Go Away From Me Lord For I Am a Sinful Man

In one paragraph

Pastor Ray opened with two Old Testament scenes of encounter with God's holiness, then worked through 1 Peter 1:10-22 to show what that holiness demands of those who have received the gospel. The throughline was salvation: what it cost, who announced it first, and what it produces in the people who accept it. Isaiah in the temple and Peter on the lake got the same thing: a clear look at God's...

Read together

1. Psalm 16 quoted to introduce the idea of God's presence and joy of living with Him forever
2. Isaiah 6 read at length to illustrate Isaiah's vision of God's holiness and his confession of sin
3. Luke 5:1-11 read at length to show Peter's response of confession when confronted with the holiness of Jesus
4. 1 Peter 1:1-9 recapped from the previous week as the opening of the letter to scattered believers
5. 1 Peter 1:10-22 the main passage of the sermon, covering salvation, holiness, and fervent love for one another
6. Isaiah 53 referenced briefly as a messianic prophecy predicting the sufferings of Christ
7. Psalm 22 referenced briefly as a messianic prophecy pointing toward Christ on the cross

Talk about it

1. Chuck from Good Samaritan Mission described a man who came to him feeling suicidal, and said the only hope he had to offer was Jesus Christ. When have you seen or experienced that kind of hope show up in a moment of real darkness?
2. The sermon looked at Isaiah in the temple and Peter on the lake, and pointed out that both men responded to an encounter with God's holiness by immediately confessing their sin. What do you think it is about seeing God's holiness that produces that reaction?
3. Peter writes that the prophets searched carefully to understand a salvation they would never fully experience themselves, and that even angels long to look into it. How does knowing that shape the way you think about what you have received in the gospel?
4. The sermon drew out the call in 1 Peter 1 to be holy as God is holy, and said that this kind of holiness is only available through the Holy Spirit, not through our own effort. What does that practically look like in your day to day life?
5. The sermon closed by saying that what you do with the cross of Jesus Christ is the great dividing line of all of eternal history, and asked each person to consider whether they hold the gospel as a truth that actually transforms them. How would you answer that question for yourself right now?