WEBVTT 00:00:12.532 --> 00:00:13.099 Good morning. 00:00:13.099 --> 00:00:14.000 Church. How are we doing? 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:15.132 It's great to be with you. 00:00:15.132 --> 00:00:16.365 My name is Colby Flowers. 00:00:16.365 --> 00:00:18.199 I'm the student pastor here at Valley View. 00:00:18.199 --> 00:00:22.632 And John gave me the opportunity to teach this morning, and I'm so looking forward to it. 00:00:22.632 --> 00:00:27.699 But if you can't hear to my voice yet, I am dealing with a little throat issue. 00:00:27.699 --> 00:00:28.899 But we're going to power through. 00:00:28.899 --> 00:00:32.633 So if you don't mind me, I may cough from time to time. 00:00:32.633 --> 00:00:36.133 I may pop in a cough drop, but I assure you I am ready to go. 00:00:36.133 --> 00:00:43.332 I'm excited about what God's Word has for us this morning, and we're going to be in First Peter chapter four. 00:00:43.332 --> 00:00:46.232 We're to look at six verses here in First Peter. 00:00:46.232 --> 00:00:49.432 And as we're approaching Christmas, we're hanging on to the first Peter. 00:00:49.432 --> 00:00:55.500 And, we're looking at this continuing theme and idea of suffering. 00:00:56.466 --> 00:00:59.633 And so we're going to be focused on these six verses this morning. 00:00:59.633 --> 00:01:01.865 And I'm so excited, looking forward to it. 00:01:01.865 --> 00:01:07.433 And I pray that your, your eyes and ears will be open to what God has for us this morning. 00:01:07.733 --> 00:01:13.599 In the year 1940, there is a war raging in Europe. 00:01:14.933 --> 00:01:25.200 Germany and the Nazi forces were pushing through various countries Luxembourg, Netherlands, and they're heading into France and all across Europe. 00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:27.965 Countries were having to make a decision. 00:01:27.965 --> 00:01:30.965 Are we going to avoid this conflict? 00:01:31.500 --> 00:01:39.033 Are we going to surrender to the enemy and let them take over all of our land and their territory, or are we going to stand and fight? 00:01:40.200 --> 00:02:01.099 And in May 1940, May 10th, 1940, Great Britain voted and elected Winston Churchill to be the Prime Minister, a very famous man and he would go on to help Great Britain stand to stand against the forces of evil in Germany and the Nazi Germany forces. 00:02:01.099 --> 00:02:07.465 And he gave a speech just nine days after he was elected in May 19th, 1940. 00:02:08.066 --> 00:02:16.000 And he has some famous words in there that I believe this morning should impact us and give us an idea of what the text is going to say this morning. 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:17.332 I'm gonna throw these words up on the screen. 00:02:17.332 --> 00:02:22.966 But this is what he said to the nation in his first public speech in Great Britain. 00:02:22.966 --> 00:02:31.066 He says, arm yourselves and be ye men of valor, and be in readiness for the conflict. 00:02:31.066 --> 00:02:36.900 For it is better for us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and our altar. 00:02:37.233 --> 00:02:38.699 As the will of God is in heaven. 00:02:38.699 --> 00:02:39.900 even so, let it be. 00:02:41.900 --> 00:02:54.432 So he comes, and he steadies and prepares his country that they are about to go to war because it's better to fight than it is to sit by and allow the enemy just to take over. 00:02:54.432 --> 00:02:55.966 But he says the word. 00:02:55.966 --> 00:02:56.699 There's two words. 00:02:56.699 --> 00:02:58.733 First, that I think are going to be very important for us this morning. 00:02:58.733 --> 00:03:10.665 He says, arm yourselves and want [you] to see in the text this morning that we are called as Christians, believers to arm ourselves. 00:03:10.665 --> 00:03:18.900 In fact, every believer should prepare to suffer by arming up with a Christ like attitude. 00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:27.332 And we may not want to hear this this morning, but the Bible promises that we're going to suffer. 00:03:27.332 --> 00:03:35.699 If you are a Christian and you're following Jesus throughout the span of time, no matter the era that we live in, we are going to suffer because we are following Jesus. 00:03:35.699 --> 00:03:37.265 And we're going to look at that this morning. 00:03:38.532 --> 00:03:43.699 But what the Bible teaches us is that we need to be prepared for this. 00:03:44.832 --> 00:03:53.599 And so we're going to look at this idea this morning that we need to be prepared by arming ourselves with the mind or attitude of Christ. 00:03:55.133 --> 00:04:01.265 And so what I've tried to do this morning is I've tried to normally when I go to read the Bible, I try to ask myself questions. 00:04:01.265 --> 00:04:03.032 It's how I read the Bible. 00:04:03.032 --> 00:04:03.800 I'll read the Bible. 00:04:03.800 --> 00:04:05.165 I'll ask some questions. 00:04:05.165 --> 00:04:07.133 What does this what is this saying? 00:04:07.133 --> 00:04:09.300 What is it saying about what I should do? 00:04:09.300 --> 00:04:11.866 And so I've got two questions for this morning that we're going to answer. 00:04:11.866 --> 00:04:12.133 Okay. 00:04:12.133 --> 00:04:17.100 Just to give us some context, just to help us understand where we're going this morning. 00:04:17.100 --> 00:04:28.432 So the first question is this why should Christians prepare to suffer if Jesus already suffered for us, why should we prepare to suffer? 00:04:28.432 --> 00:04:31.800 What would be the point if Jesus already suffered for us? 00:04:31.800 --> 00:04:34.800 Why do we also need to suffer as well? 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:37.800 And why should we have to prepare for it? 00:04:37.932 --> 00:04:46.065 Second question is this what benefit is there to believe in Jesus if Christians still suffer and die? 00:04:46.533 --> 00:04:47.932 What's the point? 00:04:47.932 --> 00:04:49.432 What's the benefit, the advantage? 00:04:49.432 --> 00:04:54.800 The point of me believing in Jesus to follow Jesus, but then to suffer because of my faith and ultimately die? 00:04:54.800 --> 00:04:55.733 What's the benefit? 00:04:55.733 --> 00:04:56.300 The advantage. 00:04:56.300 --> 00:05:05.100 And Peter is writing to real Christians, real believers living in a time of persecution in which they were persecuted for their faith, as we're going to see. 00:05:05.100 --> 00:05:08.600 And he's trying to encourage them in these verses. 00:05:09.365 --> 00:05:11.533 And this is what he says in verse one. 00:05:11.533 --> 00:05:29.899 First Peter four verse one says this since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, here's our word, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. 00:05:31.333 --> 00:05:36.899 Now, just like every other passage that we look at in First Peter, it's hinging off what he was said before. 00:05:36.899 --> 00:05:49.932 Pastor John went over this last week, and he talked about how the pathway to victory, the pathway to exaltation, is suffering. The victory of Christ, to get there, he had to suffer. 00:05:49.932 --> 00:05:54.600 So what Peter is saying here is if if Christ suffered in the flesh, guess what? 00:05:54.600 --> 00:05:57.600 We should be prepared to suffer. 00:05:57.665 --> 00:06:04.665 If we follow Jesus, if we live the life that Jesus has called us to live, then we will suffer. 00:06:04.665 --> 00:06:05.365 But it's interesting. 00:06:05.365 --> 00:06:09.100 As we talked about, he uses this phrase arm yourselves. 00:06:09.365 --> 00:06:14.800 This is the only time in the New Testament that we get this word, to arm. 00:06:15.132 --> 00:06:23.033 It's got the root word of of tool or instrument or weapon, and you kind of get this picture of a military idea. 00:06:23.033 --> 00:06:27.000 There's connotation there that we are to arm up. 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:29.199 And it's true this is not what the Christian life is. 00:06:29.199 --> 00:06:33.800 I mean, we see this all over the Bible that Christians are compared to being a warrior. 00:06:34.932 --> 00:06:38.699 Paul says in Ephesians five, the days are evil. 00:06:39.432 --> 00:06:46.466 Then in chapter six of Ephesians, Paul says, take up the whole armor of God and wield the sword of the spirit. 00:06:47.665 --> 00:06:54.500 Jesus even says that the way of righteousness, the path of righteousness, is narrow and difficult. 00:06:54.899 --> 00:06:56.500 He even informs his disciples. 00:06:56.500 --> 00:07:02.699 At one point in Luke 22, he says to them, go, sell your cloak, and metaphorically you need to go buy a sword. 00:07:02.699 --> 00:07:05.300 Get ready. 00:07:05.300 --> 00:07:10.300 Fighting! And the war is here and it's coming even stronger. 00:07:10.300 --> 00:07:16.432 So this idea that Christians should be sitting in our head that, listen, we are going to suffer for our faith. 00:07:16.432 --> 00:07:17.100 So. 00:07:17.100 --> 00:07:23.399 So Peter says, arm yourselves up with this same attitude, the same mindset of Jesus. 00:07:23.399 --> 00:07:28.399 So simply, believers must arm themselves with the attitude that they will suffer. 00:07:29.833 --> 00:07:33.833 Now, we might not like to hear that, but we do this in life, don't we? 00:07:33.833 --> 00:07:36.833 We prepare ourselves for difficult tasks. 00:07:37.333 --> 00:07:39.000 For instance, something simple. 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:47.333 When you go to the gym, you got to prepare yourself that I'm going to go and be sore for a good. 00:07:47.333 --> 00:07:49.800 I want to get in shape, I want to, I want to get fit. 00:07:49.800 --> 00:07:55.800 And so I have to go through workout and running, and there's a little bit of suffering involved for me to get to that point. 00:07:55.800 --> 00:08:02.665 So we prepare ourselves mentally, we rack the weights up and we're ready to go, but we have to prepare ourselves. 00:08:02.932 --> 00:08:07.565 My wife just gave birth to our second child, our son. 00:08:07.565 --> 00:08:09.333 He's made it to the house today. 00:08:09.333 --> 00:08:14.065 I'm so excited that my wife came in, but, yes. 00:08:17.199 --> 00:08:19.800 He is a big baby. 00:08:19.800 --> 00:08:21.266 Okay? 00:08:21.266 --> 00:08:26.033 He was born 9 pounds and he has not gotten smaller. 00:08:26.966 --> 00:08:34.865 But my wife has said she has kind of admitted that I was more prepared for this delivery than I was with our first child. 00:08:34.865 --> 00:08:45.200 And that would make sense, because the first child, as you go through the first delivery, you know, you're kind of learning for yourself what's going to what's going to happen and what you have to do, the decisions you have to make. 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:50.000 And this time around, Maggie admittedly said, you know, I was more prepared. 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:53.466 I was mentally prepared, physically prepared. 00:08:53.466 --> 00:09:00.500 And despite the fact that our first daughter was 6 pounds and our son was 9 pounds, there's a lot more pain involved in the second delivery. 00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:05.732 But it was a less stressful experience for her because she was ready. 00:09:05.732 --> 00:09:07.799 She was prepared to suffer. 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:15.399 And I think this is true for us that as Christians, we need to be prepared to suffer. 00:09:16.432 --> 00:09:18.899 Now the reality, we live in America, thankfully. 00:09:18.899 --> 00:09:22.732 Praise God, we live in a country where we can worship God freely. 00:09:22.732 --> 00:09:29.265 So suffering in the same way that the first century Christians probably doesn't happen very often. 00:09:29.265 --> 00:09:30.265 It's not normal. 00:09:30.265 --> 00:09:32.232 It's not normative for us to suffer in that way. 00:09:32.232 --> 00:09:38.033 But the reality is, the closer you get to Jesus, the more you're going to suffer. 00:09:38.033 --> 00:09:40.732 Look what Paul says in second Timothy three. 00:09:40.732 --> 00:09:48.799 He says, indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 00:09:50.100 --> 00:10:11.600 And this is the way I kind of see that the more you live for Jesus, the more you live to spread the gospel, the more outward about your faith that you are, the more you're wanting to take down the domains of darkness, the more you're wanting to kill sin, the more you're wanting to stand for truth. 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:14.600 The world is going to persecute you more. 00:10:15.966 --> 00:10:21.299 Now, I don't want to come off as saying, well, if you're not persecuted, you're not a Christian. 00:10:21.299 --> 00:10:23.332 That's not what I mean. 00:10:23.332 --> 00:10:30.232 But the truth is, the more you live out your faith and follow Jesus, the more you are going to be persecuted. 00:10:30.232 --> 00:10:39.533 So maybe it does say something about where you're adding following Jesus, because I believe some of us, even in America today, we want to do the bare minimum, right? 00:10:39.533 --> 00:10:43.166 When it comes to chores, I want to do the bare minimum. 00:10:43.166 --> 00:10:45.365 Do just enough. 00:10:45.365 --> 00:10:51.666 But we can also apply to our faith that I want to do the bare minimum of my faith, so long as I'm called a Christian and I can follow Jesus. 00:10:51.666 --> 00:10:56.200 But the more and closely you follow Christ, the more you're going to suffer. 00:10:57.666 --> 00:11:01.932 So part of what this means is, is preparing to suffer. 00:11:01.932 --> 00:11:04.500 And this is the best way to do it right here. 00:11:04.500 --> 00:11:10.232 Preparing your attitude daily should begin with Scripture and prayer. 00:11:11.033 --> 00:11:16.566 You need to saturate your mind and heart with God's Word. 00:11:17.100 --> 00:11:23.732 I highly encourage you if you don't have a Bible plan, if you don't have any of the scriptures, we've got some for you out here in the lobby. 00:11:23.732 --> 00:11:25.633 We want you in God's Word. 00:11:25.633 --> 00:11:32.332 We want God's Word in you to saturate your mind, your heart, with with Christ in His Word. 00:11:32.332 --> 00:11:47.200 Because then when you respond to things, the way you react to things, it will be according to Christ's word and not just simply out of emotion and out of desperation, but that you would respond even in adversity with God's Word. 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:48.466 So this morning, if that. 00:11:48.466 --> 00:11:51.932 If you need a Bible, I highly encourage you to grab one. 00:11:51.932 --> 00:11:57.533 But if you do have one, get in the Word of God and get that Word of God in you. 00:11:57.533 --> 00:11:58.500 Amen. 00:11:58.500 --> 00:12:03.033 He also says in this first verse, in this last clause he says something interesting. 00:12:03.033 --> 00:12:06.932 So he says that we should arm ourselves up with this same way of thinking. 00:12:06.932 --> 00:12:07.700 And here's why. 00:12:07.700 --> 00:12:14.399 For whoever suffered in the flesh, that is, the body has ceased from sin. 00:12:15.466 --> 00:12:25.566 Now reading that you might think, are you saying, Peter, that if a person suffers they're perfect, that they that they're never going to sin again? 00:12:25.566 --> 00:12:38.100 Because looking at at face value, I mean, maybe that's what it means, but to pause and consider the context in what Peter's writing here is, he's writing to people who are suffering for their faith right now. 00:12:38.100 --> 00:12:47.732 But his point is this that if you are willing to resist sin to the point of suffering, it proves you've triumphed over it. 00:12:47.732 --> 00:12:51.566 It proves that you have won victory over sin. 00:12:52.332 --> 00:12:56.765 And I think we kind of see this when we see people deal with addictions. 00:12:57.265 --> 00:13:04.100 So my family has been long time smokers, my family growing up, we were smoke, they were smokers. 00:13:04.100 --> 00:13:06.500 And you can even apply this to any other addiction that you can see. 00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:10.399 But addictions like this are hard to break. 00:13:10.700 --> 00:13:24.765 But I noticed one family event that we went to had an uncle who was not going out with the herd of people outside to go and smoke cigarettes, and I noticed that I was kind of like, you know, what's going on? 00:13:24.765 --> 00:13:26.365 What are you in here for? 00:13:26.365 --> 00:13:29.000 And he said, well, I quit smoking. 00:13:29.000 --> 00:13:30.566 Awesome. 00:13:30.566 --> 00:13:33.200 But you know, how did you do it? 00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:34.566 He said, I just quit cold turkey. 00:13:34.566 --> 00:13:37.299 I stopped, had to do it. 00:13:37.299 --> 00:13:38.832 I want to go out there. 00:13:38.832 --> 00:13:41.832 But I know in myself I need to stop. 00:13:42.365 --> 00:13:44.299 And so props to him. 00:13:44.299 --> 00:13:54.765 But breaking that addiction, it shows and proves something in him that the addiction of cigarettes no longer has a hold on him. 00:13:54.865 --> 00:13:58.432 But for you and me, it's the same thing with sin. 00:13:58.432 --> 00:14:07.466 If you and I have broken off our relationship with sin when we're suffering for our faith, it's because we're not going into sin anymore. 00:14:07.466 --> 00:14:11.332 It's proof that we're not going in to sin. 00:14:11.700 --> 00:14:12.899 So Peter's encouraging them. 00:14:12.899 --> 00:14:21.932 Listen, if you are suffering for your faith, that's a good sign because you're no longer living in sin, because the world sees it and they're persecuting you for it. 00:14:23.100 --> 00:14:25.299 And as we're going to see Peter is going to encourage them. 00:14:25.299 --> 00:14:31.133 Because when you say no to sin, you're likely going to be persecuted for it. 00:14:31.133 --> 00:14:40.299 He says in verse two, he goes on and explains the result, what it looks like when we arm ourselves with this mind, this this attitude of Christ. 00:14:40.299 --> 00:14:41.100 He says. 00:14:41.100 --> 00:14:50.600 So as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for human passions, but for the will of God. 00:14:50.600 --> 00:14:59.365 In other words, when you have the attitude of Christ, it's going to help you pursue the will of God and not your old human passions. 00:14:59.365 --> 00:15:04.932 You're saying goodbye to the old you and yes, to the new person in Christ Jesus. 00:15:06.133 --> 00:15:10.200 But that requires a change in your mind, a change in your mindset. 00:15:11.133 --> 00:15:18.566 So my first point for this this morning is simple arm yourselves with the mind of Christ. 00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:21.533 Arm yourselves up. 00:15:21.533 --> 00:15:25.799 You have a change in your heart and your mind and your outlook. 00:15:25.799 --> 00:15:33.066 Because if you live for God, you will at some point deal with persecution and suffering. 00:15:33.066 --> 00:15:38.832 And the more you live for God, the more you're going to be experiencing suffering. 00:15:38.832 --> 00:15:49.033 So when you have the mind of Christ, the beautiful part about this is that you will live for God's will and not your own human passions. 00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:50.732 You look at this text in Philippians two. 00:15:50.732 --> 00:15:52.899 This is talking about Jesus. 00:15:52.899 --> 00:16:13.865 It's likely one of the first hymns of the church, and it's describing Jesus as having this attitude, this mindset that he was humbled to the point of death, even death on the cross, that he was willing to suffer the greatest persecution for us. 00:16:13.865 --> 00:16:20.200 And we too need to have that mindset that I'm willing to suffer so much that I will say no to sin. 00:16:20.200 --> 00:16:24.633 I'm not going back because here's the danger. 00:16:24.633 --> 00:16:29.832 We live in a culture that not want, not merely wants you to join in them with their sin. 00:16:29.832 --> 00:16:32.500 They want you to celebrate it. 00:16:32.500 --> 00:16:34.799 Look at this in verse three. 00:16:34.799 --> 00:16:37.432 For the time that is past suffices. 00:16:37.432 --> 00:16:39.000 That is the past. 00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:39.732 That's enough. 00:16:39.732 --> 00:16:52.399 We've lived enough in the past for doing what the Gentiles want to do living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 00:16:53.466 --> 00:16:59.000 Peter here is pointing out this lifestyle that they used to live in. 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:06.232 These are people who were once Gentiles, once unbelievers, and then they stepped out of that lifestyle and started following Jesus. 00:17:06.232 --> 00:17:09.900 And so Peter's saying, listen, that was your old lifestyle. 00:17:11.266 --> 00:17:16.799 In fact, that was the normal lifestyle of the first century world. 00:17:18.732 --> 00:17:24.099 But I'll ask you this morning, do you see much of a difference between that and what we see today? 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:28.700 You know, we don't get a lot of glimpses into into these types of things. 00:17:28.700 --> 00:17:37.633 But just because the news typically sometimes wants to hide it, or people are so good at being deceptive and covering things like this up. 00:17:37.633 --> 00:17:48.000 But but we see little glimpses of this, for instance, in like, the Jeffrey Epstein stuff or the Sean Combs that with the rapper, the P Diddy that how all this stuff that was going on. 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:55.965 I'm not going to go into those details, but we get a glimpse into this, these things that are happening in our world and we say, well, that's really not around me. You sure? 00:17:59.133 --> 00:18:03.599 The reality is, is this is our culture and it remains. 00:18:04.633 --> 00:18:09.732 And these Christians were called out of that lifestyle and to follow Jesus. 00:18:09.732 --> 00:18:15.799 And so the temptation is, is, is to pursue sin and to go back into it. 00:18:17.500 --> 00:18:25.500 So listen this morning, temptation to pursue sin, it can come from your passions in you, but it can also come from your peers. 00:18:25.599 --> 00:18:31.633 There is an internal pull from you, but there's also an external pull. 00:18:31.633 --> 00:18:34.333 The old self still remains, as the Bible talks about. 00:18:34.333 --> 00:18:40.599 But there is this external peer pressure that wants to pull us back into the mainstream. 00:18:40.599 --> 00:18:41.566 Look at this in verse four. 00:18:41.566 --> 00:18:50.465 He says, with respect to this lifestyle that you just mentioned the world, they are surprised when you do not join them. 00:18:52.066 --> 00:18:54.833 They're surprised. 00:18:54.833 --> 00:18:56.099 And he uses a couple words here. 00:18:56.099 --> 00:19:01.400 He says in the same flood of debauchery. 00:19:01.400 --> 00:19:03.599 Interesting. 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:08.932 This word flood has this connotation of and picture of being a wide stream. 00:19:10.500 --> 00:19:23.165 We might use the term mainstream, but it's this picture here that people were jumping into the wide stream of culture and just going with the flow. 00:19:23.165 --> 00:19:31.200 And when Christians left that lifestyle, left that lifestyle, and stopped living in sin, the culture was like, what? What? 00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:33.000 Why would you do that? 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:34.599 This is the best lifestyle. 00:19:34.599 --> 00:19:36.865 You get the most pleasure. 00:19:36.865 --> 00:19:39.165 You don't have a lot of commitments. 00:19:39.165 --> 00:19:42.400 You be unrestrained, you can do what you want. 00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:51.566 And so they’re surprised and even today, when when Christians truly live out their faith, the world surprised, like, why would you not want this part of your life? 00:19:52.833 --> 00:19:57.865 And I can even speak to our teenagers, you know, being a student pastor, I have to keep up with all the things that they're going through. 00:19:57.865 --> 00:20:09.232 But social media is this huge influence on our teenagers lives to push them into a lifestyle that's anti-God, anti God's word and it's end of the world. 00:20:09.232 --> 00:20:12.099 And I'm thankful that we have so many people that are praying for our students. 00:20:12.099 --> 00:20:13.532 But it's for all of us. 00:20:13.532 --> 00:20:32.165 We are all tempted on the outside by our peers and by our culture to jump into this wide main stream of sin, because what we what we've grown up doing that we've kind of become numb to, or we think that is okay. 00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:35.400 In reality, it may not be okay. 00:20:35.932 --> 00:20:37.133 The things that we watch. 00:20:39.165 --> 00:20:47.165 The things that we view online, the way that we talk, the things that we think those aren't really that bad. 00:20:47.165 --> 00:20:48.200 It's not that big of a deal. 00:20:48.200 --> 00:20:55.799 But if you look at God's Word, maybe they are, that maybe we have a little bit more world in us than we think. 00:20:56.299 --> 00:21:03.133 But what Peter's trying to express here is, listen, you used to be a part of that life, and when you don't join them, they are surprised. 00:21:03.133 --> 00:21:14.700 In the final two words of that verse that says they malign you, they blaspheme you, they they slander you, they talk down you, they talk bad about you. 00:21:15.700 --> 00:21:16.566 And that's what we live in. 00:21:16.566 --> 00:21:23.299 In a world today when there's cancel, cancel culture all over the place, if you don't live up a certain way, we're going to cancel. 00:21:23.299 --> 00:21:25.932 You want to speak out against you, want to destroy you. 00:21:29.400 --> 00:21:34.266 But this is why Peter has been dealing with this all throughout the book of First Peter. 00:21:34.266 --> 00:21:39.799 He says in chapter one, verse 13, prepare your minds for action. 00:21:41.232 --> 00:21:44.232 Be ready. 00:21:44.865 --> 00:21:48.865 But for the first century Christians, they had it really hard. 00:21:48.900 --> 00:21:50.266 There's this man named Tacitus. 00:21:50.266 --> 00:21:57.165 He was a Roman historian and politician, and he has some interesting writings about this time. 00:21:57.165 --> 00:22:05.566 And we get a lot of picks, a lot of information about the early church and in fact, Jesus from this unbeliever. 00:22:05.566 --> 00:22:11.432 And as he was writing during the first century, I want to put this up as a picture of what the early Christians struggle with. 00:22:11.432 --> 00:22:14.266 This is Tacitus writing in the first century, he said. 00:22:14.266 --> 00:22:28.232 Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. 00:22:28.232 --> 00:22:34.200 Now the spelling there is a little bit different, but he's writing in light of rumors and what he's hearing. 00:22:34.200 --> 00:22:48.333 But at the time, there is this huge fire in Rome, and so the Emperor Nero, what he did is he blames the Christians, he puts the Christians and basically elevates them to being the people who did it. 00:22:48.333 --> 00:22:52.599 Now legend has it that it was actually Nero that started the fire. 00:22:52.599 --> 00:22:59.133 But he goes on here, Tacitus says accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty. 00:22:59.133 --> 00:23:03.732 Then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted. 00:23:03.732 --> 00:23:13.599 Tons of Christians were convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, but here was their crime as of hatred against mankind. 00:23:16.200 --> 00:23:21.566 Nero tried Christians as people who hated mankind. 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:26.000 Do we not see that today? 00:23:26.700 --> 00:23:28.500 You don't accept me the way that I am. 00:23:28.500 --> 00:23:31.299 You must hate me. 00:23:31.299 --> 00:23:33.465 You're telling me something's wrong in my life. 00:23:33.465 --> 00:23:35.599 You must hate me. 00:23:35.599 --> 00:23:37.165 You are hatred of you. 00:23:37.165 --> 00:23:38.865 You hate mankind. 00:23:38.865 --> 00:23:40.365 You don't let this happen. 00:23:40.365 --> 00:23:41.732 You hate mankind. 00:23:41.732 --> 00:23:42.766 You're hypocrites. 00:23:42.766 --> 00:23:49.365 We hear this all the time and it's been going since day one. 00:23:50.099 --> 00:23:51.000 But what's even scarier? 00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:52.099 Look what he continues to say. 00:23:52.099 --> 00:23:56.532 I know this is a long quote, but this is so helpful in our understanding of what Peter's dealing with. 00:23:56.532 --> 00:23:57.400 He says. 00:23:57.400 --> 00:24:01.500 Tacitus says mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. 00:24:01.500 --> 00:24:02.432 So he mocked. 00:24:02.432 --> 00:24:04.365 They mocked them as they killed them. 00:24:04.365 --> 00:24:06.000 They covered with the skins of beasts. 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:12.465 They were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt to serve as nightly illumination. 00:24:12.465 --> 00:24:14.932 When daylight had expired. 00:24:14.932 --> 00:24:17.633 Why? 00:24:17.633 --> 00:24:19.799 Is it because they set fire to the city? 00:24:19.799 --> 00:24:21.465 No. 00:24:21.465 --> 00:24:23.566 It's because they hated mankind. 00:24:23.566 --> 00:24:30.599 No, it's because they weren't going along with the world. 00:24:31.165 --> 00:24:39.000 And when you and I don't go with the flow of the main stream. Listen, you're going to be persecuted. 00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:46.633 So the world can tolerate Christians so long as they go with the flow, with the mainstream. 00:24:46.633 --> 00:25:00.165 But as soon as we start following Jesus, truly following Jesus and living our life with passion and with a purpose for Christ, the world is going to notice. 00:25:00.599 --> 00:25:12.900 That's why I'm thankful for the book of First Peter, written to Christians who were in a place in a time, in a season, in a culture where they were strangers, exiles, as Peter calls them. 00:25:13.133 --> 00:25:39.099 But here's what he says keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak evil of you, when they malign you, when they blaspheming you, they may see your good works, and they may glorify God on the day of visitation, that through our suffering we can actually lead people to the gospel and to Christ, because we have suffered. 00:25:39.099 --> 00:25:40.532 So here's your second point this morning. 00:25:40.532 --> 00:25:45.500 Arm yourselves with a holy resistance to sin. 00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:49.799 Don't give in. 00:25:50.400 --> 00:25:53.400 Don't go back. 00:25:53.700 --> 00:26:00.732 Don't allow those human passions, those old desires, that old you, to come back and take a foothold. 00:26:00.732 --> 00:26:04.032 Christian, stand firm, resist. 00:26:04.200 --> 00:26:05.900 Don't run back to sin. 00:26:05.900 --> 00:26:07.532 Continue with Christ. 00:26:07.532 --> 00:26:12.333 Follow his will for your life, not the human passions, but the will of God. 00:26:12.333 --> 00:26:17.900 And even though you suffer, it may lead to someone coming to know Jesus. 00:26:17.900 --> 00:26:21.432 And at the end of the day, eternity is in is in view here. 00:26:21.432 --> 00:26:29.599 Not the momentary affliction that we may we might experience, but by you living a life committed to the gospel, committed to God, not going back. 00:26:29.599 --> 00:26:32.400 You may suffer now, but you may lead someone else to Christ. 00:26:33.732 --> 00:26:35.532 I pray that that is our attitude. 00:26:35.532 --> 00:26:37.500 That is the attitude Christ had. 00:26:37.500 --> 00:26:40.500 That's why we arm ourselves up with this. 00:26:41.500 --> 00:26:44.365 I pray that that is you this morning. 00:26:44.365 --> 00:26:48.833 So our last two verses, Peter wants to give some hope here. 00:26:48.833 --> 00:27:03.066 He says in verse five, but they are the persecutors, the unbelievers who are persecuting you, but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 00:27:03.133 --> 00:27:17.566 See, normally we don't talk about judgment as a good thing, but Peter here is giving his believers a hope of judgment, saying, listen, the judgment is coming, and it is a good thing. 00:27:17.566 --> 00:27:32.633 Peter says one day, these people who are persecuting you, they will stand before God, whether they have already died or they're alive today, the living and the dead, that they will give an account for their life and they will have to answer to God. 00:27:33.665 --> 00:27:41.400 And so for us as Christians to to hold off on getting our revenge is difficult. 00:27:41.400 --> 00:27:44.400 When you're in the workplace. 00:27:44.932 --> 00:27:51.232 And you're being persecuted or you're being singled out, it is hard not to respond and answer back. 00:27:51.232 --> 00:27:53.900 Is it not? 00:27:53.900 --> 00:28:18.566 When you have that family member who you may have interacted at Thanksgiving and you know who's coming to Christmas, and you know you all don't share the same views, and, you know, if you speak with the gospel and you speak about Christ, that it's going to create an argument maligning, it's hard not to respond with anger. 00:28:18.965 --> 00:28:20.266 But look at this in Romans 12. 00:28:20.266 --> 00:28:25.465 This might help you in this season, beloved, never avenge yourselves. 00:28:25.465 --> 00:28:27.066 What? 00:28:27.066 --> 00:28:32.432 Never, never avenge, never pay back, never get retribution. 00:28:33.665 --> 00:28:36.333 No. 00:28:36.333 --> 00:28:40.400 He says, but leave it to the wrath of God. 00:28:40.400 --> 00:28:42.599 For it is written, vengeance is mine. 00:28:42.599 --> 00:28:44.432 I will repay, says the Lord. 00:28:44.432 --> 00:28:49.566 He also says this to the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, what do you do? 00:28:49.566 --> 00:28:51.032 Feed him. 00:28:51.032 --> 00:28:59.400 If he is thirsty, give him something to drink, for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. 00:28:59.400 --> 00:29:04.200 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 00:29:04.465 --> 00:29:15.799 What would your workplace relationships look like if this was your response, what would your family time at Christmas look like if this was your response? 00:29:15.799 --> 00:29:19.432 What would this look like on social media? 00:29:19.432 --> 00:29:31.333 That when you were persecuted for following and loving Jesus and to reach the lost with the gospel and you got persecuted for that, that you responded instead with love, truth and grace. 00:29:32.665 --> 00:29:37.099 Now, this is not to throw everything out and just say we become a human doormat. 00:29:37.099 --> 00:29:38.833 That's not what this means. 00:29:38.833 --> 00:29:48.766 What this means is that you defend the truth, but you do it with loving grace because you're looking to this person's eternity, not the current argument that you're having. 00:29:49.032 --> 00:30:07.599 In this, but I want to make this point to them believers should not surrender to temptation or their persecutors, because here's the reality as Peter is trying to explain to them, it's because God will have the last word. 00:30:07.665 --> 00:30:12.000 What that person says to you at work, that's not going to be the last word. 00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:18.133 What that person is saying about you or to you on social media won't be the last word. 00:30:18.133 --> 00:30:24.200 What that thing that family member has said to you in the past or continues to say about you, that won't be the last word. 00:30:24.200 --> 00:30:27.365 But what we want to pray for is that person that come to know Jesus. 00:30:27.365 --> 00:30:30.599 So we get to be with them in glory on the day of visitation. 00:30:33.266 --> 00:30:35.833 Last verse this morning. 00:30:35.833 --> 00:30:39.032 This is likely the the hardest one to interpret. 00:30:39.032 --> 00:30:56.432 There's been some difference of interpretation on this verse, but it 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. 00:30:56.932 --> 00:31:13.532 So Peter, at the end of here, he's still pointing to the end times, and he's trying to explain to these Christians the reason why the gospel was preached to these people who he's called dead is because they one day can stand before God in salvation, in eternity. 00:31:13.532 --> 00:31:14.865 That's why the gospel preached. 00:31:14.865 --> 00:31:20.066 But we need to consider what does he mean here by preached even to those who are dead? 00:31:21.299 --> 00:31:24.665 I'm here to go through all the the ideas here, but a couple of them will help us understand. 00:31:24.665 --> 00:31:27.000 Some people understand this to be this. 00:31:27.000 --> 00:31:30.000 The idea of dead is spiritually dead people. 00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:33.365 There's people who are alive but are spiritually dead on the inside. 00:31:33.365 --> 00:31:34.532 I mean, they don't know Jesus. 00:31:34.532 --> 00:31:37.532 They don't, they haven’t obeyed the gospel. 00:31:37.799 --> 00:32:03.232 But in this context, it really kind of doesn't make sense because Peter's using the word alive and dead to me, literally here, some people take it to this to mean as that Peter is saying, we can preach to people who have already died, they've gone on and we can go through some type of medium, or we can pray to God and preach the gospel to people who have already died, and they might hear it. 00:32:03.232 --> 00:32:06.232 They might believe it as a second chance. 00:32:06.266 --> 00:32:13.232 Some people, some, Catholics, hold the view of purgatory, and so they might see this as connecting with it. 00:32:13.232 --> 00:32:18.732 That purgatory, you get a second chance to pay off your sins and penance, and then eventually you can get to heaven. 00:32:19.700 --> 00:32:28.232 But that also doesn't stand with Scripture, because Scripture is clear that this life matters, your decisions and your choosing. 00:32:28.232 --> 00:32:30.633 And following Jesus on this life matters. 00:32:30.633 --> 00:32:37.965 And there's a great chasm between us and heaven, so there's not really a communication that we can preach the gospel to people who are dead. 00:32:37.965 --> 00:32:40.799 But here's what I think it means for us this morning. 00:32:40.799 --> 00:32:55.232 Peter's talking about Christians who have already died, that is, believers who have accepted Christ, but since believing they have died, because here's what they were hearing in the first century. 00:32:55.232 --> 00:32:58.400 Christians, you believe in Jesus, but you still suffer and die. 00:32:58.400 --> 00:33:00.400 What's the point? 00:33:00.400 --> 00:33:04.299 Why would you believe in Jesus if you still have to suffer and you still have to die? 00:33:04.299 --> 00:33:06.333 What advantage? What benefit is there? 00:33:07.865 --> 00:33:21.432 And this is what Peter would say, that even though they have died and they're judged in the flesh the way that people are, they will live in the spirit the way God does. 00:33:21.566 --> 00:33:23.965 So two things I want us to say this morning. 00:33:23.965 --> 00:33:33.833 How you respond to the gospel in this life is eternally important, eternally important. 00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:37.566 This is not some meantime. 00:33:37.566 --> 00:33:44.165 We can live in the meantime, and then at later on, I can decide to follow Jesus after I'm gone. 00:33:44.266 --> 00:33:47.032 Don't fall for that lie. 00:33:47.032 --> 00:33:53.066 Your decision to follow Jesus now in this life is eternally important. 00:33:54.965 --> 00:34:04.865 Second thing, even though believers will die, death does not have the last word Church. 00:34:04.865 --> 00:34:12.132 You and I can have confidence in a God who raised Jesus from the dead, that he was the first fruits. 00:34:12.132 --> 00:34:13.666 And we are going to come after that. 00:34:13.666 --> 00:34:19.500 All those who believe in Jesus one day will also be raised from the dead. 00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:27.599 Not just some metaphorical idea, but we will rise from the dead just like Christ did, and we will be with him in eternity. 00:34:27.599 --> 00:34:31.065 So you know what the hope is for you and I? 00:34:31.065 --> 00:34:35.965 That even though we suffer in this life, we know resurrection is coming. 00:34:36.532 --> 00:34:44.432 So last point this morning, arm yourselves with the hope of resurrection. 00:34:44.432 --> 00:35:07.199 Have this truth in your mind always, so that when you are suffering, when life is hard, when things are tough, you can always hold to this reality that one day I'm not going to have to deal with these issues and problems and pain and suffering anymore, because I will be raised with Christ forever. 00:35:07.199 --> 00:35:14.699 So my challenge for us this morning is do you daily arm yourselves with the attitude of Christ? 00:35:16.199 --> 00:35:19.199 Is that your mindset during the day? 00:35:19.599 --> 00:35:23.932 Are you prepared to suffer for following Jesus? 00:35:23.932 --> 00:35:27.932 Are you armed with a holy resistance to sin? 00:35:29.266 --> 00:35:35.666 And do you keep the resurrection, the hope of the resurrection in front of you at all times? 00:35:35.666 --> 00:35:38.500 And friends, I have to come back to this same idea. 00:35:38.500 --> 00:35:39.766 This is important. 00:35:39.766 --> 00:35:44.833 It starts with getting in your word and saturating your mind with his truth. 00:35:45.565 --> 00:35:54.932 If you are seeking to go through life without his word and without leaning on him in prayer, it's going to be very, very difficult. 00:35:55.699 --> 00:35:57.666 That's why we have a community of faith. 00:35:57.666 --> 00:35:59.400 That's why we have God's Word. 00:35:59.400 --> 00:36:07.132 God has given you every weapon tool in your arsenal to fight back the darkness and to handle the suffering. 00:36:07.132 --> 00:36:10.099 I pray that you would use that in this morning for you. 00:36:10.099 --> 00:36:19.199 Maybe some of you this morning you need to come to Jesus for the first time, that the hope of the resurrection needs to be a reality for you. 00:36:19.199 --> 00:36:20.900 Now. 00:36:20.900 --> 00:36:26.432 And if that's you, you don't leave here without talking to somebody. 00:36:26.432 --> 00:36:28.166 Let's pray. 00:36:28.166 --> 00:36:30.365 Father, thank you for your word. 00:36:30.365 --> 00:36:33.365 Thank you for the truth of the gospel. 00:36:34.400 --> 00:36:39.500 God, we know that suffering in this life is inevitable for Christians. 00:36:40.300 --> 00:36:43.300 And we should not be surprised by it. 00:36:44.032 --> 00:36:48.132 But God, we also we cannot cave to the temptation. 00:36:48.800 --> 00:37:05.865 We cannot cave to the peer pressure and the the cancel culture of of all the things that are going on around us to go back into that lifestyle that you've called us out from, because in Christ we have died to sin, and now we live for you. 00:37:07.365 --> 00:37:45.400 God, I pray for every believer in this room right now that you would give them every tool and weapon to arm themselves up with the attitude of Christ, to arm them up with a holy resistance to sin, and that you would arm them up with the hope of resurrection, that today, whatever they might be going through, whatever potential suffering they might encounter, they can always fall back on the truth that you have already conquered death, and that you will not allow our enemies to have the last word. 00:37:45.400 --> 00:37:47.733 We pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.