“Don’t Just Stand There, Do Something!”
(1 Peter 1:13-16)
Series: Strength Through Adversity (1Peter)
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson
Take your Bibles and join me in 1 Peter, chapter 1 (page 814; YouVersion).
While you are finding that, I want to remind you to pray for our mission team heading to Thailand this Friday. Prayer guides are available at the doors again today and I want to share with you an example of answered prayer, reading to you these words from a wonderful American couple–Mike and Lori–who are there full-time, working with our partners there in Southeast Asia. We’ll be working there with Mike and Lori and I thought you might enjoy this excerpt from a recent update they sent. Mike writes:
If there’s one thing we constantly pray for, it’s for God’s Spirit to be poured out among the people groups of Southeast Asia, so that large numbers of people here will come to saving faith in Christ. We recently heard of such a movement of God’s Spirit in a neighboring country. Our team trekked 2 hours into the jungle to meet with these new believers and learned firsthand how it happened.
One of the young men from this remote mountain village had gone on a trip to a nearby country. There he heard the Truth of the Gospel for the first time. When he returned to his home village, he taught his friends and family about his new faith and 600 professed faith in Jesus! When our team asked them what they needed right now, they said that they have been praying for a guitar so they could write songs to worship the Lord in their own language. Having brought a guitar on this trip, our team presented it to them as a gift. We rejoice with them and pray for their faith to grow, especially as they experience more answered prayers.
And so our team asks that you hold us up in prayer as we travel and proclaim the Good News of the Gospel to the Isan peoples of Southeast Asia.
Now, have you found 1 Peter, chapter 1? Last week we left off at verse 12 and so we’ll pick up at verse 13.
Please stand in honor of the reading of the Word of God.
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
Pray.
Introduction:
The message this morning is entitled, “Don’t Just Stand There, Do Something!” There is a wrong idea of Christianity that says that the path to peace with God is a passive path, a path in which one simply sits still or stands still and–to use the popular phrase–one is to simply, “Let go and let God.” And the idea, is that if we’ll just sort of sit still and experience God, experience feelings of goodness and soak in all these supposedly good, spiritual vibes we will awaken to a peaceful existence.
But the Christian life is anything but passive. The Christian life is active. The New Testament often describes the Christian life in active, athletic terms. The Christian life is described in the New Testament as a race, a fight, military struggle, and a boxing match. The Christian life is not passive. It is active.
So if we were ever under the impression that Christianity is about just being still and, “Let go and let God,” Peter says, in essence, “There are some things you need to be doing” and he tells us today what those things are.
Now, let’s look more closely at the text beginning at verse 13. Peter begins a new thought here with the word, “Therefore.” And we know that the word “therefore” is a transitional word. It’s a word that bridges that which precedes it to that which follows. That’s why I often say that when we read a verse that begins with the word, “Therefore” we should ask, “What is the ‘Therefore’ there for?”
We look at the verses before verse 13 and we recall that Peter has been describing the greatness of the Christian’s salvation. Verses 3-12 are one long, run-on sentence in the original. You look back at verses 3 and following and you recall all the wonderful things God has done. In fact, it really begins back up in verse 2 where Peter reminds Christians that God chose them, uniquely called them to this salvation, the biblical term is there in verse 2, “Elect,” elect according to the foreknowledge of God. God knew us and, in His great love, He chose us to be saved. What an incredibly gracious gift!
So our blessings begin there. The Christian is uniquely loved of God, elect, called to salvation a salvation of grace and mercy–verse 3–according to His abundant mercy God has begotten us again.” God birthed us again. He gave us life. Peter describes this new life in verse 3 as, “a living hope.” Verse 4–Peter writes that God has given Christians “an inheritance,” an, “incorruptible and undefiled” inheritance, and inheritance “that does not fade away.” It is “reserved in heaven” for the Christian. Then verse 5–sustains the Christian’s faith, “kept by the power of God thorough faith.” Verses 6-9, we may go through difficulties and trials, but God is making our faith strong as we grow in our salvation. Then Peter says in verses 10-12 that this is a salvation “the prophets” of the Old Testament studied, a salvation so wonderful, says Peter at the end of verse 12, that these are “things which angels desire to look into.”
Then, Peter says in verse 13, “Therefore.” That is, in light of all the manifold blessings here’s how to live, and then he gives an imperative command: “Rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you.” So the logical flow of his thinking is:
Since God has chosen you, since God has given you a living hope, since God has saved you, since God has extended to you abundant mercy, since God has given you and inheritance, since God will see that you keep on trusting Him so that you will receive that inheritance, since God is strengthening your faith, since God has given you a wondrous kind of salvation the angels wish they were in on–since God has done all this for you who deserved nothing but His wrath, since God has done this for you–here is how you are now to live. Feel that?
Peter wants you to feel the weight of all that great theology before you start trying to do anything. He reminds Christians who they are and what they have before he tells them what to do. Grammatically speaking, the indicatives–who you are in Christ–are the foundation of the imperatives–what you do in Christ. Being leads to doing. So God’s commands are rooted in God’s grace.
The danger of failing to understand that God’s commands are rooted in His grace is that we might become legalistic, religious people who are forever seeking God’s approval by our doing, by our obedience. And we’ll live this slavish sort of life–and some of you may have come from churches like this–where it was preached to you all the time, “Do this and don’t do that” and you thought that Christianity was this religious system of rules and you felt as though the only way you could gain God’s approval was by doing this stuff, keeping these rules. That is not Christianity.
God’s commands are always rooted in His grace. Peter reminds Christians first that God approves of them because of who they are in Christ. God accepts Christians not on the basis of their performance, but on the basis of Christ’s righteousness. Since God has given this salvation, since God has begotten us to a living hope, and since God has given us an inheritance–then–here’s how to live. God’s commands are always rooted in His grace.
So–verse 13–“Therefore..gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you”
Now we’re going to break this down and talk about what these words mean, but I want you to see that the main verb here in verse 13 is the verbal phrase, “Rest your hope fully upon the grace.” So, if you’re outlining, write this down, number one:
Be known for your Hope (13-14)
“Rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you.”
Do you remember when we defined the word “hope” as it occurs in the New Testament? Back when we were in verse 3 we read that God, “has begotten us again to a living hope.” We said that the word “hope” in the New Testament is not like the way we use it in contemporary English. Remember the example: “Will the sermon be over by the end of the hour?” And someone says, “I hope so!” Well, that usage conveys an uncertainty. The preacher may be finished in an hour, he may not. It’s uncertain.
But in the New Testament, the word “hope” conveys a future event you can bank on. And you believe in that. Hope is like faith. You know it is certain. It will happen. The God who always keeps His Word will do just as He has said. That’s New Testament hope.
So Peter says in verse 13 to be known for your hope. Specifically he says, “Rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
A fair paraphrase would be, “Christians: Live, knowing what the future holds.” Live knowing what the future holds for you. Christ will return and you will receive the fullness of the grace you now enjoy in part. There are many more blessings you will receive, a storehouse of more, undeserved blessings that will be yours when Christ returns. Live for that, resting in that, live knowing what the future holds for you.
Given that Peter has just been talking about times of trials and adversity, the idea seems to be that though Christians face challenges and difficulties and many injustices as they sojourn through this world, one day they will be in a far greater place where justice is served in every way.
It’s like that old Gospel song, “Farther Along, We’ll Know All About It.”
“Faithful till death,” says our loving Master;
Short is our time to labor and wait;
Then will our toiling seem to be nothing,
When we shall pass the heavenly gate.
So do you live your life that way? Are you known as a Christian full of hope?
If not, it may be because of a failure to do a couple of other things Peter says are necessary if we’re going to rest our hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to us. See, this main verbal phrase has two actions subordinate to it. Look again at verse 13 and note how we rest our hope in grace. Verse 13 begins, “Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind.” What does that mean?! That sounds strange, doesn’t it?
This is a phrase that doesn’t make much sense until we remember the day in which Peter was writing, a day when men wore these long outer garments. And so, whenever they were about to do some kind of work, or if they were going to be running, they would bunch up that garment to free their legs. They would bring it up and tuck it in like one tucks in a shirt or one tucks a garment into a girdle, you know. And so, “Gird up the loins of your mind.” It’s like we say, “Hey, roll up your sleeves and get to work.” Peter says, “Roll up the shirt-sleeves of your mind.” Prepare your minds for action (NIV).
The point is, “You’ll never be able to be a person full of hope if you don’t discipline the thinking of your mind.” You’ll never be able to live for the future, believing, trusting, resting in the promises of God if you don’t discipline your mind.”
See we don’t just zone-out and, “Let go and let God.” No, we must prepare our minds for action, we must think the right way and thinking requires effort, work, and discipline.
I had a 7th Grade teacher in middle school who taught this class, “You Are What You Eat.” It was a nutrition class and we learned that what we “take into” our mouths leads to the kinds of bodies we have. In general if you eat healthy foods, you will be healthy. If you eat unhealthy foods, you will be unhealthy. This is like what Peter is saying when he says, “Gird up the loins of your mind.” If you discipline your thinking, taking-in for example, 1 Peter 2:2, “the pure milk of the Word,” then you will grow spiritually healthy. On the other hand, if you don’t discipline your thinking and allow your mind to wander into the realm of impurities and temptations, then you will be spiritually unhealthy. You are what you, “eat.”
See, the second action is similar. Peter says in verse 13, “Gird up the loins of your mind, (and) be sober.” He’s talking about spiritual sobriety. He’s talking about thinking in a way that keeps the focus upon God and our love for Him, living for the future when Christ will be revealed.
So we should let go of all the junk that clutters our mind. We should get rid of anything that numbs our spiritual sensitivities. So let me ask you, “What numbs your mind, creating spiritual dullness? What do you allow your mind to “drink in” the way an alcoholic drinks in alcohol that deadens his sensitivities? It may be the stuff of your pre-Christian life, stuff you’ve gone back to revisit. Verse 14:
14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
Peter is saying, “Don’t allow your minds to be cluttered with the lusts of your former life before you were saved, before you were “begotten again to a living hope.” It’s very similar to what Paul says in Romans 12:2: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,”
Peter says, “Look, get your mind in order. Don’t allow stuff into your head that will desensitize you to the things of God. Don’t allow stuff to creep into your mind that numbs you spiritually the way a drunk person is numbed by alcohol.” Worldly attractions are like chloroform that dull the spiritual senses and lull the believer to sleep.
Be sober. Don’t let your eyes be blurred by the worldly temptations to sin. Don’t allow anything to dim your passion for God.
What kinds of things may enter into your thinking that would desensitize you to the things of God? What are some of your former lusts? What did you used to “drink in” to your life? What do you now indulge in the way an alcoholic indulges in drink? What do you allow into your undisciplined mind?
Sexual lust, ungodly anger, lying, dishonesty, impurity, activities that rob your love for God: hobbies, job, pastimes, things that cause you to delight more in them and spend more time in them than time pursuing a passionate life for God. Maybe it’s a love for things you buy and clutter your home with, a relationship you place before your relationship with God. In my notes I wrote down this prayer, let me encourage you to write it down:
“Help me discipline my mind, letting go of things that desensitize me.”
Here’s another prayer:
“Help me hope fully in the grace of God, living for the future.”
Be known for your hope. The second main heading is:
II. Be Known for Your Holiness (15-16)
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
Peter quotes from Scripture there in verse 16. In more than one place in the Book of Exodus, God says, “Be holy, for I am holy (Leviticus 11:44-45).”
Peter is stressing holiness as it is contrasted with worldliness. God is holy. He is “set apart” from the things of the world. In this sense, then, so should Christians be “set apart” from the things of the world.
Peter has in view here the idea of imitation. He has referred to Christians back in verse 14 as “obedient children.” He will go on in verse 17 to talk about “call(ing) on the Father.” And in-between he writes in verses 15 and 16 that we are to be holy as our Father is holy. We are to imitate His holiness.
There are times when I will hook up my computer to my television. I am doing this so that what I see on the computer may be seen on the television monitor. My computer has this setting called, “Mirroring.” You click on it if you want to enable “mirroring.” So what you see on the one screen is also seen on the other screen. The second screen “mirrors” or “reflects” the first screen. This is what Peter is talking about. He wants us to “mirror” our heavenly Father so that what is seen in Him may be seen in us.
Remember Peter is addressing these Christians who are suffering persecution and what he says to them is not, “Hey, it’s going to be all right, hang in there.” Rather He says, “Be holy!” The best way to get through anything in life is to be like your Lord, conformity to the image of God’s Son (Romans 8:29). That’s God’s purpose for you, conformity to the image of God’s Son. Nothing prepares you for hard days and difficulties like conformity to your Savior, reflecting and mirroring the things of God.
So to “be holy as God is holy” means to mirror Him. His focus is our focus. His interests are our interests. His purposes are our purposes. We delight in Him more than we delight in our former lusts.
“To be holy as God is holy” is more than just avoiding sin. It’s bigger than that. The way we avoid sin and temptation is to have an all-consuming desire and passion for God. We endeavor to delight in Him more than anything else. If we can get that right, imitating God, focusing upon God, delighting in God, mirroring and reflecting God, then avoiding sin is just the natural byproduct. Avoiding sin is the natural result of a life that delights in God.
We often go about holiness the wrong way and we fail miserably. We say, “Well, holiness means to be separate, to be set apart, so don’t do this and don’t do that.” But without a life of love for God, delighting in God, mirroring God, all we have, then, is harsh legalism: Don’t do this, don’t do that. Instead, we should as obedient children love our Father, love God, delight in God, pursue God, and the avoidance of sin and former lusts becomes the natural byproduct.
See when we sin what we have done is we have committed idolatry. We have said, “I love this more than I love God.” That’s it. So to avoid sin is to fill our hearts and minds with love, adoration, and delight in our Father.
Here’s another prayer I wrote down in my notes. Write this down:
“Help me imitate my heavenly Father, loving and delighting in Him.”
I mentioned not long ago about the need to exercise as we get older if we hope to maintain muscle mass. I said I look at some of these young guys who work out at the gym and they have muscles in places I don’t have places. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just go to the gym and just sit down in there and you didn’t have to do anything and your muscles just naturally developed?! Crazy, isn’t it? But that’s how many people try to live the Christian life. They say, “Just let go and let God.” But if that’s all you do, your going to get spiritually lazy and weak. You’re going to find things creeping into your mind, creeping into your thinking, turning you away from love for God, trying to keep you from mirroring Him, reflecting Him, living for Him.
Peter says in these verses be known as a person of hope, full of hope, and be known as a person of holiness. The Christian life is not passive. It is active. It requires effort and discipline. May God help each of us to be so disciplined this week.
Stand for prayer.
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