29. The Epistle of 1Peter 4:10-11

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1 29. The Epistle of 1Peter 4:10-11 (8/1/18) Well, it s been 3 months since we ve officially been in 1Peter. We got as far as chapter 4 verse 10 which reads, As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. We used that verse as a springboard to launch us into a study on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Now since we have been away from 1Peter for a while, I think we need to review tonight before we pick up our study and continue. As we have been studying Peter s first epistle, he opens it by encouraging us to keep our eyes on the coming of the Lord so that we might have strength and grace to endure the trials of this life. 1 Peter 1:3-5 (NKJV) 3 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, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. As we came to verse 13 of chapter one, we saw the word Therefore which meant that Peter was now going to make application to our lives from the spiritual truths he has just talked about. 1 Peter 1:13-16 (NKJV) 13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who 1

2 called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." When Peter commanded us to gird up the loins of our minds and be sober he was saying that we are not to put ourselves under the influence of anything the god of this world (the devil) will try to use to intoxicate us with (lower our resistance to sin by messing with our ability to think clearly). As we have said, the mind is ground zero for spiritual warfare. If Satan can control your thinking he can control your living. As the god of this world, he has designed everything in this world to appeal to our fallen fleshly nature 1 John 2:15-16 (NLT2) 15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world [fallen world system]. Satan will use all of these things to put us under the influence (intoxicate us) using the cares and lusts of this world in an attempt to control our thinking (desires). It s all designed by him to lead us away from God and get us to go back to the old life we once lived when we were slaves of Satan living in this fallen and corrupt world. Peter reminds us that God has redeemed us out of that old life and now we are to live a new life for Him (a holy life) seeing that we have been born again thru the Holy Spirit 1 Peter 1:22-23 (NKJV) 22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit 23 having 2

3 been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever Now, after taking about us being born of the Spirit (made new creations in Christ) he starts out chapter 2 with the word Therefore which means Peter is once again going to make application to our lives based on the spiritual truth he has just gotten done talking about. 1 Peter 2:1-3 (NKJV) 1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. In other words, now that we are born of the Spirit and new creations in Christ we must live that reality out in our daily lives (it s not automatic we must live our Christian lives on purpose!) and that comes by drinking in the Word of God every day that we might grow thereby. 1 Peter 2:11-12 (NKJV) Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. So, Peter continues admonishing us as Christians to live lives of holiness and separation from the pollution of the world around us which will not only honor God but will also be a good witness to the unbelievers we come in contact with on a daily basis. Then he adds this command "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake (v.13) Once we got saved we went from children of Satan who were rebellious toward the will of God to children of God who are now submissive and obedient to the will and Word of God. In other words, submission to God s authority is what separates believers from unbelievers. 3

4 God is the supreme authority over all His creation but He has delegated some of that authority to three main institutions which He created (institutions that are essential for the function of human society) they are: 1. Human government 2. The Church 3. Marriage and Family All three are vital to the health of any human society and all three function under the principle of authority and submission. And as Peter has been admonishing us to live godly lives by obeying God s authority over us he then turned his attention to the institutions that God has created (and delegated His authority to) and commands us to submit our lives to their God-given authority over us as a witness. From there he proceeds to tell us to be good citizens by obeying those that God has placed in authority over us in government (2:13-17). Next, he admonishes slaves (could also apply to employees today) to respect and obey their earthly masters (2:18-25); wives to respect and submit to their husbands (3:1-6); and husbands to submit to God in marriage by treating their wives the way He has commanded them (3:7). As we come to chapter 3 verse 8 he now brings this section to a close by saying 1 Peter 3:8-14 (NKJV) 8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For "He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. 11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil." 13 And who is he who 4

5 will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." This is especially directed at those believers who live at a time or in a place where martyrdom is a definite possibility. 1 Peter 3:15 (NKJV) 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; As Christians we need to always be ready to present our faith which means we need to study and make sure we know what we believe and why. There is nothing worse than an ill-prepared or ignorant Christian Hebrews 5:12 (NLT) 12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you The Greek word for defense (apologia) is the word from which the English term apologetics comes from. The word was often used of a defense lawyer presenting a case in a court of law but could also be used in a less formal way of making a defense of the Christian faith. Reason is the Greek word logos which means word, or message. 5

6 Peter is admonishing us to always be ready to present our case as to why we re Christians (and not Muslims, or Buddhists or even atheists) why have we put our hope in the Christian faith? 1 Peter 3:16-18 (NKJV) 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit 1 Peter 4:1-11 (NKJV) 1 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind Again, your mind is the constant focus of Satan s attacks to control your thinking and bring you under his influence therefore be careful of what you watch, look at and listen to. 2 Corinthians 2:11 (NKJV) 11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices (mind games). Romans 12:2 (NKJV) 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So, when Peter tells us to arm yourselves it is a command to prepare for battle. But notice what he connects this command to "arm yourselves also with the same mind Of course, the mind that Peter is referring to is the mind of Christ toward suffering William MacDonald We have been considering Christ as an example of One who suffered unjustly. He suffered at the hands of wicked men for the cause of righteousness. Since this was so, His followers should arm themselves with the same mind. They should expect to suffer for His name. They should be prepared to endure persecution because they are Christians. 6

7 This is very interesting and extremely important for us to understand that our mind (mindset, attitude) is also a weapon in the Christian s arsenal Wiersbe The picture is that of a soldier who puts on his equipment and arms himself for battle. Our attitudes are weapons, and weak or wrong attitudes will lead us to defeat. Outlook determines outcome, and a believer must have the right attitudes if he is to live a right life. All believers know about the armor of the Christian that Paul lists in Ephesians 6 but few understand that without arming themselves with the proper attitude it is worthless. Again, this is critical to our victory in the Christian life over Satan and sin Paul put it this way: 2 Timothy 2:3-4 (NKJV) 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. This gets into the mindset or attitude of a soldier of Christ. You see, before you will be willing (speaks of attitude ) to endure hardships as a good soldier of Jesus Christ you first must think of yourself as a soldier of Christ! If you don t think of yourself as a soldier of Christ fighting in a war against the devil and his demons for the souls of men and women (especially those closest to you) you ll never be a good soldier of Jesus Christ or victorious over the enemy. A soldier can have the finest body armor and weaponry that money can buy but if he or she doesn t have the mind-set of a soldier, if they refuse to fight or are unwilling to endure hardships and suffering for the cause of Christ then again, it s all for nothing. 7

8 We must understand that faithfulness and victory in the Christian life starts with the way you think the way you perceive what the Christian life is all about. A good soldier of Jesus Christ is a person who has only one thing in mind to obey Jesus and endure whatever hardship it takes to win the battles you face on His behalf. God has given us everything we need to win this war but we must have the mind of Christ in love with God and not a carnal mind in love with the world. A carnal mind is always a recipe for defeat in the Christian life. But then Peter adds another thought 1 Peter 4:1 (NKJV) 1 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, There are 3 possible interpretations to this statement by Peter 1. He is talking about suffering martyrdom for the cause of Christ at which time our spirit will be released from our body and sin will no longer be an issue. 2. He is speaking of identifying with Christ s suffering by faith (death, burial and resurrection) and how, when we do, sin s power will be rendered inoperative in our lives (Rom.6) at which time we will stop living habitually in sin as we did before we got saved. 3. He is talking about how physical suffering and persecution for Christ s sake will cause sin in our lives to have less and less of a hold on us. I m not sure which one exactly Peter had in mind but all 3 are biblical and should be taken to heart. 8

9 1 Peter 4:1-3 (NKJV) 1 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, 2 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. 3 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 idolatries. Here s the bottom line are we going to choose to fully renounce and walk away from the old life to live totally for the Lord, or are we going to try and serve two masters the Lord and the world? 1 Peter 4:4 (NKJV) 4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. Isn t it interesting how unbelievers think they think it s completely normal to drink themselves into and early grave or sleep around where they might catch an incurable STD in their minds its completely normal behavior. But if a person who lives that way gets saved and stops those destructive behaviors unbelievers think that person is some kind of crazy weirdo! 1 Peter 4:5 (NKJV) 5 They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. The living is a reference to those who will be alive on the earth when Jesus returns to establish His Kingdom believers will be judged as worthy to enter while unbelievers will be judged as unworthy and sent to Hades. 2 Timothy 4:1 (NKJV) 1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 9

10 The dead are those who had died in their sins but will be resurrected to stand before Jesus at the Great White Throne Judgment (along with those unbelievers who were alive and when returned, whom He cast into Hades before He established His Kingdom). Most people believe in God but mostly that He is a God of love who won t judge people (except for the worst criminals) and send them to hell (if they even believe in hell). And because they believe this there is no fear of God (coming judgment) in their hearts and therefore nothing to keep their sinful desires in check. Proverbs says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. (Prov.9:10 and 8:13) The Bible says of those who live wickedly that there is no fear of God before their eyes. (Rom.3:18) When I read the news and see the level of immorality and debauchery going on in our country I realize that we are a nation that no longer fears God. And much of the blame for this can be laid at the door of clergy in this country who don t believe in or who believe but refuse to preach the reality of coming judgment. When Christian leaders downplay hell or flat out deny it exists they are helping to promote sin and those unbelievers will be judged more harshly by the Lord someday for the volume of sin they committed during their life on earth. God s judgment is coming make no mistake about it the good news is that God so loved this sinful world of fallen humanity that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Jesus wouldn t be sent to hell but would have everlasting life! 10

11 1 Peter 4:6 (NKJV) 6 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. Now we need to be careful how we interpret this verse remember the context. Peter was reminding his readers of the Christians who had been martyred for their faith. This I believe is what he means when he said, For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead in other words, those who are now dead at the time Peter was writing this epistle but were alive when the gospel was preached to them. Again, the gospel is only preached to those who are living because there is no opportunity for salvation after death (Heb. 9:27). And so, in that context, Peter is admonishing Christians to also arm themselves with the genuine hope of the reality of eternal life. And in all their persecutions that ungodly sinners were directing toward them to keep their eyes on eternal life in heaven which will give them the strength and right perspective needed to suffer for Christ here on earth. 1 Peter 4:7 (NKJV) 7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. When Peter says that the end of all things is at hand he is admonishing his readers to hang in there in the face of the severe persecution they were experiencing because the end of man s rebellion against God and the persecution of His people at the hands of the wicked was about over. All of it will come to an end with Christ s return when He will judge His enemies (Rev.19) and establish His kingdom. 11

12 But even before that, Jesus will come for His church and evacuate His people off of the earth before His judgment upon this Christ rejecting world is poured out (Rev.6-19). The Greek verb translated is at hand (Christ s return the rapture) means it could occur at any moment (imminent) therefore Christians are to live with watchful vigilance and anticipation as well as faithful service to our King. 1 Peter 4:7 (NIV) 7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. If we really believe that the rapture could happen at any time (especially if the signs of Jesus second coming are everywhere) it should have an impact on the way we live and especially in the way we pray. 1 Peter 4:8 (NKJV) 8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins." The word for love is agape an all-consuming unconditional love (mostly associated with God s love in the N.T.) The word fervent is a word that pictures an athlete straining to reach the goal it speaks of effort (like an athlete in training), eagerness and intensity. In a way, the Christian needs to exercise God s love if it is to grow stronger and stronger in our daily lives which means He s going to bring difficult people into our life. But Christian love isn t just giving it is also forgiving "love will cover a multitude of sins." 12

13 In saying this, Peter was quoting Proverbs 10:12 "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. This is not saying that God s love within us condones sin for God s love never condones sin but rather His love is grieved to see His people sin which hurts them and those around them. God s love doesn t condone sin it is saying that God s love covers sins. In other words, this describes believers who are lovingly overlooking the sins others commit against them and not spreading them around in the form of gossip. 1 Peter 4:9-11 (NKJV) 9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. 10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 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 the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 13