Peter Meassge 15

We Must Arm Ourselves For Battle!

1 Peter 4:1–6 NKJV

1 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.

Intro: Jeremy, and Jennifer Sutcliffe of Corpus Cristi, Texas were working their garden when encounter a 4 ft Rattlesnake. He took shovel and cut off the snakes head. When he pick the severed head to despots it, it bite him. His wife was driving him to the hospital. He started going in and out of consciousness and having seizures.

He was flown by helicopter to the hospital. He was on a ventilator and his organs failing, doctors told Sutcliffe several times that her husband may not make it through the ordeal. He nearly died. But he made it through.

According to National Geographic, when a snake is decapitated, its head still has the capacity to carry out reflexive action, such as being able to open its mouth, bite and inject large amounts of venom. They are able to keep these reflexive abilities up to an hour after having their heads severed.

Satan is a defeated foe. Like the head of a dead snake, we face the danger of the world, the flesh and the devil. Although defeated, these forces can cause damage.

Like taking a shovel to a snake, 1 Peter 4:1-6 calls us to arm ourselves for battle.

The apostle Peter provides us as believers with four perspectives motivating us to be strong when living out our Christian lives.

WE must arm ourselves for battle.

We must have the attitude of Christ. VS 1

1 Peter 4:1 NKJV

1 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,

1. Therefore points back to what Peter wrote in last weeks passage, that at the Cross Christ endured His greatest suffering, dying under divine judgment as the just for the unjust.

a. Peter in this verse tells us, “Since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same mind” (same attitude of Christ) thought and purpose.

b. The bible teaches us about Jesus. It also teaches how to live like Jesus. Part of that is His attitude.

c. No matter what comes our way, we have to arm ourselves with the “same mind” (same attitude of Jesus)

d. Arm yourselves: Only place in NT where this GW is used.

Eph 6 Armor of God.

Here it a word that is a Military term for a solider taking up arms (weapons for battle) Heavy Armour. He had a Pike (large spear 10-20 ft ,long, and a large shield. This speaks of a solider getting ready for battle.

c. Everyday Christians face the enemy. The world, The flesh, The Devil. If we are going to victorious in our Christian life, We are to arm ourselves with the same attitude, same mind set as Jesus.

“for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

d. We must have the attitude attitude Jesus had towards sin.

e. The world does not generally persecute the carnal, worldly, backslidden believer. The reason why, a believer poses no threat because they are not living the life of a Christian, they are living just like the world.

f. But those living the life of a follower of Jesus will be persecuted because they have a Jesus attitude. So the devil is on the attack trying hard to get them to fail.

e. Here are was ways he try’s to get into our minds.

World: Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, the pride of Life.

Genesis 3:6 NKJV

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

flesh: The sin nature. Even if you are saved, you still battle with the sin nature.

The devil: Fallen angel. Along his demons (other fallen angels) will use all their power to cause you to stumble, to fall, to give up, to give in to his way and not Gods way.

John 10:10 NKJV

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

We must have the right ambitions . VS 2

1 Peter 4:2 NKJV

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.

1. We are in enemy territory.

a. The night before the landing of D-day men from the 82nd & 101st Airborne made Parachute jump into enemy territory. many them missed their jump site and where scattered deep into the enemy territory. Separated and out numbered, many of them would loss their lives. But in the end they were victorious. They were able to over come the enemy.

b. The had an ambition the be victorious.

c. We have to have that same ambition. READ VS AGAIN. THE WILL OF GOD.

2. In this world that we live in we are being pulled to live like the world lives, to fulfill the desires of the flesh.

a. Peter is telling believers to arm themselves with a commitment to do the will of God and abandon their former sins.

b. I have had a gospel conversation with a people to the point where he came very close to being saved. But they don’t want to let go of sin in their lives.

c. They have a had time letting go of sin. Once you are saved in this vs Peter is saying you no longer “for the lust of men, but for the will of God”

d. Peter is telling believers to arm themselves with a commitment to do the will of God and abandon their former sins.

e. One of the main questions of Christians is how can I know what God wants me to do in my life?

John 15:14 NKJV

14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

f. Well there are some non-negotiable, every believer is given the commandments to give of there time, talent, and money.

g. Every Christian is given the commandment to live a Holy life.

h.Every Christian is given the commandment to share there faith with others.

i.Every Christian is given the commandment to study the Scriptures.

j.Every Christian is given the mandate support the local church with attendance.

k. Those are non-negotiable, which means that according to the word of God, this is something that every believer is explicitly told to do, we have no option.

l. The problem is too often we want to pick and choose, and we wonder why we are so easily thrown off course by the enemy. Peter says arm yourself with a commitment to do the will of God.

George W. Truett (Pastor 1st Baptist Dallas 1897-1944) said: “To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge! To do the will of God is the greatest achievement!”

We must understand that “I am not who I was.” VS 3-5

1 Peter 4:3–5 NKJV

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.

VS 3a “For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles” (Gentiles/lost)

1. In other words, we might have gotten away with things when we were not saved but that will not do for the new life we have in Christ. Peter reminds us that the past is the past. It is over and done with. There must be no going back to it.(The devil likes to bring up your past) There must be a break with all that now. As Paul puts it in Ron 6:6

Romans 6:6 NKJV

6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

2. Peter reviews the past life of a lost person:

“when we walked in lewdness” KJV(lasciviousness) It indicates indecency, wanton behavior, and a complete lack of restraint

2 Peter 2:7 NKJV

7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked

a. The dominating idea behind the word is that of shameless conduct. The emphasis is on sensuality. The word refers to behavior that shocks public decency.

b. The word for “lusts” denotes a strong desire of any kind, not just sexual desire. Obviously here, however, Peter has in mind evil desires. These have to be taken to the cross and dealt with there.

c. drunkenness: (KJV excess of wine)

d. The word for “revellings” is komos. It can be translated “orgies” or “carousals. it is the picture of the wild orgies associated with pagan religious worship when people abandoned all restraint and gave themselves over to wild ecstasy and excess

e. drinking parties: ,(KJV banquetings) Possibly Peter had in mind the heavy drinking associated with pagan religious festivals. Many of them were once involved in pagan worship.

f. abominable idolatries. The expression “abominable idolatries” denotes unlawful idolatries. It says something for the vileness and corruption of pagan religion when even secular government has to forbid its excesses of wickedness

g. This had been the lives of many Gentiles before they met Christ. For Peter as a Christian and an apostle, he would be horrified at the thought of any genuine believer falling into the mire of such behavior.

h. For too many Christians this pandemic has gotten to many Christians use to not going to church. (Glenn Beck)

VS 4

1. The fact of the matter was that Christians had to face the opposition of pagans. Peter mentions the surprised reaction of lost people: The fact of the matter was that Christians had to face the opposition of pagans. Peter mentions the surprised reaction of lost people: “Wherein they think it strange that you run not with them flood of dissipation(4:4a),

a. and he mentions the slanderous reaction of lost people: “speaking evil of you” (4:4b). The corrupt lifestyle of people was generally widely accepted. It astonished them that some people neither endorsed their lifestyle nor practiced it themselves.

b. Christians today who live a Godly lifestyle, who call sin, sin. will be spoken of a evil, haters. We as Christians are told to aspect the sinful lifestyle of others.

VS 5.

One day all those who have spoken against, who have persecuted Christians will “give an account” (pay the price)

a.Bill Maher: critical of all religions In his 2008 feature film Religulous “don't know what happens when you die, and I don't care."

We must understand that we have a genuine hope and reality of eternal life. VS 6

1. God has promised us that through death we will overcome sin, escape final judgment, and enter eternal heaven.

a. Peter’s point is that believers, even under unjust treatment—including death—should be willing and unafraid to suffer, knowing that all death can do is triumphantly bring their eternal spirits into everlasting life in heaven.

b Just as Christ was crucified but was alive in spirit and raised from the dead, believers may suffer physical death but their spirits will remain alive and enter into the promise of eternal life.

c No pressure from enemies of the gospel and no unjust persecution by an ungodly world can steal believers’ victory. We have a true hope and reality of eternal life in heaven.

d. If we are going to arm ourselves for this life and be successful in God’s sight, then we must have the attitude of Christ, do the will of God, live as a change born again believer, and look forward to the reality of heaven.

e. However long you have been a Christian, whether it is 10,20,30,40,50,60 years, can you look at your life and honestly say yeah this is what a follower of Christ should look or act like after following Him for however many years.

f. If you are a lost person, meaning that you have never surrendered your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, by repenting of your sins, and receiving the forgiveness of your sins and the reward of eternal life in heaven when you die, then you need to listen again to verse 5 “But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”

g.Life is short, God is ready to judge you, are you ready to give and account, I submit to you if you have never turned to the Lord Jesus (not religion, not church membership, not baptism) then you are not ready, but the beauty of it all is, you can be ready if you will come and let me share with you from scripture how you can be saved today.