Armor and a Sword

571.  "Armor and a Sword"                       July 26, 2012
1 Peter 4-Part 1
Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin. For he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.  1 Peter 4:1-2

LET IT GLOW

When he was a little boy, our son got a plastic armor and sword as a gift. He played the knight senerio day after day. He would ride his three-wheeler around rescuing whomever, fighting the bad men. With all that on, he was ready for anything that came his way.
Am I ready for the challenges of today? Am I dressed in God's armor? (See Ephesians 6:17)

We know that Christ suffered physical pain while He hung on the cross, yet He endured it all so you and I would not have to pay for our sins. Our sins were imputed to Christ. He was the perfect sacrifical Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world. His blood washes our souls clean.  He willingly did it because of His love for us. May I never get over it.

Peter would later face his own martyrdom for the cause of Christ. Peter was faithful to the end for the glory of God. How about you and me? Will we be faithful to the end?

LET IT GROW

What does Peter tell me to do in these verses?

• Arm yourself. Arm (hoplizomai in Greek), means to equip or outfit as one would outfit an army unit with the best possible weapons for a paarticular battle.
• Be of the same mind as Christ. The best weapoon here ould be the same mind (ennoia in Greek), or view toward the suffering that Christ Himself had. It was not that Christ enjoyed suffering, but He endured it in order to accomplish our salvation (3:18).
• Cease from sin. Christ suffered at the hands of sinful men so He could stop their sinning.
• Live no longer in the flesh. This is the reason or purpose for so equipping oneself.
• Live to do the will of God.

You won't spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. NLT verse 2

Many of us are defeated in our battle against sin because we refuse to sacrifice anything in the battle. We only want victory if it comes easily to us. Jesus called us to have the kind of attitude that would sacrifice in the battle against sin. (Matt. 5:29-30) (Guzik)

As Christ suffered for you, do ye likewise for Him, for His Gospel. Bear all; die to sin; live unto righteousness. (Gill)

Live in the the Spirit according to the will of God. (Baker)

The work of a Christian is twofold-doing the will of God and suffering His pleasure. Christ put to death the body of sin by self-denial and mortification. He died to destroy sin. the beginning of the true mortification lies in the mind (Eph. 4:18). ( M.Henry)

What's the worst case senerio? A believer suffers unjustly in death. The best that could happen? Their death means the final end of all sins-eternal life. So the threat of death should not be a threat to the Christian.

As believers live for the will of God, their values change; and they align their lives with God's desires, the stated principles and commands in His Word. For the Christian, life's deepest concern is not what human appetites desire, but what God's will dictates. Life becomes a precious resource that cannot be wasted by "doing what the pagans choose to do." (Shepherd's Notes)


Am I living the remainder of my life pursuing the holy will of God rather than the ungodly lusts of the flesh.

LET IT GO

Drop those ungodly lusts of the flesh that surround me.

Arm my mind with the armor of God-His helmet of salvation, breastplate of His righteousness, His truth, His peace, His sword of His Word, His shield of faith.

Stop sinning, repeating those same sins.

Live to do the will of God, not my will.