Exiles – 1 Peter 1:13-2:3

Exiles – Week 3: Called to Be Holy

1 Peter 1:13–2:3 (CSB)

13 Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance.

15 But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct;

16 for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.

17 If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers.

18 For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold,

19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.

20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times for you.

21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

22 Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth, so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other, from a pure heart love one another constantly,

23 because you have been born again—not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God.

24 For All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this word is the gospel that was proclaimed to you. The Living Stone and a Holy People

2 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.
2 Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation,

3 if you have tasted that the Lord is good.

PRAY!!!

Introduction

• Most of us like comfort.
• We like blending in.
• We don’t like standing out.
• But Peter writes
• To remind Christians
• That following Jesus
• Always sets you apart.
• We are chosen
• And we are exiles.
• Secure in God’s love,
• But unsettled in this world.
• And that tension raises the question:
• How do we live faithfully here,
• When here is not our home?
• We are three weeks into our journey
• Through Peter’s first letter,
• A letter written to believers he calls “exiles.”
• And that word still rings true for us today.
• Two weeks ago,
• We began by looking at Peter’s opening greeting in 1 Peter 1:1–2.
• Where he calls his readers “chosen exiles.”
• That’s a phrase with two realities packed into it.
• “Chosen” — We belong to God.
• He has set His love on us,
• And nothing can change that.
• “Exiles” — we don’t fully belong here.
• We live with the tension
• Of being both secure in God’s love and unsettled in this world.
• Last week, in 1 Peter 1:3–12,
• We saw how Peter begins not with commands but praise.
• He reminded his readers — and us
• Of the treasures we already have in Christ.
• He told us that we’ve been given a new birth
• Into a living hope
• Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
• An inheritance that cannot fade,
• A faith that is being refined through trials,
• And a salvation that prophets longed to see and angels marvel over.
• That’s where Peter started:
• With gospel treasures that sustain exiles.
• (If you have not heard it, I encourage you to go back and listen to it)
• And now in today’s passage,
• Starting in verse 13,
• Peter shifts gears.
• He moves from what God has already done for us
• To how we are called to live in light of it.
• In other words, he moves from identity to obedience.
• That order matters.
• He doesn’t say as we will see,
• “Live holy lives so that you can become God’s children.”
• He says,
• “Because you are God’s children, live holy lives.”
• Our obedience is never the root of our identity
• It’s the fruit of it.
• That’s how the gospel always works.
• God declares who we are first,
• Then He calls us to live in line with it.
• Identity comes before action.
• Position before practice.
• Grace before effort.
• So don’t miss the order.
• If we flip it,
• We lose the gospel.
• If we think obedience comes first and identity follows,
• We will end up in despair or pride.
• But if we see that identity comes first,
• Then obedience becomes worship.
• It becomes a joyful response to who God has already made us to be in Christ.
• Now, let’s look at today’s part

1 Peter 1:13 (CSB): “Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

• Look at the very first word in verse 13:
• Therefore (what is it there-for?)
• That word “therefore” is Peter’s way of saying:
• Because of everything I just told you
• Because of God’s mercy,
• Because of your new birth,
• Because of the living hope you have,
• Because of the gospel treasures you hold
• Now here’s how you live.”
• Which sets up the big idea for today:

Our new identity demands a new way of life — a life marked by holiness, genuine love, and a longing for God’s Word.

• That’s what we’re going to see in 1 Peter 1:13–2:3.
• Three realities that our New Identity calls for:

Point 1: A New Identity Calls Us to Holiness (1 Peter 1:13–21)

Point 2: A New Identity Calls Us to Love (1 Peter 1:22–25)

Point 3: A New Identity Calls Us to Long for the Word (1 Peter 2:1–3)

• Let’s start with the first one

Point 1: A New Identity Calls Us to Holiness (1 Peter 1:13–21)

1 Peter 1:13–16 (CSB):

¹³ Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance.

¹⁵ But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct;

¹⁶ for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.

• Peter begins by calling us to holiness.
• But notice where he starts
• With the mind.
• “With your minds ready for action.”
• The older translations say, “Gird up the loins of your mind.”
• That’s a picture from Peter’s culture.
• Men wore long robes,
• And when it was time to work or run,
• They would tuck the loose fabric
• Into their belt so it wouldn’t trip them up.
• To “gird up the loins of your mind”
• Means to prepare your thinking for action.
• It means tighten up loose, distracted thoughts.
• Be alert.
• Be focused.
• Don’t drift through life casually.
• Charles Spurgeon put it like this in his exposition of this verse:

“The Christian man ought not to let his powers lie half dormant, but he ought to brace himself up for endurance and for labor. He should be a man ready for action, not with his garments loose and flowing about him, but with his loins girt about, prepared for running in the race and wrestling in the fight.”

• In other words,
• Holiness begins in the mind.
• If our minds are undisciplined,
• Our lives
• Will drift back
• Toward the desires of our former ignorance (v. 14).
• But if our minds are prepared and sober,
• Then our hope is fixed,
• And our conduct can reflect the holiness of God who called us (vv. 15–16).
• As Peter continues:

“Set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

• Again, look at that first word “Set”
• Basic meaning: to hope, to expect, to look forward to with confidence.
• It’s in the imperative form here,
• So, it’s not a suggestion but a command: “Set your hope!”
• The sense is not wishful thinking (like “I hope it won’t rain today”),
• But a settled, confident expectation
• Fixing your heart and mind
• You are setting your hope,
• But on what?
• The grace that is coming when Jesus is revealed.
• So, Peter is saying:

Make a decisive, continual choice to place all your confidence, all your expectation, all your hope — not partially in Jesus and partially in this world — but completely on Him.

• One commentator (Grudem) puts it like this:

“Christian hope is not a vague longing that something may turn out well, but a firm expectation based on the promises of God.”

• So, when we say, “set your hope,”
• In the original language
• Peter is calling believers to
• Anchor themselves fully and completely in the future grace of God revealed in Christ.
• Then he says,

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance.”

• Before Christ, we lived in ignorance
• We didn’t know God,
• We followed sinful desires.
• But now we are God’s children,
• And children are meant to reflect their Father.
• That’s why Peter quotes from Leviticus:

“Be holy, because I am holy.”

• And that raises a real question:
• How can we possibly obey this?
• God is perfectly holy
• Utterly pure, without flaw, completely set apart.
• And the reality is,
• We will never reach that standard in this life.
• But here’s the good news:
• When God calls us to holiness,
• He’s not demanding perfection in order to be accepted.
• He’s calling His already-redeemed children
• To reflect His character.
• Holiness is not the way we earn His love
• It’s the evidence that we already belong to Him.
• So yes, we will stumble.
• Yes, our holiness will always be imperfect.
• But in Christ,
• God sees us clothed in His perfect holiness.
• And by His Spirit,
• He is shaping us day by day to look more like Him.
• Again, Spurgeon once said,

“The holiness of the believer is not absolute perfection, but it is the aim of his heart and the bent of his life.”

• So, when Peter says, “Be holy, because I am holy,”
• He’s not holding up an impossible burden
• He’s pointing us to our Father and saying:
• Be who you already are.
• Reflect the One who redeemed you.
• Let His holiness shape your conduct.
• Peter then grounds this call to holiness in our redemption.

1 Peter 1:17–19 (CSB):

¹⁷ If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers.

¹⁸ For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold,

¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.

• Verse 17 tells us something important about God:
• He is both Father and Judge.
• For the Christian,
• He is not a distant judge we dread,
• But a loving Father we reverence.
• Yet this Father judges “impartially according to each one’s work.”
• That means God isn’t fooled by appearances.
• He doesn’t play favorites.
• He sees us truly,
• And He calls us to live with reverence
• A holy fear,
• A sober awareness that our lives matter before Him.
• And Peter adds:
• This reverence shapes how we live “as strangers.”
• Remember — we are exiles here.
• This is not our true home.
• We live differently because we belong to another kingdom.
• Then verses 18–19
• Bring us right into the heart of the gospel.
• Peter says we were redeemed.
• That word “redeemed” means
• Ransomed, bought back, rescued from slavery.
• We were trapped in an “empty way of life”
• Going through motions, chasing idols, stuck in sin.
• And notice, it wasn’t just your personal sin
• Peter says this way of life was “inherited from your ancestors.”
• In other words,
• This is the broken human condition we are all born into.
• But redemption came at a cost.
• And Peter says it wasn’t paid with “perishable things like silver or gold.”
• Even the most valuable resources in this world
• Are temporary and powerless to change a human soul.
• The price was infinitely greater.
• We were bought,
• Peter says, “with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.”
• Here Peter is drawing on the Passover imagery.
• Just as Israel was spared by the blood of the lamb on the doorposts,
• So, we are redeemed by the blood of the true Lamb
• Jesus Christ, without blemish, without sin.
• This is the great motivation for holiness.
• Not fear of punishment.
• Not legalistic duty.
• But gratitude for the price that was paid.
• When you realize that the blood of Jesus
• The perfect Son of God
• Was poured out for you,
• How could you not want to live a life set apart for Him?
• Spurgeon:

“There is no greater argument for holiness than the blood of Christ. When we see Him bleeding to redeem us, sin becomes more monstrous, and holiness becomes more beautiful.”

• So our call to holiness rests right here:
• On the cross.
• We are not trying to earn God’s love.
• We are responding to the love
• He has already shown,
• To the ransom He has already paid.
• You see what Peter is doing here?
• In verses 17–19
• He tells us the cost of our redemption
• The precious blood of Christ.
• But he’s not done.
• In verses 20–21
• He steps back to show us that this was not some last-minute plan.
• This redemption was not an accident of history.
• It was God’s eternal design.

1 Peter 1:20–21 (CSB):

²⁰ He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times for you.

²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

• Notice the connection:
• Redemption (vv. 18–19) → eternal plan (v. 20) → living faith and hope (v. 21).
• Peter is building layer upon layer.
• He’s saying:
• We were redeemed at the highest cost,
• This redemption was God’s plan from before time began,
• And now it has been revealed for us
• So that our whole faith and hope rest in God.
• But what does this mean for us as exiles?
• It means holiness isn’t optional.
• It’s not reserved for the “super-spiritual.”
• It’s the calling of every Christian,
• As exiles,
• We live distinctly in this world because we belong to a holy God
• And we’ve been redeemed by the blood of Christ.
• But Peter doesn’t stop there.
• Holiness is not just about what we avoid or how we live privately before God.
• Holiness always shows itself in how we treat others.
• In fact,
• Peter says the new birth that made us children of a holy Father
• Has also made us members of a new family.
• And in that family, the mark of holiness is love.
• That’s where Peter takes us next in verses 22–25

Point 2: A New Identity Calls Us to Love (1 Peter 1:22–25)

1 Peter 1:22–25 (CSB):

²² Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth, so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other, from a pure heart love one another constantly,

²³ because you have been born again—not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God.

²⁴ For All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
²⁵ but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this word is the gospel that was proclaimed to you.

• Peter reminds us that holiness is never just private.
• It always flows outward into love.
• He says in verse 22:

“Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth, so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other, from a pure heart love one another constantly.”

• In other words,
• If God has given us new birth,
• Then He has also placed us in a new family
• And that family is marked by real, sincere love.
• Not fake love.
• Not shallow love.
• But constant, enduring love that comes from the heart.
• Now, there’s so much more here.
• Peter roots this love in the Word of God
• The Word that gives us new birth and the Word that endures forever.
• And next week,
• We’re going to slow down and really look at that connection.
• The message will be called “A Word That Endures.”
• We’ll see how God’s Word not only creates us as His people
• But also calls us to love one another deeply.
• Peter now moves to the third mark of our new identity:
• Longing for God’s Word.

Point 3: A New Identity Calls Us to Long for the Word (1 Peter 2:1–3)

1 Peter 2:1–3 (CSB):

“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that you may grow up into your salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

• Peter says that if you’ve been born again,
• There are things you must put away.
• Notice the word “rid yourselves.”
• It’s the picture of taking off dirty clothes.
• You don’t just fold them and keep them around.
• You get rid of them
• Because they don’t belong to who you are anymore.
• And he names five things specifically
• Five sins that poison community and choke out love.
• Malice → This is ill will,
• Wishing harm on someone.
• It’s not always loud or obvious;
• Sometimes it hides in the quiet corners of our heart
• When we’d rather see someone fail than succeed.
• Peter says, “That has no place in the family of God.”
• Deceit → This is dishonesty,
• Twisting the truth for our own advantage.
• It breaks trust.
• And when trust is broken, love cannot flourish.
• Hypocrisy → This is pretending,
• Putting on a mask.
• Saying one thing and living another.
• It’s fake love that looks good on the outside
• But is hollow inside.
• Peter tell us it must go.
• Envy → This is resentment at someone else’s blessing,
• Wishing you had what they had.
• Envy kills joy and prevents us from truly loving others,
• Because instead of rejoicing with them, we resent them.
• Slander → This is speaking against someone to tear them down.
• Gossip, criticism, harsh words that damage reputations.
• Few things can destroy a church community faster than slander.
• Do you see what Peter is doing?
• Every one of these sins is relational.
• They’re not just about your private spiritual life.
• They are sins that break down community and choke out love.
• That’s why Peter says they don’t belong in the family of God.
• If you’ve been born again,
• You don’t wear these clothes anymore.
• Instead of the old clothes of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander,
• Peter gives us a new picture.
• He says, “Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word.”
• What an image! (grandson)
• Just as a baby craves milk for survival and growth,
• So believers are to crave the Word of God.
• Think about it: no one has to teach a baby to be hungry.
• They cry out for what gives them life.
• And Peter says that’s what the Word should be for us
• Not a casual snack we take or leave,
• But the essential nourishment that keeps us alive and growing.
• The Word of God is not optional fuel for the Christian life
• It is the food that makes us grow into maturity.
• If we try to live as exiles without it,
• We will starve spiritually.
• (If the only time you eat this word is here with me on Sunday, you will spiritually starve)
• Author and pastor John Piper explains it like this:

“The evidence of new birth is new craving. If you’ve been born again by the Word, you will crave the Word. If you don’t crave the Word, you need to ask whether you’ve truly been born again.”

• Peter then adds, “if you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
• He’s quoting Psalm 34:8: “Taste and see that the LORD is good.”
• Do you see the connection?
• Once you’ve tasted the goodness of God, you’ll want more.
• Once you’ve experienced the sweetness of His grace,
• Nothing else will satisfy.
• Craving the Word is really about craving Christ Himself
• The Living Word.
• And for us,
• As exiles in a world that often feels hostile to our faith, this craving is not optional.
• We cannot survive apart from it.
• The Word is what grounds us when the world feels shaky.
• The Word is what sustains us when we are weary.
• The Word is what grows us up into the salvation God has given us.
• So, Peter is saying:
• Don’t just nibble at the Word;
• Crave it.
• Long for it.
• Build your life on it.
• Because it’s the only thing
• That will nourish your soul and anchor your hope as exiles.

Conclusion:

• So let’s pull it all together.
• Peter has shown us three marks of our new identity in Christ:
• We are called to holiness
• Reflecting the character of the God who redeemed us.
• We are called to love
• Real, sincere, constant love flowing from new birth.
• We are called to long for the Word
• Craving the nourishment that grows us up into salvation.
• And all of this rests not on our effort, but on the gospel.
• You were not redeemed with silver or gold,
• But with the precious blood of Christ, the spotless Lamb (1:18–19).
• You were chosen before the foundation of the world,
• Revealed in these last days for you (1:20).
• You have tasted that the Lord is good (2:3).
• So, church, what does this mean for us as exiles?
• It means we cannot live like we used to.
• The old clothes don’t fit anymore.
• Holiness, love, and longing for God’s Word are not optional extras
• They are the natural outflow of being born again.
• Here’s the gospel hope:
• Jesus was holy when we were not.
• Jesus loved when we could not.
• Jesus treasured God’s Word
• And obeyed it perfectly.
• And by His blood,
• He has made us new.
• Set your hope fully on Christ.
• Throw off the old clothes.
• Love one another deeply.
• Crave the Word of God.
• This is how exiles live.
• Not in despair.
• Not blending in.
• But distinct,
• Set apart,
• Fueled by grace.
• Let’s be that kind of people
• A holy people,
• A loving people,
• A Word-anchored people
• So that the world sees our lives
• And is drawn to the Savior who redeemed us.
• And next week,
• we’ll slow down in 1 Peter 1:22–25
• And see how the living and enduring Word of God
• Not only gives us new birth
• But also creates the kind of love that lasts forever.
• Let’s pray.