's holiness.

Not forming yourself together according to your former lusts in the time of your ignorance. To get an idea of what it means to form after a pattern think of the sculptor who sits with his lump of clay and there a few feet to one side of him is the man whose head he's seeking to reproduce. And he glances at the individual whom he is sculpting and then back to him and back to his lump of clay fashioning all the contours according to the standard of the shape the size and the contours of the face and the neck of the man whom he's seeking to reproduce. Now this is what Peter says to these believer...

21:53 - 22:55 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Though our former lusts no longer reign they do remain and like a usurper king who's been dethroned but is determined to take back the throne from which he was yanked off so this usurper like a usurper king the lust of o…

The metaphor of a dethroned but determined usurper king is used to describe how former lusts, though no longer reigning, remain and seek to regain ascendancy in the believer's heart.

they do remain and like a usurper king who's been dethroned but is determined to take back the throne from which he was yanked off so this usurper like a usurper king the lust of our ignorance which took the ascendancy and the throne of our hearts and became the fashioning influence of our lifestyle Peter says that's no longer true of you you are children of obedience you are a people who have been begotten again and in the power of God's grace sin no longer reigns it's been dethroned but he wants these people to know that sin remains and if allowed to it will seek to regain ascendancy and the...

28:40 - 30:08 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin explains the rationale for pursuing universal holiness: 'because it is written, You shall be holy for I am holy.' This is presented as both the explicit command of…

A mother telling her child to take an umbrella 'because' of rain is used to illustrate how God graciously provides a rationale for His commands, even though His command alone should be sufficient.

universal holiness children of obedience the summons to the pursuit of universal holiness its essence its standard its gracious conduct but now someone asks the question what's the rationale for all of this why should I be holy in all manner of living and the reason so we come thirdly to the basic rationale for the pursuit of universal holiness verse 16 the basic rationale the reasons the fundamental reasons when someone says give me the rationale for that what he means is give me the basic the heart the core the nuts and bolts reasons for what you're doing what you're saying well what is the ...

46:22 - 47:51 Read in full sermon