Be Sober

[0:00] Be sober. 1 Peter 5 from verse 6. It says, It says, Be sober.

[1:04] People of God, we're in a fight. We are in a battle. And the believers' battle is ongoing, day by day. It's a constant.

[1:15] And one preacher, to illustrate this, talked about how easy it can be to be Satan's breakfast, as it were.

[1:27] And this is how he summed it up. In that battle that we're in, that we are the target of the devil.

[1:43] And he's got his target sights. Always roaming around, trying to, who's the next one I can pick off and beat down. Peter's advice is here how not to be Satan's breakfast.

[2:01] But here is how one preacher kind of expressed it as to how easy it is to become Satan's breakfast. And he put it like this.

[2:11] Be proud. Be anxious. Question God's care over your life. Doubt God's control of your life.

[2:22] And be self-focused. And really, these points here, how to be Satan's breakfast, are really the reverse of Peter's advice.

[2:35] How not to be Satan's breakfast, if you like. And the question is, do we apply the word of God to be guarded by God and to be in God's care?

[2:55] It says, be sober. Be sober. That's the first point here in verse 8. 1 Peter 5, 8. The preceding verse, it talks about humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.

[3:07] Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. Then it says, be sober. Be sober. In other words, keep your senses.

[3:21] Keep your head clear. We could think, what's the opposite of sober? Some people spend their lives in a daze.

[3:35] Their minds in a fog. By substance abuse. By substance abuse. By excess. Peter is saying here to us, keep your senses.

[3:50] Be sober. In other words, keep from wine. Or such influences that will hinder your thinking and reasoning. God wants you to be sober.

[4:03] Level-headed. Clear-headed. So you can think. So your mind is not foggy and clouded. And distracted. Abstain.

[4:15] Abstain. From anything that dulls your thinking. From anything that dulls your thinking. We need a clear head in these days. We need to have clear thinking in these days.

[4:26] We need to be sober. And this same word as used here of be sober. It's the same word used in 1 Peter 4 verse 7. The word watch.

[4:40] 1 Peter 4 verse 7. But the end of all things is at hand. Be ye therefore sober. And watch unto prayer.

[4:53] Watch unto prayer. Be sober. Watch unto prayer. That sense of watchfulness. Of wakefulness. Being awake. As was talked of earlier.

[5:04] We need to be awake. We need to be self-controlled. We need to have a clear mind. We need to be calm. Of a sound mind. And being sober means that we see things clearly.

[5:17] And understand what's going on. That we deny ourself. What will harm our testimony. Peter says furthermore in 1 Peter 1 verse 13.

[5:27] Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober. And hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you. At the revelation of Jesus Christ.

[5:40] Again. Being sober. And Peter furthermore here is saying. Gird up the loins of your mind. As if there's kind of a belt. This girding. That our mind needs to be belted in.

[5:51] It needs to be under God's control and care. Under his domain. It means that our thoughts and our creative energies are harnessed for the Lord.

[6:02] That our very thinking. Our intellect. Our reasoning. Our discernment. Our mind. Is sober. We need that in these days. Especially as we see the days we're living in.

[6:13] And we see the constant messaging that we're getting from the world. Through social media. The internet. The news media. We see the constant messages that are bombarding us.

[6:27] And there's churches today that are totally astray from the Bible. They don't even have a Bible. It's whatever you feel like at the time. There's churches in Adelaide just like that.

[6:39] Sadly. And they promote that. As their message. That there is no message. There is no one answer.

[6:52] And how sad that is. To be. Such. As that. Gird up.

[7:03] The lines of your mind. And hope to the end for the grace that is to be revealed. At the revelation of Jesus Christ. So it's telling us here. Be alert. In spiritual things.

[7:14] To fill our minds with spiritual truth. Now. Here's some wildlife here. Who knows what this is? A moose.

[7:27] Now. National Geographic ran an article. About the Alaskan bull moose. And the males of the species battle for the dominance. During the fall breeding season.

[7:38] They literally go head to head. Clash. Clash. With each other. Like this. Male to male. Crunching. Their antlers together.

[7:50] As they collide. Bang. Bang. Bang. Often the antlers. Their only weapon. Are broken. And that ensures defeat.

[8:00] But the heftiest moose. With the largest and strongest antlers. Triumphs. So the battle. That is fought.

[8:11] In the fall. In autumn. Is really won. During the summer. When the moose. Eat continually. And the one who consumes the best diet.

[8:22] For growing antlers. And gaining weight. Will be the heavy weight. In the fight. Those that eat inadequately. Sport weaker antlers.

[8:33] And less bulk. And so. We can learn a lesson from this. Can't we? The spiritual battles await us. We need to be prepared.

[8:44] So the more we feast on the word of God. The more we fellowship. The more we study. And nurture. Our spiritual muscles. We'll be more ready for the fight ahead.

[8:57] And friends. The fight is on. We're constantly in the battle zone. I know. There's some. Youngsters in. Secular schools. Where. The battle is on there.

[9:08] It's full on. Even in the workplaces. More and more secular workplaces. We're constantly. Getting. These. Corrupting influences.

[9:21] That. Are. Making it harder and harder. As a. As a full on Christian. Young people in universities. And. In further study.

[9:33] There's a constant barrage. Against us. In whatever field of employment. We're in. It's constant now. Where. They're just. Beating us down.

[9:43] As Christians. And we need to. Be spiritually strong. In such a time as this. How will we. Be victorious. We've got to feed.

[9:57] Ahead of the battle. Feed. Your soul. So we can have those. Muscles. Spiritually speaking.

[10:08] For the fight that lies ahead. We've got to be like the wise. Bull moose. Who feeds. Himself. So he can be ready. Strong. Be.

[10:19] Sober. Secondly. We see. Be. Vigilant. Vigilant. These are simple truths. But very profound. Very important truths. For the days that we're living in.

[10:32] Peter says. Be. Vigilant. In other words. Keep awake. Keep on guard. Be. Always. Watchful. Have your eyes open. Keep your eyes peeled. Keep on the lookout.

[10:44] The same word is used. For. Vigilant. As. Here. In Colossians 4.2. Where the translators. Translated this word.

[10:55] As. Watch. Colossians 4.2. Continue in prayer. And. Watch. In the same. With thanksgiving. Be.

[11:08] Vigilant. It's. Tied. With. Prayer. It's. Allied. With. Prayer. Be. Prayerful. Be. Ever. Watching. Be.

[11:18] Alert. Be. Careful. Be. Waiting. Be. Ready. The Lord Jesus is coming back. He says. Watch. And. Pray. Watch. And. Pray. They go together.

[11:30] Watch. And. Pray. In other words. Look out. Have your wits about you. Be. Sober. And. Be. Vigilant. We must be. In these days.

[11:41] Be. Alert. To the dangers. Of. Temptation. Be. Alert. To the. Enemies. Attacks. That are sometimes. Very subtle.

[11:55] Be. Sober. Be. Vigilant. Why? There's someone. On the prowl. There's. There's. Someone. On the loose.

[12:05] And he's hungry. He wants breakfast. And. Because. Your adversary. The devil. As a. Roaring lion. Walketh about.

[12:17] Seeking whom he may. Devour. He's hungry. He's slobbering. He's. Ready to. Have you. As his next meal.

[12:29] And. You know. The bible. Pictures him. As this. And as some preachers. Have said. He's really. A toothless tiger. Because. We know that. The lord.

[12:39] Will keep us safe. From him. But. The world. Worships. Another god. Doesn't it? They worship. Another god. Whether they call him. Buddha. Or.

[12:50] You name it. Another god. Anything but. Jesus. Christ. The. Lord. Anything but him. And. 2 Corinthians 4.

[13:01] Verse 4. Of the world. It says. In whom. The. The god of this world. Hath blinded the minds of them. Which believe not. Lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ.

[13:12] Who is the image of God. Should shine unto them. There's people walking around with blinkers on. You know. You tell them the gospel. And they go. Blah.

[13:22] Blah. Blah. I don't want to know. I don't want it. I don't want Jesus. Is what they say. And it's the god of this world. Small g. The devil. Who's blinded the minds of them.

[13:34] Which believe not. For us that are saved. He has become our enemy. He's public enemy number one. He always has been. And this enemy is extremely powerful.

[13:48] Like a. Roaring lion. He's noisy. Roaring. Intimidating. Scary. At times. In world war 2.

[14:04] The British General Montgomery. Went face to face with Hitler's best. General Rommel.

[14:16] And. General Rommel. Was called the Desert Fox. He was a brilliant strategist. In his campaigns. To. Take and then. To further keep. North Africa.

[14:26] For the. Fuhrer. Excuse me. Well Montgomery. Montgomery finally defeated. The Desert Fox. At the Battle of El Alamein. But his history. Also tells us one reason.

[14:37] Why he did. Why did Montgomery win? See. General Montgomery. Had a picture. Hanging in his command tent. Where he could see it. Every day. Now it wasn't.

[14:48] Winston Churchill. It wasn't. The King of England. It was the picture. Of. General Rommel. Montgomery. Montgomery didn't ever want to forget.

[14:59] Who. He was fighting. Who are we fighting? Who are we fighting? Be sober.

[15:10] Be vigilant. You've got an enemy. And as a Christian leader has said. The ferocity of Satan's attacks upon you. Is in direct proportion.

[15:21] To your. Usefulness for Christ. If you're facing an attack. Because you're in a. A threat to the devil. You might feel. I'm a Christian. I'm under. I'm under the pump.

[15:32] Right now. Well you must be doing something right. You know. We don't need to be afraid of the devil. Because he is a loser. He is a loser.

[15:43] He's lost already. We know that. The Lord's. Beaten him. At the cross already. He's disarmed him. He's triumphed over him. It's just in his last throes.

[15:54] Really. Just for the time. But this. Enemy that we have. He's a master. Of camouflage.

[16:05] He's a master of camouflage. You know. We see him in many guises. It's like he's got a wardrobe. With lots of. Garbs that he wears. From time to time. And. At times he's that cunning.

[16:18] Crafty. Serpent. Of the garden of Eden. Sly. And sneaky. And he seeks to trick and charm us. To scheme and twist.

[16:29] And attract us to do wrong. Other times he's that. Angel of light. You know. There's many spiritual gurus. And teachers. And. Holy books so called.

[16:41] That have come from some. Supposed. Angel of light. An angel appearing. Joseph Smith. Perhaps he did have an angel visiting.

[16:53] But it wasn't an angel of God. It's a fallen angel. Or even the angel of light. I put to you. And the roaring lion. Is another form that he takes. To attack.

[17:04] And to. Gulp us down. Where he can. And this sense of the devil. As a roaring lion. It's got that sense of him. Constantly walking around.

[17:15] He's constantly on the war path. He's constantly on the loose. And. You know. Some. Strange people. Excuse me. Some strange people.

[17:27] Sometimes go to a zoo. And think that they can get up. Up close and personal. With a lion. You know. They jump over the guard rail. They jump over the moat.

[17:38] And they get right up. Close and personal. To the lion. As if they can pet them. Or. Kind of. Buddy up to the lion. And if they make it back out alive.

[17:51] They might have one less hand. Or arm. Or leg. You know. We don't toy with the devil. But we don't have to be afraid of him. Verse 9. It says. Resist him.

[18:01] Resist him. Resist him. Steadfast in the faith. Verse 9. Resist him. Steadfast in the faith.

[18:13] Set yourself against him. Say no. Make no concessions. We are not to flee. Here we are to stand our ground. Resist him.

[18:26] It takes courage. To take a stand. Having done all. Stand. Be steadfast. Be firm. In the faith. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

[18:38] It says. In 1 John 5. Believe God. Be steadfast. Unmovable. Resist him. Steadfast. In the faith.

[18:51] Be steadfast. Unmovable. We read. In 1 Corinthians 15. The sense of steadfast here. Is alike to an army. Standing. Shoulder to shoulder.

[19:02] Against an enemy. An army. Solidly. Together. In formation. That is the sense of this steadfastness. Resist him. Steadfast. In the faith. Now.

[19:13] Brothers and sisters. Faith is a shield. We see Ephesians 6. The various items of the armour of God. And the Bible says that our faith. Is a shield. And we can take heart.

[19:25] That the word of God. Is a shield for us. We see many scriptures. That talk about. God being a shield. Our shield.

[19:37] Proverbs 30. There it tells us that. Every word of God. Is pure. He is a shield. Unto them. That put their trust in him.

[19:48] Now here's a picture of a shield. With some arrows going through it. That's not really a true picture. Of the shield that we have. Because the shield of faith. Will. It bounces off.

[19:58] The arrows. The burning arrows. That the devil sends at us. Bounce off. Our shield. Our shield. Is sure. And there's many scriptures. That talk about.

[20:09] Our God being a shield for us. Here's some. That we can come to mind. Here. That he is. A surrounding shield. Psalm 5.

[20:20] Verse 12. He is a saving shield. Psalm 18. Verse 35. He is a personal shield. Psalm 3. Verse 3.

[20:32] Now he's a shield and buckler. A buckler. A buckler is a small shield. So those who trust in him. Who wants to have a shield? When they're up against the arrows of the devil.

[20:43] You have that shield. Amen. He is our shield. Amen. He is that shield. He is a surrounding shield. He is a saving shield. He is a personal shield. He is your shield.

[20:55] He is a tested shield. Psalm 28. Verse 7. He is a trusted shield. Psalm 144. Verse 2. He is a victorious shield.

[21:06] Psalm 59. Verse 11. This shield that we have will not give way. He is your shield. Brother. Sister. When you're in that battle zone.

[21:18] He is your shield. He is the shield for those who trust in him. There's many more we could say. He is a protecting shield. He is a sheltering shield. He is a tested.

[21:30] Trusted. Shield. Shield. He is a sheltering shield. And his truth is our shield. Psalm 91. Verse 4.

[21:43] It says resist him. Resist him. Now James 4 alike says resist him. But firstly it says one thing to do first up. Number 1. Submit yourselves therefore to God.

[21:56] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Then it goes on. Resist the devil. And he will flee from you. So it starts with submitting to God. That we put our trust in him.

[22:10] That we resign and surrender and submit unto him. Unto his will. Then we resist and oppose the devil. We don't give way.

[22:22] But so how can we submit ourselves to God? Come under the authority of his word. Come into scriptural fellowship. Come into knowing him as your saviour and lord.

[22:37] As your master. Submit to God. Prayerfully. Seek to be led by his spirit. Day by day. Then resist the devil.

[22:50] And he will flee from you. It's a wrestling match for the time isn't it? A struggle. A boxing match. A wrestling match. But Christ is short as victory.

[23:03] The word tells us. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. But rather reprove them. Don't have anything to do with them. If it's grey.

[23:15] Then it's dark. It's darkness. Leave it. Don't mess with that which is doubtful. Steer clear of it. May it be a wide barge pole between you and anything that is doubtful.

[23:27] That will hinder your walk with God. It's unfruitful for you. It doesn't produce any fruit that is worthwhile. So we could think. What does that mean? Maybe. The thinking of the world.

[23:39] The ways of the world. The places of the world. The influences of the world. It's not good for you. It's not fruitful for you. Leave it alone. Get out of it.

[23:51] Resist the devil. It means that. We turn over our weakness to him. And every day. We. Submit to God.

[24:02] We say. Lord. I'm weak. But you are strong. I'm weak. I can't beat this. But you can. You can. He will be your shield.

[24:14] He'll help you battle that battle that you're going through. He'll help you fight through. He'll fight for you. Amen. He will fight for you. The scripture says that the battle is the Lord's.

[24:28] He's the one who's going to fight for you. And the word tells us that it's why he came. For this purpose was the son of God manifested. That he might destroy the works of the devil.

[24:43] Destroy. Smash. Pulverize. Demolish. Destroy. The works of the devil. That's why he's come. And he's done that at the cross.

[24:53] For you. For me. If we'll but trust him. There was a man who spent many years. Capturing wild animals. He tells of a wolf. He tells of a wolf.

[25:05] That when a wolf is attacked. The wolf first makes an assessment about the earnestness. That the enemy presses the attack. And if the enemy of the wolf shows great determination.

[25:20] The wolf will just scamper away. With his tail between his legs. But when the wolf detects the fear. The least fear. In the one who pursues him.

[25:31] He'll defend himself with great bravery. And this could be. Applied to. That sense for us. That. As the Christian. That.

[25:42] Our old enemy. Will tempt us. Perhaps by some trivial things. And if we offer no resistance.

[25:54] It's a slippery slope. And he'll take us further and further into darkness. And he'll attack us with more force. As we. Are overcome.

[26:06] But. This is the purpose. That the son of God was manifested. That he might destroy the works of the devil. Friends. When the devil is resisted.

[26:17] He flees. We need to be strong in the Lord. We need to. Determine. I'm going to fight. With God's strength. Fight back. With God fighting for me.

[26:28] And. Submit to God. Resist the devil. And he'll flee from you. The word tells us. You are of God little children. And have overcome them. The world and its. Ways.

[26:39] You've overcome. Because. Greater is he that is in you. Than he that is in the world. As a Christian. Man. Woman. Greater is he that is in you.

[26:50] The Lord Jesus who dwells within you. He is greater. Than. He that is in the world. So when you're feeling defeated. When you're feeling. Worn down. Put your trust in him.

[27:02] Put your trust in him. Be sober. Be vigilant. Because your adversary. The devil. As a roaring lion. Walketh about. Seeking him.

[27:13] He may devour. And we know. It tells us. That we are to. Resist.

[27:26] Whom resists. Steadfast in the faith. Whom resists. Steadfast in the faith. We are going to come to a close just now. The Lord.

[27:36] The Lord. Has won the victory. Let's just prayerfully. Contemplate. The word tells us. This is the victory.

[27:46] That overcometh the world. Even our faith. Do you have faith. That's where it begins. And. We're not assuming that all have that faith.

[27:59] That saving faith. It's not a. Not a faith in a brand. Or a faith in a guru. Faith in a philosophy. But a faith in a person. With a capital P.

[28:10] The Lord. Jesus. Christ. Do you know him. Resist. Steadfast. In the faith. You can't resist. Unless you have that faith.

[28:22] In Christ. That saves. And keeps. And sustains you. If there's any here. Who have yet to trust. In Jesus Christ. As their Lord and Savior.

[28:33] Now is the day. Today is the time. Don't leave it another day. Another moment. The word tells us that.

[28:45] All have sinned. The wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life. It says. By grace.

[29:00] You have been saved. Through faith. That not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. By his grace. Through faith.

[29:13] Pray. If there's any here present. You've yet to trust. The Lord Jesus Christ. As your Savior. That you'll submit to God. Surrender your heart to him. Even this very moment. Say.

[29:24] Lord. Thank you for dying on the cross. For my sin. Rising from the dead. To be my ever living Savior. Now. As I trust in you. And receive your gift. Forsaking my sin.

[29:36] Trusting in you. For every believer. Lord. We pray. There's many facing battles. Some are harder pressed than others.

[29:47] Lord. Help us not to. Be a downcast. But to know. Victory. Moment by moment.

[29:59] Day by day. Help us Lord. To know that you are our shield. Our defense. Our refuge. Our fortress. We know Lord.

[30:11] Your word tells us. We can be strong. In the Lord. And in the power of. Your might. Lord Jesus Christ. You are. Our sustainer. Our Savior.

[30:22] Our Savior. And you fight for us. Pray for every Christian here. That feels a bit frayed. A bit worn. A bit battle weary. Battle scarred.

[30:36] Help us Lord. To dust ourselves off. And to. To report for duty again. And to. Commit our lives to you. Help us to be strong.

[30:48] Every day. While we have breath. Until we finally. Meet you face to face. And hear your. Voice again.

[30:59] Directly to us. Well done. Lord we bless you. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen.