48. New Life New Purpose

New Life in Christ

Every time I go to Haiti the topic our conversations always move toward culture and the Bible. Many times the way they interpret the Bible is through the lens pf their culture. They see no problem with ridiculing people who are handicapped because their culture tells them they are cursed. But when we had training on the Law of God and they were confronted with what the Scriptures say they had to bow their heads in shame. But we have the same problem here. For everything the world has to offer there is a cleaned up version of it and we call it Christian. From the music we listen to on the radio, to movies, Christian music even has its own awards shows.

Many church going people are content with being a little better than the world. Maybe they are content with being able to comfort themselves with they aren’t as bad as someone else. But with the reality that Christian divorce rate is marginally better than that of the world it is testimony that all is not right. I would imagine that there are many areas that broader evangelicalism is only moderately better than the world. Yet as long as we are a little better we can still look down our noise in righteous indignation. Brethren, this ought not be.

The text that we are about to read is a call to war. It is a call to war against our sin and it is a call to be holy. It is not only war against what we would call big sins, it is war against all sin, in all it’s forms. It is war against culturally acceptable sins. The little white lies, the complaining, ingratitude, lack of contentment, all of it. The focus of this sermon is verse one. There are 3 points to this sermon this morning.

Our Example in Christ

Our New Mindset in Christ

Our New Life in Christ

1Pe 4:1-6  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.  (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.  (5)  They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.  (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.Verse 1 points us back to 1Pe 3:18  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,

Our Example in Christ – Christ has suffered in the flesh

The implication is that Christ suffered in the flesh unto death meaning that from the day of His incarnation He suffered. We tend to only view His suffering in the flesh as the last days of His passion, the trial before the Sanhedrin and Pilate, His scourging, crown of thorns and the cross.

But from His birth He endured, daily the presence of sin in the people all around Him. The prophet Habbakkuk says Hab 1:13  Thine eyes are too pure to approve evil, And Thou canst not look on wickedness with favor. Jesus, clothed in His humanity, suffered sins presence and endured it’s affects on His creation, now fallen because of Adam. He endured the weakness and limitations of flesh which would have never been known but for the fall of Adam. He hungered, He thirsted, He needed sleep, He knew heartache. He was called a lunatic and accused of being demon possessed. He was insulted and many times the crowds sought to kill Him before His death on the cross.

Luk 4:25-29  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;  (26)  but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  (27)  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  (28)  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,  (29)  and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.

Mat 21:43-46  "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  (44)  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  (45)  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  (46)  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

A.W. Pink puts it this way. “There is no perceptible difference between His humanity and ours, not because precisely the same flesh had been transmitted to Him form Adam, but because as our Sin-Bearer He voluntarily assumed the burden of imputed guilt, which carried with it abasement, degradation, suffering and death, it was officially assumed not personally inherited.”

He suffered in His flesh being made a curse, having fulfilled all the requirements of the Law as our federal head. He fulfilled all the requirements of the Law on our behalf when at the height of His obedience He received the just stroke of God’s wrath, His judgement for our sins. He suffered in His flesh not only enduring the presence and the real affects of sin, though sinless. He felt on His body every cruel stoke of the lash, the pain that accompanied the rending of his flesh, the sting as sweat fell into the wounds on his brow by the crown of thorns, the weakness being unable to bear His own cross on the way to Golgatha. The fire of nails piercing His hands and feet and fire again as His cross dropped into the hole dug to stand Him up to be mocked and ridiculed by His enemies. And the deepest stroke yet when He cries out, My God, My God, why have You forsaken me.

And the why of it? He did not suffer in flesh merely to suffer in the flesh. He suffered in the flesh and bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness for by His wounds you are healed 1 Pet 2:24. Christ suffered death for sins, once for all, the just for the unjust so that He might bring us to God… 1Pet3:18. He is the stone which the builders rejected, yet choice and precious in the sight of God and through Him we are made living stones for a spiritual house. 1Pet. 2:4,5. He is the lamb, unblemished and spotless and it by His blood you were redeemed, not with gold or silver which is perishable, but with His blood which is imperishable. 1 Pet. 1:18,19 It is by His blood we are cleansed, released from the dominion of sin, and set free from the awful expectation of the coming judgement of God against all sin. It is in His blood that we have been reconciled and have peace with God.

Every day He knew He was one step closer to the cross but He never drew back from it. He began speaking of what was to come after the disciples had acknowledged Him as the Son of God.

Mat 16:21  From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

Mar 10:33-34  "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles;  (34)  and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again."

Mar 10:45  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Luk 9:51  Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,

It was His soul’s determination that He would go to the very place that meant the climax of His life of suffering and death. Every breath He took every beat of His heart was purposed for the suffering for our sins. That was His mindset. He would not shrink back from any suffering and would not consider committing the least of sins

Our New Mindset in Christ – Arm yourselves also with the same mind v1

The verb used here is in the Greek form that indicates a decisive choice to effectively accomplish this action. It is an imperative, meaning as command to do it and doing it quickly. The verb hoplizo means to make ready, prepare, or to equip. The expectation is one of a sure battle and the context tells us battle against sin and for the will of God. 1Pe 4:2-3  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.  (3)  For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousals, drinking parties and abominable idolatries.

As a young man, well more like boy, I played rugby. If you have never heard of it, the closest sport that you might identify with would be football, but without pads. The team I mainly played for was South Eastern University in Hammond, LA. I was a junior in High School. The team was fun loving. We laughed and we joked around until we began getting ready for a game. Our mindset changed. We were no longer laughing and joking. As we got ready you could feel a seriousness and tension in the air that wasn’t there before. We were going into a competitive, violent game and the laughing and joking around was no longer appropriate. We were of a different mindset altogether.

In John Bunyan’s book Pilgrims Progress, which is an allegory of the Christian life, the main character Christian is being spoken to by the Interpreter.

I also saw that the Interpreter took him again by the hand, and led Christian into a very pleasant place where a stately palace had been built; it was a very beautiful building indeed. Now the pilgrim was greatly delighted at what he saw, and particularly with the sight of several people, clothed in gold, walking around the top of the palace. Then said Christian, “May we go inside?” Then the Interpreter led him closer to the main door, and there he noticed a large number of men who obviously desired to gain entrance, yet seemed to lack courage. Back a little from the door there was also a man sitting at a table with a book and inkhorn [ink container, used with a quill] in front of him; his role was that of recording the names of those who were determined to enter the palace. But Christian also saw that in the very doorway there stood many armored men who were intent on employing violence and mischief to stop any man from gaining entrance. At this the eager pilgrim pondered what all this meant. Then, while most of the men outside cowered at the thought of attempting to make a forceful entrance, Christian noticed one man, very resolute in appearance, stride up to the man at the desk and ask of him, “Sir, set down my name.” Immediately following this, the same man drew his sword, put a helmet on his head, and rushed toward the palace door with the men standing in the way. So the valiant entrant found himself opposed with deadly force; yet he was not discouraged, and consequently applied himself to fierce cutting and hacking of his opponents. He both received and gave many wounds to his enemies; nevertheless this courageous man cut his way through so that he eventually gained entrance into the palace. Then those inside, and especially three at the top, cried out with a joyous chorus of welcome, Come in, come in, Eternal Glory you shall win. So he went in and was clothed with garments similar to those being worn by the citizens of the palace. Then Christian smiled and said, “I certainly know the meaning of this.”

The many armored men standing in the door is a picture of our many and varied sins that we must battle against. The man, very resolute in appearance, is the Christian whose mind is set on doing battle with his sins, putting them to death.

Sin is the enemy, both sins of commission and sins of omission. And it is with the same determination with which Christ had in going to Jerusalem to endure crucifixion and death that we must have in dealing with sin. Isa 50:4-7  The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.  (5)  The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient, Nor did I turn back.  (6)  I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.  (7)  For the Lord GOD helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I shall not be ashamed.

The word Peter uses for arming ourselves is used for equipping with heavy armor. The Greeks called their heavily armored soldiers Hoplites.

So we are to be armed, well equipped, well prepared, readied for conflict not with the weapons of this world but with the right knowledge and right understanding of Jesus Christ, His Person and His work in saving and redeeming us. And in understanding this we understand what the will of God is for His people. His people should be holy as He is holy. Not only in moral purity but also in holy compassion, mercy, and love., being conformed to His image.

2Co 10:3-5  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.  (4)  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,  (5)  casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

For what did Christ die? He died for our sins. And what are we to do? We are to die to our sins. He has freed us from sin’s dominion, it is no longer master over us. But as long as we draw breath we will fight against the power of remaining sin. We live no longer for the lusts of men but for the will of God. And what is the will of God?

Rom 12:1-2  I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  (2)  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

1Th 4:3  For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;

1Th 5:18  in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Where are we to get this new mindset/ it is from a transformed life which brings us to our next point.

New Life in Christ – for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.

The English rendering of the Greek is difficult to understand. This phrase has been the subject of debate with various interpretations. Let us take a step back and see if we can come to a right conclusion. Straight away we see Peter refers to Christ and yourselves (those Christians of the Churches reading the letter). The question we ask is, ‘Who is the he? Is Peter referencing Jesus or the Christians?’ If Jesus is referencing Jesus, is it possible for Jesus Christ to have been made to cease from sin He has never committed? The answer would be no.

If the ‘he’ is referring to believers, is it possible for us to cease from sin in this life? This is a perfect passive verb meaning that it is a completed action with on going results.. The answer is also no. But when we look at the verse 2 Peter is clearly referencing the same ‘he’. 1Pe 4:2  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. The command is to no longer live for the lusts of men (sin) but the will of God.

The verb cease is not only perfect but also passive meaning that it is an action done to the subject so it should read has caused to cease from sin. Let’s put it all together now.

1Pe 2:24  who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

1Pe 3:18  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,

The phrase for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin refers to our union and communion with Christ. The verb tense used in ‘ceased’ is perfect passive tense. Meaning that is a completed action with ongoing consequences. We understand that because what Christ has done as He was united to us in the likeness of our flesh we are also united to Him in His death. We are free from the dominion of sin to pursue, through the work of the Holy Spirit in us, purging remaining sin in us.

Rom 6:1-14 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?  (2)  May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?  (3)  Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?  (4)  Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.  (5)  For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection,  (6)  knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin;  (7)  for he who has died is freed from sin.  (8)  Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,  (9)  knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.  (10)  For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  (11)  Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.  (12)  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts,  (13)  and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.  (14)  For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.

We live because He lives. We are free from the bondage of sin because He has set us free. We are united with Him in His death and we are united with Him in His life. His righteousness is our righteousness, His obedience is also ours. We free in Christ Jesus to pursue the things of God. Let us therefore have this mindset, that we should spend our lives dying to self and living for Christ.