October 28, 2018
Morning Service

We finished chapter 3 a couple of weeks ago and Peter encouraged us to always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about our faith.  As we live a life as a Jesus follower and imitate His actions and attitudes, there will be opportunities arise for us to testify of our faith when others see something different in us and ask about it.  Be ready to give your personal testimony of what God has done for you.  It does not have to be deep in theology only your story told from the heart.  There is nothing more powerful that you could share especially when your life lines up with your testimony.  Peter ended the chapter by opening the subject of Jesus’ suffering not only physical but spiritual and emotional as well.  He did it all for us.  Chapter 4 begins right where he left off in chapter 3.

1 Peter 4:1-2 Therefore,  since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, also arm yourselves with the same mind, for he who suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, (2) that he no longer should  live the rest of his time in the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

·        Paul wrote this to the Corinthian church:

1 Corinthians 11:1 Imitate me, even as I also imitate of Christ.

·        As a Christ follower, we are instructed to imitate the life, attitudes and actions of our Savior.  Here Peter instructs us to imitate His willingness to suffer in the flesh.  He says to “arm yourselves with the same mind.”   Paul also said this to the Corinthian church quoting Isaiah 40:13.

1 Corinthians 2:16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

·         We are to view suffering just as Christ did, as a necessary part of our Christian journey.  Jesus suffered not only upon the cross, but throughout His lifetime.  He fasted often and once for 40 days, was rejected and betrayed by those closest to Him, and spent His time of ministry serving others more than caring for Himself.  It was all part of the journey He was destined to walk.  He knew the suffering that lay before Him and willingly followed anyway.  For us it is all part of the decision we have made to, as verse 2 says, “To no longer live our life in the lusts of men but for the will of God.”  We must take the attitude as Jesus did that suffering is part of journey.

·        In the time period Peter now writes from the suffering was severe, especially for the Jewish believer.  You would be disowned by your family, excluded from the temple, and even forbidden to buy or sell at the market.  You be an outcast from the society that you lived in.  Then the Roman government added in as extreme level of suffering that came with being martyred for your faith in the name of sport and recreation.  You had to be “all in” to choose to follow Christ and view suffering as He did.  Sadly, this is still true today and is being experienced by our brothers in other countries that are part of the persecuted church.  What about here in our neighborhood, what does suffering look like?

·        Just two generations ago, my grandfather suffered because his decision to truly follow Christ.  He left the Catholic Church and quickly became an outcast in the community and was even rejected by his own family.  They all boycotted his gas station, forcing him to close it and become a share cropper; working on a farm for a house for him and his family to live.  He was then called into the ministry and preached at 3 different churches every Sunday.  He chose to follow Christ and it drastically changed his life and life style.  He accepted all this suffering knowing (having the mind of Christ) that this was a part of his walk of imitating Christ his Savior as it is part of ours as well.  We are invited to accept Christ as our Savior, but we are also invited to suffer for His sake as well.

 

Philippians 1:29  For to you it is given on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

·        Part of our journey following Jesus will be suffering for His sake.  Jesus told His disciples that “If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”

·        What about us?  How is it we suffer for being imitators and having “the mind of Christ?”  Society today is far different than the time Peter spoke from.  Everyone is seeking after the “good easy life” and run away from suffering as quick as possible.  A “little white lie” is okay as long as it keeps us out of trouble.  We find it way too easy to “conform” our lives to look like the world so as not to draw unwanted attention to us as a “Bible thumpers or holier than thou.”  We shy away from doing the little things that really define that we are following Christ, all because we have not embraced the same mind of Christ towards suffering.  Rather than embrace it and count it all joy we try to avoid it at all costs.

·          As we fully submit to God and doing His will, it no longer becomes a decision we are making, it becomes who we are not what we do.  When we are “all in” with Christ we simply follow our heart that belongs to Christ, so it leads us to the right path even if it is a difficult one.  I believe we suffer on small fronts compared to the early Christians.  As we set up guard rails in our lives to avoid being caught in sinful situations we open ourselves up to suffering condemnation from those around us. (Pence)

·        When we walk away when the conversation turns to “dirty” jokes or gossip and don’t participate in them, we may be shunned and not considered part of that group.  When we decline invitations to go places that we know not to go, the same things happen.  We may begin to feel isolated and alone, this is suffering for Christ.  When we make choices to serve others and sacrifice our own desires for the will of God, we are suffering for Christ.  When we choose to live a life that is “worthy of our calling” we make many around us uncomfortable and there are those that will even avoid us.  They want nothing to do with spiritual things or spiritual people.  We have all lost friends who just don’t feel comfortable around us anymore because we don’t do the things we once did.  Look how Peter describes this very thing.

 

1 Peter 4:3-6 For we have spent enough of our past life time in  the time of life doing the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lewdness, lusts, excess of wine, parties, carousing, and abominable idolatries.  (4)  In these things they are surprised, that you are not running with them into the same excess of riot, blaspheming.  (5)  But they shall give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.  (6)  For to this end the gospel was preached also to the dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit.

·        When we choose to follow Christ and our lives radically change our old friends may not understand that change.  They may even scorn you not only because you don’t run with them anymore, but because your priorities have changed as well.  You are now heading in the opposite direction as them.  Your life now in a way incriminates their sinful activities bringing a feeling of guilt and conviction that either draws them to you or pushes them away.  Realize that it is not you they are rejecting it is Christ in you.  Remember our command is that we love not judge or condemn them.  Try to keep that relationship alive without conforming your faith and pray that one day they will decide to deal with the guilt instead of run away from it.  God is faithful to them as well as to us.

 

In summary, Peter tells us straight up that the road ahead will not be easy; suffering will be part of it.  We are to look to what Jesus endured as an example for us to imitate.  It is also those times of suffering that we are drawn towards our loving Savior and the comfort, peace, and rest that He offers to us.  Embrace the suffering as a time of growth and thank God for it.  Pray and read asking God to show you what you need to learn from the experience.  We have no control over what happens to us, but we do have control of how we handle it.  Handle it by imitating Jesus. 

 

Heavenly Father please help us to embrace suffering for You and to allow it to draw us closer to You and to grow in our faith.