Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

August 7, 2011

SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH

LOCATION

Rocky Hill Firehouse, 2^nd Floor

150 Washington Street

Rocky Hill, New Jersey, 08553

Telephone: 615-513-4464

Schedule of Services

Sunday 10 AM Bible Class

Sunday 11 AM Morning Service

Thursday 7 PM Midweek Service

Christ Hath Suffered For Us
1 Peter 4: 1

Brethren, consider this amazing grace for every redeemed child of God: Christ hath suffered for us!  The Just One who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, of whom Jehovah said, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; (Is 42: 1).  Christ suffered cruel mocking; Christ suffered betrayal and denial from those nearest him; Christ suffered the agonizing torture of the cross; Christ suffered being made a curse; Christ suffered the wrath of God; Christ suffered unto death.  Brethren, let these next two words set in—for us.

For us wretched, hell-deserving, God-haters; for us helpless sinners whom the Father chose by his sovereign grace; for us whom Christ entered into covenant to save by living the life we could not live and suffering the death we deserved and had to die; for us he was made lower than the angels for the suffering of death; for us he subjected himself to authorities and powers; for us he subjected himself to die unto sin.  What a word!—by whose stripes ye were healed (1 Peter 2: 24-25.)

Amazing love!

How can it be?

That Thou my God shouldst die for me?

Brethren, arm yourselves with the same mind.  Whatever we may have to suffer for the name of Christ it is most reasonable considering the great distance Christ hath suffered for us.

Arm Yourselves with the Mind of Christ

1 Peter 4: 1-4

The mind of Christ is recorded for us Isaiah 50—the LORD God will help me…therefore have I have set my face like a flint (Isaiah 50: 5-8); this was the mind of Christ—when he was reviled, [he] reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed [himself] to him that judgeth righteously (1 Peter 2: 23.)

Now where is Christ?  He is gone into heaven, raised by our satisfied Father to sit at God’s own right hand where Christ reigns (1 Peter 3: 22.)  Where are we for whom Christ suffered?  Having put away our sin Christ is now justified in the Spirit and we in him (Romans 6: 6-14; 8: 2; Galatians 5: 24.)  We are raised in him, seated with him (Colossians 3: 1-4.)  Having been crucified in Christ, buried in Christ, and raised in Christ by the Spirit of Life we have the mind of Christ!  (1 Corinthians 1: 26; Romans 8: 2; Revelation 11: 11)

Dear brethren, has our Savior opened our ear?  Then let us who are given the mind of Christ, follow his footsteps, committing all unto Christ considering no length too long, no depth too great, no sacrifice too great for this one who bore the shameful death of the cross for us (1 Peter 4: 19; Romans 12: 1.)  However much time we have left to spend in the flesh, by his grace, let us not spend it living to the will of men, but to the will of God, motivated by the love of God in Christ for us (1 Peter 4: 3-4.)

The Will of the Gentiles

1 Peter 4: 3-5

The will of the Gentiles means the will of the world.   The natural man only worships the will of man.  Lasciviousness and lusts includes fornication, adultery, incest, sodomy, and the like. Excess of wine, reveling, banqueting includes intemperance of every sort, including gluttony, drunkenness, luxurious feasts.  All of these things are not only the way of life of the unregenerate in service to the flesh but are also the excesses of the abominable idolatries in the service of vain-religion. (Numbers 25: 1-2; Colossians 2: 20-23.)

Before we were born of the Spirit, we lived and worshipped according the will of man.  We worshipped ourselves whether in religion or out.    But we thank God who alone is worthy to receive the glory for sending his Son who put away our sin, for sending his gospel to us, and for washing us in regeneration by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2: 19-22.)  This world does not understand why the believer delights to run no more in the worship of man.  There are many more jobs than there are places to worship in this world.  It is strange to the world that a place to hear the truth of the gospel of Christ is more important to the believer than anything else.  It would still be strange to the believer were not for the work our triune God accomplished for us (Titus 3: 3-8.)  Lord, help us to live amongst our brethren passing through this world in the constant awareness that the end of all things is at hand (1 Peter 4: 7-11.)