(This Sermon was preached at Trinity Bible Church on June
17, 2001. all Scripture references used
in this sermon are based upon the NASB®,
unless otherwise stated)
| This Sermon was written and submitted by: Joseph M. Willmouth, Pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Biloxi, Mississippi 39532. This contributed article is copyright protected, and the sole property of the contributing author. It may be freely copied and used provided the above credits are included. Document expiration: indefinite. |
Note: Although this sermon is has a lot of Greek mixed in it, I do not go through every word during my sermon. These Greek references are only that, references for me to use if it strengthens the message. Plus it is helpful if someone has questions about what I said after the sermon.
Introduction: A U.S. Army officer told of the contrast in his pupils during two different eras of teaching at the artillery training school at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In 1958; the attitude was so lax that the instructors had a problem getting the men to stay awake to listen. During the 1965; classes, however, the men, hearing the same basic lectures, were alert and took copious notes. The reason: these men knew that in less than six weeks they would be facing the enemy in Vietnam (Autoillustrator Online). Likewise, as Christians we need to pay attention and take good notes here in this section of Scripture, because Peter is trying to prepare us for those times when we will face the "enemy." It is during those times that we will need to have a right attitude to see us through the suffering that comes with trials and persecutions. In chapter 3, verses 18-22, we saw that Jesus Christ's suffering and resurrection to glory was an example for us to follow. In our passage this morning Peter continues with the example that Jesus Christ set, but this time he reminds his readers to have the same mind-set or attitude of Christ when it comes to suffering and living in this world.
I. By Arming Yourself With The
Mind Of Christ (v.1).
1. A Christlike attitude equips the believer for suffering (v.1a).
A. "Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose,"Application: Christians are to arm or equip themselves with the same attitude that Christ had when it came to suffering and persecution. A Christ-like attitude can be summed up with Christ's own words found in Luke 22:41-42, "And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, 'Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done.'" Suffering is often just another opportunity for us to have a greater impact upon those we share our faith with. So don't look at suffering as something bad, but something that God will use to bring others to salvation through Christ.1) "suffered," ("pascho" {pas'-kho: aor}); to suffer, undergo, endure, experience.B. Tertullian said, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church."2) "flesh," ("sarx"); flesh, the body.
3) "arm," ("hoplizo" {hop-lid'-zo: imper, aor}); to arm, to furnish one's self with, to equip oneself, used here as to prepare or get ready.
- Imperative Mood with Aorist Tense: we are commanded to arm ourselves with the mind-set of Christ now!4) "purpose," ("ennoia" {en'-noy-ah}); a way of thinking, insight, idea, understanding, manner of feeling and thinking.A) Vincent: Only here and Hebrews 4:12.(1) Literally the word means thought.B) Wuest: "put on as armor the same mind"(2) It seems rather to be the thought as determining the resolution.
(3) Since Christ has suffered in the flesh, be ye also willing to suffer in the flesh.
2. A Christlike attitude breaks the dominion of sin over a believer's life (v.1b).
A. "because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,"Application: The believer who is faithful to the Lord during times of persecution does not depart from doing what is right. He will not strike out in retaliation, but will withstand and submit just as Jesus Christ did. Christ could have called upon legions of angels to come to His defense, but He submitted Himself to His captors; Matthew 26:53 "Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" Even when He was beaten, abused and hung on a cross, He never returned evil for evil or struck out at them. This is the attitude that a Christian should have towards suffering and towards those who would persecute us. A surrendered life is an a heart that is controlled by God and not a heart that is controlled by sinful desires.1) "suffered," ("pascho" {pas'-kho: aor}); to suffer, undergo, endure, experience.B. The closer we get to Christ, the further we get from sin.2) "flesh," ("sarx"); flesh, the body.
3) "ceased," ("pauo" {pow'-o: indic, perf}); cease, refrain, to restrain, to have release from sin.
A) Indicative Mood: implying the certainty and reality of ceasing from sin.4) "sin," ("hamartia" {ham-ar-tee'-ah}); sin, wrongdoing, a departure from doing what is right.B) Robertson: "to make cease. Temptation has lost its appeal and power with such a man."
II. By Living According To God's
Will And Not The Flesh (vv.2-4).
1. A Christlike attitude no longer lives for the flesh, but for the
will of God (vv.2-3).
A. A believer's life should reflect the will of God and not the lusts of men (v.2).Application: It is always better to be in God's will and suffer for His sake than to be in our will and suffer for sins sake. Most of us have wasted enough of our lives living in sin before we became Christians, but now as Christians we shouldn't waste anymore of our time or God's time doing so. Vance Havner, in his book "Lord of What's Left, " speaks of those who missed out on serving the Lord because they did not respond to the opportunities God gave them. As a result many Christians waste the remainder of their days in regret and self condemnation. To this Vance Havner replies, ".... if you failed to crown Him [Jesus Christ] early make Him Lord of What's Left!"1) "so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God."B. Believers have already spent too much time in the past living in the sinful behavior of the world prior to them being saved (v.3).A) "live," ("bioo" {bee-o'-o: inf, aor)}; of life on earth, live, spends one's earthly life.2) What is God's will for the believer?B) "rest," ("epiloipos" {ep-il'-oy-pos}); rest, of time remaining, future.
C) "time," ("chronos" {khron'-os}); time, season.
- i.e, the rest of our livesD) "flesh," ("sarx"); flesh, the body.E) "no longer," ("meketi" {may-ket'-ee}); no longer, no more, henceforth not, hereafter.
F) "lusts," ("epithumia" {ep-ee-thoo-mee'-ah}); of unrestrained desire for something, forbidden lust, craving, evil desire.
- Wuest: "sphere of the cravings of men"G) "will," ("thelema" {thel'-ay-mah}); will, of a natural and legitimate desire, pleasure.- Wuest: "but in the sphere of the will of God"A) 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. Consequently, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you."B) 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
C) 1 Peter 2:15-17, "For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond slaves of God. Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king."
D) 1 Peter 3:17, "For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong."
1) "For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles," (v.3a)A) "time," ("chronos" {khron'-os}); time, season.2) "having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousals, drinking parties and abominable idolatries." (v.3b).B) "already past," ("parerchomai" {par-er'-khom-ahee}); go or pass by.
C) "sufficient," ("arketos" {ar-ket-os'}); sufficient, enough, adequate.
D) "carried out," ("katergazomai" {kat-er-gad'-zom-ahee: inf, perf}); to perform, accomplish, to work out, as thoroughly working at something.
E) "desire," ("boulema" {boo'-lay-mah}); as the result of deciding, intention, purpose, will, desire.
- Vincent: "Desire, inclination."F) "pursued a course," ("poreuomai" {por-yoo'-om-ahee}); to pursue the journey on which on has entered, to continue on one's journey, proceed, to go.- Vincent: The time past may suffice for you to have wrought the desire, etc., walking as ye have done; the perfect participle having an inferential reference to a course of life now done with.A) The three forms of personal sensuality.(1) "sensuality," ("aselgeia" {as-elg'-i-a}); unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness.B) The three forms of social sensuality(2) "lusts," ("epithumia" {ep-ee-thoo-mee'-ah}); of unrestrained desire for something, a desire for what is forbidden, evil desire.
(3) "drunkenness," ("oinophlugia" {oy-nof-loog-ee'-ah}); a bubbling over with wine, drunkenness, an excess of wine.
(1) "carousals," ("komos" {ko'-mos}); a festive procession in honor of the wine god, merrymaking, revelry, excessive feasting, used generally of feasts and drinking parties that are protracted till late at night and indulge in revelry (always used in a bad sense in the NT).(2) "drinking parties," ("potos" {pot'-os}); a drinking party, a drinking bout.
(3) "abominable idolatries"
(A) "abominable," ("athemitos" {ath-em'-ee-tos}); contrary to law and justice, prohibited by law, forbidden, disgusting.(B) "idolatries," ("eidolotatria" {i-do-lol-at-ri'-ah}); idolatry, worship of idols, image worship.
2. A Christlike attitude is incomprehensible to the world (v.4).
A. When we become Christians our whole way of life changes so that even our old friends cannot comprehend it (v.4a)Application: If someone claims to be a Christian and there has been no change in their life to where even their old friends cannot see anything different, then there is something wrong with that faith. Peter states a basic fact about the conversion of a believer, he is a changed creature, and Paul says the same thing in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." You can rest assured that when you no longer behave like those who are living for sin, your old friends will have something to say about it.1) "And in all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excess of dissipation,"B. Because a Christian's life reflects the righteousness of Christ it often leads to the world and even old friends turning on us (v.4b).A) "surprised," ("xenizo" {xen-id'-zo: indic}); to surprise or astonish by the strangeness and novelty of a thing, to think strange, to be shocked., be amazed.2) The lost world can't understand or comprehend why a Christian would chose not to live like them.- Robertson: "They are surprised or astonished."B) "run with," ("suntrecho" {soon-trekh'-o: pres, act}); run together, of close association in a type of behavior, to go along with, join with them.C) "excess," ("anachusis" {an-akh'-oo-sis}); pouring out, a flooding, used here in a negative sense of moral dissipation and reckless living, excess, extreme degree.
- Vincent: The word is used in classical Greek of the tides which fill the hollows.D) "dissipation," ("asotia" {as-o-tee'-ah}); one who has abandoned himself to reckless immoral behavior debauchery, dissipation, incorrigibility.(1) Vincent: of squandering on one's own debased appetites, whence it takes the sense of dissoluteness or profligacy.(2) In Luke 15:13, the kindred adverb is used were the prodigal is described as scattering his substance, to which is added, living wastefully.
1) "and they malign you;"A) "malign," ("blasphemeo" {blas-fay-meh'-o}); to speak evil of, to speak injuriously, slander, revile, defame.2) John 15:20, "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also."B) Robertson: as in Luke 22:65. "The Christians were compelled to stand aloof from all the social pleasures of the world, and the Gentiles bitterly resented their puritanism, regarding them as the enemies of all joy, and therefore of the human race" (Bigg).
III. By Realizing That Everyone
Will Give An Account To God Some Day (vv.5-6).
1. A worldly attitude leads only to God's judgement (v.5).
A. "but they shall give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead."Application: In 1993, FBI director Louis French summoned his top officials to his office and said, in effect: "You have 10 minutes to justify your job." (U.S. News and World Report, 25 Oct 1993, 26). This is the word picture that is given by Peter here in this verse. These non-believers are being judged as they live, and some day when they appear before the great white throne judgment all that will be left to do is the sentencing! And there are no loopholes. W.C. Fields was a lifetime agnostic, but on his deathbed, someone discovered him reading the Bible and they asked him about this. He replied, "I am looking for loopholes." God's judgment is sure, there are no loopholes to slip through, there are no judges that can be bribed, there are no places to run to hide, there are no top lawyers to buy. On that day the gavel of a Holy and Righteous God, through Christ, will fall and will pronounce judgment on the ones who rejected His sinless perfect sacrifice for their sins. Guilty! You are hereby sentenced to an eternity in the lake of fire! Hebrews 9:27, "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment," Those who accepted Jesus Christ will meet Him as their Savior, but those who rejected His gift will meet Him as Judge. Hebrews 10:29-31, "How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.' And again, 'The Lord will judge His people.' It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God."1) "shall give," ("apodidomi" {ap-od-ee'-o-mee: indic, fut}); to render account, to give account.B. Whether someone is still alive or has already passed away the day of judgment will come.A) Indicative Mood: Implying the certainty and reality of the situation.2) "account," ("logos" {log'-os}); to arrange in order, word, speech, statement, report, account, reckoning.B) Future Tense: Pointing to a future point in time.
- Matthew 12:36-37, "And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."3) "ready," ("hetoimos" {het'-oy-moce}); to be ready, readily.A) Vincent: Lit, having himself in readiness; there at God's right hand in heaven, wither he has gone (3:22). Implying, also, a near judgment.4) "judge," ("krino" {kree'-no: inf, aor}); a dividing out or separating off, judge, to give a verdict.B) Robertson: (Dative), "to the one readily judging," not "to the one ready to judge," which "softens the rugged original" (Hart)
C) Wuest: "holding himself in readiness to judge"
5) "living," ("zao" {dzah'-o: pres}); to live, the living.
6) "dead," ("nekros" {nek-ros'}); one that has breathed his last, lifeless, dead, deceased, without life.
2. A Christlike attitude may be judged by the world, but it will be honored by God (v.6).
A. The gospel had been preached at one time to those who are dead now (v.6a).Application: Dr. Donald Barnhouse's wife died from cancer when she was in her thirties, leaving him with three children under the age of 12. Barnhouse chose to preach the funeral sermon himself. On the way to the funeral service, a large truck passed his car on the highway, casting a shadow over the car. Barnhouse turned to his oldest daughter, who was staring out the window, and asked, "Tell me, sweetheart, would you rather be run over by that truck or its shadow?" She replied, "By the shadow, I guess. It can't hurt you." Dr. Barnhouse quietly told his children, "Your mother has not been overrun by death, but by the shadow of death. There is nothing to fear." (Billy Graham, Facing Death and the Life After, 1987). Likewise, for the Christian, we may face persecution and even death, but it is only a shadow that cannot harm us. We have our victory in Christ Jesus and no man can take that from us. Romans 8:35-39, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."1) "For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead,"B. While these believers had been judged by men (i.e., suffered at the hands of), they are now alive with the Lord (v.6b).A) "gospel...preached," ("euaggelizo" {yoo-ang-ghel-id'-zo: indic, aor}); to bring the good news, used in the NT of the glad tidings of the coming kingdom of God and of the salvation to be obtained in it through Christ (i.e., salvation).2) Wuest: "For, for this purpose also to those who are [now] dead was the good news preached,"(1) Indicative Mood: implying the certainty and really of the gospel being preached.B) "cause," ("touto" {too'-to}); for this cause, for this reason.(2) Aorist Tense: states the fact of the gospel being preached at a point in the past.
C) "dead," ("nekros" {nek-ros'}); one that has breathed his last, lifeless, dead, deceased, without life.
1) "that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God."A) "judged," ("krino" {kree'-no: subj, aor}); a dividing out or separating off, judge, to give a verdict.2) Wuest: "in order that they might be judged according to men with respect to their physical existence, but live according to God with respect to their spirit existence."B) "flesh," ("sarx"); flesh, the body.
C) "live," ("zao" {dzah'-o: pres}); to live, the living.
D) "spirit," ("pneuma" {pnyoo'-mah}); the immaterial part of the human personality in contrast to the outward and visible aspects (i.e., flesh), as the seat of the inner spiritual life of man, the capacity to know God.
E) "according to," ("kata" {kat-ah'}); according to, toward, after, in accordance with.
Truths To Ponder
1. We need to always arm ourselves with the same mind-set of Christ, and this is especially true when we find ourselves in times of persecution or sufferings.
2. We need to seek God's will before we seek our own will.
3. We need to put our sinful past behind us so that we can live for the Lord today.
4. We need to be always mindful of the fact everyone of us are totally accountable to God, and behave accordingly.