Arm
Yourselves
1 Peter 4:1 “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;
2 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.
3 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:”
1. The Setting Of Your Time
2. The
Rest Of Your Time
3. The Past Of Your Time
1. The Setting Of Your Time
Verse one: “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;"
We have to “arm” ourselves as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have to "arm" ourselves with the very same mindset as our Lord had when He came to minister to us on this earth nearly two thousand years ago. “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” [Mark 10:45]
The SON of GOD deliberately set His face like a flint in a plan devised before the foundation of the world … to suffer for us in the flesh.
This was all prophesied five hundred years earlier.
Look with me in Isaiah fifty, verse seven to see. “For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” [Isaiah 50:7]
The Bible shows us here, when we deny the flesh … the flesh suffers. When the flesh suffers … it ceases “from sin”.
Friend, when you became a believer in Jesus Christ [by being born again] God [at that very moment in time] predestinated you “to be conformed” [over a period of time by sanctification] “to the image of his Son.” “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” [Romans 8:29]
This operation of God would be “the setting of your time” while you sojourn on this earth. The setting of your time is to determine who you will become like.
There is an old “adage” [which is an old saying] that who you hang around with … you will become like.
Did you know that? You can know what a person is like by the friends he or she keeps. There is something else here! Those who know Jesus Christ personally have the telltale signs inside of them that others can see on the outside.
Here is more. There is a particular smell [or odor] about a true believer in Jesus Christ.
This is what the Spirit of God says about this in Second Corinthians chapter two, verse fifteen: “For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:” [2 Corinthians 2:15]
Now is this thing true with you, my friend? Do you have that particular odor or smell of a true Christian? [The world can detect this.]
Now I have brought you to this point for this reason. I want to exhort you, that the setting of your time on this earth should be a time for you to reflect the light of Jesus Christ to others. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” [Matthew 5:16]
2. The Rest Of Your Time
Verse two: “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.”
We are no longer listening to the old drummer in this old world, which is the flesh [“to the lusts of men”]. Amen!
A true Christian has a new drummer he is listening to … that is inside of him [the Holy Ghost] “to the will of God.” Amen!
At the very moment we get “saved” … we have started our “race”.
Now, what is this “race” for? It is a “race” set for … for the purpose of running our course for a “prize” from Jesus Christ our LORD.
On the mark … get set … go! We are running to receive a “prize” according to First Corinthians chapter nine, verse twenty-four: “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” [1 Corinthians 9:24]
Do you want to know something about me? Rick St.James just wants to “floor-board” it in his race for the prize. I want it said of me … what Paul said for himself in Philippians chapter three, verse fourteen: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 3:14]
What about you? Are you in the race?
3. The Past Of Your Time
Verse three: “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:”
Before we received Jesus Christ as our Lord and our Savior, our lives were a virtual wasteland … filled with all the “muck and mire” of sin. Sin ruins everything it touches. We were all ruined! Because of sin we were absolutely good for nothing except for to be the fuel for the fires of an eternal HELL. Amen!
We were set for “the damnation of hell” just as the Pharisees were … in the day when the Son of God said them: “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” [Matthew 23:33]
We were … as God said we were in the BOOK [in Romans chapter three, verses ten through twelve]: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” [Romans 3:10-12]
BUT … now that we are saved by the blood of the lamb of God, … Jesus Christ, we need to walk with a “brisk walk” showing “a pattern” of “all longsuffering” to all those around us in our lives … for a very good reason.
Here is the all very important reason. It is found in First Timothy chapter one and it is in verse sixteen. Are you ready for this?
“Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” [1 Timothy 1:16]
Friends, the time is past for us … for “the will of the Gentiles” to be fulfilled in our lives.
We belong to Jesus Christ now.
Therefore, we need to have “a pattern of good works” for the rest of our time that we have on this earth … after we are saved. “In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.” [Titus 2:7-8]