Separating from Sins of the Past
Notes
Transcript
Handout
The verses we landed on in 1 Peter this week have been more relevant and on time in my own life then ever before. I don’t know that I have ever meditated on, worked through, and expounded Scriptures while witnessing some of these exact things happening right in front of me. The last three days I have been at an offsite meeting with folks I love and some of whom I have been working with for over 20 years. However, their past time when off site is having “drinking parties” and running wide open into “drunkeness.” I will say they are respectful to me, they don’t try to entice me into joining them in their indulgence, but I see grown, intelligent men turn into immature, foolish men, spitting out filthy language…So when I read Peter’s text this week it is both a warning, a challenge, and at the same time encouragement to me.
It is a warning because Peter wants us to stay out of the sinful way of living of these Gentiles.
It is a challenge because we must do the best we can to live in this world being prepared to give a defense of the hope that is in us.
It is an encouragement because I can see the work Christ has done in my life drawing me out of this life of debauchery!
(ESV) 4 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.
I. Separation from the Behavior of People of the Past. (3a)
I. Separation from the Behavior of People of the Past. (3a)
Stewards of God’s Grace
4 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.
For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles do,
NASB For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles,
You have spent enough time living out the passions of the flesh as the Gentiles do.
You have been a slave to the same sins as the Gentiles for long enough it is time to separate.
The time you have already spent in sin is enough!
Peter continues his point we looked at last week. Because of the suffering of Christ, you have armed yourself with a new way of thinking, you have ceased from sin, because the amount of time you have spent living in this sin is sufficient, you don’t need to live that way any more because now you are living for the will of God.
You no longer need to be living as the Gentiles do…Peter here is referencing living as unbelievers. Not just non-Jews. All of those who have not repented and trusted in Christ were marked by lives of unrestrained sin and debauchery. Peter is affirming that time they had spent in this type of lifestyle is enough! Don’t go back, don’t give in, and don’t return to the wretchedness of your past life....
Now, here is a very important point to remember. We are in chapter 4. Peter did not being his letter this way. How did he begin the letter? With the glories of the Gospel. Reminding the sojourners and exiles of their new birth, their new inheritance, and their new hope. Peter spent the first part of his epistle reminding the church of who they were not telling them what they should do. If we get these two out of order we will never be able to live according to the will of God, but only find ourselves under the wrath of God.
Pastor David makes a good point. He stated, “This is not moralism, this is sanctification and the time for holiness is now!”
So Peter calls us to separate ourselves from the Gentile way of life. This was a time when we were ignorant to the things of God, we were unable to live a life pleasing to God, we had no ability to submit to the law of God.
Paul told the Corinthians,
You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.
Paul also warned the Thessalonians to control their own body,
not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
1 Thessalonians
Now does this mean that the church is to completely separate from Gentiles and Pagans? No, but there is a point in which we have to separate. The point at which the believer is drawn into sin is when he or she must separate. We may be around folks that are drinking, we may be around folks that are sinning with their tongues, but the moment we begin to be tempted, the moment they take their rebellion to a point that we begin to be pulled into drunkeness, debauchery, sexual immorality, or idolatry it is time to FLEE! Figuring out this line may be difficult so my recommendation is FLEE early, don’t wait to run and resist the devil.
The reason is none of us are as strong as we think we are. None of us are as sanctified as we ought to be. We all are able to fall into sin. If king David can do it, I doubt any of us are above it. If I am wrong, I apologize, but I would much rather over warn and over exhort, than say aw it aint that big a deal go ahead and go with the Gentiles, you will be ok…Well I don’t know that and you don’t either. Only God knows what will happen tomorrow so I would error on the side of caution!
This brings us to our second point. For, Christians there is to be a,
II. Separation from the Sins of the Past. (3b)
II. Separation from the Sins of the Past. (3b)
Paul is about to get very specific about the lives of the Gentiles, or unbelievers. He writes in the first part of verse 3, you have spent enough time carrying out the desires of the gentiles, and now you need to be separated from the sins of the Gentiles,
living in sensuality, passions, drunkeness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.
The first sin mentioned is,
ἀσέλγεια, ας = Sensuality - behavior completely lacking in moral restraint, usually with implication of sexual licentiousness, extreme immorality
ἀσέλγεια, ας = Sensuality - behavior completely lacking in moral restraint, usually with implication of sexual licentiousness, extreme immorality
Sexual immorality did not just start with the internet. As we can see sexual immorality was a major problem eve in Peter’s day. Non-believers lived in unrestrained sexual sin. They lived in a pornographic culture.
Secondly, the Gentiles of Peter’s day not only lived in sensuality, but in passions...
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 25.20 ἐπιθυμέω; ἐπιθυμία, ας
ἐπιθυμέωb; ἐπιθυμίαb, ας f: to strongly desire to have what belongs to someone else and/or to engage in an activity which is morally wrong—‘to covet, to lust, evil desires, lust, desire.
This sin is one that we ought to see a clear conversion from. Have your passions changed? The things we used to have a strong desire to do, the sin you and I used to long for, should now be that which you and I now loathe. This does not mean we may not be tempted by sin, but that now;
Instead of waking up and wanting to walk in sin we wake up and desire to wage war against these sinful passions!
Instead of pursing these sinful passions we seek to put them to death!
Third, Peter call the church to separate from drunkeness.
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 88.284 οἰνοφλυγία, ας
οἰνοφλυγία, ας f: drunkenness, implying the consumption of a large quantity of wine—‘drunkenness.’
Look, I don’t want to get into a debate over alcohol and whether total abstinence is commanded in Scripture or not. I cannot point to a verse that says thou shall not have a drink. Here is what I do know. This week I have spent two night around grown men who were mocked by strong drink. Who were made to look dumb because of drunkenness. I am talking about intelligent grown men.
I have been made to look foolish by strong drink. There are things that have happened in my life that I cannot take back, that certain people have seen that they will never forget. When they remember me they remember my sin. So why in the world would I want to risk ruining my witness by allowing myself to be exposed to the opportunity to engage in drunkeness. Why would I encourage the sin in others by engaging in a behavior that I know may cause them to stumble.
Peter says, not that you are a believer you have a sufficient amount of drunkenness, don’t do it anymore!
Why, because it leads to orgies, the Fourth sin Paul calls out,
Fourth,
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 88.287 κῶμος, ου; πότος, ου
κῶμος, ου m; πότος, ου m: drinking parties involving unrestrained indulgence in alcoholic beverages and accompanying immoral behavior—‘orgy, revelling, carousing.’
How many times do you see on the news, read in the paper, watch on Dateline that a girl has been violated at a party. They almost always start out the same, she was a good girl just out to have a good time. The problem is she is going out to have a good time where there are a bunch of depraved drunken young men. He so perceived goodness collides with their depravity and it turns into a case of date rape. That is the worst case.
The other case is both women and men lower their inhibitions in the midst of drunkenness and then just give themselves over to sexual immorality. We can sit back and debate the drinking all you want, but the reality is it ruins lives. Drunkenness destroys lives, and causes even forgiven sinners to look back on decisions they made under the influence of alcohol realize the shame and regret that living out the passions of the flesh has brought.
The fifth sin he mentions is drinking parties, which carries the same meaning as orgies in the Louw-Nida Greek-English lexicon.
The fifth sin he mentions is drinking parties, which carries the same meaning as orgies in the Louw-Nida Greek-English lexicon.
I believe the point Paul is making here is that one leads to the other. You engage in drinking parties, it may not be long before you are living in unrestrained, immoral sexual sin. He says separate yourself from this wickedness. Stop living in this way. Live for the glory of God not in the gross sin of the Gentiles.
I have probably beat this one to death. But there is a reason Paul continues this theme. He has probably seen the destruction, the debauchery, and the devastation that these drinking parties have caused. He understands these things are violations of God’s good law. They are taking the things that God has made for our good and turned them into a vial display of creature worship. This brings us to the final sin Paul mentions is,
The final sin Paul mentions is,
Lawless Idolatry,
Lawless meaning - being bad and disgusting on the basis of not being allowed.
Idolatry meaning - the worship of idols. This is the root of all the other sins. The reason we fall into every kind of sin and wickedness is because we fail to Worship God rightly. We desire to fulfill our own sinful passions instead of showing the honor, praise, and glory to God that he deserves.
I take the time to define these sinful attitudes and actions because they really represent a couple of primary themes. What are they?
They are all pointing to the idea of drunkeness and sexual immorality, wrapped up at the end with idolatry. To make sure we understand the context and just don’t jump straight to Super Bowl parties and 50 Shades of Gray as example of these behaviors today.
Dan Doriani writes, “Peter’s list of sins fits the times. Debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, and carousing are sensual sins. Many pagans gave themselves to such things, to liaisons with slaves, concubines, courtesans, and lovers, to drinking and feasting, as far as their resources and their need to protect their reputation permitted. Idolatry was the norm, but we need to purge certain contemporary concepts if we want to understand it. The principal religions of the time, emperor worship and the veneration of local patron deities, had scant doctrine or moral instruction. Those duties fell to philosophers. The popular religions emphasized public celebrations, in which everyone was expected to participate. Everyone came together to honor the emperor and swear by his genius, or to pay homage to the city’s patron gods. This promoted social unity and (allegedly) maintained the favor of the gods. Imagine mandatory celebrations of Independence Day as a proof of loyalty to nation and neighbor, and we start to see polytheism and emperor worship as Greco-Romans did. Peter calls all of it “lawless idolatry” ( ESV), since these gods had no laws of their own and violated the law of God.” Doriani, D. M. (2014). 1 Peter. (p. 164).
Now no one forces us to join in public celebrations today to venerate Donald Trump or Palosi, some do it but it is not forced or expected. However, drunkenness and immorality is winked at, advertised, and taken as a persons own prerogative to engage in. So I would argue that the only thing that has changed is the object of our idolatry, it is not the emperor as supreme, but self as supreme.
On the other hand some in this room may be able to say, I have never taken a drink, I have never committed gross sexual immorality, or lawless idolatry. Peter does not list every sin, he list the most extreme fruits of our sinful hearts and flesh. And whether we have committed them or not before we are born again we are affected with the disease of the depraved nature that can lead to us living out these sins.
John Calvin explains, for it is certain that all were not involved in these vices; nay, we know that some among the Gentiles lived honourably and without a spot of infamy. To this I reply, that Peter does not so ascribe these vices to the Gentiles, as though he charged every individual with all these, but that we are by nature inclined to all these evils, and not only so, but that we are so much under the power of depravity, that these fruits which he mentions necessarily proceed from it as from an evil root. There is indeed no one who has not within him the seed of all vices, but all do not germinate and grow up in every individual. Yet the contagion is so spread and diffused through the whole human race, that the whole community appears infected with innumerable evils, and that no member is free or pure from the common corruption. Calvin, J., & Owen, J. (2010). Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles (pp. 123–124). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
Do you see what he is saying, we all are affected by these sins. We all have the seed of these sinful actions in us. By God’s common restraining grace some of us may not have see the fruit of these sins produced in our lives. By God’s grace some of us may have been able to suppress sexual immorality, drunkeness, and lawless idolatry. What we have to remember it was not because you or I were any better, but because God by his power kept you from falling into these sins!
Calvin, J., & Owen, J. (2010). Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles (pp. 123–124). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
Think about your life for a moment. How many of us in here have had our lives affected by alcohol? How many of us have been around drunkeness and seen the depravity of it, the way it hurts people, ruins families, and makes individuals look ignorant.
Let me give you an example of two different responses. When I was young, many of the men I looked up to drank, and drank heavily. Being men I looked up to I thought that was the manly thing to do, when you could drink have a good time and cut up. This drinking would then lead to other sin.
Now, consider the next generation, by the time my girls came along I had stopped drinking and they were not around it much. But when they were around family members who drank they saw it as foolish and saw how silly folks looked in their drunkeness. Now it is not that they were any better than I was and before they were saved they were headed for the same judgment I was. The fact was that God showed them a restraining grace that kept them from some of these sins which I had fallen into.
May we always remember, God deserves the glory for keeping us from the sin and for saving us from sin. This in turn ought to drive us to a repentance and worship! This will then result in us walking in light not in darkness!
Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.
Probably one of the most succinct parallel passages to is,
Doriani, D. M. (2014). 1 Peter. (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.) (p. 164). Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
In other words do not be controlled by the sin of drunkeness, don’t let your passions of the flesh drive you, instead be filled with the Spirit of God, let Him lead you into holiness, let him draw you out of the sins of your past, let Him stir up in you a longing for the Scriptures and a love for Christ. Then instead of being drunk, loud, and obnoxious our life will be marked with,
addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
In other words you will cease from wild and worldly living and spend your present days with a new song in your heart, worshipping the LORD!
Instead of singing;
Whiskey bent and Hell Bound we’ll sing How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds
Instead of singing;
Drinking Champagne
I Drink Alone we’ll sing In Christ Alone
Instead of singing;
Give me a bottle we’ll sing Give me Jesus!
Do you see how Peter is calling us to separate from sin as sojourners? Peter is calling us to holiness, to honor Christ in our hearts, to put these sins to death, we have had spent enough time toying with sins of the Gentiles.
Listen to the way the Puritans prayed regarding sin,
Thou dost not play in convincing me of sin,
Satan did not play in tempting me to it,
I don not play when I sink in deep mire,
for sin is no game, no toy, no bauble;
Let me never forget that the heinousness of sin lies not so much in the nature of sin committed, as in the greatness of the Person sinned against. (Valley of Vision pg. 143)
With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you
Notice how the Gentiles respond,
A. Unbelievers are surprise you separate from them.
A. Unbelievers are surprise you separate from them.
First, they are surprised when you do not join them
I can hear them now, “what do you mean you don’t want to go party with us?” “I can’t believe you don’t want to go to this place of immorality with us, you used to party with us.”
As believers begin to separate from their sinful past, those whom we us to sin with don’t understand…Remember, they are still blind, deaf, and ultimately dead in their trespasses!
B. Unbelievers don’t see their fun as a flood of debauchery.
B. Unbelievers don’t see their fun as a flood of debauchery.
Secondly, they don’t recognize their fun as a flood of debauchery.
Unbelievers, see their riotous lives as their right to freedom.
They see fulfilling their sinful passions as their own prerogative.
They see their flood of debauchery as doing what they feel is right.
C. Unbelievers may malign you for your failure to follow them.
C. Unbelievers may malign you for your failure to follow them.
Peter, says therefore don’t be surprised when, they malign you. As the Gentiles in Peter’s day came to faith the physical persecution has not really cranked up yet. It was coming, but the main thing these new converts were facing was social persecution. Their running buddies, partying crowds, and fellow idolaters no longer understood why they has separated from the lifestyle of the majority. Make no mistake sin and sensuality was way more common than lives marked by a love for Jesus, a holy living, and worship of the one true God!
Today is no different, and there is a growing trend towards the acceptance of immorality. Notice these stats from a gallop poll on the growing acceptance of immorality in America.
Do you think the more Christians separate themselves from the living out these sinful ways the more they will be maligned, made fun of, and mocked for their faith?
Tozer Clip 21:01