Fortifying The Focus of Our Hope (1:13)

"THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER"
Fortifying The Focus Of Our Hope (1:13)

Up to this point in his epistle, Peter has summarized some of the blessings enjoyed by God's "pilgrims"... Their election, sanctification, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus - 1 Pe 1:2. Their rebirth to a living hope - 1 Pe 1:3. Their incorruptible inheritance, reserved in heaven - 1 Pe 1:4. Their being kept by the power of God through faith for the salvation to come - 1 Pe 1:5. Their great joy, which is inexpressible and full of glory - 1 Pe 1:6-9. And, the honor of having been served by a distinguished group of individuals - 1 Pe 1:10-12.

Starting with verse 13, we find a series of exhortations.... These exhortations are based upon the wonderful blessings listed previously (note the connecting word "therefore"). These exhortations are found throughout much of the rest of the epistle. The first exhortation relates to the "hope" that we have as Christians - 1 Pe 1:13 “Wherefore girding up the loins of your mind, be sober and set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;” 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". Put another way, we are being charged to "fortify the focus of our hope". What this means, and how we are to accomplish it, will be the focus of this lesson.

Let's start by first noticing our duty to fortify the focus of our hope. That is the primary exhortation in this passage. The words "rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you" is the main point of this verse. The other exhortations which precede it are subsidiary. And will be considered later.

What does it mean to "rest your hope fully"? It means to "set your hope perfectly, unchangeably, without doubt and despondency". As the NASV puts it: "fix your hope completely on the grace...". Therefore Peter is exhorting us to make our hope one that is complete, strong, and not wavering.

The cultivation of a strong hope is therefore a Christian duty. We have a duty to develop and fortify our hope. Just as we need to cultivate patience, self-control, etc., so we need to cultivate our hope! For without a hope that is strong our faith may waver. We are subject to fear, doubt, and depression. 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 identifying the focus of our hope. As defined in verse 13, our hope is the "grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ". In other words, the unmerited favor that we will receive when Jesus comes again!

This is alluded to in the first twelve verses. Our hope is the "inheritance...reserved in heaven for you" - 1 Pe 1:4. The "salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" - 1 Pe 1:5. The "praise, honor, and glory" we shall receive "at the revelation of Jesus Christ" - 1 Pe 1:7. The "end of your faith--the salvation of your souls" - 1 Pe 1:9

In view of all these verses, the focus of our hope is to be the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the wonderful grace He will bring! The wonderful praise, honor, and glory we shall receive when He comes! The complete and final salvation of our souls from sin and its effects! 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 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 what is necessary to fortify the focus of our hope. "gird up the loins of your mind". "gird up" is an oriental expression.... It refers to the act of gathering up around the waist the long, loose robes warn by those in the east. Such "gathering up" was necessary or one's progress in running or some other act of exertion would be impeded. With the use of this metaphor, Peter is saying we must put out of the mind all things that would impede the free action of the mind in connection with developing our hope. We must put out of the mind such things like worry, fear, or obsession with material possessions. In other words, remove anything and everything that is not conducive to having a strong hope in the coming of our Lord. Such as carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life as Jesus said - Lk 21:34-35 “But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly as a snare: for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of all the earth.” Such things as these "choke" us and hinder our ability to bear fruit (such as the fruit of a strong hope) - Lk 8:14 “And that which fell among the thorns, these are they that have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.”

"Be sober". The word "sober" means "to be calm and collected in spirit, to be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect". 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. To fortify the focus of our hope requires a CALM and SERIOUS attention to the task at hand - Lk 21:36 ("Watch therefore, and pray always..."). 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!

And what is our calling? 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! The problem with many Christians today is NOT that they have no hope, but that their hope is weak and shallow. And that is because they are preoccupied with the affairs of this temporary life. To remain faithful to the Lord, we need to heed Peter's exhortation to fortify the focus of our hope by freeing our minds of those things which would hinder us. By being more serious about the kind of lives our Heavenly Father would have us live - Lk 12:35-40 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning; and be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their lord, when he shall return from the marriage feast; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may straightway open unto him. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and shall come and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, and if in the third, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have left his house to be broken through. Be ye also ready: for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.”

Our next lesson will elaborate upon how God would have us live; but for now, are we living for God at all...?