1st Peter 4:1-5, “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.”
As I do every day, I opened my 'The Strand Study Bible' yesterday to read it. I have already ordered four of them because I love it so much. Pastor Brad Strand (in Texas today) was one of my favorite Bible professors (preachers) at Hyles-Anderson College in the late 1980's. Here's a free online version of the Bible commentary.
Yesterday, I randomly opened my King James Bible to our text passage from 1st Peter 4:1-5. I admit that I tend to just randomly open my Bible and read. I like to do that because I never know what precious nuggets of truth I may find. 1st Peter 4:1-2, “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.”
Our dear Savior suffered while on earth in the flesh. Isaiah 53:3-4, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” Please don't misunderstand the Bible, Jesus wasn't a sorrowful man, He was a man of sorrows. Jesus wasn't a grieving man, He was a man acquainted with grief. There's a big difference! This is why the Apostle Paul and Silas could sing hymns while locked in prison in Rome. Three of the four Pauline epistles were penned from prison, excluding Galatians.
The Bible says in 1st Peter 4:1a, “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind...” What same mind? Jesus used his suffering as a means (motivation) to obey God the Father. Hebrews 5:8-9, “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him...”
When it comes to suffering, as we just read in our text passage of Scripture, Christians who arm them selves with “the mind of Christ” will sin less. 1st Peter 4:1b, “for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” That is beautiful! 1st Corinthians 2:15-16, “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
This is why we read the inspired words of God in 1st Peter 1:7, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth...” Our inexplicable emotional, physical, social, spiritual, financial and mental sufferings are all more valuable then gold that perishes the inspired Holy Bible says, because if we react properly (biblically), it will cause sin to lose its power over our life, and lead us to focus rather on the things of God. Nothing in our life as God's redeemed children is more important than doing the will of our heavenly Father.
If you want to sin less, then you need to suffer more. Life has a way of teaching us the lessons that we need to learn, to humble us. God has ordained it that way. As you read the following inspired passage of Scripture from the Old Testament, keep in mind that King Solomon is talking about growing old with deteriorating health (loss of vision, loss of hearing, loss of physical stamina, little things become a burden, rotting teeth, et cetera), so that sin has lost it's enjoyment and pleasure. ...
Ecclesiastes 12:1, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.”
You know, the world has a lot of wisdom and advice, but it's all garbage (Psalms 1:1-3). Don't make the grave error of following the sinful world's advice on suffering. In the eyes of the world suffering is a very bad thing. To the heathen world, you're life is a mess if you're suffering. But in God's sight you are blessed and right where He wants you to be in your suffering. When Paul and Silas were in prison in Acts 16, and John and Peter were in prison in Acts 5, they were exactly where God wanted them to be in His perfect will. Never underestimate the will of God for your life!
We read in Hebrews chapter 11 (often referred to as The Hall of Faith) about Christians throughout Bible history who did many mighty things for God. But please notice what the Bible says starting in verse 36...
Hebrews 11:36-40, “And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”
These saints who comprised the “And others” category were all in God's perfect will when they suffered. They weren't being punished for their sins, nor for other's sins. They suffered in the perfect will of God! Dear reader, these biblical truths will change your life if you will embrace it. Stop looking at your problems, sufferings, burdens and heartaches as being something evil. Instead, learn to see the miseries in your life as blessings in disguise, knowing “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1st Peter 1:7).
Something that has encouraged me over the decades is reading and hearing about the sufferings of other Christians, knowing that I am not alone in my pain. 1st Peter 5:7-9, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
On every secular job I ever worked, I was wickedly ridiculed by heathen co-workers for not joining them to go to the local strip club after work, join in gambling on the lottery, for not cursing in the Lord's name like they did, et cetera. The Holy Bible warns that God will hold them all accountable. 1st Peter 4:4-5, “Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.” We all have to answer to our Creator in eternity (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Romans 14:10-12; James 4:12). No one shall escape answering to God, no one. Romans 14:12, “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
- The Call To Suffer (an awesome very beautiful MP3 sermon by Pastor Ralph “Yankee” Arnold)
- The Call To Suffer (We “SUFFER FOR HIS SAKE”; Dr. Arnold, 'Don't be bored, serve the Lord!')
Suffering is as much a part of the Christian's life as is God's free gift of salvation! Suffering is a true blessing, if it produces humility and obedience to God.
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