Living Good Lives – Part 7
This newest series of messages on Internet Pastor is called “Living Good Lives”.
We are continuing with our series called Living Good Lives. We have been looking at 1 Peter and the challenge that he gives us to live such good lives that it impacts the world for God. We have talked about living lives that please God, lives that satisfy us, and lives that make a difference in the world around us. As we continue on into chapter 4, Peter gives four very important principles that will help us to live good lives. The principle of:
1. Forgiveness
2. Focus
3. Follow
4. Fellowship
1. FORGIVENESS
1 Peter 4:1 (NIV)
1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.
What was His attitude?
Luke 23:34 (NIV)
34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
Forgiveness is one of the concepts that we have to understand and live out as believers. We need to be living examples of what it means not only to be forgiven, but to forgive others.
It starts with really receiving the forgiveness that God gives to us. This forgiveness, made possible at the cross, is where we get a new start, and another new start, and another new start. There is a freedom that comes from knowing that you are forgiven, which allows you to do your part, which is to forgive the people who have hurt you.
Here is where forgiveness gets difficult. If you knew what they did to me, you would know that I can’t forgive them. They don’t deserve to be forgiven. And you are right. Forgiveness is never deserved. But withholding forgiveness only hurts you. It doesn’t affect the person who hurt you. In fact, it just allows them to keep hurting you. It makes you bitter.
Hebrews 12:15 (NIV)
15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
Let me say this again about forgiveness, forgiveness doesn’t mean that you let someone who is unrepentant continue to hurt you. It means that you are giving what they did over to God to judge. Just because you forgive someone doesn’t mean that you automatically trust them again. Trust is earned by people who are repentant and want to change. If someone demands that you forgive them, and uses your Christianity as the basis for it, you shouldn’t trust them because they are not really repentant. A truly repentant person will understand that it will take time to rebuild trust, and they will be willing to do whatever they need to in the process.
2. FOCUS ON GOD
1 Peter 4:2 (NIV)
2 As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.
Perspective – Who am I really living for? God or ME? Life is only found when we begin living in Him!
This requires a mental shift. It’s a choice that you’ve got to make. We get stuck in our pain and we can’t get on with the present or the future. How do I get unstuck? You focus on the Healer not your hurt. Focus on God Who wants to heal you.
Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3. FOLLOW
1 Peter 4:3 (NIV)
3 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 don’t move into forgiveness, and we don’t change our focus, we get trapped in the cycle of trying to deal with the pain and the hurt by turning to other things rather than God. We try and find pain relief in the pain killers that the world offers just like in Peter’s time. He called it
” living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.”
The problem with these pain killers is that they don’t last, they become addictive, and they never solve the problem.
If drinking, drugging, and debauchery actually solved problems, I would be willing to wager that most of us would not be here.
What is the answer? Follow Jesus. Living life for Him not for you. Live life well by trying to do the next right thing.
And one of the things that God gives us to accomplish that is
4. FELLOWSHIP
1 Peter 4:7-10 (NIV)
7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
We will never really find the freedom we are looking for from the pain and the hurt alone. You’ll never fully recover by yourself. God never meant for you to have to solve your hurts on your own. When he made Adam and put him in the Garden of Eden He said, “It’s not good for man to be alone even in the perfect environment.”
Hospitality means loving concern. Care about each other. “Love covers” — what does that mean? There is enormous, tremendous, powerful healing power in love. Love is the antidote to fear. Love is the antidote to guilt. Love is the antidote to resentment. When your life is filled with love it doesn’t have room for these other things that eat you up on the inside.
Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)
25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Why do we meet together? Why do we gather on Saturday and Sunday and during the week? Circle “encourage”. That’s one of the purposes of a church family; it’s to be an encouragement place. Life is tough. We all need a boost. Encouragement is not just me standing up here and encouraging you. It’s you encouraging the people sitting around you. And them encouraging you.
Forgiveness, Focus, Follow, and Fellowship. Let us all ask God to help us in these areas by His spirit as we continue to live good lives in Him.
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