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[0:00] we will be in 1st Peter together if you'll turn there with me just a word to you I'm very grateful to you last Sunday for those of you who were here the way that all of you here or not prayed for me as I prepared for last Sunday's message I hope you were blessed by it and encouraged I know I was in my study and in being reminded of God's goodness to us as he created us as male and female and then said go celebrate that and boy that's awesome so thank you for your prayers and for the good time that we had last week in God's word and I mean by that good time as being blessed just being blessed by God to be reminded of who we are and how he made us that we can be people living in his image so now we come to 1st Peter back in our verse by verse study the title of my message for this morning is go big and go home go big and go home let's read together the passage that I have in mind we'll only be dealing with a small portion of it nevertheless

[1:20] Peter begins in verse 13 because we've covered the first 12 verses already in prior messages therefore is the way the new American standard reads in verse 13 therefore prepare your minds for action keep sober in spirit fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ as obedient children do not be conformed to the former lust which were yours in your ignorance but like the holy one who called you be holy yourselves also in all your behavior because it is written you shall be holy for I am holy now folks for me as I thought about this this past week you know the world in many ways hasn't changed so much in 2000 years since this was written in some ways it has

[2:27] I mean we have a lot more technology and stuff like that but people people haven't really changed and the way that we deal with life and face life hasn't really changed because we're people people are people whether they're ancient people or people today well listen to this as a new year came in 1980 I just let me stop right there how many of you were even alive in 1980 alright most of us the majority of us American morale was really really low I remember it really well just a couple of months prior to the new year of 1980 on November 4th of 1979 3,000 Iranians attacked the American embassy creating the embarrassing 444 day hostage crisis or as we called it then the Iran hostage crisis crisis and then with cold war tensions with Russia at an all time high just a month later in December of 79

[3:47] Russia shocked the world by attacking Afghanistan sandwiched between these two military events on November the 9th of 1979 Americans got the scare of their lives when the nuclear warning system at NORAD then called the North American Air Defense Command sounded an alarm signaling a massive Soviet nuclear missile attack on the United States I remember that and in the light of these events it was chilling well it turned out to be the result of a technician entering a wrong code during a test we could have all wrung his neck and then we had many other things but who can forget during that time the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski he continued his terrorist attacks by sending bombs in the mail to people he killed like three people over the course of the years he did this took years to catch him

[4:55] I think he wounded about 27 people maimed many of them and then even as Americans were trying to curb their rising tempers over having to wait for hours and hours in long lines just to do what put gas in their cars if you can imagine the news can you remember that the news showing the lines and people freaking out and taking baseball bats to each other's cars and man it was just awful it was just a really really hard time 1979 was a tough year on Americans and it seemed like the nation needed something something to lift it out of its defeatism and then and then in February of 1980 just a few months after all of this is going on something did happen something so unlikely that it catapulted the heart of our nation and crushed the heart of the

[6:11] Soviet Union it didn't happen on a battlefield of rifles or boots or strategic objectives it happened on a battlefield of ice with sticks and ice skates and a puck shot into a net and you're smiling because those of you alive I get chills thinking about it to this day I probably watched the movie for it 40 times I was alive during that time and it was really really something many many people have called it the greatest moment in American sports history with Russia dominating the world scene and things on our home front being so depressing at the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid sports commentator Al Michaels ecstatically shouted into his microphone do you believe in miracles and then capped it with yes yes why well the game clock was going to zero and the

[7:19] US amateur hockey team against all odds beat the reigning Russian professional team in the semifinals of the Olympics and then two days later went on to defeat Finland for the gold medal in ice hockey and for those of you who weren't there or weren't alive you think big deal it was a big deal it galvanized our nation right the country was electric it came to be known as the miracle on ice that'll tell you right there what we needed the miracle on ice while it maybe galvanized our country it gutted the Soviets it really did it was a huge embarrassment to them well I was in my senior year in high school I graduated in 80 so I was one of those people weeping for joy and feeling the immense pride that this most unlikely of victories brought home to our country kind of funny what'll rally people and make them happy and give them hope huh well you've heard the saying friends go big or go home right it means give it your all and everything or get out of the way it can also refer to winning and advancing in some type of competition or losing and then you go home so you win or you go home usually it's a sports metaphor challenging each member of the team to put their whole heart into winning and winning big so go big is what the U.S.

[9:10] hockey coach Herb Brooks instilled into his team here's what he did he forged these young men into a skilled disciplined determined group and most importantly into a group of young men playing together out of a sense of being duty bound to each other Herb helped them believe and go big now here's the issue for this challenge to have its effect the team must believe that their efforts and sacrifices pain and determination are all worthy of the goal each person needs to have a very high commitment to duty duty that's not a bad word to a clear and unbreakable sense of their own responsibility to the success of the effort and that sense of personal duty is the key element so that if anyone doubts or disbelieves the worthiness of the goal and their contribution to it he or she or perhaps the entire team will not go big now here's where the or comes in go big or go home so or if you're not going to give it your all don't bother to show up go home because you'll just drag down the others and make the team effort more difficult now people apply that kind of mentality and that saying to all kinds of efforts and challenges and goals life sports games whatever they want to convey a level of loyalty and duty towards a certain endeavor and I bring all of that up to be able to bring it to the time when

[11:30] Peter's writing and say this this is a gloomy time this is a tough time and Christian morale is at a low it's going to get even lower and so Peter writes Peter writes things are really hard things are really depressing in the world of Christians as he writes this letter because persecution and suffering are heating up due to people Christians living out their faith in Christ these people are not being persecuted because they're doing wrong things they're being persecuted and they're suffering and they're dying because they're living out their faith they're being faithful to God they're not trying to subvert the government they're not taking arms up arms against other people or regimes it's nothing like that they're just living out their faith in Christ and that's enough that's enough it's a really gloomy time and the outlook isn't good in terms of the suffering worsening under the emperor

[12:47] Nero so it's going to worsen tremendously in the coming year and a half or so Peter wants then to inspire he wants to help focus the hearts of these Christians on a maximum sustained effort for making the most of their salvation in dark times he's calling them together make the effort to make the most and wring out every drop of the blessings of your salvation that you can in these hard times don't use it as an excuse to run away from your faith or to hide your faith but to live your faith folks knowing that if they heed what you and I are sitting under in the way of this instruction many of them are going to lose their lives obedience to what

[13:55] I'll be bringing to you today will cost many of these people their lives I doubt there's a single one of us in this room today who have any any confidence that if we walk out of here today and try to live what I'm going to bring to you in the next minutes that we'll be killed for it but that's where they live and I just want you to appreciate that and realize that it's sobering and that's exactly what Peter's message is to these people this morning sober up and take stock and count the cost and go live a holy life even though it means your death and from for many of you that's where he is he calls these people to spiritual arms as he speaks to their sense of personal duty to Christ he wants then to command an all or nothing mentality in Christ followers as he comes to this section in his letter so in verses 13 through 16 he now after all he said in the first 12 he now urges them to go big go big in living out the rich realities of their salvation his encouragements that we'll see are all linked together and overlap but I think we can capture

[15:30] Peter's instruction in three commands concerning our conduct as Christians okay here are three ways for you to activate and then apply God's salvation blessings to how you live your life each day that's what Peter is most concerned about so the first thing that we'll deal with this morning obediently prepare your heart now that's the only point that we're going to deal with this morning I have three from the passage we'll deal with half a verse I know what you're thinking at that rate we'll be in first Peter for 10 years that's okay slow is better however long we're here we need to take careful careful consideration of this this morning and so we'll just deal with the first of what will be three of these encouragements that

[16:33] Peter will bring and I'll go ahead and tell you because I'll say this a little later I think basically in this passage there are two primary commands but I've kind of stretched it out to give you three encouragements because I want to deal more with some of what is behind the scenes in the grammar here so obediently prepare your heart is verse 13 and here is what Peter says therefore prepare in the new American standard prepare your minds for action keep sober in spirit that's where we're going to stop but the rest of the verse says fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ now I was taught very early in my Christian life whenever you see a therefore in scripture see what it's there for so that's what we want to do therefore takes us back into the first 12 verses where

[17:37] Peter expounds the riches of our salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ he wants to remind us doctrinally with treatise after treatise precept after precept of these are some of the blessings and the riches that you enjoy because God caused you to be born again and he wants everything that he's going to tell them in the rest of the letter to be founded on that being born again being made a new creature in Jesus Christ that should make all the difference for you so he wants us to be fully mindful of God as our father now have you ever stopped just to think about that God is my father so what does that make me his child his child and of

[18:40] God's precious salvation blessings given to us now and forever so we're dealing with the reality of this relationship and we're dealing with the reality of how this relationship changes our lives and brings blessing into our life even as we suffer and how God makes that suffering a blessing for us something only he could do and then I want you to notice this what is most worthy of you building your life on what is the bedrock that you are sinking your heart and soul into what is it that gives meaning clarity and purpose to your life each day now don't gloss over those questions friend let that sink in and think about that with me because every single one of us in the room today are answering these questions every day whether we realize it or not in the way that we live right for

[19:57] Christians the answers form one complete whole for how we believe and live here's the answer Jesus Christ crucified and raised again for us the God given blessings of this relationship define our lives and those blessings include God making suffering a blessing because he uses that suffering to refine us to train us to teach us to bring us along to help us learn perseverance in endurance it's amazing so therefore therefore beginning in verse 13 Peter tells us to faithfully live out these blessings in hope and in holiness those are the two primary commands for this passage hope and holiness but here's what he's saying live live out these blessings of hope and holiness as obedient responses to

[21:11] God as your father do you understand what I'm saying he's saying don't live so much in response to circumstances I know what your circumstances are don't even live so much in response to outcomes I understand what's at stake what I'm asking you here and encouraging you to do Peter says is live your life in response to God as your father and in response to the rich blessings that God brings into your life even in the midst of your suffering live your life obedient responding to God folks our lives are not arbitrary or self determined God's in the details right we live and move and have our being in a salvation soaked relationship with the creator of the world everything about your life is dripping with the reality and blessings of salvation in

[22:27] Jesus Christ all of it in the uncertainties the hardships and trials we experience our salvation in Christ is the difference for us or do you put your hope in a change in circumstance oh if he can just get me through this I understand that prayer we need to be responding to God so Peter wants our lives to reflect that relationship so he begins right where he should with our hearts because our hearts are who we are in our relationship with the Lord and with others in other words our hearts are seen in what we think believe feel and choose that's how we know our hearts by what we think by what we believe by what we feel and what we choose that's how we begin to see it lived out so he says therefore prepare your minds for action he starts right there prepare your minds for action now look let's grab onto this if you were to say to a group of people or your family or friends or people at work or whatever if you were to say in some context alright folks let's roll up our sleeves and get busy what would you mean what would you mean by that now

[24:19] I think I know what you mean you think you know what you mean let's roll up our sleeves and get busy the wording here with Peter is that idea what he says literally is this gird up the loins of your minds gird up the loins of your minds it reflects the ancient world's picture of a man cinching up his long robes into his waist belt to free up his legs and his torso for movement whether he's going to run or he's going to work but he needs to free up that lower half of his body to move and he didn't want those robes to impede him so he cinches them up and then he can do his thing that's the word picture that these people would have had in mind as part of the natural aspect of their culture that wouldn't have been weird or foreign to them they would have been like oh yeah the idea is that he wants to take action and he does not want to be hindered in that action so he prepares for it he prepares for it so folks look preparing your heart that is your mind your will and your emotions your heart is your mind your will and your emotions it's what you think what you believe what you feel and your will what you choose how you choose and direct the action of your life that's your heart so preparing your heart preparing your mind will and emotions for action means hear this unhampering your reasoning unhampering your reasoning so that you can discern the best way forward now this is where most people most often lose the battle against sin and spiritual immaturity that's why

[26:38] I'm hitting the pause button you can blame my counseling ministry on the fact that we're only doing half a verse today because I constantly see this in the Christian life I see it in my life I see it in the life of my spouse my kids I see it in y'all's lives it's just part of life so we're pausing here because unhampering our reasoning so that we can discern the best way forward in the will of the Lord is where most people most often lose the battle against sin and spiritual immaturity the battle is won or lost in your heart or in your mind believe me this is why you always 100% of the time act on what you believe and perceive in the moment you never speak or blink or move or do anything that your brain doesn't get into gear and

[27:50] I know sometimes we accuse each other did you not put your brain in gear before you said that or you know foot in mouth stuff no but listen we can't do anything without thinking the brain has to operate before the behavior can come into play the brain the thinking creates the behavior you with me all right don't believe me fine let's go to Romans 12 Romans 12 we'll get we'll get Paul's perspective on this just a little bit and we'll just read verse 2 where he comes to say now this is after 11 chapters of doctrine just like Peter's first 12 verses it's 11 chapters of sound doctrine and he comes to chapter 12 and he makes a super important transition here and in verse 2 he says do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what the will of

[29:07] God is that which is good and acceptable and that which is perfect you battle against worldly conformity that is ungodliness as you are transformed by the renewing of your mind transformed by the renewing of your mind all right look at this next slide with me for what purpose according to Romans 12 2 for what purpose do you obediently undergo the transformation of your mind or your heart Christian what does the text tell us so that you may prove what the will of God is that which is good and acceptable and perfect which is another way of saying live the truth now that's why you and I want to undergo the spiritual transforming process of

[30:13] God renewing our minds in other words God teaching us and training us in righteousness there's a plug for our memory verse how to think what to believe what to value what to put priority on God is renewing us as we are transformed in how we think about life in other words I can say it this way how we make meaning all of us are meaning makers we are constantly interpreting aren't we well God is teaching us how to do that interpretation or make that meaning according to his wisdom his value system God is working in your life always and in all things so the action that Peter is speaking of here the action you are preparing your heart for your mind for is that of responding to

[31:21] God your father with holy God pleasing living this is big time stuff so I'm not going to be her Brooks and say believe in yourself or believe in the team because I don't even want you necessarily putting the emphasis on the fact that there is this church this local church called Grace Church Williamsburg because we are all brought together and adopted and formed together into this local ministry for a greater higher purpose than ourselves aren't we it's to do the will of God but we need to do it together so it's not that we're not important it's that we're not most important we put all of the most important on whom Christ right exactly so what we're saying here is that the action you are preparing your heart for is that of responding to

[32:22] God your father with a holy God pleasing life now look at this one if you would with me a godly mind is prepped for a lifestyle of responding to God's work in your life oh I can't tell you how important that is I'm trying a godly mind is prepped for a lifestyle of responding to God to God's work in your life your responses are your heart attitudes going public through your actions which hopefully reflect God's will and glorify God's name now all of this begins with your heart worshiping God we will always live out of who we are out of what we value out of what we prioritize so

[33:23] Peter's unhindered emphasis that we have here his emphasis on this action being unhindered this preparation being unhindered all of that emphasis suggests that you and I need to carefully consider personal weaknesses which would inhibit our ability to respond to the Lord in a holy life you understand that I am equating responding to God with living a holy life so as you live out obedience holiness God pleaseness in your life you are responding to God you're not making it so much about responding to circumstances or outcomes and things like that your mind and your heart are filled with

[34:26] I want to please God now how do I make this situation about pleasing God see how do I make this circumstance about honoring the Lord how do I take this suffering moment or this confusing moment or this challenging moment or this moment where I don't have all the answers that I want to have or would like to have or would be good to have how do I take that moment and make it more about the Lord and about honoring the Lord than making it about me and what I want you know I told Suzanne this past week as she prays for me I shared this with her I said pray for me this way help me Lord help me want what more than what I want for me that's how I've asked my wife to pray for me this week help me want what you want for me

[35:29] Lord more than what I want for me it's a battle isn't it it's a battle I know I'm not the only one battling with that the question on the table is what short circuits your obedience to Jesus in day to day living in moment to moment living what is it in your life that most often short circuits your obedience to Jesus you have those things in your life and I have them in mine and Peter is saying I'm calling you to action I'm calling you to a sober mindedness about all of that say Jeff jump start me here what kind of things might you be talking about okay things like this fear fear of the unknown or fear of the known these people knew what was at stake do you think maybe they were battling fear of losing their life sure fear of the unknown

[36:43] I don't know what's going to happen am I going to lose my family am I going to lose my job are we going to have to move that's them what about this one worry just worrying just being full of worry how about pride or control just I just battle control wanting to control people wanting to control circumstances just wanting to be in control what about self righteousness or laziness or lust or greed all of those things come from our hearts and hinder our minds being prepared for God glorifying action similarly then

[37:47] Peter mentions next you can notice in your text that we are to keep sober in spirit or as the ESV says preparing your minds for action and being sober minded that captures it doesn't it being sober minded so let me ask you again now folks what clouds and confuses your mind from sound judgment what what is it that gets in the way of you using biblically grounded God exalting Christ honoring sound judgment in any given situation or aspect of your life each day you you may say this to me well here it is Jeff it's just nothing super spectacular apathy you know I just don't think about God he's just not really on my radar it's just really easy for me to do what

[38:54] I do and then God is an afterthought I can't get a witness no amens oh no Greg says oh no yeah I brought that one up just because we're more likely to see all of these active other things and skip right over that one it's easy to just we're lazy we gravitate toward ease and our minds do the same thing it's look we work all day or we do this for a little while or do that for a little while and what all of us say I just want to switch off for a few hours I just want to go numb I just right so click the TV comes on and it could be anything on that television and we're just or whatever it's just I'm not speaking against entertainment and fun here okay

[40:02] I'll get to that in a minute what short circuits your obedience to Jesus fear worry whatever we want to be sober minded what clouds and confuses what draws your heart here's one what draws your heart into disloyalty discouragement you you and I both know that if we took just a little bit of time we could think of things that draw us into discouragement that we're more prone to become kind of dark and discouraged and grumpy over this it just seems like I have a pattern in that area or with this thing it might be a relationship thing it might be a work related thing it might be a self perception kind of thing but it will drag you down how about disobedience what draws your heart into disobedience what are you most likely in what scenario situation are you most likely to sin in so folks a sober mind that

[41:19] Peter is calling for is a clear alert spiritual mind alright now look if you'll check the screen with me here again what you put into your mind and heart via your eyes and ears will determine what you fix your hope on and then live out in your behavior so the question is what are you consistently pumping into your mind Peter says there are those things on the back side of what he's saying here there are those things that will hinder there are the robes all around your feet that will trip you up that get in the way of you having this kind of prepared mind for spiritual action for response to God things that draw you spiritually away from being ready to respond to the Lord cloud your judgment they draw your mind away they make your mind mushy whatever

[42:20] I really really liked Wayne Grudem's perspective here as I read through some commentators Wayne Grudem characterized preparing our minds for action and being sober minded as spiritual alertness that's where I got that from spiritual alertness so if you'll look up on the slide so to keep your mind sober means not in the negative not letting the mind wander into any other kind of mental intoxication that's good or addiction which inhibits spiritual alertness you see his point here or any laziness of mind which lulls Christians into sin through carelessness or even by default do you see that that's so rich I mean I appreciated this because this is where we live this is where Satan does his best work do you hear me lulling lulling that's deception this is

[43:35] Eve in the garden isn't it he lulled her yeah yeah what did the text say yeah I see that it's good it's beautiful to the eyes it's good to eat it's almost like the bug to the light and then zappo and now look where we're living this is what he does this is what he does so if you look at your cross references back to first Peter if you're not there if you're looking at your cross references for being sober minded you should see your cross references then in your Bible they might be at the bottom they might be in the center column but they're all the little numbers and the references the places in scripture you can go to that are related to these topics and themes in your Bible or in a particular verse alright you with me so if you look at your cross references for this part of the verse you'll probably see first

[44:38] Peter four seven and five eight first Peter four seven and five eight I just want you to see where I got this so if I go to first Peter four seven I'm probably going to find something similar in the way of this topic that can help me with greater insight into what Peter is saying here we're talking about being sober minded first Peter four seven is this the end so he wants them to understand what's going on and what's important as we come to the end and what does he say therefore love that word be of sound judgment and sober spirit why for the purpose of prayer whatever he's saying here he doesn't want these people to be drawn away for any reason from a sound judgment and a sober spirit in their prayer life that's how important this is to

[45:46] Peter as he talks about the end and then in 5 8 he says be of sober spirit be on the alert why your adversary the devil prowls he prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour so you better be on your guard you better be alert you better be sober minded look Peter saying this we are living in the end this is a call to soberness spiritual alertness take up spiritual arms keep your mind sharp be ready to respond to God in every circumstance of life Peter saying it's all on the line now he's saying this this isn't melodrama for me this is Peter giving us this instruction in these references then Peter warns us to be sober minded for prayer and for protection you see that how that comes together so you can see that

[46:56] Peter is calling us to protect and to produce a spiritually maturing steadied and readied mind as we make meaning in life and choose how we'll live out our lives protect yourself use your mind prepare your mind and the soberness of spirit so that you can grow in grace my friends look being sober minded he says this being sober minded being spiritually alert in the use of our minds serves us in the effectiveness of prayer life and in our protection against the schemes of the devil do you understand what that means by inference if we inverse that if you are not being spiritually alert in your mind and heart then you are not praying according to the vital way that

[48:01] God has called you to pray what does that do that leaves you vulnerable to the attacks of your enemy you are opening your life to deception so that you risk calling something good that is actually not good in the sight of God now you don't want that friend you don't want that this is the nitty gritty stuff this is the sand of life this is the kind of stuff that God will use in his grace to help polish us and refine us but we need to be aware of what he's calling us to do in our own understanding be spiritually alert against the schemes of the devil let me just give you one more quick reference here that might help us with some similar insights as to what Peter's concern is for our hearts and minds being spiritually alert to

[49:04] God's work and Satan's wiles if you go to 1st John 1st John it's just a few pages back toward the back of the Bible from where you are and look at chapter 2 this is a wonderful little reference that you would want to hang on to beginning in verse 15 do not love the world nor the things in the world if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the father but is from the world the world is passing away and also its lusts but the one who does the will of God lives forever and that's the emphasis this is all about in

[50:04] Peter's estimation doing the will of God that equates to living a holy life living the truth is living the will of God well there are all kinds of things in the world that will distract you from that if you have an inordinate love of the world a lust of heart a boastful pride about your life these are the things that will work against you being spiritually alert to the Lord all right now please allow me to do something with you here as I move toward a close I want to give you what I'm going to call a pastor's practical counsel all right here it is if you look up on the screen a pastor's practical counsel so I'm going to give you three E's I'm calling them three E's of caution and evaluation as you mature in your spiritual alertness that is having a prepared and readied mind and a sober spirit about the issues of life okay three

[51:13] E's as you mature here's the first one be careful about what amuses and distracts you entertainments don't allow yourself to be entertained by sin evil and vice don't learn to laugh at laud lesson or like wrong in any form or for any reason if you're watching stuff on TV or videos or games or whatever and there's sin going on and you're laughing at it friend you're in a bad place mentally you're training your mind to be desensitized to that particular issue of evil in the world there was a time when my kids were young so my both of my boys were really into video games or got to be where they were and this was back in 1997 98 and so there was a video game that came out and it was based on a

[52:14] James Bond movie at the time and we didn't have I don't even remember what we had games like Shrek Party you know where you go in and hit stuff balls and stuff you know no all right anyway it was innocuous okay the point is it was pretty innocuous all right it was family stuff what Mario Party well we had Shrek something too yeah Mario Party stuff like that well then this one comes out and we had a roomie we had a young man who was a police officer and he was rooming in our apartment with us and he would play this game and Jared I think it was was it Christopher was absolutely just taken with it he would stand there and look over his shoulder and watch this well I think a couple of times he gave him the thing and let him do it here is the problem it was all about James Bond going out and killing all these people all right

[53:18] I don't know that my son at the time cared about whether or not they were bad guys or good guys or whatever all it was was graphic depictions of people being blown to pieces in all manner of ways and I thought I don't want my eight years old I don't want him to think that that's a good norm as I try to help him understand what does it mean to be a godly man what does it mean to shepherd women and to shepherd your family and to safeguard the values of our country I want him to understand that there are times when we will have to maybe take up arms many of our brothers in issue with making him think that doing this is entertaining it's entertainment right in the head four more oh you're squirming not anymore something about that got me right then it got worse then it got lots worse then

[54:33] I fast forward many years now my youngest son Jared is playing one of these games right sniper elite oh my goodness it was addicting you could choose from an array of weapons that were real prominent during World War II which is my thing and you sniped the problem is they would if you made a good shot they would slow the bullet down and it would be like the bullet has a camera and when it got to the point of impact it would give you a 3D rendering of the insides of a person and it would show all of the damage the bullet is doing as it went in and went out so there were things imploding and things being ripped apart and lots of gushing so

[55:34] I said look here's the thing you can play that game but you can only do it if you can turn that mode off I don't want you training your mind and your heart to glory in that kind of damage and watching human beings being decimated and so he was able to do that do you understand where I'm coming from in this I didn't want my son to learn to be entertained by that kind of thing and I didn't want for sure Suzanne and I sitting in front of television programming or other programming that taught me to laugh at sin to laugh at dirty jokes and innuendo to feed my mind on things look I'm going to make a candid confession to you and then I'll move on to the next one Suzanne and I love crime dramas you know we love Agatha Christie's and things like that that we can watch

[56:35] I just love that stuff so we really like looking for international crime dramas made in other countries we have to subtitle most of it that's fine we don't mind that because some of them are super well done there was one not too long ago that was a series they were about 90 minutes each and to make a long story short one of the themes in a couple of them that we watched back to back was adultery they didn't show anything and all that but it was that part of the intrigue was the infidelity going on in the marriages and how that was being concealed and how that was part of the murder issue the whodunit well do you know what happened to me I woke up after a couple of those and told Suzanne we're going to have to do something because you know what I dreamed last night I dreamed that you were unfaithful to me and I was crying in my sleep and I woke up mad and just blitzed right you see what I'm saying you just really need to be careful about what you're letting into your mind gate through your ears and through your eyes because your heart takes it in that was a wake up call for me for sure okay don't learn to laugh at laud lesson or like wrong in any form now look you may have all kinds of you do what you think is best

[58:15] I'm just offering you candid warnings and using me as an example if my example helps you praise the Lord if it doesn't really measure just throw it away all right but don't throw the word away don't throw the word away how about this one number two enlightenments these are all related and overlap be careful what you allow to educate and instruct your what the world calls insights or wisdom which the Lord calls foolishness be careful things can sound really really smart and deep oh that's deep only to find out that isn't matching up with the word at all and then this one enticements be careful about what attracts draws holds and occupies your mind and heart because even good things we do and value are vulnerable to being tainted by our deceitful lusts that's just the truth so

[59:27] Peter's first two encouragements prepare your minds for action keep sober in spirit they combine to help us succeed in what is his primary point in this verse what is it what is his primary point above all Peter wants you to fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ so preparing your minds for action and being sober minded are all about the foundation for where you fix your hope in this life Peter Peter says that we can go big for God and go home and I hope you see the play there this is all about living in this life going big for God and we get to go home going home becomes the final proof that what we were living was genuine real it really was for the

[60:36] Lord I'm going to hear well done my good and faithful servant instead of depart from me I never knew you you who practice lawlessness you see going big helps us helps us realize that Hebrews 12 is being lived out in our lives we're enduring and persevering in suffering and in persecution and that becomes more proof that we will one day go home so we can have both we can go big for God and we can go home and that's what we want they are both necessary and inseparable living in the riches of salvation prove we belong in heaven what did he say when he started this letter you're aliens and strangers here you don't belong here and it's going to feel like that the older you grow in the

[61:38] Lord and the more you live for the Lord the more it feels like I don't belong here well God willing we'll do more with that and the remaining points next Sunday thank you for being here and for your prayerful attention let's pray together almighty God and father your word is so rich and so good and so clean it's so pure and encouraging and instructive it's also very convicting is it not true that your word cuts it is sharper than any two edged sword and it penetrates down into the joint and marrow of our very lives and you search out what is in our hearts by your word so that nothing is hidden from your sight well Lord we pray that whatever it is that you find there and reveal to us in our trials and sufferings we will repent of sin and any wickedness or evil that might be in us and that we would turn to you in your grace and in your mercy and in your patient long suffering love and kindness and find and find and find to prepare our minds for action and to be sober in spirit so that we fix our hope on that very grace that will one day bring us home that's what we pray father that's what we desire we pray that you'll help us to go out of here and live this week with all of that in our minds and in our hearts we thank you for your goodness and grace to us as we serve you and live for you and as you love us so faithfully in

[63:33]  Jesus name we pray amen