Suffering for the Sake of the Gospel 1 Peter 4:4-6
Notes
Transcript
Handout
English Standard Version Chapter 4
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.
So far in this paragraph, Peter has reminded us of the sufferings of Christ. He has called us to arm ourselves with the same way of thinking. He continues to exhort us as sojourners to be sanctified, to cease from sin even in the midst of the Gentiles and Pagans whom we used to identify with are living in unrestrained sexual immorality and drunkeness. Peter calls us to stop doing what the Gentiles do, to stop living for human passions the way we have in the past.
Peter commands the church to be holy, as our Father is holy. However he is about to lay out o a few things we need to understand as we seek to live sanctified lives in the midst of sinful people.
The first truth Peter explains is that,
I. Unbelievers will slander those being sanctified (4)
I. Unbelievers will slander those being sanctified (4)
With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you;
Peter writes, with respect to this…what this is he talking about? He is referring back to verse 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.
He is warning the church that as they seek to separate from doing what the Gentiles do, as the seek to stop living in sexual sin, drunkeness, and idolatry it is not going to be easy. Folks aren’t going to take kindly to our separation and we need to be prepared.
Notice how the Gentiles respond,
Notice how the Gentiles respond,
A. Unbelievers are surprised you separate from them.
A. Unbelievers are surprised you separate from them.
First, they are surprised when you do not join them
Think about it, these men and women are coming to Christ, they are being saved, and all of the sudden because of their new heart they stop going where there family, friends, and coworkers go. They stop sinning with those whom they have been running with for years. It is like you flipped a switch.
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!
These unbelievers don’t understand conversion, they don’t understand the new heart and new desires a believer has been given. This is why they are so surprised. They don’t get how their partner in crime is now a partner with those “Christians” those “Christ Ones.”
Not only were they surprised by the separation of the believer.
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.
The word debauchery means: behavior which shows lack of concern or thought for the consequences of an action—senseless deeds, reckless deeds. Louw-Nida Greek English Lexicon
Wayne Grudem explains, “The phrase join them is literally ‘running with them’, an expression which vividly reflects the frenetic pace of their continually disappointing search for true pleasure. The same wild profligacy is literally ‘the same rapid pouring out of unrestrained indulgence’ or ‘the same torrent of debauchery’ (NIV: ‘that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation’).” Grudem, W. A. (1988). 1 Peter: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 17, p. 177). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
The Gentiles in Peter’s day were involved in a
Grudem, W. A. (1988). 1 Peter: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 17, p. 177). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.Wayne Grudem explains,
In other words, the strong drink is flowing and sexuality is unrestrained. If you were living in Peter’s day and wanted to partake in unrestrained immorality it wasn’t hard to find and there were plenty of folks there to welcome you in. It may have looked something like Bourbon street. A place where if you are looking for sin you would find it.
Unbelievers, saw their riotous lives as their right to freedom. They saw fulfilling their sinful passions as their own prerogative.They saw their flood of debauchery as doing what they feel is right.
This is why it was so shocking to them when those who used to run with them ran the other way. They parted ways and separated themselves from the ungodliness of the Gentile associates.
Spurgeon Commentary: 1 Peter Exposition
Regeneration makes a marvelous change in men, and it generally happens that the ungodly see it and at once begin to persecute the convert. Have we been converted? If so, we may expect opposition, but we need not be afraid of it, for the Lord is on our side.
It would be on thing if all that happened was separation, however
C. Unbelievers slandered those who separated from them.
C. Unbelievers slandered those who separated from 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!
Here was the issue for those converting to Christianity. Although the believers were separating from the sin of the Gentiles, they were still connected to them socially. They may have been family members, they may have had to see them a work, they would have seen them at the market places. The immorality was so common that the convert was the one that looked odd, that became the outcast, and was maligned.
Why do many unbelievers slander
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?
Why do unbelievers feel the need to slander those who have been converted and are seeking to grow in sanctification?
What kind of slander have you heard from unbelievers about those who have separated from sinful living?
Tozer Clip 21:01
One of the reasons I believe Unbelievers become so slanderous and resentful to Christians is they feel a sense of conviction when they see someone living a holy life. They feel “judged.”
In a sense they are right, not that we are judging them, but that their will be a judgment and all who fail to repent will receive their due reward at this judgment.
Notice, Peter’s point in verse 5,
II. Unbelievers will give account for their sin.
II. Unbelievers will give account for their sin.
but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
Peter say’s, be prepared brothers and sisters. Christ suffered in the flesh, you need to be prepared and willing to suffer in the flesh. When you separated from sin and sinners you will be slandered and maligned.
But they will give account
These Gentiles will one day answer for every sin and every slanderous word they spoke. Apart from repentance and faith these wicked men and women will eternally pay for the sins they have committed.
they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
Peter, encourages the maligned Christians to remember they men and women will recieved their just reward. They will one day stand before the holy, righteous, wrathful Judge. On that day they will no longer be slandering Christians instead they will fall on their face and confess Him as LORD, because on that day they will see the folly of their ways.
We don’t need to worry about defending our self, reviling in return, or threatening unbelievers who may mock us for separating from them. We in a mind of humility understand it is only by God’s grace that we have eyes to see and ears to hear, and a heart to perceive the gospel of God. The fact that Jesus Christ came that our sin might be reckoned to his account and His righteousness to ours.
When we read verses like this it ought to cause us a deep concern for those we know who will face this judgement outside of Christ. Who think they in their own strength and wisdom will be able to answer the charges of the Judge whom they will stand before.
Peter’s words here ought to point us to the sheer holiness and justice of God! God hates sin and wickedness. God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love and forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.
Anyone who remains in sin and unbelief will one day stand before God in judgment.
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
All, men Jew or Gentile will one day face this judgment. Whether death comes for the LORD returns first we will all give an account for our sin and A. We will be accountable for our sin and slander. We can stand before God spiritually bankrupt, naked, and exposed or we can stand before God clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
Peter, give the believers who are being maligned great hope and encouragement. Although their sanctification may bring about suffering, Christians must remember that those who slander them are the ignorant ones, the ones who have no idea who they are messing with. They will give account for their evil words against God children. They will stand before Him and he will vindicate the righteous therefore we don’t have to try and vindicate ourselves. We must remember the promises of God and not get caught up in the and overly concerned about the slander of the wicked. Instead of being depressed over the persecution of the unrighteous we need to understand they have a greater need than we do. Instead of feeling the need to have our self esteem protected Peter wants us to understand these unbeliever need to hear the words of eternal live to save them from eternal judgment!
Tom Schreiner concludes, “He (Peter) reminded believers of the final judgment of all, assuring them that their perseverance in the faith matters and that those who practice evil will be assessed and condemned on the final day. Hence, they must not align themselves with the oppressors to escape discrimination, for soon the tables will be turned. (1, 2, Peter & Jude; Pg 205)
This brings us to our final point this morning,
III. Unbelievers need to hear the Gospel preached.
III. Unbelievers need to hear the Gospel preached.
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.
A. Peter Gives the Reason Gospel Proclamation.
A. Peter Gives the Reason Gospel Proclamation.
For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead.
Peter explains because those who are living in unrepentant rebellion against God, living in drunkeness and debauchery they will give an account. They will stand before the Eternal Judge who will bring holy justice to the living and the dead.
Jesus said in,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
The hour is coming when we will all see Christ the ruling and reigning King return and he will judge every one those who are alive and those who are dead. He will separate the sheep from the goats. He will sort the sons of God from the sons of satan. He will bring judgment against those who are in the flesh and bring home those who belong to Him.
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
This reality of judgment ought to encourage us in knowing that even those who have died in Christ will be saved. At the same time it is an exhortation for us to always be ready to proclaim the gospel!
Preaching of the gospel means,
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 33.215 εὐαγγελίζω
33.215 εὐαγγελίζω: to communicate good news concerning something (in the NT a particular reference to the gospel message about Jesus)—‘to tell the good news, to announce the gospel.’
This good news about Jesus Christ is the message of his suffering, the message of his death and Resurrection.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
1 Corinthians
The suffering and death of Christ was for our sins. All of mankind Jew and Gentile was born into sin and iniquity. We came out of the womb committing sin and wickedness we were born guilty and headed for the judgment and wrath of God. But then God ordained that someone somewhere would preach the Gospel to us. Telling us of our sin and impending damnation. His Spirit awakened our dead heart and opened our blinded eyes that we might see our sin and the glorious truth of Christ’s substitutionary atonement!
B. Peter Gives the Result of Gospel Proclamation.
B. Peter Gives the Result of Gospel Proclamation.
that those who are judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.
The gospel has been preached to those who have died and been judged in the flesh. The result of this proclamation is that even those who have heard the gospel and died, will be judged. The difference is for those who have repented and believed the gospel. They will be judged as “in Christ” as those who recognized their sin, they have been brought to the understanding of their depravity and realize that they will stand before God guilty and without hope.
These people have recognized that their only hope is in Jesus Christ, the lamb of God who has suffered for sin, who has suffered in their place. These folks then turn to Christ believing that He is the way, truth, and the life, hat no one will be declared righteous apart from trusting in Him! They then by grace place their faith in the Lord Jesus for salvation. It is at that time they are declared righteous and will stand before God at the judgment as one of his adopted sons through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Those who have placed their faith in Christ are made alive in the spirit immediately upon dying in the flesh. They then will live in the spirit until the final judgement when their bodies will be raised from the dead and final glorification takes place.
Paul’s parallel passage would be,
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
Even those brothers who have fallen asleep who have believed in Jesus will be brought to life and will precede those who are still alive at the coming of Christ! However, those who have believed are not “just dead” now as Pastor David commented in his notes. Those who have in Christ are alive in the spirit at the moment of death.
Paul writes to the Corinthians,
Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:42-
So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Do you see, the gospel was preached to those who are dead while they were living. The gospel was preached to these unbelievers so that they might believe and be saved.
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:
Robert Mounce explains,
A Living Hope: A Commentary on 1 and 2 Peter Being a Christian Is a Death and Life Affair (4:1–6)
Peter’s point is that the purpose of the gospel is that although man is marked for death, by responding to the gospel he may live unto God.
The gospel was preached to prepare them for death, because all men die because of sin, but those whom have responded to the gospel in repentance and faith will be able to stand and give account at the judgment because their sins have been atoned for. Because of this atoning work of Christ, where He suffered once for sins, those who have died in the flesh will be made alive in the spirit and be present with the LORD!
Spurgeon said it this way,
Spurgeon Commentary: 1 Peter Exposition
Men who heard the gospel and believed it are now dead. They have undergone the sentence of death like other men, but still they are living “in the spirit by God’s standards.”
This is the good news that Peter is reminding his readers of so that they might remember the work of Christ, cease to sin, separate from sin, be sanctified, and continue to hope in Him, trust in Him, and Obey Him!
As we get close to ending this morning consider Peter’s final point of the gospel being preached to prepare men and women for judgment. Living life in light of judgement is a healthy thing. Think about how Peter began chapter 4, by reminding us that Christ suffered (because of judgment). Therefore we are to have the mind of Christ, and cease from sin. Peter reminds his readers that they have wasted enough time sinning and it is time for sanctification. But he warns his readers that sanctification will likely be accompanied by suffering, by the slandering of the sinners we used to run with. But he says, don’t worry they will give an account to God for slandering his sons and daughters.
This coming judgment is why the gospel was preached, to separate those who believed and were counted as righteous from those who do not believe and will be put to shame. As for those who have believed, when we consider this judgment it should spur us on to good works, to sanctification, to being set apart.
John Stott said it this way,
The NIV Application Commentary: 1 Peter Contemporary Significance
“To live, work and witness in conscious anticipation of Christ’s parousia and judgment is a wholesome stimulus to faithfulness.”
Think about it if we live mindful of the biblical truth that Christ is coming back to judge the living and the dead, will these thoughts not stimulate us to holy living, to faithfulness. Will we not have a greater desire to be found holy and blameless when Christ returns? When we think of the fact that we have friends and family members who are outside of Christ who will give an account before God and stand in their own righteousness if they don’t repent and believe in Christ will we not have a greater desire to preach the gospel to them?
So why is this passage from so important to those who believe? Paul reminds the Corinthians,
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.