Having the Mind of Christ
Book of 1 Peter
Chapter 4:1-11
Remember in our last
lesson the Apostle Peter talked a lot about our conscience and today
the Holy Spirit will take this to the next level.
If you have been a
Christian for any length of time, you have realized that being a
Christian is not always easy and the Lord has never said it would be.
In fact the Lord has warned us all along that we would suffer
persecution.
Many unbelievers in
this world reject Christianity just because they know they will be
hated, not only by the world, but even by their close friends, who if
they took a close look some were already their enemies.
True friends would
never lead you to a life of alcohol.
True friends would
never lead you to a life of drugs.
True friends would
never lead you to a life of immorality.
A true friend that
loved you would always have the best interest for you in mind!
The world will often
ridicule and mock the believer and even abuse the believer, some even
to the point of death.
The greatest way we
as Christians can deal with these things, is to remove our guilty
conscience and install the mind of Christ and the Scriptures teaches
us how to do all these things!
The very first
things we are to do, is to make sure we are in the will of God!
*****1Pe 4:1
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;
1Pe 4:2 That he no
longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh "to the
lusts of men, but to the will of God".
If we think about
it, what was Christ's greatest attribute? The patient, submissive,
and unwavering trust in the wisdom and love of His Father!
Jesus Christ spent
every day in the will of His Father in Heaven!
The Glorious God of
Heaven came to this earth and took on a body of flesh and it is that
body of flesh that suffered so tremendously!
Our Redeemer is so
far above us, that we cannot fathom the "Glory World", but
He is also walking right beside us to hold us up through our own
suffering. "Oh, What a Savior"
Why is it so
important for us to be in God's will?
1Jn 2:17 And the
world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will
of God abideth for ever.
When we are in the
will of God, the world will see us as being like the Lord Jesus
Christ!
Heb 13:20 Now the
God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that
great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenant,
Heb 13:21 Make you
perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which
is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory
for ever and ever. Amen.
What is our job in
this world?
Eph 6:6 Not with
eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the
will of God "from the heart";
Eph 6:7 With good
will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
To be in the will of
God, is to be dead to self and alive through Jesus Christ.
We are the enemies
of sin and immorality, but in many ways our greatest enemy is
ourselves.
We war with our
flesh, when the Lord has already given us victory!
There can be little
doubt that the Lord Jesus suffered most all the things that we suffer
even things that we do not suffer in our lifetime, but we can also be
sure Jesus did not suffer from illnesses because the work He had to
do required a healthy body.
Does that mean just
because Jesus had no sin and neither was sin in His heart that He was
healthier than most, I'm sure this was part of it.
Does it mean that
the diet that Jesus ate was healthier, again I'm sure this was also a
part of it.
It took a strong
healthy body for the Lord to endure the things that He did in the
flesh, but He also was in the complete will of His Father.
Another thing we
know is that the Lord Jesus Christ never allowed Himself to be
absorbed in His own sorrows. He was always ready to be a part of
other people’s joys, but at the same time He would also be a help
through their griefs even if His griefs were far worse!
You see Jesus Christ
did not come to this earth to suffer for Himself, He came to suffer
for me and to suffer for you!
This is when we are
to arm ourselves with the same mind!
As long as we are in
the complete will of our Heavenly Father, He will keep us healthy to
continue the work of the Lord!
I dare say not many
of us have all our lifetime pursued the things of God.
*****1Pe 4:3 For
the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of
the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of
wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
What great truth are
we to be reminded of? It is about time we are fed up with sin!
We must be fed up
with the sin in our lives, until we hate that it was ever a part of
us!
We must be fed up
with the sin in this world, and do what we can to show we are against
it!
As Christians, we
all have an old life and in our old life we each have sin that caused
the Lord Jesus Christ to suffer for our sins. Remember Jesus had no
sin at all!
That old sinful life
must be behind us and it must remain behind us!
There is no part of
that sin that can be a part of our new "Born Again" life!
So many do reject this today.
Enough is enough, we
are to walk in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Only a few of these
things are mentioned, but they will cover all sin.
**Lasciviousness
means shameless conduct of any kind, period!
Filthiness,
indecency, shamelessness, without restraint, things that are far
worse than just doing wrong!
We do not have to go
on any further to see that these things are taking over America
today.
**Lusts is not only
sexual desire which is running rampant and even called natural to
evolutionist, who say we come from animals and no worse from a bunch
of rabbits.
Lust can be a strong
desire of any kind.
Lust is a strong
desire and when mixed with passion and craving is destructive to the
soul.
Lust of this sort
can never be satisfied!
Notice if it drugs
or alcohol it is called addiction and there is a great need for help.
The answer is to say no to these things and yes to Jesus.
If it is all the
sexual lust in our world, it is just called a natural habit that is
in our culture as human beings.
We live a world of
free sex, but no responsibility for the outcome, in fact expecting
some taxpayer to pay for their sin.
**Excess of wine: It
should be evident this is not talking about grape juice. The
Christian world would understand that we are to do what Jesus said
and not what major denominations say about wine.
Pro 23:29 Who hath
woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who
hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
Pro 23:30 They that
tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Pro 23:31 Look not
thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the
cup, when it moveth itself aright.
There are those who
twist and turn this Scripture, but the Holy Ghost says do not even
look upon alcoholic wine, so certainly we are not to drink it. This
goes for all Christians and in fact all believing Jews!
The excess of wine
means drunkenness which in fact is the sin of covetousness and lust!
Anything we take
into our bodies that affect our senses, can loosen our moral
restraint!
Pro 23:32 At the
last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
Pro 23:33 Thine
eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse
things.
Pro 23:34 Yea, thou
shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that
lieth upon the top of a mast.
Pro 23:35 They have
stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me,
and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
**Revelings: Some
would say carousing which is hard drinking, abusing freedoms, over
indulgence. Some would say too much party life, and orgies. In truth
it is just feeding the lusts of the flesh without restraint!
1Th 5:4 But ye,
brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a
thief.
1Th 5:5 Ye are all
the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the
night, nor of darkness.
1Th 5:6 Therefore
let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
1Th 5:7 For they
that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken
in the night.
**Banquetings: Are
no more than drinking parties, or drug parties or marijuana parties.
People gathering to partake of their sinful nature!
Rom 13:13 Let us
walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in
chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Rom 13:14 But put
ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to
fulfil the lusts thereof.
**Abominable
Idolatries: This is the worship of idols and anything that is placed
between you and God is an idol.
These can be
man-made things, but also things of the mind. Devoting yourself to
anything that is not of God!
These are the very
ones who are in Hell looking up wishing they had changed their ways
but refused to do so too many times!
Rev 22:15 For
without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and
idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
These are old
friends or acquaintances or lookers on who think it is you who are
strange!
*****1Pe 4:4
Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same
excess of riot, speaking evil of you:
1Pe 4:5 Who shall
give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
People today think
Christians are "judgmental" when they reject all these
things mentioned here.
When we have "the
mind of Christ" we can see how the world looks upon us.
The world just
cannot understand why we would want to be different from them.
The world just
cannot understand why we do not accept the things they accept.
The world has taken
that word freedom to mean unhindered in all the things of the mind
and a distinct hatred for authority and anyone else who thinks they
are wrong! In fact they are so full of hatred toward those who object
to their line of thought they are willing to kill and maim and murder
all in the name of their freedoms!
We Christians are
hated just for what we stand for! Freedoms that extend no further
than the Word of God! I made a choice to be free with the freedom
that Jesus gave me, and He gave me the freedom to stay away from the
people of the world that go against the Word of God.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore
come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and
touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will
be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith
the Lord Almighty.
To give in to the
world is to go against my holy Father!
My Father is also
the "Judge" of this world!
All those in the
world will stand before my mighty Father and give an account for
everything they have done, and they will not be able to use the
excuse that no one told them.
Even if that was
true, it is still a lie because they have observed how the Christian
has lived and they have rejected that and in doing so they have
rejected the Lord Jesus Christ!
Mat_5:16 Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father which is in heaven.
The love of our
Father in Heaven means that we must condemn the world while at the
same time reaching out to those who are caught up in this world!
God sets a high
standard, but it is truly a standard that makes sense even if you are
not a believer!
The world will say
we are only superstitious, but the fact is they are only half right.
We have a SUPER FATHER in Heaven!
God loves us all so
much that He makes sure we all hear or see the truth, so we can make
up our own minds about the truth of God!
*****1Pe 4:6 For
this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that
they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live
according to God in the spirit.
Was the Gospel
preached in the time of Adam? The coming of the Messiah has always
been preached. His coming at two different times was just missed by
many of those who ignored the prophets or those who decided they were
more important than the truth of God!
Jud_1:14 And Enoch
also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the
Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
Those people
rejected the truth then just as they do today!
Besides Elijah and
Enoch, every child of God who was a child by faith, whose soul has
returned to God in Heaven, but they left a sack of flesh to be buried
in some grave, or burnt to non-existence, or slipped into the oceans
or some were just left to rot or consumed by beast.
It was not important
that the flesh be saved as the souls that loved the Lord returned to
Him!
2Co_5:6 Therefore
we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the
body, we are absent from the Lord:
2Co_5:8 We are
confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and
to be present with the Lord.
Again Paul wrote
Php 1:21 For to me
to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Php 1:22 But if I
live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall
choose I wot not.
Php 1:23 For I am
in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with
Christ; which is far better:
Php 1:24
Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
This is not just a
doctrine of the New Testament, it is the doctrine of all the
Scriptures!
Enoch new and Job
who lived around the time of Abraham new!
Job 19:25 For I
know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter
day upon the earth:
Job 19:26 And
though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I
see God:
Job 19:27 Whom I
shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another;
though my reins be consumed within me.
God smiles every
time a child of God leaves that flesh behind and goes back home to
his Creator!
Psa_116:15 Precious
in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
The same cannot be
said of the souls of those who reject the Lord!
1Sa 25:29 Yet a man
is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my
lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and
the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the
middle of a sling.
Before the Lord came
to pay the debt for our souls, the coming of the Messiah was preached
to all who would listen to the truth!
Since the Lord came
and then returned to Heaven, the Gospel is preached of the Second
Coming of the Messiah.
God is going to
judge this world!
This has been the
message since the time of Adam. Yes God destroyed much of the world
in the time of Noah, but God will destroy this entire world after His
Second Coming.
Immorality is
returning as in the days of Noah, the world does not care, but
endorses all immorality and God will burn this world with fire
whenever He gets ready.
What truth do we
know?
If the Church was
"raptured" today there would be at least 1007 years until
the time of the destruction of this world!
The "Gospel"
is preached so the world will know the judgment of God while they are
still in the flesh!
The "Gospel"
is preached to warn those who have rejected the Lord for one last
time.
The "Gospel"
is preached to offer eternal life to anyone, who will believe!
(My God can save
anybody, anywhere, at any time)
The point being,
those whose flesh remains, are left on upon this earth to return to
the dust from which it was created, and had accepted the "Gospel",
have heard the truth of God, have heard the coming judgment, but
because they accepted the "Gospel" of the Lord Jesus
Christ, will miss out on the coming "Judgment of God"!
They already live
with God!
They already possess
the life that God has given them!
They are already
living forever according to the promise of God!
If we realize these
things are completely true, bury them in our heart, forget the
promises of this world, which are vain, we can have that peace like a
river.
Isa 66:12 For thus
saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and
the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck,
ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.
Isa 66:13 As one
whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be
comforted in Jerusalem.
You see the end of
all things is getting closer every tick of the clock. There may be
1007 years or more left, but the only way to miss all the "judgment"
of God is to accept the "Gospel" today while you are still
in your flesh!
*****1Pe 4:7 But
the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch
unto prayer.
The end of all
earthly promises is at hand.
The end of worldly
enjoyments is at hand.
The end of trials
and sorrows are at hand.
The end of
privileges is at hand.
The end of
opportunities is at hand.
The wrath and the
judgment of God are at hand!
After the Bride of
Christ has been removed, there will be 7 years of tribulation, the
last 3 and 1/2 years, will be wrath like has never been seen.
Then 1000 years of
the reign of King Jesus, where He will deal with the Jews and those
nations that helped the Jews, the Church will already be with Him
when He returns to this earth.
Keep this in mind,
but while these things still exist and before the rapture of the
Bride of Christ, we need to have the mind of Christ now!
To live sober lives
is to be serious about the plan of God given to us in the Scriptures,
have a sound mind according to the Word of God, always in control of
our beliefs and our thoughts, self-restrained from temptation, and to
be calm and sensible in this evil world!
Our main thought
should be that the return of Jesus Christ is imminent!
All remaining
prophesies concern the Jewish nation, the Church is only waiting on
her Husband, waiting on the "trumpet" to blow at any moment
alerting her(the Church) it is time to leave this world!
We are to be busier
in the House of God to carry His message outside the house.
It is not time to
hide, it is time to put on the work gloves (the Scriptures) and work
even harder to break up that fallow ground (the lost) and our lost
family members so they are not left behind!
Life is precious to
the Lord, because He is all about life and the Giver of life!
God already knows
what we are going to do, so He has the tools ready for us, if we will
just get busy at the work the Lord Jesus gave us to do.
It is not time to
give up on the Lord!
It is not time to
quit on the Lord!
It is not time to
listen to those in this evil world!
It is not time to
stray from the Word of God!
It is time to be
sober minded and watch unto prayer!
To "watch"
is to see how the Word of God is unfolding in our world today, but
also remembering God's Word will never come back void.
The Word of God will
do what God sends it out to do!
It will bring Holy
Ghost conviction to those who hear it, or it will make an enemy.
Rom 12:3 For I say,
through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not
to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think
soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of
faith.
But this is not all.
It is not time to
forget about the love of God!
*****1Pe 4:8 And
above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity
shall cover the multitude of sins.
1Pe 4:9 Use
hospitality one to another without grudging.
1Pe 4:10 As every
man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another,
as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Charity: The message
of God is love. There is no greater love than the love of God toward
all His creation.
In fact if God had
another name it would be "LOVE"!
Be not mistaken
there is no one upon this earth that God does not love!
There would be "No
Mercy" without the fervent love of God!
There would be "No
Grace" without the fervent love of God!
God has a universal
love and good will toward all mankind, and it goes unnoticed by most
of the world.
There would be no
life without God's air.
There would be no
life without God's water.
There would be no
life without God's food.
Every seed would rot
in the ground, without the fervent love of God!
This world is a much
better place when we also show that fervent love of God to each
other!
For the Christian,
love is the number one witnessing tool we have!
The true Christian
will hate sin without hating the sinner, realizing that sinner walks
according to the devil and we all did the same at one time.
Sin is sin because
it goes against the Word of God.
The only way to
eradicate sin is death! That soul must die to sin and be "Born
Again" into new life and this happens only by the Word of God.
When we show that
love of God to each other, it is then that we can say "Love
Changes Things"!
To love means we are
not hating.
To love means we are
being forgiving.
To love means we are
more likely to reach someone with the message of God!
Joh 13:34 A new
commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have
loved you, that ye also love one another.
Joh 13:35 By this
shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to
another.
Hospitality means we
are to accept one another ungrudgingly!
For the early church
would not have survived without Christians sharing everything with
each other.
Many Churches today
are still in what is called the "Home Church". People who
open their homes because of the love of God and invite strangers into
their homes!
In fact hospitality
is important in every church, or what would that lost soul think when
they walked into the church of today.
Every home is to be
the center of Christian love, fellowship and outreach, and this is to
spread throughout the Church!
Everything we have
belongs to God and we are to share those things to "glorify
God"!
God has even given
each of us a gift and it is to be used to glorify Him!
Spirit gifts come to
us after the Holy Spirit moves into our souls.
The Holy Spirit may
expand on talents we had before He moved in, but these are not the
same as Spiritual gifts.
1Co 12:4 Now there
are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1Co 12:11 But all
these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man
severally as he will.
1Co 12:13 For by
one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or
Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink
into one Spirit.
Notice it is the
Holy Spirit who decides what gifts we need for the work He has given
us to do, and He may add to or subtract to those gifts as time goes
on.
These have nothing
to do with the "fruit of the Spirit" which is given to us
all!
So what are
"Spiritual Gifts"?
We could say that
these gifts are "Grace Gifts" because of our "faith"
in the Lord Jesus Christ, because there is no other way to receive
the gifts of the Holy Spirit!
1Co 12:3 Wherefore
I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God
calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the
Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
1Co 12:6 And there
are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh
all in all.
Another thing we
should understand about the gifts of God, they do not make us better
youth workers or better adult workers.
These gifts do not
make us better workers in the slums, or in foreign countries, or in
cities, or in the country. The gifts of the Holy Spirit work
everywhere the Holy Spirit sends us!
The gifts of the
Holy Spirit are a benefit to mankind on a Spiritual level!
Natural talents,
though a gift of God through our parents are a benefit to God on a
natural level, but they too, should be used for the purposes of God
for maximum benefit!
We should have the
benefits of God on our minds at all times!
*****1Pe 4:11 If
any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man
minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God
in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be
praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Once a lost person
has observed us and they will.
Once a lost person
has seen our love, and they will know.
The next thing is
what do they hear coming out of our mouths?
The Oracles of God
would include His Prophesies, but oracles are all the communications
from God which are bound up in what we call the Bible.
When we are in
conversations, we must never refrain some saying "thus sayeth
the Lord".
We need to explain
God's side to all we come in contact with.
They have only heard
the lies of the world. They do not need to hear worldly things come
from our mouths.
When we are busy
about the work of the Lord, then let's use all the abilities God have
has given us. These would be the gifts of the Holy Spirit as we have
just discussed.
If we have other
talents, such as singing or other musical talents, then they too
should be used to promote the Word of God, the "Gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ".
There are certainly
Books called the "Gospels" but all the Word of God is the
"Gospel of Jesus Christ"!
They tell us of His
First Coming before the Church and His Second Coming after the
Church.
It is the Lord Jesus
Christ who bought us from the slave market of sin. He owns us!
Surely, we can use anything and all things the Lord has provided to
glorify God, in Christ, in everything we do.
We should be busy
today!
Notice that this was
Peter's prayer, and we need to pray for such things also!
Amen!
Let's just Pray Now!
