Revival: A Longing for Holiness” 1 Peter 1: 13-16

Over the summer, while on vacation with dear friends, I found myself in a late night conversation about salvation. We had started talking about what I like the most about being a pastor, where my passion in ministry lies, and I said I was deeply touched when I had the opportunity to form relationships with people who do not yet know Jesus. Quietly, my friend shared that this was something that she struggled with, and told the story of someone she cares about who is in the dying process, but insists that she is a good person so she will make it to heaven. How do you respond to that, my friend asked.

I would venture a guess that many of us have heard a litany of things that we wished salvation was based off of over the years. Sometimes people claim a spot in heaven by saying that they are generally a good person, substituting kindness for religion. Inside and outside of the church, we have folks who claim that they aren’t as bad as someone else they know, so surely they will make it into heaven. And inside the church in particular, we find folks who think you can earn your way into heaven by reading the bible and praying. All the while, these wishes don’t speak of Jesus.

However, sometimes we can also swing to far to the other side of the discussion about salvation. One day I came home to a “gift” that a stranger had sent me through amazon.com. It was a book that essentially argued that the church talked too much about discipleship and not enough about salvation. On the surface an interesting concept. But as you dive in deeper to the underlying premise, it would seem that the book was arguing that as long as you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, it didn’t quite matter how you lived your life, or if you were a disciple, because eternal salvation was the only thing that matters.

In between wishing and hoping to have salvation based on things outside of Jesus Christ and thinking once you are saved you can do whatever you want, we find today’s teaching in 1 Peter about holiness. On one hand Peter writes that we are set all of our hope and grace on Jesus Christ - I would classify this as accepting Jesus as your savior. But then he goes on to talk about about obedience and being holy - which I would call discipleship - following Jesus in a way that brings glory to God.

I’ve shared with Bible Study groups before that I actually find it much easier to talk with someone who does not yet know Jesus then someone who thinks that they are Christian and have it all together. Folks who have accepted Jesus as their personal savior, but then think that gives them the license to behave however they wish. I especially find problematic the attitude of “its about me and Jesus and everyone else needs to get out of my way.” That, dear friends, is not an attitude that brings much honor and glory to God.

So how can we live for he glory of God? 1 Peter would instruct us, that after we have placed our hope firmly in the grace of Jesus Christ, we are called to be obedient. I often tell folks that everyone has faith in something, it is just a matter of what or who you have truly placed your faith in. The same is true of obedience. We are all obedient, or follow, something or someone. Peter is asking us to examine ourselves and make sure that our obedience is in Christ and not in our previous desires. Those desires that we let rule our lives before coming to know Jesus, or as he put it “the desires you formerly held in ignorance”. 

But bringing glory to God doesn’t just stop with the choice to be obedient to Christ. Peter then admonishes us to be holy in our conduct. I have found a lot of folks who will tell me that they understand the obedience thing, though they may struggle with the concept or practice of obedience, but being holy is something that alludes them. Something that they aren’t so sure about.

In the United Methodist Church we describe holiness as moving on to perfection, and honestly, the entire idea of being holy and perfect can become daunting. We conjure up images in our minds of holy people who never laugh. Never smile. Always scold others. For a long time I would think back to the Little House on the Prairie book series, where Laura describes how awful Sundays were in her childhood - where all she could do was sit and read the Bible. No talking. No laughing. No playing. 

But when we let these images around holiness take hold in our minds we miss what holiness is really about - its about doing everything for the Glory of God. The Apostle Paul puts it this way in 1 Corinthians - “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God”. Whatever you do for your vocation - do it for the glory of God. When you babysit your grandchildren - do it for the glory of God. When you go out to eat or cook dinner for your family - do it for the glory of God. When you do your laundry - do it for the glory of God. 

For the early Methodists they firmly latched onto this idea of moving on to perfection or holiness by doing everything for the glory of God, by encouraging one another to not necessarily subtract things from their daily lives, like the Little House on the Prairie books, but instead by adding spiritual practices to their lives. They began to spiritually mentor one another. They read the Christian classics about faith. They studies together about what was important in the spiritual life. They fasted and rose early in the morning for prayer. And they did this all while they were in college together, essentially forming one of the first campus ministries. 

After studying and mentoring, they added service to their lives together. They visited the prisoners, the sick, the poor, and the elderly. They worked with low income children. They gave alms to care for those in need. Rev. Adam Hamilton writes, “They were labeled ‘Methodists’ for their intentional and methodical approach in pursuing holiness.”

Friends, what about us? Are we also being intentional about our approach to holiness? Because the truth is, holiness isn’t something that just happens. It requires effort. Effort in how we think and talk about God. Effort in how we humbly and lovingly serve God by serving others. Hamilton continues, “For Wesley and his friends, holiness included a complete yielding of one’s life to God, a desire to become like Christ in heart and action, acts of compassion for others, and a resolution to live one’s life for God’s glory.”

Where are you at today with Jesus? Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? If not yet, then maybe today is your day to tell Jesus that you want him in your heart and life. Have you accepted Christ, but struggle with obedience? Then maybe today is your day to say to Christ that you want him in control of all of your life, not just in lip service, but in complete control. Have you told Christ that you will be obedient to him, but how want to yield your whole life to him, becoming like Christ in heart and action as you move towards holiness - then maybe today is your day to ask Christ to walk with you through your whole life as you intentionally try to bring Glory to God with you whole life. Holiness is a journey friends, that does not simply begin and end in the moment we accept Christ as our Savior, but instead beckons for our whole life, every single day. Amen.