Making Preparation 1 Peter 1:10-16

There is truly something special about our salvation—according to vs10-12,

The Suffering Servant became a central pillar of the early sermons of Peter and Paul in Acts—this is what Jesus tried to tell the twelve during His time, but they couldn’t receive it.

--the prophets were writing for those who would live later, not for themselves

SALVATION

—vs 10-12

The prophets “searched” and “inquired” about this salvation—both of these terms imply active effort looking to find something.

“searched”—diligent searching or seeking for something—often used for “seeking God”

“inquired”- it refers to the searching through something, like a house, a tent, a city or a country in order to find some person or thing.

The prophets diligent searching, inquiring was that they might know at what season and with what characteristics Christ would come.

Vs11- the Holy Spirit speaking through the prophets predicted the sufferings of Christ is a common theme in all the New Testament. They not only predicted His suffering, but also His glory!

Vs12— The facts about Christs suffering and the subsequent glories of His kingdom are things into which the Angels long to look. The salvation which God’s elect receive is so full of glory and mysterious beauty, that not only did the prophets of old search diligently, but even angels desire to look into it.

The word means to “stoop sideways”—a person standing outside a place who stoop in order to look in (John 20:5)

The angels stand outside the work of redemption, since it is not for them, but for man.

How to Prepare to see Jesus?

Live Holy

“Wherefore”—(goes all the way back to vs1)-believers are to live a godly life—Obey God’s Word because they are chosen pilgrims, strangers, begotten by God, have an untouchable inheritance, and a great salvation.

1)

1) Gird up the loins of your mind

- bind up/ prepare your mind for action—pull your thoughts together--this refers to Jesus’ word in Luke 12:35 “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit”-

--Aorist, Middle voice—subject performs on himself for his own benefit.

An image taken from the way in which the Israelites ate the Passover, a very important celebration for them. The loose outer robe would be girded up about the waist with a girdle, as ready for a journey—workmen, pilgrims, runners, wrestlers, and warriors, so girded themselves up, both to shorten the garment so not to impede their motion, and to gird the body itself, preparing for action.

“mind”-

Mark 12:30 KJV 1900

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Heart—seat of affections, the centre of our complex being; physical, moral, spiritual, and intellectual

Soul- Life, life in the distinctness of individual existence

MIND- the faculty of thought, understanding, especially moral understanding

Acts 12:5—The angel came and said to Peter in prison, “Gird thyself”- He wanted Peter to be able to move quickly and freely.

Likewise, we need to do whatever it takes to focus our thoughts on what will allow us to serve God successfully.

The writer of Hebrews in 12:1, “therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us”.

Abraham (Gen 12-13) –Abraham had his eyes of faith on that heavenly city, so that he had not interest in the world’s real estate. Lot—tasted the pleasures of the world, moved toward Sodom—Outlook determines Outcome—Attitude determines Action

2) Be sober

—be calm, collected in spirit. Be free from every form of mental and spiritual drunkenness or excess. Rather than being controlled by external circumstances, the believer should be directed from within. The thought is for the believer to always have his mind collected and ready for Christ’s coming. When one is spiritually self-restrained, he will not easily be allured by the world and its lusts.

Spiritual alertness for prayer and for resisting the devil.

The Christian must be sober in his use of the gifts of God; sober in his habits of thought; have a calm and collected temper.

“Ye be not soon shaken in mind, or troubled, neither by spirit , nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand” (2Thess 2:2)

How to be sober? “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov 23:7)

“Thy Word have I hid in my heart” (Psalm 119:11)

3) Hope to the end

- (imperative)-set your hope fully—have a hopeful outlook. Our hope needs to be unwavering, constant. Holy living demands determination. There should be nothing deficient in our hope.

Our hope needs to be directed to continual growth in grace, for each gift of grace kindles hope of a fuller revelation of Jesus Christ.

4) “Don’t conform to former lusts”

Ephesians 2:3 KJV 1900

Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Ephesians 4:23 KJV 1900

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and sense, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else”. We are called on to live out this new relationship to God through the power of His Spirit. We are being acted upon by Him!!!

“lusts”-39 times in NT- In the NT ἡδονή represents one of the many forces which belong to the world of unsanctified carnality, which strive against the work of God and His Spirit and which drag man back again into the kingdom of evil. It is a general feeling of pleasure or enjoyment.

--lusts ==unfaithfulness to God, enmity against God, evil one, uncircumcised, impure enemy, opposed to the will of God.

Lusts flow from the original birth-sin( inherited from our first parents, who be self-willed desire brought sin into the world), the lust which seeks to fill up with earthly things the emptiness of mans being. This is where the conflict arises—

--“instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires (lusts)

(Romans 13:14

Romans 13:14 KJV 1900

But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

--lusts will cause men not to hear and live sound doctrine (2 Tim 4:3

2 Timothy 4:3 KJV 1900

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

--lusts brings forth sin (James 1:15

James 1:15 KJV 1900

Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

--lusts are characteristics of murmurers, complainers, , scolfers

5) “be holy”

- God is our pattern for holiness-- the nature of our Heavenly Father. The children of Israel were called to be holy in manner distinct from the ungodly nations-- For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: (Lev 11:44).

-Holy living is seen in Jesus—according to John 1:18, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him”. Jesus is of God—He is sinless.

-God’s holiness is an essential part of His nature—“God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1John 1:5).

--To be a dedicated believer, there is no such thing as being “secular” and “sacred”—All of our life is to be holy as we live to glorify God.

--Holiness in details—as we move among men, take the holiness of God for our pattern. Paul admonished Timothy, “let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity”(1 Tim 4:12).

Vs16- “Be ye holy, for I am holy”-

Leviticus 11:44–45 KJV 1900

For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

Leviticus 19:2 KJV 1900

Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.

Leviticus 20:7 KJV 1900

Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God.

MaybePeter did not intend to refer to any one particular verse, but deliberately cited a theme that is noted through all of Leviticus

God’s People are to live holy and pleasing lives because God is holy and good

Divine Holiness

1. The Holiness of God

—the attribute which guards the distinction between God and the creature. It is the ground of reverence and adoration. For us to be holy is to be set apart to God.

(a) freedom and separation from moral evil; (b) positive moral perfection. God is the source of holiness to His creatures, and can only be seen or approached by the holy.

2. The Righteousness of God

is His relative Holiness, by virtue of which His treatment of the creature conforms to the purity of His nature. It is legislative Holiness, or the revelation of Divine Holiness in the form of moral requirement.

3. The Truth of God

involves all His manifestations, whether natural or supernatural, He is consistent with Himself.

4. The Faithfulness of God

secures the fulfilment of His promises, which are based, not upon what we are or have done, but upon what Christ is and has done. Our sins do not invalidate them so long as we fulfil the conditions of repentance and good works.

Hall, F. J. (1905). Theological Outlines: The Doctrine of God (Vol. 1, pp. 121–122). Milwaukee, WI: The Young Churchman Co.

The Goal of Christianity

—Not only heaven when we die, but Christlikeness NOW

--Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2Cor 7:1)

-- According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (Eph 1:4)

-- For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. (1 Thess 4:7)

**Jesus’ task was not only one of remission of sin, but the restoration of the image of God in fallen mankind.

God does not wink at sin—We cannot remain among the children of obedience while one still fashions his conduct according to the old lust.

ONLY the pure in heart shall see god and without holiness, it is impossible to see Him. Christ died, not to save us in our sins, but FROM out sins.

Are You Prepared?

Compare this to preparations for Ida