I Peter 1:13
(A Bible Study Led by Dr.
Larry Reynolds)
May 30, 2013
We have seen
that 1 Peter opens with a beautiful description of who we are in Christ. The salutation in verses 1-2 tell us we are:
·
“aliens” – That
reminds us that this world is not our final destination. We are just passing through. The plural form of that word reminds us that
as we pass through this world, we are not alone. We are part of a larger Christian community.
·
“scattered” – We saw
that is the word used to describe the process of a farmer sowing seed. God scatters us into the world as His seed to
take root, grow, and bear fruit.
·
“chosen” – That word
means that those who turn
to faith in Christ are chosen for special relationship with God and chosen for
special task in world. In the OT the
word used to describe the nation Israel.
In the NT it used to describe those who have entered a faith
relationship with Jesus Christ..
Then, in
verses 3-12 there is a beautiful description of what we have in Christ. These verses remind us that in Christ we
have:
·
“a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ” (v.3)
·
“an inheritance which is imperishable
and undefiled and will not fade away” (v.4)
·
“protected by the power of God through
faith” (v.5)
·
“the salvation of your souls” (v.9)
These first
two paragraphs deal with the privileges of Christianity. Now, beginning in verse 13 Peter begins to
focus of some of the responsibilities that flow from these privileges. Notice that the first word of verse 13 is “therefore.” That word points the reader back to all that
has been said to this point. As a result
of these privileges you have in Christ, here is what you are to do.
This next
section of I Peter can be outlined as follows:
·
1:13 – A thesis statement
·
1:14 – Something to remove from our lives
·
1:15-25 – Some things to add to our lives
In the
book Through the Wilderness of Loneliness Tim Hansel tells about a
traveler in Vermont who lost his way...he drove his car into a little village,
rolled down the window, and said to one of the locals, “Friend, I need
help. I think I’m lost.”...the
villager looked at him for a moment and then in that slow, northeastern drawl
asked, “Well, do you know where you are?”...the traveler
responded, “Yes, I saw the name of the village when I drove in.”...then
the villager asked, “Well, do you know where you want to be?”...and
the traveler said, “Yes” and told the man his intended
destination...the old villager looked away for a moment deep in thought and
then he dispensed some good northeastern philosophy...he said, “Well, the
way I see it, you ain’t lost. You just
need directions.”
I like
that little story because it reminds me of an important truth about the Christian
life...it is possible, in the spiritual sense, to not be lost but to still be
in great need of direction...even those people who have experienced a genuine
conversion, a real spiritual re-birth in their lives need instruction,
training, and discipling...and we never outgrow that need...
The thesis
sentence in verse 13 gives us some very specific direction for the life to
which we are called in Christ. This
verse tells us we are to do three specific things:
“GIRD
UP YOUR MINDS FOR ACTION”
1.
The phrase “gird
your minds for action” is an especially vivid phrase...the metaphor
here would have been instantly understood by the recipients of this letter...in
1st century eastern world, men generally wore a long flowing robe as
their outer garment...if fast movement or energetic movement was needed, the
men would “gird up” their robes...this was done by tucking the portion
of the rob which fell around the legs into a broad belt which was worn around
the waist...an equivalent modern metaphor would be our phrase “roll up your
sleeves”...
2.
Want you to
notice that this girding, this preparing for action takes place in the
realm of the mind...when a person becomes a Christian, when a person makes a
serious commitment of his/her life to Christ, a transformation begins to take
place in that person’s thought process...
--Romans 12:2 tells us that when we commit our lives
to Christ a renewal begins to take place in our minds...
--Ephesians 4 teaches that as Christians we are no
longer to walk in ignorance and darkness...
3.
And the purpose
of this renewal is not merely to satisfy our intellectual curiosity...it is not
to make us feel smarter, more intelligent than others...the purpose is to equip
us, to prepare us for actions...we are to “gird our minds for action”...
1.
The life to which
God calls us is a life of action...it’s a life of doing
something...Christianity is not a life of navel gazing!... it is not a life of
just philosophical or even theological inquiry ... it’s a life of service...of
ministry to others...Jesus, Himself, is our model in that...He was not a
philosopher or a theologian in the classical sense...He was a minister, a
servant of others...in the Scripture Jesus is described as One who “went
about doing good...”[Acts 10:38]...He fed the hungry, healed the sick,
befriended the outcast, encouraged the downcast...and He calls us to that same
kind of active life...
1.
Jewish writer
Elie Wiesel tell of a rabbinic student who was critical of God for how things
are in this world...his teacher asked the student, “Do you know how to
make the world better?” to which the student replied, “Why,
yes. I think I do.”...and his
teacher’s response was, “Well then, get to work. There is no time to spare.” [Brian’s
Lines, Vol.16, Issue 2]
2.
One thing I Peter
1:13 tells us is, “Get to work!”...we are to be ready for action...
“KEEP
SOBER IN SPIRIT”
1.
The next
instruction in I Peter 1:13 is to “keep sober in spirit”... that
word translated “sober” is used only six times in the NT, and
three times of those uses occur in the letter of I Peter...in addition to this
verse will find the word in--
--4:7 says that “the end of all things is at
hand...therefore be sober for the purpose of prayer...”
--5:8 says that we are to “Be of sober spirit”
because our adversary, the devil, is seeking someone to devour...
2.
The word
translated “sober” is “nepho”...originally it meant simply
to abstain from getting drunk with wine...but over time it came to carry the
ideas of stability, steadfastness, and self-control...and the basic idea behind
the word is self-discipline, to be in control of one’s life...
1.
In addition to
calling us to a life of action, God also calls us to a life of discipline...a
study of the various disciplines of the Christian life could be a whole Bible
study series in itself...Richard Foster, in his classic book Celebration of
Discipline divides the disciplines of the Christian life into three broad
categories:
·
Inward Disciplines
(Meditation, prayer, fasting, and study)
·
Outward
Disciplines (Simplicity, solitude, submission, and service)
·
Corporate
Disciplines (Confession, worship, guidance, celebration)
2.
And our lives are
better and we are more useful to God when we give ourselves to these
disciplines...
1.
In the 1996
Olympic Games in Atlanta Michael Johnson won gold metals in both the 200 meter
dash and the 400 meter dash...and that moment of triumph in the Olympics was
the result of years of disciplined training...in his book Slaying the Dragon
Johnson writes, “I can proudly say that I’ve never missed a scheduled day
of training in ten years.”
2.
And as a result
of his self-discipline, combined with his natural talent, he reached the very
pinnacle of his chosen field...and as we live disciplined, controlled, sober
lives, we find ourselves in the position of being able to accomplish more for
the Lord...
“FIX
YOUR HOPE COMPLETELY ON THE GRACE TO BE BROUGHT TO YOU AT THE REVELATION OF
JESUS CHRIST”
1.
The third
instruction in this verse is “fix your hope completely on the grace to be
brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” ...what Peter is
saying is, “Don’t lose sight of your destiny!”... you live now in God’s
grace and when the Lord returns to this world victorious over evil, as the King
of kings and Lord of lords, you will still be living in God’s
grace...
2.
Christians have
every reason to be optimistic...we ought to always have a hopeful
outlook...Warren Wiersbe tells of receiving a note from a friend that said, “When
the outlook is gloomy, try the uplook!”...and when we look toward God,
when we remember our current standing in Christ, when we remember our ultimate
destiny in Him, we have every reason to be optimistic...
1.
One of my
favorite writers is John Maxwell...has written several very insightful books on
leadership...in his book The Winning Attitude tells about a time when
the Scottish novelist, Robert Louis Stevenson was very ill...had been bedfast
for sometime from a variety of illnesses...however, was determined not to let
his deteriorating physical condition affect his attitude toward life...after a
particular difficult time his not-so-cheerful wife said to him, “I expect
you still believe it’s a wonderful day.”...and Stevenson replied, “I
do. I will never permit a row of
medicine bottles to block my horizon.” [The Winning Attitude,
p.122]
2.
As we travel
through this world we can choose to focus on the immediate problems which
invariably surround us or we can take a broader view of life and focus on our
ultimate destiny in Christ...and as we remember who we are in Christ and as we
fix our hope on Him, we despite the temporary setbacks we may face, we have
every reason to be characterized by optimism...
CONCLUSION
1.
Someone has said
the lie most often repeated in our world is that statement “Easy to
assemble.” Doesn’t it frustrate you
when you purchase some item which needs to be assembled and the accompanying
instructions are so complex or so poorly written that you need a Ph.D. to
understand them? Fortunately, God’s
instructions to us in the Scripture aren’t written like that. His instructions
are clear. They are direct. God’s
instructions are easy to comprehend...
2.
I Peter 1:13
tells us in clear, concise language how God wants us to live—
--Be ready for service and ministry... “Gird
up you minds for action…”
--Be disciplined in your spiritual life... “Keep
sober in spirit…”
--Be optimistic about your future in Christ... “Fix
your hope on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ…”
3.
That’s what God
desires from us and our lives are better when we live His way...
