Welcome to Gospel and Life.

Why do some people grow through suffering while others are crushed by it?

Peter says the answer begins with holiness, giving our thoughts and our actions fully over to God.

Today, Tim Keller shows us how to turn our whole selves over to the God who can transform our character,

and turn us into people who live joyfully, even in life's most difficult moments.

1. Peter, chapter 1, and we'll read verses 13 to 21. Therefore, prepare your minds for action.

Be self-controlled. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

As obedient children do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in

ignorance, but just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. For it is written,

be holy because I am holy. Since you call on a father who judges each man's work impartially.

Live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear,

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 Jesus Christ,

a lamb without blemish or defect, he was chosen

before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

Through him, you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him.

And so your faith and hope are in God.

This is God's word. Now, the subject of the passage that we've been looking at for four weeks is holiness. And I know that that's just a word that

has almost no connotations today except negative ones. It says here that instead of living a life

of evil desires, you see, in verse 14, instead of living a vain and empty life, we should be

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