Well good morning to everyone. It's great to be back. Thank you Mark for leading us again this morning and those good hymns, and I wanted to thank Andrew for filling in last week for me and by all accounts doing a tremendous job, so praise the Lord for that. 

We had a great time of ministry and fellowship in Spanish Wells and in Blackwoods on Eleuthera Island. It was amazing to meet and worship with the Haitian church there. Pastor Emil has a challenging but wonderful ministry to the Haitian people, so you can pray for Pastor Emil and the work that's going on there. 

As you recall, we spent our last three messages in the first 12 verses of the first letter of Peter. He's writing to persecuted believers, Jewish believers living among the pagans in the Gentile regions, and his intent in these first 12 verses is to show these brothers and sisters who they are and what they have in Jesus, and to encourage them concerning their great salvation. 

We saw the profound truths that we are chosen, elect before the foundation of the world, that we were set apart by the Holy Spirit, that we were, through faith, sealed with the blood of Christ. We now, as children of God, believers in Jesus Christ, have an inheritance. This inheritance is undefiled. It does not fade away. It's reserved in heaven for us who are kept by the power of God, ready to be revealed in the last time. 

All of these amazing truths are meant to set our focus right, to point us to Jesus, to heavenly things, to the truth and the nature of the salvation that we have in Christ, and to give us incredible assurance. Assurance of our salvation even as we live as strangers and pilgrims in this cursed world among the lost men and the satanic system of this age. 

In fact, Peter says even our trials and our sufferings are an affirmation of our true and real salvation, the salvation that the prophets foretold and even the angels desire to look into. My brothers and sisters, we have a great salvation. This is the truth that Peter has laid down so wonderfully in these first 12 verses, and now in verse 13 he's going to give us an exhortation. 

He's going to give us an imperative based on the tremendous indicatives, the truths that he's just expounded to us. So this is where we get to kind of the meat of the message from Peter as he begins to ask us to apply our salvation in our lives. 

If you'd look with me at 1st Peter 1.13, he says, "therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.' And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." 

I have four points for you on your outline this morning. First, be ready for action. Second, rest your hope fully. Third, be who you are. And fourth, redeemed by His blood. 

What should our response be to the great salvation and security that we have in Jesus as we walk in this world? Peter says, tie up the loose ends of your mind, gird up the loins of your mind, and rest your hope fully on God's grace. 

I want you to notice the word "therefore" at the beginning of verse 13. Therefore, he says, based on all of this glorious truth—who we are, what we have in Jesus, the security and assurance, the amazing work that God is doing in and through us as we live among the pagans in this world, the promise that we have of glorification, the coming of Christ, the revealing of the sons of God—based on these truths, gird up the loins of your mind. 

The wording here speaks of preparing for action, and it brings to mind the tunic that was worn in the time of Peter. It was a loose-fitting, one-piece garment that hung down over the body, much like a poncho today. And if a man was preparing to walk, to travel, or to go into battle, he would have to gird up his loins, that is, place a type of belt around his waist to gather up all of the loose-fitting tunic so that he could move freely and not be bound by that. 

Turn back to Exodus chapter 12 with me, please, and we'll look at this example back in chapter 12. Exodus 12 at verse 3, it says, "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, On the tenth of this month, every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons. According to each man's need, you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night, roasted in fire with unleavened bread, and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boil at all with water, but roast it in fire, its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. And thus you shall eat it with a belt around your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the Lord." 

Notice verse 11, they were to be ready to move, to leave Egypt and cross the Red Sea and start their journey to the promised land. And so they were to have a belt around their waist, that is, they were to gird up their loins and their tunics and bind them so that they might move freely. This is the image that Peter is creating here. 

But notice he says, gird up the loins of your mind. What does that mean? Weiss translates it this way: he says, “wherefore having put out of the way once for all everything that would impede the free action of your mind.” It's interesting language here because this act of the will to gird up the loins of the mind is a definite decision and it speaks of a sort of setting things in the right perspective. 

The world, the men of this world, this present age, all the difficulties and sufferings that come with it, to set this in contrast with our salvation, with the sufficiency of Christ, with our eternal hope, with our great commission and blessed privilege to be witnesses in this world and to do the work of the kingdom. 

Listen to these words from Weiss again: he says, “by the power of the Holy Spirit, the believer is able to exert his will in putting out of his mind those things that would impede its free action.” Thus the Christian has the privilege of enjoying the wholesome mental attitude of optimism and a carefree mind, not a mind devoid of an appreciation of the seriousness of life and its responsibilities. 

Listen now, but a mind not crippled and frozen by worry, fear, and their related mental attitudes. He wrote this before COVID by the way. Living in this mental state, the believer is ready and able to obey the exhortations that Peter now gives us. In other words, we have a right perspective on this world and the things of this world—why we are here and what really matters. 

And in all of this, we trust the sovereignty and power of our Abba Father. So we don't have a lot of loose ends binding the free movement of our mental state. I think this is so interesting because of the present time in which we live, where people are addicted to fear, are consumed by catastrophe, are paralyzed in their minds by the temporal concerns of this life. Fear sells. 

We've learned that lesson in the last couple of years, and I've seen many Christians be rendered useless to the cause of Christ by a consuming fear and a constant worry, and frankly, an unbelieving attitude as they consume the next narrative of the media and sit in their homes and wring their hands. What is it that we fear? What is it that man can do to me? What will I lose if I lose the whole world? Nothing, absolutely nothing. 

What I have is Christ. What I have is hope, assurance, grace, salvation, eternity. And I have today, my friends, we have today to do the will of God, to set my mind on things above, to love God and love men, to look to the needs of others, to encourage the brethren, to reach the lost with the saving message of Christ, to have sweet fellowship centered on our like precious faith. What do we have to fear? 

When all of these great truths are kept by the power of God, are promised by the God who cannot lie, what loose ends do you need to bind up in your mind? Are you worried about money? Are you worried about what you will eat or what you might wear? I just came back from that Haitian community in Blackwoods, and they're living in shanties, you know, seven, 800 people there squatting on the Queensland in shanties, and they don't have anything. I thought about how silly it would be for me to worry about eating and drinking. I mean, that's a stretch for us, isn't it? 

To really worry about what we're going to have to eat. Are you worried about failure, a lack of success in your business, your place in society, your standard of living? Are you concerned about politics, the kings who set themselves against Christ? Did you know that he sits in the heavens and laughs and he holds them in total confusion? Do all of these loose ends bind your mind? Peter says, gird them up, put them away. 

Set your mind on the truth of who Jesus is and what you have in Him and why you are here. And listen now, begin to enjoy your ministry in this pagan world. Begin to experience the freedom of trusting God and doing what He says, of loving God and loving men, of talking about things that matter and setting your mind on the things of God. Gird up the loins of your mind. Get ready for action. Get ready for the excitement and adventure of the Christian life. 

And next, Peter says, be sober. The Greek word means to be calm and collected in spirit, to be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect. It speaks of the proper exercise of the mind, that state of mind in which the individual is self-controlled and is able to see things without the distortion caused by worry, fear, and their related attitudes. 

And the way that we can be sober is to rest our hope fully on the grace of God. Look at verse 13 in our text again. Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

The question we have to ask ourselves is, where is our hope? Where do we rest our hope? Do you somehow, some way, put a little hope in the systems of this world? That if we could maybe win in the political realm, we could make things right or see some justice? Or is part of your hope in your bank account or your 401k, your resources? Is there security in that? 

I'm not saying you shouldn't save or shouldn't plan, absolutely, but where is your hope? Peter's writing to believers who are suffering, who have nothing in this world, who are afraid and worried. He says, listen, you are a child of God. You are secure in Christ. You have grace sufficient for today and every day. You have a great purpose in this world. Yes, you're a stranger in a pilgrim. The world's not your home, but you are an ambassador sent by the King of Kings with a message, a great and glorious message, and you are loved, loved with everlasting love. 

God is continually doing what is best for you as the perfect Father, and your eternity is secure. Don't let all the loose ends of this world, all the injustices of our time, the lies and scheming of Satan and his minions consume your mind. Rest your hope fully on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

When Jesus comes, all of the injustices will be corrected. He will rule and reign in righteousness, but until then, we are ambassadors in a foreign land, and we have work to do. We are here representing Jesus and sent to bring the message of hope and salvation through faith in Him. 

Look down at verse 22 in 1st Peter 1. First Peter 1.22, “since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit and sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible through the Word of God which lives and abides forever.” 

Peter says you have been born again, you have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, you are a child of God, you are secure today and forever in Christ, therefore love one another fervently with a pure heart. Love God, love the brethren, love the lost. Love in truth. 

I preached last Sunday on 2 John; I'd like for you to turn to 2 John at verse 1 and see the important lesson here that we must love in truth. 2 John 1.1, “the elder to the elect lady and her children whom I love in truth, and not only I but also all those who have known the truth, because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever, grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of the Father in truth and love. 

I rejoice greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth as we receive commandment from the Father, and now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard it from the beginning, you should walk in it.” 

Six times John uses the term aletheia, truth, in these six verses. Four times the term agape, love. John is saying love in truth. This is what we are to strive toward, to agonize over. This is who we are, and this is why we are here. Set your mind on these things. 

Rest your hope fully on the grace of God, and be who you are, because you've been redeemed by the blood of Christ, because you've been born again, and the fruit of that is love. 

Let's look at our text again, verse 13, as Peter encourages us to be who we are. Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that has been brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance, but as He who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.' 

And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." 

We weren't redeemed by religion and ritual and those things handed down. How appropriate that would be for Peter's Jewish audience, right, and all that had developed in the legalistic system of Judaism up to this time. It would be typical of our mainline denominations in Christianity as well today. 

But we weren't redeemed that way. We were redeemed with the blood of Christ. We were born again. We are no longer who we were. Turn over to Ephesians 4 with me, please. Paul writes similarly in Ephesians 4 at verse 17. 

"This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart, who being past feeling have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." 

That's the world around us. He says, but you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus, here's the truth, that you have put off concerning your former conduct the old man, which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and you are being renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you have put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. 

This is true of who we are. What Paul's saying, what Peter's saying is, don't act like who you were, but act like who you are. We see in verse 14 of our text the word conforming. And this is the same word used in Romans 12:2, where Paul says, stop being conformed to this world. 

I love this word and what it means, especially set in contrast to the word transformed in that same verse. Conformed in Paul's text and in Peter's text refers to the act of an individual assuming an outward expression that does not come from within him, nor is it representative of his inner heart life. Paul's saying, just as Peter's saying, stop assuming an outward expression, your manner of life, which is patterned after this world. An expression that does not come from, nor is it representative of who you are in your inner being as a regenerated child of God. 

Rather we are to be who we are, holy, set apart. We are like our Father. That's what he's saying. If you call on the Father, you should be like your Father. We're set apart. We're new creations, different creatures than the men of this world around us. 

We are to be being transformed, Paul says, by the renewing of our mind to the Word of God. And the word transformed is metamorphame, which speaks of the act of a person changing his outward expression, how we live again, from that which he has to a different one. An expression which comes from and is representative of his inner being. 

My friends, the consistent exhortation all through the New Testament is this: this is who you are because of salvation, because of regeneration. Now by the power of Christ's life in you and the Holy Spirit imparting strength to your inner man through faith, live out who you are. Live outwardly in your behavior, your walk, in consistency with who you are inwardly. 

Over and over again, this is the admonition. From Ephesians 4 we just read, 2 Corinthians 5, anyone who's in Christ as a new creation, John 15, Jesus explains to us the essence of the Christian life, all the writings and arguments of Paul. But not only Paul, also Peter and James. 

Turn over to 2 Peter, chapter 1 with me, 2 Peter 1:3. Notice what Peter says here. 2 Peter 1:3, "as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust, but also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love." 

"For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins." 

If a believer does not have self-control, if a believer does not have godliness, kindness, and love in his life as a characterization of his life, what is the problem? The problem is you have forgotten who you are. You have forgotten your regeneration, your new birth. You've forgotten that you have been cleansed from your old sins, that God has given to you all things that pertain to life and godliness. We've been given exceedingly great and precious promises. We are partakers of the divine nature. 

The key to a holy life, to a fixed mind, to spiritual fruit, is knowing who you are in Christ, choosing to believe God, and living by His grace and power and life in us through faith. 

"I have been crucified with Christ." Paul summarizes the Christian life in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. In the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." 

Jesus explains the essence of the Christian life in John chapter 15, "I am the true vine. My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. Because the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me." 

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit. For without Me you can do nothing." If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered, and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, it shall be done for you. 

Listen to the promise in verse 8. "By this My Father has glorified that you bear much fruit, so you will be My disciples." Why are we His disciples? Why did He choose us? Why did He save us? Why did He recreate us? So that we would bear much fruit and glorify the Father. This is the promise. How does He intend we should do that? By abiding in Him. By looking to Him. By setting our mind on Him. 

We have been redeemed by His blood. It's not that we've turned over a new leaf. It's not that we've made a determination in our own strength and power to do better. We have not put our faith in religion and works and rites and rituals or an expanding of the mind through drugs or experience. We're not like Aaron Rodgers locked in a dark room for four days trying to find ourselves. 

We have been redeemed. The word redeemed means to buy back, to be bought at a price. In verse 18 of 1 Peter 1, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ.” 

Jesus paid our sin debt in full. Jesus satisfied the wrath of God for you and for me. And when we believed Jesus, we were united with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection. We were made new, born again, and now, my brothers and sisters, we are children of God, we are co-heirs with Christ. 

Look at Peter's words of encouragement in chapter 1, verse 2 with me again—1 Peter 1:2. Listen to these words, look at them, follow along. We've been over and over these, but think about what they say. Peter says we are elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. We're set apart by the Spirit for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. He says grace to you and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. 

"And in this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom, having not seen, you love, though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 

My old trapping partner used to say, “it doesn't really matter, and what if it did?” He's no great theologian, but it's an interesting thought. What is it that consumes your mind, your thoughts, your passions? Are there a lot of loose ends, like a tunic catching on your ankles as you try to run? Are there many worries and fears? Is there hope in the things of this world, the temporal things, the wisdom and methods of men? 

What really matters? What is your mental state day by day? I think about the Christian's mind concerning death. Death is hard. Death is tragic. Death is especially hard if a man is lost. Sometimes I feel strange, almost guilty, because death no longer upsets me that much. I'm sure if it was someone close to me, I would experience sorrow and grief and there'd be a struggle. 

But what I mean is that as a believer, I have a very different mental attitude about death. I no longer fear death. I no longer live in bondage to the fear of what comes next. I have a right perspective, according to the Word of God, concerning death. Or I think about the material things of this world, some of great value, at least monetarily. 

You know, when I dent the side of my truck because I forgot I had a trailer back there, that's a bummer. But it doesn't really matter. And what if it did? I don't scream and cuss and throw a fit in an outburst of wrath because it's just a truck. 

And eventually, it's going to melt with a fervent heat. And there are bigger things in this life, concerns, worries, fear. If my mind is not right, if the loose ends are not bound to gird it up, like the corruption and abuses of men by those in power, the fear of what might come and the way of persecution, famine, a one-world government, wars and rumors of wars and all these things. 

These are all loose ends that can keep our mind from functioning freely, that can cause us to fear, to be rendered useless. If we do not gird up the loins of our minds, set our minds on heavenly things, on Jesus, on the grace of God and on our hope, what really matters? 

We have a great opportunity, my brothers and sisters. We have peace, we have security, we have hope. And if we set our minds on Jesus, on God's grace, on God's will and purpose for our lives, if we set our affections on the things of God, the people of God, the purpose that He has for us in this world, if our minds are focused on the gospel, on loving God and loving men, then we can live with not only peace and joy, but purpose and optimism and fulfillment, thankfulness, rejoicing, knowing that all that we do in this life matters. 

We can live in such a way that even when we eat and drink, everything, every area of our life can be for the glory of God. When we think on and do what really matters, we have a fruitful, holy life that matters. It matters to the plan and purpose of God. 

This is what Peter means when he writes, knowing who you are and what you have—your great salvation in Christ—gird up the loins of your mind. Pull all the loose ends together and set your mind, rest your hope fully on the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

This world is waxing worse and worse, just as Jesus promised. But my brothers and sisters, it's an exciting time to be a Christian. Jesus said, don't let your heart be troubled. He knows about all these things. And it's so wonderful to know Jesus in this time, and to know and believe that God is working out His will in our lives in this world, as He brings His salvation plans to full and final consummation in Christ. And my brothers and sisters, we are with Him. We are co-heirs with Him. We have nothing to fear. 

Let's close in prayer. 

Father, we're so thankful, so thankful for our salvation, so thankful that You're our Father, so thankful that we can trust You and believe You, we can know Your Word, renew our minds to it, take thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ, that we can abide in Jesus. I often think, Lord, I can't keep the law perfectly. I can't always do what I should do. But I can believe You. I can trust You. 

And I know that as I learn to trust You and believe You, and walk in Your commandment to love God, to love men, to believe Jesus, that You will produce the fruit of holiness in my life. And You will make me a witness to bring men to You, to bring glory to You in all that I do. Thank You for that truth. Thank You for Your faithfulness to us, that You continue to work in us, and we can always trust You. We can always know that You do what is right. And thank You for the hope that we have when Jesus comes. 

In His name we pray. Amen.