April 30, 2017

All Scripture from NIV unless otherwise documented.

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For 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? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” 1 Peter 4: 12 – 19

I took my dad to Mercy hospital one day and to the doctor the next day this week, and my mother commented on how full the parking lots were. There were few places to park and she said, there sure are a lot of sick people. The reality is that there is much suffering in this world. Suffering due to disease. Suffering due to poverty. Suffering due to injustices by others. Suffering, suffering, suffering. And suffering touches us all in one form or another. Last week we touched on suffering after the example of Jesus and Peter told us to have the same attitude toward physical suffering as Jesus did.

Today we continue with this thought of suffering. In today’s passage Peter gives us some specific instructions as to how we are to respond to a specific kind of suffering, that being suffering because you are a Christian. Notice in verse 16 he wrote: “However, if you suffer as a Christian.” Peter was writing, as I said last week, to Gentile believers who were facing a lot of persecution. It is believed that Peter wrote this epistle sometime around 64 A.D., which was the year that Rome burned. The Emperor Nero blamed the fires that burned much of Rome on Christians and this was the beginning of a 200 year persecution of Christians. So Peter’s audience was suffering persecution because they had chosen to follower Jesus as Lord and Peter wanted to give them instructions on how to deal with this persecution.

The first thing Peter told these believers was that they should not be surprised at the painful trial they were suffering, as though this was something strange. Jesus had told His disciples that if the world hated them, it was because they hated Him first. John 15: 18 Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3: 12 that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” We have lived in a nation that for most of its first 200 years was considered to be a Christian nation. The United States was founded on a Judeo Christian ethic and the evidences of that are everywhere in our nation’s capital. There hadn’t been a lot of persecution against those who are Christians, simply because of their faith until recent years. But that has changed dramatically and I believe will continue to change as the end times draw nearer.

Peter warned the first century believers and he also warns us, not to be surprised and not to be caught off guard by this kind of persecution. As a matter of fact he indicated that you should expect to endure painful trials and suffering just because you have chosen to follow Jesus Christ as Lord.Not only should you not be surprised if and when you are persecuted because of your faith, Peter also said that you should “rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ.”

This word “rejoice” is in the present tense in the Greek and could be translated “keep on rejoicing”. Rather than get upset, rather than get disheartened, rather than whine about being persecuted because of your faith and the suffering that goes with it, Peter said that you should rejoice that you have the opportunity to participate in the sufferings of Christ. (vs 13) Now I know that Peter’s advice goes against every fiber of our nature. It is not normal for you to rejoice in suffering, but when you suffer because of your faith Peter said “you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” I guess you might say that suffering for your faith is something of a confirmation of your faith. Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 5: 10 – 12 which say, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Why should you rejoice in your suffering? Because how you face suffering for your faith will determine your future reward. Jesus said “rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” Someone has said: “Your eternal reward will directly reflect your suffering. Your suffering will reflect, to some degree, your faithfulness and future reward in heaven.” Peter said, “do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.” As the song says: “Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross!” Finally, in verse 19 Peter said that those who “suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”

You have all heard the saying, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. I guess the question we all need to ask this morning is how touch am I as a Christian? When my faith is tested through suffering for the cause of Christ, am I up to it? Am I willing to commit myself to Jesus no matter what the world or society or other people throw at me because of my faith? Will I continue to strive to do good and not give up?
Maybe none of us can answer that question this morning, because we have never had to suffer because of our faith. But there are countless thousands around the world in countries like Russia and China and North Korea and in the middle east who are faced with this choice each and every day. Can we commit to pray for those who do suffer for their faith, and if that time should ever come in our lives, will we be strong enough to commit ourselves to Christ like suffering because of our faith?