PREPARE FOR ACTION

1 PETER 1:13-16Adapted from a sermon by

Steve Shepherdhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?

SermonID=133683

Prepare for action. Prepare for what?

It could be anything. 1 Peter 1:13-16 NET Therefore, get your minds

ready for action by being fully sober, and set your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

14 Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges you used to follow in your

ignorance, 15 but, like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your

conduct, 16 for it is written, “You shall be holy, because I am holy.”

(Lev 11:44, Lev 19:2)

One morning a man went out to start his car to go to church. He had a flat tire. Luckily, he had a spare tire. He changed the tire quickly and was on his way. But he didn’t think to drop the spare

off to be fixed. He thought, "I’ll get around to it.“

Within five days he went out to his car to go to school. He had another flat tire. Only this time he had no spare! He had to roll it to nearest service station and wait while it was fixed.

When something breaks, fix it now. Some things need to be fixed

right now! It’s called preparation.

Prepare for action. Prepare for breakdowns.

Prepare for flat tires. In fact, it’s better to check your tires regularly and perhaps you won’t experience a flat tire.

If a person keeps the maintenance up on their car, then hopefully, it won’t break down in times

of stress, bad weather, etc. And if a person keeps the maintenance up on their faith then it,

too, won’t let them down in times of difficulty and stress.

PREPARATION IS THE KEY.

In the 1969 movie “PAINT YOUR WAGON,” Lee Marvin plays a drunk named Ben Rumstead. During the closing scene, Ben Rumstead is

standing in the rain on a muddy street talking with the proprietor of a local store. The store

owner looks at the passing wagons, loaded with people and furniture moving out of town and says, “There are two kinds of people in this

world. There are those who move on and those that stay. Ain’t that the truth, Ben Rumstead?”

“No, that ain’t the truth,” Ben Rumstead replies, with a swagger enlarged by the half-empty bottle

in his hand. “There are two kinds of people in this world. Them that is going someplace and them that is going no place. That’s the truth.”

It’s true that some people are going somewhere and some are going nowhere. This is especially true spiritually. Many people are going nowhere

spiritually

There are "doers" and there are those who do little in regard to the really important matters of life. I don’t know if it is because they don’t care

or perhaps they don’t think they can make a difference in their own lives or the lives of

others. Either way, doing nothing will get a person

nowhere and fast!

The Boy Scout motto is what? BE PREPARED.

Be prepared for what? For anything that might come our way in life. And to me, there is only

way to be prepared and that’s in the Lord! To be prepared for anything that life throws at us we

must be in the Lord and continually seek His will.

OUR FATHER KNOWS BEST. The best place to be and the best preparation is

in the Lord!

-Henry Ford: Before everything else, getting ready is the secret to success. - John F. Kennedy: The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining. - Abraham Lincoln: If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first hour sharpening the ax. - Someone said: You don’t have to lie awake nights to succeed. Just stay awake days.

And I say, seek the Lord. That’s always the right way, the best way to prepare

for anything in life.

PREPARE YOUR MIND

Our text speaks of preparation for living a successful Christian life. Prepare what?

1- Prepare your mind 2- Prepare your hope 3- Prepare your heart

1 Peter 1:13a NET Therefore, get your minds ready for action by being fully sober,

A strong young man at the construction site was bragging that he could outdo anyone in a feat of strength. He made a special case of making fun

of Morris, one of the older workmen.After several minutes, Morris had enough. "Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is?"

he said. "I will bet a week’s wages that I can haul something in a wheelbarrow over to that outbuilding that you won’t be able to wheel

back."

"You’re on, old man," the braggart replied.

"It’s a bet! Let’s see what you got."

Morris reached out and grabbed the wheelbarrow by the handles.

Then, nodding to the young man, he said, "All right. Get in."

That old man Morris was a smart old buzzard. We all need the ability to think quickly and

smartly. Wouldn’t that be great?

Prepare your mind.

Thinking doesn’t get better unless we help it along. Our thinking doesn’t improve by doing

nothing.

Right thinking doesn’t happen without thinking right. (Isn’t that brilliant?) Right thinking is needed. Two scriptures. Two examples.

Romans 1:27 NET and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women and

were inflamed in their passions for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and

received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a

depraved mind, to do what should not be done. 29 They are filled with every kind of

unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife,

deceit, hostility. They are gossips,Why do people do perverted things?

The answer is simple. They think that way. Yes, and most don’t even think!

"as they did not see fit..." "Since they did not see fit to acknowledge God..."

They don’t think and they don’t think about God. That’s why people do perverted things!

If they truly used the brains that God gave them they wouldn’t think the way they do!

They would think UPWARD and certainly not perversely!

Now the other side of the coin is this:

Philippians 4:8 NET Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is

lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy,

think about these things.

Right thinking will produce right actions. When a person thinks about things that are true and

right, they seek after those things. They will DO those things.

Proverbs 23:7 KJV “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…”

You are what you are and you are where you are today because of your thinking. Your

thinking has brought you to this point in your life, be it good, great, or otherwise.

But we all must prepare our minds for action in the future.

The future is ahead. How will we do? It depends on our thinking.

President Nixon, when talking to Winston Churchill’s son, told him how much he admired

the prime minister’s great ability at giving ’extemporaneous’ speeches.

Churchill’s son replied, "Oh, yes. I’ve watched my father work for hours preparing those

extemporaneous speeches."

Most worthwhile things take time to prepare. Life is the most worthwhile thing we will do.

We MUST prepare our minds for this worthwhile adventure.

How do we prepare our minds for action? With scripture and prayer!

There is no better way!Psalms 119:11 NET In my heart I store up your

words, so I might not sin against you.

Matthew 26:36 NET Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to

the disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took with him Peter and the two

sons of Zebedee, and became anguished and distressed. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is

deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me."

39 Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, “My

Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Our Lord prepared His mind in prayer. He prepared for the horror of the cross while in

prayer, while talking to His Father. Surely, this should tell us how to prepare our minds for life!

PREPARE YOUR HOPE1 Peter 1:13 NET Therefore, get your minds

ready for action by being fully sober, and set your hope completely on the grace that will be brought

to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.He tells them to set their hope on the grace which

is going to be given to them when Jesus Christ comes. It is the great characteristic of the

Christian that he lives in hope; and because he lives in hope he can endure the trials of the

present.

Any man can endure struggle and effort and toil, if he is certain that it is all leading somewhere. That is why the athlete accepts his training and the student his study. For the Christian the best is always still to come. He can live with gratitude for all the mercies of the past, with resolution to meet the challenge of the present and with the certain hope that in Christ the best is yet to be.

(DSB)

Peter has told us a lot about God’s grace. He greeted us with grace. (1Peter 1:2) He told us of the grace that came to us in Jesus, predicted

by the prophets of old. (1Peter 1:10)

Now he goes further, writing of the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus is revealed

(He comes back.) The only way we will be able to stand before Jesus on that day is because of the unmerited favor He gives and will give to

us. (Guzik)

Hollywood, California—many people come there from around the world frantically seeking

success, fame, and fortune. For most, however, the quest is a futile one.

Only a few have actually "made it" to the sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard, where

embedded bronze symbols bear the names and faces of the famous. It appears that these men and women, in worldly terms, have mastered

their destinies.

And yet, upon passing this way and looking at these small monuments more carefully, one cannot help but be touched with a sense of

irony. The same sidewalk in which the coveted star has been firmly laid is cluttered with debris, splattered with mud, and ground over in places

with patches of gum.In stark contrast, the promise of God to His

people says "I lay ... a sure foundation." ...

The reward of walking this "established" path is only found in God's Word. There is no bronze star waiting to be laid in concrete by the hands of man and tarnished by the passage of time.

Rather, the redeemed of the Lord—those whose lives are built upon the sure foundation by God-

shall shine forever. (From Living and Praying in Jesus' Name

by Dick Eastman and Jack Hayford)

Hope is what we want but cannot see and what we will not have until sometime in the future. My older sisters both had a “hope chest,” a term not

commonly used today as it once was. But it certainly illustrates what hope is. A “hope chest” is a physical evidence of my sisters’ desire to be

married. They did not yet know who that man would be, and yet they were preparing for the time when they would become husband and

wife.

Though hope is what we desire but do not have, yet we trust, by faith, that we shall have it in the

future. Love is the evidence of our faith and hope. Indeed, our hope includes those whom we

love:1 Thessalonians 2:19 NET For who is our hope

or joy or crown to boast of before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not of course you? 20

For you are our glory and joy!

What then does Peter mean when he instructs us to “set your hope… ?” I believe he means we are to set our affection and desire on heavenly

things as opposed to earthly things. This is what Jesus taught His disciples:

Matthew 6:19 NET "Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and

rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For

where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:33 NET But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things

will be given to you as well.

When our affection is set upon heavenly things, we will gladly endure the trials and difficulties of

this life:Matthew 5:10 NET “Blessed are those who are

persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. 11 “Blessed are you

when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on

account of me.

12 Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.

2 Corinthians 4:16 NET Therefore we do not despair, but even if our physical body is wearing away, our inner person is being renewed day by

day.

17 For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison 18 because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but

what cannot be seen is eternal.

When Peter resisted our Lord’s teaching on His coming suffering, our Lord dealt with “heavenly desires” versus “human desires” in Peter’s life:

Matthew 16:21 NET From that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to

Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be

killed, and be raised up on the third day. 22 And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him,

saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”

23 But He turned and said to Peter, 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Get behind Me,

Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s. “If any one wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his

cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses

his life for My sake shall find it.

26 For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what

will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of

His Father with His angels; and WILL THEN RECOMPENSE EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO

HIS DEEDS. 28 Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man

coming in His kingdom.”

It is especially interesting to note our Lord’s analysis of why Peter was so wrong that He

refered to him as “Satan:”“you are not setting your mind on God’s

interests, but man’s.” (Matthew 16:23b)

How about the translation found in the King James Version:

“For thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”

The word “savourest” conveys the idea of “appetite” or “desire.” Peter wanted what natural men want, not the things of God. Peter had the

wrong hope, for his hope was fixed on the things of this world and not the things of God’s

kingdom to be brought to him at the second coming.

The fixation of our desire must be total, complete, and undivided. The term “completely”

is usually rendered “perfect.”1 Peter 1:13 YLT Wherefore having girded up

the loins of your mind, being sober, hope perfectly upon the grace that is being brought to

you in the revelation of Jesus Christ,Peter wants us to understand that our devotion

and desire for heavenly things must not be diluted with desires for earthly things.

PREPARE YOUR HEART1 Peter 1:14 NET Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges you used to follow in your ignorance, 15 but, like the Holy One who

called you, become holy yourselves in all of your conduct,

16 for it is written, “You shall be holy, because I am holy.”

(Lev 11:44, Lev 19:2)

Be holy. This should be our heart’s desire in life: to be holy, to be better, to grow in the likeness of

our holy God. But I think most of the time our hearts are far from this desire. We are far more

worldly than we are holy and we are not sure we want to be holy. Maybe just a little but no more.

I think perhaps we fear becoming more like God. We’re afraid perhaps that we will lose our taste for the things of the world and we like the

things of this world.1 Timothy 6:6 NET Now godliness combined with contentment brings great profit. 7 For we

have brought nothing into this world and so we cannot take a single thing out either.

8 But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that.

9 Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evils. Some people in reaching for it

have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.

We know this scripture very well but it’s sometimes hard to practice. We should be more

content with food, clothing and the basic necessities of life but often, we want more and

more.

Actor Michael Douglas said in the 1987 movie, “Wall Street,“ “Greed is good.” Douglas played the part of an unscrupulous Wall Street player.

And greed seems good to most people, however, as we mature in Christ we begin to realize that greed for money and greed for

material things can be harmful, detrimental and damning.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was a brilliant theologian whose sermons had an

overwhelming impact on those who heard him. One in particular, his famous ’Sinners in the

Hands of an Angry God," moved hundreds to repentance and salvation. That single message helped to spark the revival known as ’The Great

Awakening" (1734-1744).

From a human standpoint, it seems incredible that such far-reaching results could come from

one message. Edwards did not have a commanding voice or impressive pulpit manner. He used very few gestures, and he read from a

manuscript. Yet God’s Spirit moved on his hearers with great conviction and power.

Few know the spiritual preparation involved in that sermon. John Chapman gives us the story: ’For 3 days Edwards had not eaten a mouthful of food; for 3 nights he had not closed his eyes

in sleep. Over and over again he was heard to pray,

’O Lord, give me New England! Give me New England!’

When he rose from his knees and made his way into the pulpit that Sunday, he looked as if he had been gazing straight into the face of God. Even before he began to speak, tremendous

conviction fell upon his audience.“Holiness was Jonathan Edwards’ heart’s desire

in life. And so should it be in ours but it won’t happen without work, without preparation.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (who was a justice on the Supreme Court nominated by Theodore

Roosevelt) said: To reach the port of heaven we must sail, sometimes with the wind and

sometimes against it, but we must sail and not drift, nor lie at anchor.

We must sail, not drift. Drifting will get us nowhere. The Christian life is a life of action, doing, working, and serving. Because of this action, we must prepare ourselves; we must

prepare our minds, our hope and our hearts for serving the Lord. We must do whatever it takes

to be a doer in the kingdom of God.