Pagans of the first century viewed Christians as killjoys who lived gloomy boring lives devoid of any pleasure. The pleasures from which Christians of the first century typically abstained were the popular forms of Roman entertainment: the theater with it’s risque performances, the chariot races, and the gladiator fights with their blood and gore.

Christian lifestyle also condemned the “pleasures” of an indulgent temper, sex outside of marriage, being drunk with too much wine, slander, lying, covetousness, and theft. These attitudes toward contemporary Roman customs and morals, combined with the Christian’s refusal to burn incense to the emperor - a gesture of civic gratitude intended to assure the well-being of the empire - earned Christians the reputation of being haters of humanity and traitors to the Roman way of life.

The problem of withdrawal from such behaviors and lifestyles among believers even today, especially those of new committed Christians. Possibly one of the most difficult thing for new believers to come to grips with is the circles they choose to run with in social settings. Peter reminds his readers that human judgments is the end of it because the day of reckoning is coming when the living and the dead will be judged.

Peter reemphasizes the attitudes and motives which the actions and decisions that make up our lives. He exhorts us to be sober, watchful, prayerful, charitable, hospitable; serving as good stewards and witnesses.

BIG IDEA: We must be willing to put our behind in our past

There has never been a time past when God wasn't with us as the strength beyond our strength, the wisdom beyond our wisdom, as whatever it is in our hearts--whether we believe in God or not--that keeps us human enough at least to get by despite everything in our lives that tends to wither the heart and make it less than human. To remember the past is to see that we are here today by grace, that we have survived as a gift.

The Christians Attitude

In the first 6vs Peter is addressing the problem afflicting his readers and gives instructions intended to change their self-understanding so that they may be better prepared to live as Christians within a society that is not sympathetic to their faith.

ILLUSTRATION

Michelangelo's Final Work Didn't Achieve Greatness

Adapted from Ken Gire, Shaped by the Cross (IVP Books, 2011), page 116

Michelangelo's final work was called Rondanini Pietà, on which he worked for ten years. Giorgio Vasari, a contemporary of Michelangelo, wrote that Michelangelo "ended up breaking the block [for this sculpture], probably because [it] was full of impurities and so hard that sparks flew from under his chisel." The sculpture was rescued by a servant and survives to this day. It bears the marks of Michelangelo's chisel, but none of the beauty of his earlier work Pietà.

What happened? Another sculptor named Lorenzo Dominguez once summarized the dilemma and unpredictability of working with stone. He said, "The stone wants to be stone; the artist wants it to be art."

The same dilemma exists for those of us who are the work of God's hands. In an attempt to free the image of Christ that's within us, God begins chipping away everything that isn't Jesus. The stone of our lives either submits to the chipping or it resists.

If it submits, features of the Savior begin to emerge from our life. If it submits long enough, the Savior himself emerges. If, however, it resists, and continues to resist, there will come a day when God will let the stone be stone.

C. S. Lewis said as much when he stated that there are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "Okay, go ahead and have it your way."

The Past Life

1. Willingness to count the cost for Christ shows a clear break from sin. (4:1-2)

vv. 1-6

The suffering in the flesh

“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh.” Peter now takes time to highlight Christ’s suffering in the flesh. He was fully God and fully man. John 1:1 “and the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

The equipping for the battle

“Arm yourself with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” Ephesians 6:13-17 Therefore, put on the whole armor of God that you might be able to withstand the battle. Paul lists each specific piece of armor. (cultural problem, most believers do not view themselves in a constant battle.) Ephesians 6:12 “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but, against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age… We are called to arm ourselves by seeking the mind of Christ.

ILLUSTRATION

WWJD Fad which stood for What would Jesus do, the better question for us to ask is, what would Jesus have me do in a particular situation.

This is living out Christ’s Victory in an unbelieving world.

Being willing to suffer rather than sin 1-2

The weapons of our thinking (4:1)

“Arm yourselves with the same way of thinking.”

Imitators of Christ arm themselves for the spiritual warfare. We prepare ourselves for the battle best when we immerse ourselves in God’s word. We are called to think, to seek to understand and live out the word of God.

1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary (i) For a Christian Who Has Suffered for Doing Right Has Made a Clear Break with Sin (4:1–2)

The word thought means here not so much an attitude of mind but the insight which one has gained into the nature of God’s dealings with people

There is a motive in play here, that Christians should be willing, like Christ, to suffer for doing what is right for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.

Illustration

People have tried numerous techniques to avoid thinking. I had a student once that would use what she called “lucky dipping.” She would close her eyes and place her finger on a line of text in the Bible, and whatever the text said she assumed was her answer from God. Her method required no study our preparation of thought whatsoever. Remember last week we talked about the danger of divorcing our minds from our theology.

The substance of Time

If we suffer in the flesh, we cease from our sinful desires. Romans 6 Paul talks about having died to sin. There is a sense in which we have died to sin, but there is another sense in which the old man is still very much alive, and we deceive ourselves if we think that we have moved completely beyond the ability to sin.

Here’s what happens over the substance of time the Holy Spirit has regenerated your soul, then in a very real sense your old self has been put to death. A death sentence stands over your sinful nature, and you have been made alive in the Holy Spirit.

NOTE: The expression of “has ceased from sin,” cannot mean ‘no longer sins at all’, for certainly that is not true. Scriptures rule out the idea that anyone can be absolutely free from sin in this life.

We have spent enough of our lifetime chasing after things that will not satisfy us. Does this mean that we no longer sin?

Ecclesiastes 7:20 ESV

20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

Proverbs 20:9 ESV

9 Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”?

James 3:2 ESV

2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

1 John 1:18

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Cultural Note: We have made a clear break with sin, and most definitely acted in a way which shows that we are obeying God, not avoiding the difficulties that come with living the Christian life, this spurs our motivation on towards action. This means obeying God even when it means our own discomfort, or possible physical harm.

Can something that has been killed, put to death still rule your life. This is the debate that Paul is having with believers in Romans 6.

ILLUSTRATION

1-2 Peter No Longer

We are taught throughout Scripture that even though we enjoy this new state of affairs, there remains an ongoing struggle from the time of our conversion to the time of our glorification in heaven. In one sense, D-day has already taken place. Historians say that when the Allies landed in Normandy in June 1944, it marked the beginning of the end of World War II. Yet still to come was the Battle of the Bulge, one of the bloodiest battles of World War II, when the forces of the Third Reich made their last struggle. Our conversion is like D-day. The outcome of our spiritual future is no longer in doubt, yet tomorrow might begin for us the spiritual Battle of the Bulge. Even though these powers and principalities have been subdued by Christ and dealt a mortal blow, they still seek to give us one last battle. To win it, we need the mind of Christ.

This part of 1 Peter reads much like

Ephesians 2:1–3 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

The forward aim of our Separation

4:3 all sin’s of the past must be left completely behind. 2 Corinthians 5:17

We are called to constantly be looking forward to the new life we have ahead of us in Christ Jesus. Therefore, we give no more time to sin. Sin is no longer the thing that we spend our life chasing after to satisfy us.

Romans 13:13–14 ESV

13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

We know what our former way of life has brought us, which is littered with pain and suffering. Peter is now reminding us that we ought to spend our time for the will of God. We have spent enough time in doing the will of the pagan world, when we walked like they walk - lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

NOTE: Peter takes the opportunity to point out what the gentiles or unbelievers spend their time living in various kinds of sinful acts:

Sensuality or Licentiousness - is living without regard for moral restraint, especially in regards to sexual acts.

Passions - are sinful human desires which can be allowed to exert strong influence on one’s behavior.

Drunkenness - also focuses on a life bent towards physical desires.

Orgies, drinking parties, and idolatry - all lead to the worship of self and idolatry.

The surprising reaction to our new position

Blessed are you when they speak evil against you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for Jesus’ sake. When that happens, rejoice, for great is your reward in heaven, because he had heard Jesu say such words in the sermon on the mount. (Matt. 5:11-12)

Suffering abuse from unbelievers. 3-4

NOTE: The phrase “Join them” literally means running with them, an expression which vividly reflects the continual disappointing search for true pleasure.

The prodigal son story suggests wastefulness, perhaps both money and life. The whole picture is one of rushing headlong towards destruction.

CULTURAL NOTE: The difficulty many new believers have is assuming they can go back to the old crowd they used to hang with and be accepted for their new transformation. The reality is that misery loves company, it’s no longer fun to be the outsider at the party.

vs 6 Peter draws the line for those who have died with Christ to the life of sin. That life went on long enough. The new life, the rest of our earthly life, is before us. How long that will be we do not know.

So, now by the resurrection of Christ and His saving power alone we may life. Once the idea of Christ’s gift loomed large like a dark prison, curbing our desires, threatening our freedom to do as we pleased. Now we find that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. The law of love is the law of liberty.

The Present Life

2. Living with our future hope in view helps us live our present life with assured confidence.

Most people believe that the future is full of hopelessness, despair, and futility leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy when people live today as if that future were true.

verses 7-11 Peter continues to reshape his readers’ self-understanding in Christian terms by providing a future perspective for living out their faith in Christ: they are living in view of the end of all things.

Christians think rightly with the end in view

“The end of all things is at hand.”

There are echos from

1 Peter 2:11–12 ESV

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Peter makes a bold statement about the future intended to shape the behavior of his readers. What does Peter mean by the end of “all things?”

NOTE: all things is everything up to that point in time, creation, fall, the calling of Abraham, the exodus from Egypt, the kingdom of Israel, the exile in Babylon and the return, the birth of Christ, his life, death and resurrection, his ascension into heaven, and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit to establish the Church. The great acts of the church age, and the continuing 30 years or so before Peter wrote the letter.

Basically he is saying that all things are now ready for the end to come.

Christians who realize that the end could happen at any time live differently.

A Christians view of the end times is totally different from the rest of the worlds view.

Christians look for the Lord who will bring judgement, justice, and the wonder of his new Creation. This realization drastically changes how a Christian views their time.

We live in the Already and Note Yet part of the future kingdom. The kingdom of God already came in the person of Jesus Christ, we are now in the holding pattern for the second coming of the kingdom of God when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead.

How do Christians live differently in the end times

1) We keep spiritually awake in our daily prayers.

This not only reminds us to be praying daily but helps us be more effective in our daily prayers. Christians should be alert to the events and things going on around them so that their prayers are more focused and intelligent. This is prayer based on knowledge and mature evaluation of a situation makes for effective times in prayer.

2) We love earnestly seeking the good of others before ourselves.

Where love is not present, every action and motive is viewed with suspicion, and misunderstanding in the abounding conflicts. Love covers a multitude of offensive things in life, Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offences.

Proverbs 10:12 ESV

12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

We do not love one another if we find joy in exposing their sins.

SHOWING HOSPITALITY

Hospitality, though it is a Christian obligation or duty should not be offered in a resentful way that involves holding a grudging heart with grumbling and complaining. (the word here refers to using repeated words of complaint against God and his ordering of our circumstances.)

Even though hospitality to all people is certainly pleasing to God, Peter’s emphasis on hospitality to one another that is, to other Christians within the household of faith.

ILLUSTRATION

A Surprising ‘Greatest Fear in Life’

Maria Stenvinkel, a corporate consultant from Sweden, asked 65 people from around the world, “What’s your greatest fear in life?”

As you might expect, people mentioned the fear of “dying alone” or of “losing my job.” But of these 65 people, at least 14 (more than 1 in every 5) expressed a different fear: Living a life without purpose or meaning.

Listen to their own words:

My biggest fear is never taking a risk in an effort to find my true calling. – Anthony, New York City

My greatest fear is to go through life living small but not realizing it until it’s too late. – Rebekka, Stuttgart, Germany

My greatest fear would be missing out on my purpose here on earth. … I know I have a purpose that I am not yet serving. – Danielle, Sacramento

To go through life without leaving a positive mark. – Luciana, Sintra, Portugal

My greatest fear is regretting all that I didn’t do, as I lay in my hospital bed as an elderly man. – Ralph, North Brunswick

3) We glorify God by using our gifts.

Every believer in the fellowship of the Church has been given spiritual gifts for use in the life of the Church.

1 Corinthians 12:7–11 ESV

7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

NOTE: All gifts are given for the service and benefit of others. Never our own benefit, or agenda’s. This has some how become lost in our Church culture today.

Peter does not offer a list of all the spiritual graces that people possess.

GIFTS ARE DISCOVERED IN SERVICE

The two areas Peter identifies fills a larger group of gifts that someone might have.

“In order that in everything God might be glorified.”

CULTURAL NOTE: You cannot assume that you are truly glorifying God with your life, and being obedient if you refuse to use your gifts for the Kingdom of God. Remember the sin of omission, this is simply turning a blind eye and choosing not to be obedient. Hello, this is still a sin.

Good stewards of God’s gifts will not hide it, but employ it for the benefit of others.

Parable of the Talents

Matthew 25:14–30 ESV

14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

How are you being a good steward of the grace the God has given to you?

God’s desire for our gifts is that we use them with confidence knowing that he will continually replenish what we need to fulfill his calling for our gifts.

CONCLUSION

Nothing Trivial at the End of This World

William Law in Christian Perfection (a contemporary paraphrase by Marvin D. Hinten). Christianity Today, Vol. 39, no. 7.

If you attempt to talk with a dying PERSON about sports or business, he is no longer interested. He now sees other things as more important. People who are dying recognize what we often forget, that we are standing on the brink of another world.

How Long Is Your Video of Being Present?

Adapted from Kara Powell, "Numb Generations: Are Screens and Meds Reshaping Humanity," Q Ideas, last accessed on September 18, 2013

Imagine at the end of your life you're welcomed into the presence of Jesus, who has saved you by his grace. In the midst of all the wonderful things we will experience, we're ushered into our own "media room." As you enter your personal media room, you're told that you get to sit on a cozy couch with comfortable pillows, eating as much popcorn and candy as you want (without the calories, of course) and that you're going to watch a video of your life. The video is a compilation of all the moments in your life when you were fully present, all the moments when you weren't numbed-out or distracted by media technology—TV, the Internet, cell phones—all the moments when you were totally engaged with others or fully attentive to God.

Now imagine this video playing in your personal media room and ask yourself these questions: How long is your video? How many scenes will depict you relishing life to the fullest, not numb or distracted, fully enjoying and loving the people around you? And as you think about your life's video, how many scenes will show you completely ready to hear what Jesus is trying to say to you?

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE THUS FAR WITH THE GIFT OF LIFE THAT HE HAS GIVEN YOU?

ARE YOU CONTENT TO JUST GET BY IN LIFE OR DO YOU WANT TO SEE THE SPECTACULAR?