Living for the Will of God.

Chris Bolt

[0:09] Go ahead and head and have a seat. [0:11] My name is Chris. [0:12] I’m one of the pastors here. [0:14] If you have your Bible, you can open with us to first Peter chapter four. [0:18] And we’re going to be looking this morning at verses one through six. [0:23] Are you living in God’s will?

[0:28] Perhaps some of you, maybe most of you [0:31] are at a place in your life where you look at everything [0:35] and you think I’m not exactly where I want to be [0:39] or who I want to be or where I thought I would be [0:44] by this point in my life. [0:47] In this part of his letter, the apostle Peter

[0:51] urges us to make the most of managing our time on mission [0:53] by living in the way of Christ. [0:57] And Jesus teaches us that the Christian life is about the will of God, [1:01] not selfish desire. [1:04] And this section of Peter’s epistle centers around the key truth [1:07] of first Peter three, 18.

[1:09] You’ll recall Christ also suffered once for sins, [1:14] the righteous for the unrighteous, [1:17] that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh, [1:21] but made alive in the spirit. [1:24] Now, Peter shifts from speaking of the suffering of Christ [1:28] in his substitutionary atonement for our sins

[1:32] to speaking of the example Christ leaves us [1:36] by suffering in the flesh. [1:39] Because Jesus suffered in his body, [1:43] we are called to take on the same mindset, a mindset [1:46] that turns away from sin and seeks to live for God’s will [1:50] instead of human desires.

[1:53] Peter’s words should remind you this morning [1:56] that you have already spent enough time living in sin, [2:00] following the crowd, chasing pleasure, dishonoring God. [2:04] That old way of life should be well behind you now in your past, [2:09] even if others now mock you or reject you for changing. [2:14] And I hope that you have changed to strengthen our resolve.

[2:19] Peter points us forward to judgment. [2:20] In 1 Peter 4, 7, we’re warned that the end of all things is at hand. [2:25] Therefore, be self-controlled and sober-minded [2:27] for the sake of your prayers. [2:29] Now, some will say that this end of all things [2:32] is the end of Old Testament Judaism,

[2:34] others the destruction of Jerusalem, [2:36] still others the physical universe being set on fire. [2:40] But we must, as the old preachers say, [2:43] keep the main thing, the main thing. [2:45] Peter’s point is so much more important than endless eschatological debate. [2:53] Peter’s point is that salvation from sin

[2:57] always entails suffering in your life. [3:03] The way you prepare for the end is by following the example of Jesus [3:06] in his suffering, moved by the spirit. [3:09] Peter reminds us that everyone, both the living and the dead, [3:13] will one day answer to God. [3:17] Even if you suffer or die for your faith,

[3:19] you’ll live on by the spirit just as God intended. [3:22] Now, in John 21, 18 through 19, [3:24] you’ll recall this account where Jesus told Peter, [3:27] Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, [3:29] you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted. [3:31] But when you’re old, you’ll stretch out your hands

[3:34] and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. [3:38] This, he said, to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God. [3:42] And after saying this, he said to him, follow me. [3:46] Now, church tradition tells us that Peter was crucified upside down for his faith. [3:51] But in all likelihood, you won’t be murdered for your faith. [3:55] But you will be tempted by sin,

[3:59] mocked by the ungodly and will carry the burden [4:03] of the word of God in the gospel. [4:05] If you are a Christian, [4:08] Jesus did not come to remove that type of suffering from your life on Earth. [4:14] If anything, faith in Jesus makes you even more aware of temptation, [4:19] more a target for slander and more bothered by the possibility

[4:23] of people you encounter spending an eternity in hell. [4:26] And all of that is because Christ’s suffering changes what you live for. [4:33] Christ’s suffering changes what you live for. [4:36] Look with me in verses one through two. [4:38] The word of the Lord says, since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, [4:42] arm yourselves with the same way of thinking for whoever has suffered

[4:44] in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time [4:49] in the flesh, no longer for human passions, but for the will of God. [4:55] Now, Christ sets the example of ceasing from sin. [4:59] Jesus provided what theologians call a vicarious penal substitutionary [5:04] atonement for our sins. [5:06] That’s real big words for Jesus died for you.

[5:11] Jesus also suffered as an example to us, though. [5:15] We can sadly overlook this truth when theological liberals want to make Jesus [5:20] only our moral exemplar and take the blood of Christ for our salvation [5:25] from sins out of the equation. [5:27] But it is true that we can look to Jesus as the ultimate moral example, [5:32] the picture perfect man, the absolute measure of maturity.

[5:35] Do you want to be mature this morning? [5:37] Look unto Jesus, just as Jesus suffered. [5:40] So also you are to arm yourself. [5:43] We have far too many Christians who go about in the world unarmed. [5:48] If you don’t arm yourself, you won’t be prepared to fight [5:51] against temptation and sin.

[5:53] Arming yourself here is having a particular way of thinking. [5:56] You are to think like Christ and you are to cease from sin. [6:01] Hebrews 12, one through four tells us of this example that Christ has given us. [6:06] Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, [6:09] let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely [6:13] and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

[6:17] looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, [6:21] who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, [6:25] despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. [6:29] Consider him who endured from sinners [6:33] such hostility against himself so that you may not grow weary or faint hearted [6:39] in your struggle against sin.

[6:41] You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. [6:47] The Christian life then begins, as it says here, [6:50] with the mentality of our Messiah, with the mind, [6:53] our emotions and our will and our words play a big part in this too, [6:59] but they are to be kept under the control of the intellect. [7:02] They’re not rightly when they’re working functioning properly,

[7:05] they’re not opposed to one another. [7:07] But sin is opposed to all of our faculties. [7:10] If you can’t control your emotions, it’s not because having a personality is evil, [7:15] but because you are evil. [7:16] If you cannot control your behavior, it’s not because doing things is bad, [7:22] but because you are bad.

[7:24] And if you can’t control your tongue, it’s not because words are wicked, [7:28] but because you are wicked. [7:30] And all of this begins with the sins of the intellect, [7:33] which you should be submitting to the will of God. [7:36] And so for Christ’s sake, we should set our minds [7:39] towards suffering as Jesus did in resisting temptation to sin.

[7:45] Some of you here this morning, no doubt, use would be doctrine, [7:49] the intellect to hide your practical failures in life. [7:54] For you, theology is not a window into the way that God works in the world, [7:59] but an escape from your work in the world. [8:02] Please allow me this morning to save you time, effort and money [8:06] by suggesting that you must start with the practical

[8:10] and only then will you truly understand theology on a deeper level. [8:14] You aren’t fooling anyone setting up this facade of theological acumen [8:20] to cover your sins and your short fallings. [8:24] In other words, get it together before you start pretending [8:26] to be a theologian in residence. [8:29] But for many of you, this isn’t the case.

[8:32] Your problem isn’t that you spend too much time in the Bible [8:35] or too much time in books written by those of the church in years gone by, [8:40] but that you hardly care about the teaching of Christ at all. [8:45] And your problem is that you’ve tried to find your way around in the world [8:48] without reference to God. [8:51] But God cares about your mind.

[8:53] He cares about the life of your mind. [8:56] That’s where most of the Christian life takes place. [8:59] Then it extends out to every other so-called part of you, [9:03] the emotions and the will. [9:05] Your life, then, is not about your passions [9:10] as a Christian, but the will of God.

[9:13] Look here, Peter repeats the phrase in the flesh four times [9:16] just in this morning’s passage. [9:18] He says it elsewhere as well, emphasizing that he’s not talking about [9:21] pie in the sky, but about the way that you live your life right now. [9:25] He’s not a Gnostic. [9:26] And so he doesn’t use flesh either in the way that Paul uses the term.

[9:31] Not that Paul’s a Gnostic. He’s not. [9:33] But it’s not being used in a negative sense here, but a positive one. [9:36] Christ was put to death in the flesh, [9:38] which assumes that Christ came in the flesh [9:41] just as you and I are in the flesh. [9:44] Your body was created by God and so is good.

[9:48] The world was created by God and so is good, [9:51] though both fall and are under the curse of sin. [9:55] Your son of God has a body and is good. [9:58] And Jesus took a human nature to himself. [10:00] The eternal son of God, he is deity, [10:03] took a human nature to himself to do what he could not do before,

[10:07] namely suffer and die on the cross for our sins and be raised again physically. [10:12] Romans eight, three through four teaches this for God has done [10:16] what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do by sinning his own son [10:21] in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin. [10:23] He condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirement [10:27] of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh,

[10:31] but according to the spirit. [10:33] So our fight this morning in this text is not against the flesh per se, [10:38] but against the passion of the flesh. [10:40] Our fight is also not against suffering per se, [10:44] but against sin in the midst of suffering, [10:47] which brings us back to this question.

[10:49] What is it that you desire? [10:52] What is it that you feel like you’ve missed out on in life? [10:56] What is that next step that you want to take right now? [10:59] What is it that’s driving all of your behavior [11:02] and your emotions and your thinking? [11:04] Listen, God has given you right now at this moment in your life,

[11:10] all that you need to suffer and to obey him and bring him glory [11:15] and bring good to God’s people. [11:17] God’s direction replaces then our selfish desires [11:22] when we are found in Christ Jesus. [11:25] God’s purpose replaces our old sinful passions. [11:30] Jesus has human passions.

[11:33] Jesus has a human will. [11:36] And yet Jesus lives for the will of God. [11:39] Look to him for his example. [11:42] Remember in the Garden of Gethsemane when he prayed, [11:45] Father, if you’re willing, remove this cup from me. [11:47] What?

[11:47] Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. [11:52] The only way to truly cease, we would think, from sin, [11:57] is to cease from living, cease from thinking, [11:59] cease from feeling, cease from doing. [12:03] And so that is what some of you, I think, attempt to do. [12:07] You don’t try to learn new things.

[12:08] You make yourself emotionally distant. [12:10] You’re afraid of making poor decisions, mistakes, [12:12] and failures. [12:13] And so you don’t do anything. [12:15] Disengagement is one of the defining features [12:17] of my own generation.

[12:20] But inaction doesn’t mean that you have ceased from sin. [12:24] It actually means that you’re in sin, [12:26] since God calls us to action using your learning, [12:30] your feeling, your risk taking for his glory. [12:34] So what if you wind up reading one too many books [12:36] on Christian theology or using a word nobody recognizes?

[12:39] So what if you’re too emotionally invested [12:41] in some subject and even begin to cry? [12:44] So what if you make a major mistake? [12:46] Look, I know those are important things. [12:48] I’m not advising here that you don’t approach life wisely. [12:52] You should use wisdom in your decisions.

[12:54] But that’s never an excuse for inaction. [12:58] Following Christ does not mean avoiding pain. [13:02] It means being able to dive headlong into it [13:05] and persevere, knowing that after darkness comes light. [13:11] Ceased from sin here, then, means breaking [13:13] from sin’s dominant influence, not sinless perfection.

[13:19] We know that if anyone says he has not sinned, [13:21] he deceives himself and the truth is not in him. [13:24] Living for God’s will, not human passion, [13:28] requires this mental readiness, this commitment [13:32] that we read about in the text this morning, [13:34] with which you are to arm yourselves

[13:37] in this fight against sin. [13:40] It’s not speaking here of ceasing sinning upon your death [13:44] because Peter goes on to talk about living in the flesh [13:48] just as Christ does. [13:49] Psalm 37, 4 says, delight yourself in the Lord, [13:53] and he will give you the desires of your heart.

[13:56] The idea here is when you have submitted your mind [13:58] to Christ in this way, your desires become one with God’s, [14:02] and that is a good place to be. [14:04] You can go on to live in the flesh, watching your time, [14:07] managing it well for the mission of Christ. [14:09] Don’t live for human passions anymore,

[14:11] but live for the will of God. [14:14] The more you do this, by the way, the better you get at it. [14:18] The appeal of Christ takes hold, and the appeal of sin fades away. [14:22] Your tastes begin to change and are less about sin [14:26] and more about Christ as time goes on. [14:29] You’re never sinless or temptationless.

[14:31] If you think you are standing firm, [14:33] be careful that you don’t fall. [14:35] But sin no longer has that hold on you that it once did. [14:39] So no longer make a practice or a habit of sinning [14:43] that’s plain in the text of scripture this morning. [14:46] You should be praying, not that God would just remove

[14:49] suffering from you, but that you would suffer well, [14:53] suffer for God’s glory, suffer for the good of others. [14:57] We must pray that we will think like Christ in the midst of that. [15:01] Pray against temptation to sin and for victory over it. [15:03] Pray for the will of God to be done in our lives [15:05] on earth as it is in heaven.

[15:08] One of the biggest heresies facing the church in America [15:13] today is this idea that God is some sort of [15:17] unconditioned empathizer, that regardless of the situation, [15:21] regardless of what’s going on in your life, [15:23] God cares, he has this empathy for you. [15:27] And what you do see is you’re creating God

[15:30] as an idol in your image, trying to bring him into conformity [15:34] with your self-pity, which is an expression of your pride. [15:38] And so you are going, woe is me. [15:41] But hey, even though nobody else understands me, [15:44] at least God does. [15:45] Well, God does understand you.

[15:47] God does sympathize with you in your weakness, [15:50] but God does not come and sit with you and keep you there. [15:54] That is not in the Bible. [15:55] That’s not what God requires of us. [15:57] Was Jesus too sad to get his work done here on earth? [16:01] Jesus is the only human being to live

[16:03] who could have ever rightly felt sorry for himself. [16:07] He, of all people, had the most reasons [16:09] to be depressed and down. [16:10] But he didn’t let that happen. [16:12] Yes, he sympathizes with you, but no, he will not excuse you. [16:16] You must not only be saved by him, you must become like him.

[16:22] That’s maturity. [16:23] Ephesians 4, 11 through 14 says, [16:25] Until we attain to the unity of the faith [16:27] and the knowledge of the Son of God, [16:29] to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature [16:31] of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer

[16:34] be children tossed to and fro by the waves [16:36] and carried about by every wind of doctrine, [16:38] by human cunning, and by craftiness in deceitful schemes. [16:42] And so what we want to do here, what I’m telling you [16:46] that you should do here is to choose God’s will [16:49] even when it is difficult.

[16:52] Excuse me, choose God’s will, especially when it is difficult. [16:57] Because then if you start at the bottom, [17:00] when you’re at the top, it’ll be that much easier. [17:04] Let past sins no longer define you. [17:06] That’s our second point this morning. [17:08] Past sins no longer define you.

[17:11] Look at verses 3 through 4 here. [17:14] The word of the Lord says, for the time that is past [17:17] suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, [17:20] living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, [17:23] drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. [17:25] With respect to this, verse 4, they’re

[17:28] surprised when you do not join them [17:30] in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you. [17:33] Now the Gentiles here is just shorthand [17:35] for unbelievers, for sinful, unrepentant unbelievers. [17:38] But Peter’s point here yet again is that you have had [17:42] your fill of sin.

[17:45] Can you be forgiven of your past sins? [17:48] Of course. [17:49] Second Corinthians 5.17 says, [17:51] Therefore, if anyone’s in Christ, he’s a new creation. [17:53] The old has passed away, behold, the new has come. [17:58] The blood of Jesus is enough to wash away

[18:02] all your moral filth, to cleanse you from all [18:06] unrighteousness, to take your sins away as far [18:09] as the east is from the west. [18:11] Those outside of Christ have no such promise. [18:15] If you’re outside of Christ this morning, [18:17] you have no such promise.

[18:19] They cannot clean themselves up. [18:21] They cannot do anything to undo what they did do [18:25] in the past, and so they will always carry the guilt [18:28] and the shame of their past sins. [18:29] Not so if you are a Christian, but you must put away [18:35] your past, regardless of how much or how little

[18:39] you’ve sinned. [18:40] It is enough because you belong to Jesus Christ. [18:43] That time in your life is over now, [18:46] and you need not be tempted by the ways of the world. [18:49] Do all you can to stay away from this list here. [18:54] Sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies,

[18:56] drinking parties, lawless, idolatry. [18:57] Do not join others in debauchery. [19:00] Prepare yourself to be maligned by them, [19:04] because you cannot and never will fit in with them again. [19:09] If you regret past habits of sin, [19:12] receive God’s grace and move forward.

[19:17] When others celebrate what God actually condemns, [19:21] stay kind, be kind, but be clear. [19:24] Let your life and your words preach to those [19:28] who are still in the flood, much as righteous Noah [19:32] preached to those who were facing the flood in his day. [19:36] Colossians 2, 13 through 14 says,

[19:38] and you who are dead in your trespasses [19:40] and the uncircumcision of your flesh, [19:42] God made alive together with him, [19:45] having forgiven us all our trespasses [19:47] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us [19:50] with its legal demands.

[19:52] This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. [19:57] Don’t take it back down from the cross. [20:00] Forget it and move forward. [20:03] Recognize the sufficiency, not merely of Christ’s sacrifice [20:06] for sin, but the filling up of your sin quota, [20:09] as it were, in days gone by.

[20:11] You don’t have to sin anymore. [20:14] Sinners sin. [20:15] Sinners need to sin. [20:16] Jesus says, anyone who sins is a slave to sin, [20:19] but Jesus Christ gives us a victory. [20:21] Over our sin.

[20:23] It is time for you to leave that in the past, [20:26] which also means changing your behavior in the present. [20:30] But really, it means more than that. [20:33] It means having your desires, [20:34] and this is the part that hurts, [20:37] your desires changed through the Holy Spirit.

[20:41] Behavior modification only gets you so far. [20:44] Anybody can change their outward behavior [20:47] just by popping a pill, joining the military, [20:50] or becoming a Pharisee. [20:52] God isn’t in the business of mere external behavior [20:56] modification.

[20:58] Many of you here are still ruled by the passions [21:01] of your flesh and you don’t even realize it. [21:03] We’re not to be concerned with these things, [21:06] much less consumed by them in the way that the world is. [21:09] We feel sorry for ourselves [21:10] because we don’t have the things that the world has,

[21:13] forgetting all the time that we’re not of this world. [21:15] The Son of Man didn’t even have anywhere to lay his head. [21:18] We are generally wicked people. [21:22] We are universally wicked people, [21:24] but I’m speaking here of a church [21:26] who set ourselves up for failure

[21:28] by following a worldly rubric for success. [21:33] Why do we lust for the things that they supposedly have [21:36] when we have everything in Christ? [21:39] Why are you so empty? [21:40] When to the world you seem so full? [21:43] So many of you want to pose as a Purple Heart recipient.

[21:48] A hero wounded in combat. [21:51] And so you seek, following the sins [21:53] that Peter lays out here in the text, [21:55] you seek to justify, for example, [21:59] your perverse sexual proclivities and infidelities [22:02] by lying to yourself that you’re just uniquely complex

[22:06] and mature in a way that others cannot understand. [22:10] You excuse your addiction to porn because you’re lonely, [22:14] but the truth is that you’re too lustful, [22:17] lazy, and controlling to put in the work [22:20] to actually love a real human being. [22:24] You’re just an old sinner,

[22:28] afraid to face the depravity of your own heart. [22:33] The same is true of you who self-medicate [22:37] through alcohol every night, [22:39] or worse, are addicted to prescription pain pills [22:43] or psychotropic drugs. [22:45] Those are meant to pull you out of the ditch,

[22:48] not drive you into one. [22:50] Now, I know, you don’t have to tell me, [22:52] I’m not a medical doctor. [22:54] And no, I’m not opposed to medication. [22:58] But I have seen far too many people [23:00] destroy their lives through substances

[23:03] that they swear are going to help them. [23:06] You act as though you have your life altogether [23:08] because, say, you go to therapy twice a week, [23:12] while at the same time saying that your life [23:14] is perpetually falling apart [23:15] so that you need therapy in the first place.

[23:18] If the major premise of your argument [23:21] for modern mental health treatment [23:22] is that you can’t trust the deliverances [23:24] of your own mind, you might want to rethink that argument. [23:29] I’m not saying there are no exceptions. [23:30] I’m not saying this applies to you,

[23:32] and I’m certainly not trying to harm you. [23:34] I am saying these things because I am trying to help. [23:38] But the church in America is, by and large, [23:42] in bondage to preventable sins [23:46] that we have dressed up to be presentable. [23:50] Sex, drugs, and alcohol remain the major factors

[23:55] in people taking out their anger on pastors, [23:58] chewing out the church, and forsaking the faith. [24:01] You don’t know how to fight sin. [24:05] You refuse to cut it off through your will. [24:07] You’re enslaved by your emotions. [24:08] And yet you refuse to take on the mentality

[24:11] of your Messiah, Jesus Christ. [24:14] The proper response is this. [24:16] This is a terrible thing that I am about to overcome [24:20] and able to overcome through Christ Jesus, my Lord. [24:25] Maybe I do need medicine. [24:26] Maybe I do need therapy.

[24:28] Maybe I do need accountability software. [24:30] Maybe I need anyone or all of these supplements [24:33] to get the job done, but I will not allow them [24:36] to be substitutes for the power of the Spirit of God. [24:40] Separate yourselves from sinners [24:43] who would lead you astray in any of these ways

[24:47] that we have talked about. [24:49] Don’t be surprised when they are surprised [24:52] that you will not join them in their corrupt manner of living. [24:57] Don’t be washed away in the flood along with them. [25:00] Do not engage in their debauchery. [25:03] Expect to be maligned.

[25:05] Expect to be rejected. [25:07] You know, I’m just going to tell it like it is. [25:11] I think you’ll agree at the end of this little blurb here. [25:14] I don’t listen, in general, to unhealthy people [25:17] about how to be healthy or obese people about how to be thin. [25:22] I don’t listen to unmarried men about how to love my wife

[25:24] or to pet parents about how to raise my children. [25:27] I don’t listen to students with no more than a bachelor’s [25:30] degree about how I should read or write. [25:32] I don’t listen to poor people about how to be rich. [25:35] And although I am quick to listen to others, [25:37] and I am quick to listen to others,

[25:39] and don’t assume that I know everything, [25:42] I do not listen to these types of people. [25:44] And I certainly, without regret, without embarrassment, [25:47] without pause, will not, under any circumstances, [25:51] listen to unbelievers about how I should manage my time [25:55] and live my life in Christ Jesus.

[25:58] We need to recover what was known [26:01] as the doctrine of separation that is in Scripture. [26:04] 1 Corinthians 15, 33-34 says, Do not be deceived. [26:09] Bad company ruins good morals. [26:11] Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right. [26:14] And do not go on sinning.

[26:16] For some have no knowledge of God. [26:18] I say this to your shame. [26:20] 2 Corinthians 6, 14-18, Do not be unequally yoked [26:24] with unbelievers. [26:25] For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? [26:29] Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

[26:32] What accord has Christ with Belial? [26:35] Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? [26:39] What agreement has the temple of God with idols? [26:42] For we are the temple of the living God. [26:45] As God said, I will make my dwelling among them [26:47] and walk among them.

[26:48] I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [26:52] Therefore, go out from their midst. [26:54] Be separate from them, says the Lord. [26:56] Touch no unclean thing. [26:58] Then I will welcome you. [27:00] I’ll be a father to you.

[27:01] You shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. [27:05] Our Savior Himself was a man who was despised. [27:08] He was rejected by others. [27:10] He was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. [27:13] People hid their faces from Him. [27:16] They despised Him and did not esteem Him.

[27:18] And Jesus passes that blessing on in Matthew 5, [27:21] verses 10 through 12. [27:23] He says, blessed are those who are persecuted [27:26] for righteousness’ sake. [27:27] Not because people don’t like you. [27:29] Not because you’re not fun to be around.

[27:31] Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. [27:34] For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [27:37] Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you [27:40] and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. [27:44] Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. [27:49] For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

[27:54] In John 15, 18 through 21, Jesus says, [27:56] If the world hates you, know that it’s hated me [27:59] before it hated you. [28:01] If you were of the world, the world [28:02] would love you as its own. [28:04] But because you’re not of the world,

[28:06] but I chose you out of the world, [28:08] therefore the world hates you. [28:10] Remember the word that I said to you. [28:12] A servant is not greater than his master. [28:14] If they persecuted me, they’ll also persecute you. [28:17] If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

[28:20] But all these things they will do to you [28:22] on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. [28:28] You are Christ to others. [28:31] You smell like death to unbelievers [28:34] and life to those who know Jesus Christ. [28:38] Don’t entertain even the slightest sinful temptation.

[28:43] Has it ever occurred to you to ask, [28:45] why is it that these people, these Gentiles, [28:47] these sinners are so jealous anyway? [28:49] Well, they want to impose their desires upon other people. [28:52] Their surprise are taken back when they can’t do so. [28:55] When people don’t like the things that they like,

[28:58] it leads them to dislike and hatred and envy and jealousy, [29:02] anger, gossip, maliciousness and slander. [29:05] Listen, friendships serve the kingdom of God [29:08] and not the other way around. [29:12] I cannot tell you not to spend time with your extended family [29:15] or friends or acquaintances, nor would I.

[29:19] Having family and friends is a natural and good gift [29:22] from God. [29:23] Grace does not destroy nature or those natural relationships. [29:28] However, having family and friends in the car with you [29:31] doesn’t mean that they get to ride shotgun. [29:34] They don’t.

[29:35] Your life has changed. [29:36] If you’re a Christian, Christ comes first [29:40] and you are on mission for him. [29:43] Recognize, folks, that there are people in this world [29:46] who can bring you down. [29:48] They’re even eager to bring you down.

[29:50] They’re shocked when you don’t want to hang out with them [29:52] anymore and desire to do the same things that they desire [29:55] and do when they are together with one another. [29:58] Stay away from them. [30:00] Separate from them. [30:01] Come out from among them.

[30:02] Be different. Be holy. [30:03] I’m not saying anything here that the Bible doesn’t say. [30:06] Be committed to the cause of Christ above all else. [30:08] This passage this morning in Peter [30:10] changes the way you relate to people [30:12] because now you know that you will be hated by others

[30:15] who do not belong to Christ. [30:17] And there’s nothing biblical that you can do about that [30:19] except to work toward their conversion. [30:22] Don’t follow the worldly ways of evangelicalism [30:25] that practices apologetics by accommodation, [30:28] trying to win the world over through worldly means

[30:31] and coddling their gross sins [30:33] as though they’re merely insignificant errors. [30:35] They’re not. [30:36] You don’t have a lot to learn from the world. [30:39] You don’t need to store up social capital [30:41] in order to boldly speak the truth to them.

[30:43] You have the truth already. [30:45] Speak it in Christ. [30:47] We don’t have enough time here on earth [30:49] to tiptoe around having the hard conversations. [30:51] Today, some of you need to go home, rip off the bandaid, [30:54] take care of that, be loved or be hated for Christ’s sake.

[30:59] People who leave off going to church indefinitely [31:04] or excommunicated from church [31:06] eventually run all the way off the rails. [31:08] I was trying to think of an exception to this. [31:10] In all my years of ministry, [31:11] in all my years being a Christian,

[31:12] I cannot think of a single example [31:14] of someone who was excommunicated [31:16] or indefinitely stopped going to church [31:17] and they didn’t run off the rails even further. [31:21] The reasons people give for leaving churches, [31:25] I’m sure that you know this,

[31:27] they’re rarely the real reasons that they left. [31:30] Be careful with whom you choose to associate [31:33] when they’ve been burnt by a church in the past, [31:36] we’re put under church discipline, [31:37] go from place to place every few years [31:40] or disagree with the direction of the church

[31:42] with which you have covenanted. [31:45] They’re almost always out to pull you down, [31:48] to draw you away for their own selfish vindication. [31:53] I was right, I’ll prove it. [31:55] You don’t know what they did to me. [31:57] Even professing Christians will at times

[32:00] slander a pastor or church members [32:02] on their way out the door [32:04] and those who hear the gossip never even bother [32:07] to hear the leadership [32:09] or the church’s side of the story. [32:11] Folks, listen, this is not just for village church.

[32:13] I’ve been doing this a while. [32:15] I’ve been in a lot of different churches. [32:17] Listen to me, drama is often far more attractive [32:20] to us than Jesus Christ. [32:24] God will judge everything you do. [32:29] Verses five through six here,

[32:30] God will judge everything you do. [32:33] The word of the Lord says, [32:34] but they, that is those who are maligning the Christians, [32:37] they will give account to him [32:39] who is ready to judge the living and the dead. [32:42] For this is why the gospel was preached

[32:44] even to those who are dead, [32:46] that though judged in the flesh the way people are, [32:48] they might live in the spirit the way God does. [32:52] Sinners will be judged. [32:55] Society mocks that so much [32:57] that even preaching here at times

[32:59] when I speak of the judgment of God [33:00] or get a little excited in the pulpit, [33:04] people think, what is this deal? [33:07] What is this, what’s going on? [33:10] I take this seriously, like I’ve staked my life on this. [33:13] God will judge the sinners.

[33:16] It’s coming. [33:18] With only very rare exception, by the way, [33:22] the gospel has been preached to people. [33:24] American evangelicalism, especially online right now, [33:26] is so obsessed right now with this concept [33:28] of natural theology and natural law.

[33:31] And at times I think we’ve forgotten [33:32] that most people have access to the written word of God. [33:36] Certainly God is going to judge us by his law [33:40] that is written in nature. [33:41] But more than that, God’s gonna judge us by his book. [33:44] God’s gonna judge us by the Bible.

[33:47] We are judged in the flesh, this text says, [33:50] as a matter of being sinful people. [33:52] It’s possible for us to live though [33:55] in the spirit the way that God does. [33:59] The Gentile centers in this account this morning [34:00] will give an account to God simply for maligning Christians.

[34:04] That seems like such a small thing [34:06] to be judged for. [34:07] And yet it is counted by Peter in the first century [34:10] Palestine as part of the persecution of believers. [34:14] God is ready and willing to judge these sinful people [34:18] for the things they speak against Christians.

[34:21] In Matthew 12, 36 through 37, Jesus says, [34:24] I tell you, on the day of judgment, [34:26] people will give account for every careless word [34:30] they speak. [34:31] For by your words, you will be justified. [34:33] And by your words, you will be condemned.

[34:37] Proverbs 11, nine, with his mouth, [34:39] the godless man would destroy his neighbor. [34:42] But by knowledge, the righteous are delivered. [34:45] Proverbs 11, 12 through 13, [34:46] whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense. [34:49] But a man of understanding remains silent.

[34:53] Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, [34:55] but he who is trustworthy in spirit, [34:57] keeps a thing covered. [34:58] And finally in James 3, 8 through 10, [35:00] no human being can tame the tongue. [35:04] It is a restless evil full of deadly poison.

[35:07] With it, we bless our Lord and Father. [35:08] And with it, we curse people who are made [35:10] in the likeness of God. [35:11] From the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. [35:14] My brothers, these things ought not to be so. [35:18] God is even eager to judge.

[35:21] Ah, you middle-aged, middle-class, [35:25] midlothian people.

[35:29] You are judgy people. [35:32] It’s okay, because I judge you back, [35:35] you just won’t ever know it.

[35:39] What I may lack in wit, I make up for [35:41] through silent amusement.

[35:44] Some of you need to study the saying, [35:46] people who live in glass houses shouldn’t cast stones. [35:50] But ultimately, your judgment and mine [35:53] don’t matter the most. [35:55] God is ready to judge the living and the dead. [35:58] God has a purpose for the gospel being preached.

[36:00] God has the gospel preached even before Christ [36:03] walked on the earth through the Old Testament prophets, [36:05] the types, the figures. [36:07] The gospel here, though, notice, has two purposes. [36:11] It brings judgment and life. [36:14] The purpose of the gospel here

[36:15] is to judge those in the flesh, [36:18] condemn them for sinful living, [36:20] convict them of sin and righteousness, [36:21] and coming judgment. [36:22] But the gospel also brings eternal life, [36:27] spiritual life, life like God’s.

[36:29] We must see people, village, [36:32] first and foremost as recipients of the gospel, [36:36] the good news of Jesus Christ. [36:39] Friendships are out there among pagans. [36:41] Naturally, they exist among Christians, [36:43] even between some Christians and non.

[36:45] But you will still need to view those people [36:48] through the lens of the gospel, [36:49] because that’s the main and most important thing. [36:52] That’s how Jesus lived and the apostles [36:54] as well as the early church, [36:56] even into the modern missions movement.

[36:58] This is how we at Village Church must live as well. [37:01] And if we don’t, then we deserve to grow stagnant and die. [37:05] It’s easy in a church of this size to fall asleep, [37:08] to forget our need to evangelize, [37:10] to make disciples, to continue to multiply and to grow. [37:14] We think we’re really big,

[37:15] but proportionately, what part do we make up [37:17] of Chesterfield County? [37:19] It’s not a big one. [37:20] There’s work to be done. [37:22] Don’t get so comfortable [37:23] that you forget the mission of Christ.

[37:27] And so we should responsibly control our words [37:29] for the kingdom, not slandering others [37:32] as the unbelievers do to us, [37:35] but having the gospel define everything. [37:39] Everything we do is animated by these human passions [37:42] as we’ve discussed.

[37:43] They’re natural, they’re not inherently evil, [37:45] but now they are corrupted through our sin [37:47] and everything you do, even in faith, [37:49] is contaminated by sin, ambition, ministry, [37:53] parenting, love. [37:54] Yet you do a better job

[37:57] harboring sinful inclinations in your heart [37:59] than what you once did, perhaps, [38:01] but the sinful desires are still there, [38:03] and they wage war against you, [38:05] they ruin you, even when you’re at your best. [38:08] The passions, if you wanna know what controls a person,

[38:11] it’s their passions. [38:13] When you peel the layers away, [38:14] you learn that what you see in a person [38:16] comes down to their underlying passions. [38:19] Their desires, what is it that they want? [38:21] What is it that you want?

[38:23] Perhaps you’re the person who takes pride [38:25] in being able to hide those from other people. [38:27] Perhaps you’re the person who potentially wears them [38:29] on your sleep. [38:31] Perhaps you’re thinking about somebody else’s [38:33] primary passion right now,

[38:34] instead of saying you should be dealing with [38:36] in your own heart first.

[38:39] I can’t see the good in people [38:42] when Jesus says he knows what’s in the heart of man. [38:46] When Paul says that he knows what’s in his flesh, [38:49] he’s saying, well, nothing good. [38:51] I don’t hold out much hope [38:53] that Christians can act like Christians

[38:57] even after conversion. [39:00] What do I mean? [39:01] Moral imperatives make us feel great when we meet them, [39:04] but we arbitrarily choose those, you know, [39:07] some rather than others, [39:09] and usually they’re based upon our natural tendencies.

[39:12] I’m not preaching antinomianism now. [39:15] I’m not against the law. [39:16] The law is good. [39:18] The law of God is good, [39:19] but you’re an absolute failure in keeping it. [39:22] Even after your conversion,

[39:24] the corruption of your heart is on display. [39:27] None of the law in that regard can save you. [39:31] The only hope that you have of doing any of the law [39:34] is faith in Jesus Christ, [39:37] the Spirit of God indwelling you [39:39] and constant attention to these things.

[39:43] This is what worries me about the twofold purpose [39:45] of the gospel I was talking about a moment ago, [39:47] judgment and life. [39:49] So many of you are here for self-help [39:52] and wonder why week in and week out, [39:54] you can’t seem to bring your life into conformity

[39:57] with the things that are being said [39:58] to just simply fix your problems, an easy fix. [40:01] That’s because there is no easy fix. [40:04] You’re tinkering with your thought life psychologically [40:06] when God sent his son to be crucified for your sins. [40:11] You need the gospel, but you despise it

[40:14] because it reminds you of how much of a loser you are [40:17] in keeping any of God’s law. [40:19] There is proof of that judgment in this life [40:22] when you look around at sinners [40:23] and what they’ve done in their lives [40:25] and the consequences they face.

[40:27] But you also know of the consequences [40:29] that are coming in God’s judgment in the end. [40:32] And yes, I do want you to feel guilty [40:35] over the depths and the weight of your sin, [40:38] just as I do mine. [40:40] But merely feeling bad, being guilty is not enough.

[40:44] You must change your behavior, [40:47] but simply changing your behavior is also not enough. [40:52] You need a heart change from within. [40:55] This and only this is true repentance. [40:58] And if you don’t constantly experience that [41:01] as a part of your spiritual growth,

[41:03] then you can be absolutely sure [41:05] that you’re not a Christian. [41:07] You’re sinning your way to hell. [41:10] The substitutionary suffering of Jesus [41:13] through his life and death in the flesh [41:16] is the only way that you can be brought to God

[41:20] through his resurrection from the grave, [41:22] forgiven of your sins, [41:24] given a righteous standing in God’s sight. [41:27] God wants to remind you this morning [41:30] that each one of you is responsible [41:33] for how you will receive his word.

[41:36] Can’t do it for you. [41:38] Turn away from evil and trust in Christ. [41:42] Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus. [41:45] But before you do, realize that making [41:47] that type of profession comes with severe consequences. [41:51] Christ’s suffering changes what you live for

[41:54] so that past sins no longer define you [41:57] as you live your life in anticipation of that day [42:02] when Jesus judges the living and the dead. [42:06] And so choose God’s will when it is difficult [42:12] is our first point of application this morning. [42:16] Secondly, do not entertain the slightest sinful temptation.

[42:23] And finally, responsibly control your words for the kingdom. [42:29] It arrived in Christ Jesus who paid the price [42:33] and gave his life for us.