I Peter 1:17  And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
18  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
1Pe 1:21  Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

We see here that when we pray, we pray to the Father. Many professing Christians seem to be quite confused on this matter. Many pray to Jesus and some even pray to the Holy Spirit. Jesus taught that proper prayer needs to be to the Father in Jesus’ name. In our text the saints needed to call on the Father and they needed to understand that God is no respecter of persons. God cannot be bribed into hearing us. He is not impressed with our wealth or our looks. He is concerned about the heart of man.
As we noted, the saved person is created in Christ Jesus unto good works. The works do not save the person. The works are the result of being saved. Peter has already talked of the importance of obedience and of being holy. Those are good works that will follow the person who is truly saved. If you claim to be saved, there are things that God requires of you. If you are truly saved, you will not be complaining about that. You will be thankful that you have the privilege of serving the true God.
We are also reminded that our time here as saved individuals needs to be with reverence for God. We are not afraid of losing our salvation. Too many religions try to intimidate their people with that lie. The Bible tells us that we will all answer to God and we want to hear His “well done, thou good and faithful servant.” We are also reminded that God chastens every one of His children. No child enjoys chastening. Thus, if we (those who are saved) walk humbly with God and submit to His will, we can avoid the chastening.
In verse 18 we are reminded of the precious nature of our salvation. To be redeemed is to be bought back. God created Adam and Eve without sin. Adam chose to sin against God and the result is that we, the descendants of Adam and Eve are born as lost sinners. We need to be redeemed from the sin nature we are born with. Corruptible things can never save us. If Jesus’ blood can be corrupted, it cannot save us. Silver and gold change value all the time. The blood of Jesus Christ has always been precious and It will never change.
God’s salvation redeems us from our vain conversation. The word translated as “conversation” refers to behaviour or lifestyle. Lost people cannot do anything that pleases God. Jesus declared:

John 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Many people take offence to the fact that their efforts are meaningless without knowing Christ as Saviour. Many people give to certain charities because they think they will be rewarded by God even though they are not saved. Many people give because they can get a tax receipt at the end of the year. Saved people serve the Lord because they love Him. They know that there are rewards in heaven. There are also rewards that we can receive now. The blessing of knowing we are honouring God is worth more than monetary gain. We need things in order to live in this world. However, we do not serve God so that we can get things. We serve God because we love Him.
The vain things that we get involved in are according to the tradition of our fathers. Many of Peter’s original recipients were Jews. The Pharisees had developed a complicated system of religion. They had many laws that they demanded the people keep. Many people were in bondage as they tried to follow those vain traditions. Those vain traditions could never redeem them.
In verse 19 we are reminded that redemption is through the precious blood of Christ. His blood is indeed precious. It is without spot. Jesus never sinned. His blood is pure. We read here that He was as a lamb without blemish and without spot. There was no flaw of any kind in Jesus.
God taught the nation of Israel that they needed to choose out a lamb on the 10th day of Nissan and keep it until the 14th day. They needed to examine that lamb to be sure it was without blemish. The lamb could not be a cripple or have any noticeable flaw. However, because it was a lamb in a fallen world it was not pure as Jesus was and is. The lamb was also not a human being. That is why the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin. Only the precious blood of Jesus Christ can take away sin. It is a blessing to be forgiven and saved.
In verse 20 we are reminded that this plan of God was in place before the creation of the world. This again is no license for the Calvinist to promote his distorted views. God created man without sin and placed him in a Garden where he could have lived for all eternity. However, man chose to defy God and he sinned. This did not take God by surprise. God was ready and in Genesis 3:15 He promised a Saviour, One Who would bruise the head of the serpent. Adam did not have to sin. He could have chosen to obey God. However, he did not do that. God made provision for Adam and his descendants to be able to be forgiven and saved.
This Saviour, Jesus Christ was revealed — manifest, in these last times. The Old Testament prophets spoke of the coming Messiah. They did not have full understanding of Who this would be or how He would save man. Job spoke of his Redeemer. David spoke of the Lord as his Shepherd. Isaiah spoke of the son that would be born that would be the Prince of peace, etc. These and others had some information, however Jesus Christ came to this earth at a preset time. He went to the cross at a predetermined time and He rose again three days later. He ascended back up to heaven and is seated on the right hand of His Father in heaven.
In verse 21 we are reminded that this faith in Jesus Christ is based on a right faith in God. God the Father was there when Jesus rose from the dead. We are told here that He raised Him from the dead. We see the work of the Godhead again here. Jesus Christ is glorified in His place in heaven. He set aside His glory in order to come to this earth and die in your place and mine.
The hope of the true child of God is in God. We trust in God, not in man. We need to be taught by godly men, but godly men will always point people to God. I often tell people not to believe something just because I say it. Check it out in the Bible. I will die one day. If a person is dependent upon me they will be left with nothing when I die. There is a need to be loyal to a godly pastor, but that loyalty is subject to the greater loyalty to God.
Today we have another opportunity to gather in the house of God. We can choose to obey God and be where He wants us to be. There is a blessing for those who know the Lord and obey Him. Choose wisely and be blessed by God today.
Pastor Bartel