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Thank you, Judy, for that music
ministry and the voices that come along to help. We're picking
up from last week when Peter reminded us that the end of all
things is near. Peter, from God's word, challenges
us to exercise sound judgment, self-control, to love and show
hospitality, and to serve one another with our gifts. This
week, we're going to be challenged by Peter regarding the realities
of suffering. I don't know if you're familiar
with a book that was published in 2001. It was authored by Jan
T. Gross, titled Neighbors. It shares the story of a tragic
event of suffering. For centuries, as far back as
the 1300s, Jewish and non-Jewish families had lived side by side
in a Polish town of Jedwabne, sharing daily life, commerce,
and a long history of coexistence. By the early 20th century, Jews
comprise about 60% of the population of that city, deeply integrated
into the town's economy and culture, while still maintaining their
distinct religious traditions. This fragile harmony unraveled
during World War II as a Nazi occupation exploited underlying
anti-Semitism and stoked tensions. On July 10th, 1941, local Polish townspeople, incited
by the Nazis' authorities, turned on their Jewish neighbors, rounding
up men, women, and children. And the victims were beaten,
humiliated, ultimately driven into a barn, which was set ablaze,
killing nearly all inside. Many perpetrators looted their
homes of their murdered neighbors, shattered generations of shared
history in a single day. This is the world unrestrained
and unmasked with its hatred towards God and His chosen people.
Let us not think for a minute that such atrocities have stopped
suddenly in the world. Suffering is happening right
now, which is why we pray for our brothers and sisters around
the world each week. Suffering is the historical norm
of Christianity, and what we have in America is an exception
to that rule. And may we never take that for
granted, right? May we continue to proclaim the
gospel so that the lost might see the light of Christ and be
saved. So this morning, let us consider
three commands in light of suffering for the Lord so we don't fail
our faithful creator. Our three commands from the text
are as follows. Don't be surprised, don't be
ashamed, and entrust your soul to the creator. So if you would,
please turn to 1 Peter Chapter 4, verse 12. By the way, I've
been using that color. Is that easy to read or should
it be brighter next time? It's okay? I was wondering about
that because when I look at it, I can barely see it on the other
TV. Okay. So 1 Peter 4, starting
at verse 12 and 13. Beloved, do not be surprised
at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your
testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you.
But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep
on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of his glory you
may rejoice with exaltation. What makes this passage challenging
is not that it's a difficult truth to understand, but that
it is a truth that we don't typically experience here in America right
now. It seems distant to us to talk
in these terms. As I said before, we have a soft
persecution in America. You may have been passed over
for a promotion, censored online, or something else along those
lines. But it would be an exception here to suffer violence for your
faith. Regardless of the level and degree
of persecution we might experience, these principles from God's word
apply to all believers, regardless of time, culture, or situation. And Peter begins tenderly in
this passage with the word beloved. It's an adjective derived from
the verb to love, agapao, right? It's to describe believers. We
are the beloved. Peter next follows with the command,
do not be surprised. However, the underlying Greek
word here and the other word in this verse, strange, are usually
connected to hospitality to strangers, entertaining one in the home,
allowing one to lodge in your home. There wasn't Hilton's and
and Hampton Inns and so forth back at the time they were writing
these letters. You were a stranger in a town, someone would have
to open their home. However, Peter turns this concept
on its head to convey the idea that in the world, they will
not show hospitality to you, a stranger, a pilgrim in the
world. This rejection, this persecution
by the world, is not to be seen as something extraordinary or
foreign, yet it is to be expected. And that's what Peter is trying
to convey. This is the norm. And the expression fiery ordeal
describes not only an intense and painful experience, but draws
from the imagery of fire. Years ago a chaplain took me
into a hospital burn ward. It was a very disturbing experience. I witnessed individuals all bandaged
up who had suffered third and fourth degree burns. It was excruciating. They were literally on morphine
drips 24-7. And the heat from the fires, of course, destroys
the skin, but it penetrates deep into the muscles, the bones,
the nerves, leaving scars that permanently disfigure the body.
Like I said, all the patients were on pain morphine and so
forth. And then the recovery is just
as brutal, learning to restretch the skin and the muscles. This
is a picture of what fire can do to the body. And the underlying
word in the Greek is a fiery ordeal, which is actually similar
to our word pyro. And this fiery ordeal, this trial
that comes to believers, helps us understand how such trials
of faith sear deeply into a believer's life, stripping away the superficial
comforts. Not to scar, because these trials
are to refine us. to strengthen us, to mature us,
to make us a vessel to be useful for God's purposes. The purpose
of these trials is not to hurt and harm from God's perspective,
but is to refine you in your walk before the Lord. It's to
make you holy. The scripture describes this truth in many
places. Malachi is probably what Peter is probably drawing the
imagery from. Behold, I'm going to send my messenger and he will
clear the way before me. This is speaking of the Isaiah.
And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple and
the messengers of the confident in whom you delight. Behold,
he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But then listen to this,
But who can endure the day of his coming? And who can stand
when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire,
like a fuller's soap. He will sit at the smelter and
purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine
them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the
Lord, offerings and righteousness. This is a picture of that tribulation
period where Israel look upon whom they pierced their only
son and repent. Zechariah 13, 9 also shares this imagery, same
event. I will bring the third part through
the fire, refine them as silver is refined, test them as gold
is tested. They will call on my name and
I will answer them and I will say, they are my people and they
will say, the Lord is my God. Even Psalm 66, 10, for you have
tried us, O God. You've refined us as silver is
refined. Don't ever think for a minute
that a trial in your life is without purpose. Remember Peter's
earlier words that we read in 1 Peter 1.6, in this you greatly
rejoice, even though now, for a little while, if necessary,
you've been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of
your faith, being more precious than gold, which is perishable,
even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise
and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. These trials
are custom made for you to strip away those things that are hindering
your walk and your faith. They're never pleasant, are they
at first? But when you get on the back end and you look back,
you're like, you're blessed because of that. If you embrace the lesson
that was to be learned. I should point out that the trials
Peter describes in this context are directly from unbelievers. That's right, God is gonna use
sometimes unholy vessels in your life. So this does not reference
other types of life trials, such as medical, mental, or financial,
et cetera, though these principles would apply for those too. These
are specific trials brought about through the persecution of the
lost towards the believer. Notice how Peter reveals that
such trials are for purpose. They're designed for testing,
like an examination. Just to share some good news,
on a side note this week, last Wednesday, my professor finally
approved my paper for my dissertation. So I mailed off this week, and
then we set the, I call it the inquisition. the examination
when I defend my paper in the next probably 60 days. So thank
you for all your prayers. I don't think that's going to
be a fiery ordeal like this is describing, but you never know,
right? But the purpose of this examination,
all right, is that it's going to reveal your true character.
It's going to expose where you are in your faith, where your
trust begins and ends, and where your obedience begins and ends.
It's a trial to remove sin. It's to increase obedience. It's
to develop biblical convictions. And it's to grow your faith in
Christ. These are truly good things. But the process to go
from beginning the trial through the trial to end the trial is
a fiery ordeal. It is difficult. And this is
why Peter says, you know, as though some strange thing were
happening to you. You know, when these trials come
into your life, there's a part that we always say, Lord, why is this
happening to me? Right? What did I do to deserve
this? That thought comes and that's
natural. Let's just try to get that thought
out of our mind as fast as we can because we need to come back
to the truth that this is not something strange that's happening
to you. It's not extraordinary. It's
not some rare occurrence like the planets are aligning and
they're out to get you. In fact, it's expected. That's
something I've learned in my life is that when I'm not in
a trial, I thank the Lord that I'm not in a trial. And then
I try to grow in that time so that a trial is not needed. But
that is life. And we got to come to embrace
these lessons that the Lord is ready to teach us. It's a difficult
truth. It could make you start to feel anxious, right? Thinking
trouble is just around the corner. But that's not how we should
be thinking. Peter's exhortation, like last week, reminded us,
sound judgment, right? Sober spirit. Be self-controlled.
God is sovereign, and he is, if he brings a trial into your
life, he is gonna supply everything necessary for life and godliness. Remember Paul's words of encouragement,
Romans 8, 28? For we know God causes all things
to work together for good for those who love God, to those
who are called according to his purpose. Remember Joseph? I mean,
it seemed like one thing after another went wrong, but it was
serving a greater purpose to deliver Egypt and his people
from the great famine in the world. Peter in verse 13 takes
an interesting turn. Listen to this, But to the degree
that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing,
so that also at the revelation of his glory you may rejoice
with exaltation. So it's not only should you expect
the trials, but you should rejoice in the trials. Peter links our
suffering, though, at the hands of unbelievers to Christ's suffering
at the hands of unbelievers. This is the link that Peter wants
us to see. In fact, Paul made the same link
in 2 Corinthians 1.5, for just as the sufferings of Christ are
ours, and by the way, in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant
through Christ, which is why I read that passage today. God
is the God of all comfort. It is linked because it falls
under the same conditions. As Christ obeyed the Father and
suffered, so we obey the Father in Christ and so we too will
suffer. And when suffering is tied to
faith, and the key is obedient faith to God as Word, then and
only then are we sharing in the sufferings of Christ. So this
is key. It's another way of saying we're
gonna have a shared experience. Think about it. If you suffer
for Christ, when you meet him at the judgment seat, he had
suffered for you. You're gonna have a shared experience.
John 15, 18 through 20, Jesus said this to disciples and speaks
to us even today. If the world hates you, you know
that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the
world, the world would love its own. But because you're not of
the world, but I chose you out of the world, and because of
this, the world hates you. Remember the word that I said
to you, a slave is not greater than his master? If they persecuted
me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they
will keep yours also. We suffer because we're associated
with Christ, and here's the key, we're obeying Christ. It's one
thing to profess, right? But do you possess faith that's
a faith that results in a changed life, where now you are obeying
the word, not disobeying the word. However, Peter continues
to challenge our view on suffering with the following command, keep
rejoicing. In other words, be glad, be delighted,
have joy. How many of you, when you experience
a trial, the first thing you're gonna do is crack a smile? It's
usually on your knees praying, end this thing now before it
gets any worse, right? But there's a, I will have to
say this because Devin can confirm this. There's times when a trial
hits and I'm just like, I got to pep my step because I know
the Lord is at work. Something is about to happen.
There's change that's coming and he is personally involved.
That is something to celebrate. It doesn't always work out that
way, but That's the key, that's what Peter's getting at. There's
an understanding deep down that this is something good's gonna
come out of this. You might be thinking, how is that even possible,
right? First, I think we have to center
on Christ and not on ourselves. Second, we focus on our future
with him, not our present suffering. And third, we await our heavenly
reward and are not concerned with our earthly loss. Our suffering
does not earn salvation. That's not what Peter's getting
at. But such suffering, if we're believers, is rewarded. And keep
in mind, Peter speaks from experience. This is not someone who's just,
hey, talking a good game. Peter has lived it. Acts 541,
so they, Peter and the disciples, went on their way from the presence
of the council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy
to suffer shame for his name. Will that be your attitude? Do
you consider it worthy to suffer shame for Christ's name? Or do
you consider it shameful to suffer for Christ's name? It can be
in some situations to be obedient. It can be embarrassing. It can
look, it can feel awkward, especially if the group and the context
you're in doesn't love Christ nor appreciate it, or just doesn't
respect you. Obedience to Christ and His Word
has always had a cost. Christ called us to deny ourselves,
to carry our cross, and to follow Him. However, many Christians
are still stuck at the first step. Instead of denying themselves,
they are indulging themselves. Instead of serving others, they
expect others to serve themselves, to serve them. And if we're not
willing to be obedient in the minimal things, then should we
expect to be able to be obedient in the substantial things? Hebrews
11 is a sober testament to the truthfulness of Peter's words.
You know, Hebrews 11, the hall of faith, When you get to that,
first it starts off with these amazing victories of faith, kingdoms
conquered, and so forth. But then you get to the other
side. Hebrews 11, 35 through 40, others
were tortured, not accepting their release. So they might
obtain a better resurrection. And others experienced mockings,
scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned.
They were sawn in two. They were tempted. They were
put to death with the sword. They went about in sheepskins
and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated. And in
parentheses, men of whom the world was not worth. wandering
in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained
approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,
because God had provided something better for us, so that apart
from us, they would not be made perfect." In other words, there's
things that sometimes we just don't get right now, because
God is saving it for all of us to get it at once. Let's finish
this verse and look what follows. Keep on rejoicing. 1 Peter 13
says, so that also at the revelation of his glory, you may rejoice
with exaltation. This just takes it to another
notch higher. Peter is giving us this incredible
perspective. When we're suffering, we can
rejoice because our suffering has this future purpose in mind.
That's why we endure. We endure for our Lord. Peter's
revealing that Christ will return to rule and to reign. That is
what he means by the revelation of his glory. When he comes back
in the second coming in all his glory, that's the revelation
of his glory. And it will be glorious. Jesus
described the conditions surrounding his glorious return back in Matthew
on Olivet Discourse. Remember this? So think about all that darkness,
all that chaos, all that mayhem. And then it says this, and then
the sign of the son of man will appear in the sky. Then all the
tribes of the earth will mourn, these are the unbelievers, and
they will see the son of man coming on the clouds of the sky
with power and great glory. And who's gonna be behind him
riding some horses? The church, us. And when Christ
returns, the believers, who amazingly suffered and endured and survived
the tribulation, they will literally be rejoicing with exaltation.
Think about it. You're waited seven years. The
rapture happens. You hadn't believed. You then
believe. You're running from the Antichrist,
running from persecution. You're probably living in caves
in goatskins. And finally, seven years comes,
and here comes your Savior, literally, to rescue you. We, like I said,
the Christ bride will return and we will be rejoicing as well.
I hope you can see Peter's point. To the degree that you share
the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing. In other words,
the more you suffer, the more you rejoice. Because every time
you do that, as you do it in faith, the Lord is pleased and
he will reward you for that faithfulness. God uses that suffering not only
to sanctify you, but it becomes a witness to those around you
that God is real and that they too need to repent and believe.
There is a day when our Lord Jesus will return to rule and
reign with righteousness. Not right now. He's ruling from
above. But there's a day when he will
rule and reign here. And at that time, he will no
longer have to suffer for righteousness sake, because the King of righteousness
is ruling and reigning. Now, let me ask you, will you
allow God's good purposes in this age to grow and change you? Will you allow the Lord to mature
you to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness
of Christ? Do you desire that, to be more Christ-like? Are you
annoyed with yourselves, with the ways you fall short in small
ways? Maybe there's a big sin you're
struggling with and you want deliverance from that. Are you
willing to allow Christ to work in your life to remove that?
so that you and I aren't children being tossed here and there.
Should we be surprised at a fiery ordeal for our faithfulness to
the Lord in our day? Maybe, like I said momentarily,
but let us quickly recognize that the hand of God is upon
you in those moments and let our faith in Christ reveal our
trust and our obedience to our King Redeemer, His word and to
the promises no matter what degree we share in Christ's sufferings.
Let our hearts not be troubled in those moments. So don't be
surprised. Now let's continue to point number
two. Let's also not be ashamed. Let me read verses 14 through
16. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed,
because the spirit of glory and God rests on you. Make sure that
none of you suffers as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or
a troublesome meddler. But if anyone suffers as a Christian,
he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. I'm so glad Peter included this
passage. It's not only an important reminder,
but offers a critical contrast. Peter begins with encouragement
and insurance. If you're reviled, in other words,
if you're insulted, reprimanded, mocked for the name of Christ,
which includes your association with and obedience to Christ,
you are blessed. The emphasis here is not physical
violence, it's verbal. Peter is echoing the words of
Christ. Do you remember on the Sermon
on the Mount when Jesus said the following, Matthew 5.11,
blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely
say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and
be glad for your reward in heaven is great. For in the same way
they persecuted the prophets who were before you, And so this
is the idea. We're not the first to experience
this. We're part of a long chain of
events. When Jesus was crucified, do
you remember at first both thieves were just hurling insults at
Christ at first? Why? Think about it. What did
Jesus do to them? They hadn't even met Jesus up
to this point. What else was going on? I think
this is why Peter adds this insight. You are blessed because the spirit
of glory and of God rests on you. There was something about
Christ that set him apart from all others. Even unbelievers
could see that. We can see that in the Bible.
As born again believers, we are permanently indwelt by the Holy
Spirit. He is the spirit of glory and of God. And that word rest
means abides, he remains. The Holy Spirit has sealed us,
he has set us apart in the world, he sanctifies us, he helps us,
and he comforts us. And when we yield to the spirit
and we are filled with the spirit, because that's what it means
to be filled with the spirit. It means to yield, let the flesh
take second seat to the spirit, to the word of God. We obey God's
word. We love others sincerely. And
at that point, people sense something is different. At least they should.
And when we act this way, for some, it can be very refreshing.
They're like, wow, I've never met someone with hope and joy.
But for others, they can recoil. They can revile. They start to
suspect maybe there's an ulterior motive. Or they just don't like
it. Peter affirms that if your obedience
and faithfulness to Christ is that apparent to the world, you
are blessed if they revile. This is a portrait, another way
of describing someone who's obedient, loving, thankful, and grateful
in their faith. But there is a contrast to this
behavior. And Peter surprisingly lists four unrighteous behaviors,
going from the most extreme criminal activity to the least criminal
activity. But all are criminal activities
and all are sinful, and no Christian should ever be involved in them.
The list is not, I don't believe, to indict someone in the church
that Peter's writing to, but it's a way of contrasting the
unbeliever's criminal behavior with Christian behavior. The
word for suffers is the same word Pierre has been using throughout
this book. However, in this context, the suffering is for unrighteousness
and sin and is just a punishment. No Christian should be this disobedient
and this worldly. That's part of Peter's point
here. However, this list is not a checklist. Okay, I didn't murder
anyone today. I didn't steal today, right? I'm not a meddler
today. All right, I'm doing good. That's
not how this would be looked at. The greater principle is
that our suffering should never be a result of our sin and disobedience. Christian suffering should only
be the result from faithful, obedient living. That's what
Peter's trying to contrast. He's just using these extreme
examples. It's quite a shocking list. Murderer, that violates
the sixth commandment. Thieving, that violates the eighth
commandment. You shall not steal. Evildoer, Peter has used this
several times in 1 Peter. It's just a general word for
criminal. And this word, troublesome meddler,
Only Peter uses this in the Bible. It's a unique word. It literally
means one who acts as an overseer in matters that belong to another.
They're meddling. In Peter's day, it included a
political agitator, someone who was anti-government, anti-establishment. It can also include someone who's
mischievous, meddling, infringing upon others, taking advantage
of others, and even spying on others with evil intentions.
I'm sure it's obvious to you that such behavior is completely
inappropriate for a believer, and it's never justified. However,
for a Christian under extreme, hostile, persecuting conditions,
there is. Is there not a temptation for
us in the flesh to maybe lash out, to maybe retaliate, maybe
to avenge? But that is not the way of our
Lord, is it? He uttered no threats. And we are commanded to leave
room for God to avenge us if that is his will. So under these
difficult circumstances, we must guard our hearts, trust the Lord,
and pray for enemies and even love our enemies. Now with this
contrast and backdrop, Peter returns to his main point in
verse 16. If anyone suffers as a Christian,
he is not to be ashamed. but it's to glorify God in this
name. So the glorifying God in the
Christian name. That any suffers is italicized
and inserted for clarity. This is the, by the way, the
third and final use of the word Christian in the Bible. I don't
know if you know that, it's only mentioned three times. It was
first coined in Antioch. Then Agrippa used it with Paul
as Paul tried to evangelize him, and now Peter uses it. Remember,
Peter's writing towards the end of the New Testament time. This
word has become a description of a true born-again believer
following Christ faithfully. It's our identity, and our identity
is Christ. Now, Peter next issues two commands.
One's a put-off and one's a put-on. the put off command, he is not
to be ashamed. In other words, not to be disgraced,
not to be embarrassed over your identity and obedience to Christ.
This verb is in the passive voice. This means that you, the believer,
and I, we must reject this feeling of embarrassment and ashameness
when we suffer. We are to guard our hearts and
minds against those who attempt to shame us. We must not internalize
or entertain such thoughts. Because that can happen. You
can be broken by your trial and your circumstances and start
to feel embarrassed. This happens, I think, when we
evangelize. Oh, I don't know. Should I say
something? What if they respond? We get
a little bit of taste of that. What would they think? How would
they respond? Just focus on being faithful. The put on command,
which is, but is to glorify God in this name. This is to glorify,
is to praise, to honor, extol, to worship. Here is the faith
response to suffering. And this is where we thank the
Lord. Keep in mind in this context, your suffering is not from sin,
it's from obedience. Did you notice how pride plays
no part in this context? It's not, look at me, I'm suffering
for the Lord. Instead, it's, look at my Lord.
That's the idea. You see the trial now as a vehicle
for God to be exalted and you, frankly, to be lowered. Paul
said it this way, I'll glorify God in my weaknesses, right?
Do you remember when Jesus asked Ananias to go to Paul and lay
hands on him? Let me read that portion from
Acts, Acts 9, 10. Now there was a disciple at Damascus
named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a
vision, Ananias. And he said, here I am, Lord. By the way,
you'll see that throughout the scriptures. Anytime the Lord
shows up, the first expression is, here I am, Lord. They know
who he is, and they respond with submission. Lord said to him,
Get up, and go to the street called Straight, and inquire
at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. For he
is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias
come in and lay hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.
But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man,
how much harm he did to your saints at Jerusalem. And here
he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call
on your name. How did Ananias know that? The
word was on the street. But the Lord said to him, Go,
for he is a chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before
the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel. And here's the
key point. For I will show him how much
he must suffer for my name's sake. Paul got a personal invitation
from the Lord. You're gonna suffer for my namesake.
But each of us have been given the same invitation. Different
times, different places, different situations. The last sentence
is key. I will show him how he will suffer
for my namesake. We too, to different degrees,
have been called to suffer for Christ's namesake. Any suffering
we experience for faithfulness must be on behalf of Christ.
We suffer for His namesake, not our reputation's namesake. May
we never lose sight of this critical focus. As you endure, and the
Spirit will help you endure, praise God. Focus on Christ. Exalt His name. And if you struggle
to endure, remember 1 Corinthians 10 31, whatever then, whatever
you eat, Whatever you drink, whatever you do, do all for the
glory of God. Come back to that central theme,
how can I glorify God in this situation? And that hopefully
will give you the focus you need. So, don't be surprised at suffering
for Christ. Don't be ashamed. But now let's
turn to our final point, and that is, but entrust your soul
to the Creator. 1 Peter 4, 17 through 19. For it is time for judgment to
begin with the household of God. And if it begins with us first,
what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel
of God? And if it is with difficulty
that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless
man and the sinner? Therefore, those also who suffer
according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to
a faithful Creator in doing what is right. Peter moves to the
topic of judgment. Makes sense, right? You deal
with the situation, there's going to be an accounting, a reckoning
at some point for how we respond and behave. We learn that judgment
begins with the household of God. This is all about God's
holiness and God's dealing with sin among his people. This is
a father over his house and we are his children. Up to this
point, Peter has been focusing on being faithful, being obedient,
and suffering for the sake of Christ and his gospel. Now Peter
turns to discuss actual sins in the church. The term judgment
is a legal decision. It's a verdict. Many passages
in scripture reveal God chasing his children for their sin and
rebellion. Hebrews 12, 7 and 8. It is for
discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with sons.
For what son is there whom the father does not discipline? But
if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers,
then you are illegitimate children and not sons. You ever wonder
why some unbelievers seem to just skate through life with
no consequences, no matter how evil they are? It's because they're
not God's son. So he doesn't chase in them.
Although our sin debt has been paid and we are secure in our
salvation, there is the matter of our sanctification. the life
we have lived in Christ since we've been saved. When we repeatedly
sin, when we stop growing in Christ, when we run from our
spiritual responsibilities because our Heavenly Father loves us,
He will bring us back in. He will help us, He will discipline
us, and He will chasten us. All for our good and all for
His glory. Hebrews 12, 6, for those whom
the Lord loves, he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom
he receives. Have you had some scourging from
the Lord? Hopefully not too much, but probably all of us a little
bit. The uncomfortable truth is that most of the suffering
we experience in America is due to our sin, not our obedience. And God's chasing not only has
the purpose of correcting us, but conforming us to the image
of Christ. Consider the words of Christ
in John 15, that famous vine passage, I am the true vine,
and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does
not bear fruit, he takes away. And every branch that bears fruit,
he prunes it. Not exactly the most comfortable
experience. So that it may bear more fruit. You may think you're
fruitful today, but if you allow the Lord to work in your life,
believe it or not, you'll bear even more fruit. Now, I don't
want you to miss this next point. God's chastening, as I said,
is to help us bear fruit for him. But it's also a testimony
to the world that God is dealing with sin, starting first with
his people. As the world looks in, and they
do look with an eye of judgment upon us, They unfortunately,
many times, fail to see that God is a righteous judge judging
his church. And they fail to see that one
day they too will be judged. So there's a bigger picture going
on here. As God is making his church more
holy, yes, that's for us to bear fruit and become more like Christ,
but it is a testimony to the world, I'm God, I deal with sin,
you're next. This is why Peter says, what
will be the outcome, the end result for those who do not obey
the gospel of God, which is another way of saying they reject Christ
and the gospel unbelief. Now, God wants to see them saved.
And he does that by showing the seriousness of sin. And although
we are judged and chastened for our sins, we have been redeemed. We can't lose our salvation.
But for the unbeliever, They have no such security. They are
not redeemed, and their judgment awaits them at the great white
throne judgment. I think it's a good reminder
to read this passage, Revelation 20. It shows us that after Christ's
millennial reign, his thousand-year reign, This is the final judgment. Then I saw a great white throne,
and him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven
fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead,
the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books
were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book
of life. And the dead were judged from these things which were
written in the books, according to their deeds. Yes, it's true,
you've got your own set of encyclopedias of your whole life. Everything
you've thought, everything you've said, everything you've done.
But there's another book, the Book of Life, and if you repent
and believe, you're in that. And it goes on to say, and the
sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave
up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every one
of them according to their deeds. Now let me pause here. This white
throne judgment is for unbelievers. We have already been judged through
the cross, that's our sins are forgiven. We have the judgment
seat of Christ, which is actually a seat of rewards. We're going
to be here at the judgment, but not to be judged. We will be
with Christ co reigning and co ruling. This is all the unbelievers
of all time that are being judged. And I believe anyone who hasn't
been judged, that would be someone who survived the tribulation
millennial kingdom. Now death and Hades were thrown into the
lake of fire. This is the second death, the
lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not
found written in the book of life, he or she was thrown into
the lake of fire. This is what is the end for those
who don't repent. Unbelief in the lake of fire.
Peter repeats his point even with stronger terms. 1 Peter
4, 18, and if it is with difficulty the righteous is saved, what
will become of the godless man and sinner It's almost like he's
putting his hand over his mouth and just say, I don't even want
to think about the consequences. The difficulty is focusing on
all the work that God has accomplished to justify, to sanctify, and
ultimately glorify lost souls. This is not about you and me
and the difficulties of our trials as we work through these. This
is not about us saving ourselves. This is about the difficulty
of the Lord trying to redeem man from the cross and in all
the providential things he's doing. And as God, through Christ
and his spirit and providence, does bring many sons to glory,
there are many, and most, who don't repent and believe. And
what will be the outcome for them? The sober reality is that
it is a miracle any of us are saved. Maybe you're part of a
family and you're the only believer. Maybe, you know, you're the only
one in your neighborhood. Maybe you're the only one in
your workplace. The numbers of saved are small. The numbers
of the unsaved are great. We have our work cut out, don't
we, to evangelize. But those of us who are saved,
this life in Christ is, at times, times of suffering. There is
suffering for righteousness, which pleases the Lord when we're
faithful in those situations. And suffering for unrighteousness
displeases the Lord and results in chastening by His loving hand.
Let me offer a word of caution. Should you find yourself truly
suffering for the Lord for righteousness sake, whether verbal or violent,
you are going to have moments of doubt. Consider Jeremiah the
prophet, which I believe is a picture of Christ, getting some insights
in the mind of Christ. He suffered for the Lord. Listen
to what he says in Lamentations 3. I am the man who has seen
affliction because of the rod of his wrath. He has driven me
and made me walk in darkness and not in light. Surely against
me he has turned his hand repeatedly all the day. He has caused my
flesh and my skin to waste away. He has broken my bones. He has
besieged and encompassed me with bitterness and hardship. This
is Jeremiah. It's not easy being a prophet
of God in a place that God says, no one is going to listen to
you. You're a hammer, they're a rock. Good luck with that.
But even Jeremiah, in his suffering, in his prayer to the Lord, towards
the end of this very chapter, he turns back to the Lord, to
the one whom he has entrusted his very soul and life. Listen
to the end of the chapter, verses 19 through 26 of Lamentations
3. Remember my affliction and my
wandering, the wormwood and bitterness. Surely my soul remembers and
is bowed down within me. This is worship. This I recall
to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's loving kindness
indeed never ceases, for his compassions never fail. They
are new every morning, great is your faithfulness. So when
Judy shot me an email over the weekend, she's like, hey, I'd
like to change this song. She had no idea that it was part
of this message. That's God's providence working. Therefore I have hope in him,
the Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the person who
seeks him. It is good that he waits silently
for the salvation of the Lord. Ultimately, all trials are to
bring you back to a place of worship. And there you can openly
and introspectively examine your heart, see the lessons that you
need to learn, and ask God to help you make those changes.
Jeremiah and other godly men and women in the Bible, like
those in Hebrews 11, each entrusted themselves to the Lord in their
suffering." This is Peter's primary point. Therefore, those also
who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls
to a faithful creator in doing what is right. Now, don't miss
this. The suffering, we probably have used this expression. In
fact, I remarked this to my wife. I'm suffering for the will of
God. We think of this as just a general God's decrees in life,
okay? But that's not what Peter's saying.
He's being very specific. You're suffering according to
the will of God, which is another way of saying you're suffering
for obeying God's word. This is not some trial God just
throws in you like James is talking about. You're actually obeying
God's word. You're obeying his will, and
now trials come because of that. This is not about some general
trial or difficulty in life. It has nothing to do, it has
everything to do with your obedience to God's word. That's why Peter
adds at the end of the passage, in doing what is right. Because
doing what is right in this world sometimes results in suffering. And the word and trust, it's
a command. It takes spiritual discipline and spiritual maturity
to obey in faith when there is suffering for obedience. It's
not easy. Just as it takes discipline to go to the gym, work out, and
change your diet to get fit, in the beginning, there's a lot
of pain. And if those of you have taken the New Year's resolution,
you're probably in pain right now. And at first it seems like
there's very little reward. But faithful perseverance with
this discipline is the only way to improve. There's still pain,
but what happens? You're able to handle more pain. You're able to endure more. Think about it. Faith and obedience
are inextricably tied to one another. In faith, we obey God's
word. In faith, we entrust our souls
to a faithful creator who's not only with us every step of the
way, but loves us, has secured our salvation, and he will bring
us home to glory in his perfect timing. David in Psalm 86 says
something very similar. Preserve my soul, for I'm a godly
man. Oh, you my God, save your servant
who trusts in you. Paul says it this way, for this
reason I also suffer these things, but I'm not ashamed for I know
whom I believed and I'm convinced he is able to guard what I've
entrusted to him until that day. Have you entrusted your very
soul to Christ and the Father? No matter what happens, you're
secure in Christ if you repented and believed. But is that your
thought in your trial? Sometimes we don't think that
way, but sometimes we have to say this. I am entrusting you, Lord,
in this trial. So let me ask, how are you doing
in your walk with the Lord? Are you pursuing his word? Are
you denying yourself? Are you carrying the cross? Are
you following him? Is it difficult? Are you persevering? And interesting, it's not by
accident that in the parable of the sower of the seed, the
four soils, the hard one that rejects God right away, the last
one is someone who embraces salvation and they have an abundant life,
a fruitful life to the Lord, but the middle two, right? They grow up with rocky soil,
shallow, trials and tribulations come and they don't produce a
crop or they're choked up by thorns and they don't produce
anything, some immature fruit. Those middle two, is what happens
when testing comes and they discover they didn't have faith. But we,
if we truly are saved, we will thrive. So my prayer for you
and me is that when suffering comes, we won't be surprised,
we won't be ashamed, and we will entrust ourselves, our very soul,
to our creator. Which, by the way, that's the
only passage in the Bible that describes God as the creator.
that actual title is given to him. So may these commands, these
three commands serve you well in light of suffering for the
Lord. We don't know what the year has for us, but the Lord
knows. And as he helps us to entrust him and not fail him,
our faithful creator and the Lord Jesus Christ will help us
through the trial. And one day we will exalt his
name to his face. Let's pray. Heavenly Father,
thank you for Peter's words and the reminders and the challenges. In America, we just don't understand
this fully. We certainly aren't asking for
it, but Lord, help us should it come to our door that we will
respond in a way that would honor you, that would please you. We
pray in this upcoming year that all of us would be witnessing
and sharing and serving and growing in holiness and obedience. And Lord, help us when the trial
comes, not to be surprised. Help us not to be ashamed, and
help us to entrust you, our faithful creator. In Christ's name we
pray, amen. Well, thanks for joining us this week. We're gonna
be picking up in 1 Peter chapter five next week. We're almost
done with 1 Peter, and then sometime in February, we're gonna kick
off 2 Peter chapter, yeah, 2 Peter. Have a great week and a blessed
week. We'll see you soon.
Why are you suffering? (1 Peter 4.12-19)
Series 1 Peter
| Sermon ID | 119251953435221 |
| Duration | 50:20 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday Service |
| Bible Text | 1 Peter 4:12-19 |
| Language | English |
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