Sermon 7 27 26

Enjoy this message from Grant Hasty called "Our Bizarre Life" on Sunday, July 26, 2026 at Reach Church in Bear, Delaware!

First Peter chapter 4 presents a clear and challenging picture of what it means to follow Christ in a world that does not share those values. Peter opens with a military command, urging believers to arm themselves with the same mindset that Christ carried into His suffering. The Greek word he uses points to a heavily armed soldier preparing for serious battle. This is not poetic language for its own sake. It reflects the reality that Christians are living in enemy territory, and the way they live should reflect that awareness.

Coming to faith in Christ brings four significant changes. First, sin is no longer the master it once was. Second, the things a person chases after shift from human passions toward the will of God. Third, doing God's will becomes something a person is determined to keep pursuing once they experience how good it is. Fourth, the patterns and habits of the old life are recognized as belonging to a chapter that is now closed. Peter is not calling believers to feel shame about the past. He is calling them to recognize that a new life has genuinely begun.

When that new life becomes visible, the world responds. Some people will be confused. Some will be angry. Some will slander. Peter uses a word rooted in the same Greek term that gives us the English word blasphemy. A changed life is a reminder to others that God has a standard and that accountability is real. That is not a comfortable role to occupy, but it is a significant one. And for those who belong to Christ, the judgment of others carries no ultimate weight. The penalty for sin has already been paid, and what God has declared over His people stands regardless of what the world thinks.