1 Peter 4:1-6
by Tim Senn
2. The Motivations to Embrace Suffering
A. Remember that Life is Short (1 Peter 4:2, 3, 5)
Thinking of life in a series of stages can be helpful in motivating us to live in the moment in the light of eternity. Think of life in 4 separate stages: school years; career and raising a family years; mid-life; and retirement. When you are in the school years of life: Jr. High, High School, and college – it is tempting to think that you have many years of life ahead of you – many years to “get serious about God and living for His glory” – many years to live for the Kingdom and His purposes. You might be thinking to yourself – I am not letting life slip away from me!
But, you only get to live each stage of your life one time! Don’t think about what you might do for God in the next stage of life – ask yourself what you are committed to in this stage! Peter would say, “Time is too short to not live each day for the glory of God!” Considering eternity helps us to live for God’s glory in the moments of everyday life!
B. Resolve to Live for the Will and Glory of God (1 Peter 4:2)
The second motivation to embrace this mission is that there are really only two ways to live: according to self-rule or under the Lordship of Christ. In other words, we cannot fool and deceive ourselves with the idea that God is pleased with half-hearted mediocrity. The command is to make a decisive break with sin.
C. Realize that Self-Rule is Futile and Destructive (1 Peter 4:3)
The world hears that life is short and believes that you must grab all that you can get in your one chance at life, no matter what rules you have to break or who you might hurt in the process. Unbelievers chase all of these things because they believe that they will bring happiness in life.
Peter describes this sinful mission as futile, empty and ultimately destructive. He describes the futility of a sinful life with the phrase, “they run into excesses of dissipation.” Why do they run to excess? Because after a while, sin fails to deliver the same amount of satisfaction that it did the first time. Thus, Peter pictures unbelievers as running a frantic race trying to pursue sin – going to excesses because it doesn’t satisfy anymore! A sinful life is a wasted life!
D. Readiness to Suffer is Rewarded by Christ (1 Peter 4:4)
When Christ transforms your life and you begin to live a completely different life than you did before, you will receive persecution and be rejected by some friends and family members. They will respond to your faith in two ways:
Surprise and Shock
Insults
They will be surprised that you are no longer engaged in the sinful practices that once defined you. Your holy life will begin to convict them of their sinfulness, even if you never speak a word. Under conviction for their unrighteousness, they will begin to malign and insult you for your holiness.
E. Reckon on the Reality of Judgment (1 Peter 4:5)
A fifth motivation to live for the will of God is the reality of coming Judgment. The desire for the believer should be to stand before God on that day as blameless and as holy as possible, and to be able to show that the purpose of his or her life was to live for the glory of God. On the Day of Judgment, every day not lived to the max for the glory of God will be regretted as a wasted day.
Sin is futile and empty in this life, but it is condemning in the next. A wasted life in the here and now becomes wretched eternity separated from God in hell! But thanks be to God, whose grace more than covers the sins of those who confess and trust in Him, and whose grace saves wretched people and transforms them into saints!
F. Resurrection is Guaranteed (1 Peter 4:6)
Peter’s final motivation is to remember that resurrection life is guaranteed for believers. In the same way in which Christ was put to death in His earthly existence for obeying the will of God, believers will also face death as a result of their own sin or due to persecution. And yet in the same way in which Christ was raised to life in an entirely different realm of spiritual existence, so will believers!
2. The Motivations to Embrace Suffering
A. Remember that Life is Short (1 Peter 4:2, 3, 5)
Thinking of life in a series of stages can be helpful in motivating us to live in the moment in the light of eternity. Think of life in 4 separate stages: school years; career and raising a family years; mid-life; and retirement. When you are in the school years of life: Jr. High, High School, and college – it is tempting to think that you have many years of life ahead of you – many years to “get serious about God and living for His glory” – many years to live for the Kingdom and His purposes. You might be thinking to yourself – I am not letting life slip away from me!
But, you only get to live each stage of your life one time! Don’t think about what you might do for God in the next stage of life – ask yourself what you are committed to in this stage! Peter would say, “Time is too short to not live each day for the glory of God!” Considering eternity helps us to live for God’s glory in the moments of everyday life!
B. Resolve to Live for the Will and Glory of God (1 Peter 4:2)
The second motivation to embrace this mission is that there are really only two ways to live: according to self-rule or under the Lordship of Christ. In other words, we cannot fool and deceive ourselves with the idea that God is pleased with half-hearted mediocrity. The command is to make a decisive break with sin.
C. Realize that Self-Rule is Futile and Destructive (1 Peter 4:3)
The world hears that life is short and believes that you must grab all that you can get in your one chance at life, no matter what rules you have to break or who you might hurt in the process. Unbelievers chase all of these things because they believe that they will bring happiness in life.
Peter describes this sinful mission as futile, empty and ultimately destructive. He describes the futility of a sinful life with the phrase, “they run into excesses of dissipation.” Why do they run to excess? Because after a while, sin fails to deliver the same amount of satisfaction that it did the first time. Thus, Peter pictures unbelievers as running a frantic race trying to pursue sin – going to excesses because it doesn’t satisfy anymore! A sinful life is a wasted life!
D. Readiness to Suffer is Rewarded by Christ (1 Peter 4:4)
When Christ transforms your life and you begin to live a completely different life than you did before, you will receive persecution and be rejected by some friends and family members. They will respond to your faith in two ways:
Surprise and Shock
Insults
They will be surprised that you are no longer engaged in the sinful practices that once defined you. Your holy life will begin to convict them of their sinfulness, even if you never speak a word. Under conviction for their unrighteousness, they will begin to malign and insult you for your holiness.
E. Reckon on the Reality of Judgment (1 Peter 4:5)
A fifth motivation to live for the will of God is the reality of coming Judgment. The desire for the believer should be to stand before God on that day as blameless and as holy as possible, and to be able to show that the purpose of his or her life was to live for the glory of God. On the Day of Judgment, every day not lived to the max for the glory of God will be regretted as a wasted day.
Sin is futile and empty in this life, but it is condemning in the next. A wasted life in the here and now becomes wretched eternity separated from God in hell! But thanks be to God, whose grace more than covers the sins of those who confess and trust in Him, and whose grace saves wretched people and transforms them into saints!
F. Resurrection is Guaranteed (1 Peter 4:6)
Peter’s final motivation is to remember that resurrection life is guaranteed for believers. In the same way in which Christ was put to death in His earthly existence for obeying the will of God, believers will also face death as a result of their own sin or due to persecution. And yet in the same way in which Christ was raised to life in an entirely different realm of spiritual existence, so will believers!
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment