LIVE YOUR LIFE PLEASING TO GOD

1 Peter 1:13-15 (King James Version)

  1. 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;

  2. As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

  3. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;


Introduction:

At the time Peter wrote this letter the believers were suffering terrible
persecution. They lost their homes, property, money, and possessions. They lost everything! They had pledged allegiance to Christ, and proclaimed redemption through His name. The people then were like the people today; they did not want to hear about right living and about total commitment to Christ, the Messiah. As a consequence the people turned with fury upon the Christians. The followers of Jesus found it necessary to flee from the fury of this persecution.

Peter wrote to encourage and strengthen these believers so they would not be tempted to return to the corruptions of the past. He gave four things to motivate them to live lives pleasing to God.

  1. They Must "Gird Up" The Loins Of Their Mind

    Look at 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 at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

    The people in Peter's day wore long robes down to their feet.
    Often these long robes got in the way as they tried to carry out the routine of living and working; so often they tucked up their skirts into their belts in readiness for action. Our equivalent would be, "Roll up your sleeves."

    Peter here suggests that we do the same thing: gird up all the loose
    thoughts and focus them on God’s redemption.
    To be successful every believer must control their thoughts and focus them on:

    2. whatsoever things are true
    whatsoever things are honest
    whatsoever things are just
    whatsoever things are pure
    whatsoever things are lovely
    whatsoever things are of good report (Phil.4: 8)

  2. They Must Be Obedient

    Look at verse 14-16 "As obedient children, and conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

    "It is not what men eat, but what they digest that makes them strong; not what we gain, but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read, but what we remember that makes us learned; not what we preach or pray, but what we practice and believe that makes us Christians."
    -- Frances Bacon,

  3. They Must Be Aware Of The Judgment

    Look at verse 17 "And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one‘s works, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;"

    All who serve the Master must remember that some day an impartial God will judge their works. It is therefore of the uttermost important that we serve in humility, and always seek to bring glory and honor to the name of Jesus.

  4. They Must Remember Their Redemption


    Look at verse 18,19 "Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver and gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

We hear of the millions that are spent on diamonds, furs, homes and cars, the price paid for these things is beyond our comprehension. However, as
Christians we know that the greatest price paid for anything was the price Christ paid for our redemption!

Illus: In the final years of our imprisonment, the North Vietnamese moved
us from small cells with one or two prisoners to large rooms with as many as thirty to forty men to a room. We preferred this situation for the
companionship and strength we could draw from our fellow prisoners. In
addition to moving us to new quarters, our captors also let us receive
packages and letters from home. Many men received word from their families for the first time in several years. The improved conditions were a result of public pressure put on the North Vietnamese by the American public.

In our cell was one Navy officer, Lt. Commander Mike Christian. Over a
period of time Mike had gathered bits and pieces of red and white cloth from various packages. Using a piece of bamboo he had fashioned into a needle, Mike sewed a United States flag on the inside of his shirt.
Every night in our cell, Mike would hang his shirt on the wall, and we
would say the pledge of allegiance. I know that the pledge of allegiance may not be the most important aspect of our day now, but I can tell you at that time it was the most important aspect of our lives.

This had been going on for some time until one of the guards came in as
we were reciting our pledge. They ripped the flag off the wall and dragged Mike out. He was beaten for several hours and then thrown back into the cell.

Later that night, as we were settling down to sleep on the concrete
slabs that were our beds, I looked over to the spot where the guards had
thrown Mike. There, under the solitary light bulb hanging from the ceiling I saw Mike; he was bloody and his face swollen beyond recognition, but in defiance he gathered bits and pieces of cloth and was once again sewing a new American flag.

In these days of terror and confusion we must pledge our allegiance to
Christ who paid the supreme sacrifice for our redemption. Live for Him who died for you!

--Pastor Taylor