Father in heaven, you are righteous. You judge with perfect equity and perfect wisdom. Your judgments are right, true, good, worthy of not only our approval but also our praise. Blessed be your righteous name. Lord, we confess that our choices and our judgments are often more directed by our own preferences than by your character and your law. Lord, we too often prioritize comfort and temporary pleasures over faithfulness and eternal blessings. Lord, grant us, I pray, your spirit this morning, that we might seek first your kingdom and your righteousness. that we might rest in your ordering and ordaining our every day for your glory and for our joy. May we see our need this morning to trust Christ. Through the preaching of your word, may your righteousness be placarded before our eyes, that we might not only see your righteousness, but long for it and by faith cling to the righteousness that we have only in the person and work of Christ. We ask these things in your most blessed name, Jesus Christ, our righteous Savior and Lord. Amen. There are those, many of you may have even heard this phrase before or this line before, that are in the church today that say that there are those that can be so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good. That phrase was coined actually about a hundred years ago, became popular in a country song back in the late seventies. I'm not going to mention it because I don't want you to go listen to it. But nonetheless, that phrase, being so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good, became popular even among those who come to church. We find, however, this sentiment, this idea of being very contrary to the very word of God itself. The problem is that the apostles, Paul and Peter specifically, understood their lives and the problem not so much being that we were so heavenly minded that we were no earthly good, but that we were not heavenly minded enough, that our thoughts needed to be more on Christ, more on the things of God. Even C.S. Lewis mentions, a famous quote of his is, aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at the earth, and you will get neither. So C.S. Lewis is bringing forward the sentiment that he saw in scripture and that we see in scripture as we look at the Word of God that is clear in so many pages in the New Testament. I'll pull one of those. In Paul's letter to the church in Colossae, Colossians 3, 1 and 2 say, if then you have been raised with Christ, what are you to do? You're to seek the things that are above. where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Paul goes on and says, set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. Well, this morning, Peter, too, is taking up this idea that our hearts and our affections are to be rooted in the things that are above, the things that are in heaven. The things of God. And Peter is calling us to turn our hearts to consider those things instead of the things here on earth that can so easily distract and even cause us to wander and falter. Peter then, in our passage, notice in chapter 4 here, specifically where Phil read for us, begins in verse 12 and goes through the end of the book. And he's really making the last lap in his race in this letter. He's teaching these elect exiles who were scattered and even run off, many of them from their homes, and run out of their societies. Why? Because they were followers of Christ. As they followed Christ, they were outcast. They were then exiled. And so Peter speaks of them in verses 1 and 2 of chapter 1 of 1 Peter as such, suffering and exiled in this way. Peter's heart is heavy for them as these suffering saints are desiring to be faithful. He does not want them to give up because that is such a reality. He does not want them to fail or to faint, but instead to persevere. And this is what our Savior has for us this morning. That we, as we live in our world, as we continue to be faithful and seek to be faithful around us, that we do not give up or fail or compromise, but instead we will persevere. That's what this letter that Peter has given to us today is calling us to as well. And we see in these last words here, these last themes that he's bringing to us, a warning so he can equip these saints as he's finalizing this letter. We don't know whether he was planning on writing 2 Peter yet or not, but let's say he wasn't understanding that yet. And he thought this was the last letter he might likely give to these saints to encourage them and to help them. And so what is it that he's trying to equip them with, these last words of his in this letter, so that they will be equipped to persevere? Notice with me real quickly, just as we can see kind of a lay of the land for this last portion of 1 Peter. First, he talks about in verses 12 through 19, he begins with this affectionate plea to them saying, I love you as a congregation, beloved, he says in verse 12. And then in verses 12 through 19, he tells them, you need to know the times that you're in. You need to know that these times that you're in are going to be times that are not friendly to you, but instead they will have many, as he refers to them as, fiery trials in their midst. So he's telling them, you need to know your times, verses 12 through 19. And then in chapter 5, verses 1 through 5, he's telling the elders that they are to know their flock. So they're to know their times, verses 12 through 19 of chapter 4. And then know your flock, chapter 5, verses 1 through 5. And then finally, in verses 6 through 11 of chapter 5, he says, you need to know your enemy. You need to know your enemy. And so this is a lay of the land, if you will, as we go forward and notice that at the end of verse 11, he says, Amen. He closes the letter out. He begins with beloved in verse 12 and this last plea for them to understand these things. And then he ends there in verse 11, chapter five with Amen. So this is the lay of the land of the rest of this book. And we are in this first section where he's asking them or calling them to know the times that they are living in. Right. And so last Lord's Day, we were able to start in this paragraph, starting with verse 12, and work through the first three verses. And if you remember last Lord's Day, I was telling you that as he was calling these saints not to falter or fail or faint, but to continue in their hardship and sorrow and these fiery trials, he says, first, they have an uncommon expectation. You remember that from last Lord's Day? That's verse 12. And then number two, we went through and looked at an uncommon reaction. That's in verse 13. This is all from last week. And then number three, we looked at an uncommon affirmation. He's saying these are things that you need to be aware of as you know your times so that you can be faithful and endure and persevere. This morning, I want us to finish out this section and look at verses 15 through 18. And as we do, I want us to notice two points this morning, two points for our time together this morning, and they will come from verses 15 through 18. First, I want us to notice as we continue in this, these uncommon or unnatural truths that don't seem to come to us naturally, but they need to be told to us by the Apostle Peter here. First, we need to note first, number one, the uncommon intention, the uncommon intention. This is verses 15 through 16. Verses 15 and 16, the or an uncommon intention. And then number two this morning, we're going to look at verses 17 and 18. Number two is an uncommon occasion. An uncommon occasion. An uncommon intention, verses 15 and 16, and then an uncommon occasion, verses 15 through 18. If you notice, it's just simply going along with those uncommon truths from last Lord's Day. And we're wrapping this paragraph up in that way. So look with me, if you will, at this uncommon intention. This uncommon intention in verses 15 through 16. In these two verses, we are told of the suffering of two kinds of people in verses 15 and 16. The suffering of two kinds of people. These two kinds of people are distinguished by their intentions for their suffering. That's why this is called this point is called an uncommon intention. They're distinguished by their intentions for their suffering. Both are suffering. but they're suffering with different intentions behind them. Do you see here that in verse 15, our passage says persons are suffering as a murderer or thief. Do you see that? Murderer, thief, evildoer, meddler. And we look then at verse 16 and we see that the intention there is very different. They are suffering, notice what it says, as a Christian, as a Christian. And Peter is calling those of us who suffer as Christians with the intention of faithfully naming and serving Christ, that we are not to be ashamed like those who suffer because of selfish or worldly intentions. And so we see here in verse 15, first, the intention of those who suffer as sinners. Look with me in verse 15 as I read the whole verse. Verse 15 says, But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Notice how Peter comes at this truth in what may seem to be a pretty odd or unusual way. He is contrasting, by the word but here, he's contrasting the insults and ridicule that comes from naming the name of Christ that we saw for those who are associated or identified with Christ in the previous verse. And so see there in verse 14, it says, if you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. Verse 15. But but in contrast, he's saying. Do not do not pursue. Do not pursue a life of sinful suffering. This is what he's asking here, but is explaining then why they are distinctly or instinctively suffering in their society. You see, those who are murderers and thieves and evildoers and even meddlers, he's saying even these people are ousted by their society. They are, if you will, exiled. And they suffer from the societal expectations or even consequences for doing things that range from as inexcusable and every society understands as being wrong, something like murder, right down to something that's merely disgraceful and every society is annoyed by, the meddler. And he's using this range and saying, in society itself, there's there's these two extremes and society itself pushes away and has consequences for these kinds of sins. And each of these things from right down the list, we know that society is quite naturally and has naturally responded with reproach and contempt in certain kinds of measures according to each one of these sins, each one of these four kinds of sins. So this isn't an exhaustive list. He's just he's putting these out there as kind of polar ends and saying this list, this range of kinds of sins, we see that society pushes against even these. The first, most often, that's mentioned here, the first is mentioned here, most often receives something as severe as incarceration, right? Someone murders another person, then there's incarceration that takes place. The latter, on the other end of the spectrum, meddling, receives something along the lines of either annoyance or simply stepping away from the person and saying, you know what, we're not gonna deal with this person. They're just constantly meddling in our business. We're gonna push them away in way of society. Peter is calling these exiles and us today not to suffer in these ways that society has already deemed shameful. Peter seems to be picking up on something, a sentiment that can easily seep into our hearts as those of us who are suffering for the Lord, as we might begin thinking. And we might begin preaching to ourselves and saying things that are not true. And the untruth that so many times happens when we are following after Christ and we're suffering for it in a culture that is increasingly unfavorable to Christian values, we may be saying in our own hearts something that Peter is wanting us to understand here this morning. And one of these things is simply implied is this. is that this idea of being shamed or set aside or set outside of the circle of influence in a certain society, this is not unique to us. We're not the only ones that are suffering. We're not the only ones that are struggling. All of society has different ways of setting people outside the circle of influence. and casting them out. In other words, we can't, in our suffering and in our struggle, say, you know what, we're the only ones that are dealing with this. All the culture is against me and my values and my desires. Peter here is letting them know that, no, this is something that's very common. This is something that's usual, normal in society. However, what he seems to be saying here in way of the main point Peter does, is that suffering is everywhere. So make sure that you're not suffering foolishly going after the things of the world and selfishly going after the things that the world wants. But if you suffer, he's saying, you need to make sure you need to make sure that your suffering is here. It is for Christ's sake, for Christ's sake. The reason I think this is what Peter is doing is because he is concerned that our sufferings can easily be done in such a way that they're no longer for Christ, but for our own advantage, for our own benefit, for our own maneuvering when we're pressed by society. We begin doing things for the purpose of comfort and ease and avoiding whatever it takes to avoid any kind of suffering or sorrow or trial. And I know this because notice with me in 1 Peter chapter 2. Notice we're at the end of this book here in 1 Peter. So as I get to the end of this book, I'm referencing back because now we have this book that Peter has written for us. And now at the end, he's kind of taking these truths that are earlier in the book and he's saying, now I want to make application along the way. And so notice that as I'm getting to the end of this book, as I typically do, I'm going to be referencing back to the beginning of the book to show that these truths were being laid out earlier in the book. Notice with me in chapter 2 verses 19-20. First Peter 2, 19 through 20, he says, for this is a gracious thing, Peter is saying, this is a gracious thing when mindful of God. So in this case, it's the context of slaves and masters. He's saying, when mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering. Notice this word, what it says here, while suffering unjustly. It is a gracious thing when one who is mindful of God, in other words, you're seeking to be faithful to the Lord and in so being faithful to the Lord, you endure sorrows and suffer how unjustly. And then he goes on and says, for what credit is it? If when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure. Now, if you sin and are beaten for it, this is, again, the context of a servant and a master. If you if you sin and you pay the consequences for it, you endure that. The point is, is this is that that is just. That is just, that is right. That if you sin, you're punished for it. If you do something wrong, then you get punished for it. If you mess something up, you get consequences for that. He's saying, what credit is it if when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? Because that's just. But he goes on, but if when you do good, this is verse 20 of chapter two, but if when you do good and suffer for it, you endure. Now that's not just, that's unjust. You're doing good. You're being faithful. You're following the Lord. That's unjust when you get punished for that. But he's saying. But if you do good and suffer for it, you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. So I want you to notice this point here that Peter is making that is very, very important for us to understand, especially when we're being pressed to be faithful. He is saying that it is a gracious thing. It is a favorable thing in God's eyes for you to suffer unjustly for doing good. And it's actually better and more favorable in God's eyes for you to suffer unjustly for doing good than for you to suffer justly for sin. Did you hear that? Because when we suffer rightly and appropriately for sin, that's just. But we are never to be sinners, but to follow after Christ. Let me say it again another way. Peter is saying suffer for faithfulness to Christ, even though it means you're suffering unjustly. Because unjust suffering for Christ is better than justice for sin. Did you hear that? This is what that means. This means that when you're pressed in a relationship with maybe another member of our church or when you're pressed in your marriage with your spouse or with your children, you can choose to be treated unjustly by that other person. Maybe even wrongly and be faithful to love and care and serve. Even what about my rights? What about my rights? I need to be treated justly. No, no. It's better for you to be treated unjustly and be faithful than for you to sin and walk away from the relationship that God has given to you. The commitments that God has placed before you. It is sinful for you to leave the covenant the Lord has made with you and this congregation around you and say, you know what? I'm going to stand at arm's length to this congregation because they keep bugging me and bothering me and twisting and probing in my life or in a marriage or in with your children. And you say, you know what? I'm going to leave and step away from that. Well, that is that is not faithful. That's sinful. It is better for you to be treated unjustly. And be faithful, the Lord shows more favor in that. than for you to sin and sin and receive the consequences for that injustice. 1 Peter 3, look with me there. 1 Peter 3, verse 15. 1 Peter 3.15 says, But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that when you are slandered, Those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. Now, if you didn't understand anything I just said in the last five minutes, listen to this. This is what I'm saying. Verse 17 of chapter 3 of 1 Peter. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. Than for doing evil. It is better than to suffer unjustly for doing good. if it is God's will for you than for doing evil. So we see here the suffering of the sinner. But now in verse 16, Peter here turns and tells us how we are to clearly respond to suffering. How are we to respond when our suffering is for following after Christ? When we're following after Christ, this term here, this in verse 16 is the term Christian. Now, some of you may think, well, the word Christian probably occurs in the Bible at least a couple of dozen times, right? Not at all. The term or the title Christian only occurs in our Bible three times. That may be odd to some of you. And the reason is because this term Christian wasn't a term that we gave ourselves back in the day. It was a derogatory term. It was a slur. It was a term of insult. The world around the Christians were saying, you are little Christs. You're following after that foolish teaching of Christianity, of Christ. You're following after that foolish teaching. And they mocked Christians and therefore called them Christians. This is the only reference where the term Christian could likely be not used in a derogatory sense. And even here, it has some idea that there was an insult that was behind this very idea of them being a Christian. And so we see here that this attachment or identification with Christ was something that was not favorable in the world's eyes, but unfavorable. Let me ask you this. Is there enough evidence in your everyday conversations? that would reveal that your heart loves and treasures Christ. In your everyday activities, in the places you spend your time and your energy and your efforts, your day to day activities, is there enough evidence in those days and activities and time period that you spend? Is there enough evidence there to accuse you? So that maybe even a mocking way, they would say you're one of those Christians. Now, all of us have reasons why we do not name the name of Christ. But I want us to simply consider the fact that our passage here this morning in the first Peter as a whole causes us to reevaluate the way we live our lives so often, not distinguishing ourselves from the world and really camouflaging ourselves for the purpose of comfort. Are our words so similar and indistinguishable? Are our lives so similar and indistinguishable from the rest of the world that no one would know that we're Christian unless we outright testify to it? Does Peter assume that one can live that way in this world? He doesn't. He doesn't. There's nowhere in this text, in any of 1 Peter, where he says, you know what? You can fly under the radar and nobody will ever know. No, he assumes that as soon as you identify yourself with Christ, there will be consequences because those around you will be aware. And he says, yet if anyone, verse 16, yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. Peter knows that identification with Christ, his commands, his promises, and his hope of a kingdom to come means that you will quickly be in direct contrast, in assault against the culture with its commands, its promises, and its promise of a kingdom that is here and now that we can thrive and take our pleasure in. When the world begins to press against what you have in Christ, Their objective, brothers and sisters, is going to be to shame you. It's to shame you. I thought you were a Christian. I thought you were supposed to love. Right. They have this definition of love that comes from the world. And then they throw it on us and they say, I thought you were supposed to love. What they mean by that is you're supposed to accept any and everything I say and do. And you're supposed to accept me no matter what. That's not love. That's not what Christ did. I thought you were to love me. Their aim is to shame us, to cause us to compromise and to accommodate to the culture's whims and wishes, their desire to pursue their own commands and promises. But this is not the only source of our shame, is it? When the world presses in on us, around us, and they try to shame us and show us that what we're doing or how we're trying to live, you're acting like you're holier than everybody else. I don't want to become one of those people. But we know our shame isn't, that's not the only source of our shame. The other source of our shame is probably more profound in each and every one of us is this. And I speak to you as one who understands this well. The shame that's most prominent in our lives is that we are still sinners, aren't we? We still struggle with sin. We know all too well that our hearts are drawn to the things of the world more than we want them to be. How in the world can I speak to anybody about treasuring the kingdom of God when I know my own heart often runs off after the things of this world so often? Desiring the empty pleasures and platitudes of this world. You see, we have a shame that is real. And though shame isn't something that's tangible, that we can put our hands on, I don't want us to understand shame or take it lightly. I remember when Sam, the missionary to Korea, was talking to us one night at a prayer meeting, and he was talking about the shame culture that they live in there in Korea. Where that shame is what drives and motivates and really is a big piece of what he had to learn as an American going there to understand how to share Christ and be faithful in that culture. This shame culture was such a big piece for them that he was unaware of as an American. But we need to not take lightly this idea of shame. It has had its time, shame has, has had its time and taken hold and taken hostage of each and every one of us in various ways and for various reasons. We've been motivated and driven by shame. Our hearts know it all too well. Peter, though, here, notice what he's doing. He's calling us to something radical. He's calling us to do something that's contrary and unnatural. That's why this is a this is what that's why I'm calling this an uncommon intention. He's calling us to not be ashamed. To seek after when we seek after Christ, when we seek to follow him, even as sinners, even when we fail, we're not to be those who fail, fall and then in our shame, never do it again, never be faithful again, because I'm just going to fail again. No suffering. It's sorrow because of our sin, because of those who are insulting us and ridiculing us and treating us harshly, because we're trying to be faithful, trying to honor the Lord in our lives and our speech and our conduct and our decisions. We're not to be ashamed, brothers and sisters. We are not to be ashamed. Don't believe the accusations that are coming to you from outside, nor believe the accusations that are coming to you from your own heart. You're not to receive these accusations from the outside of you, those things that are around you, but nor are you to believe those accusations that are within you. Satan himself condemning and reminding you. He's saying to you, you're a sinner. How dare you speak of Christ? You're just like they are. You have no access, any better place. You're just like everyone else. Your heart's just like theirs. I call you to do a Martin Luther. on your shame when that happens. You know what I mean when I say you need to do a Martin Luther on your shame? Martin Luther would say this. So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this. I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? For I know one who has suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And where he is, there I shall be also. Where's your shame? When we are in Christ, we have no shame because Christ has covered us. Christ has brought us to be with him. Christ has brought us to where he is. We are sinners. We do struggle. And yet Christ has covered even that sin that we're going to commit tomorrow. And so we cast ourselves upon our Savior. knowing that we have no shame in him. Let him not be ashamed, he says. But the passage goes on and says, but let him glorify God in that name, in the name of Jesus Christ. Glorify the name of our Savior, the one whom we are in, the one that we have been hidden in and have refuge in. We can glorify his name by singing his praises. When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within, upward I look to see him there who made an end of all my sin. Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free. For God the just is satisfied to look on him and to pardon me. Glory in our Savior. Glory in our Savior. Let him glorify God in that name. Do not be ashamed, brothers and sisters. What do we have to be ashamed of? What do we have to be ashamed of? We're hidden in Christ and that's fully satisfied. There is no longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ. Remember, glory, declare it not only to your own heart when Satan seeks to betray you, but also declare it to one another because your brothers and sisters around you are constantly being bombarded by the world. And they're being told, you need to be shamed. So we need to be telling one another these very truths. 1 Peter 2, 9, that you are a chosen race. You are a royal priesthood. You're a holy nation, brothers and sisters, and a people for His own possession. that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Is there any shame there? There is not. This is 1 Peter 2, verse 10. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. There is no shame for those who are in Christ and have received his mercy. That's an uncommon intention. And Peter was calling us to not be ashamed when suffering from this uncommon intention and to glorify his name as Lord Jesus Christ. Now, Peter, in verses 17 through 18, is addressing this final uncommon truth. that we must be aware of in order to persevere in our lives and to have hope instead of become hopeless in our suffering. Peter here in verses 17 through 18 then is calling us to consider an uncommon occasion. And this uncommon occasion we see here in verse 17 right out of the chute. It says, For it is time for judgment to begin. Do you see that? This is this uncommon occasion. We do not see ourselves. We don't understand ourselves in this way. And so we need to be told that we are in an uncommon season, a time that is short, but it is tumultuous. It is difficult. It's going to be hard. And he says that this uncommon season of judgment is going to begin at the household of God. Do you see that there in verse 17? Verse 17 says, For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. Now, over and over again, Peter is explaining to these saints that their hardships and struggles are not random. They're not coming at them because the world hates them. They're not being organized by the rulers and the human authorities and institutions. No, these things that are hardships and difficulties that are coming upon them are being ordained by God and God's using them in a unique way. This is why our verse here in verse 17 begins with four. The word for then is saying, I'm going to explain to you why all these hardships and difficulties and struggles are happening to you that I've just explained to you in verses 12 all the way up to this verse, verse 16. He says, why are these hardships and difficulties coming to you? For this is why it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God. In other words, the Lord is orchestrating these. These aren't random. These are divinely instituted decrees that are wise and given to us by God according to his very good providence. So don't grow hopeless in the midst of your trials, thinking that you're simply being tossed here and there, though it feels that way. It is the Lord ordering and orchestrating our days, even our hearts, so that we might trust in him. Peter will confirm this truth over and over again in our passage. He says here that this judgment must begin at the household of God. That's a strange phrase there in the Old Testament. This phrase speaks of a place, specifically the temple in Jerusalem. And it is where God's abiding presence is promised to all of His people who gather there in that place. They will know God's presence and His favor. So this household of God is a place, a temple in the Old Testament. However, Peter turns in his book and he makes it very clear earlier in 1 Peter 2, verse 5. in this letter that now God's presence isn't going to abide in a building, in a temple in Jerusalem, but instead his presence is going to abide now among God's people who are gathered as his church, not on a hill in Jerusalem. In 1 Peter 2, 5 it says, You yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house. He's saying that each one of us, as we gather together with God's Spirit, this is where God's Spirit, His presence is unique with us in a way unlike when we are scattered or anywhere else in the world. He is uniquely with His people when they gather and hear His Word preached. And Peter later says that he includes himself in this group called the household of God. Notice as it goes on in our passage, it says, for it is time for the judgment to begin at the household of God. And then it goes on and says, and if it begins with us, Peter's including himself and he's including the exiles. He's including all of those who are God's people. And so we're the household of God is what's being spoken of. Now, if we've landed with this, that he must be speaking of those who are Christians, those who are the church. And then the obvious question must be this. Why is the Lord judging his people? I thought there was no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I thought the judgment was removed. I mean, that's the whole reason I'm pursuing this thing is so that I won't be under judgment. Right. And what's being said here is this, is that the Lord is giving us a unique time. It is time, he says, for judgment to begin. And it's going to begin and start with the household of God. It's not going to end there. But it's going to begin in this way. Now, why is the Lord judging his people? Why is the Lord currently bringing judgment upon his people as it's spoken of here? Well, the answer is exactly what we talked about last Lord's Day when I asked you to go back to 1 Peter 1, verses 6-7. 1 Peter 1, verses 6-7 says that the reason these trials and tribulations, these struggles and difficulties are happening to God's people He's saying in this you rejoice though now for a little while. This is first Peter 1 6. Though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith." There it is. You're grieved by various trials, struggles, difficulties. This is judgment. So that your faith is tested and the genuineness of your faith is tested. More precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in the praise and glory and honor of the revelation of Jesus Christ. So let me say it this way. This judgment. is the trial that has the purpose of purging and refining and strengthening our faith, brothers and sisters. The Lord isn't wanting to condemn us. This judgment isn't for the purpose of condemnation. That's for those who are not in Christ. That's what judgment will be for them. This judgment is for purification. This judgment is for strengthening of the saints. And if we think that this seems odd or unthinkable, think about it. Throughout the Old Testament, the Lord himself often came to his people and specifically to the house of God. And he brought judgment to show who were his and who were not his, who were the true followers of Christ, of God, and who were not his people. In Ezekiel chapter 9 that Nick read for us this morning, it's interesting because Ezekiel chapter 8, if you read the entire chapter of Ezekiel chapter 8, which is the previous chapter, it talks about the idolatry. And what's interesting here in Ezekiel chapter 8 is that this idolatry, earlier in the book of Ezekiel, he talks about the idolatry that's all over all the nations. And he says all the other nations are full of idolatry. But the Lord never punishes that. He turns in chapter 8 and he says, that idolatry that's throughout all the nations, it's in you too as God's people. You're bringing your idolatry right into the very temple of God. And because they were bringing the idolatry of the world into the very presence of God, it was the idolatry that the people of God were taking hold of that was the idolatry of the world. He says, something has to happen. And listen how severe our Lord is when idolatry is in the midst of God's people. What is He doing here? He's purifying. He's refining. He's showing who are His and who are not. This is why the judgment for our time has begun with the house of God. It says in Ezekiel chapter 9 verse 1, Then he cried in my ears with a loud voice. Why was he crying? Because of the idolatry of chapter 8. Bring near the executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand. This sounds pretty serious. Executioners, a destroying weapon in his hand. And behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate. And so now we have six men that are executioners. They have destroying weapons in their hand. And it says here, they come from the upper gate, which faces north, each with his weapon for slaughter in his hand. And then it goes on and it says this, listen. And with them was a man. So here's a seventh man. There's a seventh man among the six. And with them was a man. And this man didn't come with this slaughtering weapon, this destroying weapon in his hand as an executioner. It says this. And with them was a man clothed in linen with a writing case at his waist. He was set apart. He wasn't one to look like a warrior. He was clothed in linen. Who was clothed in linen? Well, those were the priests that were clothed in linen, the ones who would mediate on God's behalf for God's people. And so there's six destroyers, executioners. There is one who's clothed in linen with a writing case at his waist. And it goes on in Ezekiel chapter 9 and it says, And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar. So all seven of them went into the temple and stood beside the bronze altar or the tabernacle area and stood beside the bronze altar. Now, the glory of the God of Israel. This is interesting. If you ever read through the book of Ezekiel, The glory of God is moving around in the book of Ezekiel. This is one of the most distinguishing characteristics of this book out of all the others in the Old Testament. What you find is that the glory of God actually leaves the temple in Ezekiel's letter. This is astounding. This is astonishing. If the glory of the Lord leaves the temple, then where will we go to be in the presence of the Lord? There isn't another place to go. There is not. Where are we going to go? So they rebuild the temple on Nehemiah's day. Right. And they do all the stuff and they do everything they can. And they're praying and they're asking for the glory of the Lord to be returned to the temple so that they can come there and worship him. And they do all the things they need to do. And the glory of the Lord doesn't come. And so they all go home. And they figure out, well, there's nowhere for us to go and be with our God. Glory to God in the highest. For on earth, peace, goodwill towards man, Emmanuel has come. In all of his glory, he's now dwelling in the midst of his people, the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, Ezekiel is saying the glory is leaving and how will God be in the midst of his people anymore? It will be through Christ and no longer through a place. It's interesting here. All of this is foreshadowed. I just jumped and went completely in another direction. That's that's not extra at all. I'll just I'll just give you that for free. All right. So and and he called to the man clothed in linen. So they all were in the house here in front of this bronze altar. Now the glory of God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold. of the house. So now they're in a house here. This is the household of God. And he called to the man clothed in linen. So this is the one man who's clothed in linen. Who had the writing case in his waist. The executioners are not being called here, just the one in linen. And the Lord said to him, pass through the city, through Jerusalem. and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it. You see what's happening? The Lord is telling this one who's in Lennon, go through the city and all of those whose hearts are broken because of the sinfulness of those that are around them, put a mark on their foreheads because their hearts are broken over the sin, not only of their own sin, but also the sin of their city. He says, put a mark on them. And then he says, and to the others. So now these this one who's in Lennon, this priest, this one in Lennon who's gone through as the mediator, he's the one who can deliver the house of God from this judgment. He's put a mark on all the heads of those. who are grieving and sighing and groaning over the abominations that are committed in the midst of God's people. And to the others, he said, these are the other six, he said, in my hearing, pass through the city after him. In other words, after this one in Lennon has gone through and marked those who are mine, he says, in other words, this one was purifying, right? This one was refining. This one was distinguishing who is God's people and who are not. I hope you're seeing some parallels here. Who are God's people this morning? Those who have Christ. Those who have Christ as their high priest. Those who have trusted in him. So here the Lord then says, and to the others, he said in my hearing, pass through the city after him and strike. Your eye shall not spare and you shall show no pity. kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch not, touch no one on whom is the mark. And then this is the phrase I want you to hear, and begin all of this at the sanctuary, with the house of God. So they began with the elders, those that are leaders in the sanctuary, who were before the house, Then he said to them, defile the house no more and fill the courts with the slain. Go out. So they went out and struck in the city. And while they were striking, Ezekiel says, I was left alone. And Ezekiel says, I fell on my face and cried, Lord God, will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem? Is everything going to be wasted? The answer is no. The Lord has a remnant, his people, those who have been marked out by one, by the mediator, by the one in linen, by the high priest who is able to redeem and deliver those who are his. The Lord is purifying and refining. In our passage this morning in 1 Peter, that's exactly what's taking place. You can read the beginning of Malachi chapter three and see the same thing over and over again. God is bringing refinement and purging and strengthening of faith in his people and distinguishing those who are his and those who are only pretending to be his. Notice in verse 17 there near the end, it goes on and says, and if it begins with us, What will be the outcome of those notice how they're described of those who do not obey the gospel of God? This judgment. This judgment is hard on those of us who are in Christ, the hardships and trials and difficulties, they press us in ways that we are sure we cannot continue to hold on. But the Lord sustains us. The judgment of those who will perish. must be so much greater. And it is, because their judgment isn't for their good, but for their condemnation. That's exactly what our passage here is saying, brothers and sisters. This is exactly what we are to be considering. And it's one that should cause us to a sober reality of what's at stake, and a careful evaluation of whether we're actually clinging to Christ. or to a thousand other things that we think might save us. Peter is calling the saints to endure under these difficult hardships of purifying judgment for the short time, for the short stint. But don't be discouraged or despair for the Lord's purifying his church and refining the faith of his children. Though the judgment may seem to look and feel very much like the judgment that's around us, It is so real that it seems to be so profound that it seems to be overwhelming. But the real difference here. and the judgment that we are experiencing as God's people, and the hardships and struggles that the world out there is experiencing. Because remember, we're talking about these two things. The difference is this, that the Lord is doing something very different in the aim and end of each one of these judgments. Do you remember the complaining psalmist? I always refer to him as the complaining psalmist. He's the psalmist of Psalm 73. Psalm 73, I refer to as the complaining psalmist. The first half of the psalm, and it's a pretty long psalm, he goes through and he talks about how all of the wicked are fat and sleek and have all kinds of stuff and are doing great things. And they're happy and they're partying and they're enjoying their lives and doing all kinds of stuff. And it seems like they don't have a care in the world. How is this so? I'm looking at God's people and they're struggling and suffering. They're walking with their family members with cancer and miscarriages and struggles. Their marriages are trying to be held together by a thread and so many difficulties and hardships all around God's people. And yet the world seems to be just enjoying it, having a great time. This is what the psalmist is saying in the first half of Psalm 73. And then right there in the middle of Psalm 73, the complaining psalmist, that's my name, not his. The complaining psalmist says this, verse 16 of Psalm 73. But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task. In other words, my heart was in despair. Until I went into the house of God. Until I gathered with God's people. Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I discerned their end. You see what he's doing there? He's saying, I didn't realize what the Lord was doing until I got into the midst of God's people and I heard God's word about what was actually taking place. That's exactly what's happening this morning in your heart and mind. The Lord is helping us discern what's happening in our lives here and in the world around us. Later in that psalm, the psalmist writes, for behold, those who are far away from you shall perish. You put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me, it is good to be near God. For those who are in Christ, this judgment that we're in is for our faith to be strengthened and purified. But for those suffering in the grab more of this world kind of suffering and judgment is coming to them. The hardships and struggles that the perishing, those who are not in Christ, the hardships and suffering that they are going through is only a faint foretaste of the full condemnation of the wrath of God that is to come. It should cause us to evaluate our own hearts. She calls us to be more fervent to share Christ with our loved ones, our family members, our neighbors, our coworkers. Do you see how those who are not part of the household of God are described? They're described as those who do not obey the gospel of God. What does it mean to obey the gospel? You might have heard the question stated in another way. Maybe the rich young ruler comes to mind when Jesus was asked by the rich young ruler, what must I do to inherit eternal life? What if what if you tried to live a really moral life, a really good life? I mean, in light of everybody else, you would be the best out of everyone here. What if you devoted yourself to keeping the Ten Commandments? and did them as carefully as you possibly could. Let's up the ante. Let's say that you devoted yourself and you were very strict in keeping the Ten Commandments and you were better than anyone else you're convinced that are around you. You do all of the Ten Commandments as carefully and as strictly as you possibly can. Let me be clear with you this morning. Christianity is not a pursuit of moralism. Christianity is not going after our best life or the American dream. That's a lie that too many churches are propagating today. If you pursue moralism or the 10 commandments as strictly and carefully as you possibly can, you still would never obtain the perfect obedience and righteousness that's required for you to be saved. What must one do to obey the gospel? Jesus in John, chapter 6. Jesus says, and they said to him, Jesus, chapter 6, verse 28. Then they said to him, What must we do to be doing the works of God? Jesus answered them, Here's the answer. This is the work of God that you believe in him whom he has sent. You see, it is not about your obedience. It's not about your morality. It's not about your ability to do the best you could possibly do to clean up your life and stop doing all those bad things. No. To be a follower of Christ, to obey the gospel means you believe in the obedience that Christ has supplied for us when he lived his perfect life and went to the cross and died a perfect death. It means that we trust by faith the obedience that Christ provides for us and cling by faith to the perfect obedience that He gives to us. When we cling to Him and look to Him, it is His righteousness and His obedience alone that will save any soul that will be saved. This is what the Puritans and the framers of our confession would call evangelical obedience, meaning this gospel obedience. That gospel obedience isn't obedience that I perform and then hand to the Lord and say, is this good enough? It never will be. Instead, this gospel obedience, this evangelical obedience is this. Are you trusting in Christ in him alone and the obedience that he provides? Faith in Christ, obedience and righteousness is what will save. That's why this gospel is good news. It's not about your obedience, your efforts, your trying. It's about Christ and all that he did for you. And our responsibility then is to, by faith, trust him, cling to him and what he accomplished for us. This is what it means to obey the gospel. Now, in verse 18. Peter knows that these things that he's talking about are dire, fearful truths. We're talking about eternity. We're talking about people that will end their life today. There's people in Jacksonville that will go into eternity never knowing Christ. There may be one here this morning. There may be one here this morning who has never placed their faith in the obedience and righteousness of Christ. I call you to do that, to repent of your sin of trying to please God on your own efforts and to trust in Christ and what he did for you on the cross in his blood and by his spirit. These are dire things. These are not playground kind of things. These are important things. And so Peter here wants to encourage these these battered saints. He wants to encourage us this morning as we look at our lives and say, man, I am fumbling every every side. I'm fumbling my life. I don't know what to do. Am I one who's going to be persevering or am I one that's going to be set aside? So Peter draws from the most assuring place that he could possibly draw from, and that is the word of God itself. Verse 18, Peter is drawing from our passage we read this morning at the beginning of our worship, Proverbs 11, the last verse there. It says, and if the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? Do you see that there in verse 18, 1 Peter 4, 18? If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and sinner? Now, is the point here that Peter's making is, that if you or any of us are ever saved, we will barely make it. No, he's not saying that. That's completely contrary to the very logic of the actual text. He's saying salvation can never be sure, so never count on it. That's not what he's saying either. That's exactly opposite of what he's trying to do here. Instead, what Peter is doing is he's making this point. If the path that the Lord has given to all of us as saints to obtain this glorious inheritance that he has promised for us. If that path is so difficult and filled with sorrow and hardship and loss here on earth, then his point here in verse 18 is this. How much more unthinkable must the perishing of the ungodly be not only in this life, but for eternity? You see, if the righteous is scarcely saved, in other words, if we are saved and we have to go through all these hardships, the path for our salvation is struggle and hardship and trial that the Lord brings into our lives to purify us. Then what will become of the ungodliness sinner? How much more horrifying will it be and for eternity? So this message of Peter is the message that we give when Paul When Paul went to the churches in the book of Acts, you know what he was telling them? Believe in Jesus and your life will be wonderful. Everything will be great. Your life will no longer be horrible. That's not what he was saying. In Acts 14, Paul went to all the churches and it says, And when they had preached the gospel to the city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and Iconium and Antioch. So he went back to churches where he had been preaching and people had been established and brand new baby Christians were starting to grow and they were starting to be confronted with the world. And they were trying to figure out what does it mean for me to follow after Christ? This is hard. I don't know if I'm doing this right. And it says he was strengthening the souls of the disciples. This is verse 22. This is Paul's missionary strategy. He was strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in their faith and saying that through, here's the path, through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God. In other words, this hard, difficult path filled with fiery trials and various hardships. This is the path that the Lord has placed us on. And it's for the purpose of purifying and making our faith sure. Now, that was Paul's missionary strategy, but I want to read something to you that's very practical. Many of you know I read a lot of the Puritans, and there's a unique Puritan pastor that had just an incredible pastor heart. And he wrote letters to his people often, and John Newton was writing to a saint that was in his church, a man that he referred to as one with a broken and contrite heart. That's what he said. He said, you are a brother with a broken and contrite heart. And Newton was writing him. And where does he bring him? This man who's struggling, beat up, overwhelmed, broken and contrite heart. I'm just weary. He says, well, let me remind you of a verse. If the righteous are scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and sinner? That's what he uses. That's crazy. This man is on the verge. Why are you telling him? Yeah, it's probably not going to happen for you. No, that's not what he was saying. Instead, John Newton writes this. Listen, if you will. This is John Newton writing to this dear soul in his church. The righteous are said to be scarcely saved, not with respect to the certainty of the event. For the purpose of God in their favor cannot be disappointed, but in the respect of their own apprehensions. In other words, the saints are always saying, how in the world am I still saved? How in the world has the Lord still kept hold of me, right? So it's in respect to their own apprehensions and the great difficulties they are brought through. But when after a long experience of their own deceitful hearts, after repeated reproofs of their weakness, willfulness and ingratitude and insensibility, they find that none of these things can separate them from the love of God in Christ. Jesus becomes more and more precious to their souls. They love much. Why? Because much has been forgiven to them, forgiven them. They dare not, they will not ascribe anything to themselves at this point, but are glad to acknowledge that they have perished. They would have perished, if possible, a thousand times over if left to themselves. If Jesus had not been their savior, their shepherd and their shield. When they were wandering, he brought them back. When fallen, he raised them up. When wounded, he healed them. When fainting, he revived them every time. By him, out of weakness, they have been made strong. He has taught their hands to war and covered their heads in the day of battle. In a word, some of the clearest proofs that they have of his excellence have been occasions by the mortifying proofs they have had of their own vileness. They would not have known so much of him. if the Lord had not seemed fit to show them so much of themselves. Do you remember that complaining psalmist that I mentioned earlier? This is how he ends that psalm. Nevertheless, I am continually with you. You hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel. And afterward, you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire beside you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. And behold, listen, behold, those who are far from you shall perish. You put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Lord my God, my refuge. that I may tell of his works." Brothers and sisters, let us go to the Lord in prayer.