The Word - God Said - “Dead To Sin, Alive To Christ” - 1 Peter 4:1-6

And we're only going to be going through chapter

4, 1 through 6. Before we get started, let's

pray. Father, I want to thank you so much that

you are so good. Lord, I do praise you for this

day that we celebrate moms. and how you have

called us as your people to be a holy people.

Lord, I do ask that you would bless the moms

who have little ones and bless the moms who have

lost sons and daughters. Bless the moms who have

seen their kids grow and move out of the house

and start their own families and bless the daughters

who are now moms. And Lord, we ask for not only

grace for moms to accomplish what you have called

them to do, which is to lead the kids in righteousness,

to learn of you, but that you would also bless

them as they are a support and a partner in life

to their husbands. We thank you and praise you

for your goodness, for your wisdom. We thank

you and praise you that you have knit together

in this secret place children. And because of

that, you have desire for godly offspring. And

through your wisdom, you have done that through

the womb of a woman. We do praise you and we

thank you. We ask that you would give us your

wisdom as we open up your word. In Jesus' name.

Amen. So I'm going to read verse 1 through 6.

Before I do 1 through 6, I'm going to particularly

read 1 Peter 3 .18 because verse 1 through 6

is really the continuation of what Peter is saying

here. You guys know that Peter is writing a letter

to the dispersed believers. Throughout the area.

They have been dispersed due to heavy persecution.

They're living in caves. And so Peter is really

challenging them to live holy in a very difficult

time. And in reality, I think it's kind of fitting

for today, though. As we're going through this

letter. Because we live in a very... depleted

moral country. It is sad to see the post -Christian

nation that we've become. And I can't help but

think that there are several different things.

One, the joy of, or not the joy, the absolute

desire and excitement to lavish and debauchery.

It's crazy. But it's also this missingness of

holiness. Of what does it truly mean to be a

believer? And then lastly, The reality of what

is missing in the pulpit of the church today,

which is chapter 5. So I'll just build on that

Isaiah 5 · chapter mention

as we move into chapter 5 two weeks from now.

But it all really stems from this understanding

of how I should be living out the glory of God

and the holiness of God in my life. And this

is really verse 1 through 6. So in chapter 3,

verse 18, it says, For Christ also suffered once

for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous,

that he might bring us to God, being put to death

in the flesh and made alive in the Spirit. So

Christ suffered once for sin, the unrighteous

for the righteous. And as we get into chapter

4, 1 through 6, I'm going to read these verses.

And I want you to kind of pay attention. Hear

how Peter is really pulling us in this direction.

for the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer

for human passions, but for the will of God.

For the time that is past suffices for doing

what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality

and passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties,

and lawless idolatry. With respect to this, they

are surprised when you do not join them in the

same flood of debauchery. They malign you. But

they will give an account to him who is ready

to judge the living and the dead. 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. So as we're reading this, there's

some things you're like, what does he mean by

preaching even to those who are dead? We will

address that. First principle, I hear a bird.

I'll take it. I'll take it. But it's definitely

a phone issue. How can we who died to sin still

live in it? Do you not know that all of us who

have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized

into his death? Romans 6, 2 -3. That's principle

number one. We were baptized into Christ's death.

We were buried with him. And if we have been

put to death in Christ, our sinful nature has

been put to death in Christ, then why should

we live in sin? It's really the question. Romans

6, 5, it says, for if we have been united with

him in a death like his, we shall certainly be

united with him in a resurrection like his. The

fact that the perfect one, the holy one came,

put on flesh, became sin for us as the scripture

states. He who knew no sin became sin so that

we might become the righteousness of God. And

if our sin has been crucified and buried with

him, why should we continue to live in it? That's

really what he's saying here. So in 1 Peter 1

and 2. 1 Peter 4, 1 and 2. Since therefore Christ

suffered in the flesh, meaning bodily, arm, equip

yourselves with the same way of thinking. And

this word, same way of thinking, is thought or

purpose. And that's an important understanding

here. It's not that I think this way. It's that

my purpose is this way. So if we have been, if

Christ has suffered in the flesh, then we should

equip ourselves with the same purpose. Whoever

has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.

What's the point of Christ's return? Why did

Christ come the first time? To do away with sin.

That was his purpose. He didn't think about it.

He did it. So this idea of a way of thinking

is, it's really the way of life. It's what I

should be doing with my life. And he clarifies

this thought by whoever has suffered in the flesh

has ceased, has been released or to cause to

stop from sin. And we know what this means. We

get it because What we have read in the scripture

is that we have been freed from sin. We're no

longer slaves to sin. We have been released,

not only of the debt of our sin, which is a debt

we could not pay, but we also have been released

from the slavery of sin. And that sin, Christ

has caused us to come to a stop from sin. So

why do I do the things I do not want to do, but

the things I hate, I keep on doing? Yes, that

does exist. But the reality is, we aren't mastered

by sin anymore. Christ is our master. So in verse

2, it says, so as to live for the rest of the

time in the body or in the flesh, no longer.

Make a tea. Or make a tea is another way to say

it. So as to live life for the rest of the time

in the body, never again for human passions is

really what this term means. It's not no longer.

I think it could have been a little bit better

of a translation in the English instead of no

longer. How about never again? Never again implies

some very important things here. That we are

not to strive for human passion, for the desire

for the forbidden. And we talked about the sacred

last week. Do we really seek the sacred or do

we seek the forbidden? And we can't help but

look at what's happening in our world today and

go, there are so many seeking the forbidden.

Even among those who claim they seek the sacred.

What is the sacred? The will of God. So let's

clarify this a little bit simply. We must live

the rest of our lives never again for the desires,

for the forbidden, but for the will of God is

really what Peter is saying here. What do we

seek? What do we desire? What do we give our

mind and time and money and effort to? There's

not a call among the faithful brothers and sisters

to obedience anymore. It's more about... God

loves you and you have to have a wonderful relationship

with him. But Jesus clarifies what that relationship

requires. And this has been something we've been

talking about for almost two years now. And there's

no way to avoid it. It's on every page practically.

Obedience is the key. Not that we obey in order

to be saved, but we obey because we are saved.

I want to obey you because I want to please you.

You saved me. That's what I want to do for you.

And that's exactly what Jesus says. If you love

me, you will obey me. And you've heard this a

lot. Being united with Christ demands that we

live like him in holiness. If we are united with

him, then we must live as he has lived. And we

must walk as he has walked, as Peter said previously.

In Ephesians 4, 20 through 24, but that is not

the way you learned Christ, assuming that you

have heard about him and were taught in him,

as the truth is in Jesus, to put off the old

self, which belongs to your former manner of

life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,

and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds.

And put on the new self created after the likeness

of God in true righteousness and holiness. There

it is again. It does not matter how many places

you turn. The reality of righteous and holy living

requires obedient heart. And in 1 Peter 4, 3

-6 it says, For the time that is past suffices

for doing what the Gentiles want to do. And what

he's saying is, eh. It is what it is with the

pagans. Because that's really what the word term

here, Gentile, can be Gentile, meaning of the

nations, the ethos. Or the pagans, those who

lived and worshipped false idols and did things

that they shouldn't be doing within these temples

of false idols. And that's what Peter is talking

about here. For the time that has passed suffices

for what the Gentiles want to do. They do what

they do. Living. They perpetrate. That's what

this word living means. It's not the word Zoe.

It's not life. It's literally perpetrating. It's

what they do. They perpetrate sensuality. And

sensuality is debauchery. They perpetrate. Passions,

meaning the desire for the forbidden. They perpetrate

drunkenness. And that's just something that we

must be mindful of as believers. It's not an

option here. Orgies. Drinking parties. Now this

is an interesting term. Because you think about

drinking parties. I don't know why they would

say drinking parties because drinking parties

is part of carousing. It's just one way to carouse.

Carousing would have probably been a much better

term here. Because it's like, don't get drunk,

but don't go to drinking parties. Or English.

It's more carousing. And I can't help but think

about carousing in our day. When we think about

carousing, we think about the riots that happen

throughout the cities. The noisy, obnoxious riots.

For what? Living in such a way that you carouse

and that you are noisy and obnoxious and you

just want to create problems. Go to the mall.

I guarantee you're going to see some 16, 17 year

old loud and obnoxious. They just can't help

themselves. That's what he means by carousing.

And I'm not picking on teenagers just to pick

on teenagers. I was one. I was a carouser. Not

a good thing. And then you see this term and

lawless idolatry. Now you would think lawless,

which means lawlessness. And forgive the typo.

It's supposed to be a K, not an H in wicked.

Not witched. So I apologize about that. That's

me typing. But really this idea of lawless idolatry

means the wicked worship of false idols. Because

that's what lawlessness means or lawless, to

be wicked. And that's what Peter is saying here.

Because if you understand why he's talking this

way, the cities that some of the people were

living in had pagan idol temples where they would

go and they would do carousing. And orgies and

all the other things they shouldn't do. So he's

saying, don't be like them. In verse 4 he says,

with respect to this. With respect to what? With

respect to this list I just gave you. With respect

to the way the pagans lived. And you used to

live. Right? With respect to this, they are surprised.

They're astonished. They're shocked. They think

you're strange if you don't join them. Of course

they're going to think you're crazy. Why? Because

they're running headlong over a cliff and you're

like, I'm not doing that. That's crazy. Like,

come on. We're having a party. It's fun. And

I know a couple of gentlemen that deal with this

on a regular basis. This idea that these guys

who call themselves men, who are actually little

boys, act foolish and disrespectful and they

talk nonsense and they talk about stuff they

don't know and they act like they know everything

and in reality they don't know nothing. Because

they're just puffed up in pride and they just

want to fulfill their desires. And that's what

we see. And they're surprised that you don't

join them. Like, why aren't you joining us? Why

aren't you running with us? Why aren't you flocking

together? After all, birds of a feather flock

together is really what this means. I like this

term here that he uses. Why aren't you joining

them in the same flood of debauchery? Isn't that

interesting? The word flood he uses here. It's

really a tsunami is the idea, I think. But what's

interesting about this word flood, it means a

wide stream. Not a narrow stream, a wide stream.

And we know what that is. Wide is the road that

leads to destruction. And wide is the road and

wide is the gate that leads to destruction. Many

go thereof. And that's exactly what Peter is

implying here. He knows that term because Jesus

spoke that term to him. And he's really sharing

the same thoughts. They think it's strange that

you're not doing the same thing and joining them

in the same wide stream of debaucherous living.

So what do they do? They malign you or malign

you. They insult you. They slander you. They

defame you. They curse you. They make fun of

you. But that's okay. Why? Verse 5, because they

will give an account to him who is ready to judge

the living and the dead. He is already on the

throne. The judgment is going to come. He's ready.

There's nothing that will hinder him from judging

anything when he is ready. He is ready. And they

will give an account. One way or another, they

will give an account. Though the wicked prosper.

They might seem like they're prospering now,

but they will only prosper in this world that

they live. And when they die, they realize how

much their prosperity has brought them, especially

to all our fun prosperity preachers. Listening

to Justin Peters the other day, he's talking

about a preacher who was bragging about people

calling him up and giving him million -dollar

checks. Interesting. Oh, brother, when you die,

because you had not a heart of the gospel of

Jesus Christ and the truth and the reality of

the resurrected Savior, you are in so much trouble.

I would not want to be that man. For this is

why the gospel was preached. Why was the gospel

preached? Because of the list. that he went through

because they demand that you join them in debaucherous

living. That's the reason why Christ came. He

came to deal with sin, to wash away our sin,

to take away our sin, to make us the righteousness

of Christ before the Father. We are free, and

this is important. And this is why he has commanded

us in Matthew 18, Matthew 28, 19, and 20 to preach

and to teach. This is why the gospel was preached

even to those who are dead. Now, there's two

thoughts on this. This could be what he was talking

about in chapter 3 where he went and he spoke

to the spirits of the time of Noah who were...

Locked away in prison. Or he's talking about

the walking dead. I lean a little bit more towards

where. A lot more actually. I lean a lot more

towards where. John Piper stands on this. And

that is. Those who are dead are the walking dead.

The ones who are dead in their trespasses and

sins. That all of us at one time. did not know

Christ were dead in our trespasses and sins.

We did not have life. That though judged in the

flesh, the way people are, they might live in

the spirit the way God does. And I know that

there's some debate among the theologians, our

theologians in this area. But I can't help but

think, That the ones who look at this particular

scripture relate it very well to chapter 6 of

Romans. That the reality of the gospel being

preached, he preaches it to those who are on

the earth dead in their trespasses and sins.

So if you will, turn with me to Romans 6. And

this fits so well in verses 1 through 6 of 1

1 Peter 4 · chapter mention

Peter chapter 4. We're only going to go through

1 through 11 in chapter 6. But pay attention

to what Paul says here. What shall we say then?

Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?

You guys know my... My coined phrase, grace is

not the license to sin, but the power to do what

is right. This is an important principle to understand.

When grace abounds, it abounds to you that you

may be obedient, not continue in sin so that

you get more grace to be disobedient. By no means,

verse 2, how can we who died to sin live in it?

Do you hear that? If we have died to sin, as

Peter states also in chapter 4, how can we continue

to live in sin like the Gentiles in 1 Peter chapter

1 Peter 4 · chapter mention

4? Do you not know that all of us who were baptized

into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

That baptism is not immersion into water, but

really immersion into Christ. We were baptized

into Christ Jesus. And if we were baptized into

Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death.

And that the baptism of a believer, the picture

of being crucified with Christ, being buried

with him, is this association. We were buried,

therefore, with him by baptism into death. By

immersion into death. Did Christ die? Yes. Was

he crucified on your behalf? Yes. Were you with

him in his crucifixion as the scripture implies?

Yes. Which means that you were buried with him.

Through baptism into death. Through immersion

into Christ. We are in him. He is our substitutionary

atonement. That's what this means. Not that I

personally, physically died. I am not the Savior.

But he did it on my behalf, figuratively, that

I am dead with him. And he raised me to new life,

which we'll read in a minute. We were buried,

therefore, with him by baptism into death in

order that just as Christ was raised from the

dead by the glory of God the Father, we too might

walk in newness of life. So my association, my

being into Christ, means I am associated with

his death and his resurrection. For if we have

been united with him in a death like his, we

shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection

like his. And he promises that, does he not?

That we will receive. A body like his. 1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5 and 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Let's

2 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

keep reading. We know that our old self was crucified

with him in order that the body of sin might

be brought to nothing. Do you see that? So that

we no longer So that we would no longer be slaves

to sin. And there it is. Remember that release?

The unshackling? There it is. To cause, to stop.

Now, verse 8. If we have died with Christ, we

believe that we will also live with him. We know

that Christ, being raised from the dead, will

never die again because death no longer has dominion

over him. And death does not have dominion over

you. That's why for the believer, when we no

longer are animated, we sleep, the scripture

says. He raises us from the grave out of our

sleep, the scripture implies. And that term is

interchangeable. So when we read it and we go,

he raises us from the dead, that understanding

for the believers, he awakens us. Remember what

he said concerning Lazarus? He stinks. No. He

will be alive. He's alive. Read that story. It's

an amazing story. Verse 10, for the death he

died, he died to sin once for all, but the life

he lives, he lives to God. Do you see that? So

if the death he died, he died to sin once for

all, and the life he lives, he lives to God,

and we have been crucified with Christ and buried

with Christ and been raised with Christ, are

you living to God? Are you living for yourself?

So you also must consider yourselves dead to

sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. It's not

by a coincidence or an accident that we are dead

to sin and alive to Christ. My challenge to you

is, Are you living that way? Father, I want to

thank you so much for your goodness and your

faithfulness. Thank you, Lord, for your word.

Help us, Lord, to really walk in newness of life.

I am so thankful for your people here in Mount

Eaton and the consistency of their living. Continue

to challenge us to become, to walk, not become,

but be. the bright light on a hill. We do praise

you and thank you for your faithfulness and your

goodness. And we thank you that we have life

and have it abundantly. And our abundance is

not in the things of the earth, but in the righteousness

of God. We thank you and we praise you. In Jesus'

name, amen.