Peter, a man who once fell asleep when Jesus told him to watch and pray, warns us today to always be on the alert. He knows now what Jesus meant when He said, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26:41) At one time Peter trusted in his own strength to stand tough against temptation and trials, but he let himself and others down. It was a hard lesson to learn, but he won't forget it and he doesn't want us to forget it either. We can get into trouble very quickly if we aren't relying on the Lord and if we aren't on guard against the things the world will throw at us.
"Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin." (1 Peter 4:1) Over the past few days Peter has been talking about the persecution that may come for doing good in the name of Christ. Christ Himself suffered for doing good. If the perfect Son of God endured persecution, we can hardly expect to escape it. But just as Christ came to do the will of the Father, we must commit ourselves to doing the will of the Father. We will avoid many of the pitfalls of sin if we are fully committed to the Lord, even though in doing so we suffer the various forms of persecution the world brings against us.
"As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for human desires, but rather for the will of God. 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." (1 Peter 4:2-3) The Christian life is a full and exciting life. We don't have to wallow in sin in order to have fun. Satan would have us believe that the Christian life is following a set of difficult rules and that it's a real drag, But nothing could be further from the truth. The Christian life is a continually growing relationship with our Lord, better relationships with those around us, and one adventure after the other.
Sometimes those around us have the same attitude as the devil, saying, "I feel sorry for my friends who have become Christians. They don't come to our wild parties anymore. They don't go with us to the clubs. They used to go out with a new person every week and now they believe in marriage and fidelity. They used to be up for anything at any time and now they want to be home spending time with their kids. How boring! What a dull life! I don't want anything to do with it." Peter knows people will say these things about us in ignorance, not realizing that we are actually the ones experiencing a thrilling and satisfying life. "They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit." (1 Peter 4:4-6) When Peter speaks of "the dead", I don't know whether he means those who are spiritually dead or those who are physically dead. At one time we were all dead in our sins until we accepted the gospel that brings life, so he may be speaking of those in Christ who have already passed on. The gospel was preached to them while they lived, they accepted it, and now they are alive in the spirit even though their bodies are in the ground. They will be shown grace in the judgment for the sake of Christ. But those who have rejected the gospel and are still dead in their sins when judgment day comes will be judged as lawbreakers and will have no defender to plead their case.
"The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray." (1 Peter 4:7) I believe when Peter says this he's thinking about his own inability to be on the alert during Jesus' hour of crisis in the dark Garden of Gethsemane. I think in his mind he's hearing these words of the Lord: "'Couldn't you men keep watch with Me one hour?' He asked Peter." (Matthew 26:40) Peter doesn't know whether the Lord will return for His people in the next hour or in the next hundred years or in several thousand years, but he knows we are living in the end times. We must live as though Christ is returning at any moment. We must be on the alert, keeping watch. This will keep us safe from many harmful temptations. Because of his failure to watch and pray, Peter first resorted to violence and tried to cut the head off a servant of the high priest, then he fled the garden and deserted Jesus, then during the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin he denied three times that he even knew Him. If we are faithful to watch and pray, we won't deny our Lord by the way we live.
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