Holiness of Heart And Life

Jesus has just told Peter “You are going to die a painful for the sake of the Gospel. Glory to God.” In fact, Peter would crucified. Tradition has it that Peter requested he be crucified upside down. He didn’t deem himself worthy to die in the exact same manner and position as his crucified Lord.

Peter gets this news and then looks at John and asks Jesus, “What about him?”
Jesus certainly implies no such death for John. In fact, Jesus says if I don’t want John to die at all, that’s my prerogative. Don’t you worry about him. You follow me.

Our first responsibility as disciples is always to follow Jesus ourselves. How and what others do to follow is ultimately not our concern. We can’t control other people’s decisions. We can only be witnesses to Christ and pray the Holy Spirit leads others as well as our selves. If we want to save the world, we must first convert ourselves.


What does a convert look like? Do you dress a certain way? Do you speak a certain kind of churchy language?

Ned Flanders is one the characters on The Simpsons. Ned is the one fully-devoted Christian among the cast characters and Ned is known for using lots of heydiddlydoodly goofy talk. He’s also known for using a lot of religious language often in ways that are incomprehensible to others. He’s the one that sent his kids, Rod and Tod, off to summer church camp “to learn how to be more judgmental.”

Homer Simpson is not anyone’s idea of a good Christian. Ned is lecturing Homer one day when Homer answers, “Cram it, churchy!”

Does a person have to become weird like Ned Flanders in order to be a good Christian?

Let’s look again at Peter, a real disciple. We mentioned a couple things last week about Peter:

He didn’t have his life altogether when he started to follow Jesus
Peter began to change as he lived with Jesus.
This change didn’t happen overnight but over the course of years.



Peter became the leader of the Church. He grew into his name, Rock. He writes to the church in his letters about new birth and a godly life:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to in inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.. .” 1 Peter 1.3-4

Peter taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ – you must be born again. You can’t drift into a relationship with God. You can’t just be religious. You must become new.


Listen to what he says later in that same chapter:

“as obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct” 1 Peter 1.14-15


The word passion is used frequently these days. We want passion. We want passion in our work. We want passion in our marriages. We want passion in our leisure time. We even want passion in our down time. We want passion. We need passion.

But passion can be misdirected. Thus Peter says, “Do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.” Before you met Jesus and began to follow, Peter says, you were passionate about all kinds of things that were not worthy of your passion.

What passions might not be worthy of us? Anything that leads us to sins of commission. Anything that leads us into sin and error. I read recently that the porn industry brings in between 10 and 20 million dollars in the United States alone every year, and $60 billion worldwide. It is everywhere. We see things all the time that would have turned our grandparents faces away in disgust and shame. Billboards and commercials use skin to sell everything. I find myself crying out, “Hey, my sons are here! Who’s responsible for this?” It seems today you need a naked woman to sell toothpaste and dish washing liquid.

Those people who do this should be made accountable. Who are those people? Those people are us. We allow this stuff in our homes and communities. One survey suggests that 90 percent of 8-16 year olds have viewed pornography online. Ninety percent.

So much for the holy mystery of the human body and God’s sacred gift. By sins of commission we pay the price “of our ignorance.” We lose innocence that cannot be regained. We damage purity and character that take so much healing and training to restore. We waste time in sin that could be enjoyed in holy living, joyful, fulfilled living.
Sin is such a waste of time and people.

The lie is that holiness is dull and difficult. Holiness may not be easy, but it is not impossible and it is surely not dull. Peter reminds believers that God’s power and resources are ready and available to everyone who seriously takes up the call to a holy heart and life.
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” 2 Peter 1.3

How do we access this power? “Through the knowledge of him who called us to his glory and excellence.” 2 Peter 1.3b

Peter reminds us that true disciples gain access to resources and power for a changed life. If we truly want “the good life” then we must devote ourselves to the practices, attitudes, and passions that will produce holy living in our lives.

The disciple who knows Jesus will become like Jesus in purity and character.

I remember a few years ago for Duncansville Community days we provided cards with questions on them for people to answer at our display table. These questions were an attempt to get to know our community a little better. Two of the questions we asked were, “What needs do you see in our community?” and “What would you like to see happen?”

Several people responded with “Community swimming pool”, “free cable tv” “greater emphasis on Pastor Appreciation Month” Well, actually I was the only person to put that last one. I suspect many people didn’t know what to put. But I wonder if you found a way to get deep down in the heart’s desires of people in our community and asked, “What do you really need?” The answers you would get would be things like:

“I want my husband to stop cheating.”

“I want my daughter to know she is loved – she doesn’t have to go looking for it.”

“I want to have real peace in my life.”

“I want to know that what I do matters.”


Don’t you agree those are better desires than a swimming pool or cable tv?

If you could give people these things – faithfulness, love, peace, hope and meaning – wouldn’t you give it to them?

These are the very things that holiness of heart and life produce. A disciple of Jesus learns to live life in holiness and experiences the blessings that go with it.

“Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be yours as well.” Matthew 6.33