Set Apart: Living Differently | Max Lucado | Hope Under Pressure | Oak Hills Church

43:57 May God's richest blessings be upon you. Let's pray together. Gracious Lord, look down upon this gathering of your saints. Please, please, please, please visit us. Activate within us a faith that's greater than our fears. Convictions that are greater than our doubts. We believe you, Lord. Hear our prayers as we pray for this weary, war-torn world. We beg your mercy upon the Mideast, asking you, dearest Father, to bring peace where there seems to be nothing but bloodshed and panic.

44:51 Father, we know you love the people of Iran. We know you have millions of followers there. Would you please speak words of peace over that region, especially protect the innocent, the bystanders? Let there be a fresh leadership that would create an opportunity for democracy. And we pray for Israel, just like you have commanded us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. we thank you for Israel through that wonderful people you came scripture came the church was born we believe heavenly father that out of the nation of Israel will come another great revival we beg you Lord this is more than just a political conflict we're watching but the stage is being set we see the players you're bringing things into order.

45:55 We beg you to come quickly. We're happy right now to be raptured into your presence. We don't need my sermon. Come, Lord Jesus, come. We thank you, Father, for your mercy that finds its way into all of our hearts. And I pray that you'd find the person who's here today so distraught, so discouraged. Find the most bewildered, broken-hearted person and let them experience supernatural healing. We need to ask you to forgive our preacher, his sins are many, and help us to see Christ, just Christ. Through Christ we pray. Amen. Amen. I once gave away money in a sermon, not to pay people for listening, though I'm sure many felt like they deserved it, but I wanted to make a point I offered a $10 bill to anyone who would stand up and come to the front and receive it.

46:58 I did it, this is many years ago, when our church was meeting in a smaller location. I'm not sure what would happen today. I might get stampeded. But I held up that $10 bill, and I said, all you got to do is walk down to the front, and I'll give you this $10. Well, in each service, the same thing happened. There was a pause. There was a shuffling of the feet. I remember seeing one wife elbow her husband and he shook his head.

47:30 There was a teenager who started to come forward and then stopped. There was a five-year-old who made it out into the aisle before his mom grabbed him and pulled him back. You know what? Nobody would come and get the gift. And so I asked the obvious question, why? why wouldn't you again the church was smaller and we could do a little more q a back in those days and i remember somebody said i thought there was a trick Fine print. Maybe I'm going to get up there and you're going to take it away. Nobody said it, but I'm sure somebody thought it. I don't need 10 bucks. I mean, I appreciate it, but it's not worth the embarrassment of walking up to the front of the church. So with those answers in mind, I said, why don't people say yes to the greatest gift of all, and that is the gift of salvation?

48:31 I find that to be bewildering. Everybody knows they're going to die. everybody knows that they're going to face their maker who wouldn't say yes to the gift of grace to trust the greatest gift of all and yet you and i both know that our planet is populated by people who've just kind of walked away from the great gift not of 10 bucks but eternal salvation. Why? Well, maybe they think there's fine print. Maybe they think it's too good to be true.

49:14 And maybe they think that if I go up to receive it, somebody's going to take it away. Or maybe they just don't want to admit they're a sinner. That's the one thing we must do. And pride has been the downfall of many a person. and maybe somebody just feels like they don't need not 10 bucks but forgiveness maybe they think they're good enough that they don't need to be forgiven who knows but I thought the exercise was a good one and it helped us understand that though grace is available to all it's not accepted by all that was the point of it that I was 10 bucks poorer Somebody was 10 bucks richer. And I went on with the sermon, except one time, Myrtle.

50:11 Myrtle, one of our wonderful members, she did not have to be coaxed at all. During a particular service, I issued the 10 bucks. She was, words were barely out of my mouth, and she was down the front. and she took the 10 bucks and went back to her seat. I saw her later that week at a grocery store and I said, are you buying groceries with my $10?

50:41 She said, no. I gave her a hard time for making money off my sermon. She laughed. I said, do you still have the 10 bucks? Oh, no. I said, you spent it? Oh, no. I said, what happened? she said well I had no more gotten back to my seat and a little kid said can I have that ten dollars and so I thought well it was given to me I'll give it to him and just as she received she gave there was no struggle he didn't beg she wasn't resistant it just made sense that she who had been given a gift would then quickly turn and give that gift away. She was changed by the gift. The apostle Peter would have loved that illustration. today is lesson two in a four-part survey of his first epistle last week travis did such a great job of reminding us of the core audience that peter was helping scattered across modern day turkey not just one congregation but these were people who because of their faith had been dispersed across the region.

52:01 And so Peter wrote them a letter, a letter to help them stay strong, to have hope under pressure. Today, as we continue in this survey, take note of a couple of masterful paragraphs that occupy the end of chapter 1 and the beginning of chapter 2. Peter tells them and us, you were bought. Say that out loud. I was bought. Just say that. I was bought. Okay, you were bought. Not with something that ruins like gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ, who was like a pure and perfect lamb. Christ was chosen before the world was made, but he was shown to the world in these last times for your sake. Through Christ, you believe in God who raised Christ from the dead and gave him glory. So your faith and your hope are in God. Now that your obedience to the truth has purified your souls, you can have the same true love for your Christian brothers and sisters. So love each other deeply with all your heart. You have been born again, and this new life did not come from something that dies, but from something that cannot die.

53:25 So then rid yourselves of all evil, all lying, all hypocrisy, jealousy, and evil speech. As newborn babies want milk, you should want the pure and simple teaching. By it, you can mature in your salvation because you have already examined and seen how good the Lord is. Now, you're not scattered across modern-day Turkey, but maybe today you do feel scattered in your faith. You've not been uprooted from your homeland necessarily, but maybe you feel uprooted from your convictions. If such is the case, what Peter said then will bless you today. In these paragraphs, Peter does what he, and especially the Apostle Paul, loved to do, and that is talk about what we believe and how that changes how we behave.

54:22 They always talked about what we believe and then applied it to how we behave. Belief prompts behavior. Can you say those three words please? Belief prompts behavior. Look at the way Peter does this. Peter states, here's what we believe. First, God bought us with the precious blood of Christ. Next, God chose him before the world began. And then next, because God raised Jesus from the dead, we can have absolute confidence of our life, excuse me, of our new life that will last forever. This is what we believe. This is what we hold on to. And as this belief disseminates into our life, as it soaks into our lives, it changes how we behave. How we behave? Well, we love with a sincere love. We get rid of all evil, all lying, all hypocrisy, and every evil speech. What we believe changes how we behave. Now, this is a repeated pattern in Peter's epistle. You say that sentence three times quickly. It's a repeated pattern in Peter's epistle. He would always say, here's what we believe, and then here's how we behave. Travis pointed this out last week.

55:51 Remember, he pointed out what we believe. God has preserved a priceless inheritance for his children. This is in chapter 1 and verse 4. And God will protect you until you receive salvation. That's chapter 5. And that changes how we behave. So think clearly and exercise self-control. And then don't slip back into our old. Isn't there another slide? Don't slip back into. Maybe there isn't. I just thought there was. But it changes how we behave. I knew it was there. I knew it was there. It was just stuck. And then number three, be holy in everything that you do. Behave, I'm sorry, belief prompts behavior. So do you want to change your behavior?

56:45 Then reexamine your beliefs. Do you want to have better behavior? Then strengthen your beliefs. The right beliefs result in right living. we tend to miss the sequence. We preachers tend to miss the sequence. We preachers tend to tell people to go out and give away their $10 without making sure they have received their $10. dollars one reason many people have had a difficult experience in church is because a pulpiteer has focused on behavior without reinforcing belief behavior matters but we cannot change ourselves behavior changes when our beliefs change when i was a teenager i attended a church that was great on behavior. I felt like that preacher watched me all week long, saw everything I did, and then dedicated his Sunday sermon to an utter beatdown. And I would leave church with my tail between my legs, convinced I'm never going to get this right. It was always do and be, do more, be better, do right, be stronger. I don't remember, maybe it was just my adolescent teenage brain, But I don't remember him talking sufficiently about what Christ had done.

58:22 That Christ had done this for me. And consequently, I could live out of that grace. Again, Peter's big on conduct. But not before he teaches convictions. So let's follow and see how his sequence matters. and see if the Holy Spirit will prompt in us a better behavior as we understand what we believe. What we believe. There it is. That you were bought, not with something that ruins, like gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ, who was a pure and perfect lamb. Do you believe that? Do you believe you have been purchased? That God Almighty saw you and bought you, and he bought you with Jesus Christ, the blood of Jesus Christ.

59:25 When Christ died on the cross, the blood he shed was like the blood of a pure and perfect lamb. Why does this matter? well if Jesus had sinned his death would have needed to be for his own sins but he was a pure and perfect lamb that is to say he never committed a sin of his own and since he never committed a sin of his own he could pay for the sins of those of us who have sinned he's the only person to ever live who never committed a sin. Think about that. The scripture says that he was the pure and perfect lamb. Hebrews 4 and verse 15 says, he in every respect has been tempted as we are yet without sin. Yes, he was tempted to worry, but he didn't give into it. He gave thought to revenge but he chose to forgive he considered lying but he chose to tell the truth he was lured by greed but he opted for generosity yes sex money power he was tempted in every way the hebrew writer says every temptation that's come your way came his but he was a pure and perfect lamb and since he knew no sin he was uniquely capable of paying for our sins so he did consequently we can look in the mirror and say i've been bought i'm no longer my own but i belong to jesus christ so in full view of creation peter says you were bought with the precious blood of christ who was like a pure and perfect lamb. This is what we believe. So how will what we believe change how we behave? Peter says, then love each other deeply. Rid yourselves of all evil, all lying,

1:01:37 hypocrisy, jealousy, and evil speech. Mature in your salvation. Since the greatest gift imaginable has been handed to you, then you can change the way you live. Mercy, hope, blessings, that's all coming your way. You have been given God's protection to secure you for eternity. Let this truth change you. The passage Travis pointed out last week, now that you are obedient children of God. Do not live as you did in the past. Let it change you.

1:02:17 I think I can illustrate this. when I was single, before I met Dinalyn, I lived on a houseboat on the river, the Miami River. I was a slob, a serious slob.

1:02:46 Dinalyn took one step onto that houseboat and stepped off and never went back. It was a disaster. Nobody ever accused me in my pre-Deeland days of being a neat freak. I've been accused of a lot of things, but never of being neat. It just didn't make sense to me. As a teenager in college, why make up a bed when you're going to get back into it that night? Why put a lid on the toothpaste tube if you're just going to squeeze it again in a few hours? Why? Somebody's going to have an argument in the bathroom tonight. Do you have to wash plates every time before you can use them again?

1:03:47 I was a serious slob. But then I got married. And Dinalyn realized who she had married. And the first few days, she was so patient with me. And she said, I don't care if you want to be a slob if you don't mind sleeping outside. Thank you. Well, I didn't want to sleep outside, so I set out to change. I entered a slob 12-step program. Hi, I'm Max. I hate to vacuum.

1:04:24 I went in for therapy to reactivate muscles that had forgotten how to hang up clothing. My nose had to be retrained to smell cleanliness. I'd forgotten what pine salt was. little by little I began to change why because my belief was I am married to Dinalyn that covenant something about that heart-to-heart covenant changed me but then came the test just a few weeks into our marriage she went on a trip left me home for seven days all by myself. Was the prodigal going to go back to the pigsty? Well, he did for the first day. But you know what?

1:05:20 Somewhere about the second or third day, I found myself curiously uncomfortable with a messy room. Who would have ever imagined? I actually washed dishes. I saw an empty potato sack on the floor, and I picked it up.

1:05:44 I didn't throw socks behind the couch. I was changed. Why? Because of a relationship. Do you know, dear friend, what happened to you the day you said yes to Christ? you got married. A covenant heart relationship began far greater than what happened to me when I got married or anyone because you not only entered a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ, but he placed his living Holy Spirit within you. And that living spirit is the presence of Christ in your life nudging you, bumping you, and occasionally convicting you, saying this isn't how you should behave because of why you believe.

1:06:44 You've been bought with the precious blood of Christ. You're no longer who you are. You're not the same person that you used to be. So let your behavior mirror your belief. That's what Peter is saying. Again, back to the text, 1 Peter 1. You know that in the past you were living in a worthless way, a way passed down from the people who lived before, but you were saved from that useless life. You were bought not with something that ruins like gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ who was a pure and perfect lamb. You've been bought and paid for. So let what you believe impact the way you behave. Two final words of exhortation.

1:07:39 Can I beg you? Believe deeply. I mean, let it soak you. Let God's grace be the dominating reality of your life. Let the love of God on you be the way you define you.

1:08:03 Your identity is not in your possessions, not in your talents, not in your tattoo, not in your kudos, not in your accomplishments. you're not defined by your divorce by your deformity by a dumb choice or by debt you are God's child you're beloved by God you are known by God your name has been written in the book of life you can talk to God anytime you want to that's how special you are You don't have to conjure up reasons to feel good about yourself. Trust what God says. if he loves you, then you must be worth loving. If he wants you in his kingdom forever, you must be worth having.

1:09:02 His grace changes you. It compels you and me to change the way we see ourselves. many years ago I traveled out to my hometown in West Texas because I wanted to see my Uncle Billy Uncle Billy lived in California and my father had passed away and Uncle Billy was unable to come to the funeral in fact several months passed finally he was able to travel from California to West Texas. He wanted to see the place where my dad was buried. And so I traveled out to West Texas to see him. He reminded me so much of my dad. Both were short and square, built like a radiator. Both were kind and quick to hug and friendly and gracious. Both shorter than I was. I am.

1:10:03 We had the most delightful time. This has been three decades, and I can still remember it. actually almost four decades. And I still remember walking to the car when it came time for me to leave. And we walked out onto the driveway, that flat driveway that sat in front of the home in which I was raised. And Billy was with me. And when we got to my car, he reached up, because he was short, he reached up and he put his hand on my shoulder. And he said, Max, I just want you to know that your dad was real proud of you. I was able to contain my emotions until I started to drive home and then I blubbered like a baby you know what I think I believe every single one of us was made to know a father's love I believe that with all my heart.

1:11:03 And I believe the reason that God chose in one of the three ways to express himself, in addition to being a son and a Holy Spirit, is he calls himself our Father. Because you were made to receive the affection, the well done, the blessing of a father. Now I cannot speak for your earthly father, but I can sure tell you about your heavenly one. And that hand that you feel on your shoulder, that's my hand. But the words that I'm about to say are God's words. And what God says to you is you are mine. I bought you. Not with gold or silver, but I bought you with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

1:12:00 You are mine. That's what we believe. That's who we are. So I beg you to believe deeply and then let that belief cause you to behave accordingly. How does a child of God behave? How does a child of the Father behave? How does a person who has received great grace behave? Myrtle was quick to give that 10 bucks away because she knew it was a gift it changed her behavior could I beg you to invite the Holy Spirit to change your behavior are you engaged in a particular behavior that's inappropriate for a child of God are you are you is the Holy Spirit right now convicting you to quit being so mean, to watch your tongue, to pay attention in school, to pay your taxes, your fair portion of taxes.

1:13:09 would a child of grace watch pornography? Would a child of grace cheat on a test? Would a child of grace cheat on a spouse? What happens when grace happens? What happens when you realize who you are, that you've been bought by Jesus Christ? Would you not allow that then to change the way you drive your car, on a busy morning traffic. Would you not let it motivate you to show up to work on time and do your very best as if you're working for the glory of God? Would it not prompt you to examine your skills and abilities and to give those skills and abilities to Jesus Christ? Dear friend, 10 bucks, not on your life.

1:14:05 You've been given salvation. so may what you believe change the way you behave amen thank you Lord for this reminder I needed it I think we all did show us that area in our life where we need to believe more deeply so we can behave accordingly we thank you and we pray in the name of Christ and all God's people said I so want you to go to heaven I do I so want you to be there when Christ raptures his church we go into his presence I really do I don't know why people neglect or say no to grace I really don't maybe they just don't get it so in case you've not yet said yes to grace let me tell you that God so loved you that he gave his one and only son so that whoever believes in him whoever receives this grace won't perish but have everlasting life.

1:15:10 And all you've got to do is say yes. Can I urge you to be like Myrtle? Is there somebody today who wants to stand up and say, I'll take that? We're going to offer a prayer. We're all going to say this prayer of salvation together out loud. And then at the end of the prayer, after we say amen, I'm just going to see if there's somebody who's saying yes to Jesus for the first time. We'll ask you to stand up and give you a round of applause. we want to connect with you and help you grow in faith. Let's pray together.

1:15:40 Jesus, I'm not perfect, for I have sinned, but I believe in you. Save me, change me, forgive me. I give you my life. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Beautiful. Good. Oh, man, at this moment right now, if you...