Affirming Your Faith
Intro.: I have never had to testify in a courtroom setting.
But if I did, then I would need to repeat the followingwords before I could give testimony: “Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?”1
Giving an oath when giving testimony dates back to the time of Jesus – there are records of witnesses having to give oaths in court before testifying. In fact, Roman law required that perjurers be thrown down from a cliff as their punishment for lying under oath.
In more modern times, the use of an oath has been brought into question. First challenged by the Quakers and then by athiests and members of non-Christian faiths, it has become standard to allow those who are to “affirm” that they will tell the truth, whole truth, nothing but the truth, rather than to swear to do so.
I would like to suggest that our passage today includes three affirmations that will allow us to live a more complete Christian life.
Read: I Peter 4:1-2
Pray
Trans: Important to remember that the people to whom Peter wrote were not a homogeneous group.
Rather they were came from all over Israel and fled for their lives when they faced persecution.
Not only did they come from various parts of Israel, they also were scattered throughout the region we now know as Turkey.
Peter called them the Diaspora they were dispersed both from where they came and to where they went.
T.S. I Peter 4:1-2 leads us through three affirmations that can define our Christian life.
Affirmation #1: I have decided to suffer like Christ
(Ill.) Suffering is not a new concept in our study of I Peter. In case you think I am dwelling on this too much, take the week to read through the book of I Peter. Seventeen times Peter addresses the concept of suffering. “Suffering” is addressed in each of the five chapters of the book. Peter recognized that suffering was an expected part of the Christian life. It was an expected part of Christ's life.
Christ suffered. That Thursday and Friday when Christ was led to the cross must have been a tragic day for Jesus. His best friends deserted Him at the very hour that he needed them the most. Whipped, forced to wear a crown of thorns, rejected by the very people he came to save, placed on a cross between two thieves. Christ suffered.
And Peter calls us to have the “same mind”, the “same attitude”, or the “same intention” as Christ had.
Faith, as it did for Christ, may cost us something.
(Appl.) Believers too often come to the conclusion that life is going to be easy once with choose to live a life of faith. But that promise is never made. Christ had perfect faith and His life was not easy. Christ. Our lives will parallel His. Why should a life of ease be expected. To follow Christ means that life will be uncomfortable.
And when choose to believe, it includes a willingness to suffer like Christ. “[1 Pe 4:1] Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking”
Affirmation #2: I have decided to stop sinning
(Ill.) Around 1700 a preacher by the name of Matthew Henry wrote one of the earliest and most respected commentaries of the Christian church. The original commentary consisted of six volumes – more recently someone went through and removed all the extra notes and reduced it to a single volume. There are some who still think it is one of the best devotional commentaries ever written. Matthew Henry writes that “Some of the strongest and best arguments against all sorts of sin are taken from the sufferings of Christ.”2
You know Christ would not have suffered nearly as much if he had not worried about sinning.
Peter makes it clear that the same is true for us. [1 Pe 4:1] “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin”
Once Christ decided that suffering for our faith, the suffering was a natural consequence of His choice.
(Appl). Choosing God's way rather than our way is not an easy choice. Choosing God's way rather than the world's way is not an easy choice. Choosing God's way rather than someone else's way is not an easy choice.
But once we have become willing to suffer for our faith, it becomes easier to choose to put aside the sin which seeks to trap us.
Affirmation #3: I have decided to do the will of God
(Ill.) I grew up just a bit too late. I remember my parents talking about a man named Ruben who was a professional political cartoonist. However, it was not the political cartoons that brought him fame – it was series of cartoons from the 1920's through 1950's that depicted a series of overly engineered machines that did very simple things – for example washed windows or sharpening a pencil. In the 30's his machines came to be known as Rube Goldberg Machines.3 My kids were lucky enough (or was unlucky enough) to have science teachers that believed in making Rube Goldberg machines. They had to design a machine that used a series of contraptions to light a candle. Our passage today is like a spiritual Rube Goldberg Machine. If you decide to suffer for Christ, then you will be willing drop the sin from your life. Which leads to the third affirmation – once we are willing to drop the sin from our life, we will have decided to do the will of God.
It follows that deciding that it is okay to suffer for Christ means that it is safe to decide to avoid the sin that hinders our walk. And once we decide to avoid the sin that hinders our walk, it natural to decide to follow God wherever he may lead: [1 Pe 4:1-2] Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.
(Ill.) Geoge Truett was the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, TX, for 47 years. He was not only known for his work at the church but was known around the world. But he understood the nature of the Will of God . He once said, “To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge, to find the will of God is the greatest discovery, and to do the will of God is the greatest achievement.”4
Conclusion: Becoming a Christian is easy – it means to choosing Christ. But living the Christian life is not easy.
It means deciding to suffer for Jesus.
But once we decide to suffer for Jesus, it means we can accept the difficulties associated with not sinning.
And choosing to put aside the sin the hinders our walk with God, means we are ready to follow God wherever He may lead us.
Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. [1 Pe 4:1-2]
Pray
1http://wiki.answers.com/Q/In_a_courtroom_setting_what_are_the_words_of_the_oath_given_to_a_person_before_he_or_she_can_testify
2Henry, M. (1996, c1991). Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume (1 Pe 4:1). Peabody: Hendrickson.
3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg
4Tan, P. L. (1996, c1979). Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : A treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers. Garland TX: Bible Communications.
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