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How to Get Ready for a Rough Ride

Introduction

This is the sixth message in our series on 1 Peter: "Living Bold in Tough Times." Peter wrote this letter to encourage believers to live a life of courage in spite of the hardships they faced: poverty, oppression, persecution, slander, abandonment, loneliness, and so on.

From the beginning, Peter makes it clear that we will experience many different kinds of trials. Just as Jesus said, "The rain falls on the just and the unjust," everyone goes through hard times. It's inevitable. It's inescapable. The question is: How will you respond? In today's text, Peter prepares us to answer that question. He begins this chapter saying, "Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose" (v. 1). He's saying, "Get ready. Jesus suffered. So will you." Things get rough from time and time—there's no getting around that—but you can prepare yourself for the difficult days ahead. Peter shows us what we need to do to; it's what we'll look at today.

Prepare your mind.

How to get ready for a rough ride? There are three things you need to do. First of all, prepare your mind. Listen again to Peter's words: "Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin" (v. 1). I like the fact that Peter used the word purpose. It reminds us that there is a reason for our suffering. As we saw in chapter one, our problems have a point. Your hard times are not just random events that occur in your life. They can serve a purpose—if you allow them to.

Peter said, "He who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin." He's not talking about sinless perfection here—not exactly. He is talking about the fact that when you have the strength to endure suffering, temptation loses its power in your life. When you have endured suffering, you become aware of just how much power you have in Christ, and you become aware of just how little power Satan has over you.

In the past, my tendency to give in to temptation was most often based on the misconception that the sin is stronger than I am. I would think, I can't control my temper. Why try? I can't love the unlovable. Why try? I can't consistently say no to pizza. Why try? Let me tell you what I've learned. The more you suffer, the more you make it through hard times, the easier it is to say no to temptation. Enduring suffering gives you a sense of fearlessness, a sense of confidence—not in yourself, but in God's power at work in your life.

You've heard the verse "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13). For some of us, these words would be a proclamation of faith. For others, as it was with Paul, these words are a proclamation of testimony. Paul wasn't merely talking about the future; he was mostly talking about the past. He was saying, in effect, "I have been through good times and bad, and I know from experience that I can do all things through Christ. This is my testimony, and because of this, I face the future with confidence."

When you endure suffering, it can become your testimony, too. The more you endure, the more you understand how powerful God's presence in your life is. Peter said, "Prepare your mind for suffering, because this gives you power over sin."

Everyone goes through hard times—especially every Christian. In certain areas and during certain generations, some Christians suffer more than others, but we all suffer to some extent. Here's what I have noticed about some American Christians: We tend to think that our money and our freedom gives us an exemption from tough times. But how many of you have already learned that tough times are about more than financial hardship and political oppression?

I could buy and sell Bill Gates if I had a dollar for every time someone has said to me, "How could this happen to me? How could a loving God allow this in my life? Doesn't he want me to be happy? What did I do to deserve this?" And so on. Tough times are able to blindside us, because we think that we should be exempt from suffering. But no Christian has such an exemption.

Listen to what Peter said: "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of his glory, you may rejoice with exultation" (v. 12-13).

Do not be surprised; this is nothing new. We all must suffer. Prepare your mind for this reality.

Prepare your soul.

Second, prepare your soul. "The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer" (v. 7). I like the way this verse is rendered in the New Revised Standard Version: "The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers."

Here is a powerful two-step approach for improving your prayer life. First, take it seriously. Realize that when you talk to God, you are talking to the Creator of the universe. Stop for a moment and think about what an incredible privilege that is. Have you ever had a brush with greatness? Ever had the chance to speak to someone famous or powerful? It's an amazing feeling, isn't it? Well, each and every day we have a chance for a brush with greatness: our great God will listen to our prayers. How could it be, then, that we so often avoid it, or simply go through the motions? We need to get serious. We need to remind ourselves of the awesome privilege that prayer is.

Number two in this two-step approach is to discipline yourselves. I have gone through times in my Christian life when my prayers were effective, and times when my prayers were ineffective. The distinction between the two has always been consistency. When I pray often—when I approach prayer on a daily basis—my prayers get results. Do you want to become effective in your prayer life? Discipline yourselves to do it daily. You will find that the more you pray on a daily basis, the more strength you will have to face whatever life brings you way.

Peter tells us to prepare our souls for tough times by being serious minded and disciplined in our approach to prayer. And he talks about something else. In order to prepare yourself, you have to be willing to take a long hard look at yourself. You cannot endure hard times if you're not ready spiritually, and you can't be made ready spiritually unless you are willing to get your eyes off everyone else and focus on what is happening in your own life.

Peter said, "For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God" v. 17). That means we need to take a long, hard look at ourselves. When Bob Dylan began writing protest songs in the sixties, he had a special name for them. He called them his "finger-pointing songs." These were songs in which he blasted the establishment for everything that is wrong with it. He spoke and sang and wrote with an air of superiority and judgment. Do you remember?

Some Christians think that this is what we are supposed to do, too, that we're to criticize all that is wrong in the world and we're to tell everyone about every bad thing they do. Some people think if a preacher doesn't talk about how awful things are, they haven't heard a sermon.

In fact, sometimes I am asked, "Why don't you preach against sin more often?"

My response is, "Don't you ever listen?" I preach against sin every week. Last week I preached against the sin of speaking evil, and the sin of not doing good, and the sin of refusing to live at peace with others. I would venture to say that every person in this room struggles with one—if not all three—of these sins.

But usually when people ask "Why don't you preach against sin," they don't mean their own sin. They mean sins like abortion, homosexuality, and watching MTV. Many people don't want to be challenged to face their own sin. They just want to hear about how wicked the rest of the world is.

But Peter says, "It is time for judgment to begin with the household of God." This doesn't mean that we move from criticizing the world to criticizing the church. That's missing the point. When he says "It is time for judgment to begin," he is talking about your life. You need to take a long, hard look at yourself. I need to take a long hard look at myself. It is time for judgment to begin in the house of God, and each member of the household is responsible to God for where he or she is spiritually.

If your Christian life consists primarily of taking notice of what everyone else is doing wrong, you will not be ready when the rough ride begins. Prepare you soul. Get serious about prayer and take a long hard look at your spiritual life.

Prepare your heart.

Third, prepare your heart. Peter says. "Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers multitude of sins" (v. 8). Whose sins is Peter talking about? Whose sins get covered by love? He's not talking about the question of our sins and our guilt before a holy God. He's talking about our sins and how they affect our relationship with other believers. And it works both ways. When you love someone, you tend to overlook their sins, and when you love someone, they tend to overlook your sins.

The Christian life is not about finger pointing. It's about mercy and compassion. It's about tolerance and acceptance. It pleases God for us to get along together. Do you have kids? Doesn't it make you happy when they get along? This is how God feels about us. "How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!" (Ps. 133:1).

If you want to be ready for tough times, begin today to practice the habit of loving others. How? Peter is very practical on this point. He tells us to:

Accommodate others. "Be hospitable to one another without complaint" (v. 9). What can you do to make others feel more welcome? This is a question every church body—as well as every believer—should ask. How can we be hospitable? How can we make our guests feel more at home? How can we share our resources with others? That's one way of showing love.

Serve one another. "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (v. 10). You were given certain skills, abilities, and gifts for a specific reason: to help people. If what you have and what you do doesn't benefit others, you are wasting your resources. Look for opportunities to put your gifts to work.

Encourage one another. "Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God" (v. 11). Here's how the New Living Translation says it: "Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you."

Again, as he has so many times throughout this letter, Peter comes back to the subject of how we use our words. He challenges us to speak the very utterances of God. You remember the WWJD phenomenon. The question "What would Jesus do?" is often hard to answer, but the question "What would Jesus say?" is much easier. Have you ever noticed that? An even easier question to answer is "What would Jesus not say?"

Here's the challenge: In speaking to one another, we need to get in the habit of saying that which we believe Jesus would say, and we need to get in the habit of not saying that which Jesus wouldn't say. Learn to speak, as it were, the utterances of God.

If you've played sports on a team that was united and a team that was divided, you undoubtedly know the difference between playing on a winning team and a losing team. It is difficult, if not impossible, for a divided team to win consistently. That's why Peter tells us that if the church expects to endure hardship, we must be unified. We need to be committed to one another, doing all that we can to live peacefully together.

It's a matter of the heart. Prepare your heart to love and serve and minister to others. Doing this prepares you for whatever life brings your way.

Conclusion

Suffering is inevitable and unavoidable. We must do what we can to prepare. This means that we need to prepare our minds. See suffering for what it can accomplish in our lives: "He who has suffered has ceased from sin." We need to prepare our souls by getting serious about prayer and taking a long, hard look at our spiritual lives. And we need to prepare our hearts by serving one another in love.

You could say it this way: We need to stop judging others and start judging ourselves, and we need to stop serving ourselves and start serving others.

For Your Reflection

Personal growth: How has this sermon fed your own soul? ___________________________________________

Skill growth: What did this sermon teach you about how to preach? ____________________________________________________________________________

Exegesis and exposition: Highlight the paragraphs in this sermon that helped you better understand Scripture. How does the sermon model ways you could provide helpful biblical exposition for your hearers? ____________________________________________________________________________

Theological Ideas: What biblical principles in this sermon would you like to develop in a sermon? How would you adapt these ideas to reflect your own understanding of Scripture, the Christian life, and the unique message that God is putting on your heart? ____________________________________________________________________________

Outline: How would you improve on this outline by changing the wording, or by adding or subtracting points? _____________________________________________________________________

Application: What is the main application of this sermon? What is the main application of the message you sense God wants you to bring to your hearers? ____________________________________________________________________________

Illustrations: Which illustrations in this sermon would relate well with your hearers? Which cannot be used with your hearers, but they suggest illustrations that could work with your hearers? ____________________________________________________________________________

Credit: Do you plan to use the content of this sermon to a degree that obligates you to give credit? If so, when and how will you do it?

Steve May has been a pastor to pastors for more than 20 years, helping preachers and teachers to become more effective communicators of the gospel.

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Sermon Outline:

Introduction

Everyone goes through hard times, but you can prepare yourself for the difficult days ahead.

I. Prepare your mind.

II. Prepare your soul.

III. Prepare your heart.

Conclusion

We need to stop judging others and start judging ourselves, and we need to stop serving ourselves and start serving others.