Stewards of Grace

Welcome to Horizon Church

Let’s lift up in prayer today...

[Worship]

Dear Father, be with us, be with me today as we bring your WORD to our heads, hearts and hands —

Our text today is :

1 peter 4:1-6 “1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.

4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you;

5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

6 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.”

We need to learn to:

Think like Christ,

Live like Christ,

and Seek the Will of God alone

We need:

to learn the message of the Gospel,

get baptized,

learn the basics of the faith,

seek to renew our minds,

change our lifestyle to be like Christ.

All so that our Life is Reshaped into the image of God.

that is the reason that you come here weekly,

why you invest in study and journal,

and surround yourself with Christians to support you in the reshaping process.

To Think like Christ,

Live like Christ,

and to Seek HIS WILL

we need to KNOW HIM

Think like Christ

1 Peter 4:1 “1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,”

We need to all be in the Scripture Daily and at times it can be overwhelming what to read or where to start.

I believe the reason most Christians get sideways is missing the answers to the question

WHO IS JESUS? and the same manner WHO IS GOD?

Jesus is:

GOD

LORD

SAVIOR

HE WHO BECAME FLESH TO OFFER HIMSELF TO PAY A PRICE WE COULD NOT

ETERNAL

LOVE

BRINGER OF PEACE

it is hard to LIVE LIKE SOMEONE THAT YOU DON’T KNOW

Thinking like Christ must start with SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND how Christ Thinks

Jesus would not be posting opinions on FB

Jesus would NOT be causing riots

Jesus is not PART OF THE ME culture

JESUS is NOT WOKE

JESUS Never sought to conform to culture to get the message out

Jesus would be SPEAKING TRUTH IN LOVE

so we start to think like Christ

we suffer in the flesh

and then we cease from the Sin that is trapping us.

Suffering is NOT all about Bruised or Bloody

suffering can be struggling with what Society says is OKAY but Christ says is WRONG.

SUFFERING IS STRUGGLE

walking away from TEMPTATION is TOUGH

we have a tendency to minimize our struggle

I have been eating chocolate cake for breakfast for the last week, but today i had oatmeal and an apple.

see I can resist temptation.

I ate a WHOLE bag of M&Ms --- but not the BLUE ones

see the self control that i have....

I controlled my attitude 90% of that conversation

I didn’t punch him until he said that about my car

I didn’t write that nasty hateful letter until after i tried to talk with them

______

Friends --- that is not what Jesus would do.

Do you know a place in the Gospels where JESUS made an oops????

the Bible doesn’t say that we should pick and chose when to FOLLOW CHRIST DAILY

the BIBLE tells us we NEED TO ABIDE< TO BECOME< TO WALK EXACTLY LIKE

Look at verse 2 - right in the middle of the verse NO LONGER

TO LIVE FOR THE REST OF THE TIME IN THE FLESH — NO LONGER ___FOR human passions BUT for the WILL OF GOD

Thinking like Christ must start with SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND how Christ

Thinks SO THAT we deny the world and CEASE FROM SIN.

SEEKING TO LIVE OUR LIFE TO THE WILL OF GOD

ALONE!!!

ONLY for HIM

Live like Christ

Cease from Sin...

1 peter 4:2 “2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.”

Focus is God alone

not for man, but for God alone

The time has Passed

Peter mentions again the things of the world that we WILL leave alone WE MUST leave alone

you wouldn’t hug a Porcupine

I have never tried to hug a Porcupine but it doesn’t see like a good idea

Sin is a porcupine that will never stop stinging

BEST to let it walk on by.

1 Peter 4:3 (ESV)

3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.

WELL THERE GOES YOUR VACATION PLANS< YOUR OLD WAYS OF FRIDAY NIGHTS

Look my Friends

Christians walking in CHRIST --- CHRISTIANS --- DON’T sacrifice worldly things to show up at CHURCH

THEY GO BECAUSE they want to be HEAR THE WORD, THEY WANT TO GLORIFY GOD

THEY WANT TO BE GROWN CLOSER TO CHRIST

Ephesians 3:10 “10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

DON’T PUT CHURCH in your SCHEDULE --- SHOW UP!!

We do the things that the BIBLE teaches to honor the WILL OF GOD

You are being TRAINED TO BE A WARRIOR for CHRIST

Soldiers don’t want to get hurt, but they go knowing that the cause is worth the RISK

We separate ourselves from the things that the world says are good, when the word of GOD says it is evil.

We will feel alone in this world

unless you invite Jesus into ALL parts of your life

As we do this we start to find the FUEL that is ONLY from JESUS

We are able to stand against the winds of the world

we are able to see beauty in living right

we are able to understand it is for CHRIST ALONE.

Our old friends will notice the change, the isolation - the refusal to do the things of our old self

Some of our friends will alienate, move away, or simply stop

Some of our family will reject us

I can give you some helpful hints:

write this down

here is a guide for SOCIAL MEDIA, but I will argue

that it is the PASSKEY of the Gate of our TONGUE

THINK:

is it TRUTHFUL --- not my truth but HIS

is it HELPFUL

is it INSPIRING

is it NECESSARY

is it KIND

For the Will of God Alone

The destination becomes clear, but the journey is a Challenge

the truth is that we start to understand the Fear of God

Solomon in Ecc 12:13

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

We will stand in front of God

We should discuss the Judgment Seat of God - we will discuss the End Times in more detail next week.

It may be an oversimplification but for today

lets look at the three judgments that we all face

THREE JUDGMENTS:

Judgment of man

Judgment of Christians

Judgement Seat of God

We should only be concentrating on the THIRD, but we must live life with the other IN proper order

as we close this morning

Look at verse 6:

read it with me

1 peter 4:6 “6 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.”

We change our thinking

We change our living

and we start to understand that in ALL things we HONOR and FEAR the LORD ALONE.

I want to live a life that yields the GREATEST REWARD

TO hear MY LORD --- SAY WELL DONE

WELL DONE GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT

Lets PRAY