Call to Commitment

 

Christian discipline in Acts

     

Chapter 4

 The end of all things is at hand 

      1.   Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in         the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 

2.      that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 

3.      For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. 

4.      In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. 

5.      They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 

6.      For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 

7.      But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. 

 According to 1 Peter 3:8, there is to be a unity of mind among the brethren, but that unity is based on oneness with the mind of Christ. The divine principle is found in the prayer of Christ to the Father: “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (Jn.17:23). Unity among human beings outside of Christ is beyond useless; it is dangerous. It is the basis of ecumenicalism that is a religious unity, which rebels against godly principle. It will ultimately exist as Babylon, exposed and defined in the book of Revelation, as a harlot that has been unfaithful to her Husband…. Her Husband being her Creator, whom she has forgotten. It adulterates along with the world’s system, exalts itself and is empowered by the spirit of the devil.

 The mind of Christ is centered on God-ordained suffering. As He walked on earth, Jesus never diverted once from this purpose. A messianic phrase in Isaiah 50:7 states, “I have set My face like a flint.” and the account in Luke’s Gospel, 9:51, records the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: “When the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.

 Peter admonishes His followers to equip themselves, as soldiers entering battle, with the same mentality.  He adds the idea that dead men do not sin, an obvious fact that no one can deny, and concludes that suffering in the flesh that leads to death is health to the inner man. The suffering of Christ on the cross destroyed sin and there is power over sin in His death (1).

 Peter is concerned with “the rest of his time in the flesh,” as he writes to the Christians. The reader must identify with the early believers in the time of the apostle and concern himself with the rest of his time on earth. Will he live for the lusts of men or for the will of God (2)? “We have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles.” The apostle exposes and lists the abominations of the part of our lives that has been wasted and cannot be recovered (3),

 It is the only life that worldlings can recognize; generally, they are blind to the reality and purposes for which we have been created. They have no explanation for why a Christian should not live a lifestyle of unbridled sensuality. The world’s reaction to what they cannot explain, is to attack it with insults and name calling, which are the insane weapons of ignorance. This is the extent to which the population has strayed from the reality of God (4).

 Warren Wiersbe says it very well: “Unsaved people do not understand the radical change that their friends experience when they trust Christ and become children of God. They do not think it strange when people wreck their bodies, destroy their homes, and ruin their lives by running from one sin to another! But let a drunkard become sober, or an immoral person pure, and the family thinks he has lost his mind!” Wiersbe went on to say that the people, who were near Jesus, thought the same of Him: “When His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind" (Mk.3:21) and Festus, the Roman governor, thought the same of the apostle Paul: “Paul, you are mad! Your great learning is driving you insane!” (Ac.26:24, Amp.Bible). The gospel, which returns human beings to sanity, is deemed insanity by fallen men.

 A day of reckoning is ahead for every individual. The sinner will awaken from a surreal stupor and suddenly come face-to-face with truth. He will stand before the Judge of all the earth and give account for a wasted life and it will be too late for repentance. This is Peter’s argument for a wasted past that cannot be recovered and the fact that we need to come to grips with how we will spend the rest of our time in these bodies (5).  

 In verse 6, as in 3:19-20, we have an obstacle, over which many stumble, if they have no divine light to teach them. First of all, I will offer the false premise, which is wrongly interpreted. This verse does not mean that the gospel is preached to anyone after they die and it does not mean that there is any chance that after judgment there will be hope to gain a resurrected spirit. Cast that notion totally aside… it is false and incongruous with the tenor of the entire Scripture. 

 Here is what Peter is saying and it is totally consistent to what he has said up to this point: The gospel was preached during the lifetime of those, who are now dead. It was done with the intention that they cast off the condemnation of a life, lived according to the flesh (the wasted past), so that they could be transformed, coming alive in the spirit (to live the rest of their lives to the glory of God) (6).

 The early church lived with their thoughts and affections concentrated on heavenly things. It is the only sane way for a Christian to live. Life on earth rarely reaches a century and heaven is forever. In which of the two, should we be occupied? The answer is simple and obvious. It should not only be a catchphrase in the church, but something that should be practiced in the daily life of each member. “The end of all things is at hand!” All signs point to the fact that we are extremely close to the rapture of the saints.

 But if the Lord should delay and that event should still be some time in a more distant future than what we might think, the end of all things is at hand for you and me! Our lives on earth are drawing rapidly to a close. I think now and then of the line of the old gospel song, “Life’s Railway to Heaven”… “See that Christ is your Conductor on this LIGHTNING train of life.” Ah yes, it is a ferociously fast trip. James so earnestly questioned us, “What is your life?” and then answered the question himself, “It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (Jm.4:14). When I see people joking and laughing together, I am tempted to ask them, “What are you laughing about? You’re going to die!”

 What is the proper mood? “Be serious!” What is the proper activity? “Be watchful in your prayers!” The end of every human plan is at hand… It will be cut short! Let the Lord plan your life here below, and think, according to the light that God gives us in Revelation 21 and 22, about how you will spend eternity. Jesus has plans for us to experience His glorious home. He prayed, "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me” He promised, “I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn.17:24 and Jn.14:3). Let’s join Him in His prayer and His desire… let’s make it ours! (7).

  

The supreme purpose of a Christian is to glorify God 

8.      And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "LOVE WILL COVER A MULTITUDE OF SINS." 

9.      Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. 

10.  As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 

11.  If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 

12.  Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 

13.  but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 

14.  If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 

15.  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. 

16.  Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. 

17.  For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 

18.  Now "IF THE RIGHTEOUS ONE IS SCARCELY SAVED, WHERE WILL THE UNGODLY AND THE SINNER APPEAR?" 

19.  Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.  

Love is the central theme of Christianity and the motivation that determines our progress. When a lawyer asked Jesus of the greatest commandment ever given to creation and especially to His people, He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Mt.22:37). He immediately followed with the second greatest commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt.22:39). It is a wonderful and glorious truth that the heart of the Creator and His gospel is founded on love! Peter further urged his readers to fervent love and ranked it as top priority: Above all things.

 I will always be quick to point out that all Christian virtue comes from above. I need to emphasize it, because of a human tendency to attempt to find virtue in man’s nature and develop it through earthly schemes. I am afraid that there is a vast amount of teaching in the church that stems from this error and its members are eager to receive it. It is true that there is a love which exists among humans, but that is not, for which Peter is asking in verse 8.

 In the first chapter, I quoted the converted bombardier, Jake Deshazer, saying that true “love is a miracle.” I restate the fact here that it is a God-given quality, outside human capability. It is the love that existed in eternity among the trinity. It is a doctrine expressed in Christ’s prayer to the Father: “You loved me before the foundation of the world… the love with which You loved Me may be in them” (Jn.17:24, 26). Jesus taught His disciples the same in John 15:9: “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” Do you see it clearly stated here? There is a kind of love, which does not originate in mankind, but only from the divine nature of Jesus.  

 We also need to understand a principle stated in the same verse, which is often misunderstood. I think, it is best explained in James 5:19-20: “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” When the scribes and Pharisees accused Jesus of mingling with sinners, He responded, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Mt.9:13). God’s love is not shown through tolerantly ignoring sin, maintaining a friendly relationship with people, never bringing up the subject of sin. The only love that covers sins is the love that we have been uncovering in these paragraphs. It is gospel love that leads to repentance from sin and is followed by the covering of the blood of Christ. He that truly loves his neighbor, will preach this gospel to him.

 Cheerful hospitality, from the heart, is a Christian practice (9). Elders are to be an example of it (1 T. 3:2; Tit.1:8); it is also a special quality of Christian widows (1 T.5:10), but is required of the church in general (Ro.12:13; Heb.13:2).

 In verse 10, we come to some gifts of the Spirit and we need to reemphasize the heavenly, supernatural nature of them. Begin with the word gift, to see that which follows is not inherent in a personality. Osward Chambers talked about something not attained “through the accident of genes”… in other words, they are not something acquired since birth. The Christian is to be a faithful steward of spiritual graces, given by God in various ways, and is to minister them among the members of the church (10).

 Focus on the source of the gifts, beginning with those that are spoken. We are not referring to general preaching, but to gifted prophecies. They are oracles and as the Old Testament prophets, the speaker must be sure that he has heard from God. False prophets spoke from their own minds: “Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the LORD” (Jer.23:16, see also Jer.23:26; Eze.13:2, 3).

 It is just as binding today that prophecies must come directly from God. If someone depends on his own eloquence and vocabulary, he himself will receive the glory. The Lord only receives glory for that which He speaks. Ministry is service and must be done in the power of God and, once again, not in human strength. If man is moving, according to his own ability, it is false to say that he gives the glory to God. The Lord is glorified for that which He does and He is to be glorified in all things. Peter follows with a word of absolute authority, concerning absolute truth on this theme… a confirmatory amen! (11)

 Peter returns to the subject of trials… fiery trials that purify gold. They are normal occurrences in Christianity and are not to be seen as unusual. Rejoicing in trials requires a heavenly, supernatural joy, so once again we are referring to unnatural, not human, attributes. It identifies us with Christ in His sufferings (12). I think, we have already told the story of the apostles returning from the council, but we must see it again. They had just been beaten and this is the reaction: “They departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Ac.5:41).

 They rejoice because they are aware of a future reward and an unearthly joy to come (13). Peter shows that trials are blessings and proof that the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. The greatest distance in the world is not a difference of race or gender; it is the distance between the world’s citizens and the citizens of the New Jerusalem. It is a difference which, on the one part, blasphemes God, and on the other part, glorifies Him (14).

 On the other hand, as before, Peter assures the believer that there is no comfort in suffering out of deserved punishment (15), but for that which comes out of Christian behavior. There is no shame in the most ignominious insults or treatment, when it results from faithfulness to Christ. The apostle again turns to the supreme purpose of the believer, which is to glorify the Lord, to which he has already referred in verses 11 and 14. It overrules every affront and personal ill treatment. If He is glorified, then what happens to us is secondary (16).

 In verse 17, Peter touches on the seriousness of God’s judgment upon His church. Throughout the Old Testament, we see severe judgment falling upon Israel for their sin. It was meant to discipline and purify them. It often resulted in death. Can His judgment result in the same in the church? Look at the case of Ananias and Sapphira in the early church: Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit… Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last… His wife came in, not knowing what had happened…  Peter said to her, How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out… Great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things."  (Ac.5:3, 5, 7, 9, 11).

 Let’s take another good look at the fact, examining Paul’s clear teaching concerning it: “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world” (1 Co.11:29-32).  

 We will take note of two points, which Peter makes. 1) Notice the severity of the judgment upon the church, then 2) look at the incomparable judgment upon unbelievers. It is not difficult to answer Peter’s question, “What will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? (17). Even a cursory study of the book of Revelation gives a clear answer, especially when we come to chapter 14, verses 9-11: "If anyone worships the beast and his image… he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name." 

 It is very clear concerning Israel in the Old Testament that there was a marked difference upon God’s people and the outside world. It is stated again and again that Israel´s punishment was disciplinarian, while the world around them was destroyed. Peter quotes Proverbs 11:31, as one example (18). Jeremiah 25:29 would be another: “I begin to bring calamity on the city which is called by My name, and should you be utterly unpunished? You shall not be unpunished, for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth," says the LORD of hosts.'”

 Although the suffering of the believer may be discipline for wrong doing, it is not always so. Peter already made the point that all Christians can expect fiery trials, because they are healthy for the person on the inside and will help to prepare him for future reign. It is the will of God and therefore believers look to perfect, faithful treatment from the Creator. They can trust Him explicitly and without reservation, commit their souls to Him (19).