1Pe 1:17-21 — Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
“Welcome to Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” That was Robin Leach’s opening line of the show. His show takes the viewer on tours of vast estates, mansions, and yachts. He shows off the delightful cuisine they eat and expensive games they play. Occasionally Leach even interviewed one of the featured individuals.
I saw that show a couple times, and one of the things that struck me was the emptiness of some of these lives. There are very rich people who are very poor, whose lives are empty even though they are filled with every desirable thing. It also strikes me that there are probably many people who watch this show, who share the same emptiness even though they are not wealthy. Some seek to find fulfillment not with riches — they know that they’ll probably never have that, but enjoy dreaming about being wealthy.
Peter wrote about the lifestyles of the truly rich and famous, the lifestyles of those who are spiritually rich in God’s eyes. He reminds us that the empty way of life leaves our greatest need unfulfilled. It can never satisfy our souls. Then he reminds us that it is not the riches of this world that fulfill our need; the living Lamb fulfills our needs. Finally, he shows us that even in this empty world filled with sin and death, life as a stranger is fulfilling, because we know that God has promised better for us and given us worthwhile work to do while we are here.
Let's start with that “empty way of life,” Peter talks about. There are wrong ways to live. According to God, there really are right life styles and wrong ones. An empty way is talking about a way of life that never reaches the goal of life; never finds true fulfillment, a life lived under the delusion that this is all there is.
It is our nature to become sidetracked by all that the world seems to offer. Certainly God provides many things for us here, but our sinful nature always tries to turn these blessings into a curse. It's hard to be around someone who has a lot of riches without a greedy, jealous desire welling up. Our children see the toys and beg for them. We always want something that we haven’t been given. Our lives are easily emptied by sinful desires.
Our greatest need is at the center of a meaningful life. Some will tell you that our greatest need is peace, or economic stability, or better technology, and these are good things to ask God for, but they all pass away. What use are they in the grave? Peter says, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold” Our greatest need is not for a temporary thing.
We most need to be at peace with our Creator. He gave us everything, but it's never good enough; we have offend and insult Him every time we go after that empty way of life. Thanks be to God that He has sought us out and bought us back from the empty way of life. He redeemed us from the sin that had so enslaved us that we could not see what is truly important. Thanks be to God that
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
Jesus is the permanent solution to our greatest need. Christ was a lamb without blemish or defect; in other words He never sinned against God. He was conceived without the blemish of sin of the Holy Spirit. He lived without sin, never did anything wrong. Even under the hardest temptations, He never failed. There was no defect. He lacked for nothing, and yet seeing our distress, He took upon himself our vanity, our emptiness, our sin. He allowed Himself to be scourged, spit upon, beaten, cursed, crucified, killed, and damned, in our place. He spilled His lifeblood, so that we might live. That is why those drops are so very precious to us. They paid the price to buy us back from the empty life of our forefathers. That is how the living lamb fulfills our greatest need. That is how our Lord makes us rich beyond measure.
Peter goes on to tell us why He would do such a thing for us: “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.” Jesus is not just a man, He is the Second Person of the Trinity. That’s why Zechariah sang, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.” Our God, Jesus Christ, came to fulfill our greatest need. He came to make peace between God and man. And the proof that He did all this is the empty tomb on Easter morning. Death could not hold Him. He arose Easter morning, and proclaimed, “Peace be with you.”
Even better, He came here today to address you and me, for we are exceedingly important in his eyes. He appeared to the Emmaus disciples personally, though they were kept from recognizing Him until He had brought them His Word to give them faith and strengthen it. And He has not gone away. He still comes to us with those comforting words, “Peace be with you” Peter shows us that it is “Through Him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.”
Jesus gives us our faith and our hope. His gospel command to Thomas to “stop doubting and believe” - that Word of God gives us belief. “Peace be with you,” fellow Christians, even though you live in this world surrounded by decay and the other effects of sin, even though you live beleaguered and often beaten down by the sinful nature that still clings to you, “Peace be with you.” Jesus says.
Know that you are but a stranger here. Jesus is not just the lamb sacrificed, he is the living lamb who fulfills our greatest need; he was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven. Likewise this mess is not your home. Your home is above, with the Father, and with your brother, the very Lamb of God, who fulfilled your greatest need, who took away the sin of the world, and with the Spirit who gives you faith by way of the Word. But you are here for now for a while serving the purposes of the Lord.
“Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.” Peter writes this to remind us that we are but strangers here, serving the purposes of our God. We are like wealthy strangers living in a needy land. By the grace of God we have in our possession the most precious gifts of righteousness in Christ, salvation, and eternal life.
We worship an impartial, gracious God who has given His own righteousness to us. God gives His grace to all without partiality, and He decides in favor of all those who possess His gifts.
That means that we have nothing to boast about. No, the gifts we have are from God who wants all men to have them. We want to live with great thankfulness for the precious blood Jesus spilled for us. We want to live our lives in reverent fear, remembering how deep the hole is that God rescued us from. We want to be motivated by God's goodness to go out from these walls to all nations and races, to the rich and the poor, the sick and healthy, to all mankind with this good news. Sharing the Gospel with the world makes life as a stranger fulfilling.
He has taken away your sin and mine, fulfilling our greatest need in Christ. Gather and listen to His Word. It's the life-giving truth. Receive His gifts in the Sacraments. In these things you have God's sure promise of forgiveness, life and salvation. Fellow Christians thank Him that you are rich and famous. Thank Him by telling everyone of His goodness, inviting people to come here and receive His gifts with you. Your imperishable riches are in heaven, earned by God's own Son, who has rescued you from your former empty way of life. You are famous in that He loved you before time even began, and sought you out. This is the way to live your life, fellow redeemed.