On April 3rd, 1965 this speech went out on the airwaves of ABC Radio. “If I were the devil … If I were the Prince of Darkness, I’d want to engulf the whole world in darkness. And I’d have a third of its real estate, and four-fifths of its population, but I wouldn’t be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree — Thee. So I’d set about however necessary to take over the United States. I’d subvert the churches first — I’d begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: ‘Do as you please.’
“To the young, I would whisper that ‘The Bible is a myth.’ I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I would confide that what’s bad is good, and what’s good is ‘square.’ And the old, I would teach to pray, after me, ‘Our Father, which art in Washington…
“And then I’d get organized. I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting, so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. I’d threaten TV with dirtier movies and vice versa. I’d pedal narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I’d tranquilize the rest with pills.
“If I were the devil I’d soon have families at war with themselves, churches at war with themselves, and nations at war with themselves; until each in its turn was consumed. And with promises of higher ratings I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames. If I were the devil I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions — just let those run wild, until before you knew it, you’d have to have drug sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.
“Within a decade I’d have prisons overflowing, I’d have judges promoting pornography — soon I could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of Congress. And in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion, and deify science. I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls, and church money. If I were the devil I’d make the symbols of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle. If I were the devil I’d take from those who have, and give to those who want until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.
“And what do you bet I could get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich? I would caution against extremes and hard work in Patriotism, in moral conduct. I would convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun, that what you see on the TV is the way to be. And thus, I could undress you in public, and I could lure you into bed with diseases for which there is no cure. In other words, if I were the devil I’d just keep right on doing what he’s doing.”
Some of you might have heard this speech by the “Rest of the Story” man, Paul Harvey which first aired on ABC Radio April 3rd, 1965. The chaos that we see in our world today, is not something new, because Harvey, speaking in 1965, was living in the midst of the Vietnam war, the Cold War, the Civil Rights movement, the Kennedy Assassination, the introduction of the birth control pill which was instrumental for the sexual revolution, and the hippie movement was on the horizon. Many in our congregation grew up in these times. The things we see today, Harvey and many others saw in their time begin to flower. The flourishing of the homosexual and trans movement today, has its roots in the day of Harvey. The racial issues we have today, have it’s roots in the time when Harvey commentated on them in that radio broadcast. We are seeing the flourishing of what has gone before us. But this isn’t something that began in the 1960s; the things Harvey saw, have their roots in the decades, centuries, and millennium before it. The seed of sin was planted in the moment Adam and Eve fell in the garden, and the flourishing we see today, was known to our Savior when he said in Matthew 24:12, “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.”
From the time Harvey spoke these words, the devil has kept right on doing what he was doing, and now he doesn’t have to hide it. We are seeing a demonic spiritual work on the scale that has never been known in the U.S., who’s very roots are within the word of God. This past week, a political reporter made the comment, that if you believe that your rights come from God, you are a Christian nationalist. This past Super Bowl, while focusing on Taylor Swift, another musician stood next to her, wearing an upside down cross, and supposedly making occult jesters. The spiritual battle is ramping up in ways, that too easily were swept under the rug in previous generations.
Recently this speech was played for Joe Rogan, one of the largest and most influential podcasters among young men today. Rogan, who’s an atheist, responded to this speech with, “Wow, 1965, Paul Harvey nailed it.”
Remember last week when we talked about Peter, how he was the type of person that seemed to try and find the wiggle room in Jesus’ teaching? And how Jesus responded, not with a straight yes or no, but with a choice of being the prepared wise servant or the rich man from the parable? That same Peter took Jesus’ words to heart and in his first letter relays a call to spiritual preparedness for the Church. It’s in 1st Peter chapter 4 starting in verse 1 that we turn to our topic of being spiritual prepared. So if you have your Bibles, open with me to 1st Peter 4:1, and as we do, let’s recap last week.
In the first part of this two part preparedness talk, we looked at the need to utilize the possessions God has given us with kingdom purpose. The abundance that God has given us in the western world is not the problem, nor is preparing for the future, what is the problem is a lack of kingdom minded people who use God’s gifts for his purposes. So, we are called to be prepared wise servants using what God has given us as we move ever closer to the return of our Master. This is the physical side of preparedness, that everything we have in this world is utilized for God’s kingdom work, and we do this by the direction, not of a pastor, or human leader, but by the Holy Spirit.
It’s with the physical preparedness in our minds that we turn to 1st Peter 4:1, and the spiritual side of being prepared in times such as ours. Let’s walk through this chapter together.
“1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin…”
The word “arm” is battle language. In his writings, the Greek poet Homer used the word hoplizó (hop-lid’-zo) as a way to call for taking up arms in battle. Peter is using in figuratively, not to take up physical arms, because when he did he was rebuked by Jesus, but the arms of thinking. This is spiritual arms for the spiritual battle. All the physical preparedness in the world will fail us if we are not spiritually ready for the fight. So what kind of thinking are we to take up arms in? It’s based in Jesus’ suffering in the flesh. Suffering and the realization that it is the Christian’s lot in life to encounter suffering for Jesus’ sake. And we know this because of Jesus’ words in John 15:20, “A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you (b).” Jesus’ words have embedded themselves in Peter, and so Peter is now relaying them to us as taking Jesus’ thinking on suffering, as arms in the spiritual battle all of us are in. Let’s keep reading.
“2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.”
This is our world, right? Living for sensuality, passions, drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, and idolatry is what our world thrives on. It’s in every part of media, from TV and movies, to billboards, to all sorts of social media and internet sites. There are very few places that reject these things and give a haven for those trying to avoid them. So the believer is one that needs to seek the will of God over these things. That means that we need to make purposeful decisions to avoid these types of things, by seeking the Holy Spirit to lead each of us. Because this is a personal relationship issue. In media, the easy ones to talk about avoiding, are things like pornography. But as an example in my own life, I avoid most news channels, because they purposefully put pretty women on their shows with revealing cleavage. Since I can get my news by other means, I do. But that’s me and what I have sought the Lord in, it’s not a hard and fast rule for the Church. The reason why we are to seek spiritual discernment in what to avoid, is because there’s purpose in the avoidance as we continued reading in verse 4.
“4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.”
The avoidance is a testimony in and of itself to the change in purpose of the Christian to seek the will of God over the world, and as the world delves further into these areas of sin, the separation of the Christian from these things will become more apparent. Look at the backlash that is happening when Christians stand against things like the homosexual and trans movements. Shannon Kearns, a Queer Theologian, says that Christians use “clobbering passages” and then she quotes from another queer theologian, about not having “time for cheap theology (https://www.queertheology.com/transgender-christian/).” These are the nice things that are said about those who take God’s word seriously. We are to respond to such sins, by taking clear strong biblical stances, that are rooted in gentleness of speech, not responding in vitriol.
But we know we are to give account to God for separating ourselves from these things as he leads us, and those who indulge in the things of the flesh, will also give account to God. And it’s not just the homosexual or trans issue that we’re talking about, so let’s not get it into our minds that it’s just that. Fatherless homes, unjust criminal proceedings, rampant drugs use to quail the masses, personal promiscuity, and more than we can list right now, are all things we must seek to avoid, and therefore be separated from the world. This is why Peter turns our attention away from what we are to avoid, to what we need to incorporate into our lives, starting in verse 7.
“7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
This is the meat of what we need in our spiritual preparedness in living in the times we are. Remember all of this stems from the mindset of Jesus in suffering. In Greek, verse 7 reads like this, “Of all now the end has drawn near Be clear minded therefore and sober for the purpose of prayers.” That clear and sober mindedness is for our prayer life. Peter is speaking in alcoholic terms to convey how our prayer lives are to be. We need clear minded prayers that have purpose to them. When we can be specific, let’s be specific. We need to pray in specifics for that family member who is captured in drugs, we need to pray in specifics for that child who has fallen into the trans ideology, we need to pray in specifics for our nations and where they are headed.
How is this done? By the specifics of what God says in his word on the subject, and the specifics of the situation. An example of this would be to pray for our government based on Romans 13, where Paul writes, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.…3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.” My specific prayer then for our government is that it conducts itself justly in using it’s authority to bringing judgment on wrongdoers, and that those that we see in media who are perpetrating riots, pedophilia, corrupt uses of the justice system, and all types of robbery would be brought to justice, and if they are not, then God would replace these current leaders and bring up the leaders that will enact his justice.
But’s it’s not just our prayer lives that we need preparation in. Peter tells us to love one another earnestly, and constantly. The secondary quarrels of the Church need to go the way of the Dodo. Love covers a multiple of sins and we need to love each other more today than we did yesterday, and more tomorrow than today. We can start doing this by simply making it a goal to welcome every person around us every time we come together for corporate worship; and if we see someone who looks to be alone, we make it an effort to welcome them. This is a small way that bridges the loving and hospitality that Peter calls us to in verses 8 and 9; so in one swoop we have begun to accomplish two things we are called to do.
Then we are to be utilized in God’s Church by using the gifts God has given us. The examples Peter gives are speaking and serving. But we could list a plethora of others that are found throughout the New Testament. If we don’t know our gifts, we need to take it before the Lord to have the Holy Spirit reveal them. If we know them, we need to seek the elders of our local congregations on where those gifts could be utilized in the body we attend. All this is done for the glory of Jesus, because all glory and dominion is his forever.
It’s here, with the focus on Jesus’ forever glory and dominion, that Peter then turns our attention back to suffering, as we pick up in verse 12.
“12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”
Again, Peter is calling us to the take up arms of in the suffering of Christ. And since we are ready for it, we are also not surprised when the suffering comes, but instead we are to rejoice in the suffering because it’s Christ suffering that we are sharing in, and his glory is revealed in us and through us, through that suffering. Peter goes on to say.
“14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And ‘If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?’ 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”
Suffering for suffering sake isn’t what Peter is talking about. Suffering because we were unfaithful to our spouse, or we were abusive towards someone, or we were rebellious to the authority over us, or we are corrupt in our financial or business dealings, isn’t suffering that brings glory to God. That kind of suffering occurs because it’s God’s judgment and discipline upon us, and we should thank God that he is correcting us, because it shows we are his.
No, the good suffering, is the suffering that comes from taking up spiritual arms for Jesus. It’s suffering because we live out the word of God. It’s suffering that comes from pointing others to God’s word and his biblical mandate to repent and turn from sin to the Savior, and embrace his authority as our Lord.
There will come a time when all are judged, but God’s judgment comes to his Church first. His judgment can be seen right now, when massive abuse coverups are being uncovered. The dirty laundry of the Church is being displayed for the world to see, because the Church hasn’t been the spotless bride it was called to be. But even in it’s exposer, God loves his Church, it’s Jesus’ body, it’s his bride, he loves it too dearly to let it wallow in sin. And if he does this to his Church, whom he loves, Peter asks the question, “what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” This is the a subtle call to Gospel work. To let the testimony we have in suffering for Christ be what points others back to the God who saves. That more would come to Christ through our prepared lives that are set apart, which is holiness, through prayer, love, and service. And as Peter closes this thought, with that we “…entrust [our] souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”
Brothers and sisters this is what it means to be spiritual prepared in the times that we live in. We are separating ourselves from the world’s debauchery by seeking Jesus in the holiness of his word that transforms us. We are being specific in our prayers as the world dives further away from it’s Creator. We love and serve each other, extending the grace Jesus gave us to our brothers and sisters in Christ. And we share the Gospel with the world as it moves further away.
Joe Rogan, that influential atheist, who once said of Christianity, “The New Testament is utter horsesh*t,” has recently said, “as time rolls on, people are going to understand the need to have some sort of divine structure to things.” With the unfettering of sin in the world, people who once rejected Christ are waking up. The suffering that God is allowing into the world, that comes from what Paul said in Roman 1:24, of “God [giving] them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity…(a)”, is the very thing that is going to bring many to know the True and Living God. It’s something we need to not only embrace as Christians, but live preparedly in the Holy Spirit.
I said this last week, if there is a pre-tribulation rapture, are we prepared to leave behind physical things for those who will go through it and come to Christ because of our preparedness? What if there isn’t a pre-tribulation rapture? What if the Church of today doesn’t get taken up in that way? Are our spiritual lives ready for such a suffering? We can live in the hope of pre-tribulation rapture, I mean who really wants to experience that kind of suffering, but we should live in such a way where we are spiritual prepared for such a suffering as the Great Tribulation. Because our brothers and sisters throughout history have suffered greatly, are we any greater than they? Let us be prepared if God calls us to such a suffering.
My challenge for you then this week, is to take an inventory of the four spiritual preparedness areas we talked about today: living holy lives that do not embrace the world’s debauchery, being specific in our prayers as much as we can, loving and serving our Church brothers and sisters, and sharing the Gospel with someone. On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest, how well are you doing in each area. If we get a 4 or lower, in any area, we need improvement and so we need to seek the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. If we get a 5 in any area, we need to seek the Holy Spirit that we do not begin to lack in that place.
Peter goes on to say in chapter 5 verse 8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” The devil is on a feeding frenzy right now, let us be people who are prepared for the attack, being shielded and prepared in Christ. Amen.
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