Transcribed by Beluga AI.
So, we officially welcome Oliver into the Hill Community Church family. Thank you for sharing your testimony. Thank you to Brother Abraham for sharing and Brother William for sharing. We have a lot to be thankful for.
I think I have some good news for everybody here. The Lord has been gently telling me I’m going to put away my notes because I had a full manuscript in the past. But slowly over time, notes came back, and it became a little bit more and more full, and the message became a little too long and too many points.
I think the Lord is just saying simplify. Just, just trust me and I will speak. I didn’t know exactly what I was going to share today, but the conversation on the car right here confirmed the verse that I was thinking about.
So let’s read that together. 1 Peter 4:1. We’ll read to verse 7 and then we’ll skip down to verse 12.
1 Peter 4:1.
1 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, 2so 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. 7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. (1 Peter 4:1-7, ESV)
And let’s jump down to verse 12.
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. (1 Peter 4:12-19, ESV)
Amen.
So on the drive over here, we’re talking about Calvinism and predestination, and free will, and sinning, and can we overcome sin? And that was a very heavy conversation. I think we arrived at a good concluding point.
And I just wanted to share these few verses and then we’ll wrap it up. We’re entering into the Passion Week, and so that’s why I was already meditating on this verse. Jesus suffered for all of the sins of the world, for every generation, including our generation, including your life and mine. Jesus suffered a brutal, shameful, scornful, painful death.
I mean, the worst way that someone could die, naked and beaten and bloodied and crucified on a cross. This is because our sins are that great. Not just my sins, even one person’s sins is that great, but he’s dying for the sins of all humanity for every generation from that point forward and also in the past.
And we’re entering into the Passion Week. And passion simply means the suffering of Christ. So we remember this week in particular the suffering of Christ.
And the reason why he did this is so that as believers, it says that we would cease from sin. Is that even possible? That you become more and more Christ-like, more and more sanctified, less and less sinful?
I don’t think it’s possible that we will ever reach sinless perfection. But here it says if you arm yourself with the same way of thinking. So as Jesus suffered in His flesh as a sinless Son of God, as a Christ follower, we too will suffer a very similar path.
Not dying on a cross for other people’s sin, but in a similar path of suffering that we should also fully expect, embrace, and rejoice when it happens.
If you arm yourself with that mindset, it says you will cease from sin. And then it gives an example of what sin is. It’s everything you used to do. You used to live for your passions. You used to ignore the will of God.
You used to just do whatever felt good, whatever you wanted to do. You attended parties; you didn’t even think twice. You didn’t even have a conscience. Nothing bothered you, and you just lived for yourself.
That sinful pattern of life has now come to an end. If you actually went through suffering, a trial for the sake of Christ, and you came through on the other side holding onto your faith. You went through that purely because you’re a Christ follower. People mock you and insult you, and even in the church, they think you’re too much.
Why are you so much of a Jesus fanatic? Why do you keep talking about Christ? Just calm down.
And even from churchgoers, you hear this type of insult, this type of mockery, this type of persecution. When you compare yourself to other people who don’t profess Christ, if you are a senior graduating, would you think about missions? Of course you wouldn’t think about missions.
You would think about, well, I got to take care of my life. I got to do my career.
I’m hearing this even from Timothy’s grandparents. I’m hearing, like, why is he doing missions? Shouldn’t he be more responsible? Shouldn’t he just take care of his job search first?
And then at the end, you know, my mom says, but you’re a person of faith. And so I don’t quite get you. I don’t get your son, but I trust it’s going to all work out. So she is wrestling with herself.
But this type of ridicule, this type of mockery, this type of concern comes from even extended loved ones. And they mean well. But if you embrace that type of suffering and you expect it, you arm yourself with this way of thinking — I will suffer in this world because I follow Christ. Nobody will understand me. Everyone will think I’m foolish.
Everybody’s gonna think I’m dumb for talking about Jesus so much instead of talking about what the next step is, what grad school you’re applying to, what job you’re securing for yourself, what financial security you’re acquiring for yourself. You’re not thinking about that. You’re thinking about missions. You’re doing all these foolish things, and you go through that kind of suffering.
If you come out the other side, something actually changes in you. You no longer live for the world in the way that you used to. You no longer live the way you used to live.
And you can fill in the blank — how did you used to live before you suffered for Christ? Now that you went through suffering for Christ, something actually shifted in you, and now you no longer live the same way. You’ve actually ceased from sin.
Let’s read Hebrews 10. I think we need to make this point a little bit more. What does it mean to cease from sin?
Hebrews 10:26.
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. 35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. 37 For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; 38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. (Hebrews 10:26-39, ESV)
So when it talks about ceasing from sin, it is this pattern of sin that God is talking about. It’s not the occasional sin. We’re all tempted to sin. Satan will come knocking on our door and throw temptations left and right.
And just living in this world, you’re bombarded by sin all the time. But in Christ, this pattern of sinning has broken. you’ve actually ceased from your old life. You are now a new creation in Christ.
And these, this author of Hebrews is writing to this audience of believers, and they’re losing their way.
They’re falling back into their old life, their pattern of sinning. And he says, you are trampling on the Son of God and profaning the Blood of the Covenant.
And now there is a fearful expectation of judgment, because this is not how it’s supposed to be. This is not how your Christian life is supposed to progress.
If you are in Christ and he helps you to overcome sinning, then this should not be their testimony that they’re actually more similar to the way they used to be back in the day before they met Jesus.
And now, 20 or 30 years in, they’re actually going back to it. It’s trampling the Blood of the Son of God and profaning the Blood of the Covenant.
This is serious. It says for such people, there is no longer a sacrifice for them. That sounds very dire to me, very serious to me.
Then he reminds them, this author, of their former days. Remember how you went through suffering. Remember how your goods were plundered and you were okay with it.
Remember how people treated you with reproach, and you were afflicted, and you partnered with those who are treated this way.
And you visited prisons, and you understood, okay, it’s just things. Who cares if you lose things? You have a possession in heaven that is way better, that is waiting for you.
And you had this type of mindset that, okay, this is suffering. Of course, I should embrace this suffering. This is just what it means to be a Christ follower. I am hated by this world.
I don’t fit in. People don’t understand me. They do ridicule and criticize me. And this author is saying that you were in a good place when you armed yourself with this mindset. Now you’ve gone back to the old you, and this pattern of sinning has returned. And now what was once yours, this sacrifice of Jesus that was so precious, now you are profaning it, you’re trampling all over it. Now this Blood of Jesus is no longer available to you. Now there’s only an expectation of judgment.
So they had salvation in the beginning. They proved it through going through a season of suffering. Now, what kind of spiritual state are they in? It seems they’re losing everything. And if they continue in this state, at the end, what awaits them?
Is it once saved, always saved? Or is there a fearful expectation of judgment because they actually let go of Christ and rejected Christ, no longer the Blood of Jesus applying to them any longer?
So going back to our main text, the section that we read, it says in verse 16, actually verse 15.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. (1 Peter 4:16, ESV)
A lot of people suffer in this life and it’s no fault of anybody but their own because they sinned and they kept sinning. They made bad choices and the suffering that they incur is all on them. It’s their fault.
And God says, don’t suffer in that way. You’re not supposed to suffer because of the consequences of your bad choices and your sins.
The kind of suffering for the believer is something you embrace that Christ suffered for you and out of so much gratitude that as a sinner, he died for me. He suffered so bad, brutally for me. I owe him my life. I will follow him wherever he goes.
And he says, okay, you want to follow me now? Embrace suffering now. Walk with me through this season of suffering.
And as the world rejects you, rejoice. Praise God, you’re suffering in the right way, not as a consequence of sin, but suffering because of the Name of Jesus that you so revere.
You don’t want to profane him. You want your Father to be so proud of you, and so you embrace this type of ridicule and say, I’m not bothered by this. God has my back. Jesus’ Blood covers me. I am following Jesus into this suffering, and I’m suffering now because of the Name of Jesus. And so I rejoice.
Let me end with verse 7.
7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. (1 Peter 4:7, ESV)
For the sake of your prayers this Passion Week, I encourage you to be self-controlled, disciplined, sober-minded.
Why? So that you can pray. If you have a weak prayer life, you can’t just kick it into gear on a week like this. You can’t just kick it into gear. You have to be sober-minded, be self-controlled, be disciplined, you got to work your way to actually begin to pray. You can’t just turn it on like a light switch. You have to train yourself to shut down the noise, shut out the distraction, be by yourself, turn off the phone, get alone with the Lord.
You have to train yourself to have a quality time with the Lord in prayer. And the biggest meditation this week, obviously for all Christians around the world, is the fact that Jesus suffered for me. Why did you suffer for me?
If I’ were the only person on earth, you still would have endured that type of cross. Because my sins are that serious of a problem, and you did that for me. I’m so thankful, Lord, and out of gratitude, may we come out of this Passion Week embracing this mindset.
Jesus, you suffered for me, I too will suffer for you. Let’s come out of this Passion Week with a sense of strong determination. I’m not worldly. I don’t care about the praise of men. I am coming out as a Christ follower. I will proclaim it.
I’m not going to shrink back. I’m going to declare my faith. I’m going to go on missions. I’m on mission with God here. I’m going to declare it to the neighbors, to my friends, to my family.
You’ve got to believe in Jesus. Time is running out. The end of all things is near. And Peter felt that 2,000 years ago. How much more we should feel it to our bones. The end is near.
And let’s come out of Passion Week with a strong determination that arming yourself with this way of thinking.
I want to suffer for Christ. He suffered for me, now I will suffer for him.
Let’s pray.
Father, thank you for teaching us that you expect all believers to cease from this pattern of sinning. Thank you for giving us insight on what that looks like. You died on a cross not to just cover and forgive us of our sin. You came and died on a cross so that in Christ we can overcome many, many patterns of sinning. The truth comes and the truth sets us free, in your presence, because you are the Truth.
May you come and minister to us so that chains of bondage, of sinning, would be broken in your presence.
Father, we want to be people who cease from sin. No longer living the way we used to live, no longer giving ourselves excuses to live this way because we’ve lived this way for so long. This type of language may it cease.
We are a new creation. There’s a new beginning. We are being made new each day. With Jesus’ help, we can overcome the patterns of sinning.
Father, thank you for sending your Son. Jesus, thank you for embracing the shame and the scorn of the cross. You did this out of joy set before you, of all of us and previous generations, future generations who would be saved because of your one-time perfect sacrifice.
We want to spend this week arming ourselves with this mindset of suffering for Christ, preparing ourselves, being self-controlled, sober-minded so that we can really come out of this week so grateful for your sacrifice, for our many, many sins that we have committed and that we will commit into the future.
Thank you for laying down your life voluntarily to save us. And we want to come out of Passion Week arming ourselves with a way of thinking that now we want to announce to the world we are a Christ follower.
We’re not ashamed. We are arming ourselves to embrace suffering. And when it happens, we rejoice. We want to rejoice. Thank you, Lord.
We pray that you minister to us as we partake in the Lord’s Supper, representing Your Body being broken and Your Blood being shed. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.