Building a Confident Hope
A Living Hope
Building a Confident Hope
1 Peter 1:17-21
1Cor. 3:10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. 16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?
The Message:
Our Father is making us into a confident, hopeful people.
Today is Fathers Day, a day to remember our fathers and express to them our love and admiration of them. Fathers have a unique way of building value into their children.
http://www.civitas.org.uk/hwu/fathers.php
The Institute for the Study of Civil Society
With small children:
When fathers play with their toddlers, they are not just entertaining them. They are providing a safe, yet challenging arena for toddlers to learn how to interact with the world and with others. Through rough-and-tumble play, fathers create obstacles for their children and demand respect for limits and boundaries. At the same time, they challenge their children and encourage them to explore their own strength, their ability to do new things, and their impact on the world around them. Toddlers who must work out for themselves how to achieve goals-such as retrieving a ball that is just out of reach in their father's hand or wrestling their father to the ground-are practicing important problem-solving skills. In fact, when fathers are good at playing with their young children, these children score higher on tests of thinking and problem-solving skills. [17]
Playing with fathers also helps children develop emotional knowledge, so that they can identify their own emotions, acknowledge the emotional experiences of others, and describe the causes of emotions. Toddlers must also learn emotional regulation, the ability to express emotions responsibly and control their behaviour.
With school aged children:
One reason that fathers have such an influential role at this time is because they tend to challenge their children to try new experiences and to become more independent. Challenged children have more opportunity to develop problem-solving skills. In one study, children whose fathers expected them to handle responsibilities, such as carrying scissors, crossing the street, or taking a bath alone, scored higher in tests of thinking skills. [22] Accomplishing tasks at this age is so important, and fathers' involvement is so crucial, that fathers have a larger influence on their children's self-esteem at this age than do mothers. [23]
By encouraging children to take on new challenges, fathers help them not only to learn new skills, but also to take responsibility for their own actions. [24] Fathers with a strong commitment to their family provide a model of responsible behaviour for their children. These children have an internal sense of control, which means that they are more likely to believe that their successes and failures are due to their own efforts rather than due to external factors. These children tend to take more responsibility for their actions and rarely blame others for their mistakes. [25]
Moral development is another area where fathers have special influence. How do fathers influence their children's moral development? First, by directly providing guidance and direction. When fathers share their plans, activities, and interests, their children are better behaved in school. When fathers emphasise how behaviour can affect other people's feelings, their school-aged daughters are regarded as very unselfish by classmates. The mere presence of a father helped boys in one study to develop patience by waiting for things they wanted. These children chose to delay a small reward of sweets for a week in order to receive a larger reward of sweets.
Fathers also influence their children's moral development by providing models for their children. In one study, boys who felt similar to, admired, and wanted to resemble their fathers scored higher on tests of personal moral judgement, moral values, and rule-following. However, boys who did not identify strongly with their fathers showed reluctance to accept blame or guilt when they misbehaved. These boys also tended to have problems with self-control and were more aggressive in school. [37] The father's special influence on his school-aged children's development of personal morality lasts into adulthood. Adults whose fathers had been highly involved when they were children were more tolerant and understanding and engaged in more socially responsible behaviour than those with less involved fathers. [38]
We have a good father - a father in heaven who wants to build value and confidence in us - his children so we can face suffering, persecution and the significant challenges of life in this world in a way that will bring glory to him and we can walk through them with hope.
Read:
1Pet. 1:17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. 18 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 forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
1Pet. 1:17 (And,) Peter is tying this passage to the last one (v13-16 live holy) Peter is expecting that his readers / hearers understand they are to be living very different lives and then he say:
Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.
This is a present tense calling - a regular, habitual calling for help, Peter is saying "if you pray to God as a Father and expect him to do something then I have something to say to you":
Our Father is a good father, one we can call on and look to for help
The telephone company recently reported that the number of long-distance calls made on Father's day was increasing faster than the number on Mother's day The company said the figures were accurate, even though it took several weeks longer to compile Father's Day statistics than it did for Mother's Day. The reason for the delay: Most calls on Fathers day were collect.
a Father who judges each man's work impartially,
This good father is judging us - it is not a judgment of condemnation but a judgment of correction, he wants us to be growing in confidence - of him and his ways, that his ways are right and true.
Peter is writing to Christians - and because their hope is in Christ, this judgment is not about their eternal judgment, but one of their how they live the lives they are living - here and now.
- What we do Matters
What we do and how we live will determine if we live with confidence.
1 Cor 3:11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
We have a foundation of our salvation - but in this he tells us be aware of how your are building you life - are you building things that in the end really aren't going to survive his judgment?
There will be a day ‘the Day' when everything will be revealed, everything will be dragged into the light - everything, even the stuff we keep tucked away, and it will all be judged by fire, what survives the fire will be rewarded.
We get the benefit of knowing this now - so we can make a difference in how we live.
He sets a high standard for us and desires to reward us greatly, but he is saying ‘you must live life differently', If you live holy lives, let me assure you, you will be a stranger here
He knows that - ‘live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear'
- Live with a healthy fear of the Lord
NIV wimped out - to leave the readers with a picture of awe in worship...
"conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile" ESV
"But don't forget, he's also a responsible Father, and won't let you get by with sloppy living." Message
Peter is drawing from personal experience here -
Peter is the disciple who called Ananias down for his duplicity and lying to God and Ananias & his wife (Sapphira) died for their foolishness, they did'nt think their actions were that important - God said ‘don't fool with me, I will not be trifled with'
Acts 5:11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
There is a healthy aspect of fear - some might come and say "God is not a God of fear" or "Perfect love casts out fear' (1 Jn 4:18) Perfect love casts out the fear of eternal punishment, but it doesn't banish that godly fear that is essential to holiness.
(see also Acts 9:31; 2 Cor 7:11-15; Col 3:22; 1 Tim 5:20)
a healthy fear of God is connected to a growth in holiness
(2 Cor 7:1; Phil 2:12; Rom 3:18)
We also must remember - we are calling out to a good God who is our Father, who wants us to succeed in being agents of his glory.
- He provides completly
He provides everything we need to achieve the standard
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
‘conduct your lives with fear of God's discipline (v17), because you know that God redeemed you out of a sinful manner of life at great cost - with the precious blood of Christ (v18-19)
God will not be pleased if you casually disregard the ethical purposes of his redemption.
He has given the blood of his son - which is more valuable to him than anything he has made - gold, silver... it is precious in God's sight, and therefore inherently valuable.
Not only is it valuable but it is by the blood of Christ
- our conscious is cleansed ... from acts that lead to death (Heb 9:14)
- we gain bold access to God in worship and prayer (Heb 10:19)
- we are freed from the power of sin (Rom 6:10, Rev 1:5)
- we are rescued from a sinful way of life (1Pt 1:19)
Peter uses this word ‘redeemed' or ‘ransomed' - the price of his blood was sufficient to complete the transaction for all men's souls
He expects us to excel - he approaches us positively "for your sake"
He reminds us that his blood redeemed us, that his judgment of us is not an eternal judgement because his blood satisfied that judgement, but now we face a judgment of living - It is a judgment to help us succeed - to grow - in confidence.
- Our response determines - if we live up to his expectations
Discipline = intentional actions for a desired outcome
He has a desired outcome for our lives and he desires us to have the same longing for our lives.
God planned this - from the very beginning -
A good father looks ahead - he anticipates what his family will need.
20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
He is a good Father who is building confidence into his children
- His judgments produce a confident way to live in Hope
He knows persecutions - hard times are coming
He knows our response to him will build confidence
Our Father is making us into a confident, hopeful people.
When we set our eyes on Jesus, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, then we wont lick our wounds quite so much, our eyes move off of ourselves.