Notes on 1 Peter from a message preached by Dr J Stewart Gillespie
Vs1-6 – Deal with Death
Vs7-11 – Deal with Life
Vs12-19 – Deal with Suffering
More Particularly:
Vs 1-6 – We see Death in the Flesh
Vs 7-11 – We see Life in the Spirit
Vs 12-19 – We see Suffering in Christ
It is of course quite inevitable that if I come to know what it is to experience:
Death in the Flesh:
I give up the old sins (v1)
I give up the old desires (v2)
I give up the old relationships (v3)
& Life in the Spirit
Then it will not be long before I learn what it is to know suffering in Christ.
Death in the Flesh (4:1-6)
End to the old sin (v1)
End to the old desires (v2)
End to the old friendships (v3-4)
There are 3 things that bring about the death in the flesh:
The Cross of Christ (v1)
The Court of God (v5)
The Crown of Life (v6)
The Cross of Christ (v1)
From common human experience there are perhaps 4 reasons why I might stop sinning:
The Condemnation of Law: “The soul that sinneth it shall die” (Ezek18:20)
The Removal of Opportunity – incarceration
The Conviction of Conscience – by the Holy Spirit as a believer
The Suffering of Consequences
This is where Peter has brought us to in 4:1 – The Suffering of Consequences
Christ has done the suffering – now you do the ceasing.
Can I see the consequences of my sin?
These sins put my Lord on the tree, they put Gods Son through the suffering of Calvary!
Can I not see the seriousness of them? Can I not taste the bitterness of these sins?
Can I not taste the anguish of a father as he leads a son up Mt. Moriah?
Of the cry of David for Absalom: “And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2Sam18:33).
Of the cry of the Son in Psalm22:1.
Of the sorrow of Christ in Lamentations (Lam1:12-13)
Why? “Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh”
Sin is a serious thing
Sin, lusts, the world is a doomed thing – can God permit it to continue? Calvary is an end of sin, the world and the lusts of the flesh.
The Court of God (v5)
“ready” to judge – just waiting – how much longer?
The Crown of Life (v6)
Life in the Spirit (4:7-11)
3 Features of life in the Spirit:
Man Communicating with God – Prayer (v7)
Man Communicating with Man – Love (v8-10)
God Communicating with Man – Preaching (v11)
The life of the Spirit in the Life of the believer
Be careful not to cut off any one of these 3
All 3 needed for life in the Spirit
Man Communicating with God – Prayer (v7)
The necessity of prayer, dependance upon God
Consider evangelism – men “dead in trespasses in sin” (Eph2:1), “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day,” (Jo6:44)
Without a movement of the Spirit of God nothing will happen
Man Communicating with Man – Love (v8-10)
God Communicating with Man – Preaching (v11)
God communicating with man – not man with man! Be very careful here!!
Have you notice how Christ spoke at the Synogogue in Nazareth in Luke 4?
On each of these 3 occasions Christ brings the message of God
There is a difference between the message of God and the truth of God
When Christ brings a message He brings it in the power of the Spirit: 4:1,14,18.
There would have been no point in bringing the acceptable year of the Lord to the Devil!
Lk4:1-13: Christ speaks from Deuteronomy
Lk4:16-22: Christ speaks from Isaiah
Lk4:25-27: Christ speaks concerning Elijah + Elisha
Is this the truth of God? But each is also the message of God!
Isaiah 61 had been the truth of God for 700 years but now: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21)– Gods message for right now, today, right here!
Notice when Christ speaks as the oracles of God He:
Rebukes the Enemy of God (4:13)
Engages in a spiritual battle with the enemy – this is more than a nice wee meeting with a few nice wee thoughts – this is engaging Satan in a spiritual battle to spiritual victory!
Wins against a spiritual foe
Reveals the Mind of God
“This day is this scripture…”
Isaiah 61 had been the truth of God for 700 years but now: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” – Gods message for right now, today, right here!
“They wondered” (4:22) – this message was relevant – ‘living’ and ‘powerful’ and ‘penetrating’.
Provokes a Reaction in the House of God
Any reaction is better than none!
They take Him to the brow of the hill! This is often the reaction!
The Lord would Glorify His Son (4:15):
By Gods Means – not by Satans (4:1-13)
In Gods Time (4:19-22)
In a place of Gods choosing (4:25-27)
God chooses how, when, who and where!
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