Epistle Lesson; Acts 2:14-47
Gospel Lesson; Luke 24:13-35
Sermon Text; 1 Peter 1:17-21

Last week, we began a six-week series on the study of 1 Peter. 1 Peter was written by the apostle Peter. It was written to Christians who were struggling, Christians who were being persecuted, or who were about to be persecuted severely for their faith, Christians who were going to face all kinds of fears, or were in the process of facing fears. 1 Peter was written by a man who knew fear. 1 Peter was written by a man, who in the cold of the night, stood around a fire, warming himself in the court yard of Caiphas, and felt the chill of fear run down the back of his neck, when some servant woman said, "You are one of His disciples, aren’t you?" He felt the shock of fear go through his system, as he, in a flash, thought, "What would they do to me? Would they do the same to me that they are doing to Jesus, if I admit that I am one of His?" He felt the power of fear, as out of his mouth came the sinful words of denial, "I don't even know the Man." Peter knew fear. He knew it two more times that evening, as twice more someone came up to him and said, "Surely, you are one of His disciples." And then, he added to his sins, by swearing he did not know Christ, by calling down curses on himself, that he did not know Christ. He knew fear. He knew the fear of what other people could do to him.

And then, he knew another type of fear. He knew, when Christ turned and looked to him, after he had denied Jesus three times. The Bible tells us he went out into the courtyard and wept bitterly. Now, it was a different type of fear. It was a fear of what he had done. It was a fear of a guilty conscious. It was a fear of what the Lord would do, because he had betrayed Christ.

But, 1 Peter is written by a man who had been transformed. 1 Peter was written by a man who had learned to overcome his fears. (I am not going to say his fears were gone, but he had learned to overcome his fears.) 1 Peter was written by a man who had seen the risen Lord - Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter was written by a man whose heart had been brought to repentance over his sin. And, he saw the risen Christ. He learned to believe that his sins had been fully, completely paid for by the blood of the Man who stood before him. He learned to believe that he was saved by Christ.

His heart was filled with so much awe, joy, love, and respect for Christ that he wanted to do what Christ asked him to do. Jesus restored Peter and said, "Feed my sheep. Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep."

For the rest of his life, Peter dedicated himself to serving Jesus, who had redeemed him. And he did, as he overcame his fears. When he was arrested, he went to prison, willingly. When he was put on trial, he confessed Christ, no matter what men might do to him. Tradition even tells us that he went to a cross and he was crucified upside down, out of love for his Savior. So, Peter had learned, by the power of the Holy Spirit, through faith in Christ, to overcome sinful fear.

Now Peter was writing this letter to Christians who were dealing with their own fears. Shortly after Peter wrote this, Nero would do things like have Christians dipped in wax, impaled on poles around his palace, lit on fire at nighttime, and then he would mockingly say to those Christians, "Now you really are the light of the world."

Peter knew that he was writing this letter to people who were going to be facing all kinds of fears, because they were Christians.

You and I may face our own fears, because we are Christians. You may face fears of being rejected. You may face fears of not being accepted. You may face fears of not being able to have certain positions in life, because you are a Christian. And so, this letter is written to us, as Peter addresses the topic of fear. But, he addresses the topic of having a proper fear and it is a proper fear of God. In our first verse he says,

"Since you call on a Father

who judges each man's work impartially,

live your lives as strangers here,

in reverent fear."

God, the Holy Spirit, working through Peter, wants us all to consider this. As you compare what the world can do to you, compared to what God can do to you, there is not much comparison. What could the world do to you? What is the worst the world could do to you? The worst? The worst they could do is take away your money, your home, your family, your dignity, your life. That is the worst they could do to you. What could God do to you? Jesus once said,

"Don't fear the one who can kill your body,

but not kill your soul.

Instead, be afraid of the One who can kill

both body and soul in Hell."

What can the world do to you? Well, compared to what God can do, it is nothing. Your eternity rests in the hands of the Lord. And the Lord can save you for all eternity, and the Lord, for all eternity, can kill body and soul in Hell, forever. So, Peter says,

"Since you call on a Father

who judges each man's work impartially,

live your lives as strangers here."

This life is temporary. Live it in reverent fear.

Now, if we look at it, just on its bare surface, we think, "Wow, there is a God who could kill me for eternity, body and soul in Hell." When we talk about that kind of fear of God, that does nothing but strike terror into our hearts. Peter is not talking about a fear of God that is based on nothing but terror over God. He is talking about a totally different type of fear of God. It is a fear of God that only Christians can have. It is a fear of God that is based on love for God. It is a fear of God that is based on such a profound love for God that says, "I don't want to offend my God. I am afraid to do anything that would cause me to live in a way as if I don't understand what God has done for me. I love God. I don't want to offend Him. I want to show Him utter respect."

In fact, look at what St. Peter goes on and says. After he tells us to live in reverent fear, then he explains why, what should motivate us to do that.

"For you know,

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 forefathers, but

with the precious blood of Christ,

a Lamb without blemish, or defect."

We have all heard stories of children who have been kidnapped. And we have heard stories about how the kidnapper contacts the parent. The kidnapper sends a ransom note. The kidnapper tells the parent, "You can have your child back for thousands of dollars, hundreds of thousands of dollars, millions of dollars." We have all heard stories of parents who so desperately love their children that they have gathered together whatever it took, hundreds of thousands, millions of dollars, life's savings, and they have been willing to take that money to those captures and lay it down in front of those captures, just so they could have their son or their daughter back. Their child was so precious to them that they were willing to give up whatever it took to have that child back.

Peter says, through the Holy Spirit, "You know the price that it cost to redeem you. And it was not silver or gold. It was the precious blood of the Lamb of God. A Lamb without spot or blemish." Our Heavenly Father, saw your plight, saw your condition, saw that you were a captor, captive to the devil, saw that you were his prisoner, saw that he had every intention to dragging you to Hell, for all eternity. And so, our Heavenly Father, in his father's heart, a heart of mercy, and a heart of love, determined in His heart that He would pay whatever price it took to redeem you and to pay the ransomed price. The ransomed price it cost to purchase you was the innocent blood of Christ. It was His own Son, coming to this earth, living a holy, innocent, perfect life, in your place, in your stead, as your substitute. He was the only One who could then go to the cross and pay the full price for sin to take away the wrath and the anger of God.

And so, the Bible declares, it declares that you are redeemed. The ransom price has been paid. God, in His heart, has declared that you are innocent, for Christ's sake. And, the case is closed. The case is closed! The judgment has been made and it is irrevocable. It is irrevocable! You are forgiven, for Christ's sake. God, for Christ's sake will not see your sins, anymore. The Bible says,

"Who shall bring any charge against God's elect?"

It simply cannot be done. Jesus is your surity. He is your rock-solid confidence that God has redeemed you from your sin, no matter what happens to you. They can take away your money, your goods, your life, all that you have. They can mock you. They can tease you. But, they cannot take away your surity. They can't take away the ransom that has been paid. You are forgiven. You are God's child.

Given that, Peter said,

"Live your lives as strangers here,

in reverent fear."

We should have such awe for what our Savior, for what God has done for us that in our hearts we say, "I love God. I do not want to offend my Savior, my Lord, my God. I want to serve Him. I want to live in a way as a redeemed child of God. I want to show my deepest respect to Him."

What do you think would happen if there was a kidnapper who set a ransom price and a father collected together his life's savings? Imagine they agreed to meet at a certain place and that father brought the huge ransom price there. The father is there, and off in the distance with the kidnapper is his child. The kidnapper sends the child over to gather up that ransom price. The child takes the ransom price and carries it back to the kidnapper. The father's heart beats quickly, as his child is about to be set free. And then, he sees that child put his hand in the hand of the kidnapper, look back at his dad, and smile. They walk away, the kidnapper and the child, together with the ransom price! And then the child yells back at his dad, "Sucker!"

Don't treat your Savior that way. Do not treat your Savior that way. The book of Hebrews says, "If we continue living in sin, when we know the price that has been paid, nothing is left but a fearful expectation of the wrath of God." We have been redeemed at a massive, massive price. Here Peter calls us, through the Holy Spirit, to live our lives in such a way that we overcome the fears of what the world might do to us. We want to live for Christ. We want to serve Him.

So, how do we do that? I am going to give you ten simple ways, of how we fear and love (and those go together), fear and love God and we show it by our lives. Love for our Savior and what He has done for us causes us to have a holy reverent fear for Him. We want to show our respect for Him. And these ten simple little things I am going to tell you will keep you busy for the rest of your life. They all start out with this little phrase, "We should fear and love God so that..."

1. We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.
2. We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, practice witchcraft, lie or deceive by His name, but call upon Him in every trouble. Pray, praise, and give thanks.
3. We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.
4. We should fear and love God so that we do not despise our parents or superiors, nor provoke them to anger, but honor, serve, obey, love and esteem them.
5. We should fear and love God so that we do no bodily harm to our neighbor, but help and befriend him in every need.
6. We should fear and love God so that we lead a chase and decent life in word and deed, and husband and wife each love and honor the other.
7. We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor's money or goods, nor get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his goods and means of making a living.
8. We should fear and love God so that we do not lie about, betray, or slander our neighbor, but excuse him, speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.
9. We should fear and love God so that we do not craftily seek to gain our neighbor's inheritance or home, nor get it by a show of right, but help and serve him in keeping it.
10. We should fear and love God so that we do not tempt, force or coax away from our neighbor his wife or his workers, but urge them to stay and do their duty.

Look at what our God has done for us. Let us live our lives here in loving and reverent fear.

Amen.