Growing up, I developed a healthy fear of my dad. He worked at the P.H. Gladfelter Company, which was a paper mill in my home area. And the mill operated, though, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. It never shut down, except for Christmas. It was the one week they shut down during the year. They made fine book paper. and a lot of paper upon which magazines were printed. And so during my early years of life until I was in high school, my dad worked three shifts cycle. Day work was from 7 AM to 3 PM. And then there was a night shift from 11 PM to 7 AM the next morning. And then the afternoon shift was from 3 o'clock to 11 o'clock. And they shifted on the weekend. He would go into work 3 to 11 on Saturday afternoon and get up Sunday morning and have to go in at 7 o'clock in the morning and work the 3. So that was a long day. Then we got off at 3 o'clock on Saturday. He didn't have to go back into work until 11 o'clock Sunday night. That was his big weekend. That was the time when we had the most time with my dad. Seven days a week. During the school year, especially when dad was on the afternoon shift, I rarely saw him as he was going to work as I was coming home from school. And my mom had to take care of the family and kind of keep order. But at times, there were four of us kids. We were too much for her and she would utter this threat, just wait until your dad gets home. And he's going to deal with you. As I said last week, that was one homecoming I was hoping to miss. My dad had a temper. I think it was coupled with a lack of sleep. He could be downright frightful. When angry, he would grab whatever was close to him, usually his belt, and would apply it to my backside. And my brother, who is six years older than me, he used to tickle me. and pickle me while my dad was trying to sleep. And of course I would cry out, I would scream or whatever. My dad would bound out of bed, pick up his belt and give me a licking. Never asked questions as to why I was screaming. Later in life, my brother confessed. Actually, my brother was in seminary at the time out of Winona Lake, Indiana. And my mom and dad were out to visit with them, and one time they were out in the country driving around. My brother pulled the car over to the side of the road, and he confessed to my dad what he had done to me all those years ago. And I actually asked my dad if he wanted to give him a licking now, you know. And of course, dad said no. I have to say, though, my brother never confessed to me. So I had to forgive him. We talk about forgiveness. He never confessed to me that he did it, but he confessed it to my dad. My dad told me about it. But I'd already endured the whippings. Interesting that when my brother went away to college, he was six years older than me, so I was now in seventh grade and he was entering college. The beating stopped. Why? Because the instigator was gone. And I learned to keep quiet and appease my dad and to listen to my mom. And I lived, though, in the fear of my dad. And it was a fear of punishment that would come. But also, in my early years, I developed a healthy fear of my grandfather. Now, my grandpa was the opposite of my dad. And that I spent lots of time at my grandparents' home. In fact, I practically lived there on weekends and even over the summer. They'd come over. to visit and I had a little metal suitcase that I had packed. And so when they came, I had got my suitcase, came down and we went out the door with them and they took us home and spent a lot of time with my grandpa. He was the kindest, most gentlest, compassionate man I've ever known. And I was kind of his favorite, at least he made me believe I was. He was my biggest cheerleader. Only on one occasion can I remember my grandpa getting upset with me. He merely raised his voice and I was devastated. I was so taken by his love for me, so wanted his approval that I never wanted to do anything that would cause him pain or to lower his view of me. I wanted him to be proud of me in the right sense of the word. So I lived in the fear of my grandfather. Now in Peter's first letter, which we've been looking at, he's addressing some first century beleaguered followers of Christ who are scattered throughout Asia Minor on how to handle the pressures of living for Christ in their non-Christian pagan environment. He counsels them as us today, who are living in a post-Christian world that foremost, we need to think straight. That is, we need to gird up the loins of our minds, to be mentally tough, disciplined in our thoughts, living according to biblical priorities. In a potentially hostile environment, we also need to stay cool in the midst of the heat, to be sober, self-control, having our emotions in check. We also need to remain optimistic, as he says, resting our hope fully on the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And it's important, as we saw the last time, to be true to our calling. For you and I have been called to be holy, distinct, set apart for God's use and glory. We are to be holy just as God is holy. And we also need to learn to conduct ourselves throughout the time of our stay here in fear. That is, learn to live in the fear of God. More than merely reverential trust or living in all of him, the fear of God includes a little bit of fear. Fear like I experienced with my earthly father. Fear that comes from anticipating and experiencing the disciplinary hand of God in our lives. Proverbs 31, 11 states, my son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest his correction. For whom the Lord loves, he corrects, just as a son the father at whom he delights. God disciplines his own. And so we should fear his disciplinary action. We also live in fear of God because we know that one day we're going to have to give an account of ourselves to him and before an impartial judge who's going to evaluate and award us for our work. Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, he says, Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well-pleasing to him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Certainly all of us want to finish well. And we want to hear these words, well done, thou good and faithful servant. But there's another reason to fear God. First Samuel 12, 24 says, only fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart for consider what great things he has done for you. I call this the grandfather reason for fearing God. We fear him because of the great things he's done for us, so great that we would never want to disappoint him nor cause him pain. But what is the foremost, greatest thing we are to consider which should cause us to have a healthy respect for God? I think Peter gives us the answer here in 1 Peter 1, beginning at verse 17. He says, and if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by traditions from your Father, but with the precious blood of Christ. as of a lamb without blemish or without spot. He indeed was ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifested in these last times for you who through him believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God. What is the greatest thing that God has ever done for us, which should cause us to fear him? The greatest thing that God has ever done for us is that He has redeemed us. He's redeemed us. We've been redeemed. Now when we think of the word redeem, we might think of cashing in. Redeeming a coupon or selling a stock. We used to have, years ago, we used to have S&H Green Stamps. I'm kind of dating myself. S&H Green Stamps. You used to have to go to a redemption store to redeem your stamps. The ancient term for redeem meant to purchase the release by paying a ransom or to deliver by the payment of a price. In the Greco-Roman culture of Paul's day, it referred to the manumission of slaves. The slave would receive his or her freedom after depositing money in the temple of a god or goddess, money which would then be paid by the temple treasurer, minus, of course, his own commission, to the slave owner with the thought that the god or goddess was buying the slave. The former slave would then be free in the eyes of his former owner and society, but would be considered now a slave of the god or goddess who paid for his redemption. The sum of money paid for the redemption was referred to as the price, and the slave was considered to have been redeemed by their god. Now, while the thought of this custom who may have been in the back of Peter's mind. Peter's imagery describing redemption, I believe, is rooted in the Old Testament. Story of the Passover. You remember the story. For 400 years, the children of Israel resided in Egypt, became slaves, they were forced laborers. Near the end of the time, the Pharaoh became more hostile towards the Jews and made life miserable. They cried out to God, and God sent them Moses to deliver them from Pharaoh's hand. And through one miraculous plague after another, God proved his superiority to the gods of the Egyptians. Each of the plague was targeted one of the Egyptian gods. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened. and would not release the Israelites from bondage. The final plague was the death of the firstborn. The Israelites were commanded on the first Passover to kill an unblemished lamb at twilight, take some of the blood, and apply it to the doorposts and on the lintel of the house. Then roast and eat the Passover lamb. Exodus 12, 13 states, the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live and when I see the blood, I will pass over you and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. And that's exactly what happened. The death angel that night killed the firstborn of the Egyptians but spared the lives of Israel's firstborn. They were redeemed. They were freed from Pharaoh's control and led back to the land of freedom and promise. And God further decreed that Israel was to annually celebrate the Passover to remind the nation of the greatest display of God's redeeming power. In the song that Moses and the people sang on the night of their deliverance, they proclaimed, you and your mercy, have led forth the people whom you have redeemed. You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation. The Israelites were the people whom you have redeemed, bought with a price and set free. As David would later exclaim, and who is like your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth, whom God went to redeem for himself as a people, to make for himself a name, and to do for yourself great and awesome deeds for your land before your people whom you have redeemed for yourself from Egypt, the nation and their gods. For you have made your people Israel, your very own people forever, and you, Lord, have become their God. But as great and as remarkable is the story of redemption in Israel from Egypt's bondage, infinitely more greater is the story of our redemption. For you and I have been redeemed. Now some questions may come to mind when we think about redemption. First of all, from what did God redeem us? You and I were not physically in bondage in a foreign land to be freed. So from what did God free us? Secondly, how? How did God do it? By what means or by whom did God redeem us? And then lastly, why? Why in the world would God redeem us? What purpose does God have in mind when he redeemed you and I? Peter, I believe, answers these questions in our text this morning. First of all, from what did God redeem us? To what were we in bondage prior to our salvation? You know, Jesus in his discourse with some early Jewish believers said, if you abide in my words, you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. Their response was curious, for they did not believe that they had ever been in bondage, so how in the world could they ever be set free? To which Jesus answered them, most assuredly I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. If you've ever sinned, and who of us have not, if you've ever sinned, you were a slave to sin. Now Peter takes this general condition. of being in bondage to sin, and he breaks it down into four distinct binding agents. First of all, in our general bondage to sin, we were in bondage to our lusts. Bondage to our lusts. For look at what he says in verse 14. As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts as in your ignorance. Lusts are compelling, driving passions. It begins in our mind, in our thought process, in our imagination. The sinful imagination consists primarily of lies and distortion about oneself, personal relationships, personal fulfillments, the general nature of things and of God himself. And such false perceptions lead people to do all sorts of sinful behavior. When the flesh feeds a sinful thought into the imagination, the imagination concocts a sinful fantasy scenario. That scenario excites lust. Lust moves the emotion. The emotions activate the will, and the will initiates sinful conduct. James states that process in James 1. He says, but each one is tempted when he's drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. And sin, when it's full grown, brings forth death. So lust is a very powerful force. If you've ever struggled with a temptation, with a besetting sin, with some kind of addiction, you know firsthand the power of lust and how it can keep you in bondage. You know the power of sin. You know what it's like to obey your lust, to be driven by lustful, sinful desires. You do not do what you know you should be doing. Like Paul says in Romans chapter 7, I do what I don't want to do and I don't do what I want to do, you know, that lust. But Jesus Christ has redeemed us. He has delivered us from sin and from his lust. Paul reveals that our old man has been crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin, for he who had died has been freed from sin. Because of our personal identification with Christ and his death and resurrection, sin shall no longer reign in our mortal bodies, that you should obey its lust." Romans 6, 12. But you can today present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. As Paul concludes, but thanks be to God, that though you were slaves to sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered, and having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. We've been set free. Sin is no longer, and lust no longer needs to control us. We've been redeemed. Prior to our salvation, however, we were in bondage to our lusts. Something else that kept us in bondage, and that is our ignorance. Notice again, verse 14. He says, as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lust as in your ignorance. Ignorance. Ignorance is the absence of spiritual understanding. Ignorance, we didn't know any better. We were, as Paul describes the unbelieving Gentiles in Ephesians 4.17, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts. The natural man, Paul says, does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Even when the gospel was presented, the God of this age blinded our eyes so we couldn't at first understand the gospel, the light of the gospel. He was unable to shine in. Spiritual ignorance kept us in bondage. A third distinctive binding sinful agent is our futile, aimless life. Look at what Peter says in our text, beginning at verse 18. He says, knowing that you were redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct, received by traditions from your father. Aimless conduct, a futile, aimless life. We were redeemed from that, our futile lifestyle, our vain, worthless existence. See, anybody who lives life apart from God is living a futile, aimless life. They might not think so. We might look at someone who has been quite successful in business or with finance or in their chosen career. We might look upon someone who's famous, who's risen to the top and conclude that here's a person whose life really counts, who has achieved greatness, whose existence was not futile. But Solomon, who had it all, who did it all, who achieved greatness and success, concluded that when he looked at everything under the sun, that is, when he looked at everything from a human viewpoint without factoring God into the equation, he concludes that everything is vanity. That is, it's futile. It's useless. It's vain. It fails to achieve eternal happiness. For even the greatest accomplishment unbelievers seem to achieve are pointless, apart from an eternal point of view, from an eternal point of view. Remember Jesus' question to his disciples? He says, what profit is it if a man gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? I mean, friends, you can have it all, but unless you have Jesus, unless you're a fully devoted follower of His, your life is gonna be aimless and futile. And God delivers us from that. He delivers us from the bondage of a futile, aimless existence. There's one more thing that's kept us in bondage, and that is traditions received from our Father. Note again verse 18, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by traditions from your fathers. In the first century, the ancestral way of life was esteemed and venerated as the basis of stable society, both in the Greek and Jewish culture. The Pharisees in Jesus' day were traditionalists. Certain things had to be done certain ways as handed down to them by their forefathers. On one occasion, the Pharisees and scribes found fault with Jesus' disciples because they do not walk according to the traditions of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands. Oh my. Listen to Jesus' answer. He said to them, well, did Isaiah prophesy of you, hypocrites? As it's written, the people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other things you do. All too well you reject the commandment of God that you may keep your traditions. They were guilty of making the word of God of no effect through your traditions which you were handed down. Now, some of you were at one time in bondage to traditional religion, the religion of your ancestors, traditional religion which elevated doctrines of men above the clear commandments and teaching of scripture. You were enslaved to that false religious system. I'm reminded that there are many religious people in our area. In the world today, there are many people here in Berlin. They're religious, but they're lost. They're lost. They're in spiritual bondage to a false gospel, who are on their way to hell apart from the saving grace of Christ. They're trusting in their church. They're trusting in their family's faith that was passed on to them from their parents or grandparents, rather than trusting solely in Christ. And it's really hard to break from spiritual bondage. My friends, before we came to Christ, before we were redeemed, we were in bondage. We were in bondage to sin, to lust, to spiritual ignorance, to aimless living, and to blinding traditions. But we've come to know the truth, and the truth, praise God, has set us free. But how is this possible? How does God redeem us? By what means? Look what Peter says, beginning in verse 18. He says, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your father, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who through him believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Psalm 49 verse 7 states that no one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them. The ransom for a life is costly. No payment is ever enough. And indeed it is. The ransom for life is costly. Peter understood that. He appeals to his reader's basic knowledge that there's nothing available to mankind that can meet the price. Even some of the Earth's most valuable commodities, silver and gold, which themselves are corruptible, that is, subject to impurities and destruction, cannot buy our redemption and freedom. The price is just too high. No amount of money can redeem us from the bondage of sin. As prophet Isaiah saw the true nature of God's ultimate redemption of his people, he quotes God as saying, you sold yourself for nothing and you shall be redeemed without money. But what silver and gold could not do, God bought us with the very precious blood of Jesus Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot. He paid the ultimate price for our redemption. Peter's words picture the immense sacrifice the owner of such a lamb made when he killed his flock's finest, purest, most perfect animal. The kind of sacrifice that God demanded of the Israelites under the old covenant. They were commanded, number six, and he shall present his offering to the Lord, one male lamb in the first year without blemish as a burnt offering, one ewe lamb in his first year without blemish as a sin offering, one lamb without blemish as a peace offering. Without blemish. Perfect. For they were commanded, you shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God a bull or sheep which has any blemish, for that is an abomination to the Lord, but offer the perfect animal sacrifice. And even that could never atone for sin, for it's impossible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sin. What we needed was a perfect man. One who came to do the will of God, the perfect Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. That perfect Lamb is Christ. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world. God planned, as I said this morning in Sunday School in one of my remarks, He planned long before He even created man, that one day He would send Jesus into this world. The Father did not react to the fall of man with a last minute fix. Before the fall, before man was even created, God predetermined to send His Son to be the Savior, the Lamb of God. In fact, Romans 13, Revelation 13, 8 states that He was the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world. The death of Jesus as the Lamb of God was in the mind of God long before He made the earth, long before He made the first human being. It's all part of God's eternal plan. And as part of God's eternal plan, Jesus Christ was manifest in these last times for you and I. He came to this earth. He was incarnate. Jesus Christ, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, coming in the likeness of man, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, became obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. And as the God man, as he hung there on the cross, he fully obeyed his father, never once sinned, not even once. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. He was perfect obedience so that he could be the lamb without blemish, without spot. And so in perfect submission or obedience to the father, he willingly went to the cross to die for you and I. And while on the cross he made him who knew no sin, to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God. The great exchange took place. Our sin was placed on Him. his righteousness given to us. The guilt of our sin was placed on him. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquity. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes. We are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of his own. Or as Peter so clearly states, who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree. Jesus Christ died. The price was paid. Since all sin is a violation of God's holy law and a debt incurred to him, he is the one to whom the price must be paid. Only the creditor can determine the terms of ransom and redemption. God had earlier stated the price. He said the soul who sins will surely die. So someone had to die. Either we had to die or someone as our proxy. The price he required as payment for our release, for our redemption, was the life of his son. And Jesus paid it all. Paid it all. As Paul states, in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. But in the eternal plan of God, not only would his son Jesus be foredained before the foundation of the world to be the lamb who would take away the sins of the world, not only would Jesus in the fullness of time come to this earth, be born as a babe in a manger, live a pure, spotless, obedient life, one day go to the cross and die for you and I, our guilt placed on him, but in the eternal plan of God, Jesus Christ will be raised from the dead. His resurrection for the dead is unmistakable proof that God the Father was completely satisfied with the sacrifice of His Son. Indeed, Jesus Christ, our Lord, was delivered up for our offenses and raised for our justification. But it doesn't stop there. For the eternal plan of God the Father on the third day, He would rise from the dead, and part of God's eternal plan is that God would give him glory. That is, Jesus Christ would ascend to heaven, take his rightful seat at the right hand of the Father. The writer of the Hebrews explains the connection between Christ's ascension and our redemption. He writes, but Christ came as high priest of the good things to come with the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands that is not of this creation, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood he entered the most holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctified for the purifying of the flesh, how much more? Shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God, and for this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant by means of death for the redemption of the transgression, under the first covenant that those who are called may receive the eternal promise. And so Jesus Christ, as our high priest, entered heaven with his own blood to purchase for us eternal redemption. He paid fully the price. He only does this once. Once for all, for all times, and for all of our sins. The writer of the Hebrew explains, for Christ has not entered the holy place made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, not to appear in the presence of God for us, not that he should offer himself often as the high priest enters the most holy place every year with blood of another. He then would have to suffer often since the foundation of the world. But now, once at the end of the age, he has appeared to put away sin, by the sacrifice of himself. So Jesus Christ is not continually being sacrificed, not continually offering his blood, for Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. For as Hebrews 10 says, this man after he'd offered one sacrifice for sins forever, he sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till his enemies are made his footstools, for by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. And so his work of redemption is finished. It's complete. He's seated at the right hand of God in heaven, the one who humbled himself and became obedient unto the point of even the death on the cross. God also has highly exalted him, given him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bellow, those in heaven, those on earth, those under the earth, that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So Christ's exaltation is the ultimate affirmation. God was well pleased with the sacrifice of his son. Our redemption is complete payment in full. Now one last question. And that is why. Why? Why did God redeem you? For what purpose? Look again at verse 20. He says, he indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who through the, for you who through him believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Jesus Christ did all of this for you and for me. Redemption is through Him and Him alone. There is no other way to God. There is no other way of salvation, nor is there any salvation than any other, for there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved. Only through Christ. It is as we confess with our mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. The ultimate blessing of redemption is so that your faith and hope are in God. Faith enables us to trust God for the necessary grace in the midst of life's present circumstances, struggles, and fears. Hope is faith that's projected into the future. It enables us to look beyond our present circumstances to future grace that will be revealed to us in heavenly glory. The psalmist links hope and redemption this way. He says, but God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for he shall receive me. You see, because of redemption, we have an unshakable hope that one day God's gonna raise us from the grave, welcome us as he did Jesus to final glory. And our sure hope concludes the redemption of our bodies. Paul writes, not only that, but we also have the first fruits of the Spirit. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Right now we enjoy the redemption of our souls, the first fruit of the Spirit. But we look forward to that day when we will experience the redemption of our bodies, when our physical bodies will be redeemed, transformed from all the remaining effects of the fall and the curse. So my friends, you and I, who were once in bondage to sin, to lust, to ignorance, to our aimless futile life, our traditions of men, you and I have put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, his death, burial, resurrection, ascension. We have been redeemed, not with corruptible things such as silver or gold, but rather with the very precious blood of Jesus Christ. He died to pay for our sin. He died to pay for our ransom. We've been forgiven. We've been pardoned. We who once were enslaved to sin, we've been emancipated. We've been freed. However, not to do our own thing or to live in any way we want, but rather we've been bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body, in your spirit, which are God's. Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Redeemed his child forever I am. So in light of everything that God the Father and Jesus Christ has done for us, how can we not fear him? How can we not give him honor and respect and reverence, our worship? How can we not seek to live for him each and every day of our lives? How can we not obey him after all he's done for us? I think of the words of an old course I learned when I was a kid, the course from the last century. After all he's done for me, after all he's done for me, how can I do less than give him my best to live for him completely? After all he's done for me, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.