Arm Yourselves with the Same Mind — 1 Peter 1-4

0:00 Morning, everyone. So let's let's pray and then we'll launch into our our message. Father, we do thank you for giving us your word. Father, we would just be wandering in darkness if we didn't have the light of your word. So help us to to desire it, to study it, to understand it, to by your help to apply it for that is what is pleasing to you.

0:26 We pray that you will bless this hour. We pray in our Lord Jesus name. Amen. We are returning to the book of first Peter. Vinay will be speaking next week, Lord willing.

0:38 He and I had initially had each other's Sundays, but like a good young person, he had a scheduling conflict, so we switched, and I'm really grateful for that. I've really appreciated. I've really enjoyed looking at the first part of first Peter four. We'll be looking at the first 11 verses. Now suffering is a very prevalent theme in this book, so I just assumed to myself that must be the keyword, but one of my authors that I like to read, his keyword for the book of first Peter is hope.

1:12 Hope. Not a hope as in we hope the Cavs win the NBA title this year because that would be a fruitless hope, at least statistically speaking. They do, they say, have a 12 to one odd to do that as do the Celtics, and I think the Timberwolves, not Timberwolves, the Toronto team is like one and sixteen. Houston unsurprisingly is one and two, and we all know is at the top, Golden State, and there are eight and five or five and eight. I don't even know how to explain that, but it's not gonna be the calves no matter how much you hope.

1:48 But the hope that we're thinking about this morning is the hope that we find in scripture, and Peter in his opening chapter describes that hope. Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Our hope is certain, and it's one of the things that sustains us during the trials of life. I'm going to take mister Bingham's approach, I think.

2:37 My introduction and review is probably going to be half our time. I was talking to a friend a few weeks ago about this assignment I had, and he he... His first three words to me was context, context, context. So we're going to survey the book to a certain extent as we maintain the context for these... For this passage in chapter four of first Peter.

3:03 Peter wrote these words in the sixties, and obviously not the nineteen sixties, but the first century A. D, roughly nineteen hundred and fifty years ago. It was during a time of great persecution and suffering. In America, we don't really know what persecution and suffering is, but there are some areas of the world today that are going through great suffering. Christians are being beat, tortured, killed because of their relationship with the Lord.

3:35 One of the things we pray about fairly regularly on Wednesday night is the persecuted church and voice of the martyrs. That's an organization that does an excellent job of keeping us informed in things to pray for around the world. So suffering is a common subject in this epistle. We see it in every chapter, in some form or another. In chapter one, suffering as the various trials of life in verses six, seven, and eight.

4:48 Just a whole amazing thing, the story of redemption. I caught part of a message yesterday, and the question the the speaker asked was, who delivered Jesus for crucifixion? Who was responsible for Jesus going to the cross? And was it Judas who betrayed Jesus for money, or was it the religious leaders who delivered him up for envy, Or was it Pilate who because of fear delivered him up to the Jews? Or was it God the father for love?

5:23 It was part of all of all of those factors. Also in chapter three is just the fact that sometimes people just make fun of you as a Christian, but we're to have an answer for the hope that's within us. Also an important verse in chapter three verse 17, sometimes it's God's will that we suffer, and that's a whole another subject to discuss. But generally, in life we learn from difficulties, and trials refine us. And then that amazing portion also in chapter three that Christ suffered once for sin, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.

6:09 In chapter four, we'll look at a few... Look at look at that today and also in chapter five, but I won't look ahead. Twice in the book, Peter uses the word fire or fiery, and I don't know if he's saying that tongue in cheek because right at this time, might have been before, might have been after, were the famous fires of Rome and the still ongoing debate of who started it. I would ask for a show of hands, but I won't. Some think it was Nero because he had a great interest in urban renewal, and if the city burned down he could rebuild it.

6:53 But regardless of who started it, the Christians were blamed for it, and that was part of the part of the reason for the persecution of the Christians. I looked up suffering in Strong's Concordance and it's the Greek word number thirty nine fifty eight and it's, pasco. It's a broad term for mistreatment and and the definition I put together from Strong's, which is all of you those of you that use it know it's a little bit awkward at times. To experience a sensation or impression, usually painful. Feel passion, suffer, vex.

7:43 So it's a feel, a feeling, a sensation, a passion that you might feel, suffer, or vex. I have to admit that when I hear that word vex, I think of missus Bennett. Who knows the Mrs. Bennett that I speak of? My children have introduced their literarily deficient dad to Pride and Prejudice, And Mrs.

8:13 Bennett was often vexed by the by the efforts of her daughters and to secure husbands of of means or of other factors in the story. Vax, I'm sorry for that little rabbit trail. Vax, not that I'm recommending the movie, although I would recommend it over Rambo. Very entertaining actually, but she played her part well. She was vaxxed, her nerves.

8:45 So anyways, that's part of suffering though. The the... Our our... When we are perplexed or or suffer the emotion of of suffering. So in first Peter, we see the sufferings of Christ, and we also see the sufferings of those who follow Christ.

9:03 Those who are associated with him. Those who have the relationship with him. I went into my tax man this week to submit all my paperwork for him to sort out and fill out, and he was excitedly telling me about Saint Bonaventure's upset victory earlier in this week in a pre tournament game, and he used the word we several times to describe his victory, and I highly doubt that he had anything to do with it, but he, by virtue of the fact that it was his alma mater, was entering into it. He was identifying with the team and they subsequently lost in the first round of the March Madness tournament unexpectedly, but we as Christians also identify with Christ, or we should identify with Christ, and and with more enthusiasm than than alumni with his college team. As I mentioned a few minutes earlier, the Jews were being persecuted even if they didn't start the fires or even if they hadn't happened.

11:18 And Chris was struck, and he mentioned by the mom who in her grief was giving thanks to God for his care for them in that trial. By the way, Chris is coming back April 22, so mark your calendars. How we handle trials or persecution is a personal testimony of the power of God, so let's be ready and prepared. The world unfortunately, likes to, when they see a Christian with a bad testimony, run with it and ridicule us all. There was, we all have instances or we can all think back of times that those who identified as Christians embarrassed us, so to speak, or resulted in ridicule from friends.

12:09 But it was neat to see just a few, just in fact we're still observing it, the life and testimony of Billy Graham. Billy Graham who following his death last month was highly acclaimed by by all. Okay. Let's turn to chapter four and we'll get started with our look here at the first 11 verses. I have chosen six words to summarize the main thoughts of this this portion, we'll read in a minute.

12:45 I've chosen the word attitude for verse one. I've chosen the word abstain for verse two and three. Astonishment for verse four. For verses five and six. Accountability for verses seven to 10, action, and verse 11, adoration of Christ.

13:07 So let's read through it, and then I'll share some thoughts. First Peter four, therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind. For he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he has no that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable practices. In regard to this, they think it's strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation speaking evil of you.

13:56 They will give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason, the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. But the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers, and above all things have fervent love for one another for love will cover a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

14:27 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom belong the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. The scriptures have given us some wonderful glimpses of the person and work of Christ as sake of illustration for things that we are to understand.

15:09 I think back of that portion of Philippians two where Paul's telling, instructing the Christians to have a lowliness of mind and to esteem the others more important than themselves, to look out not for your own interest only, but for the interest of others, and then he gives a powerful example of Christ being born as a man, taking on the form of a man, and and going all the way to the cross for us. Here in chapter... In the previous chapter, chapter three, we we have those words where Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God. Then in chapter four, this verse one is looking specifically back at that, the fact that Christ suffered because he suffered, we as his children, we as those who identify with him, we are to be willing to suffer too and to do it as as submissively as he did. So Christ is the author and the finisher of our faith, he's our leader, and as the leader he marks the course for us to follow.

16:18 And his suffering, his work was much greater than ours will ever be, but because he was victorious, we can be too. We will never go through the physical agony that Christ went through. I highly doubt that we'll ever be crucified, they'll ever be tortured to that degree. One of the seminars at the recent conference was given by a physician, and he talked through some of the agonies that Christ went through during the crucifixion. It was quite quite startling, things I'd never thought about before.

16:57 Of course, Mel Gibson made the crucifixion very popular again years ago, about fifteen years ago with the movie he produced, but none of us will likely go through anything like that. So what does Peter mean in verse one here, to arm ourselves with the same mind. The word arm here, arm yourselves, is is might be what it sounds like to some of you. It has... Well, it's actually a military term and it explains the being equipped personally on the person, the Greek soldier for offense but also defense.

17:59 The Christian should be armed in the terminology that realizes the battle with the same with the same thought that was manifest in the sufferings of Christ, namely that one can be triumphant in suffering, even the suffering of death. In other words, the Christian should voluntarily accept the potential of death as a part of the Christian life, and this indeed was something what Peter experienced later in his his life. I just love the different terminology of scripture here, and also in chapter one, which I'll just refer to when Peter admonishes Christians to gird up the loins of your mind. In other words, girding up was something one did with their robes and they were preparing for action. As we prepare for action, need to to gather our thoughts and our minds and be focused for the task ahead of us.

18:53 How do we do that? Well, Christ's mind was to always do the will of the father. Right after his baptism, he faced a temptation by by the devil who tried to to lead Christ astray. Christ was very hungry, and that was that was the Lord's will for him. My remark is it's better to be hungry in the will of God than well fed outside of it, and God doesn't just bring trials or struggles into our life for no good reason, there's a reason for it, And as was alluded to earlier this morning, we might not know.

19:38 We probably don't know most of those reasons until we are gone from this world and with the Lord. And this was one of the items God used to teach his son obedience, learning obedience. But the point I want to pull out of the temptation of Christ was the Lord's response to Satan. The Lord used scripture to to defeat satan in that in that confrontation, and that's what we need to do too. Know it and use the scriptures.

20:11 The next phrase, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. The thought here is that, many of you recall that verse in Timothy, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. I think just because you're a Christian doesn't mean you're going to be persecuted, but if you're godly, persecution is inevitable. So persecution is the result of living a consecrated life, a righteous life, a life where Christ is first, and of course that's something we all struggle with, maintaining that consistency. It's also a life that forsakes sin, that resists the pull of the flesh.

20:56 So in a sense, suffering in the flesh is denying denying the flesh. Suffering the flesh, suffering in the flesh is living the life that Christ would have you live no matter what the cost, no matter how much suffering you might encounter. That word cease means to stop, to make an end, to come to an end, to take a rest, a willing cessation, a willing cessation. For one reason or another, I always seem to quote that verses from Titus two when I when I preached. Titus two eleven to 14, maybe because I learned them way back in the old days, John, during Iwana, when I was there in Iwana.

21:41 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly. Or in the first chapter of first Peter, Peter instructs us in verse 14, as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts as in your ignorance, But as but as he who called you as holy, you also be holy in all your conduct because it is written, be holy for I am holy. We could go to Romans seven, but we won't. And it's kind of an encouraging chapter because we have one who some think was one of the greatest Christians of all time acknowledging his own struggle with the flesh, his own struggle with sin. So are we willing?

22:36 Cease involves a willing cessation. Are we willing to to put away sin? Hebrews 12 verses one and two talks about this when it says, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, notice the word easily, easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God? He has sat down in victory, and we share in that victory. Temptation will come.

23:18 Thoughts will enter your mind. And as as many of you have heard the illustration, you can't keep a bird from landing on your head, but you can keep it from building a nest. So when the thoughts come in that are wrong, take them captive and and send them away. Don't let them take charge. Moving on to verse two, abstain, verses two and three.

24:18 It really is a new life that we receive. Our old life has passed away. We've all been born once by physical birth and that's that's an amazing miracle in itself. All the the creative design in in in human procreation, the fact that as parents we we think, at least we think and we act that we can bring another life into this world. And the and the marvel of how God forms that life in the womb is just amazing.

24:51 We have some couples in this church right now at that stage of life, and it's it's most exciting. Jennifer and I have been through it six times, and I was present unlike the old days. I was present at the birth of my children, and it's just a miracle to behold as that baby is born. They say that the heart starts beating two to three weeks after conception. That's just amazing.

25:16 And if the heart's beating, it means it's moving blood already. And that's all God's marvelous plan for physical birth, but the new birth, the spiritual birth is even more exciting because we all need to be born again. The physical birth that we have, and I heard a parent this morning lamenting in mild mild ways the disobedience of of a child, and that's that's normal. All these lovely child... Lovely children we have become or demonstrate their sin soon enough.

25:54 Sorry to burst the bubble Daniel and Jordan, but that's true. We all have that disease called sin and and we're all born with it, and the only cure for that is Christ's work on the cross. We see that in chapter two, and then in chapter three. By faith we have his life imputed to us, and hence we are born again. And the resurrection of Christ, we particularly celebrate in a couple of weeks, although I'd like to think we celebrate it every week, commemorates that, the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

26:34 So if we have new life from him, that life is really his. We belong to God and we have to live for him. I've chosen some verses in Colossians three to to remind us from this, remind us of this and encourage us. Colossians three one through seven, if or since then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth, For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

27:07 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. So our old life has passed away. We have a new life having placed our faith in the Lord Jesus.

27:38 That's sort of what verse three is talking about. Our previous life, our life previous to conversion is is over. It's done. It's a closed matter. And no matter what you did in that life, it was plenty of sinning.

27:54 You don't have to, as Christians, go back to indulge in those sins you didn't commit because of the experience. It was... It's over and done. It's time to live the new life. I like the terminology there.

28:08 Enough. Enough of of our past lifetime. Enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the gentiles. We have a new life, a new lifetime ahead of us. I had to chuckle at my young nephew a couple years ago, I was visiting my sister there in Wisconsin, and Joseph is at the time was like seven and he has a nine year old sister, and she was expressing her fear of death.

28:38 And Joseph in his his wit and sharpness says, oh, you have nothing to worry about, you have your whole life ahead of you. We have our whole spiritual life ahead of us which will never end. But the word gentile here was the general term for those who didn't know God. And Peter's instructed them to to put that away. Don't let don't let the gentiles influence you.

29:45 I appreciated the testimony of a of a preacher who made... Who was asked why he didn't drink anymore after he got saved, he simply refined... Replied that he had... He has found something better to to consume, the waters of life. But judgment day is coming.

30:05 Accountability, I've chosen that for verses five and six. I think some of our unsaved friends that might ridicule our testimony are gonna wish they had listened more and when they when they leave this earth through death. I know, we know from Luke 16 about the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man had it all in this life, but when he died, he didn't have it. Lazarus, who was the beggar, didn't seem to have much in this life, but when he died, it revealed that he did have it.

30:40 And the rich man begged Abraham to send someone to warn his brothers so that they could escape the judgment. And the response he received is quite startling. They said, well if they didn't heed the message of Moses and the prophets, they're not going to listen to anybody now, which is a powerful testimony to the importance of using the word of God and of listening to it. They had the word of God, but they didn't... They had the word of God through the prophets, but they didn't heed it, and they were lost forever for it.

31:22 And verse five contrasts with verse six, which is awkwardly stated I think in this text. Like actually like it in the ESV version, but this verse is referring to Christians who have died since hearing and believing the gospel of Christ, and their death may have been by martyrdom or perhaps not. But the reality of the fact is whether we're saved or lost, we're all gonna die. Whether it's through martyrdom or natural causes or the only escape for death is if the Lord returns while we're still alive. But regardless of whether you die as a Christian or not, after you die, your spirit lives on in the presence of God and someday you'll receive a glorified body.

32:23 That was another remark I enjoyed about Billy Graham's passing. The fact that he's more alive than he's ever been, and that he simply lives in a different location now. Okay. Moving to verses seven through 10. Our Our fifth a word, action, verses seven to 10.

32:46 The end of all things is at hand. That's not a chronological date as we might think of it, but it's God's program moving along. The triumph and suffering that we face in this life are going to channel us toward the triumph and victory at the Lord's return, and that's a thought that Peter wanted his readers to be aware of. This life is is short, relatively short, and it's going to result in the triumph at the Lord's return. He gets at this point right in chapter one, the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

33:29 If you haven't consciously thought about it, want you to consciously think about it and put this in your memory bank that biblically speaking, the next event that we can expect is the return of Christ. And it could be today, it could be tomorrow, but it's the way that God has marvelously designed things. Each generation from Peter's time forward thought it would be in their lifetime. I remember reading a missionary story from 1820, 1820 to 1830, it's Anthony Norris Groves who was convinced, he was actually convinced he was convinced it was eminent, if not that day, the next week or month that the Lord was returning, just by circumstances he observed in the then world. He was living in Iran at the time, think.

34:26 Correct me if I'm wrong, but the nation the city was the nation was under siege. There was terrible famine. People were dying everywhere. There was sickness. He thought the Lord's return was super imminent.

35:09 Although admittedly, sometimes a desperate spirit desperate spirit is conducive to praying as well, when our desperation drives us drives us to prayer, and we know that in prayer the peace of God will be shed abroad in our hearts. Another action item is to be loving. The word fervent here means stretched out. A love that's extended to reach to the needs of others. It's not a self centered focus.

35:37 Above all is pretty clear, it means it's very important. Chapter 13 of first Corinthians reminds us that love is prerequisite to all proper Christian service. The opening verses of that chapter are very sobering, it talks about the fact that you might be the most eloquent speaker. You might have the the most extensive knowledge, or you might be the most exemplary in your sacrificial giving or living. But if you do without love, it profits nothing.

36:12 It's just a noisy gong. Another lesson from that chapter is God's love is a result of provocation. God's is the response to provocation. He sent his son the ultimate act of love because we rebelled. And on our little worlds of our activity, there'll be things that even as Christians we do until we know each other, but by showing love we can cover a multitude of sins by letting unkind remarks go instead of retaliating.

36:53 This is not to say that there aren't some, that everything can be covered by love because there are there are some many things that require forgiveness and accountability. But many things we can just cover with the response of love. Love is patient, love is kind, love does not take into account wrong suffered, love gives people the benefit of the doubt, and so on. I'd encourage you to check out first Corinthians 13 soon if you haven't read it lately. Another action item is to be hospitable.

37:27 Probably in the context of this book, it had to do with Christians who are being dispersed by the persecution, and they literally had no place to stay. So you might encounter them passing through your area, and Peter was exhorting the Christians to provide shelter, food and shelter for them, whether it's for a short time or an extended time to offer assistance to other Christians who were were in need. And the last action item is to be serving. I just label it to be serving. All of us as Christians have a God given role that we can use to encourage, to instruct, to build up the body of Christ.

38:12 It's a matter of Christian stewardship to fulfill our role, and there's much variety in this role. All of us I think have a gift that's customized to our own personality and circumstances. Peter uses the term the manifold grace of God. There's much variety. One translator describes it as multi colored.

38:38 So be encouraged, whatever particular role you have, can use it somewhere, somehow for the body of Christ. First Corinthians 12 develops that thought a little bit. It talks about the diversity of gifts, but the same spirit. Differences of ministries, but the same Lord, and diversities of activities, but the same God who works all in all. So we see this the trinity there involved in the in the spiritual gifts.

39:09 And of course, a word of warning, we we mustn't assess others by our own gifts or ministries. And likewise, don't underestimate the value of your own service. And lastly, the last word in verse 11 is adoration. I appreciate the fact that this section ends up with reminding us that it's God who does all the administration, all the energizing, all the all the glorifying. So the service that we render or the lives that we live, are they adoring the person of Christ?

40:43 Not for our own sake, although there's victory in Christ, but more importantly, there's opportunity for us to bring glory to Christ by the lives that we live. So adoration. We can communicate communicate God's message with his enablement for his glory. So in the minute that remains, think about these these different words we've spoken of, which one might be something that you can apply to your life. Having the attitude, the right attitude of mind, the abstain, turning our back on the flesh, or the sins that easily ensnare us.

41:23 Astonished, that's not so much for us as believers, but don't be surprised when your unbelievers are astonished that you'd live a different life. The fact of accountability will all someday stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Or if you're an unsaved person, you'll stand before the great white throne judgment. What action can you give to your faith? Of prayer?

41:50 Of loving? Of hospitality? Of serving? Or whatever else the Lord has gifted you to do? And then of course, living a life that honors the Lord Jesus Christ that brings him adoration.

42:32 Help us father to consider how it can be used to bring us to salvation if that be the case, or to equip us and encourage us encourage us in our Christian walk for we for we need your your strength for for the Christian walk. Father, help us to live lives that are pleasing to you. Help us as a local body here to to love one another fervently, to serve one another, to build each other up, to care for one another. And we pray these things in our Lord Jesus' name. Amen.