"THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER"
Fortifying The Focus Of Our Hope (1 Pe 1:13)
INTRODUCTION
1. Up to this point in his epistle, Peter has summarized some of the
blessings enjoyed by God's "pilgrims"...
a. Their election, sanctification, and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus - 1 Pe 1:2
b. Their rebirth to a living hope - 1 Pe 1:3
c. Their incorruptible inheritance, reserved in heaven - 1 Pe 1:4
d. Their being kept by the power of God through faith for the
salvation to come - 1 Pe 1:5
e. Their great joy, which is inexpressible and full of glory - 1 Pe 1:6-9
f. The honor of having been served by a distinguished group of
individuals - 1 Pe 1:10-12
2. Starting with verse 13, we find a series of exhortations...
a. These exhortations are based upon the wonderful blessings listed
previously (note the connecting word "therefore")
b. These exhortations are found throughout much of the rest of the
epistle
3. The first exhortation relates to the "hope" that we have as
Christians - 1 Pe 1:13
a. In which we are charged to "rest your hope fully upon the grace
that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ"
b. Put another way, we are being charged to "fortify the focus of
our hope"
c. What this means, and how we are to accomplish it, will be the
focus of this lesson
[Let's start by first ...]
I. IDENTIFYING THE FOCUS OF OUR HOPE
A. AS DEFINED IN VERSE 13, OUR HOPE IS...
1. The "grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of
Jesus Christ"
2. I.e., the unmerited favor that we will receive when Jesus
comes again
B. AS ALLUDED TO IN THE PRECEDING TWELVE VERSES, OUR HOPE IS...
1. The "inheritance...reserved in heaven for you" - 1 Pe 1:4
2. The "salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" - 1 Pe 1:5
3. The "praise, honor, and glory" we shall receive "at the
revelation of Jesus Christ" - 1 Pe 1:7
4. The "end of your faith--the salvation of your souls" - 1 Pe 1:9
C. IN VIEW OF ALL THESE VERSES, THE FOCUS OF OUR HOPE IS TO BE...
1. The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the wonderful grace
He will bring
2. The wonderful praise, honor, and glory we shall receive when
He comes
3. The complete and final salvation of our souls from sin and its
effects
4. The receiving of our wonderful inheritance, the heavenly city,
which is incorruptible, undefiled, and that does not fade
away
[Such is to be the focus of our hope. And as stated previously, the
main charge in this passage is to "rest our hope fully upon the grace that
is to be brought to you" (to fortify the focus of your hope).
How we accomplish this is now considered as we examine...]
II. OUR DUTY TO FORTIFY THE FOCUS OF OUR HOPE
A. THAT IS THE PRIMARY EXHORTATION IN THIS PASSAGE...
1. I.e., the words "rest your hope fully upon the grace that is
to be brought to you" is the main point of this verse
2. The other exhortations which precede it are subsidiary and
will be considered later
B. WHAT IT MEANS TO "REST YOUR HOPE FULLY"
1. It means to "set your hope perfectly, unchangeably, without
doubt and despondency"
2. As the NASV puts it: "fix your hope completely on the
grace..."
3. Therefore Peter is exhorting us to make our hope one that is
complete, strong, and not wavering
C. THE CULTIVATION OF A STRONG HOPE IS, THEREFORE, A CHRISTIAN DUTY...
1. We have a duty to develop and fortify our hope
2. Just as we need to cultivate patience, self-control, etc., so
we need to cultivate our hope!
3. For without a hope that is strong...
a. Our faith may waver
b. We are subject to fear, doubt, and depression
4. Yes, the cultivation (or fortification) of our hope is
essential to living joyful and victorious lives as Christians!
[This is the main point of verse 13, an exhortation to fortify our
hope, to make it stronger. Just as we are to grow in faith and love,
so we are to grow in hope!
To do this effectively, it is important to give thought to...]
III. WHAT IS NECESSARY TO FORTIFY THE FOCUS OF OUR HOPE
A. "GIRD UP THE LOINS OF YOUR MIND"
1. "Gird up" is an oriental expression...
a. It refers to the act of gathering up around the waist the
long, loose robes worn by those in the east
b. Such "gathering up" was necessary or one's progress in
running or some other act of exertion would be impeded
2. With the use of this metaphor, Peter is saying...
a. We must put out of the mind all things that would impede
the free action of the mind in connection with developing
our hope
b. We must put out of the mind such things like worry, fear,
or obsession with material possessions
3. I.e., remove anything and everything that is not conducive to
having a strong hope in the coming of our Lord
a. Such as carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life -
cf. Lk 21:34-35
b. Such things as these "choke" us and hinder our ability to
bear fruit (such as the fruit of a strong hope) - cf. Lk 8:14
B. "BE SOBER"
1. The word "sober" means "to be calm and collected in spirit, to
be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect"
2. It is that state of mind in which the individual is self-
controlled, able to see things without the distortion caused
by worry or fear
3. I.e., to fortify the focus of our hope requires a CALM and
SERIOUS attention to the task at hand - cf. Lk 21:36 ("Watch
therefore, and pray always...")
4. We cannot cultivate and fortify a strong hope if we are so
weak-minded that we allow things to divert us away from our
true calling!
CONCLUSION
1. And what is our calling? It is to sojourn through this life as pilgrims,
but with a hope that is resting fully upon the grace we will receive
when Christ comes again!
2. The problem with many Christians today is NOT that they have no
hope...
a. But that their hope is weak and shallow
b. And that is because they are preoccupied with the affairs of this
temporary life
3. To remain faithful to the Lord, we need to heed Peter's exhortation
to fortify the focus of our hope by...
a. Freeing our minds of those things which would hinder us
b. Being more serious about the kind of lives our Heavenly Father
would have us live - cf. Lk 12:35-40
Our next lesson will elaborate upon how God would have us live; but for
now, are we living for God at all...?
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