Patient Endurance
Notes
Transcript
Responsibility
Responsibility
I hate responsibility. I try to avoid it all cost.
It costs me things I want.
Baseball was my thing when I was a kid. I loved playing it and watching it.
Some summers I played on 2 teams, 6 days/week.
Before I could drive, my family had to take me all over every day or I’d ride my bike all over Wichita w/ my bat and glove bungied on the back.
There were a lot of times my friends were going out and I would want to go but I couldn’t b/c I had a game to play.
They were unkind at times, it hurt. But, my priorities were my priorities.
Baseball kept me out of some trouble, too.
I have a few friends who didn’t make it out of high school.
Too much trouble, had to drop out and go to work.
I got to play and get educated.
I sac’d a lot to do this, but the reward in the end was 2 high school state championships and a nat’l championship.
I was one of the other guys on the team.
I played on a team full of stars. I was not one of them.
But, b/c of what I did when I was younger, I was able to make that team.
I’d love t/b able to play golf 2 or 3 times/week. But I can’t.
I’d lose my job. I have responsibilities here.
I’ve been asked a few times what retirement will look like for me and Sara.
We’re going to travel.
Probably a camper or RV.
I want to play golf. A lot of it.
And, t/b able to retire like this Sara and I have had to say no to a lot of things our friends were doing.
We could not spend the money on those things over these 36 years of marriage and still be able to retire the way we want to retire.
We can’t. We have other priorities.
All of you get this. You know there are things you couldn’t do, things you wanted to do, maybe your friends were doing, but you had to sacrifice at that time so you could get something you wanted more, later.
And now, the temptation is even greater b/c of the situ and circumstance we are in.
We’ve been forced to give up things and those things are important to us.
We are more isolated and separated.
We’ve lost salary and investment income.
Some of us have lost friends or family members to the virus.
We have not been able to grieve b/c of the isolation and separation. Full circle.
So, losing these things has left a void that either needs t/b refilled or we need to mask what we feel.
The void, the emotional pain, deeper and greater than most of us have experienced in our lifetime.
We still need t/b patient and strong b/c our long term goals and priorities mostly haven’t changed.
There are things we need to sacrifice now b/c we have higher priorities and other, more important things we want to have later.
Make sacrifices now and get rewarded later. Sacrifice what you want now so you can get what you’d rather have later.
Think about some of the things you sacrificed to get where you are today. You got educated. You got experience. You got a job. You changed jobs. You saved money. You provided for your family. And, here you are in Munds Park.
All along the way there were things you wanted, some of your friends had it and did it, but you couldn’t b/c you knew it would cost you too much later.
The ppl Peter wrote to were hurting b/c they were forced to sac so much. They had to. It was imposed on them.
And, then they were faced w/ choices that were hard. They are trying to make new friends in this new place.
Many of their new friends and neighbors were doing some things, buying stuff, and they were having fun. And, the Xians’ dilemma was whether or not they could do this stuff, too.
But, the fun the others were having was w/ stuff that Jesus had said we’re not supposed to do.
It was a lot the obvious stuff, things we could do today.
Sexual stuff, drugs and alcohol.
Then, there were the vomitoriums.
Eating disorders.
But, the Xians, couldn’t they just indulge a little? What harm could it do.
Grace!
What Peter is saying here is:
Surrender your life now, all of it, and get a better life later.
Sacrifice what only looks good now and get what really is good later.
Give up all of your fallen body now, and receive a glorious body later.
I don’t know exactly what that will look like, but I know a lot of good stuff will come w/ it.
The responsibility is to not do some of this stuff now so we get to do a lot of better stuff later.
It’s a battle to do this. We fight w/ ourselves, we fight w/ our friends, and maybe even fight w/ our spouses.
But, it begins w/ an attitude, or mindset, based on what Jesus did for us and what we learn about God, ourselves, and how God deals w/ us.
It takes real Patient Endurance.
Patient Endurance
Patient Endurance
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.
Therefore. What’s it there for?
It refers back to Jesus’ suffering and His applied principle of patient endurance for something better, later.
This is something we need to develop when life is not so hard and the temptation is not so great, so when it is we can still stand strong.
Jesus’ motivation was to be able to enjoy time w/ us in heaven forever. But, in order to get that, he had to save us.
W/out what He suffered, He wouldn’t get rewarded w/ an eternal friendship w/ all of us.
He had to do what He did then so He could get what He wanted later.
Just like that.
Peter says, “arm yourself.” It’s a choice and it’s a battle. We need an effective weapon in the struggle to sacrifice now for what we really want later.
It requires and unswerving resolve to do what God wants us to do in every moment w/out ever letting down our guard.
If we can master this, arm ourselves w/ such patient endurance, lasting strength, then we will have mastered most of the sin in our lives.
Nobody is perfect. But, the more mature we are, the more like Jesus we become, the less bad stuff we will do.
v. 1 starts, “Therefore...”
v. 2 starts, “As a result...”
What it means is we are willing to live our lives on earth doing less that gratifies immediately in order to obey God and be gratified eternally.
Paul said, we are dead to sin. We don’t have to do it anymore. Even though we’ve already been forgiven for it, the more we do it the more we cheapen what Jesus did to pay for it and it costs us more in the long run.
Obeying God, not avoiding hardship, is one of the most important characteristics of our lives. Yes it’s hard. Yes, there are shortcuts. But, no, God does not want us taking the shortcuts or avoiding the hardship.
God placed it there for our good.
Why? Why deny yourself such pleasure now? You enjoy it. It feels good. It fills a void or at least masks the pain of the void.
Why not do it?
B/C it is a complete waste of time. Don’t waste your time.
It’s a Waste of Time
It’s a Waste of Time
For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
When we are hurting, when we lost things, when we lack things it creates a void in our lives.
We innately try to fill the void. If we can’t, we try to mask the pain the void creates.
This list is not an exhaustive list of things ppl tried relieve the pain they felt. Even Xians tried these things.
It’s a list of things that are intoxicating, addictive, release endorphins in our brain, giving us immediate feelings of pleasure and gratification.
But, there are problems w/ them. They don’t last. And, in fact, whatever problems we try to solve by participating in these things, they leave us w/ bigger problems.
There is nothing on this list that lasts and creates positive results over the long-term in our lives.
The reason why we need patient endurance so we can avoid these things is b/c they are a complete waste of time. There is no value in any of them.
Peter says, whatever time you’ve spent in any of these activities, you’ve wasted enough time already. Don’t waste any more.
The question of right and wrong is a spiritual one. No man or woman can establish a standard of right or wrong for everyone else. This is above our pay-grade.
This is a question only God can answer. What is right? or What is wrong?
God knows they are a waste of time and has told us not participate in any of them.
But, the temptation is strong. One little taste of any one of these and our brains can get hooked. Don’t even venture in once.
Then, there’s the peer pressure. Not only will we fight w/ ourselves against getting involved. We may have to fight our friends to stay out of this stuff.
That’s b/c some ppl, in their own insecurity, feel like if you say it’s wrong to do this stuff, you’re judging them for doing it.
Here’s the deal. We can judge right and wrong. We can call a spade a spade. We can call sin, sin.
But, it’s based on the standard God created. So, we are really not being judgmental at all. God has already judged it t/b wrong. And, everybody who does it will be judged by God.
So, if anyone wants to avoid being judged, not by each other, but by God, then they need to avoid behaviors like this.
Peer Pressure
Peer Pressure
They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
Remember me saying about my friends who were critical of me b/c I wouldn’t party w/ them b/c I had a baseball game.
One friend was named Steve. He was pretty hard on me and hostile toward my priority of baseball.
Steve partied while I played, dabbled in drugs, got a girl pregnant, dropped out of high school, and had to go to work.
He was 17.
I got to play and get an education. He had to support a family.
It didn’t last. Few marriages do that start that way.
Again, makes Peter’s point that this kind of immediate gratification will stop short of the gratification of 36 years of marriage, 3 believing kids, 1 daughter-in-law, and 2 grand kids will give you.
Some of your friends will get hostile. Especially those who know you used to do some of these things.
It will create more hostility. Their insecurity will try to create a problem for you.
Patient endurance. Once you learn to deal w/ the temptation of the activity, then you’re faced w/ the pressure from old friends.
Did Peter say it was a battle? A multi-front battle.
I remember in college, my sophomore year, I just needed to quit drinking. The drinking age in Texas at the time was 18. It wasn’t a huge problem. But I was on my way to having a problem. I needed to quit. I did, for a while. Got things under control.
There was a little tension between the partiers and the Xians in my fraternity.
About the same time, another Christian friend in my fraternity changed majors from pre-med to psych and planned to go to seminary and into ministry.
I remember, sitting at the table in the cafeteria when word got out about my friend who changed majors, one of my frat buddies said, “What a waste.”
What a waste of a good mind. No longer going t/b a doctor. Only going to be a pastor.
Studying this passage to preach reminded me and forced the question, what’s the bigger waste?
We need doctors. Good doctors are important.
But, being an immoral partier on the way to becoming a doctor? Or, a moral, faithfully obedient follower of Jesus preparing for ministry? Which do we need more?
We no longer do what we used to do. God gave us healthy boundaries that we were never aware of.
Reckless, wild living. Uncontrolled indulgence in seeking pleasure. Loose living of the prodigal son who wasted his time and inheritance rushing headfirst toward destruction.
That’s the only end for a life like this.
Last week, I talked about judgment is coming. Everyone will face an audit of their life and activities. An evaluation.
Nobody can avoid answering to God for what they did while they were here.
Peter knew, in a very practical way, the Xians were asking and were challenged by this observation.
All these ppl, did all these things and had so much fun. They didn’t deny themselves any pleasure. God didn’t stop them. God didn’t punish them.
Now, they’re dead. They enjoyed their life more than we are and it looks like God let them get away w/ it.
We denied ourselves so much. And, it seems like God is not rewarding us for the sacrifice.
So, why not indulge?
Why not give in to the temptation? Why put up with the ridicule from my friends? Why continue to stand up against the peer pressure?
Peter’s answer: Death did not allow them to escape judgment. Just b/c you are not there to see it, does not mean is isn’t happening now.
Paul wrote this in 1 Cor.
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
Christians. Everything we do in life will go thru the fire of judgment. The stuff we do that builds up believers will be like heavy precious metals. And the stuff we do that does not, will burn up and float away.
Then, we will be rewarded according to the weight of what comes out the other side.
Christians are not all going to receive the same rewards in heaven. Some will get more, some less. Still heaven, streets paved w/ gold and the presence of God.
Some will not get any more than that.
They will be saved, get to heaven, but there won’t be as much waiting for them as for those who do more to build on the foundation Jesus started.
Sacrifice what you want today in order to get what you’d rather have tomorrow.
This is why the gospel is preached. So we can know how to get to heaven and what will be waiting for us when we get there.
Good News
Good News
For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
Gospel is a Greek word that means, good news.
We are all going to die. Believers, those that don’t believe, everyone will leave this life.
What’s more important is what’s next.
We will all give an account for everything we did. We will be rewarded accordingly.
And, for the things we do wrong, the times we mess up, we will be forgiven and allowed into heaven anyway.
Still heaven. Still good. Much better than the other place.
We can live a life of little or no regret.
Regret means not getting what you want b/c you got what you wanted.
It doesn’t do it for you anymore but you can’t afford the next thing you want.
Some of us stay filled up. Some of us are just full of it.
We may try to hide the pain or mask the pain, but the void is still there.
Only God can fill us up in way that lasts. And we have t/b willing to surrender all of us to Jesus, not try to fill ourselves on our own, b/c the stuff we can do won’t last.
Patient endurance. Wait patiently, be strong, it will last b/c God will fill us in ways that do.
Applications
Applications
Waste
Waste
Is there something you are doing that you know is a waste of time, money, and energy?
You need to quit.
It’s fair that you feel an emptiness. We all do now. Some of us did before this all started.
But if you are trying to fill it yourself, or just trying to mask the pain of the emptiness, it won’t last. In fact, it will return much deeper and more painful.
Stop whatever you are doing trying to handle it on your own and let God reward you w/ what lasts forever.
Peer-Pressure
Peer-Pressure
Is there someone, or a group of someones you need to stand up to? You can do that.
Stand up to their hostility. Maybe, one fo them just needs for someone to go first so they can stand up to it, too.
Maybe you need a new set of peers who will pressure you to do what’s right instead of what’s wrong.
Stand up to the hostility. Stand w/ those who are faithful and obedient.
Patient Endurance
Patient Endurance
You have it in to wait patiently and stand strong until God fills you eternally.
You just need to use the muscle God has already given you.
Take the first step.
Acknowledge. Realize. Have confidence that it’s w/in you.
It’s not you. It’s God who lives inside of you who is giving you the ability to do what’s right and not do what’s wrong.
Do you need to reset your mind to believe what God has already given you the ability to do?
Surrender your life now, all of it, and get a better life later.
Sacrifice what only looks good now and get what really is good later.
Give up all of your fallen body now, and receive a glorious body later.
I don’t know exactly what that will look like, but I know a lot of good stuff will come w/ it.
The responsibility is to not do some of this stuff now so we get to do a lot of better stuff later.