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Introduction:
Today, much of the religious world recalls the great suffering of
our Savior as He died on the cross and was resurrected
victoriously on the third day. Peter, in his first letter,
repeatedly speaks of our Savior’s suffering. According to I
Peter 3:18, Jesus suffered for our sins to bring us to
God. According to I
Peter 1:18-21, Jesus suffered, died and was resurrected to
redeem us from our futile ways so our hope and faith would be in
God. We need to remember the sacrifice and suffering of Jesus and
we do that not by an annual celebration but a weekly one,
participating in the supper of the Lord that we might continually
remember what Jesus has done for us. However, Peter demonstrates
that Jesus’ suffering was not just for our salvation but also
for our example. In I
Peter 2:21-25, Peter explains Jesus’ suffering was an
example for us because we too will suffer. In fact, the entire
letter is about our suffering and how to deal with it. According
to II
Timothy 3:12, “All who desire to live a godly life in
Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (ESV). How should we deal with
that? Peter provides the answers. Examine with me the suffering
they endured, the reasons for Christian suffering and how we
should respond. Discussion: I.
The suffering described in I
Peter. A.
I imagine you are like me when you read New Testament
writings about suffering as a Christian. You immediately read into
the word beatings, stoning, martyrdom, etc. Certainly, our early
brethren faced a great deal of that. However, recently, I was able
to sit at the feet of Johnny Felker (a brother who preaches up in
Nashville). He carefully led me and a few other men through the
terms used in I Peter to
describe their suffering surrounding this letter and I was amazed
that it was very much the same kind of suffering we endure today. B.
According to I
Peter 2:12, the Christians were spoken against as
evildoers. According to I
Peter 3:9, they were reviled. In I
Peter 3:16, they were slandered and reviled for their good
deeds. According to I
Peter 4:4, they were maligned because they were different.
The only mention of actual physical violence in this book is when
Peter spoke about the master/slave relationship in I
Peter 2:18-20. Peter is not talking about one of the
political persecutions such as Nero’s persecution in Rome. He is
talking about the exact same kind of suffering we go through
today. Almost all of this is a verbal abuse, just as we face.
Historically, we know the Christians were accused of cannibalism
(because they spoke of eating the body and blood of the Lord).
Because they talked about the love of the brethren, they were
accused of incest. Because they wouldn’t honor the Roman gods,
they were called atheists. Because they taught that those who
didn’t submit to Jesus would be eternally punished, they were
called haters of mankind. C.
Personally, I have always felt like a second class
Christian because nobody has ever beaten me for my faith. However,
Peter has written an entire letter about how to deal with
suffering that is, in the main, verbal. Nothing in this letter
leads us to believe he was dealing with a political persecution
that was empire wide resulting in numerous deaths. He is talking
about those situations when people say, “You guys believe you
are the only ones going to heaven.” When someone says, “What,
are you too good to drink with me?” they are doing what Peter is
talking about. We should read this book all the more closely
because it strikes so close to home, dealing with the very kinds
of suffering we face today. II.
The reasons for Christian suffering. A.
Why do men malign, reject and persecute us? 1.
According to I
Peter 2:15, men speak against Christians because of their
ignorance. They don’t understand the true God or His will,
therefore they do not understand those who follow Him. Instead of
investigating, they often just lash out. After all, if we can
castigate and ridicule something, we don’t have to think about
it or even be changed by it. Consider the ancient slander I
mentioned moments ago or more recent slanders such as “Campbellites”,
statements like “Oh, you’re the ones who don’t like music”
or “You all don’t believe in the Holy Spirit.” People simply
don’t know the truth about what we believe and teach. When
people are ignorant, they will persecute, slander and malign. 2.
Additionally, I
Peter 4:4 says they will slander and malign us because
they are surprised that we don’t do what they do. Let’s face
it, everyone thinks their action is normal. If we won’t do what
they do, they think we are weird. When we refuse to drink, gamble,
be involved in lascivious dancing, reject homosexuality, refrain
from premarital and extra marital sexuality, walk away when they
are telling dirty jokes, etc. they will be shocked. They might
even be offended. No doubt the shock of our difference will cause
them to be upset. We won’t even have to say anything. They will
see our difference as judgmental. To be frank, their persecution
will be a self-defense mechanism. Wanting to show themselves to be
alright, they will castigate, ridicule and malign us in order to
feel better about themselves. Interestingly, while the text shows
that they will be surprised at our behavior, I
Peter 4:12 demonstrates we should not be surprised by
theirs. B.
Why does God allow our suffering? 1.
I
Peter 1:6-7
says our suffering is a testing of our faith. We must not
misunderstand this concept of testing. Remember, God already knows
our hearts (Acts
1:24). He doesn’t have to test us to see what kind of
faith we have. This is not a test to prove to God that we really
have faith. Rather Peter illustrates this test with the gold
refiner’s fire. When gold is melted in the crucible, the hidden
impurities and slag float to the top. The refiner can then skim
the impurity off. When we suffer, God is not learning what is in
our heart, He is showing us what is there. When we are in the
crucible with Jesus, the impurities in our heart come to the
surface. When life is easy and no one bothers with us, those
impurities can lie overlooked by us. But when heat is applied,
they rise to the surface. Let’s face it, do we not realize that
we truly discover the character of a person when they face stress
and distress? We actually need suffering, not simply to prove we
are Jesus’ disciples but because suffering is the means by which
we learn of our impurities so we can work on them and remove them.
Perhaps that is why both James and Paul both express similar
points (James
1:2-4; Romans 5:3-5). Sadly, many Christians don’t allow
their hard times to be purifying. Instead, they think the hardness
of their situation justifies their misconduct. That couldn’t be
further from the truth. In those moments, the way we respond is
not the justifiable exception to the rule of our lives. They are
the revealer of what is really in our hearts. If what we see in
those situations is not what God wants from us, we have work to do
skimming the impurities. 2.
I
Peter 2:12
provides the second answer. As we grow through and bear up under
the reviling and persecution from the world, they see our good
works and glorify God. I believe this passage specifically refers
to the glorifying that the saints will do in the day of judgment
at the end of the world (II
Thessalonians 1:9-10). On that day of visitation, the
impenitent will be thrown out in flaming fire, cast out of the
presence of God for eternal destruction while the saints will
glorify God. The only way those who slander us can glorify God in
that day is if they have become one of us. God allows us to suffer
because our example in suffering will cause many to turn. Consider
the thief on the cross in Luke
23:39-40. He had earlier cast dispersions at Jesus (cf. Matthew
27:44), but apparently watching Jesus suffer he recanted
and now glorified God and will do so in the day of visitation
along with us. We suffer righteously so that those who cause our
suffering may be led to penitence and salvation. III.
How must we respond to suffering? A.
Look
to eternity
and don’t get bogged down by the moment. Peter begins his letter
reminding us that we didn’t become Christians to gain an easy
life (I
Peter 1:3-5, 8-9). We
became Christians to glorify God so we can go to heaven. As Paul
explained in Romans
8:18 there is no suffering so bad on earth that it is
worth missing out on heaven just to avoid present suffering. B.
Remember
who we are.
In I
Peter 1:17-19, Peter reminds us we are the redeemed. We
are who we are now because Jesus’ blood saved us. According to I
Peter 2:4-5, we are living stones being built up into a
spiritual house to offer spiritual sacrifices to God. According to
I
Peter 2:9, we are a chosen people set apart to proclaim
the excellencies of God. No matter what anyone does to us, we need
to remember who we are. We are no longer the world; we are the set
apart. C.
Keep
our behavior honorable.
In I
Peter 2:12, we are told to keep our behavior honorable. In
the following verses he explains that means submitting to the
governing authorities. It means servants should submit to their
masters, even when they are unjust. Wives should be subject to
their husbands, even if they are unbelievers. Husbands should live
in an understanding way with their wives. He summed up our
honorable behavior in I
Peter 2:17 saying we should “Honor everyone. Love the
brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” As we consider how
honorable our behavior is to be, we should remember I
Peter 1:15-16 remembering that our example for excellent
behavior is not the world or the way we lived while in the world.
Our example is God and we are to be holy as He is. D.
Repay
evil with good, reviling with blessing.
The natural and worldly response to persecution is to give it back
to them in kind. If they are going to cause me trouble, I will
cause them trouble. If they are going to revile and malign me, I
will revile and malign them. I
Peter 3:9 says we should do the exact opposite. We are to
bless those who revile us. We must do good to them. E.
Be
prepared to give an answer for the hope that is in us. As we said, persecution comes because of ignorance. But every once in a
while, the ignorant may be intrigued and ask us why we live the
way we do. What hope do we have that causes us to be so different?
As I
Peter 3:15 says, we need to be ready to give a defense for
the gospel and its place in our lives. That means we need to be
busy studying and understanding all we can about God’s gospel so
we can defend it when the opportunities arise as they will if we
bear up under reviling. F.
Love
one another.
I
Peter 4:8-11 demonstrates we need to love one another
earnestly. We do this by offering each other hospitality and using
the gifts God has given us to serve one another. Think about it.
From the world, we are going to receive slander, reviling and
hatred. We need to have someone we can turn to for support, help
and encouragement. Here we are. That is what we must provide for
one another. I can imagine that if someone is facing suffering in
the world and then they come to their brethren and find more of
the same, they will readily fall prey to Satan’s trap. We need
to be a people that provides love and care for one another in
order to preserver one another in Jesus. G.
Submit
to our elders.
In I
Peter 5:1-5, Peter wrote about the role of shepherds who
exercise oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly. They do
so not for shameful gain but because they are eager to help. They
do not do so with dominance or domineering attitudes but by being
examples. That is, they do not push people where they are
unwilling to go but lead people down paths they have already trod.
Then Peter says that we ought to submit to these men. I’ve
always found this passage odd in the context of the suffering and
persecution Peter was talking about. We need to see this passage
for what it is. It is not some kind of parenthesis wholly
unrelated to the rest of the book. Rather, Peter is explaining
that this is an integral part of bearing up when we suffer
persecution. We need to go to our shepherds with our struggles and
follow their lead, submitting to their guidance, deferring to
their wisdom. Realize, that means listening to them, even when
what they encourage is not our first choice or even what we want
to do. God gave us shepherds to help guide us through this life,
if we wish to bear up, we need to submit to them, listening and
learning from them, following their example. Of course, that means
shepherds need to be living exemplary lives. H.
Cast
our anxieties upon God.
In I
Peter 5:6-7, Peter says we should also humble ourselves
before God, casting our cares upon Him because He cares for us.
This is humility before God because it admits we cannot resolve
our struggles. We cannot overcome them apart from His help. But we
need to understand what it means to cast our anxieties upon God.
It doesn’t merely mean to pray about it. It means to pray about
it and then trust God to deal with it. That trust is demonstrated
as we merely do what God says is right. Too many of us Christians
think we are smarter than God. We think we can come up with a plan
to overcome sin, Satan, suffering that is better than God’s. We
may not like His directive. So we figure out how we are an
exception to His rules. Instead, we just need to do what He says.
That is trusting God. That is casting our anxieties upon Him. That
is letting Him deal with our lives His way. God cares for us. When
we suffer and cast it on Him, He will provide. Conclusion: Christians suffer. It has always happened and will always happen. Just as Jesus was placed in the crucible, so will we be. But let the suffering have its perfect work. We must respond to it God’s way and allow it to purify us and reach out to even those who cause us to suffer that they might repent and be saved along with us. Whatever we face, let us proclaim the excellencies of our God.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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