Commitments and Costs
October 2, 2016

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:1-6

I. A commitment to Jesus means a commitment to suffer and not sin.

A. We are following a Jesus who suffered (vs. 1). So if the Jesus we are following suffered in this world, we should expect to suffer also. Unfortunately, there are some false teachers today who will tell you that once you make a commitment to Jesus, Jesus will give you a fat wallet, a healthy body, and a comfortable life. But is this anything like what Jesus taught? Let’s examine what Jesus taught in Luke 9:23: “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’”

B. The non-Christians in Peter’s day viewed Christians as killjoys who lived gloomy lives without pleasure. By refusing to participate in pagan activities the Christians in Peter’s day had the reputation of being haters of humanity and traitors to the Roman way of life. The Christians then suffered major rejection. The world saw the abstinence of Christians from non-Christians ways of thinking and living as a condemnation of their lives and their culture. Following Jesus will sometimes lead to the suffering of rejection.

II. A commitment to Jesus means a commitment to God’s will and not human appetites.

A. How do Christians live out their days on earth? We have 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” (vs. 2). That will of God was written about in 1 Peter 1:16: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” Christians have put sin in their rearview mirror. Some of those sins are described in vs. 3. They involve a lack of self-control. Human appetites for sex, food and drink were allowed to run out of control in the worship of idols in Peter’s day.

B. One of the expressions of sensuality (vs. 3) in today’s culture is pornography. Pornography is everywhere. There is hope for Christians in overcoming pornography. One of the best resources for developing strategies to defeat pornography is Heath Lambert’s book “Finally Free.” The cost for controlling your appetites is found in vs. 4: “With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you.” First, people will be surprised, and then some of them will mock and malign you.

III. A commitment to Jesus means a commitment to preparing for God’s judgment.

A. Peter reminds the church in vs. 5 that the non-Christian world which is rejecting the church will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. The Christians who believed the Gospel about Jesus according to vs. 6 were judged to be foolish for not indulging their appetites and for living for the future rather than just living for today. The benefit of being prepared for God’s judgment is found in Revelation 21:3-4: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’”

Application:
Keep your commitment to Jesus – no matter what the cost.

Sources:
The letter of 1 Peter
Commentaries on 1 Peter by David Helm, I.H. Marshall and Karen Jobes