One will be looking at verses
13 to 17, and I've named the message in exhortation and exhortation. First, Peter, chapter one. Versus
13 to 17. Wherefore, gird up your law up
the loins of your mind, be sober. and hope to the end for the grace
that is bought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As
obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former
lusts in your ignorance, but as He which hath called you is
holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, because it is
written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. And if you call on the
Father, who without respect a person judges according to every man's
work past the time of your sojourning here in fear." So here in the
text before us we have an exhortation to the saints of God who are
suffering for their faith and we know that from our previous
studies that the saints that Peter's writing to are suffering
for their faith and they're strangers in this world of woe and they're
on the journey to a better country as we have looked at in our past
studies. And note our text starts with wherefore, which ties into
verse 12, is since you are so highly favored. Now we have to
tie this into all the texts before too. Since you are so highly
favored to be a witness and a recipient of all the great things that
the prophets spoke of in the Messiah. and talked about and
hope for and inquired into. Since you have had those that
that great mystery revealed to you that the angels desire to
look into, consider the following. Apply your mind and heart diligently
to those things that we have in Christ. Be sober, take them
seriously, take the gospel seriously, takes the take the things of
Christ seriously. Seriously. Setting your full hope on the
grace that is yours in Christ. Look to him and him alone. Constantly
look to him. No matter what you're going through.
Keep your eyes focused upon him. Live as obedient children of
God. Do not conform your lives to the world with its vanities
and lusts, which governed us before we were saved. That's
how we were before we were saved. And we all struggle with sin,
don't we? Every single one of us in this room struggle with
sin. Sister, we talked about that this week. It's hard. And
we look at ourselves and go, why do I sin so much? But think
of this, and this will bring your heart joy. Were you conscious
of sin before you were saved? Not at all, were we? But now
that we're saved, oh, we hate it, don't we? And we hate it
more in ourselves than anyone else. And so we all struggle
with sin. All of us. All of us. So with
that in mind, let us consider our text. And remember that we
have seen in our past studies that Peter has had the saints
look to the past, to the present, and to the future. Always keeping
their eyes upon Christ. Always keeping their eyes upon
Christ and Christ alone. and how full of the Lord were
the minds of these holy writers. And therefore they exhort us
to keep our minds upon Christ. As we see that believers that
Peter is writing to suffered through the same things that
we do, that we do. Persecuted for their faith by
family and friends, sometimes even to death. sometimes even
to death. They struggled just like us,
just like us. So what comfort we can glean
now today, what comfort we can glean from these precious scriptures. Turn, if you would, to Titus
chapter two, Titus chapter two. Beloved, we're in a spiritual
war. We are in a spiritual war. And this teaching is needed today
just as much as it was in Peter's day when he penned it up, penned
to the to the believers here, gird up the loins of your minds.
Brace yourselves, beloved. Be firm, consistent, determined,
keeping our eyes fixed upon Christ with an undivided heart. Look
at Titus chapter 2, verses 12 to 15, teaching us that denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously
and godly in this present world. Looking for that blessed hope
and the glorious appearing of the great God and Savior, and
our savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that we
might redeem, that he might redeem us, sorry, from all iniquity
and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority,
let no man despise thee. But notice he says in verse 12,
teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should
live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world.
Back in biblical times when they were going to travel, they would
gird up their long-flowing clothes. They would gird up their long-flowing
clothes so that it didn't impede their walk. It didn't impede
them. It might not deter them in their
travels. Beloved of God, we are pilgrims.
We are pilgrims on our way to our inheritance, on our way to
glory. Therefore, let us gird up the
loins of our minds, our thoughts, like they did in biblical times,
so they did not impede their walk. So let us gird up our minds
so that we do not impede our walk with the Lord. We are not
to be swept away by some new teaching. We are to be sober
and to hope to the end. And again, our hope is in Christ,
isn't it? Our hope is in Christ, in Christ
alone. Therefore, we are to hope to the end and be calm and confident
in Christ. We are to be sober. This speaks
of wakefulness. Wakefulness in the Greek. Being
a condition of wakefulness. We wouldn't make that for sober,
would we? But that's what that's what the underlying Greek word
is. Wakefulness. So Peter exhorts
us, let us watch and be sober. Let us watch and be sober again.
We're not to be swept away by by new teachings that come along.
No, no. We trust Christ and we rest in
his blessed gospel. Notice the wonderful words in
verse 13 here. Notice the wonderful words in
verse 13. For the grace that is to be bought
onto you. For the grace that is to be bought
unto you. Grace is now brought to light
for the believer by the Holy Spirit of God through the preaching
of the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ. And
we know that Christ must reveal Himself or we'll never know Him. We'll never know Him. It's been
brought to us, beloved. The grace of God in Christ is
now brought to light by the gospel. but home to the souls of God's
elect through the preaching of the gospel. Electing grace, redeeming
grace, justifying grace, pardoning grace, adopting grace, and the
fact that salvation is all of grace, is all revealed by the
Holy Spirit of God to the believer through the preaching of the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a revelation. He must reveal
himself. He must reveal himself or we'll
never, ever know him. It's a revelation of the glory
of his person and his offices. Think about what you thought
about Christ before the Lord saved you. And think of what
you know about him now. You who are redeemed. It's incredible. It's absolutely incredible. And the believer is taught of
God. Taught of God. taught of God. He's been manifested to us. Laid
open to view life and immortality are bought to light through Christ,
the way to eternal life, only in Christ salvation, only in
Christ, all bought to life, all set before the saints in the
gospel by the Holy Spirit of God, bought unto you, bought
unto you who believe. What a privilege, what an honor
for the saints of God. We who are born again by the
Holy Spirit of God hope in Christ, trusting Him to the end as He
is the one who keeps us. And note that our salvation in
Christ is called grace and hope to the end for the grace that
is bought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Note that our
salvation is called grace because it's free. It's a free gift of
God through Christ to his children. His flock. It's been bought before
us. And all this also speaks of the
second coming of Christ when it says here, bought onto you
at the revelation of Jesus Christ, speaks of the second coming of
Christ when Christ shall be revealed from heaven, when he shall appear
a second time. And He alone is the object of
our hope, isn't He? He alone. We have an inheritance
in Him, laid up and reserved for us in glory through Him.
And think about this, as we gird up our minds in Christ, are we
to be afraid or timid about professing our faith in Christ? Are we to be afraid or timid
about professing our faith in Christ? the elect of God, proclaim the mercy that we have
in Christ Jesus our Lord. And by the resurrection of the
Lord Jesus Christ, we've been begotten. He's begotten us again
into a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
We who are redeemed of the Lord are twice born people. Twice
born people. Born in our birth naturally,
and born again by the Holy Spirit of God. May we gird up our minds,
be watchful, live soberly, hoping in Christ until the end. And
we are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,
ready to be revealed at the last time. If the power of God keeps
me, shall I be hopeless? No. What a hope I have. Above all, all we believers have
such a hope. What a hope we have in Christ.
Shall we live like one hopeless? No, no. Shall I speak like one
that has no hope to rejoice in? No. No, we proclaim Christ and
Christ alone in the wondrous things that he's done amidst
all the trials and tribulations of this life. We cling to our
blessed savior, beloved the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Christian
life is not an easy life. Brother John, I've talked about
that before. It's not an easy life. When a Christian is saved,
he buckles in because it's it's going to come. Things are going
to come. He didn't even expect he or she.
Number one, the mourning over our sin. The realization of how
sinful we really are. And the battle that's just begun. The battle that's just begun.
But praise God, our mighty Savior keeps us. He keeps us. Praise be to God, we have a wonderful,
merciful Savior who said, I'll never leave you, nor forsake
you. And he sustains us all through
the battles of this life. So we are exhorted to gird up
the loins of our mind. We are to be earnest in our walk,
sober, which again in the Greek means to be calm and collected
in spirit, temperate, temperate. Then we are to hope to the end,
which means we wait with joy and full confidence, trusting
in Christ and Christ alone. Though we have conflict in this
life, and we have a lot, don't we? We have a lot. We battle our flesh, don't we?
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. And every one
of us can say amen to that, can't we? Every one of us. Every one
of us. Though we have conflict in this
life, at death, the believer enters into rest. Rest. being in the presence of
the Lord. Therefore, while we are here
on earth, let us gird up the loins of our minds. Oh, Lord
Jesus, give us strength. Give us strength to gird up our
minds, to gird up our minds. Let us also be sober and not
be taken away with the things of this world. Lord, keep us
looking to you. This is the believers cry. Keep
us looking to you. You who are the joy of our salvation,
our hope, our Lord, our God, and our Redeemer. May the grace
of God rule in our hearts that we may be peaceful and not troubled
with the things that occur in this world. And what a hope we have in Christ.
We know that his will will be accomplished. Therefore, we can
rest and trust in God's word which tells us this is so. We
don't get troubled by the things that happen in the world a whole
lot, do we? Because we know it's all unfolding
just as God has ordained. All according to his will. And
other people look at us and go, how can you be so calm amidst
all this stuff? Well, I know who's in control.
The one who saved me. The one who's redeemed me. my
Savior and my God. He's in absolute control. So
let your hope be in Christ, not the fleeting things of the world,
as they will perish. But our Lord and his salvation
is eternal, eternal. Bless God and praise his name
for the grace which you have received, the grace which has
come unto you. And for also praise his name for that which he has
in store for you. Let us never forget that to an eternity with
him and glory. Sinless. Sinless. Absolutely sinless, we can't
even fathom that, but it's true. Absolutely. What a glorious time
that will be when we can worship our God and worship our king,
along with all the other blood washed saints. sinless. My goodness, my goodness. Let's look at the next few verses
here is obedient children, not fashion yourselves according
to the former lust in your ignorance. Now, Poole brings forth that
in the Greek it is the children of obedience by a usual Hebraism
for obedient children. We contrast this here. So as
obedient children, Contrast that with Ephesians chapter 2 turn
if you would Ephesians chapter 2 and we see a contrast here
Now we were once the children of disobedience and the scriptures
going to tell us this in Ephesians 2 But now is obedient children
as as pool brings forth children of obedience And it's it's by
a Hebraism that they used to use for obedient children so
contrast this with the unsaved and with us in our unregenerate
state and where we're called the children of disobedience.
Beloved, let us never forget the rock that we were hewn from.
Where were we hewn from? We were children of disobedience.
That's the rock we were hewn from. Just like everybody else. But
God had chosen us in eternity. And look at this Ephesians chapter
two verses one to five and you have the quick and that means
we're born again by the Holy Spirit who were dead in trespasses
and sins. Now, this this is a great verse
section of scripture to take people to prove that all men
are dead in trespasses and sins and all men are born dead in
trespasses and sins. who were dead in trespasses and
sins, where in times past ye walked according to the course
of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience."
There's the contrast. "...among whom also we had our
conversations in times past in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature
the children of wrath, even as others." Now look at verse 4. But God. Those are two wondrous words. But God, for every believer,
there's a time when but God, when God intervened in our lives. When he intervened in our lives,
because we'd never seek him, would we? We'd never search for
him. who's doing the work here, but
God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he
loved us, even when we were dead in sins, and that dead means
dead, that dead means graveyard dead. There's nothing you can do. Even
when we were dead, you see the fallacy of people saying, people
saying, God wants to save you all, you got to do it, it's all
up to you. How can you do that when you're
dead? How can you come to Christ when you're dead? You must be
born again. And when the Holy Spirit regenerates
us, we run to Christ, beloved. We're quickened. Just like the
scripture says at the very beginning of this chapter. Even when we
were dead in sins, hath quickened us together, there it is, born
again with Christ by grace, ye are saved. And again, he tells
us in eight and nine, we're not gonna go there, but he tells
us in eight and nine again, that you're saved by grace through
faith, and that not of yourselves, it's a gift of God, not of works,
lest any man should boast. Just in case we didn't understand
it in verse five there. Oh my, isn't it wonderful? Isn't
it wonderful? So let's go back to our text
there. It says, as obedient children, not fashion yourselves according
to the former lusts and your ignorance. So now we are children
of obedience rather than disobedience. Although we're still sinners,
beloved, we're still sinners. Now, fashioning in our text there
means not to conform ourselves to the world as we did in the
loss of the flesh. We now walk in newness of life.
We're new creatures in Christ. Now we still struggle with sin
and we still struggle with some of the things that we struggled
with before we were saved. But it doesn't have dominion
over us. Like it once did. Now we mourn over our sin. When
we never mourned before. Oh my. Oh my. Man in his natural state is in
a state of ignorance. Respecting the most important
of all subjects, the character and will of God. In our natural
state, we're in an absolute state of ignorance. Respecting the character and
will of God. Oh my. The believer does not
fashion himself, that is, regulate his conduct, form his character
according to the world. And the unsaved man does not
fashion himself or regulate his conduct from his character or
form his character according to the will of God, but according
to his lusts. And every believer can say, yeah,
we were there. We were there. The desires which are natural
to man, while they are unregenerate, are the principles which regulate
their conduct and form their character. One man loves pleasure. Another loves money. Another
loves power. Another loves fame. And they
become the ruling desire in that person's life. Lust in a man is the principle
which forms the character and guides the conduct in natural
man, in natural man. Now, the Christian being no longer in ignorance
to the character and will of God, but knowing and believing
the revelation of God through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Must
no longer permit their character to be fashioned by the desires
of the world. They've been delivered from them. All these sinful desires must
be mortified. They must cease to be the governing
principles in our lives. They must be subject to a higher
principle, the principle of submission of mind and heart to the will
of God. May God give us grace and strength
to do so. May he give us grace and strength
to do so. Look at verse 15. But as He which hath called you
is holy, so be you holy in all manner of conversation. Turn
if you would to Romans chapter 9 verse 11. This verse speaks
of God the Father who is the first cause of all things. The first cause of our calling
is ascribed to Him over in Romans chapter 9. For the children, Being not yet
born neither having done any good or evil Verse 11 that the
purpose of God according to election might stand not of works, but
of him that calleth But of him that calleth in an over in Galatians
chapter 1 it says this but when it pleased God Who separated
me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace? He's
the first cause of our calling. He's the first cause of all things. He's God. He's God. According to the holy one that
has called you, God, the father who has called called them called
the believers. Peter's right here, not merely
in an external way, but by the outward ministry of the word.
But internally, they're born again by the Holy Spirit of God.
They're called by with an effectual calling. powerfully by the Spirit
of God. He has called us to holiness
of life and conversation. Look at verse 16, because it
is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. Be ye holy, for I am holy. God is the source and fountain
of holiness. This is an argument which the
apostle knew would have weight with the persons who One commentator
said we're chiefly Jews scattered abroad among the Gentiles as
they valued the scriptures. They valued the truth of the
scriptures. The grace of God and calling the sinner is a powerful
reason for us to want to live a life which is pleasing to God.
We don't desire to live like we used to do. We don't. Sin
bothers us now. Again, it never used to. I ask
you this. I ask every one of us who are
here who are safe. I had an old grace preacher ask
me this one time, and it is marvelous. Do you sin more than you want
to? Yeah, we do, don't we? We don't desire to sin. We hate
it. But we're sinners, aren't we?
But one day, we will sin no more. Oh, my. Oh, my. Think of this. What great favor
has been shown to the believer in Christ? We have been called
affectionately by divine grace out of a state of sin and misery
into the possession of all blessings of the new covenant in Christ
Jesus, our Lord. Oh, how we long for that day
when we will be sinless and be in the presence of our great
God and King. Let us season our conversation
with grace and our lives with grace as we travel through this
wilderness of sin. And let us consider a precious
truth found in this verse. Be ye holy, for I am holy. Our
God is perfectly, unchangeably, eternally holy. Isn't that wonderful? That's our God, beloved. Oh,
and when we consider the holiness of God, it leaves us in awe.
We who love His name and adore His perfections give thanks at
the remembrance of His holiness. Oh, my. Leviticus, chapter 20,
verse 26, says this, and ye shall be holy unto me, for I, the Lord,
am holy and have severed you. Listen to that. Have severed
you from other people that you should be mine. Leviticus 20,
26. Let this sink in. I'm going to read this again.
When I read this verse, I said it. He severed us. were set apart,
were made holy in Christ, in Christ alone. And ye shall be
holy unto me, for I, the Lord, am holy and have severed you
from other people, that ye should be mine. Oh, my, we could just
sit there, couldn't we? That's wonderful. What precious
truth. And we can, every one of us who
are redeemed can look in our lives and we know people who
are our family members or our friends who do not know Christ. And what made us to differ from
all them? God who severed us. He called
us. He chose us. This is wonderful
truth from other people that ye should be mine. Oh my goodness, beloved, what
mercy and grace has been shown God's people. In Deuteronomy
7, verse 6, it says this, For thou art an holy people unto
the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen
thee to be a special people. Now this is speaking of Israel,
but we know Israel's a picture of the church. In the Old Testament,
for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. And it's only
because of him that we're holy in his eyes. The Lord thy God
hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself above all
people that are upon the face of the earth. Now think of that,
all the billions of people that are on this earth. And he's chosen you who are the
deity. My goodness. My goodness. A special people unto himself
above all people that are upon the face of the earth And we
know that there's nothing in us We know that it's all by his
sovereign grace and mercy Oh what a salvation this is turn
if you would to titus chapter 2 verse 14 And in light of those
two verses in the old testament, let's look at this one in the
new And this is penned by the inspiration of the holy spirit
of god And it's speaking of Christ who
died for us. Christ who died for us. Verse 14. Who gave Himself for
us. He gave Himself for His people.
He might redeem us. He purchased us by his precious
blood from all iniquity Remember we were dead and trespasses and
sins we were made alive were reborn again by the Holy Spirit
of God and Purify unto himself appeal your people zealous of
good works Ain't that wonderful a special people We don't feel
special, do we? Because we're sinners. But oh
my, in God's eyes. Oh, what a Savior. What a Redeemer. God is pure holiness, beloved. And the creature is holy only
so far as it is sanctified by God. The elect of God are sanctified
in Christ, We have no holiness of our own,
do we? We're sinners by birth, nature,
and choice, but we are made holy in our blessed Redeemer. This is pure grace, beloved.
pure grace. There is none as holy as Jehovah. He is glorious in holiness. Holy
and reverend is his name. Therefore, as the next verse
proclaims past the time of your sojourning here in fear, look
at verse 17. And if you call on the father
who without respect the person's judges, according to every man's
work past the time of your sojourning here in fear. We worship. Call. upon and fear our great
God and King, not with a slavish fear, but one of absolute reverence
in awe for who he is. In reverence, in awe that he's
even had mercy upon me. You not feel that redeemed to
the Lord, you who are blessed to the Lord, are you not in awe
that God had mercy upon you? My goodness. And if any man call
on the father who without respect persons judges according to every
man's work, pass the time of your joining here in fear. Therefore,
let us wait and watch with expectation as he which has begun a good
work in us will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. People
may sneer at our faith. They may say this and that about
us. But they will not do so when
the Lord Jesus Christ comes back in glory. No, they will be crying
for the mountains to fall upon them. And that great day will prove
out that the believers were wise and prudent only because we have
been made so by our great God and King, the Lord Jesus Christ. One day, beloved God, we will
be vindicated. And look at verse seven, seven
to nine to close. that the trial of your faith
being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though
it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor
and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom heaven not
seen ye love, in whom though now ye see him not yet believe,
and ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving
the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Bless his holy name. Heavenly
Father, we thank thee for the time that we've had together.
Oh, Lord, we pray that we would be ever watchful, that we would
guard up the loins of our minds. Oh, that we would keep our eyes
fixed upon the Lord, guide us, direct us, give us strength and
grace to make it through this world of woe, through the trials
and tribulations which come our way. We give you all the praise
and honor and glory in Jesus name.