Sermon Tone Analysis

[ Intro ]

Good morning.

We’ve been going through a lot of 1 Peter lately.

A few weeks ago we went through 1 Peter 3:18-22, which was over Christ’s death and Victory.

From the sinless life He lived, to the price he paid for us on the cross, and finally being raised from the dead by the Power of God where he now sits in the place of honor next to God.

Now Peter draws a conclusion to that passage, and we know that because we see the word “therefore,” or in some other translations it reads “so then,” starting in chapter 4.

And that’s where we’ll start today.

We’ll be going through 1 Peter 4:1-6.

[ Prayer ]

[ Body ]

Peter encourages the readers to persevere through suffering just as our savior Jesus Christ did.

The phrase “Arm yourselves” has military connotations.

The life of a Christian is repeatedly spoken of in military and combat language.

Violence won’t solve anything.

Every answer to life can be found in the Word of God.

There’s multiple other verses as well that relate, of course probably the most well known passage being Ephesians 6 where the full “Armor of God” is discussed.

So we know from all this combat language, life is going to have some tough battles.

Not that life is going to miserable, as Larry emphasized last week, the joy of the Lord is our strength.

And that joy is something we always have access to.

We just need to remember that in those times of suffering.

And we persevere through suffering with God’s help, Peter makes the point that in doing so you are proving that you have been freed from sin.

Last part of verse 1 again, it reads, “For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin.”

It’s not what gives salvation, but it’s a fruit of it.

Last week Larry talked about how some people don’t mature much in the faith, or in some cases not really believing at all after claiming to be a follower.

Saying one thing and doing the complete opposite.

It’s so easy to talk, but following through with action is another challenge.

And as Larry pointed at last week we need to know the Word of God.

Spending time with God by going through the Word and really trying to understand it will nurture that relationship.

And it’s through that relationship that we make it through the hard times of suffering.

No matter your spiritual maturity, you’re always completely dependent on God.

That relationship must always be there.

And when you have finished with sin, the transformation process begins.

And we know it’s a process, you’re not able to live a sinless life after coming to God.

You’re seen as righteous because of your belief, and through the transformation process of sanctification God’s will becomes your desire more and more.

Pleasing Him becomes what you enjoy.

He sanctifies you day by day in your walk with Him.

And through that you’ll learn to trust Him more in every area of life.

You just keep drinking from the well that never runs dry.

In Christ is where we find everything we need.

And in that walk with Christ, it’ll be easier to turn away from the temptations that godless people constantly fall victim to, as Peter mentions “godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.”

These are all present day struggles.

The sinful nature is the exact same today.

And I mentioned it would be easier to turn away from these things, but that doesn’t mean it will always be easy.

Lust and Idols can all be things we pursue with what we watch and think about.

It’s a very quick and easy thing to fall into.

Romans also warns of this:

We’re constantly under attack in this way, we must be fixated on Christ.

The thing about action is, it is noticeable.

So we if we are living out a life as a child of God and participating in suffering for Him and turn away from godless behaviors, people will see the change.

And usually that’s our friends and family, because they’re typically the ones that know us the best.

And as Peter mentions, sometimes this will be the source of the suffering, in the form of slander.

Verse 4 again:

I wouldn’t say this is all friends and family, but there likely will be some that won’t like the change in you.

Our relationship with God, though, is the most important thing of all.

He is first in our lives.

And although some won’t like the change, there are others who will notice and may begin to wonder for themselves.

Which is great because those conversations about turning away from behaviors and committing to God can be tough.

You want them to believe but if you come on to strong you might be worried that they’ll turn away even more.

God will open the door for those conversations, and before those conversations start, you can minister to them by the new way you live.

And when God opens the door for that conversation, you tell them why you live the new way you do now.

Any type of persecution isn’t fun and it will be tempting to retreat or back down on what we believe to relieve suffering, but we can’t.

Peter emphasizes to his readers that God is coming to judge the whole world.

The judgement Peter is talking about here is the final judgement, when Christ returns.

We know this because Peter refers to God judging both the “living and the dead”.

We’ll be judged for everything.

The Greek words used here for “face God” or some other interpretations might read “give account to God”, are court room language.

So we know this means God is going into detail.

He is a just God, so nothing will be skipped.

This isn’t to make a believer feel guilt for sins commited in the past, it’s the contrary.

Peter is encouraging his readers to stay commited to God.

To remain a follower through the suffering.

He’s encouraging them to move forward with God.

The only thing that matters and is eternal is our commitment to Christ.

Any relief we seek from suffering on earth is temporary.

We must eagerly await.

Focusing on Him.

The reward is what Peter emphasizes in verse 6.

Everyone is destined to eternal death until Christ comes into their life.

From that point, they are destined for eternal life with God.

Up to this point in 1 Peter, there’s been multiple passages that have said very similar things to that last verse.

Focusing too much on what is happening in the moment can cause us to be overwhelmed and distracted.

If we would just stop and dive into the Word and look at the larger picture, put our trust in Him, we can then gain our footing.

But what stops us from that?

We claim to believe in God, we know He’s source of peace and joy, we know we need to pursue Him.

No matter how many blessings we receive from God, somehow the message of doubt from Satan always tries to sneak in.

That’s Satan’s ultimate goal, to drive you to unbelief.

And he tries one step at a time.

One trial at a time.

He wants to drive you to the point where you throw in the towel.

Classic example of someone doubting is one of Jesus’ very own disciples, Thomas.

It’s easy to put conditions on our relationship with God, if you just answer this one prayer then I know you’ll exist, then I’ll really praise you.

He’s already given us the greatest gift of all for free.

Our hope needs to be in Him regardless of life’s outcomes.