After declaring the indicatives of what was true of them in Christ, Peter laid out several imperatives for the first-century readers of his first letter to take to heart. As Alistair Begg points out in his sermon “New Life, New Lifestyle,” his instructions—to prepare their minds, be sober-minded, set their hope on Jesus, be holy, live in reverent fear, love earnestly, and obey the truth—remind us today of our need for grace and of the abiding truth of God’s Word:
The Word of God is entirely trustworthy. The life that we know is through that Word. By His Word, God is pleased to bring Himself near. “In the beginning was the Word … the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” God steps down into time. … By God’s Word, He makes Himself present in our lives, so that our reading of Scripture is a direct communication between the living God and those whom He has adopted into His family …. By His Word, he makes His purposes known. By His Word, He accomplishes the purposes that He has declared.
… The Word of God does the work of God by the Spirit of God in the lives of the people of God; … whatever vessel God chooses to use, it is His Word, it is the entrance of His Word, that brings light (Ps. 119:130).
That is why the exhortation of the Scriptures is “Today, if you hear his voice, do[n’t] harden your hearts.” I mean, you could hear my voice, unless you’re deaf. But that’s not the voice. The voice for which we listen is the voice of God through his Word by the Holy Spirit. It is a mysterious thing. … Who’s the preacher? Nobody knows how to preach. There’s only one: Jesus Himself.
