1 Peter 1:1 – Think Straight Be Straight
Thesis: The church of Jesus Christ must make sure they are thinking straight and being straight in their lives.
Video Illustration: Movie Pay It Forward.
Clip is from the beginning of the movie were a reporter becomes the recipient of a random act of kindness after his car is smashed at a police domestic scene. The reporter is given a new jaguar by a stranger to replace his old wrecked mustang. He responds to the act of kindness by calling the stranger a freak because he cannot believe someone would do this. He later learns that the man is returning the favor from another stranger who saved his daughters life. The man who saved the strangers daughter told him to pay it forward. In other words do three big random acts of kindness for 3 other strangers in need. He later on instructs the reporter that he too must pay it forward. The concept of pay it forward started from a classroom assignment in Social Studies were the teacher assigns his class the following task: “Think of an idea to change our world-and put it into action.”. A young 11 year old boy seem at the end of our clip comes up this idea. He tells his teacher that he did this not for the grade but he really wanted to see if the world could and would change. The boy ends up losing his life when he tries to rescue a friend in trouble at the end of the movie. But by the time he dies his “Pay it Forward” idea is in full motion across the country.
Point: I use this clip to talk about the importance of changing our thinking. The man who gave the reporter the car had changed his thinking and therefore it affected his action of giving away his car. The reporters thinking could not comprehend why anyone in his right mind would do something like this. The reporter sets out to discover how this new thinking got started. He eventually traces it back to the little boy. He discovered that his assignment, “Think of an idea to change our world-and put it into action” has impacted and changed many people.
My sermon is on the necessity for the Christian to THINK STRAIGHT & BE STRAIGHT. Peter addresses this idea or should we say class room assignment in his letter 1 Peter. He stresses the importance of thinking straight or thinking right to be straight or to be right.
Text: 1 Peter 1
1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
17Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. 18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
22Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24For,
“All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord stands forever.”
And this is the word that was preached to you.
Introduction:
We could say that 1 Peter addresses the following thoughts:
*Think Straight, Be Straight
*Think Right, Be Right
*Think Holy, Be Holy
*Think Correct, Be Correct
*Think Heavenly, Be Heavenly
*Think Grace, Be Grace
*Think Good, Be Good
*Think Righteous, Be Righteous
*Think Christian, Be Christian
*Think Faith, Be Faithful
I Peter speaks to this type of mind set as well:
* Think Wrong, Be Wrong
*Think Bad, Be Bad
*Think Depraved, Be Depraved
*Think Unholy, Be Unholy
*Think Fleshly, Be Fleshly
*Think Crooked, Be Crooked
*Think Evil, Be Evil
*Think Hellish, Be Hellish
*Think Devilish, Be Devilish
*Think Deceptively, Be Deceptive
*Think Crooked, Be Crooked
*Think Foolish, Be Foolish
*Think Secular, Be Secular
Illustration -- A case in point of some one thinking incorrectly.
Last Wednesday night I had an individual come to church. He was drunk and came into the café building being provocative and vulgar with me. He said, “Pastor Mike I have come to get you to beat the devil out of me.” In the café he started calling me things like “Your a tough guy.” He was being nasty, and belligerent towards me but I knew he was controlled by spiritual forces. So I told him we needed to go outside. Outside he said, “I am here to challenge you to a fight and my mind tells me that as you beat me up it will drive out the Devil in me.” “So go ahead hit me!” He adds this warning to me, “I will fight back, but I know you will win!” This man was obviously not thinking correctly and his actions were setting him up for painful conflict. But since I recognized it as spiritual I simply stated, “Satan I come against you in the name of Jesus for the lies you are telling this man and I take authority over you and render you powerless by the name of Jesus.” The man looked at me and said, “Did I catch you at a Bad time?” “You could beat me up later after your Bible Study!” He did calm down after I addressed the spiritual force influencing his mind. We then talked and I continued to address his faulty thinking with the Word and with the Truth he eventually ended up leaving to go home. He decided that he needed to go home and try to think straight so he could act straight.
Outline Summary:
We need to see the pattern revealed for us in 1 Peter 1. The pattern is that for us to think straight and be straight we must 1st of all remember the sacrifice of Jesus and allow that experience to change our hearts and minds over and over. Second we must therefore set-root our minds in Jesus Christ and His teachings. Once we have made the decision to set our minds on Jesus then thirdly we need to actively pursue renewing our mind set so that the old ways don’t influence our present and future actions. When we have set our minds on Jesus, and actively pursued renewing of our minds then fourthly we our too live like we think. The goal Peter is pushing us toward is to act like Jesus and have lives that will produce the fruit of Spirit which in turn will change this world and peoples lives.
I Peter was written by Simon Peter on of Jesus’ disciples. He wrote this book to encourage believers who were being persecuted by secular society- The Roman Empire and the Jewish nation. We know from church history that Peter was crucified for his stance on the message of Christianity. The Romans had him crucified upside down at Peter’s request. He is said to have stated, “He felt unworthy to die in the same manner as His Lord.”
If you have ever studied the Life of Peter you would have discovered that he started out in his Christian walk as brash, unpredictable, having the foot in mouth disease, had the tendency to be foolish, he could be fearful, he was a failure at times for the kingdom, and he was highly emotionally unstable.
Think about these few instances with Jesus and Peter when Peter was not thinking properly and therefore he did not act properly:
He tried to rebuke Jesus from going to Jerusalem and in that instance he yielded his corrupt mind to Satan and Jesus rebuked him for it along with the enemy. Mark 8:31-35:
31He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” 34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.
**Jesus rebuked Peter for not having the right mind set! His mind set at this point in his life was being influenced by the enemy and therefore he was not thinking correctly and not acting correctly.
He got in trouble with Jesus in John 13 by saying he could not wash his feet. But when Jesus confronted Peter he went overboard the other way by saying, ”Wash all of me.”
John 13: 6-9: 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 9“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” 10Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”
*Peter shows how his mind is not thinking correctly yet because he keeps acting incorrectly.
Peter in Mark 14 cut off a persons ear at Jesus’ arrest and Jesus rebuked him.
Luke 22:47-51: 47While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, 48but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” 50And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. 51But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
**Once again we have the mind thinking wrong and the person acting wrong.
He told Jesus he would never deny him in John 13 and Jesus said he would and he did when push came to shove in John 18: 25-27:
25As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.” 26One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the olive grove?” 27Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.
**Peter still was allowing his thinking to mess up his actions and decisions in life.
But Peter after the day of Pentecost Peter starts to show the fruits of a transformed heart and mind. He has wisdom, spiritual insight, stability in the things of the faith. He is living the righteous life that Jesus spoke of. He is faithful, fearless and truly a role model for other Christians to follow. What happened to Peter to change so much? The key is what he talks about in 1 Peter he changed the way he thought and because his thinking changed and this mind set changed it brought forth right actions and a right lifestyle.
T.S. – Peter knew the importance of making sure that we think straight so that we are straight in our lives. He knew to be holy you had to think holy. His personal experiences and personal failures helped him to see the truth that eventually totally set him free to live and die for Christ.
I. Set your mind – your thinking on the grace that was given to you through our living hope Jesus Christ. Remember His Sacrifice!
a. I Peter 1:1-13:
i. We need to set our mind on the fact that Jesus has given us a new birth through His resurrection.
1. Peter makes it clear that our living hope for a future is Jesus Christ and the result of what he has done on the cross should compel us –drive us to want to live right and be right. To live holy and be holy!
a. The truth is Jesus’ sacrifice should be the deciding factor in our minds that compel us to live the holy life God desires us to live.
b. We have received holiness as a gift and now we need to hold onto it.
2. The Battle field of the mind is where many fall short in Christianity today.
a. Tim LaHaye in his book Mind Siege notes this, “Ever since God first explained to Adam and Eve how to think so they could live successful, fulfilled, obedient, and happy lives, there has been a constant battle over who will control human thought processes-man or God. Sooner or later, every human being makes that decision” (47).
ii. When we set our mind on Jesus and God it means we are created new – different than before. In other words we are changed and made different than we were before. Why? Because of God’s mercy and grace delivered to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we set our minds on this truth we are changed!
1. The idea here is we look different-act different think different because we root our mind in the things of Jesus.
a. Question could be asked “How do we think?”
i. LaHaye from his book Mind Siege, helps us understand the process of thinking, “The way you think is the result of the intellect you inherited, plus your training, plus what you have seen, read, done, and heard. Your inherited temperament also has a significant influence on your personality, helping to determine how you do things…The Philosophy of life that you adopt on the basis of what you have programmed into your mind through your reason, your senses, and your study determines the way you look at life. Whether we call this a worldview or simply the way we perceive life, nothing but life itself is more important. It will affect your morals, work drive, integrity, and life investment.” (46).
iii. Peter does warn us that if we set our mind on Jesus then we will suffer persecution for thinking different. The world hates those who think and act differently than they do.
1. “The show went on; many had been slain (in the Roman Colosseum), and the people, madly excited by the desperate bravery of those who continued to fight, shouted their applause. But suddenly there was an interruption. A rudely clad, robed figure appeared for a moment among the audience, and then boldly leaped down into the arena. He was seen to be a man of rough but imposing presence, bareheaded and with sun-browned face. Without hesitating an instant he advanced upon two gladiators engaged in a life-and-death struggle, and laying his hand upon one of them sternly reproved him for shedding innocent blood, and then, turning toward the thousands of angry faces ranged around him, called upon them in a solemn, deep-toned voice which resounded through the deep enclosure. These were his words; ‘Do not requite God’s mercy in turning away the swords of your enemies by murdering each other!’ Angry shouts and cries at once drowned his voice; ‘This is no place for preaching! - the old customs of Rome must be observed!- On gladiators!’ Thrusting aside the stranger, the gladiators would have again attacked each other, but the man stood between, holding them apart, and trying in vain to be heard. ‘Sedition! Sedition! Down with him!’ was then the cry; and the gladiators, enraged at the interference of an outsider with their chosen vocation, at once stabbed him to death. Stones, or whatever missiles came to hand, also rained down upon him from the furious people, and thus he perished, in the midst of the arena.
His dress showed him to be one of the hermits who vowed themselves to a holy life of prayer and self-denial, and who were reverenced by even the thoughtless and combat-loving Romans. The few who knew him told how he had come from the wilds of Asia on a pilgrimage, to visit the churches and keep his Christmas at Rome; they knew he was a holy man, and that his name was Telemachus - no more. His spirit had been stirred by the sight of thousands flocking to see men slaughter one another, and in his simple-hearted zeal he had tried to convince them of the cruelty and wickedness of their conduct. He had died, but not in vain. His work was accomplished at the moment he was struck down, for the shock of such a death before their eyes turned the hearts of the people; they saw the hideous aspects of the favorite vice to which they had blindly surrendered themselves; and from the day Telemachus fell dead in the Colosseum, no other fight of gladiators was ever held there.” (parenthesis mine)
- FOX’S BOOK OF MARTYRS - ‘The Last Roman ‘Triumph’.’ 1970 printing, Zondervan pg 37,38
Contributed to Sermon Central by: Clark Tanner
2. Illustration: A man said to D. L. Moody, "Now that I am converted, have I got to give up the world?" Mr. Moody answered, "No, you do not have to give up the world; if you have a good ringing testimony for the Son of God, the world will give you up pretty quick; they will not want you around." (Stories For Preachers)
iv. The Bible tells us in verse 13 “To prepare your minds.”
1. You might be thinking how do I prepare my mind?
a. Prepare is defined by Webster as to set in order, to get ready, to make suitable for something that is coming. (1123).
b. It is the process of renewing - changing – rewriting – re-working our thinking process when it comes to living this life for Jesus Christ.
c. In The world of addictions the biggest obstacle for people’s deliverance comes by getting them out of the mind set of denial and into the mind set of truth. They are addicts and they need help. The truth is their mind set of denial- denying reality - keeps them in bondage to the chemical substance which is destroying their lives. For them to get on the road of recovery requires them to think straight then they can become straight.
d. Scott Peck stated, “The less clearly we see the reality of the world-the more our minds are befuddled by falsehood, misperceptions, and illusions-the less able we will be to determine correct courses of action and make wise decisions.”
T.S. – The Christian therefore must set their minds on Jesus and then set out to change the way that old-fleshly mind thinks and causes us to act.
II. Change your mind set when it comes to those evil desires that want to rise up in you. Be in control of your thinking and change it with the Word of God. Get Brainwashed!
a. I Peter 1:14-16:
i. Our mindset- our thinking should be changed since we have received grace from Jesus.
1. We should have been touched dramatically by our salvation experience that we want to drive out our old evil way of thinking and acting.
2. Illustration: From Stories For Preachers "Will the hassle never end?" One senses that this is more and more a feeling which is becoming a way of life to the majority of us in this country. What has happened? We have let ourselves be swept along in the current of modern society and culture until we are almost swallowed up. We have been molded into place by machines, schedules, neurotic activity, peer pressures, and "little league" activities of all sorts. Family units seem to be more individual units living under the same roof. Could it be we only have a form of that which God intended and that modern society has gutted our spiritual house? It is possible! What is to be done? First of all, it is time to take time to think. We do so little of that these days. No one needs to think as long as he is swept along in the stream of routine, never-ending activity. Get out of the stream, on the bank, and think. Stop right now and think. O.K. Here I am. What am I supposed to think about? The following suggestions are offered by Gary D. Taliaferro:
a. Think about God’s love and power and how they have affected your life.
b. Think of your family and all the natural gifts and resources He has given you.
c. Think about and enumerate what the components of His kind of life are in your world and in the life you are living.
d. Think about a growing tree, the birds flying south at winter, the process of a bee making honey.
e. Think about a boy learning from his father about the wonders of life and of creative work.
f. Think about a day without any yelling and screaming and hassle.
g. Think about how your life in your world and family can incorporate the quiet serenity of Jesus Christ.
h. Think and control your life in harmony with God and not be gobbled up by this present world.
Remember, Jesus said through the Apostle Paul, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom. 12:2).
ii. Our thinking should be focused on being holy-not doing that which is evil, wrong or even popular.
1. “Be holy, because I am holy.” This thought should be the driving statement that directs our minds and our actions. It should compel us to make sure we our placing the right thoughts and messages into our minds.
2. So what is going into your minds on a daily basis?
a. Violence, Porno, Hateful thoughts, Prideful thoughts, Sexual Immorality, Lies, and the list can go on.
b. The truth is it will affect your mind and you life and you will either grow up or blow up.
iii. Our mind needs to drive out the ways and the lies of the world.
1. Illustration: "Wisdom" may best describe our present scientific and cultural plateau, yet spiritually we are foolish indeed. Many men, seen as wise in the eyes of the world, are fools in the eyes of our God. The atheist who audaciously affirms, "I know there is no God," is elevated upon the pedestal of intellectualism and wisdom by the world of pseudo-science, yet God calls him a fool (Ps. 14:1).Humanists, who deny the existence of sin, and contend that one’s conduct should best be determined by the circumstances in which he finds himself, are applauded and lauded as the wise men of our age. God, in no uncertain terms, has said, "Fools make a mock at sin" (Prov. 14:9). The world cries out, "Do what makes you feel good; do your own thing!" God has decreed, "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool" (Prov. 28:26). The rich farmer in the twelfth chapter of Luke, who found comfort in his accumulation of worldly goods, would be seen by many among us today as a wise man indeed. God called him a fool (Luke 12:20). How does God see you, my friend? Our nation seems to be floating with the tide of moral and spiritual corruption. Are you drifting with the tide, or are you willing to stem the tide? I would rather be a fool in the eyes of a foolish world, than a fool in the eyes of my all-wise Creator. (Stories for Preachers)
b. Romans 12:1, 2: 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
i. A transformed mind is a changed mind. This only comes from truth being implanted into it.
ii. The Word of God is alive and effective at causing mind renewal- right thinking. But for it to work it must be inserted into people’s minds by reading it, hearing it, seeing it, experiencing it, understanding it, and applying it.
1. Lahaye states, “Since the eyes and ears are the two most important channels for communicating with the brain, how you employ these information gatherers largely determines how you think. And be sure of this: How you think will determine the way you live! It remains true, as the writer of Proverbs long ago observed, “As he thinks in his heart, so is he” (23:7) (48).
2. LaHaye also notes this about the mind, “The mind is to the emotions what food is to the body. For that reason, what the mind feeds upon becomes the most influential force in your life. One of the great myths of our time is that feelings are spontaneous. Actually, they are created by what you put into your mind.” (48).
c. To renew means to make new.
i. It means to bring back into good condition.
ii. To restore something to its original state.
iii. This act of renewing is only accomplished by God’s Word and God’s renewing power.
T.S. - Once we have set our minds on Jesus, decided to continually renew our minds with the Word of God then we must act straight and be straight with our lives.
III. The Christian must be straight in his life as a result of his encounter with Jesus Christ. Think Straight, Be Straight – Think Holy, Be Holy!
a. 1 Peter 1:17-25
b. Being straight means we have fruit being produced from thinking right and being right. This fruit is what the Bible says will show who Jesus’ followers are. Jesus himself stated:
i. Matthew 7:15-21: 15“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
1. Bearing good fruit means we produce the results from our lives that reflect the nature and character of Jesus Christ.
2. Good fruit is clearly defined for us in Galatians 5:22-25:
a. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
3. Bearing bad fruit is called the works of the flesh and these are described clearly in Galatians 5:19-21:
a. 19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
ii. Being straight means we live our lives as aliens to this world.
1. In other words we do not look like the ones who live for this world. Instead we look very different.
a. We appear different – we act different – we think different.
b. This Thinking and Being will draw attention to us by the world and they will not like it.
iii. Make no mistake being straight and being holy will set us apart from the others in our secular society.
1. Time magazine did an article in their June 21, 2004 edition on President Bush and stated, “Bush’s beliefs influence his actions.” The result of his faith factor is proving to be the major reason why the 2004 campaign is so divisive according to Time. They compare Bush to Kerry and note that Kerry’s philosophy of government is very different. He believes his personal faith should not influence his actions as president. He has been at odds with his church leadership over their stance that those who vote against church teachings should stay away from communion. He alludes to the fact that he is not going to quit practicing his faith and he is not going to change his voting pattern of voting for things that are contrary to Biblical teachings.
2. The point that TIME came to was we have two running for the Presidency in 2004 and one says his faith influences his thinking and his actions both privately and publicly while the other one says it does not affect his thinking and actions in public office but it does in private.
c. The key that we need to understand is that we must think right and act right both privately and publicly. To continue to do this we must remember how we were delivered from our old empty way of life.
i. This is why communion is so important. It reminds us that Jesus died to set us free and to deliver us from thinking unholy and acting unholy. Both publicly and privately.
ii. Read 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26: 23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
d. Being straight means we have purified our lives by obeying the truth.
i. 1 Peter 1:2: Tells us that we have been chosen by God to be sanctified because we are obedient to Jesus’ commands.
1. In other Words because we obey the teaching of the Word!
a. We have repented of our sin and selfishness and turned from it.
b. We have asked for God’s forgiveness received it and then offer others forgiveness.
c. We have chosen to serve God with our whole heart and MIND and live holy lives until we meet Him in the end.
ii. Communion is about reaffirming our decision to follow Christ and to Love the Lord God with our whole heart and mind. This comes out by how we think and how we act.
1. We are to have a sincere love for our brothers – an action point.
2. We are to Love one another deeply, from the heart – an action.
3. We are to be obedient to Jesus and be born again. –an action point
4. We are to be holy like Jesus is holy – an action point.
5. We are to not be evil or allow evil to influence us in any way – an action point.
iii. Lets look at the final thought or reality check at the end of the 1 Peter 1-- We will all pass away but the word stands forever and so will God’s Word.
1. Our time here on earth is short – so we need to make the best of every opportunity now!
Conclusion:
The truth is there are forces waging war for the control of your mind. The principal question is, “Who will control your mind?” Because as you think is how you will be!
Communion:
As we celebrate communion today we are doing what is commanded by Jesus.
We are to approach communion like our outline revealed to us today from 1 Peter:
#1 Remember the sacrifice Jesus paid for your sins.
#2 We need to set our minds on Jesus.
#3 We need commit to renewing our minds with the Word of God.
#4 We have to make sure before we approach Communion that our hearts and minds are in the right place with God.
**If not we must repent before we come and decide to change our path!
#5 Then come to Jesus for renewal of our hearts and minds so we can leave here and be holy for Jesus.
