Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Please take God’s Word and turn with me to 1 Peter chapter 1

We saw last time that our response to salvation is in hope and holiness

Now Peter adds a third response - honor

Notice what he says in verses 17-21

1 Peter 1:17–21 (NASB95)

If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;

knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,

but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you

who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

There are so many reasons why we are to honor our heavenly Father

Peter has already given us two reasons

Now we see the third

This section is broken up into 4 parts and explained by 5 words: intimacy, impartiality, honor, faith and hope

LESSON

Intimacy describes how they and all Christians were addressing God and how we address Him today

Peter begins with...

1.

An Intimate Address (v.17a)

1 Peter 1:17 “If you address as Father”

“If you” is better translated “since you” (NIV) but...

“The conditional construction is more forceful; it implicitly appeals to the readers to make a confirmatory evaluation of their own practice.”

(D.

Edmond Hiebert, 1 Peter, (Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books, 1997), 98.)

The word “address” (epikaleo) is translated “call” in the KJV/NIV and means to “call on or invoke”

The entire phrase “And if ye call on the Father” could be better stated “if you are true Christians, or truly pious—piety being represented in the Scriptures as calling on God, or as the worship of God.” (Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: James to Jude, ed.

Robert Frew, (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), 127.)

Referring to God as “Father” was not how Israel understood God; they saw Him as the “Father” of the nation not the “Father” of individuals

But Jesus presented God as the “Father” of believers

Matthew 11:25–27 (NASB95)

At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.

“Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.

“All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

Matthew 6:6–9 (NASB95)

“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.

“So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

Paul affirmed the intimacy of calling on God as “Father”

Romans 8:15 (NASB95)

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba!

Father!”

Galatians 4:6 (NASB95)

Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba!

Father!”

If you “address”; that is a present middle indicative, that means, the verb acknowledged their personal practice of calling on God in prayer.

God called them to be His children (v.

15), and they responded by calling on Him, addressing Him as Father.

If you “address”; that is a present middle indicative, that means, the verb acknowledged their personal practice of calling on God in prayer.

God called them to be His children (v.

15), and they responded by calling on Him, addressing Him as Father.

D. Edmond Hiebert, 1 Peter, (Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books, 1997), 98.

Not only is God the “Father” of all those who believe but He is also “the Holy One who called you” in verse 15

But Peter goes even further in verse 17 to remind his readers that God is...

2.

An Impartial Judge (v.17b)

1 Peter 1:17 “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work...”

They needed to remember that God is also an impartial judge

He “judges according to each one’s work”

The word “impartially” (aprosopolemptos, adverb) is a compound of πρόσωπον (prosopon), “face, countenance,” and λαμβάνιεν (laubanien), “to take or accept,” (Lenski)

It means “to accept or take face”

God does not “accept or take face” like man does but judges the heart

When choosing the next King of Israel, God said to Samuel after he thought God chose the first born...

1 Samuel 16:7 (NASB95)

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Lincoln writes: “He is looking on, taking notice of all, whether there is integrity of purpose, intelligence of mind, and desire of heart to please Him.”

William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed.

Arthur Farstad, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 2254.

God is never partial because partiality is a sin

James 2:9 (NASB95)

But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

Peter says the “Father” is “the One who impartially judges” because He shows no partiality to anyone

Impartiality is God’s nature

Deuteronomy 10:17 (NASB95)

“For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.

2 Chronicles 19:7 (NASB95)

“Now then let the fear of the Lord be upon you; be very careful what you do, for the Lord our God will have no part in unrighteousness or partiality or the taking of a bribe.”

Job 34:19 (NASB95)

Who shows no partiality to princes Nor regards the rich above the poor, For they all are the work of His hands?

Matthew 22:16 (NASB95)

And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any.

Acts 10:34 (NASB95)

Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,

Galatians 2:6 (NASB95)

But from those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me.

Ephesians 6:9 (NASB95)

And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

Both believers and unbelievers will be judged by the impartial Judge

Believers will be judged at the bema seat

Romans 14:10–12 (NASB95)

But you, why do you judge your brother?

Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt?

For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.”

So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

1 Corinthians 3:12–15 (NASB95)

Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,

each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.

If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.

If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

The Bema seat is the place where believers will either receive or lose rewards