Think Straight Be Straight Series

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.”