Trust & Obey (Aliens in this World)

By Abi Ruelo

1 Peter 1:13-21 says, “So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.”

And because of that, I have entitled this series, ALIENS IN THIS WORLD. I remember when Andre attended youth camp years ago, the name of their camp was Aliens and Strangers. And he came home with his blue figure of an alien that said, Alien in this World. Because we are all aliens in this world. This is not our home. Once we receive Jesus in our hearts, we are just preparing for our real home in heaven. When we trust and obey everything God tells us to do, we really become aliens; we become the weird ones, because we become so different from everybody around us.

So what can we learn from the verses that we read?

1. You are not who you were before. (V. 14) Who among you has a past? A past that no matter how hard you try to forget, it still lingers in your mind like a shadow that keeps on following you; one that you cannot get rid of. When I think about my past, sometimes I want to throw up. Seriously. I am disgusted and sometimes my stomach starts o churn. But the verse tells us that we are not who we were before. We did not know any better then. We just followed our worldly desires and did what satisfied our flesh. But now that we know better, we are not supposed to do the same things anymore. We are called to live differently. Who has accepted Jesus in their hearts? If Jesus is in your hearts and you have faith in Him, it’s not just about believing,… it’s about a changed life. We are not who we were before. Do not let the enemy speak that into you and allow you to think you cannot change because once you receive Jesus in your heart as your personal Lord and Savior, you are already washed by His blood and your sins are no more. What should you do? Walk in His ways. Forget your past and live as Jesus lived.

1. You were made holy by the one who called you. (V. 15) The verse says be holy in ALL you do. It did not say be holy in this aspect and the others. It said be holy in ALL YOU DO. Once you receive Jesus in your heart, you are already holy. You are asked to reflect God’s holiness in your actions, thoughts and choices. Since God is holy, his followers are ask to live in holiness too. - not just in some areas in their life but in everything they do. Remember that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Everything you do to your body is a reflection of Gods holiness in you. What are you watching in tiktok? What are you listening to in Spotify? What are you wearing? Everything that you see, hear, eat and touch - are they holy? Holiness does not mean perfection. It just means being set apart for God, living in a way that reflects His character. We always say that sometimes, you are the only Bible that other people do not ever read. Do you reflect Jesus in what you do? When Jesus died for all of us on the cross, he made us holy. When God looks at you, he does not see the multitude of sins that you committed. He sees Jesus’ righteousness in you. He sees you as His loving child. You were made holy by Him.

2. Your faith and hope are in God. (V. 21) If you find difficulty in doing the first two, remember that your faith and hope are in God. When you feel like you have lost hope, look to God. When you feel like you have lost your faith, look to God. There are so many people I know who choose to look the other way.  Sometimes we are hardheaded. We already know the answer but we do not do it. Who believes that Jesus is the reason why we can truly put our faith and hope in God? He raised Him from the dead. He fulfilled all His promises. If we do not believe in these things, then what do we believe in? If we lose everything else, what do we have that we can hold on to? You know what breaks my heart the most? It’s when I see people who are in Christ turn away because of a wrong decision they made or because of a bad thing that happened to them. Like, don’t they know any better? Or maybe they knew nothing really. It is so easy to pretend that we are in Christ and yet, at the onset of a trial, they are gone. What do you hold onto when there is nothing left? Who do you hold on to when there is no one left? I always tell the people I am leading to hold onto Christ. Because really, your parents will disappoint you. Your husband and wife will disappoint you. Your dgroup leader will disappoint you. Your pastors will disappoint you. Most especially your friends - they will disappoint you. Nothing and no one in this world can and will ever complete you. When there is no one else you can put your hope in, who do you turn to? You know the answer. It is only God.

What should we do now? If you know that you are not who you were before, that you were made holy by the one who called you and that your faith and hope are in God, what should you do?

1. Embrace the change. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; The old has gonoe, the new is here?” Embrace your transformation. Let go of your sins, regrets, and identities that no longer define you and walk in the renewed purpose God has for you. The problem with some Christians is they like to wallow in the mud, waiting for somebody to fish them out. When you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, all your sins were forgiven and He washed you clean with His blood. You have a direct connection with Him and you do not need anybody to fish you out.  What are you wallowing in the mud for? Why do you want to stay dirty when you are already clean? Get up, stand up. If you have to brush yourself off with a steel brush, do so. Stay clean! That is your job! You are a new person! Don’t think otherwise. Do not listen to your parents who tell you who cannot change. Do not listen to your neighbor who tell you you are useless. Listen to God. Anything bad that you supposedly hear about yourself does not come form Him because all He sees is good. Keep it that way.

2. Stay holy. 2 Corinthians 7:1 says, “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” . The verse says we have to stay holy out of reverence for God. We have to stay holy not because we fear being punished but we have to stay holy because we love God too much. We do not want to upset or disappoint Him. Are you being holy in what you wear? Are you being holy in what you watch? Are you being holy in what you listen to? Are you being holy in what you eat? Like I said, we have made so many mistakes in the past. But that does not define us anymore. We have to try our best to live in holiness - not as a burden, but as a reflection of God’s nature. We have to make choices that reflect our faith and values. Our holiness deepens as we walk in obedience with God. Again, it’s back to the basics. Read your bible everyday. It has to start somewhere.

3. Lastly, we have to live in trust and obedience to Him. John 1423 says, “jesus says, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’” Do you love Jesus? Then you will trust that what He asks you to do is good and you will obey. It sounds easy. But it’s really difficult. How will you do this? Read the bible. Pray. Pray to hear Him speak to you. Again, it sounds easy, but not if you are tasked with so many things to do on a Monday morning. Or your child is sick and you have to attend to them every minute. But when you realize that Jesus has suffered all things, then you will make sure to trust and obey the one who suffered for you. After everything that Jesus has done for us, how can we be anything more than obedient to Him? He is always reaching out to us. What more do we want?

Who among you have watched the movie The Godfather? It is actually a trilogy and it is about the Italian-American mafia and how they work. Other than that, it is a story about loyalty and revenge within families during the 40’s and 50’s. You know the magia runs in families. When the father dies, the son takes over.  In the third movie, the son of its head, Michael, reluctantly joins the mafia. Although he becomes involved in the violence and the betrayal, he finds himself, at one point, wanting to get out. Micheal Corleaone said,… “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”The people around him know his struggle. He wants to get out of the bad family business. But as soon as he does, they pull him back in.

That is just how it is with our Christianity. Just when we thought we are doing great, the devil lures us with the bad stuff and we succumb to temptation and sin. 1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭says, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” The enemy will always try to steal, kill and destroy. Do not allow him to pull you back in. Jesus has given His life for you. Not because He had to. But because He wanted to. He wanted to save you. He wants you to have a good life. He wants you to be happy in Him.

Do not allow the enemy to steal your happiness, kill your spirit and destroy your life. Know who you can cling to and cling to Him all the time. Your eternity depends on it.

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