Let me love thee more and more
till this fleeting life is over." That's what we want to do, isn't
it? Go with me back to 1 Peter 1. In love with the word of God.
And especially this chapter. I love this chapter. I hope we
don't leave chapter first Peter one. For the rest of the ministry,
we'll just stay in first Peter one. Don't you love everything
he mentions? Glorious election. Abundant mercy, lively hope. In verse nine, receiving the
end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. As we read on down into the chapter,
I believe we can understand more of what the end of verse 12 says,
which things the angels desire to look into. It's so precious to them. It's
just so precious to them. The angels are taken with the
subject of our salvation. They're just taken with it. Down
in verse 18, it says, for as much as you know that you were
not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot." This precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ
who is without blemish and without spot. The angels love him. I mean, they love him. They love him so much. They serve him with gladness. Their entire existence is given
to and focused on doing his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of
his word, their entire existence. While they are executing the
charge that has been given to him, he'll give his angels charge
over you. Station them with you. And while
they're executing the charge, they are constantly beholding
his face. Constantly. He is there all. I mean, he's there all. He is
their all. For them to know that He redeemed
sinful men and women, the one who is their all, for all the
angels in heaven, there's only one thing that matters. There's
only one person that matters. All of heaven is pointing to
and looking at one man. And for them to know that this
one sinless, spotless man redeemed sinful men and women. Not with
all the silver. He has all the silver. Not with
all the gold. All the gold in the hills is
His. Not with anything else that heaven has. For them to know
that He did not just make the payment, but that He was the
payment. I mean, the object of all their
desire. to know that he was the actual
payment, for them to know that he emptied his own blood. They dwell on the fact that he
emptied himself. The one that they love to just
hear his voice. I can't wait to hear his voice.
I know for a fact, no one and nothing will ever get tired of
hearing his voice. It'll never grow old. Never. Everything he says, they love
to hear his voice. They love to behold his face.
They love to get a commandment from him. They're ready and waiting.
What would you have me to do? Love the fact that he is their
God. He's the angel's God. He's our
ruler. That's our king. Our life, our
all. For them to know that he, because
of his love for his elected, chosen, particular centers, he
emptied himself of everything but that love. emptied his life,
emptied his own justification, emptied his own sanctification,
emptied his own righteousness, all of that blood and water poured
out of him. And for those angels to watch
a man, a man named Joseph of Arimathea, They watched this
man go up and humbly beg a mere mortal named Pilate if he could
have the body. This lifeless, bloodless body. The body of the one who's the
glory of heaven. All of that now being given,
that life and that blood being given to sinners who did not
deserve it. All of those angels hover over
and they watch Joseph of Arimathea and this other dear man named
Nicodemus wrap his glorious body in fine linen and spices. And they watch them lay him in
a tomb and seal it with a stone. For every one of those angels
to hear and experience and feel silence
in heaven. And then for the charge to come,
go roll the stone away. And there he is. There he comes. Walking right out of his tomb.
Out walks their God. Now with a completely redeemed
number of saints, not sinners, saints that no man can number. Now, because of that, us bearing
his image, the one they love. Us now through that death he
suffered. Us being vitally united to him. They see our vital union with
him. After all that, the angels can't
help it. They love us with all of their
hearts. They love us with all their hearts.
They love us in him. They love us for Christ's sake. Every angel in glory cries. Any soul that he loves, we love. His love is our love, and they
are so excited. They are so excited for our redemption. So excited they are not all knowing
like he is. This is important. They are not
all knowing like he is. No one is all knowing but him. They're in the same boat we are.
They do not know how many souls got elected. They do not know
who all they are. They do not know how much longer
this earth is going to continue. No, no man knows that. But the
father, which is in heaven, no, not even the angels. Just like us. They are so excited
and so surprised. Every time they see a new member
of the body of Christ. They love the body of Christ. And every time God reveals one
more, they all cry, glory to God, there's one more, just like
us. Glory to God, there's one more. They are currently looking into these things with
excitement and joy, listening to the gospel as it's preached,
knowing it's the power of God unto salvation. And they are
wondering who God is going to save next. If the earth is still
going, there's at least one more. Who's it going to be? And every
time it happens. All right now. That's salvation. That's a work that he does. Verse 13 says. Wherefore. Understanding that, with that
being said, wherefore, therefore, gird up the loins of your mind. Us knowing this, us understanding
a little small glimpse of what God has done for us. what he
did for us on that cross, what he has prepared for us, what
the whole kingdom of heaven is along with us waiting for, that
final gathering of all the souls. Gird up the loins of your mind,
be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought
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 then he sums all of that
up by saying in verse 17, if you call on the Father, who without
respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work past the
time of your sojourning here in fear." Fear the Lord. Wherefore, fear the Lord. Fear the Lord. Give Him the fear
and the reverence and the honor that He deserves. This is an
exhortation. This is a call to be children
of God, followers of Christ. And I sincerely pray the Lord
would apply this to me. I beg him to apply this to me.
Our children owe us respect. As God's children, we owe him
the exact same thing. We owe him respect. We owe him
honor. The apostle Paul said, we are
ambassadors of him. As his people, we represent him
in the earth. We bear his name. Everything
we just read right there is a real exhortation. That's a real exhortation
for us. May the Lord really enable us
to heed this and enter into this. Verse 13 says, wherefore gird
up the loins of your mind. Because of what Christ has done
for us, because of everything we have waiting for us, he said,
gird up the loins of your mind. Let's cause our minds, let's
cause them to be alert, ready, and sharp to the spiritual things
of God. Let's cause them to be. Let's wake ourselves up and make
our minds ready. I mean ready. I've told you this
before and you've experienced it. You've driven down the interstate
on a trip and it's getting late and you're getting tired and
you get to that point where you start to realize, I could fall
asleep. And what you do is you gird up
the loins of your mind. You make yourself ready for the
race that's set before you. Until I finish the course. Gird up was a phrase that back
then they knew what it meant well. They had these long robes,
that's what they wore, like gowns. And they were big, they got in
the way. When it was time to go to work, they would pull them
up and wrap them around their legs and tie them with a belt. They'd cinch them up with a rope
of some kind. And it didn't hinder them anymore. It's like they had shorts on
or something at that point. Everything was cinched up. And
they could work and not be hindered by it. Well, he's saying, let's
do that for our minds. Our minds are so hindered and
they're so cumbered about. They're so full. They're so full
of the things of this world. Let's, on purpose, with purpose,
dial them in and think on Him. Think on His Spirit. Think on
His Word. Think on His work. Think on His
return. Dwell on His return. Dwell on
His return. Just keep thinking about His
return. Let's not allow our minds to
just flow to and fro. No active restraint on our part. Let's gird them up. Gird them
up. Let's look. Let's watch. Let's wait actively. Actively, let's sit still and
rest and wait as hard as we can. As fervently as we can. On the
night of the Passover. They were to sit in their houses
and eat the Passover. And that Passover was their salvation.
He said, when I see the blood of that lamb, I'll pass over
you. That was their salvation, the lamb slain, the sacrifice.
But God said to them, while you sit there, I want your loins
to be girt. I want shoes on your feet and
your staff in your hand. You're coming out of this place.
I'm telling you, you're coming out of this place. Look with
me at Luke 12. Luke 12 verse 35. Let your loins be girded about
and your lights burning. And you yourselves like unto
men that wait for their Lord when he will return from the
wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto
him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom
the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. Verily I say unto
you that he shall gird himself and make them to sit down to
meet and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come
in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find
them so, find them watching, and waiting, and looking, blessed
are those servants. And this know, that if the good
man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he
would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken
through. Be ye therefore ready also. Watch like that. For the Son
of Man cometh at an hour when you think not." When do you think
he's coming back? Oh, that's a long way away. Well, if that's what you think,
it's not gonna be when we think. He's coming when we think not. He said, I'm coming quickly.
I'm coming quickly any minute. That's as true and real a statement
as I can make. Keep that right in the front
of your minds. Keep it right in the front of
your minds. At all times, remember, any minute. Any minute. It's any minute. Go with me back to 1 Peter 1. Verse 13 says, Wherefore gird
up the loins of your mind, be sober. That means exactly what
it sounds like it means. Let's not let anything numb us. Let's not become insensitive,
desensitized, unaware to the urgency and the vitalness of
the one and only thing that is needful. Look with me over at
first Peter five, verse eight. Be sober, be vigilant because
your adversary, the devil, the devil as a roaring lion walketh
about seeking whom he may devour. That's a real exhortation. Be
sober, be vigilant. Verse 9 says, whom resist steadfast. How do I do that? How on this
earth do I do that? How does a weak, defenseless,
incapable sheep be sober and be vigilant and resist the adversary? Verse 9 says, in the faith. That means run to Christ. Run to Christ. Look to Christ. Cry out to Him for help. That's
what it is to be sober. It's to not have impaired vision. See nothing but Christ. It's
to not have an impaired walk. Don't stumble here and stumble
there. Run directly to Christ. Let's be sober. Sober. Back in chapter 1, verse 13 says, Wherefore, gird up the loins
of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that
is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Hope to the end. Hope all the
way up to the point he reveals himself for all to see. Hope
to the end. Peter is not saying we have the
ability to keep ourselves. If you don't keep hoping, you're
not going to make it. He's not saying that. In this
very chapter, he says in verse 5, we are kept by the power of
God. God keeps his people. The fact of the matter is this
is the truth. This is just This is the truth. The fact of the matter is, those
who are kept by the power of God have a fervent, desperate
need and desire to keep on. Those who are kept need it. They desire it, it's life and
death to them, to keep on. Religion is so full of people
who, they just let their robes flow. They just let it flow. They just mosey in, they just
mosey out. They're not at all worried, they're
not bothered, they're not anxious over whether or not they're gonna
be kept. I'm sure it's gonna be fine. That's a dangerous place to be.
Paul told the Thessalonians, let's not sleep as do others. Let's gird up our minds, be sober
and hope to the end, all the way to the end. Go back a few
pages to Hebrews chapter three. Hebrews three, verse six. But
Christ as a son over his own house, whose house are we if
we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm
unto the end. Is he saying that's the condition?
Nope, that's the evidence. That's the evidence. Press toward
the mark. Press toward the mark. Back in
first Peter one. Verse 13 says, wherefore gird
up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end for
the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of
Jesus Christ as obedient children. Ephesians 2 talks about the children
of disobedience. Colossians 3 talks about the
children of disobedience. He's saying we've been quickened
from that. We've been called to obedience. Is he saying that so that we
can somehow clinch our salvation? Salvation is clinched. Salvation
is clinched. In Christ, we're his children.
In Christ, we are his children. These things are not to decide
whether or not we're going to be his children. In Christ, we
are his children. And we ought to be obedient children.
We just ought to be obedient children. That's not unreasonable. All children ought to be obedient
children. All children. Thank God our obedience
to his law that was satisfied in him. He is our obedience. to the law of God. He obeyed
that for us. Our obedience to him is just
a loving and a thankful response for that. Thankful, so thankful
that he was obedient for us. Verse 14, as obedient children,
not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust in your ignorance. The former things that we all
did in our ignorance. Did anybody do anything that
was ignorant in your former days? I didn't. No, I'm just kidding. All of our ignorance. So much
ignorance. Go with me to Romans 12. Romans 12 verse 1 says, I beseech
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which
is your reasonable service. He's not saying that's a requirement
for salvation. Salvation is complete. He said
that's our reasonable service. Verse two, and be not conformed
to this world. But be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God. Be not conformed to this
world, he said. What a wonderful exhortation. Be not conformed to this world.
Whatever this world does, let's not do it. Whatever this world
looks like, let's not look like it. Whatever this world sounds
like, let's not sound like it. How is that even possible when
in our flesh we are the world? How is that possible? With man, it's impossible. But with God, all things are
possible. He said, my people are not of
this world and I'm going to keep them from it. I'm gonna keep
him from it. If he keeps me, if he conforms
me into his image, that's him conforming me into his image.
But Lord, conform us. Begin the work here. Lord, help
us, keep us, hedge us about, draw us near to you. If you do it, we'll be hedged
about and kept. That's the only hope we have
of it, is if he'll do it. Back in 1 Peter verse 13 says, Wherefore gird up the loins of
your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that
is to be brought 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. Holy means pure. It means right. It means sanctified,
set apart. We don't see anything pure and
right in this flesh when we look at it. But do you know that God
says in Christ, we are pure and right? In Him, we're complete. In Him, we're holy. We're washed. We're sanctified. We are set
apart. That's what it means. Set apart. Be separate. That's what He's
saying. As I am separate, be ye separate. And that's a comforting
notification more than a call to do. He's saying, as I am,
so are you. We can't separate ourselves from
sin. That's a work only He can do,
but because He did it, because He pulled us out, He separated
us unto Himself, He's saying, desire to remain right there.
Put off the old man, come out from among them, be you separate. Verse 17, and if you call on
the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according
to every man's work." All of God's people were judged according
to their work. All of God's people. Every single
one was judged according to their work. Do you know what work that
was? The work Christ gave them. All of them were judged. He took
our work for His own. He was judged according to our
work on His record. He gave us His work, and we were
judged according to His work on our record. Every single one
of us. Because of that, because we were
judged in Him, because our redemption is ordered, it's sure, and it
draws nigh. It's drawing nigh. Let's, as verse 17 says, the
end of it, pass the time of our sojourning here in fear. That's the conclusion. Let's
fear him. Let's reverence him. Let's bow before him. Look for
him. Keep looking for him. Keep looking
for him. Keep looking for him. Wait for
him. You know, like a Man and a woman
are in love, and the man has to go off into the service and
go across seas, and the woman says, I'll wait for you. Wait
for him. Nobody but you. Wait for him. Look for him. Hope in him. Obey him. Be separate with him. That sounds wonderful. That sounds
wonderful. Nothing else I'd rather be than
separate with him. May the Lord enable us to do
all these things. Stand together with me.