Old Paths And New Paths Series

Old and New Paths

1 Peter 1:13-16

• What is the therefore, there for?

• I found this in a daily devotional book:

• I remember reading years ago about an incident that occurred on the coast.

• A young man was driving his sports car along a road near the sea.

• He had driven it many times.

• It was a beautiful and scenic route. But the road was not what it seemed.

• All along the way were warning signs.

• Yet, to the young man, the road seemed perfectly good. Disaster awaited him.

• A landslide had recently created a drop-off.

• No one should have been on that road. He continued at great speed.

• He ignored all the warning signs. He went straight over the cliff.

• Sometimes we are not sure where a path will lead.

• At other times, we are well aware of where it leads, but choose to follow it nevertheless.

• Jesus said that there is a path that leads to life.

• There is also a path that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13–14).

• Warning signs are not put up as a threat, but out of love.

• The signs on the Italian Riviera were erected to keep people safe.

• The words of Jesus, the New Testament and the Bible as a whole, are designed to keep us on the path that leads to life.

Introduction:

? Up to this point in his epistle, Peter has summarized some of the blessings enjoyed by God's "pilgrims"...

? Strangers in a wicked world.

a. Their election, sanctification, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus - 1Pe 1:2

b. Their rebirth to a living hope - 1Pe 1:3

c. Their incorruptible inheritance, reserved in heaven - 1Pe 1:4

d. Their being kept by the power of God through faith for the salvation to come - 1Pe 1:5

e. Their great joy, which is inexpressible and full of glory - 1 Pe 1:6-9

f. The honor of having been served by a distinguished group of individuals - 1Pe 1:10-12

• At this point, Peter changes verb forms, from indicative to the imperative.

• That’s fancy Grammar talk that means Peter changes from telling who we are in Christ and why, to what that means, or should mean.

• Indicative = denoting a mood of verbs expressing simple statement of a fact.

• Indicative, Like an indicator.

• Because of what Christ did for us and what that makes us, we now turn to the imperatives.

• Imperatives = commands for us to obey because of the indicative.

• Like, “I am old, therefore, I should act mature.”

• “I’m saved, so I should live like a Christian.”

• Because we are strangers in this world, elect, sanctified, and sprinkled by the blood of Jesus…

• Because we have been reborn to a living hope, and have an incorruptible inheritance, reserved in heaven…

• Because we are being kept by the power of God through faith for the salvation to come, and have great joy, which is inexpressible and full of glory…

• And, because we are honor by having been served by a distinguished group of individuals,

• Therefore, There should be some markers in our lives.

• Therefore, Those markers should make an observable difference in how we live as strangers in this wicked world.

• But as we are going to see, since we have one foot in the world and one foot in heaven, we need to focus for those markers for them to become reality in our behavior.

• Let’s work through our text…

I. Renewing.

1Pe 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

A. Preparing your minds for action.

? The KJV says, “gird up the loins of your mind.”

? That is an exact translation of the Greek words used.

? In Bible days, men wore long robes that went to the ankles.

? If they needed to run, or fight, or do hard work, they would take the hem of their robes and bind them up around the waist with a belt, or girdle.

? That way, the bottoms of their robes would not inhibit their movement.

? The phrase is used here to mean, get ready to work, or run, or fight.

? It is the same meaning as we would say, “roll up the sleeves of your mind.”

? This meaning is confirmed by the very words of Jesus.

? Luk 12:35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning,

? Luk 12:36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.