Be of Sound Mind, Sober Unto Prayers

Driving home: It is better to suffer than to sin.

Martin refers to 1 Peter 3:13-22 as 'suffering 101,' a basic course on suffering for Christ's sake, distinguishing it from generic suffering common to all humanity.

of Christ. However, here in chapter 3 and verse 13, there is an obvious transition in which the matter of suffering for Christ is indeed the point of focus. And in verses 13 to 22 of the third chapter, he gives us what I call suffering 101. He lays out some very basic perspectives relative to the subject of suffering for the sake of Christ. And he's not dealing with suffering

7:04 - 7:33 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Peter's instruction shifts to how believers should live amidst suffering, particularly in church fellowship, marked by spiritual sanity, sobriety, and mutual love, contrasting…

Martin quotes Dr. Clowney to beautifully capture the stark contrast between the former pagan lifestyle of debauchery and the new Christian lifestyle of clear-headedness, sobriety, and love.

lived this kind of a lifestyle, unrestrained, debauchery, lust, soaked with wine, drinking parties, bacchanalian feasts. This was their lifestyle before the gospel came and transformed them. Now, in this paragraph, there is a marked contrast, and Dr. Clowney has captured that contrast beautifully. He writes, Peter presents

11:48 - 12:16 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But if I say we came to the end of our journey, we had been traveling in a given direction over a specific period of time, and now the journey has been consummated.

He uses the analogy of the 'end of a stick' versus the 'end of a journey' to explain that the 'end of all things' signifies consummation and completion, not just a terminus point.

It will be an end that is constant. It will be an end that is constant. It will be an end that is consummation and completion. The very term that Peter uses for the end points to the end point as consummation. The difference between picking up a stick and saying, which end of the stick do

16:25 - 16:38 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But if I say we came to the end of our journey, we had been traveling in a given direction over a specific period of time, and now the journey has been consummated.

History is contrasted with 'a bunch of marbles dropped on the floor and randomly scattered,' emphasizing that biblical history has a definitive beginning, purpose, and end.

circumstances that has gone on for who knows how long and will go on for who knows how much longer, beginning nowhere, ending nowhere. That is not history, according to the Bible. Nor is history like a bunch of marbles dropped on the floor and randomly scattered all over the place. History, according to the Scriptures, has a definitive beginning, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. History moves from creation

18:09 - 18:44 Read in full sermon

The point: You desperately need to have a sound mind and be sober, without which everything else will be impeded.

The story of the Gerasene demoniac in Mark 5 is used to illustrate 'sound mind' as being in one's 'right mind' after deliverance from spiritual derangement.

word is used and I think it's meaning will become very clear to us first of all mark chapter five here we have the incident of that gathering demoniac and you remember the picture that is drawn of him bound with fetters and chains he tears them asunder night and day in the tombs and in the mountains crying out cutting himself with stones he was a deranged madman filled with demons

28:06 - 28:40 Read in full sermon

The point: You are to think realistically about the reality that is there about God yourself others the world who you are what you live for.

Paul's response to Festus, 'You're mad,' is used to show that 'soberness' (or 'sound mind') means speaking words of truth from a well-ordered, sane mind, not a 'short-circuited' one.

jesus delivers him and he's a man in his right mind acts twenty six twenty five remember the incident is before one of the great ones speaking to a gripper then to festus we've read in acts chapter twenty and first twenty five that's it made his defense fast is said well the low voice poll you're mad you're much learning you certainly you're mad paul you're out of your tree

29:23 - 30:05 Read in full sermon

The point: You are to think realistically about the reality that is there about God yourself others the world who you are what you live for.

Paul's self-defense in 2 Corinthians 5:13, where he acknowledges accusations of being 'beside ourselves,' is used to illustrate the contrast between appearing crazy to the world and being of a 'sober mind' unto God.

of being out of this tree because of his passion and his enthusiasm and in making his defense to the Corinthians he writes in 2nd Corinthians 513 whether we are beside ourselves if people are going to say as they look at our lives and as they follow the patterns of our labor and ministry someone's got to be crazy to do what he does he charges nothing for his preaching works day and night to support himself and others get stoned get thrown in jail and he goes on preaching the man's nuts he's crazy people can't compute what makes him thick and he says all right we'll give you your accusation who...

30:49 - 31:30 Read in full sermon

The point: You are to think realistically about the reality that is there about God yourself others the world who you are what you live for.

The literal effects of alcohol on the brain (slurred speech, delusions) are used as a metaphor for 'spiritual drunkenness,' contrasting it with being 'stone-cold sober' in the things of God.

first thessalonians and chapter 5 verse 6 so then in the light of the second coming let us not sleep is to the rest but let us watch and here's our word be sober for they that sleep sleep in the night and they that are drunken are drunken in the night but let us since we are of the day here's our word again be sober putting on the breastplate of faith in love what happens when a Man is inebriated. The alcohol in his brain so affects his mental faculties that he's not coordinated. His speech may be slurred.

32:50 - 33:33 Read in full sermon

The point: You are to think realistically about the reality that is there about God yourself others the world who you are what you live for.

The phrase 'look like you're sucking on lemons' is used to clarify that 'sober' does not mean somber, sour, or joyless, but rather clear-minded and alert.

Be free from every form of spiritual drunkenness. Be stone-cold sober when it comes to the things of God. That's what he is saying. Not somber, not sulky, not joyless.

33:46 - 34:02 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Well in the same way that you cannot have a graceless Christian a Christless Christian a loveless Christian you cannot have an utterly prayerless Christian.

The account of Ananias being told 'Behold, he is praying' about Saul of Tarsus is used as definitive proof of Saul's conversion, illustrating that prayer is an undeniable mark of a true believer.

If God has graciously worked in your heart and drawn you to faith in his Son and put the spirit of adoption within you that spirit moves us to cry Abba Father. All the proof Ananias needs to know that Saul of Tarsus is no longer the angry enemy of the church is the word. Behold he is praying. He is not saying prayers not mouthing prayers he is praying.

48:33 - 49:03 Read in full sermon