Preparation for the Pop Out

Introduction

I’m not sure if anyone in this room knew this but I grew up in Texas, born in west Texas, raised in a small city right outside of Dallas also known as Garland, Texas. One thing about growing up in Texas is understanding the seriousness of football at every age. One thing people see and recognize are the big plays, the touchdowns, the sacks, the interceptions and the big hits. Typically these moments are coupled with packed stands. We see these big moments but often times these big moments are the product of the sacrifices made in the off-season. It’s quite remarkable that the best preparation happens in the off-season. In everything there’s moments of applause the orchestral solo, the big spike in a volleyball game, the go ahead 3 pointer, the poem that gets a standing ovation. Understand this, do not fall in love with the applause because many times no one claps when the sacrifices that are made in preparation for the pop out. I believe it was the Pulitzer prize winning poet Kendrick Lamar Duckworth that said sometimes you gotta pop out and show people. Nonetheless in order to pop out you have to prepare. As we approach 1 Peter 4, the author deals with three ideas.

Refrain from being controlled by your past.

Be serious about the present

Be prepared for the future.

Typically preparing for the future makes sense. If we’ve been in bible class for 5 minutes we understand that the life of the Christian is nestled deep in the nature of preparation. Preparation is the common denominator for being Absolutely Involved. Truth be told in effort to be Absolutely Involved, you have to be able to discern between what’s artificial and what’s authentic. You might be able to be involved in ministry from an artificial place for a little but eventually the sacrifice that ministry requires will separate the authentic from the artificial.

Summary of the Text

Peter provides us with a lot of insight in the 4th chapter of this epistle. He gives us insight on what it means to be called to Holiness in chapter 1 of 1st Peter. He empowers us in chapter two of this epistle by designating us living stones connected to the chief cornerstone in Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5 “you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

In chapter three we are provided with instructions on how to live. We are provided with insight on how to be a servant! How to be a wife or husband and how to handle evil treatment from the world. Then we get to chapter 4, understanding the sacrifice that Jesus made for us so that we could use our gifts to minister to each other, or how important it is for us to be hospitable to one another!

Understand that sacrifice takes preparation! Jesus was able to endure the cross because He was prepared. This life of service, this life of being absolutely involved is going to require preparation. 1 Peter 4:1–2“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”

Prepare by Letting Go

It’s impossible to prepare for the future if you can’t let go of the past! Peter states in verse 3 of this chapter “for we have spend enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles”. It’s too many of us popping out to do the wrong things. Spending to much time developing an identity of worldly behavior rather than leaning on the power of the gospel that has the power to liberate us from any shackle that has held us hostage!

Prepare with Prayer

When I first started playing football, I was a solid player but I kept being the victim of blindside blocks. My father consistently informed me that I had to keep my head on a swivel. 1 Peter 4:7 “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.”

In other words be serious and watchful in your prayers! Time is fleeting and the end is near! Every day we wake up we have less time than we did yesterday to fulfill our purpose that God has given us.

What does it mean to be serious? Essentially serious in this text means to have understanding about practical matters and thus be able to act sensibly. This is the danger of allowing ourselves to be controlled by substances, we are no longer in control of our actions in a sensible way because we are under the influence of things other than God. Listen, I know majority of the people in this room are young, you have a lot of life ahead of you but in order to be absolutely involved we are going to have to start taking things seriously!

Prepare to Love, Prepare to be Hospitable

Love is an action of preservation. To be involved you are going to have to show some fervent love for each other. Love covers a multitude of sin! Love covering a multitude of sin does not mean that sin should be ignored or swept under the rug. The concern is that without love our actions have the power to destroy the community! We have to rid ourselves of such behavior because the future depends on it! Essentially the reference here belongs to Proverbs 10:12 “Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.” Hatred and many other sins have the power to spread like a cancer, we have to put a lid on it before it has a chance to fester!

Sin has the power to clean up all the dirt that the enemy throws at us.

1 Peter Application Overview

When I asked students in class one day to come up with specific, practical examples of how someone might bless an adversary, the story was shared of a Christian soldier living in a barracks with his unit. Each evening, when he would read his Bible and pray before retiring, he was reviled and insulted by the solider across the aisle. One night a pair of muddy combat boots came flying at the Christian. The next morning, the hostile solider found his boots at the foot of his bed, cleaned and polished and ready for inspection. Several soldiers in this company eventually became Christians as a result of the inner strength of one who could return blessing for insult.

Essentially this is what preparation does, it cleans up all the mess that we have a habit of engaging in. Similar to sports, practice cleans up bad habits. Love has to be practiced! In the words of another AI, yes we are talking about practice! Each evening that soldier was preparing for the dirt and mud the enemy was throwing at him by reading his bible and preparing. Typically how we practice is how we play. Think about how much time you spend doing other things besides meditating on the word of God versus doing other things that don’t promote the essence of God. The time to wait your turn because you’re young is no more! You have everything you need to serve the way God has called you to serve! Being active in church is not confined to a Sunday morning action! Being absolutely involved is a daily discipline. Are you involved in being an example to your friends to want to live better? Are you involved in the uplifting of your community to make it a better place?

There is no more time for grumbling or complaining we need some hospitable people that will be welcoming to people regardless of their background!

Pop Out and Give God the Glory!

1 Peter 4:10–11“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Each one of you has the power to pop out and showcase your gifts! Use your gifts to minister to serve one another! There is no one specific gift, all the gifts that God has given us have space to be used to improve the dark nature of the world! “As good stewards of the manifold grace of God”. It’s similar to a team, each team is filled with different positions that have different strengths but when they are put together they benefit the goal of the entire team. Some of us sing, some of us pray, some of us serve, some of us encourage! Regardless of what your gift is be a good steward of it and use it to serve each other!

If anyone speaks is a broad statement, our gifts speak in different ways! No matter what the gift is we need to make sure the foundation of using our gifts are based on the ideas of God rather than our own “good” ideas!

Jesus is the King of the Pop Out!

See we fall in love with the highlights but dismiss the preparation to even be a part of the highlight. The power of Jesus to heal, forgive, and showcase mercy began with sacrifice!

Jesus didn’t just pop out and show the world His power, He was able to pop out because He did the work when no one was looking! We see the power of the cross, we see the power of Jesus no taking revenge on those who ridiculed but the preparation came in when fed those that mocked Him. The preparation came when He healed those who betrayed Him. The preparation came when dedicated His life to the call that God had on His life! The preparation came when He taught one like He taught thousands!