Text: 1 Peter 4:1-6
Title: A Call to Arms
Date/Place: LSCC, 2/12/06, AM
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Opening illustration: 9/11 changed the course of history. After a few days of our heads spinning, we were all on board that the people who did this would pay. So when President Bush used language of going to war, we were not all that surprised, and the large majority of the country thought it was a good idea. But just before the bombing in Afghanistan, he called us to war, and outlined the sacrifice and needs of the hour…
B. Background to passage: the major section of Peter’s letter ends at 4:11. The main focus in these verses is suffering. Peter refers back to 3:18 and the life of Christ and his sufferings that he endured. And he tells these suffering believers to arm themselves—a military term meaning to prepare for a fight, win the battle, and reap the rewards. This reminds us that we are at war in our lives all the time. The Christian life is not a playground, a hobby, a crutch, a necessary hardship; it is WAR!
C. Main thought: Peter gives us six “D’s” to accomplish in our lives
II. BODY
A. Devote yourselves to preparation for war (v. 1)
1. Peter says be just like Jesus. He says to arm yourself (reflexive verb) with the same attitude of determination, the same drive to complete the sufferings laid out for you, not because you want to avoid pain, but because you want to honor God.
2. Col 3: putting on Christ,
3. Illustration: We are told that when John Huss was arrested and informed that he would be burned to death for his faith, he purposely practiced holding his hand over fire to prepare for his final test. He burned himself in preparation. He wanted to be faithful to the end, Fighter Verses at Bethlehem Baptist Church,
4. Prepare yourself through prayer like Jesus did. Memorize scripture. This means that you will have to put forth some effort in your Christian life. Gird up your loins like a man. Be trained in witnessing. Exercise your faith to strengthen it. Increase your knowledge of God and his word.
B. Dedicate life to will of God (v. 2)
1. Peter next tells them to make a clean break with sin (perfect tense verb). Turning from sin and self to Christ. Renouncing sin, selfish desires, and Satan in every way. Make a conscious decision that will affect all other decisions to always search for the will of God in your life. Commit not to listen to feelings, which are subject to change. This may cost you financially, pleasurably, occupationally, emotionally, but we must.
2. Jer 17:9,
3. Illustration: “Feelings come and feelings go and feelings are deceiving; my warrant is the Word of God, naught else is worth believing”–Luther, sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a lifestyle…and the consequences that come with it, One day, however, she was seen tossing the stick up several times. “Why do you toss the stick more than once?” someone asked. “Because,” replied the woman, “it keeps pointing to the left, and I want to take the road on the right.” She then dutifully kept throwing the stick into the air until it pointed the way she wanted to go!
4. The bottom line is that IT is not about your feelings, or your priorities, or your desires, or you at all. Life is about him. Your heart is deceitful; don’t listen to it. It will deceive you, and try to convince you that divorce is OK in your situation; or that premarital sex is OK for you just this once; or that it is really not important to go to church today, because I don’t feel like it; or its OK for me not to love my wife/husband today, because they didn’t perform or meet my needs; or its OK to snap at family or coworkers because I feel unloved, depressed, or frustrated; or that life is unfair, and you deserve better. If we allow those thoughts to continually parade through our minds, we will believe them and begin to act accordingly. Some days you don’t feel saved, don’t feel loving, don’t feel like witnessing or doing anything in God’s will. When you consistently choose to do God’s will in the face of suffering you are strengthened
C. Determine that your sin is enough (v. 3)
1. Peter says here that their past sin is “more than enough.” He says that they have behaved like the pagan nations around them for long enough. He uses terms here relating to sexual sin, drunkenness, and idolatry, all of which are present in the lives of church members. These things ought not be. Peter says, if there is a quota, you exceeded it. No more allowed.
2. Rom 6:7-12, 8:12-13, 13:14, 2 Cor 5:17
3. Illustration: Mackenzie and her smile when you ask if she has already had a vitamin. When the great Chrysostom was arrested by the Roman Emperor, the latter sought to make the Greek Christian recant, but without success. So the emperor discussed with his advisers what could be done to the prisoner. “Shall I put him in a dungeon?” the Emperor asked. “No,” one of his counselors replied, “for he will be glad to go. He longs for the quietness wherein he can delight in the mercies of his God.” “Then he shall be executed!” said the Emperor. “No,” was the answer, “for he will also be glad to die. He declares that in the event of death he will be in the presence of his Lord.” “What shall we do then?” the ruler asked. “There is only one thing that will give Chrysostom pain,” the counselor said. “To cause Chrysostom to suffer, make him sin. He is afraid of nothing except sin.”
4. It is very clear through this verse that the Christian life is to be different that the average American. Your like should demonstrate the difference. Christians should have different priorities, morals, standards. Christians should have better marriages, less divorce, less alcohol abuse, but they don’t. They haven’t decided that there past sin is enough. If you are here and participating in these things, you are storing up for yourself wrath from God if you don’t know him. And if you claim to know him, you will receive your just reward in chastisement and loss of blessing.
D. Decide to separate from sin (v. 4)
1. When we come to Christ, he demands absolute loyalty. And there are some influences that we will need to part ways with. The picture is of drunken people staggering through the streets heading toward total destruction. This doesn’t mean that we never have non-Christian friends, simply that we may have to eliminate some.
2. 2 Cor 6:14-18,
3. Illustration: But Edward knew his older brother, and each day he sent a variety of delicious foods. Instead of dieting his way out of prison, Raynald grew fatter. When Duke Edward was accused of cruelty, he had a ready answer: “My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave when he so wills.”
4. It may be a friend of yours that is into the wrong things. A boyfriend or girlfriend who leads in the wrong direction. A business associate that is always pressing you to cut corners with illegal actions. It may be a habit or hobby that you need to part with. You may say, this is not really that bad, whose it really hurting anyway, does it really matter. Realize that your sin infinitely offends God’s core being, and that it will destroy you and those around you.
E. Delegate judgment to God (v. 5)
1. I do not mean that you have the authority to decide who God judges; or if you wanted to you could simply just not allow God to exercise his judgment. Simply that within your own mind, commit the judgment of other individuals to God. Do not pass or carry out judgment against others. Peter is very clear that God is big enough to take care of himself, and that he is just enough to make sure that none go unpunished.
2. Psa 25:21, Dan 6:22,
3. Illustration: the first rule of counseling is that you can only deal with the person in front of you, so don’t come to me asking me to change the person who is causing you suffering,
4. If we focused as much on ourselves as we did on others, then there probably would be much less to focus on. Employees cannot change their bosses. Wives cannot change husbands. When things do not happen the way they are “supposed to,” we can remember that God is in charge of the things that are beyond our control and he is well aware of our situation, and he knows that this is best for us at this time. So be on guard against manipulation of people and situations to get your way. Be on guard against retaliation, bitterness, grudges, anger, etc.
F. Delight in life eternal (v. 6)
1. We learn from the fourth chapter of 1 Thess, that there were many questions surrounding the fate of believers who had died. In fact there was some confusion, as if they had missed the promise of glory. So Peter specifies that because God would judge unbelievers, we could rest assured that those believers, “who are now dead” are safe and secure with Christ, alive in the spirit. Remember that Peter is speaking about people who were martyrs for the faith. Therefore he is saying that even if our suffering results in death, we should not be afraid, but willing to suffer.
2. 1 Cor 2:9, Heb 10:34-39, 11:35-39
3. Illustration: Foster Walker accidentally strolled into the scene of a holdup at a store in Memphis, Tenn., and heard the gunman order him to surrender his money or “I’ll shoot you.” “You just go ahead and shoot,” Walker said. “I just got through reading my Bible, and I’ve already said my prayers.” The robber was dumbfounded and Walker, a man in his sixties, walked away, doing missions when dying is gain, Cancer is now outranked only by heart disease as a cause of death in this country. Among women 15 to 54 years old, it is the leading cause of death from disease. A half century ago, cancer was outranked by tuberculosis, pneumonia, diseases of the heart, and nephritis. Although cancer is commonly a disease of adults, it is nevertheless one of the leading child killers. Among children aged five to nine, cancer, including the leukemias and Hodgkin’s disease, has been for some time the leading cause of death from disease, “No guilt in life, no fear in death…from life’s first cry to my final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.”
4. As Christians we should not fear suffering, even if it results in our death. This should give us courage to stand up in our workplace and be counted for Christ. It gives us courage to go to the hard places in the world and minister in Christ’s name so that people would know him. It gives us courage when the cancer isn’t found until stage four, and we don’t have much longer. It gives us courage when there seems to be no hope for deliverance from our present suffering. It should deliver us of fears of all kinds,
III. CONCLUSION
A. Closing illustration: Polycarp, venerable bishop of Smyrna was a personal friend and pupil of John the Apostle. When he was age 86, he was urged by the Roman proconsul to reproach Christ and be set free. “Eighty and six years have I served Him and He never did me any injury. How then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?” The proconsul said: “I have respect for your age. Simply say, “Away with the Atheists” and be set free.” Polycarp solemnly said, “Away with the Atheists”—pointing to the pagan crowd. He joyfully went to the stake, thanking God for counting him worthy to be numbered among the martyrs.
B. Recap
C. Invitation to commitment
