1 Peter 4

Here's the second sermon that I preached in Brookings, based on 1 Peter 4:12-18:

Can you think of some people who’ve had to suffer just because they’re different? I can think of some people who have. Some people get picked on in school because they look different. They’re maybe too short or too tall, too fat or too skinny. But that seems trivial when you think that people in this country, as recently as sixty years ago, were treated like second class citizens, or even physically harmed simply because of the color of their skin. We could go on and on listing examples of how people suffer for being different. Now, when you imagine these scenarios in your mind, how do the people react when they’re mistreated? The child in school might cry or tell an adult. Those who were denied basic liberties stood up for their rights. One thing is for sure, no matter how many examples we looked at, it’d be hard to find someone who just rejoiced when they were forced to suffer. Well, that’s exactly what Peter says to do in the section of Scripture before us today. He tells us,

Rejoice when you suffer as a Christian

• Because God is with you

• Because God is faithful

Now, this was an especially timely message for Peter's first century audience. Right from the beginning of the letter, Peter mentions that many of them had been going through some painful trials. This was apparently one of the reasons that Peter wrote the letter. He wanted to encourage them and give them some words of wisdom to help them get through their trials.

The first piece of wisdom that we see today is that Peter told them not to be surprised as they faced this suffering. Instead, they should be ready for people to persecute them because of their Christian faith. While they had experienced some suffering already, Peter wanted to prepare them for what was about to come their way. And, apparently, what was about to come their way was going to be a lot more difficult to deal with than anything they had seen before. You see, shortly before Peter wrote this letter, the Roman government had banned Christianity. The worst was on its way. Peter wanted these Christians to expect that, so they'd be ready to face it in a God-pleasing manner.

But what is a God-pleasing response to tribulation? Peter told them to expect it, but how would they actually deal with it when persecution came knocking at their door? How would they react when the authorities would tell these early Christians that they couldn't hold public worship services? How would they react when a loved one faced physical harm? Peter tells them: Rejoice. But he can't be serious, right? I mean, you all know your history. You know the brutal ways that the Romans persecuted the early Christians. How could someone rejoice through all of that? Well, Peter tells these Christians that they can rejoice no matter how bleak their situation may seem because God is with them as they suffer.

• Peter said, “Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” Jesus made it clear several times throughout his ministry that his disciples could expect to receive the same kind of treatment that he did. People called Jesus names; the disciples could expect that too. Eventually, Jesus was executed, and the same would happen to some of his followers. But as Jesus' followers would go through these trials, they could rejoice because their Savior wasn't a distant figure that was unable to relate. No, Jesus had gone through all these struggles too, and because he persevered through them all, he won the forgiveness of sins for all people. As Christians struggle to bear their crosses throughout this life, Jesus is with them, ready to remove their pain and give them the crown that he has won for them when the time is right.

Thanks be to God that Jesus' story didn't end with his sufferings on the cross. No, he was raised and glorified and is seated at God's right hand. Peter reminds his audience here that they can expect to be glorified in the end as well. Even if these coming persecutions took their lives, they knew that death wasn't the end for them. When Jesus returns in glory, they will also be glorified. They'll rise from the dead to go to be with God forever. Because of this picture, Christians can rejoice in their sufferings, knowing that they will share in Jesus' glory, just as they have shared in his sufferings.

Peter went on to explain how God is with Christians in the midst of their sufferings by saying, “If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” With these words, Peter made it clear that the Holy Spirit will accomplish his work despite the sufferings that Christians face. As Christians face these unpleasant trials, God is there, using these events to accomplish his will.

For example, the persecution of Christians helped build the church. First of all, the persecution spread Christians out so that they could reach more people. As Christians were pushed out of one city, they took the gospel message with them to another. And not just that, but the martyrs provided a terrific witness. From our vantage point, we can look back and see how God used these tragic events to spread the gospel. And the gospel spread so quickly that by the end of the apostles' lives, there were Christians all throughout Asia-Minor, and into Europe. God certainly was with the early Christians, allowing their testimony to spread, and because of that they could rejoice.

But even in all of that, the Holy Spirit wasn't just working through these suffering Christians. No, as he stayed with them through all their troubles, he worked on them too. He had created faith in their hearts, and he sustained that faith. So, no matter what they faced, they could rejoice in God's promise that nothing can separate a Christian from God's love. These Christians certainly had plenty of reasons for joy even as Peter warned them that significant trials were on their way.

So, what's the takeaway for us from Peter's words here? First of all, let's be clear that we're certainly deserving of any suffering that comes our way. Because we're sinful people, we deserve not only for difficulty to come into our lives now, but we really deserve to be punished in hell forever. Thanks be to God that he has spared us from that suffering and from many other sufferings in this life as well. As far as we can tell, there's no imminent physical persecution on its way from our government. But that doesn't mean that we're not gonna have any troubles in our lives as Christians. Quite the opposite, Scripture tells us that we have to endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. So, we too should be ready for those hardships and not be surprised when they come our way.

And when they do come our way, just like the apostles, we can rejoice that we share in Jesus' sufferings. But, How, today in 2012, might we find ourselves suffering like Jesus did? Think about this:

Jesus had a message that was unpopular with a lot of people in his day. At times the Pharisees tried to trick him into misspeaking. Other times they tried to silence his message so that no one would hear it. In the end, they hated what he had to say so much that they arrested and killed him. While it's unlikely that any of us will be imprisoned or crucified for speaking God's Word, we also have a message that's pretty unpopular today, don't we? You see, the message of the cross is always counter-cultural. While the mantra of society says, “I can do anything I set my mind to” the Christian says, “I can't, but Jesus did.” that doesn't sit too well with man's proud sinful nature. So the sinful man tries to do away with everything that he doesn't like about God's Word. You can expect that people will try to silence your viewpoint when you speak the truth about God's will for our lives. You can expect that the unbelievers you come into contact with will mock you and try to make you sound silly for believing what God has to say about the history of the world. But as we go through these problems, we realize that Jesus has been there. Jesus went through all this and has won the victory for us. So we rejoice.

But there's plenty more reason to rejoice even as we suffer. Not only is God with us as we suffer, but the reason he is with us is because he's faithful. That faithfulness gives us great comfort and allows us to rejoice.

Peter reminded his audience of God's faithfulness by reminding them that judgment was coming. He said, “it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And, 'if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?'”Christians didn't need to fear this judgment because they knew about the ransom that Jesus paid. Yet, While Christians knew that their salvation was secure, they might've been a little bit irked by the fact that the wicked seemed to prosper so much in their world. And While it is true that those who were in power at the time were not friendly to Christians, the day was coming when those rulers would face judgment. Peter pointed his hearers to a teaching that is found throughout Scripture – the way of the wicked will perish.

So, until then, Peter urged them that “those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” There are a couple points to be highlighted in the name that Peter used for God here. In the title “creator”, God's power is emphasized. God was powerful enough to create the entire universe, he was certainly powerful enough to bring Christians through their trials. This title also points us to God's faithfulness. God has demonstrated his faithfulness ever since creation by sustaining the world and caring for it. So, Christians can rejoice in their tribulations because they have a God who is powerful and faithful, as we see in his creation.

You, too, can be sure of God's faithfulness and rejoice in your sufferings. One reason to rejoice is because you can expect vindication. When people bring trouble to your life, you can keep your coming glory at the front of your mind. You will struggle, but that struggle won't last. Still, it might not always be easy to keep that vision in focus. After all, if you take a look around at the who's who in our country, doesn't it seem like the wicked are doing pretty well? We don't need to name names here, but you can probably think of several examples off the top of your head of people who seem to prosper despite the fact that they lead ungodly lives. But you have chosen what is better. Instead of chasing money or the pleasures of this world, you've clung to the promises of God. Because God has given us that faith and sustained it in us, we can rejoice despite all of our sufferings.

As we rejoice, we're placing our souls into the care of our faithful creator. And because he has faithfully sustained creation, we're confident that he'll sustain us too. After all, The sun comes up day after day. Jesus tells us that God cares for even the seemingly insignificant sparrows. He'll care for us too.

So what's our response now that we have this confidence in God? What will this look like in our lives? We'll continue to do good. We do good even to those who cause trouble for us. That lets our light shine, that they, too, might come to faith in Jesus. And it gives thanks to God, for giving us reason to rejoice no matter what comes our way.

So, while it might not be fun that we have to face trials in this life because of our Christian faith, we still have plenty of reasons to rejoice as we suffer as Christians. We rejoice because our God is with us through it all, and we know that he will be faithful to us no matter what comes our way.