1 Peter 1:13 - Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:22 - Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart.
1 Peter 2:2 - …like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.
1 Peter 2:11-12 - Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
1 Peter 3:15 - …but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.
3 ways to strengthen your determination to obey God’s will when you suffer
I. Arm Yourself with the Same Purpose of Your Savior (v.1)
1 Peter 4:1 - Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.
John 8:28 - So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.”
Luke 22:42 - …saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”
A. Resolving to follow Christ’s suffering (v. 1a)
B. Choosing God’s will over the temptation to sin (v. 1c)
II. No Longer Live for the Desires of Men but for the Will of God (vv. 2-4)
1 Peter 4:2-4 - …so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you.
A. Because we followed those desires long enough (v. 3)
1 Peter 4:3 - For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries.
B. Although some are surprised that we do not join them (v. 4)
1 Peter 4:4 - In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you.
III. Know that Living for God’s Will Results in Vindication (vv. 5-6)
1 Peter 4:5-6 - …but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.
A. Those who live for evil desires must receive God’s judgment
1 Peter 4:5 - …but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 - For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.
B. Those who live for God’s will enjoy eternal life
1 Peter 4:6 - For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.
Titus 2:11-13 - For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and savior, Jesus Christ.
What should I do now? What is God’s will for me? What do you want me to do God?
We all ask variations of this question in our everyday lives from small decisions to bigger choices.
- The high school student who is going to graduate as they consider their next steps.
- The college student as they choose their career.
- Those who are planning on being married.
- Those considering a new job, moving, or relocating.
God what do you want me to do? What is your will?
This question takes on a different dimension when we suffer.
- The parents who have tried everything and their children are still rebelling and responding in a way that is contrary to God. “God what should I do now?”
- The spouse who is discouraged and feels insufficient to help their spouse follow the Lord, they try to encourage to church, to read the bible, to be supportive and yet their spouse responds in similar ways with anger, or cutting remarks, or greater distance. “Lord, what’s your will, I don’t know what to do?”
- Each medical visit you are expecting greater clarity, an answer, and solution, but instead leave with more questions than answer and worse news than when you walked in…Lord what is your will?
- You are trying to do the best to care for your family member and with each step toward them that you believe would better serve and help them, you are met with more push back and unloving comments.
- Your loved one dies, and there is just a maze of all these decisions, your path and life seemed so clear, and now that its like a part of you has died because you were one flesh, where do I go from here, God what do you want me to do?
What we need is hope. Hope that we can know what God wants us to do and the power to be able to do it even through suffering. Our annual theme is Hope for Everyday Life.
Sometimes it is easy to live with hope when you see the Lord work mightily around you in the way that you were hoping or expecting.
But our series in 1 Peter has also reminded us that we can have hope when we face suffering.
Life is not always easy. Our culture and even those closest to us are not always friendly toward us.
When it is hard, it is important to go back to basics. Run to what you know. Find stability before you tackle the difficult challenges and questions.
- Before you decide what to do, get your bearings. Understand your situation before you make choices.
With that in mind please turn in your Bibles to 1 Peter 4:1. That is on page 182 of the back section of the Bible in the chair in front of you.
- If you do not own a Bible, please write your name in that one and take it with you. We want everyone who wants a Bible to have one.
Peter’s audience had it rough. They were living in a culture that did not value Christians. Living faithful for Christ had a price. Peter wants them grounded so that they can face whatever suffering that God brings to their everyday life.
We are talking today about one of those grounding principles.
- It is like a shelter when a quick rain shower rolls in that you were not expecting, you run there to regroup and plan…
- It is like a “home” or “base.” A place to refocus and think as you determine next steps to face the suffering.
The Title of this message is Living For The Lord’s Will. Please follow along as I read. This is the Word of the Lord. [Read 1 Peter 4:1-6]
1 Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
3 For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries.
4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you;
5 but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
6 For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.
The overall point of this text is to live for God’s will amid suffering. Verses 1-2 culminate with the phrase “for the will of God” and verses 3-6 look back to it.
- It grounds you in suffering, especially suffering as a Christian.
Would you agree that there has been at least one time in your life when you tried to do please Jesus and were treated poorly for it?
You are trying to please Jesus to the best of your ability and you suffer for it.
- Friends, when that happens or when you live under that pressure daily, you need a place to quiet your soul. You need a place of rest and reflection.
That place is Live for the Lord’s will.
- Do not live in constant fear of what may happen next. Live for the Lord’s will.
- Do not focus on everything you wish was different. Focus on the Lord’s will.
- Do not seek first to change the people or circumstances. Seek to do the Lord’s will.
That begs the question, “what is the Lord’s will?” Sometimes, we make it more complicated than what it is. For example,
- If the Bible gives us a clear command, then it is the will of God. Here are some examples in 1 Peter.
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,
1 Peter 2:2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation
1 Peter 2:11-12 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. 12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
1 Peter 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence
- We could add other clear commands in the Bible regarding what we love, how we love, what we think about, what we do, etc.
- God’s will does not just relate to behavior, but to our character, to our affections, and to our motivation.
- God’s will impact our heads, our hands, and our hearts.
This means that part of God’s will is given. You have a home base you can be assured about. This stabilizes our thinking when we are suffering and our mind is swirling with also sort of thoughts, desires, many of which may not be very honoring to God.
Get back to the basics in suffering.
But admittedly, there are circumstances in life that do not match up exactly to one command. God gives us wisdom when we ask, in each other (in a multitude of counselors there is wisdom), in the conscience (our sense of right and wrong), and God’s Spirit drawing us to his Word to guide us in these moments.
- Sometimes we come with open hands before the Lord. We want to do God’s will and are in tears over what to do.
- Then there are other times we want God to approve the plans we already decided.
Friends, please hear this morning that we must live for the will of God – not demand that God do our will.
- He reveals much of his will – a lifetime’s worth – in his Word.
- He has given us instructions in how to apply his wisdom to a case that does not match a chapter and verse in order to do his will.
This is one take away from the message: Live for the Lord’s will.
The passage this morning assumes you know this.
Given your understanding of the Lord’s will as a Christian, God provides…
Three ways to strengthen your determination to obey God’s will when you suffer.
I. Arm yourself with the same purpose of your Savior (v.1)
1 Peter 4:1 Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin
“Therefore” refers to the previous verses last week, especially chapter 3 v.18, where Peter explained the suffering of Christ. As Peter reflected on Christ’s sufferings, he wanted to explain the practical significance for us.
God kindly gives us a purpose – Live for the Lord’s will.
The purpose is the purpose that Christ had; namely, to obey the will of his father to suffer in the flesh.
John 8:28 So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.
Luke 22:42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”
Jesus did only that which the father had given him. He did only that which brought glory to the father. Jesus’ clear mission was to do the will of the one who sent him, and that mission involved suffering specifically in the flesh in obedience to the Father.
Our task is to arm ourselves with that same purpose.
- Be committed to doing the will of God just as Jesus was.
- The text emphasizes “yourself.” No one is going to do that for you. We take the action of arming.
To arm yourself or to prepare yourself is the command. It is intentional. It is something you do in your mind and heart and thinking, but the metaphor is outer man. This term “to arm” could refer to a military context where a person prepared for battle.
Just like a soldier would never dare to run out against enemy fire without being armed with his gun, you should not seek to enter and respond to suffering without arming yourself with the right purpose.
The right purpose to please God by living for God’s will.
Living for God’s will is not always the first thought that comes to us in suffering. We arm ourselves with the purpose of vengeance, or defensiveness, or self-pity.
- Arm yourself with the purpose of vengeance when you suffer “I am going to make them hurt like I am hurt…” …and they respond with even more unkindness…and you caused even more suffering to the relationship.
- Arm yourself with the purpose of defensiveness, “I am going to go to them to justify what I did, what I was thinking, and why I am right” Then their response disappoints you because they don’t agree and do what you hoped. No change.
- Arm yourself with the purpose of self-pity, “I am going to hope they feel sorry for me, and minimize any of my moral responsibility, and make myself the passive victim” Then they don’t feel sorry, and you were hoping they would do more to help you, but they don’t so you are devasted. Now what are you going to do?
When we are suffering and we arm ourselves with the purpose of getting even, or being right, or being pitied and treated the way we want, we deceive ourselves to think this is what protects our hearts. You think you are protecting yourself by entering the suffering with this purpose. And God sees you are going to be disappointed and devasted.
This is not what to arm yourself with, instead arm yourselves with the purpose of doing the Lord’s will.
You want to experience peace and stability in your everyday suffering.
Protect your heart in suffering by living for the right purpose.
We must develop the habit of waking up each day, especially in suffering, with the resolve, the intention, to take up the right purpose to live for God’s will.
Resolving to follow Christ’s suffering (v. 1a)
1 Peter 2:21-25 reminded us that Christ left us an example to follow. Jesus knew the suffering was part of God’s will and he moved toward it for the glory of God and our good.
Jesus told his followers that anyone wishing to follow him must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow him. A commitment to suffering.
- Even those who expressed other priorities (like let me stay with my parents until they die) were rebuked that Jesus had to be first.
It is so tempting to be about ourselves. Jesus said, deny yourself and take up your cross.
Peter says this is a resolution you make. Maybe right now you need to say in your heart, “I resolve to follow the Lord’s will just like my Savior Jesus did with [insert suffering].”
Maybe, you need to sing to yourself those great hymns reminding yourself of your commitment to Christ.
I am resolved to go to the Savior,
leaving my sin and strife;
He is the true one, He is the just one,
He has the words of life.
Or
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back, no turning back
…Though none go with me, still I will follow.
God wants our resolved strengthened by arming your self with the right purpose which entails…
Choosing God’s will over the temptation to sin (v. 1c)
The hardest phrase in this section occurs right here. It says, “because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin”. At first glance it is, huh? Did Peter just say that Jesus sinned in the flesh and then stopped when he died?
- No.
The grammar is clearer than that. “He who has suffered” is not referring to Jesus, but to the believer that must arm himself with the purpose of following Christ through suffering.
- Okay. Did Peter just say that when believers suffer, they become sinless?
- No. So what is he saying?
He is saying that when we arm ourselves to follow Christ’s example then we are purposely choosing the path of suffering as a Christian rather than the path of the sin.
When we are willing to suffer as Christian, we want to faithfully follow his will, which means we are making the decision not to live for what pleases the unbelieving world.
I read the other week that a judge upheld that the Brownsburg school system did the right thing when they forced a teacher to resign his position because he believed that using transgender pronouns for his students did not honor Jesus and was a violation of his faith. I shared this with my Faith Group.
- I don’t know what you think about that case and whether it was the right decision and interpretation legally, but there were 2 clear conclusions I drew from the article.
- It reminded me of all our public-school teachers and the pressures they face. I prayed for our teachers knowing that any teacher who calls our church their home could face the same pressures.
- The teacher resolved in his heart to follow Jesus even if it meant suffering. He was following what he believed was the will of God in his situation. He followed that will despite the pressure and ridicule.
Amid suffering our base or home or safety is doing God’s will. We come back here for grounding and perspective for what to do next.
The first way to strengthen our determination to do God’s will is to Arm ourselves with the same purpose he had. The second way is to…
II. No longer live for the desires of men but for the will of God (vv. 2-4)
1 Peter 1:2-4 so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 3 For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. 4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you
Verse 2 is the title of this message. Living for the Lord’s will. That is our primary point this morning. We must live for something. Peter explains the other option is living for the desires/lusts of men. Those are the two options on the shelf, pleasing God, or pleasing self. One purpose leads to life and the other purpose to ruin.
Purpose matters. As our Pastor Green helpfully puts.
Those who have no purpose struggle through life or take their life
Those who have the wrong purpose waste their life
Those who have the right purpose are energized for life
Suffering has a way of reprioritizing our lives and determining what is most important. When suffering presses us, what comes out? Peter says live by the will of God. The alternative is living for the desires/lust of men.
As long as you draw breath, live for the Lord’s will. That is Peter’s exhortation. Why should we no longer live according to the lusts of men?
Because we followed those desires long enough (v. 3)
1 Peter 4:3 For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries.
Peter says, “the TIME FOR LIVING FOR SIN IS OVER” because your time for living according to the flesh is …. SUFFICIENT.
- Don’t you love that?
We have sinned long enough. You have had enough practice. We are done with living for that. We have perfected the art of sin well enough and long enough. We should want to live for something better.
Peter says that the amount of time you did that was sufficient. You have it covered.
- Some of you live for lusts, carousing, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries … yes, all that was sufficient.
We all know the battle. At times we are drawn to the old life. The old influences are like come on…Remember how we had so much fun. Wasn’t it awesome?
And now that you have matured…as one who grew up in Southern CA, you look at those parties and carousing like it’s the Mad Tea Party teacup ride at Disney…It deceived you it sounded so fancy, and glamours, and fun, but that path of sin just spun you in circles around and around and around and around…and left you feeling sick and horrible…as you see all the smiles wiped away. Now that you are older, you just want to vomit thinking about it…I don’t want that ride again. It was sufficient.
There was a side of that sin that was fun. But it also brought death and suffering of a different kind.
In Romans 6 Paul wrote that you are dead to sin and alive to God. We know positionally that it is true. Anytime that temptation comes knocking we can say, “I am dead to that.” Peter adds another phrase for us, “I am done with that.”
He knows that not only do we need to conclude that we have followed the lusts of men long enough, but that others will encourage us to do wrong.
In fact, we must live for the Lord’s will …
Although some are surprised that we do not join them (v. 4)
1 Peter 4:4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you
For many of us we can remember how this played out. When you first turned to Jesus and repented of your sin trusting in Jesus, death, burial and resurrection to save you, you were given new spiritual life…but still have the same family and circle of friends.
One day you were getting drunk, or you were pursuing and looking for sexual immorality, or you were consumed by acquiring new possessions and then you stopped. Your friends and family don’t know what to do. They continue to tell you about their weekend events or gatherings, invite us to them, and wonder why we don’t join them.
They still assume that their values are the same as ours.
In this first stage, the temptation is to join them. There might still be a draw on your heart. Their offer is appealing. There is this kind of pressure and suffering.
When they start to realize that you are serious about following Jesus Christ, you are now the boring, or crazy, or weird Christian who doesn’t do these things anymore, then a different kind of pressure comes.
- Now comes the maligning…the insults…the mocking…
- You are now an ignorant, bigoted, judgmental, misogynistic, homophobic, and transphobic Christian.
Which in their mind now justifies them saying or doing whatever they want to you or about you.
Will you quit? Will you collapse under this suffering? Will you give in to their pressure and either join them in their sin and respond like them or be quiet and keep your views to yourself and stop living for the Lord’s will in front of them?
Christians, live out the will of God specifically in these moments of suffering.
Maybe you have been mocked by family and friends when suffering with sickness and disease for why you continue to trust God, they think “why he would allow this you are so foolish” and in that pressure you stand firm and resolve to respond righteously in love.
I know brothers and sisters in Christ whose friends intentionally mocked and shared inappropriate reminders of their past sins with others…as if to say “who do you think you are pretending you are not this person anymore…I know you.” And they resolved to respond righteously preaching the gospel to themselves and the hope of mercy for those who malign them.
And what is so incredible is that as a Christian, when you resolve to do this in suffering, it energizes you in your faith and strengthens your determination, it does not weaken it.
When you resolve to do the will of God it is energizing. Remember those phrases:
- - Those who have no purpose struggle through or take their life
- - Those who have the wrong purpose waste their life
- - Those who have the right purpose (which we know is Living for the Lord’s will) are energized for life
Arm yourself with the same purpose of our savior.
- Don’t live for the desires of sinful people because we have already been there and done that long enough, even if we take grief for it.
The final way to strengthen our determination to live for God’s will amid suffering.
III. Know that living for God’s will results in vindication (vv. 5-6)
The Christian who lives for the Lord’s will and suffers for it will be vindicated. These verses describe victory!
1 Peter 4:5 but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.
Those who live for evil desires must receive God’s judgment
1 Peter 4:5 but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
Deferred justice, or justice that delayed is part of our world. It exists at every level of life. At times, we are so accustomed to deferred justice or injustice that we forget that one day the Lord will judge and the disobedient must give an account. In v. 4 we saw that they are surprised, and they speak poorly about you. It seems like those who persecute Christians and treat us bad for following Jesus get away with it.
- It can be discouraging.
- If we are not careful, we can turn our eyes inward. We look at ourselves and how those around us treat us and we give in to the victim mentality--the lusts of men.
- We must continue to look to Jesus who was reviled but did not revile in return.
- We live for the Lord’s will and allow the Lord to judge.
This is a good time to speak to those who may not have a relationship with Jesus. You are in the “surprised” and “maligning” group.
The Bible is clear that the Lord is patient wanting all to come to repentance. See God delays justice and shows patience to provide mercy. God’s patience sometimes misinterpreted as “God does not care,” or “God is not real,” or “God does not fulfill his promises.”
Please do not be tricked into that line of thinking.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power
Please notice the language
- It is only just for God to judge
- His judgment always had two sides.
- Vindication of the righteous (Those who trust Jesus will have the victory)
- Punishment for the wicked of those who do not trust Jesus.
If you have questions about this, I and the other pastors would be happy to have a one-on-one conversation to share what the Bible says.
For those who know Christ, please notice the last verse.
Those who live for God’s will enjoy eternal life
1 Peter 4:6 For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.
This verse talks about how the good news of Jesus impacted believers who had already died. Yes, they suffered the pain of death (nicely or not so nicely), but they live in the spirit. He refers to the resurrection from the dead.
Those who believe Christians should behave like everyone else (pursuing the lusts of men) also believe that Christians get no advantage. They die too. What the point in living for Jesus when Christians are susceptible to disease, sharp objects, and fast-moving bullets just like everyone else.
- The unbeliever sees no advantage to being a Christian which justifies their position and makes the social pressure even more intense.
Peter says, hold on. Wait. Yes, we long for the day when we can mock death because it has no more place. But death is not the end. Jesus conquered death.
- Judgment awaits those who refuse to obey the gospel and who continue their lives living for themselves.
Vindication – victory – awaits those who hear the gospel and respond to it.
Our focus is not that Christians and non-Christians can be harmed in the same way in this life.
- Our focus is that they have different ending points. They experience a different judgment from God with very different consequences after death.
Once I am committed to that ending point, then that provides motivation to continue living for the Lord’s will.
Titus 2:11-13 – For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and savior, Jesus Christ.
- Hope in the now, denying ungodliness and worldly desires…living righteously in the present age…and hope in the future, looking for the blessed hope.
I want to close by asking, TO WHAT EXTENT DO WE ENDURE? To what extent must we endure the persecution and social ridicule and malignment?
If Jesus is our example, then the answer must be to our death.
D. A. Carson in his book “How Long O Lord” discusses suffering from a Christian viewpoint. He wrote,
- “I would rather die than end up unfaithful to my wife; I would rather die than deny by a profligate (wasteful or given to lusts) life what I have taught in my books; I would rather die than deny or disown the gospel. There are worse things than dying.”
- Husbands/wives – we cannot control how your spouse might speak or respond to you or think about you…but you can control how you will live for the Lord’s will irrespective of their choices and even when it’s hard.
- Parents, we cannot control how our children live and what they will value. They grow up and make those choices for themselves. Resolve to live before them doing the will of God so that if they go astray – at least they must walk over our dead body to do it.
- Those who are younger, even if your parents or friends or social media followers do not resolve to live for God. Resolve to Live the Lord’s will and not for the getting the affirmation and acceptance of those closest to you. The praise of men is a snare.
This section of Peter is full of significant truth to live with hope in everyday suffering.
- Arm yourselves with the purpose of living according to the will of God.
- Know that our time for sinning was sufficient.
- Live this way because Jesus suffered for us, because unbelievers face judgment, and because believers live in the spirit according to the will of God.
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