When you have suffered, if you arm yourself with this thought, to suffer like Jesus, to pay whatever the price righteousness costs, then when that happens, you know you've ceased

in the sense that a decisive break has happened.

The bondage of sin on your life has been broken and

there's this sense inside yes I love God yes I embrace righteousness yes I'm

willing to pay the cost. And yes, I am not in bondage anymore.

How can we prepare ourselves to suffer well. In this episode of Light and Truth, John Piper

opens 1st Peter 4, 1-6 to empower us with five encouragement.

This sermon was originally preached at Bethlehem Baptist Church on October 2, 1994.

Now the main 4.

Now the main point of this text today is real clear.

You can see it in verse 1.

Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same purpose,

or another translation would say the same thought.

A thought is armor. A purpose is armor.

Arm yourselves with a thought, with a purpose. What purpose? The purpose to suffer like Christ suffered.

So this morning the main point of the text is, and everything else is subordinate and

relates to this, arm yourself with a certain thought, a certain mindset, a certain purpose, get a purpose

in your head, get fixed the purpose to choose suffering over sin if God wills.

As it says back in chapter 3 verse 17, it is better if God wills to suffer for doing what is right

rather than doing what is wrong.

Arm yourself with the purpose to choose suffering over silence if God brings it to that point,

where that's the choice you should make.

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