Hope-Fueled, Sober-Minded, God-Reflecting Lives

We have a Bible open to 1st Peter chapter 1 1st Peter chapter 1 and as you turn there imagine Being given a beautiful vacation home or or a beautiful beach Vacation home or a lake vacation home right there on the water and you are given jet skis and paddle boards and kayaks and fishing gear just on a Beautiful beach or lake where the sand is soft and the water is warm imagine being given this gift and never going and never even making plans to go and to Experience this home in this lake Imagine being given a good legitimate check for ten million dollars and instead of Cashing that check you throw it in your junk drawer in your kitchen where you keep half-used batteries you keep old stale sticks of gum you keep the little twisty ties from the Hamburger buns and you and you just throw that check in there and you you never cash it you never make use of that money Imagine being invited to a taco truck, but instead of going to the taco truck.

You're not hungry You're not interested because on the way to church you stopped at the gas station and you filled up on on Gas station hot dogs, and so you're not interested in in in the glorious taco truck You can't eat one bite because you filled up on on hot dogs from the gas station What would you say to someone who seems so indifferent and oblivious? To the good gifts that have been given to them What would you say to someone who seems to be so out of touch from reality with these gifts that they have been?

entrusted with well now imagine Being given a salvation So glorious so free in Christ In fact is so wondrous that even the angels long to look into it and that's and that's what first Peter chapter 1 tells us in verse 12 that even the angels long to look into the Glorious salvation that we have been given in Christ.

It is so wondrous It is so profound imagine being given a living Hope a secure rock solid God guaranteed promise of life glory and joy and yet never Anticipating what is to come never rejoicing in that? Hope never actually hoping in the living Hope that you've been given in verse 3 Peter explains that everyone who is in Christ has been born again To a living hope a living hope that can never die or fail or fade away Imagine being given an inheritance from God an inheritance that is inflation proof and an inheritance that is eternal it is Indestructible it is Undiminishable it is priceless and yet imagine going through life Never thinking of that inheritance whatsoever or thinking so little of it that it produces.

No joy No anticipation whatsoever. Well in verses 4 to 5 Peter describes Our inheritance in Christ this way in fact throughout the first 12 verses of First Peter it is clear that Peter is writing to enlarge our thoughts to help us see more clear Clearly the glory the wonder the joy of our salvation Because too often we are like the person who is given that amazing vacation home, but we never go We are like the person who is entrusted with a priceless treasure But somehow we can't find the time to appreciate it or to make use of it We are like the person who is invited to eat at a five-star restaurant or at a taco truck But instead we settle for gas station hot dogs.

Well brothers and sisters. There is a better way and that is Peter's point How should we then live in response to the great salvation that we've been given in Christ? How should we think how should we conduct ourselves in joy and in hope in this life? Peter has some thoughts for us today on this matter Peter has some wisdom some instruction for us to hear and to obey and to submit ourselves to So if you're in first Peter, we'll begin in verse 13 Which begins with this word?

therefore therefore in the light of the salvation you have been given in the light of the Inheritance that you now have in Christ if you are in Christ therefore Prepare your minds for action Keep sober in spirit Fix your hope Completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ Now believe it or not here. We see in the book of first Peter.

This is the First command that Peter has given he goes the first 12 verses without any without giving any specific Imperative command to his readers until now This is the first command that Peter gives and it might not be what you think it is Okay, the first command in this letter is actually not the first few words of verse 13.

It's not Prepare your minds for action in Greek. That's not the command now. That's important, but it's not the command. It's more like a modifying clarifying supporting statement to Undergird and to strengthen the command that is to come the first command is also not keep sober in spirit again That's important.

We need to talk about that. We need to think about that But that again is a modifying supporting statement that builds up the actual command that comes next So what is the first command that Peter gives in this letter where he wants to enlarge our thoughts?

About the glorious salvation that we've been given in Christ. It is simply this Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ So if you are taking notes, or if you want to jot this down somewhere the first command is this hope fully Hope fully hope completely you have been born again Brothers and sisters you have been born again to a living hope.

So according to Verse 3 we've been told that we have this living. Hope. What should we do? We should hope fully in that living. Hope. Hope fully in the grace of God Hope fully in the one who died who rose who ascended who is coming back for you Hope fully because Jesus Christ is soon to be revealed in the radiance of his glory and majesty And when Jesus Christ appears when he is revealed, what does Peter tell us? He tells us that there is yet more grace to be given to the people of God There is yet more grace to be showered upon the children of God There is more grace to be lavished upon the bride of Christ.

And so certain is Peter Peter is so certain of this that he writes this and it kind of an odd way this this verse should perhaps best be Translated and understood more and in this way set your hope fully on the grace that is already on the way It's it is already on the way Peter writes as though this grace is Coming it is it is left the station the grace Train is chugging down the line this grace that Peter writes about it is not imaginary It is not in doubt It is already on the way and this grace it will be given at the revelation of Jesus Christ And it results in it leads to as you consider First and second Peter it leads to a new heaven and a new earth in which Righteousness dwells it leads to it results in complete freedom from the presence and influence of sin it results in it leads to a new body a Resurrected body that is alike the resurrected body of Christ.

It leads to it results in Joy-filled fellowship with all the people of God it leads to it results in pure joy-filled Uninterrupted worship in the presence of Jesus Christ. So this grace is Coming it is it is on the way as Peter writes where we will come to know we will one day Finally experience and know to the fullest what the psalmist wrote about in Psalm 16 11 where he said you will make known to me The path of life in your presence is what is fullness of joy in your right hand there are pleasures forevermore This is all an expression of God's free glorious Grace to his people meaning what meaning we don't deserve any of it.

We don't we didn't earn any of it Christ did Christ on our behalf all of this comes to us as a gift as a priceless gift through the person and work of Jesus Christ and as Jesus is Fully revealed the magnitude of his love towards his people is revealed the depth of his kindness Towards his bride is revealed the strength of his joy in his redeemed people is revealed all as a testimony To his glory and grace. So yes Peter writes fix your hope Completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

This is a good command We should be eager to do this. We should be excited to do this and yet if this is true and it is Why do we struggle with this so much? Why why what when I wake up in the morning? My first thought is not set my hope fully on the grace that will be brought to me at the revelation of Jesus Christ That is that is not my first thought.

Why do we what do we stink at this? Why do we struggle so much to set shouldn't this come naturally to us? Shouldn't this come easily to us? The answer is no no because of the effects of sin that we still experience because of the distractions that the world wants to throw in our faces because of the Passions and the desires that at times wage war in us because of the clever tactics of our enemy We often struggle with this We must learn to set our hope fully on the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ Which of course brings us then to why?

verse 13 begins the way it does why does verse 13 not begin with the Immediate specific command that he's driving to why does he start with to modifying? Clarifying statements to enforce this command because Peter's trying to teach us something Peter's trying to show us How we can learn to set our hope completely on the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ Peter what advice would you give us as we learn to do this as we strive to do this? Well Peter begins this way in verse 13 therefore Prepare your minds for action and then he writes also this Keep sober in spirit Peter gives us two things to think about two things to grow in so that we can rightly set our hope Where it belongs now if you're taking notes you want to jot this down somewhere that phrase prepare your minds for action could perhaps more literally be translated as gird up the loins of your mind or Gather together the loose ends of your distracted thinking That's a that's a strange thing to write isn't it gird up the loins of your mind What is gird even mean and why does Peter talk about loins and minds in the same sentence?

What is he getting at well in Peter's day? They would wear long flowing Tunics or shirts or robes and when they needed to move into action or into battle they would take those loose ends that fabric and tie it together or tuck it into a belt so that they could move and They could run and Peter is here connecting that imagery for us in our minds Peter is is telling us that mentally we need to put away our bathrobe and put on our running shorts Mentally, you need to put away the bathrobe the long plush Heavy comfy bathrobe and you need to be prepared for action mentally in in your mind too many of us are Walking around and we are ready to lounge.

We are ready to see what's new on Netflix We are ready to sit on the couch and scroll aimlessly for hours We are ready to watch more funny cat videos on YouTube We are ready to be entertained by every distraction that the world throws at us But we're not ready to set our hope Fully on the grace that will be brought to us when Jesus Christ returns now don't answer out loud But how would you describe the condition of your mind this last week? This last month this last year, you know in studying these verses Whenever I read this text I am so plagued and bothered by my own answer to that question because I I have one of these Have you ever seen one of these people in Southern California in Indiana?

These are popular man. Everyone got a smartphone I gotta tell you this smartphone has turned me into a very dumb person because I find myself at times so distracted and so prone to Wonder in my thinking how many hours of scrolling how many silly games can I? Download how many distractions how many alerts how many loose ends can I introduce into my life? Before I've put on that big plush heavy bathrobe and I am just ready to lounge now Listen, I'm not saying it's a sin to own a smartphone. I'm not saying it's wrong to own a smartphone I'm not saying you have to delete almost every app off your smartphone like I've chosen to do But it might be good advice to think about doing that.

It might be good advice to Examine where your mind is in light of the technology that you use because let me tell you this It is more important to have a mind prepared for action than it is to own a smartphone It is more important to have a mind that is prepared for action than to use any piece of Technology no matter how much you love it The question is are you willing to do whatever it takes to have a mind that is Peter describes is?

Prepared for action is ready to run is ready to move is prepared to set your hope on what is real on What is reality on what is to come when the Lord Jesus Christ? Returns because he is soon to appear and the reason why we know that this is so important The reason why we know that this way so heavy on the heart and mind of Peter is because of the way these two Phrases support the main command look again at verse 13. It reads therefore Prepare your minds for action keep sober in spirit fix your hope Halfway on the grace that will be brought to you at the fix your hope Sometimes on the grace that will be brought to you fix your hope 60% on the grace that will be brought to you fix your hope when you're not too busy watching television on the grace that will fix your hope completely Completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ You probably heard the saying don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Don't tell that to Peter. Don't tell that to Peter He he wants you to Invest your hope on what is real on what is true on what the Word of God Reveals to us about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ Set your hope here now as a way to underscore this command Peter next warns us about a constant threat a Real and present danger that we face every day Look at verse 14 Says as obedient children Do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance You're taking notes jot this down here.

We see a negative command and that is don't be conformed. Don't be conformed now Well, this is a negative command in the sense that Peter is telling us not to do something He introduces this command in the most wonderful way possible Peter Introduces this command in the most encouraging way possible what what are the first three words of verse 14 as Obedient children as obedient children.

That's so good So, okay think about that for for just a moment children. Why are we children? Why why is it that Peter can call his readers these believers children? Why are they children because God had adopted them because Jesus Christ died to bring us to The father we are children of God because God chose to set his love upon us to set his Grace and his favor upon us and why are we obedient? Why do we obey Christ and care about God's commands? We obey Because we love the Lord Jesus Christ We obey as an expression of our love and trust and thanksgiving to God Jesus said in John 14 23 If anyone loves me He will keep my word and my father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him And then Jesus says this whoever does not love me Does not keep my words We obey not to make God love us But because we recognize he has already loved us so lavishly in Christ We obey not to become children of God But because we are children of God because of the work and merit of Jesus Christ We obey not to coerce God into giving us something But we recognize God has already given us the greatest gift in the Lord Jesus Christ So as obedient children, what are we warned not to do verse 14 as obedient children Do not be conformed To the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance If this verse teaches us anything it teaches us that we all have an ugly past We do we all have a past this verse only makes sense if we used to live in ignorance That's that's what Peter describes here that we were living at one time in ignorance of Christ Ignorance of his redeeming work ignorance of his power his grace before coming to faith in Christ We were ruled by sinful desires that would lead us into all kinds of dark and destructive places We all had a taste for sin a hunger for sin And even now even though sins ruling power over us has been broken And there are times when we find that sin still seems attractive to us when old Desires get rekindled when we are tempted to even run back to old idols That's the reality which is why Peter encourages us to remember that we're not who we used to be If you are in Christ, you are not who you used to be.

We are now Obedient children, which is why he begins verse 14 this way by reminding them who they are They are obedient children. We don't have to be conformed to we don't have to be manipulated by Old passions and habits and desires instead by faith by the power of God at work in us we can Choose something gloriously different. We are called to something gloriously different It it looks like this in Romans 12 1 Therefore I urge you brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice Acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship It looks like Colossians 3 to set your minds on things above Not on things that are on earth.

It looks like Ephesians 5 8 for you were formerly darkness, but now You are light in the Lord walk as children of light Each and every day we are confronted with the question of what we will fill our minds with what we will allow to influence our Thinking and our emotions what we will allow to speak into our lives here in verse 14 Peter reminds us We are not defined. We are not confined By our past whatever that past is. We are free to walk in the light We are free to have and to continually have our thinking renewed So don't be conformed which is a negative command and now in verses 15 and 16 Peter lays out a wondrous all-encompassing positive command look at verse 15 Peter writes, but so don't be conformed to the passions and desires of your former ignorance, but Like the Holy One who called you Be holy yourselves also in all your behavior because it is written You shall be holy For I am holy.

So here's the positive command be holy Be holy as God is holy be holy in all your conduct all your actions in all your activity Be holy because God commanded his people in the Old Testament to be holy and and that is still relevant God's heart his desires for his people have not changed as Peter quotes here from Leviticus 1145 that is still relevant It still reflects God's desires for his people Leviticus 1145 says for I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God thus you shall be holy For I am holy so in conclusion be holy as God is holy good I'm God glad we got that cleared up now.

We can move on to the next point. No No, not at all. Not so fast. What does that even mean? What does that mean when God says be holy and then what does it mean when God says be holy as I am holy?

Then why does God care so much? Why is this so important on the heart and mind of God that he would inspire Peter to write this and to Reinforce this. Why did Jesus talk so much about the need for? Holiness in his people and and in his disciples. Why is this? Repeated so urgently and so often throughout the Bible There are many things brothers and sisters that we could say in response to this issue But the central issue here in first Peter is this God desires for his children to be like him God desires for his children to walk after him To grow to know him to imitate him to love him to follow him God is Gloriously, holy he is perfectly pure He is untainted by sin and God desires for his people to be like him and listen God is good.

In fact, God is the very definition of what is good without God There is no good. He shows us what is good. He is good He does good and God desires for his children to be like him This call to holiness is so important because it is a call to godliness It is a call to Christ likeness It is a call to reflect the nature and the character of God himself and the Apostle Paul He wrote something so similar to this in Ephesians chapter 5 where he wrote at the beginning saying therefore be imitators of God be imitators of God and then Paul writes as Beloved children, right?

He sounds a lot like Peter here as beloved children Peter said as obedient children Paul says as beloved children then Paul writes this and walk in love walk in love just as Christ also loved you and Gave himself up for us in Offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma Christ he is our picture of holiness. He is our picture of love He is the standard that we look to and why does God care so much about this? Why does God care that we be set apart to continually grow to be more like him? We'll think of it like this and I know that you you already know this to be true But I'm gonna remind you of this.

Anyway, God is passionate for his glory. Amen He is so passionate for his glory God is also passionate for the good of his people and the wonderful truth is that God is glorified by and our greatest good is accomplished in our holiness our growth in holiness what brings God glory a holy people a people that Reflects him his character his nature. What is good for us our Holiness that we grow to become more like Jesus be holy as God as holy listen This is not a goal command. This is not a stick-in-the-mud Command, this is not a killjoy command.

This is a call for our greatest good This is a call for our true joy for our highest joy this is a call to trust that God really does know what is best for us and The good news is that as God calls us to holiness He equips us for that very work. He empowers us to that very pursuit God does not leave us to ourselves, but he works in us to make us more like Christ Lastly in verse 17 Peter leaves us with a sobering command He leaves us with words that are intended in case we're still asleep He intends to wake us up.

He you call he intends to call us to to attention Look again at verse 17. He says and if if You call on him as father now stop there for just a moment Do you? If he writes if you call on him as father, do you? To be a Christian is to know God as father to call upon him as father to be Restored and adopted on unto him in Christ. So What about this God that we know as father that we call upon as father Peter writes and if you? Call on him as father Who judges? impartially According to each one's deeds now here it is.

Here's the command Conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile Here we see a very sobering command and it's this walk in godly fear Walk in godly fear walk in godly fear throughout your entire life Conduct yourselves with reverence and in the fear of the Lord for how long Peter well as Peter writes throughout the time of your exile meaning until the Lord Jesus Christ returns until the Revelation of Christ which brings us back to our first point to how we started to set our hope Completely on the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ But the point is this because God is our father We are to consciously live each day in his holy presence We live before the face of God whether we recognize it or not We live in the presence of the Holy One who is our gracious father And because this is true we as believers can confidently say I am his He is mine He is here and that changes everything.

I Am his he is mine. He is here and that changes everything as believers We we can say that we get to say that Here's what we don't get to say if you're a Christian. Here's what you don't get to say according to Peter You don't get to say My daddy is the judge And my daddy says that I can do whatever I want and there will be no consequences for me My daddy will just pat me on the head and he will send me on my way Oh, no Oh, no, friend If that's you you are quite mistaken if God is indeed your father this ought to produce in us reverence godly fear honor Respect for him why because as Peter writes our father is Impartial he is impartial that is to say he is not Manipulated by a pretty face He is not manipulated by someone who can offer him money or something that he doesn't already Possess he cannot be bribed.

He sees through every lie He sees to the heart and to the motive of every person. He never turns a blind eye to the wrong Destructive reckless behavior of his children now that you're thinking bull But what about Romans 8 1 and yes Romans 8 1 is absolutely true. There is therefore now no Condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus praise God We are completely free from the wrath and condemnation of God and yet in this life God will when necessary Discipline us for our good why that we may share his holiness Which is Peter's point here that we would be holy that we would learn to walk in holiness Hebrews 12 makes this abundantly clear that God is a good and a faithful father who disciplines his children 1st Corinthians 3 is also so clear that one day the life every believers life will be Tested and evaluated before Christ and what is worthless will be burned up and what is good will be Rewarded but again, the point is as Peter writes Knowing God is father it ought to produce in us.

Yes joy and comfort and peace and it also ought to produce fear respect reverence worship unto God and Why must this be so? Why is this absolutely the case Go to more verses because as Peter writes next We walk in reverence and worship knowing that you Were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your feudal way of life inherited from your fathers but with precious blood as Of a lamb unblemished and spotless the blood of Christ This morning if you are not a Christian We beg of you to repent of your sins We beg of you to hear this text to see The graciousness of God in Christ to see the sacrifice that has been made and to repent To confess your need for Christ to call out to him even now in your heart and mind and to find a life and Healing and joy in Christ if you if you are not a Christian if you are not yet a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ do not wait until tomorrow tomorrow is the worst day to follow Jesus follow Jesus today Today's the right day to follow Jesus today's the right day to love Christ to worship him to to adore Him if you don't know Christ as Lord and Savior Confess your need and come to him today.

If you are already a Christian we praise God for that We would ask you to humbly consider what what Peter writes here We would encourage you to ask yourself Are you setting your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ? We want to encourage you to gird up the loins of your mind We plead with you to distance yourself from anything that hinders your thinking in your pursuit of Christ throw off every unhelpful distraction throw off every unhelpful form of Entertainment anything that keeps you from delighting in and following Christ.

He is worthy He is worthy of your worship. He is worthy of your trust He is worthy of your reverence and of your fear, let's pray Gracious father, we thank you and praise you for what you have done for us in Christ We thank you for the ways that you have loved us that you would save us and redeem us and reconcile us Because of the merit and work of your son Lord, we pray that you would bring to our minds those things that we need to forsake those things that Become a stumbling block to us to keep us from seeing and loving Christ as we should Lord, we pray that until that day when Jesus returns that we would do as Peter says that we would set our hope Fully on what is to come knowing that you are good You are worthy of our love worthy of our worship and we pray this in Jesus.

Good name. Amen