Sermon Text:

Introduction

Rapport: Good morning RGC, it is good to see your faces this morning. It is an honor and privilege to preach and open God’s Word with you this morning.

Background: If you have a bible or the bible app on your phone, open them to 1 Peter 4:1-6. This morning we will continue Peter’s discussion on suffering and what it means for our lives. But first, who here is a fan of Bruce Springsteen? Who has heard of the song, “Glory Days?” He is a little before my time, but he had that famous song I just mentioned. In the song the lyrics go like this, 

“Think I’m going down to the well tonight 

And I’m going to drink till I get my fill 

And I hope when I get old I don’t sit around thinking about it 

But I probably will Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture 

A little of the glory of, well time slips away 

And leaves you with nothing mister but boring stories of 

Glory days yeah they’ll pass you by

Glory days in the wink of a young girl’s eye

Glory days, glory days” 

For all of us, there is a point in all of our lives when we begin to wonder what happened to our lives? What happened to the glory days of being young again? What happened to the days of our youth when life wasn’t so complicated? This morning as we read through our passage, my hope is that we can see that the real glory days are now in our present daily living and our future hope in Christ. It is worth it now to move forward and persevere toward the gospel.

Reading: 1 Peter 4:1-6 ESV

PRAY

Main Point: The example of Christ’s suffering leads believers to: (1) Arm themselves for the purpose of suffering; (2) Set aside the desires and passions of the world; and (3) Submit to the eternal life-giving purpose of the gospel. 

 Transition: First, we will see Peter’s encouragement for believers to suffer like Jesus did. 

• Arm yourselves for the purpose of suffering. (v.1-2)

1. Suffering in the flesh naturally separates believers from sinful desires. (v.1)
2. God calls believers to no longer live in the flesh, but for God’s will. (v.2)

Explanation: As we continue on from last week, considering here in verse 1 the conjunction, “Therefore”, now we get to the practical application from Peter to the Church. He writes in verse 1, “Since therefore, Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,” Because Christ suffered on a cross, died, and was buried. We too ought to consider what that looks like in our lives. But what does this mean exactly? How do we arm ourselves with the same purpose of suffering in the flesh? Last week, Kevin touched on the value of imitating Christ, how we should suffer for the sake of righteousness, that suffering actually requires being united and bound with Christ by the work of the Spirit. Jesus is the foundation in which suffering righteously can occur. Here, Peter is giving the imperative to “arm yourselves” or “equip”. There really is only one way we can do so. There is really only one way believers in the first century church were able to do this. We need to put on the armor of God each day. We need to put on the mind of Christ. Because believers were facing verbal and in some cases physical persecution, we should also be prepared to face the same persecution. And in doing so, we should walk and act like Christ did when He suffered. In complete obedience and dependence on the Father and a willingness to do so by the Spirit. 

Corroboration: If God is calling believers to suffer like Jesus, let’s consider some of the ways Christ suffered. 

  Matthew 27:27-31, “27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.”

Let’s look at the prophecy from Isaiah 53:3 pointing to Jesus, “3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

• We know that Jesus, through His unity with the Father, was able to endure the painful beatings and utter torment He suffered through. 

Now, how does God call believers to suffer? As I just mentioned, by putting on the armor of God.

Ephesians 6:13 tells believers, “13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” 

• The famous armor of God passage points us to girding our loins with truth
• Putting on the breastplate of righteousness. 
• Having on our feet the preparation of the gospel of peace 
• Taking up the shield of faith.
• Wearing the helmet of salvation.
• Finally, wielding the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. 

Illustration: I work construction full-time and there are a lot of things I need to be prepared to do the day-to-day work. I need to have my work belt. On the work belt, I have my hammer, pouch for screws and nails, my knife, pencil, measuring tape and power drill hanging on the side. These tools allow me to be handy with the smaller parts of the project like screwing something together, taking a measurement, making a mark for a cut, and helping with some of the tedious finish work that takes place at the end of a project. On top of having the smaller tools, I also need to have a circular saw, Sawzall, carpenter square, speed square, exacto saw, ladders, a break, a meider box, for the rest of the major parts of the projects. These tools help me to be prepared to take on each job. They help me to accomplish the tasks and complete the construction projects on time. 

• Now imagine if I did not bring any of those tools with me to work. How would I be able to drive in a screw without an impact drill? How can I hammer in a nail without a hammer? How can I reach to a high part of a house without a ladder? How will I know how long I should cut a board without a measuring tape? Similarly, how can we as believers “arm ourselves” with the same purpose in suffering if we aren’t prepared or ready to do so? It’s impossible to do so on our own, but with Jesus it is possible. 

Explanation: Look at the end of verse 1, “he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” This is a tricky part of the passage. Does this mean that we will never ever sin if we suffer like Christ? No. We have been justified and made righteous, sanctified in Christ, but we know that our flesh continues to betray us. We will continue to sin and be self-centered at times in the flesh. We will, because of long work weeks and lack of sleep be short with our spouse and children. We will get the occasional road rage, or rage of the roads here in Michigan. It happens, but what Peter is speaking about here is the principle that suffering for the believer provides a clear break from sin. The idea that believers, who surrender and submit to the Spirit of God within them, who suffer for the sake of righteousness will organically turn from sin. When suffering occurs, their minds and purposes are centered on the will of God and not the sinful pleasures and passions of the world. They will no longer choose to sin in the flesh, because they want to follow Christ over their own selfish wants and needs. This is powerful for believers, because this is not dependent on us trying really hard to do so. Since Jesus suffered in the flesh unto death, and are united to Him by the Spirit, we too suffered a death and burial, and resurrection in Him.

• Suffering ultimately means we are choosing to go against the grain for the sake of Jesus. We are willing to share truth and in boldness preach that there is only one way to the Father. Suffering means we love even our enemies. When they belittle us. When they cause harm to us. When they slander us. When even our closest friends abandon us. How do we respond as believers? Do we walk in sin? NO! 
• It’s a long and slow death, working through us, and it’s our response in walking to the cross by the power of the Holy Spirit to suffer like Jesus did. Because we have been united to Him in His death. 

Romans 6:5-7 says, “5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.” What a great truth that we died with Christ. What a great truth that we can live, suffer, and endure persecution because of Jesus. What a great truth that we can make a break from sin by running to Christ in tough times, tough circumstances, and sticky situations. That we can suffer like Christ did; face the mockers, take the punches, and remember that Christ already accomplished this. Because suffering in the flesh allows us to make a break from sin, we also see that this is the will of God. Verse 2 says, “so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” 

Application: A lot of people have asked the question, “what is the will of God for my life?” The truth is that it’s both easy and hard to know that for sure. 

• On one hand, it is hard, because believers are going to suffer a beat down. We know that we exist in a fallen world. Satan is actively trying to accuse the brethren. The devil is going to do everything in his power to kill you, destroy your family, your marriage, your children, your closest friendships, your identity and testimony in Christ, our church. He will work to cause division among us. Cause even brothers and sisters in Christ to go at each others throats. Our flesh is betraying us all the time. We are children crying out for our Father in Heaven, but also can’t take our eyes off our own idols and vices; vanity in social media, football games, and political banter. We also have unexpected tragedies and terminal illness that comes suddenly. We ask the Lord to come like a thief in the night, but we get cancer instead. We ask the Lord for a healthy newborn baby, but we get funeral instead. We vow to spend the rest of our days with our husband or wife, but lose them too soon.
• We cry out to God, “Why? What is the purpose of all of this?!”

Romans 8:26-28, “26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

• We can be confident that God, who knows all things, is sovereign over our lives, will work all things for our good. Not just some things. God isn’t up there punishing His children for the fun of it. He is instead, purifying us. He is changing us. So God is working all of these things for our good. He is working all of these moments of suffering to bring us closer to Him. He is working all of these things to remind us of our need of Him. 
• I remember Wanda telling me recently. That if she had the opportunity to go back and re-do the time that she had cancer, she said she would. She expressed her relationship with the Lord being the strongest it’s ever been. She said it was one of the hardest moments of her life, but also one of the strongest in experiencing a closeness with our Lord Jesus. We know that God worked that for her good and that God had a purpose to show her just how much she would have to suffer like His Son did. What a testament to God’s goodness in a time of tragedy.

Transition: Knowing that following the example of Christ in His suffering, allows believers to make a clear break from sin and live for the will of God, believers must understand their identity and set aside the desires and the passions of this world.

• Set aside the desires and passions of the world. (v.3-5) 

1. The desire to live in the past for fleshly desires and passions has passed. (v.3)
2. The world will persecute and judge righteous living. (v.4)
1. God judges both the wicked and righteous. (v.5)

Explanation: As we saw in verse 2, Peter continues to describe what it means to no longer live for the lusts of men. The lusts of men are described here in verse 3, “For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.” What we need to remember is that Peter is writing to both Jewish and Gentile believers. And while Peter uses the greek word for “Gentiles” here, those that are not Jewish by blood, the word ἔθνος is also translated as “unbeliever” or “nation”. The reality that Peter may have been in Rome during the time writing to the different Roman provinces mentioned in chapter 1, these sinful lifestyles would have been common among the people. And for quite sometime Gentiles wouldn’t have been considered to be a part of God’s plan of salvation.

• Some of what was dividing the church at that time, and we see in some of Paul’s letters, is the disagreement over what salvation entails. Many Judaizers concluded that it was Jesus plus something else. Circumcision, good works, etc. Even the early disciples had it figured that Jesus was establishing His Kingdom on earth when He walked the earth. Peter here would have understood it. God’s plan for salvation included all people. Jews and Gentiles alike. Peter is saying now that it’s time to set aside the customs and sinful traditions of paganism.

Illustration: As the church we can sometimes have our Jesus goggles on. Where we hang out with only believers, go to church on Sunday, go about our personal business during the week, go to prayer hour on Wednesday, maybe attend Bible Institute Sunday morning, and in the meantime, hang out with one another to watch a Lions game or go to Buffalo Wild Wings. We can often find ourselves hanging out with only believers. And we should spend time with one another in fellowship. Sometimes we forget that there is a different world out there. Some of which we previously participated in. 

I was out with a buddy of mine last year and we had gotten dinner, and afterwards I just began to think about everyone who was hitting the town that night. Why were they there? What were they looking for? And I began to remember my old life in sin. I remember the drunken nights. I remember the days of seeking fulfillment and acceptance from people who didn’t really care about me. I remember the nights of regret and wondering where the light at the end of the tunnel would be. The world in which Peter was writing to is no different from ours. We once pursued this lifestyle. Whether we lived the “night life” or hit the alcohol a little too hard, or had a little too much pre-marital sex, we have all sinned in various and creative ways. The sinful futile way of thinking before we were in Christ pulled all of us in a direction of sinful that was painful. We thought we were living the glory days. There is good news. We can rest knowing this truth. 

Explanation: Those moments of sin were for one time only. “For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do.” We only had to participate in it once. And when we were born-again and putting our faith in Jesus as our savior, we were forgiven of those sins once and for all, as Peter mentioned at the end of chapter 3. We no longer need to fall back into that death. This is the case because Jesus is enough. Jesus suffered and died to kill the very sin that we once participated in. He died to kill the sin for the sins we get so easily entangled in. He died for the future sins we will struggle with. He was pierced for our transgressions and nailed to a cross to receive the wrath of the Father for our sins. Our identity should no longer be based on the amount of friends we can attain, the personal self-centered satisfaction we can get, personal pleasures or gain, or reverting to getting comfort from the counterfeits of this world. Our identity is found in Christ. And His sufficient and potent work through the gospel. If you are born-again, you look like Jesus. If you are born-again, you are no longer the old creature who delved headlong into sin. You are righteous, redeemed, and forgiven. 

• Let’s not forget though, this time on earth is not a short process. Our walk with Christ is not painted with rainbows and lollipops. Our maturity in Christ takes time. There are no shortcuts, because sin is real and the spiritual battle we find ourselves in is real. I want to encourage you that you don’t need to figure this out overnight. We cannot by our own will win this battle. We need the help of God. It takes asking God to change us everyday. It takes the work of the Spirit and being changed by the living Word of God. It takes a vulnerability to learn and grow in a body of believers. Sanctification is not only our status of being set-apart, but it is also a process. A process in which we put our faith in the accomplished and sufficient work of Jesus. Where we can take our sins to the cross and cast it on the battered and bloody body of Christ. 
• This means as believers, whose identity is in Jesus, we are called to turn away from our previous sinful tendencies and lifestyles that we once pursued. We are called to live in the resurrection power of Jesus, by the work of the Holy Spirit. All of this comes with a cost.

Verse 4 reads, “With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you.” The truth is, Satan has a target on our back. And our flesh targets itself. When we do not participate in the sensuality, agree and participate in sexual perversion, go to bars on a Friday night, or worship demons, the world will be against you. They will verbally persecute you. They will slander you. They will come against your character. They will question your faith. They will alienate you. They may even kill you. When we start to fight to kill our sin, it will be a struggle. It will be a battle. Are you willing and ready to accept this challenge? After all, this is to suffer for the sake of righteousness.

Application: Just because we have a target on our back, it doesn’t mean we cannot fight sin. It doesn’t mean we cannot live and suffer righteously for Christ, because we know that God will be the final judge. If God is the final judge of all behavior and all sin. We no longer need to be confused and angry when a co-worker is openly being lazy and causes us distress. We no longer need to be confused when the world openly accepts and legislates the murder of babies in the womb, or legislates transgenderism of little boys and girls, homosexual marriage, or when government leaders are handling the world’s issues with terrible policies and legislation, we can know that those who commit injustice will one day face the judgment of God. And He is ready to do so. Verse 5, “but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” At the end of chapter 3, Peter mentions that Jesus is on His throne. He will one day come back to judge. He will look at the sins of all man and separate the wheat from the chaff. 

2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” God is ready to judge. If this is the case, let us all be comforted of the fact that we do not need to seek our own justice for the sins of the world. Since the accomplished work of Christ has forgiven our sins once for all and those that come against God and us for believing in God will face judgment one day, I want to encourage you to keep pursuing Jesus with reckless abandon. Set aside your previous desires in the flesh. Don’t go back to it. Remember that the old you has died and you have been resurrected with Jesus. In this we have the gospel of peace.

Transition: When we arm ourselves for the purpose of suffering, set aside the desires and passions of the world, and understand that the gospel has and will be preached until Jesus returns, we can sufficiently live and suffer for the sake of righteousness. For Christ.

• Submit to the eternal, life-giving purpose of the gospel. (v.6)

1. The gospel produces life in the Spirit. (v.6)
1. Life in the flesh is temporary, but a Spirit-filled life is for eternity. (v.6) 

Explanation: Finally, after we arm ourselves and seek to suffer for the sake of righteousness, and turn away from our former lives in the flesh, we understand that the gospel is our foundation. And the gospel has been the foundation for thousands of years. Verse 6 says, “For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.” 

• Peter understands the despair that believers must have felt during this time. Many must have wondered why death was still on the table. That we will leave this earth, our loved ones will leave this earth, or even loved ones facing death from enemies, was there still hope? There is good news. For the 1st century church and the current world we live in. We have the gospel. Because we have the gospel, we can live freely and with reckless abandon for Jesus. The gospel is the very good news that we hope and live for. There is reason to persevere, because even though life is like a vapor, here one minute and gone the next, we can persist in faith. We can persevere, telling the world about Jesus and Him crucified. We have the opportunity everyday to make Jesus famous. This verse points us to the hope of eternity for believers, even after the fearful judgment of God.

Corroboration: The Church does not have to worry whether their works will be in vain or if they served God faithfully. Since they will “live in the spirit the way God does.”

Romans 8:1 tells us, “8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” If this is the case, we do not have to await the judgment of God in fear, thinking He may strike us down when we fall short. Even those that have passed before us, we can have a faithful and hopeful expectation that they are in the presence of Christ worshipping in complete peace. The hope of our eternity with Christ will motivate our lives in the present.

1 John 3:2-3 says, “2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

• Let me tell you what these two passages do not mean. It does not mean we lie to ourselves when sin is prevalent in our lives. The gospel is not a free pass to live any way we would like. It would be a foolish mistake to believe that we could willingly continue in such sinful paths of destruction listed by Peter and pretend that saying that little salvation prayer was enough for fire insurance. Living in the hope of the gospel is much more powerful than that. It compels us to die to our sin when we are struggling. The assurance of the gospel compels us to persevere by the work of the Spirit!

Illustration: There is a scene in the Lord of the Rings movie where the riders of Rohan join the battle at the final battle of Minias Triath. This is the final battle at the end of the third movie, “The Return of the King”. The men at the city are losing the battle and the men of Rohan are the reinforcements the city needed at the time They join the battle and the king yells, “death!” The warriors in return yell the same thing. They knew they were fighting as if it was their last battle. They were fighting as if they knew they would lose in the flesh, but win for the greater purpose of the war. They were fighting with honor.

• The Christian can also fight and persevere with the same reckless abandon, charging into their own death. If we lose our lives following Jesus, suffering to make Him famous, we will reap an eternal reward. On the other side, if we gain the world and pursue our own fleshly desires and passions and forget about Jesus, we will live uninspired, non-adventurous, lonely, self-centered lives, and will ultimately lose our souls. Thinking about the glory days that once were. Thankfully, even though we will be judged in the flesh, we will live in the spirit.

Conclusion

Clarification: So this morning as we close, there is much to live for as a believer. If you believe in Jesus, we have the assurance of eternity with Christ. In our present time, we can live joyously for the Lord, telling people about Jesus. We have the privilege of serving one another in love. And when people come against us, we can put on the armor of God, knowing that we have a powerful God on our side strengthening us through the Spirit. We can suffer for the sake of righteousness and set aside our previous sinful life, knowing that it is all vanity compared to the riches of knowing Jesus. And we can rest knowing the gospel will prevail and has prevailed for thousands of years, bringing people out of darkness into the light through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Exhortation and Invitation: If you don’t know Jesus, this is an opportunity to get right with God. Don’t waste your life pursuing what Peter calls the desires of the Gentiles, sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and demonic worship. These counterfeits in life fail to touch the glory and power of Jesus. They fail to satisfy. It is only by believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus that can save you and give you life. Please surrender your life this morning to Him. Come chat with me or one of the elders if you want more information on what that means. Let’s pray.