Preached: 6/10 & 17/18
Text: I Peter 4:1, “Therefore since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also...”
Intro. Can you imagine an army going into battle without...guns, bullets, missiles, war ships, tanks etc. That would be sure suicide! It just doesn’t happen! Nor should we, the body of Christ, go into the daily battles we face unprepared....unarmed. We must arm ourselves for the conflicts that will come our way...to fail to do so is to commit spiritual suicide.
In Peter’s first letter he tells the child of God to ‘arm himself’....”So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves…"NLT
Arm: (3695) (hoplizo from hoplon = weapon) This basically means to make ready or prepare, with a focus upon the process of equipping; or to arm, to furnish with arms or to provide. In the case of soldiers it means to equip one's self with weapons.
With What ...”with the same attitude (to have understanding, to think) he had,”
Jesus was ready and willing to do ‘whatever it takes’….”be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin.You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.” I Pet. 4:1-3 NLT
He was willing to do whatever had to be done to accomplish what He was sent here to accomplish. It is with this same attitude that we must arm ourselves for our daily battles.
Note: Outlook determines outcome; a believer must have the right attitude if he is to live a right life. Since this is a constant struggle we need to be properly motivated and that is what Peter is doing in this section, teaching that we can be motivated by the truth that our Lord also suffered and also by the certainty of His imminent return to judge the living and the dead.
Victor Or Victim? You Choose: Too many Christians live with a ‘victim mentality’. It is used to shed light upon their needs...to produce sympathy for their cause. The child of God ceased to be a victim the moment he/ she gave their heart to Christ. At that very moment you became a VICTOR. ‘Old things passed away all things became new’. II Cor. 5:17
We Must Arm Ourselves With Facts To Become A Victor Not A Victim:
Fact # 1 - We will face/have difficulties in this life….10 John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation (great trouble or suffering);”
Acts 14:22, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”
I Thess. 3:3, “no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.”
We will never win without recognizing and accepting the FACT that we must fight....It is extremely destructive to teach a new Christian, or any Christian, that once they get saved everything is going to become easy. The devil NEVER gives up! He wants what he claims to be his property back....that is not going to happen if we are armed!!
Fact #2 - Knowing YOU Never Have To Lose….12 ”Listen! I have given you authority, so that you can...overcome all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you.” Lk. 10:19 TEV
Listen! Pay attention to what is about to be said. Don’t drift off here...listen closely.
“I have given you authority (exousia: rightful, actual, and unimpeded power to act, or to possess, control, use, dispose of, something)” Simply put….”I have given you the right to exercise the power I have given you.”
D. Sheets: Where God and Satan are concerned, the issue has never been power, including over control of the earth. God is al-powerful. When Satan tried to pull off a coup in heaven, there was a flash of lightning and Satan was gone (Luke 10:18). No battle, no time delay, no sweat or exertion on God’s part...just a release of His power and glory. It is always and only a question of authority.
The same is true with us and our struggle against the kingdom of darkness. Satan did’t gain any power at the fall and didn’t lose any at the cross. His power or ability didn’t change at either event; his authority, or the right to use that power, did. In fact, though Christians often state otherwise, 14 Scripture nowhere says that Christ delivered us from or dealt with Satan’s power at Calvary. He dealt with Satan’s authority.
The King James Version uses the Greek words dunamis (power) and exousia (authority) interchangeably, which is unfortunate and creates confusion. In Colossians 1:13, for example, it translates exousia as power: “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.“ The verse should read that Christ has delivered us from the authority of darkness, as most other translations actually do. Likewise, in Matthew 28:18 Jesus didn’t say he has been give “all power, “ as the KJV renders...He already had that. Christ used exousia: He was stating that He had taken back the authority for us that Adam has lost.
This is more than a mere technicality. If Jesus stripped Satan of his power, as some teach, then we no longer need to concern ourselves with him...he becomes a nonissue. Or if we Christians have been delivered from Satan’s power, as some teach, then he can no longer affect or control us. We would be able to ignore him completely, which is precisely what many Christians do.
If on the other hand, Jesus dealt with Satan’s authority...the right to use his power or abilities...then we would need to deal with him as a usurper, a rebel, a thief that has no right to steal kill and destroy but will if not stopped (John 10:10). If we have been delivered from Satan’s authority and given a higher authority in Christ’s name, then we must exercise that authority over the devil’s works and power. When we do, God’s awesome power will back up our authority. Luke 10:19 refers to this...using our authority over Satan’s power: “Behold, I have give you authority (exousia) to tead upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power (dunamis) of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you.”
Jesus said we have authority (keys) to “bind” the forces of hell (Matt.16:19). The term is deo, and means to “fasten or tie, as with a chain or cord” (Zodhiates, Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, NASB). The word was also used in legal circles to mean “legally or contractually binding,” which obviously conveys the idea of authority, binding or tying Satan legally, and God will back us with His power. So again, 15 what will determine victory for us is understanding and exercising our God given authority.
Some Reminders: Eph. 1:19-20, NLT “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”
I John 4:4, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
I John 5:4, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”
Conc: He has not left us unequipped! He has given us what we need to win.....it is up to us to arm ourselves and go for the victory!! It is ours for the taking!! We are and should be armed and dangerous...ready to reek havoc against the enemy of the Kingdom!! The devil can’t take what we want allow!!
