Arm Yourselves

0:02 1 Peter 4 says, Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh. arm yourselves with the same way of thinking. Right before that in 1 Peter 3, he says, baptism, which some of you experienced last night, baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking.

0:52 That's what I want to talk about this morning before you guys head out. Arming ourselves. It's just like you guys putting your pads on, your helmet on, everything else. You don't just run out there, but arming yourselves. But it's an interesting thought, this idea of arming yourselves with the thought of suffering. I was in China just a couple months ago and talking to one of the underground church leaders. I'm blown away by the underground church in China. I mean, here's like a hundred million people who became believers under communism, and they just kept spreading and spreading and spreading, and there's no big-name preachers. There's no amazing worship leaders. It's just people, everyday people sharing the gospel. And it just grew and grew and grew. And I was talking to this pastor.

1:46 And he was telling me, he was telling me, he goes, you know, that underground church, we had these five pillars. This is what we built our church on. He says, number one is the word of God. We all studied the word of God. We love the word of God. Number two, he says, we built that church on prayer, where we prayed alone. We prayed corporately. He goes, thirdly, he goes, the church was built on everyone sharing the gospel. Not one preacher getting up and sharing the gospel, but all of us saw ourselves as preachers. And the fourth thing, he says, is there was a regular expectation of miracles. Because we prayed, we expected God to do the supernatural. but then when he named the fifth pillar of the church that's the one that blew my mind. I'm like, whoa, I've never heard of this before.

2:39 You see, and I've even been trying to model the church that I started in San Francisco after the underground church in China where it's like, man, I don't want it to be about my preaching. I want you all sharing the gospel and our people are doing that. I want them doing all these things but then when he named that fifth pillar, I'm going, I never thought of that.

2:59 After the Bible study, the prayer, the sharing the gospel, the expectation of miracles, he goes, fifthly, he says, we embraced suffering for the glory of Christ. I thought, what? That was one of the five things you built your church around? You embraced suffering for the glory of Christ?

3:28 That was just weird to me. You know how when a preacher tells you something and it sounds weird to you because you haven't heard it before, what do you do? You should run it through the grid of scripture. You should run through all the scriptures you know and go, did what he say, was that really biblical or is he just making something up? And so I started to think, wait, is that biblical to make that one of your five pillars to embrace suffering for the glory of Christ? And then as I started thinking through the scriptures, I'm going, man, that's in every book of the New Testament. There is so much talk in this book about suffering for the glory of God and how we as believers should not just avoid it. You know, it says that we should expect it and actually embrace it. And even Jesus says, rejoice when you suffer.

4:24 And James says, consider it all joy when you've got trials all around you. And it's kind of like the coveting thing that I talked about last night, where God says, look, coveting's like idolatry. And because of this, the wrath of God is coming. It's like we just neglect certain things. And this idea of suffering is something that I go, I hardly hear anyone preach about this. But it's all over the scriptures.

4:53 And here in 1 Peter 4, he says, since Christ suffered in the flesh, he says, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking. See, how do we protect ourselves? See, because we're all going to leave this room today. You're going to go back into your worlds. And he says, for you to be armed, you have to be armed with the thinking of Christ, which was a way of suffering. See, when Jesus came to the earth, Jesus knew what he came here to do. He said, I didn't come here to be served. He goes, I came down here and I didn't expect everyone to bow down to me and worship me. He says, I came to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many. So Jesus knew going into it, coming down to this earth, he knew I'm going down there to be a servant and I'm going down there to die for these people. and the scripture says arm yourselves with the same way of thinking it's this idea of armor you know my son doesn't play football because we're chinese and uh but he you know he plays baseball and and and every time he'd put on that that that baseball helmet you know the batting helmet i just love throwing things at his head because it's just funny, you know, just to watch a baseball bounce off and it doesn't hurt him. And that's what he's saying. You know what? What we need to do in the church is to arm people like that, arm people with this theology of suffering. So this way, when the suffering comes, they're not caught off guard and they don't fall apart. See, too often we try to protect people from suffering. And then when their life goes wrong or something difficult happens or they get rejected for the gospel, it gets too difficult and they quit. But what the Bible says is we should arm people with this proper theology of suffering, helping us understand, look, this is not something we run from. This is a war that we're entering. Jesus knew that going into it. He says, you need to go leaving this room knowing

7:02 life isn't getting easier for you as a believer. Jesus did this with his disciples. He says, are you sure you want to follow me? And this was the talk I was going to give last night as some of you guys were going to get baptized. I was going to try to talk some of you out of it because that's what Jesus did. He goes, are you sure you want to follow me? He told his disciples, look, if the world hates you, keep in mind it hated me first. If they persecute you, it's because they persecuted me. If you were of the world, they'd love you. But when you start preaching Jesus, when you go back to the locker room and you start preaching Jesus and talking about Jesus and him being the only way to heaven, man, good luck with that. I mean, praise God that we talk about human trafficking and rescuing the slaves, but honestly, if you go back to your locker room and talk about rescuing kids around the world, you're not gonna get a lot of pushback.

8:08 The world accepts that. What the world does not accept is Jesus and the gospel. And we need people who are willing to speak up and share the gospel. and if you do that, you need to understand you're gonna be persecuted. If you keep quiet about your faith, you'll be fine. But once you start speaking up about it, he says, arm yourselves with this way of thinking. That's what Jesus did. That's why when those people said, hey Jesus, we wanna follow you, he goes, are you sure? He goes, I didn't come to bring peace to your family. I actually came to bring a sword. There'll be mothers against, you know, kids against their mother-in-laws, which happens anyways. But you know, it's just, I came to divide the family. You're gonna have brothers and sisters that'll turn you over and reject you. Are you sure you want this?

9:01 You know, the foxes have holes to live in, birds have nests, but I don't even know where I'm gonna sleep tonight. There's this suffering that comes with following me. Jesus made it clear. It's just so often in the church, we don't talk about this. And so when tough times come, people leave the church. They lose their faith. Why? Because they weren't armed with this mindset. They were surprised by it. Arm yourselves with the same way of thinking. He says, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.

9:36 It's a real important verse. Whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. You can't stop sinning unless you're willing to suffer. That's what the Bible says. I talk to people all the time that they go, well, I prayed and I was like, God, you know what, I'm an alcoholic, but God, take away my desire for alcohol. And he didn't hear that prayer. He didn't listen to me. How come God didn't take away my desire for alcohol?

10:17 And I'm going, wait, so you were trying to stop sinning without suffering. you wanted God to just end it and you just wouldn't even feel it that's not what the scripture teaches it's the person who suffers in the flesh who ceases from sin the Christian life is about suffering I work with a lot of drug acts you ever see someone try to kick heroin you don't kick heroin without suffering and the Bible says you don't kick any sin without suffering This is part of the Christian life. Some of you have been addicted to pornography. You're not going to stop pornography without suffering. Without every bone in your body just wanting to go to that website or just looking on the phone. It's like, ah!

11:09 And it's just like, no, no, I'm going to suffer. I'm not going to do it. Some of you are in inappropriate relationships. You don't just cease from those relationships without suffering. The loneliness of, oh, I want to be with him or, oh, I want to be with her, but that's not right. No, I'm going to just sit here and I'm going to suffer. That's the only way to overcome this. there's no ceasing from sin without suffering.

11:40 So as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for human passions, but for the will of God. See, it's so hard. It is so hard because we have these human passions. And he says the only way to get rid of them is if you're willing to suffer. Then you can live for the will of God. then you're no longer living for whatever your body feels like doing but you've trained yourself you've armed yourself you're going out there and some of you guys have made decisions to repent from certain sins this week well guess what's going to happen in order for you to repent you will have to suffer and you've got to decide am i am i going to go out those doors and go you know what i'm going to be like jesus jesus came down on this earth he knew he was going to suffer he knew that moment in the garden was going to come where it's like, oh gosh, really? The cross? Am I going to have to do this? And he goes, you know what? Arm yourself with that same way of thinking, going, man, this is going to be miserable. This is going to be miserable, but it's going to be so worth it. And I want to fight. I want to be like Jesus. I want to arm myself with this way of thinking. So then when it happens, you go, okay, I knew this was coming. I knew this was going to happen.

12:55 And then he says in verse 3, he says, For the time that has passed suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. Again, look at that phrase. For the time that has passed suffices.

13:19 Is that true of you? The time that has passed suffices. Okay, all the sin that you've done, are you at a point where you're now going, enough, I've had enough. I see where sin leads me. I saw where the immorality led me. It's not making me happier. See, even last night when we were talking about covenant, you gotta understand, God gives us these commands for our good. All the commands. Why does he say, look, I don't want you to make these giant idols. Why does God say that? because you're going to spend all this time building this idol and bowing down to this idol, giving offerings to this idol, and it's not real. He's never going to answer you. He's a block of wood or stone or whatever. He goes, man, don't do it. You're just going to be wasting your time. And in the same way with coveting, he's not trying to destroy our fun. He's going, man, you're going to be after these things. You're going to set your mind on these things of the earth, and I promise you they're not going to bring the pleasure you think they're going to.

14:22 But if you seek the things above and you get on this mission to do the things I've called you to do, you're gonna find so much life in it. That's why in 1 Timothy 6, he says, hey, command the rich people to be generous in good deeds. Why? So that they can take hold of the life that is truly life. He's like, I don't want them focused on these things because I promise you they won't lead to life. I want them generous, caring for others because that's a life that's truly life. That's a life you look back at with no regrets. That's a life of forever where you go, man, I'm so glad I spent my life, my money, my time on caring for these people. It's for our good.

15:07 But are you at that point where you say, the time that's passed suffices? Because I know a lot of Christians who secretly in their heart, they're thinking, some of you maybe go well I haven't lived a really wicked life and there's part of me that's still just a little bit curious where it's like I just want to dabble a little bit more maybe and some of you that are going, gosh, I just don't, maybe next year, maybe 2017, I'll make a New Year's resolution, maybe once the season starts, or maybe then, or do you look at that passage and go, you know what, I'm completely done. Whatever I did in the past, no matter how much or how little, however much sin I engaged in, I'm just done.

16:02 It's enough. It's enough. And now I'm going to walk over those doors and I'm just going to suffer because I've seen where sin leads and I don't want anymore. Is that really you? Or is there a part of you that's just going, I just want a little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more. Because the Bible says, you know, later on Peter says in 2 Peter 2, he talks about how a dog will return to its vomit and a pig, after you wash a pig off, what does a pig do? He runs right back to the dirt. See, and I see that happen at a lot of conferences where we'll come to a place like this and we're like pigs that'll get washed off. And we're like, yeah, get that out of here. I want that out of here. I want that out of here. And you clean yourself off and you feel really good. But the moment you leave, what do you do?

16:57 you run back to the dirt and you get all dirty again and then next year you go well next year I'll go wash myself off again okay why does the pig keep running back to the dirt even after it's washed clean can anyone answer that yeah because he's a pig that's what pigs do you see but what God promises is he goes look I want to change who you are so you're no longer a pig. Okay, I want to put my spirit in you, and you actually become a new creation. And now you're not a slave to the dirt anymore, whereas before you kept going back. But now he says, when I put my spirit in you, you'll be a slave to righteousness, where you actually want what's right. And every time you even start getting a little bit dirty, you start going, I don't like this feeling. I don't even like the dirt on my feet. What is this about me? It's like I've got this new nature where I want what's right now. I actually like being clean. This is insane.

18:03 That's what the Bible promised. You were dead. You were a slave to what was sin. This is not about washing you off so you can go back into the dirt. It's about changing your whole nature and saying, now I'm hidden in Christ. And Christ, whenever he even touches the dirt, He wants to get away from it. Why? Because it's about us and inside from the inside out. See, too often church is about these externals. And if we put them in the right environment and enough accountability groups. And what God talks about is, no, I'm going to give you new life. I'm going to put my own spirit inside of your body. And now your new creation, a slave to what's right. And I hope that's happened to you. and it says with respect to this they're surprised when you don't join them in the same flood of debauchery and they malign you but they will give account to him who is raided judge the living and the dead he said he says you know when you go back and you as a new creation live this out and you go out with this mindset of suffering and i go this is gonna be difficult even though jesus had the mindset, it was difficult in the garden to the point where he's sweating drops of blood, but he suffered and he knew what was right. And the same way, he says, when we do that, it's not like your teammates are going to go, oh, that's awesome. That's great. No, it says they may even malign you for this.

19:34 Verse seven, I got to skip a little bit. It says, the end of all things is at hand, therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers? He says, look, the end's near. He says, so clear your mind and start praying. Here's the goal. The goal of this, again, is prayer. He says, you want your mind uncluttered. I mean, that's the worst thing about the sin, is it clutters your mind, and you come before God with this guilty, like, oh, I feel ashamed coming to you again rather than confessing yourself, being cleansed from us, showing self-control for the sake of your prayers. Then finally, if you jump to verse 12, look at this. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. I'm just going to close with that. Okay? Don't miss these verses. Verse 12, beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you. What's he saying? Don't be surprised. Don't be surprised when the trial comes.

20:56 And when this was written, scholars say this was during the time of Emperor Nero when he was taking Christians, dousing them with gas and lighting them on fire. And that's how he lit up his garden that night. And so the believers are looking and they're freaking out, man, that's my brother. That's my uncle. Look what they did. And Peter is saying, hey, don't be surprised by that. Remember what our Lord says. Don't be surprised at the fiery trial as though something strange were happening. That's not weird. That's what Jesus said was going to happen. That's not weird. It'd be weird if it wasn't happening. See, but most of us aren't armed with that mindset. Like most of us were brought up in churches where it's like, man, follow Jesus. He'll be your best friend. Life's going to be great. And so then when it isn't great and people start rejecting you, you're surprised.

21:55 And the Bible says, now don't be surprised by the fiery trials. That's the test. The fiery trials are gonna come to test you. Don't be surprised by those. Not only don't be surprised, but he says rejoice. Okay. I've been a Christian like 35 years. And I was trying to think, has anyone in 35 years, ever when I was going through a trial maybe suffering for ministry suffering for the gospel has anyone ever in 35 years here in America, anyone ever come alongside of me as I was suffering for the gospel and encouraged me to rejoice has it ever happened to you where you're suffering for the gospel and someone goes oh man you gotta be so happy right now think about the eternal reward you've got right now set your mind on things above like he promises that the light and momentary troubles are achieving us for this eternal weight of glory that far outweighs your troubles has anyone ever said that to you I thought, no one's ever sent that to me.

23:13 Yet that's exactly what Jesus preached, right? And the Beatitudes. He goes, look, when they persecute you, rejoice. When they insult you falsely, rejoice. And here, he says it again. Rejoice insofar as you share Christ's suffering so that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. He says, right now, if you're suffering for the gospel, Man, rejoice in that because that means when he's returning, you're gonna be so glad you did this. You're gonna be so glad you suffered to put your sin to death. I mean, could you imagine if Christ returned while you were suffering to put sin to death? And you're just going, no, I'm not gonna do it. I'm not going there. This is killing me, but I'm not gonna do it. And then Christ returns and go, you saw that, right?

24:07 Right? It's just that moment. He goes, as much as you've suffered, I mean, think about some of you. Maybe you will end up in another place where you're actually physically persecuted. Maybe you do lose a limb for the glory of God. Maybe the suffering comes to our own country and we're physically persecuted. Imagine Jesus returning, the Bible says, and how excited you'll be with that arm missing or that scar. It becomes this badge of honor.

24:41 And so those are the things where he says, you know what? Start rejoicing in this. I remember one of my buddies, we were sharing the gospel in San Francisco and he actually got punched. He got punched in the mouth, broke a tooth. You know, and he was getting stitches. And it was for the first time I go, I was asking him about it. He goes, man, it didn't even hurt that much. just kind of shocked me and this and this, this. And I'm like, oh, I'm so jealous. Didn't even hurt that much. And you get an eternal reward. Oh, man, I want to get hit where it doesn't hurt that much. I still get, you know, it's just, but it's just this weird way of thinking that the Bible says we as Christians, we got to arm ourselves with this mentality. It's not, we're going into a war and it's silly because a lot of Christians go into this war. Why is everyone shooting at me? It's like, what were you thinking? So you're going to quit because they're shooting at you?

25:37 You're going to quit because they're insulting you? You're going to quit because it's too hard to kick this habit or to walk away from this sin? It's like, what Bible were you reading? See, those believers in China, they got it. They go, no, we as a church, we embrace suffering for the glory of Christ. So when we suffer, we actually like it. See, when you have a church that embraces suffering for the glory of Christ, then you have an unstoppable force. How are you gonna stop them? If when you persecute them, they actually like it. That's what the early church was all about, right? They'd put them in prison and beat them and they'd come out rejoicing and they're like, we can't stop these guys. They're turning the world upside down. and so my prayer for us as we walk out these doors is that we arm ourselves with a biblical understanding a biblical theology of suffering that says let's remind each other when it gets difficult let's not just put our arms around each other and say oh it'll get better it'll get better no it might actually get worse let's encourage each other biblically and say hey think about forever think about heaven set your mind on things above think about how good this is going to be Just suffer through it with me.

27:00 And I'll suffer with you. But let's rejoice in this. This is a good thing. This is a good thing. Father, as we leave this room, I know that all sorts of trials are waiting for us. I know all types of rejection, all types of suffering are waiting for us. So God, arm us now so that we're not surprised when the fiery trial comes. But like our brothers and sisters and other parts of the world, we can actually rejoice in our suffering, knowing that it's all gonna be worth it because you're a good, good father. thank you that Jesus suffered in the flesh for us and now may we do the same so that when you return we are not ashamed but we were your soldiers and we suffered to put to death the deeds of the flesh and to make you known in Jesus name, amen