Done with Sin

In one paragraph

The pastor has been preaching through the New Testament in order since coming to First Baptist Jackson, and this message landed in 1 Peter 4:1-6, a passage he called a call to holiness. He titled the sermon "Done with Sin" and worked carefully through a text he acknowledged is genuinely difficult and has been read many different ways. The passage opens with "therefore," which the pastor noted...

Read together

1. 1 Peter 4:1-6 the main passage for the sermon, a call to holiness and being done with sin
2. 1 Peter 3:8 quoted as the summary verse: be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, humble in spirit
3. 1 Peter 3:9 not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead
4. 1 Peter 3:14-15 do not fear their intimidation, set apart Christ as Lord, always be ready to make a defense
5. 1 Peter 3:18 Christ died for sin once for all, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God
6. 1 Peter 3:22 Christ at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers subjected to him
7. 1 Peter 2:21-24 called for this purpose since Christ suffered, leaving an example, bore our sins on the cross
8. Philippians 2:6-9 Jesus did not consider equality with God something to grasp, took form of a servant, died on a cross, name exalted above every name
9. Galatians 2:20-21 I have been crucified with Christ, no longer I who live
10. Romans 6:3-11 baptized into his death, raised to walk in newness of life, reckon yourselves dead to sin but alive to God
11. 1 Corinthians 6:11 such were some of you, but you were washed, sanctified, and justified
12. 1 John 1:9 if you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse from all unrighteousness
13. John 16:33 in this world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world
14. Matthew 12:34-37 out of the heart the mouth speaks, every idle word will be accounted for in the day of judgment
15. Hebrews 9:27 it is appointed once for a man to die, and after that the judgment
16. 1 Timothy 2:5 one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ
17. Acts 4:12 in all the names given under heaven whereby we must be saved
18. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 don't worry about those who have died in Christ, they will rise first
19. 2 Peter 3:9 the Lord is not slow about his promise, patient, not wishing any to perish but all to come to repentance
20. Colossians 4:5-6 make the most of every opportunity, let conversation be full of grace and seasoned with salt

Talk about it

1. Pastor talked about going through the New Testament straight through rather than picking topics, because he doesn't want to shy away from difficult texts. How has working through a whole book of the Bible, rather than jumping around, affected the way you read and understand scripture?
2. The sermon looked at several possible meanings of 'he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,' including the idea that Christ on the cross finished his involvement in our sin once and for all. Which of those readings landed with you, and why?
3. Pastor described victorious Christian living as an actual possibility, not just an ideal, and connected it to keeping a good conscience and confessing sin quickly. What does that look like in practice for you on an ordinary week?
4. The sermon pointed out that when people malign Christians for living differently, they are in a sense blaspheming God, and that the right response is to bless rather than retaliate. Where do you find that hardest to do, and what makes it hard?
5. Pastor said that every human soul will either be justly condemned or mercifully forgiven, and that this should move a merciful Christian heart to reach people rather than write them off. Who in your life does that thought bring to mind, and what is one step you could take toward them?