1 Peter 1: 1:13-25

¹³ Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵ But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” ¹⁷ Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.¹⁸ 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 ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. ²⁰ He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. ²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. ²² Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply,from the heart.^[b] 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, ²⁵  but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.

So how do we put this into practice because hope is not just a principle, how does hope become our homebase?

1. Gird your Mind / Prepare Mind

The NLT says prepare your minds for action, The King James says: “Gird up the loins of your mind” In bible times men wore long flowing robes and when it was time for work or war they would tuck their robe into their belts so it wouldn’t get in the way and cause them to trip. What about you are you tucking into the belt of truth those things that cause you trip? The idea is to be ready to respond with instant obedience. In Exodus 2:12, God’s people were told to be ready to move during the Passover: “This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand.” Nothing was to hold them back when it was time to move forward. In 1 Kings 18:46, Elijah “girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab…” Jesus told his followers to be ready for the master’s return in Luke 12:35: “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning…” And in Ephesians 6:14 we’re told to tie everything together with the belt of truth, which is the Word of God, so that we can fight spiritual battles. Girding up our minds means tying up our loose thoughts. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to take every thought captive; don’t let the rubbish run free in your mind, guard against the garbage. Mental laziness leads to moral laxity, loose thinking leads to loose living. Are you training your though life? Not only are we to gird up our minds but we must also:

• Guard our Heart 

Be prepared to practice. Why do we go through the drills because we are deployed, this is the real thing. Are you prepared for the persecution and the problems or will they catch you off guard? The NLT tells us to exercise self-control, practice patience. The KJV calls this sober living. Peter’s main concern here is that we don’t live under the influence of the world and become intoxicated by our emotions. We are to be clear headed, to keep all our faculties fully operational. While there are those who are controlled by alcohol there are others who are controlled by anger. For some drama is their drug. Their lives are always in a state of chaos because they are not letting Christ controlling them. They let their emotions control their lives, look we don’t have to be rash we can exercise restraint. Today there are many who want to debate drinking, whether it is right or wrong, what’s the rule, but its not about rules its about who or what is ruling. We spend more time focused on our rights than just living right. Here is my question is it controlling you, is it a crutch, is it contributing to the cure or is it the cause of the problem?  In short is what you are consuming, consuming you? Who is in charge the liquor or the Lord, what are you letting control you? Why do we need to be alert because we are living in enemy territory, 1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” The world wants your worship, so let me ask you, are you living a sober life or a stupid life? What is controlling you is it Christ, your emotions, or the enemy?  Confidence Christians don’t have to cower to the culture. You can hold onto hope in this hostile world,  Gilbert Beenken said “where other men see only a hopeless end, the Christian rejoices in an endless hope.”

1 Peter 1: 1:13-25

¹³ Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵ But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” ¹⁷ Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s workimpartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.¹⁸ 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 ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. ²⁰ He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. ²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. ²² Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply,from the heart.^[b] 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, ²⁵  but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.

After teaching us the truth about trials, that trials are temporary, timely, tough and yet can be transforming, that trials can actually bring us treasure, Peter now positions us to face the pull and the pressures of this world so that we can live out our purpose. Starting in verse 13 we see the mood of the letter changing as it moves from the indicative (what is true) to the imperative (what we need to do). We see this in the very first word: “So…” After establishing what it is that we believe, now we’re challenged to behave accordingly by living it out before a lost world. When we go through problems we need to remember our position in Christ and then practice what we have in Christ. It’s here that Peter calls Christians to live confident, consecrated and committed lives. But he doesn’t just tell us to be confident, consecrated and committed he tells us how. 

1. Be Confident –Hopeful Vs 13

Peter starts by calling Christians to be confident, to hold onto our hope, which is not an easy thing to do in a culture that is constantly putting down Christ. Our confident comes from our hope in Christ, its tied to Christ’s work on the cross and His second coming not our competence. We need to consider the second coming of Christ, and not just to consider it but to concentrate on it. When we are being clobbered by the culture and we’re trudging through the trials, we need the reminder of His return. In the midst of the problems Peter provides a pivotal focal pointing, we win the war. We need to stop focusing on the chaos and focus on His coming. Stop focusing on the trial and start focusing on the truth. When we forget what we belief, not only do we get bogged down in the battle but we get blindsided. But when we live out what we belief we can be bold. Are you going to walk out and witnessing to the world what you believe, that we win or are you going to whine and wince and live like a loser? When we get caught up in the culture it’s easy to forget that Christ is coming back. But Peter reminds us to focus on the facts of God’s Word not the foolishness of this world. Don’t worry about what the world has to say, stand on the Word. Verse 25 reminds us that we can stand on God’s Word because only the Word stands the test of time, it’s eternal. World’s principles are constantly changing because they are based on circumstances, but the Word is constant because it is based on Christ. Don’t let the chaos of this culture keep you from concentrating on Christ and putting Him at the center. Verse 13 says: “Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.” The problem is that many of us try to put part of our hope in Him, part in our health, part in our home, part in… We are so parted out that it’s no wonder we fall to pieces. What are you putting your hope in? Are you finding you confidence in His coming, and resting in His return? Putting your hope in Him is not just looking to the Lord but it’s a longing for the Lord, it’s the idea of eager expectation. But I fear that many followers of Christ have lost their longing for His return.