Done With Sin

In one paragraph

This message, from 1 Peter 4:1-6, was about what Peter calls the Christian's break with sin, grounded in the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. Pastor Tony traced the thread of suffering and vindication that runs through the letter and brought it to a pointed call to holiness. The sermon closed with a reminder that Christ came as Savior and is returning as Judge, and that the gospel was preached...

Read together

1. 1 Peter 3:8-9 quoted as the lead-up to the 'therefore' of chapter four, calling believers to be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kind-hearted, and humble, not returning evil for insult
2. 1 Peter 3:13 quoted to ask who can harm you if you are zealous for what is good
3. 1 Peter 3:14-16 quoted on suffering for righteousness, sanctifying Christ as Lord, being ready to give a defense, and keeping a good conscience
4. 1 Peter 3:18 quoted on Christ dying for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit
5. 1 Peter 3:22 quoted on Christ at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers subjected to him
6. 1 Peter 4:1 central text of the sermon, arm yourselves with the same purpose as Christ who suffered in the flesh and ceased from sin
7. 1 Peter 4:2 quoted as the explanation of verse one, to live no longer for the lust of men but for the will of God
8. 1 Peter 4:3 quoted on having spent enough time in the past carrying out the desires of the Gentiles, sensuality, lust, drunkenness, and idolatry
9. 1 Peter 4:4-5 quoted on outsiders being surprised you no longer run with them, maligning you, but giving account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead
10. 1 Peter 4:6 quoted on the gospel being preached to those now dead so that though judged in the flesh they may live in the spirit according to the will of God
11. Philippians 2 referenced on Christ humbling himself to death on the cross and God then exalting him
12. Galatians 2:20-21 quoted on being crucified with Christ
13. Romans 6:1-6 quoted on not continuing in sin, being baptized into Christ's death, buried with him, and the old self crucified so we are no longer slaves to sin
14. Matthew 11:28-30 quoted on coming to Christ, his burden being light, and giving rest to the weary
15. Matthew 12:34-36 quoted on the mouth speaking what fills the heart and every careless word being accounted for on the day of judgment

Talk about it

1. Pastor Mark referenced 1 Peter 3:8-9 and the call to give a blessing instead of returning evil for evil or insult for insult. Where do you find that hardest to do, and what makes it so difficult?
2. The sermon walked through several translations of verse one and landed on the idea that Christ, through His suffering and death, is the one who is truly 'done with sin.' How does understanding that the cross was Christ finishing with your sin, past, present, and future, change the way you think about your own struggle with sin?
3. Pastor Mark mentioned that people around us are sometimes surprised, even offended, when we stop joining them in certain habits or patterns of life. Have you experienced that kind of pushback, and how did you handle it?
4. The sermon brought up the sobering reality that every human soul will either be justly condemned or mercifully forgiven, and that Christ came as Savior and is coming back as Judge. How does keeping that reality in view affect the way you think about people in your life who do not yet believe?
5. Pastor Mark read from Romans 6 about being baptized into Christ's death and raised to walk in newness of life. What does walking in that newness of life actually look like in a practical, day-to-day way for you right now?