Done With Sin First B Jackson 2018-10-07 Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record. ---- The music, you're doing the music too, right? We're I'm doing the music too, aren't we? Yes. Meal music and message are all covered. Tomorrow night, fellowship hall, 06:00, soft start. Please feel free to join And I have an announcement that I do not have a slide for, but see your bulletin for any information about Bible studies, but the men's fraternity group is about to start back up. So today is the seventh, right, of October. You got eleven days before the first men's fraternity event and it's to be announced as to where and as to what, but trust me, it's a Wednesday, this is a Thursday night, eighteen. And then the following Wednesday will be the start up men's return meeting at 6AM on the twenty fourth, but in the evening of the eighteenth, it's on Thursday. So right now, all of you guys say, hey, I need that evening, I need that evening, I need that evening. Because normally the morning time, y'all will show up for morning time. But plan on Thursday the eighteenth for men's returning to be announced more later about that. Anything else you want to add to that announcement? Thanks. Okay. Alright. If there's anything else it should be in your weekly bulletin, the paper bulletin that you're handed on the way in. It has a prayer request in it. It has all other announcements, the ones that I forgot. Even the ones I mentioned are in there. Anybody else have anything? Yes. Anne, I knew there was one more. So, there's a community Bible study and the band will bring you back together with hour because your presence is is in this place. Please speak to our hearts and help us to understand more of who you are, more of your will. Touch our hearts. Touch our lives. Mold us playing his child. That's awesome. Amen? Let's feel his presence in this in this place. Amen. Amen. Beautiful. Beautiful song, honestly, and I'm thankful to God for the privilege that we have here. As you know, sometimes it's for hard for me to sing in English, I have to say, focus on the lyrics. But that word majesty, I could just close my eyes for a second and just sing that word majesty majesty. Because indeed, our our God is holy, and he's precious, and he's awesome. But, also, isn't that beautiful that from his majesty, he came down to earth to my simple love of the same. I love you, my child. I have a place for him. Jesus Christ said at one point, I'm in the way, the truth, and the life. Lord, thank giving us music to reach us, to touch us, to get to our hearts, to embed the words of scriptures. Lord, thank you for the Psalms and for the way that we can sing. I pray lord. Let everything that has breath. Praise the Lord. Amen. God, I also ask that you would take these offerings that we're about to give. What resources we put in these plates, lord. We are acknowledging that you have given it to us. You're the giver. And we are takers. But Lord, what we are trying to do today, right now, is to give back a portion of what you've given, so that you can spread your good gospel, and you can build your church through your obedient service. So, in Jesus name, Lord, I ask you to bless the offering this morning that you would multiply, that you would bless it, and that you would extend it to your kingdom's work. And Lord, every surrendered soul We are up to first Peter four. This is where we are for the day. We've been through a lot of the New Testament now. We've we've got three quarters of the way through of the New Testament in the past six years. And the very first sermon that I know that I preached here as the pastor of this church is the one that's coming next week. So it's it's a reflective time for me. I'm looking ahead and trying to get that one ready again and getting the gist of it again, and so I've been in kind of reflective mode. First Peter four:one-six, and there's a done with sin. That is the name of this, done with sin, and you'll see it in the text in a few minutes. But I wanna get started right here. Therefore. So whenever you start off with a therefore, it's the old pastor saw that you have to go back and see what it's there for. Right? You have to see why that's there. And so in the last chapter, I'll just go back at three, eight, and nine. So one through six is women. Submit to your husband. Seven is husbands. Be good to your wives. And then eight says to come up. All of you. All of you, be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kind hearted, and humble in spirit. Not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead. Doesn't that just calm you down a bit? It does mean it's good because I like to preach calm instead of anxious, but to sum up all of you, all of you. If you see something in here and you feel like, oh, this is me. I mean, Bob's husbands, yeah, master servants, employee these employers, to sum up all of you, holy y'all, be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, half hearted, and humble in spirit, not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead. Isn't everything else just one upmanship? If someone insults you and you insult them a little worse, and then they insult you a little worse, and it goes back and forth, give a blessing instead. For you were called for the very purpose that you also might inherit a blessing. Verse 13 of chapter three said, who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? Speaking to Christians here. So if you stand up for Christ and if you seek to advance the gospel of love and forgiveness through Christ and Christ alone, who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, righteousness, you're blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but set apart or sanctify. Set apart Christ as the Lord in your heart. Amen. Always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that's in you. Death with gentleness and reverence. And keep a good conscience. You can keep short accounts with God. Through the blood of Jesus, through the work that he did on the cross, you can know that you are forgiven and empowered to walk a holy life. Keep a good conscience so that in the very thing which you have slandered, those who resolve your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it's better if God should will it to be so that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. And so we've seen this theme of suffering. It starts fairly early on in first Peter, but he mentions it in it through the very heart of the book. Suffering is a is a lot of what this is about. This was written to Christians in the far flung Roman Empire. And Peter, who we know, most of us know, as the apostle to the Jews, Paul being apostle to the Gentiles, is writing to a mixed audience of both Jews and Gentiles. And he's saying, this is the true Israel of God, the true chosen people of God. For Christ also died for sins once for all the just, for the unjust, so that he might bring us to God. Having been put to death in the flesh was made alive in the spirit, and then Christ was vindicated. Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven after angels and authorities and powers had all been subjected to him. So that's where we've been so far, and that's what that therefore is there for. He's talking about Christ's suffering and vindication. He mentions Noah's suffering and eventual vindication, and he says that it will happen to you too if you follow after Christ. So therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, we see this as a pattern in first Peter two. Unjust, earthly suffering is followed by divine vindication and exaltation. Exaltation. It's a lifting up. If you think about in Paul, in the second chapter of Philippians, when he says that he came and he humbled himself even to death, death on the cross, and then God exalted him because he humbled himself. Unjust, suffering earthly suffering is is followed followed by by divine vindication and exaltation. So since Christ has suffered in the flesh, you, or actually y'all, Arm yourselves with the same purpose. Since Christ has suffered in the flesh, church, y'all, arm yourselves also with the same purpose. Because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. Oh my goodness. When we hit this, it's like, that looks like it's teaching Christian perfection right there. But it's not. He who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. Therefore, this is the NIV version of that. This is the NASB. That's what I've I've been using for this particular book, but the NIV is this. Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, you arm yourselves also with the same attitude because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. This is a a straight up translation. It's kinda wooden, honestly, because it's ambiguous in the Greek as to exactly who it's talking about. We don't have the capital h's in the NIV here to tell us if it's Christ. The NIV says, suffers in the body is done with sin. ESV says, since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the the same way of thinking. He knew that he was doing the right thing, and he was entrusting himself to God the father, and he knew that it was not right to retaliate. He said, love those who are your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, and he did it. Right? Arm yourselves with the same way of thinking. Forever has suffered in the flesh and ceased from sin. The New Living Translation. So that since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourself with the same attitude he had and be ready to suffer too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. This seems to also be teaching that in some way that physical suffering is redemptive. Like, we can actually hurt harm be harmed to the point that it helps us get over sin. Would you agree with that? No. The flagellation of, you know, take crawling up to the top of a mountain on your knees and bearing it. Some people justify that sort of a seated act with this, but that's not what it's saying. That's not what he's promoting. Actually, the the marginal note in New Living says this, for the one, or one with a capital o. You see that? For the one, it could be one, like it could be us, who go through persecution and suffering and it actually helps deal with sin. Or it could be the one who has suffered. How can I say this? Has anybody in here don't raise your hand? Praying the drinker's prayer. Where you hit rock bottom and you pray to God, help me. I want to be God with this. Over. Never do it again. Please help me. And he does. You're done with sin. Who's suffered physically from the effects of their sin? Could be that too dramatically. It's a little ambiguous. I'm more comfortable with ambiguity than most of y'all. I've wrestled through this. I like this, though, for the one, the capital o, for the one who has suffered physically, that's Christ. He is done with sin. It is finished. Right? When he was on the cross, it is finished. He put an end to sin. He breaks the power of canceled sin. He sets the captive free. Are you with me? Mhmm. Kinda? The one who has suffered physically has finished with sin. There was a there was a line in the book yesterday, and Tony and I were talking about it. Ephesians found his book, and it said, Christ on the cross completed his involvement with our sin. And Titus said, I love that. He's still involved. Not in your sins. He's not. In your sanctification, he absolutely is. But he paid for your sin, past, present, future. He paid for your sin. He finished with it on the cross completely and that's a strong call to holiness right there knowing that God almighty sent Jesus, lived a perfect life, had a perfect record, and voluntarily gave that up in your stead so that your sinful soul could be counted free. The one who has suffered and died physically has finished a riddling of sin in general. So, because he who has suffered in the flesh had ceased from sin as an ASP, and we'll go forward from there. Or the done with sin. I just like the I like the title. Done with it. Done with it. It's over. If you can reckon that to be so, we still have the spirit of the flesh and their constellated war, but reckon you yourself to be done with sin. This is this is our call to holiness. It's also a a pointing out of the judgment. We'll get to that in just a minute. Do y'all know this song? So I did a little poll this morning. I know that people a 120 miles from where I grew up know it. But I don't know if y'all know it. I'm gonna sing at it. Okay? I have resolved no longer to linger charmed by the world's delight. Things that are higher, things that are noble. These have a lured my side. I will hasten to him. Hasten so glad and free. Jesus' greatest tidings, I will come to thee. That goes on like that for several verses. I'm resolved to go to the savior, leaving my sin and my strife. He's the true one. He's the just one. He has the words of life. I'm resolved to follow the savior, faithful and true each day. He, what he sayeth, do what he willeth. He is the living way. I will hasten to him. Hasten so glad and free. It's not a burden. When he says, come on to me all of you who are labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you because my burden is light. Can you imagine what it would be like to have no sin at all on your shoulder? That's the way Christ walked through this life. He had no sin to regret. He had no sin to remorse until he was hanging on that cross, and the sin he was regretting remorse with me was yours and mine. I enter in? And then the last verse goes on to an evangelistic thrust. I'm resolved and who will go with me? Come friends without the light, talk by the Bible, led by the spirit, will walk the heavenly ways. Saying it's possible right now to be a part of the kingdom. Yes, we still do sin, but resolve not to. It's a call to holiness. And I think too often, we excuse our own sins saying it's not as bad as what they're doing. But do you do you agree with me? I think we do. I will hasten to him. I'll hasten glad and free, not shamefully. He's ready for you to come to him, and he will help you. Don't sin no more. And then Peter goes on. He who has suffered in the flesh has then is done with sins, just done with it, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh. And I will admit that that first verse is incredibly controversial. There are 9,000 different things that people think about that verse. To me, it is absolutely definitely a call to holiness thing. Not something that is it's hard to understand when he's saying, come on and leave your sin behind. Are you with me? So as to live the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for the lust of men, but for the will of God. And that's how I know what verse one means because verse two explains it so thoroughly. So as we live the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for the lust of men, but for the will of God. Galatians two twenty and twenty one, Paul says, I have been crucified in tandem. That's the word. Crucified with Christ. Crucified in tandem with Christ, and Okay? I'm closer to it than y'all are. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be. Who how shall we, who died to sin, still live in it? There's a theme of there's one way to finish with sin and that's through death. It's the death of Jesus Christ, but be dead to sin and alive to walk in newness of life. For do you not know that all of us who've been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death. Therefore, we've been buried with him through baptism into death so that Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father so we too might walk in newness of life. Last week, when Dan baptized Olivia, he said, buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, certainly, we shall also be in the likeness of the resurrection resurrection knowing this, that our old self was crucified in tandem with him in order that our body of sin might be done away with. Done with sin. Do you get it? That's what the message is. So that we would no longer be slaves to sin. There are times and there are people who get to admit where they look and go, I could never be a Christian. Wouldn't wanna give up this or this or this or that. And I know that's what they do. Well, this seems like it's so restrictive. Sin. Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourself also with the same purpose. So as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lust of men but for the will of God. For the times already passed is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles. Have a pursuit of course of sensuality, lust, drunkenness, perilous, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. This is the NLT version that you've had enough in the past of the evil that godless people enjoy. Their immorality, lust, their feasting, and drunkenness, wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols. What he's saying right there In all of this, Peter says, they're surprised. They are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissertation. Who's they? Them house outsiders? Girl buddies? You. So this is kinda about peer pressure right there. Oh, where do you become a goody tissue? Oh, it's Jesus on his death. Do better for you or for me. Can you hear? Do you know that that they're gonna lie on you? Actually, the word is blaspheme. They speak against God. When they're talking about you for the way that you were chosen to live, holy one, fallen after your savior and suffering for it, they malign you. Returning evil for evil nor for insult, but given a blessing instead. You're called for the spirit purpose that you might inherit a blessing. They malign you, but they will what? They will give an account to him who's ready to judge the living and the dead. So this is the place where it turns from, you walk in holiness, people. You walk in holiness, people. And when you do, you are going to if you follow after the righteous example of your savior, you will be maligned, and you will suffer for it. It's it's gonna happen. It's a certainty. In the Roman empire, there was no doubt about whether or not it would happen. But they are gonna have to give an account to him who's ready to judge the living empire. Hell. That's not for me, when I see that, I go, Lord, forgive them. Lord, forgive them. Jesus, when he was nailed to the cross, said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. It's a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God with sin that has not been dealt with. They will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. Jesus' words are pretty hard here. He's speaking to the religious leaders, by the way, Pharisees. You rude of vipers. How can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgement. For by your words, you will be justified. The sixth verse here is for the gospel has for this purpose been preached. The gospel has for this purpose been preached because we are sinful, and all of us are sinful. Now this part, this is another one of those verses that's really sticky. And the NASB, I chose this other translations add to now dead because it makes sense theologically this way. The gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are now dead. That though they are judged in the flesh as money, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God. For this purpose what's the purpose? For this purpose, because Christ stands ready to judge. He came as savior, and he's coming back as judge. And he's gonna judge all, the living and the dead, is he gonna judge all. It's completely universal. How many other states of being are there for people? There's living and there's dead, and he's gonna judge all. So there's it there's a strong dose of judgment coming in there. It's for this purpose, because Christ stands ready to judge the living and the dead, So this is the RM and B version of this verse right here. The reclamation version of this verse. Indeed, it is amplified. So it's an and. Indeed. Indeed. It is to this very end, tell us. It is to this very end that the gospel was preached and it is, it was preached in the past. Okay? Are you with me? It was preached even to those who are now physically dead. There's no chance of this being the spirit world, Christ going to the spirit world and preaching to dead people so that they might have a postmortem conversion. There's no chance for that in the Greek, no chance for that. It is to this end that the gospels preach even to those who are now physically dead, that though they may have been judged in the flesh as men. They may have been, because some of us face more persecution and more suffering than others, that though they may have been judged in the flesh of men. Of the lamb, they may not be living in spirit according to the will of God. Each time that we preach or present the gospel, people have a chance to either accept it or reject it or as they said on Mars Hill, we'll hear you more later. They're still still taking taking the the time. Time. But that's a rejection in itself. It's a rejection from now. That they may now be living in the spirit. Now you see the may here and the may there? For you grammar nerds, it's a subjunctive. It's a subjunctive meaning that it's continued upon the will of the person. Now almost every commentator that points this out says that Peter was trying to give them hope and saying that for those friends of yours who were Christian and that's the reason that they received the gospel. That's the reason the gospel is preached to them so that even though they took on a lot of heat and some of them may even have been murdered, they are now alive at home with them. Okay? That they may now be living in the spirit according to the will of God. Every human soul will either be justly condemned or mercifully forgiven. Do you agree with that? Every human soul will be justly condemned and mercifully forgiven. And this is because Jesus was unjustly certainty about suffering. It's gonna happen. The mercifully forgiven have a way of dealing with the suffering. In Jesus' name, Lord. I'm gonna invite the elders to come forward, and we are just gonna go straight into the time of communion. Lord, I'm daunted by the task and, amazed by your grace, amazed by your love, and so thankful, so thankful for what it is that you do. In Jesus' name, Lord, we pray and we ask you to help us to be done with sin, to help us to walk in holiness. Lord, would you direct us in the way that we should go and give us the strength that we need to walk in holiness. Lord, in Jesus name, we pray. We ask you that you would bless this bread as we distribute it, that you bless each person that partakes. And, Lord, if there's anybody in here who is just not a believer and they just don't believe it, don't understand it at all, it's just foolishness to them, and they let this bread pass. Lord, I pray that by the holy witness of the people sitting in them, the pews right here and the seats right next to them, Lord, that the holy witness of these people's lives would touch them in a way took bread after supper told his disciples, this is my body. It's given for you. Take this and eat and do in remembrance of me. Lord, with that, we remember your perfect life, your perfect record, perfect example. Take this In Now, the earlier point of this sermon, it was all about the death of Christ. But since he suffered and died once for sin, the just for the unjust. Paul says about this that we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again. He came to save and he's coming back to judge. The new covenant is the way. Wise in the way that you act toward an outsider's. Make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace and seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer everyone. God, would you do that? Would you help us with that? In Jesus name, Lord, we want to live and be good examples. We want to turn it over to you. We want to submit our will to you. Pray, Lord, that we would do just that. In Jesus name, would you reach outsiders through changed people, transformed lives. Amen.