Thriving In Suffering

1 Peter 3, 13-17.

Hear God's word.

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?

!

But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed.

Have no fear of them, nor be troubled.

But in your hearts, honor Christ the Lord as holy,

always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a 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.

For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will,

than for doing evil.

Amen.

I think one of the greatest weaknesses of the modern church,

at least perhaps maybe the church in the West,

the American evangelicalism perhaps, if we want to narrow it down to a particular group,

I think one of the greatest weaknesses that we can find is that

so many Christians seem to lack a biblical understanding of suffering.

Suffering.

And I don't think that it's so much the result of ignorance,

but of just really bad theology.

And we can see it in lots of ways, right?

The most extreme versions of it we would find in what we routinely call the prosperity gospel.

And I know many of you have been impacted in that in some way,

or maybe you have friends or family who are caught up in the midst of that.

It's kind of taken root in American Christianity.

And because of that, it's beginning to spread around the world.

And it's a great anti-gospel that teaches us, or at least tries to teach us,

that suffering and Christianity don't work together.

Those two things don't fit together.

It's just bad theology.

But even in places where it isn't so extreme,

maybe even in places like our church and in churches like ours,

sometimes we can live and think, function,

as if God's purpose, frankly,

is to make us as happy and as healthy as possible.

And think about the way we pray.

Our prayer lists are loaded with what?

All the things that we would like for God to do for us,

or all the ways that are difficult that we would like for God to spare us from.

Now, I'm not suggesting that.

We shouldn't pray for that.

Peter's going to go on to tell us in chapter 5

that you actually very much should pray for that,

that you are to cast all your cares on him because he cares for you.

So that's not what I'm saying.

What I mean to say is that there's some Christians that,

if they're going to pray,

that's the only reason they're ever going to pray.

So that when suffering comes our way,

either we're absolutely spiritually devastated

because we've been led to believe that our faith in Christ,

if it's strong enough and if it's vibrant enough

and if we prayed enough,

that God would be good to us

and we begin to get spiritually just devastated, right?

Because we've prayed all the prayers

and we've given all the money

and we've attended all the services

and we've done all the volunteering

and we've done all the things

and now we're left to wonder,

well, maybe God just isn't good.

Maybe he just isn't good.

And then there's the skeptical side of it, right?

We see this, but perhaps, in fact,

there's no question in my mind

that every one of us in this room know people

and have people that we love

who have abandoned the faith,

they've walked away from,

or maybe they've resisted it altogether.

And really what it boils down to

is the issue of suffering and of evil in the world.

It's the old Epicurean trilemma

that Epicurus came up with this

a few hundred years before Christ even.

Basically says God may be good

and God may be all-powerful

and God may be all-knowing,

but if evil exists and suffering exists,

he can't be all three.

Either he's good and he's all-powerful,

but he's not all-knowing,

or he's all-powerful and he's all-knowing,

but he's not good,

or he's good and he's all-knowing,

but he doesn't have the power

to do anything about it.

And of course, we would say,

well, we would like to introduce as Christians

a fourth possibility into that equation,

that there is a possibility

that God has a good and greater purpose

for the evil that he allows to take place

in our lives.

And of course, that purpose is ultimately his own glory.

And so many people are left wondering,

how could God be good and also allow me to suffer?

But what if the only way to truly know God,

what if the only way to really understand his faithfulness

and to display his glory as his people in the world

requires that we endure great hardship?

Is it possible that our greatest good

necessitates that we do at times suffer?

And of course, the Bible's answer to that is very clear.

Yes.

The Bible has a lot to say about our suffering.

Sometimes suffering that we face

is just part and parcel of living in a fallen world

ruined by sin.

Some of the things we suffer,

it's just the consequence of natural law, right?

If Andy Allen decided he's gonna take a walk on the roof today,

20 feet or so high,

and he gets to the edge and he thinks,

you know what?

I think I'm just gonna go one step further,

what happens?

It falls.

And he'll probably suffer as a result.

Why?

Because there's a natural law that God has created

in our environment, in our earth,

even though some may question it today,

that's called gravity, right?

Now, does gravity mean that God isn't good?

Of course not.

Does Andy falling off the roof

and suffering as a result of it

mean that he did something sinful

or that there was this great evil that has befallen?

No.

Just sometimes we do stupid things

and we have to deal with that, right?

Sometimes, maybe many times,

the suffering that we endure

really is just the consequences of sin.

Maybe it's our own personal sin

and we face as believers

the discipline of the Lord

as he allows the natural consequences of sin

to take place in our lives.

Maybe it's the consequences of someone else's sin

that has been perpetrated against us,

but so much of the suffering we endure

is really, it's the consequences of sin.

But the Bible speaks of a particular kind of suffering

that Christians should actually expect to face.

suffering on account of their faith in

and obedience to Jesus Christ.

In fact, Jesus' very call to discipleship

and to follow him includes the very warning.

If you will come after me, Jesus says,

you better be ready to take up a cross

not as a symbol,

but as a daily dying

in identification with Christ.

And as you're doing that,

you're gonna have to be prepared

to deny yourself

in order to follow me.

It's right there.

Jesus says,

it's maybe not what we would hear

from most pulpits

who just want to get people

to come over to the Christian faith, right?

But Jesus does it.

He says, look, if you want to be a Christian,

if you want to follow me,

this is what it's gonna take.

You're gonna have to endure some things

that are hard on account of that faith.

We've reached a point in Peter's letter

where suffering for the faith

is actually the main idea.

Of course, the Christians in Asia Minor

at the time,

they didn't need to be convinced

of the reality of this kind of suffering.

They were living it in real time.

Peter's just gone through

three very specific examples

of people in the church

who were suffering

on account of their faith in particular.

But what they did need

was to be reminded of the hope

that was theirs in Jesus Christ

what they needed

was to be encouraged

to keep going,

to keep persevering in the faith,

to keep being obedient

in discipleship to the Lord Jesus.

And that's the aim of the text

that we just read.

It shows us how that we can thrive

in times of suffering

for righteousness sake.

And I want to present this paragraph to you

as four requirements

to suffer well for Jesus.

Four requirements to suffer well for Jesus.

What will it take

if we are to thrive

in this world,

in this exile,

with this kind of suffering?

Number one,

ponder your blessed future.

Ponder your blessed future.

Look at verses 13 and 14 once again.

Now who is there to harm you

if you are zealous for what is good?

But even if you should suffer

for righteousness sake,

we might understand that

but even really as more of an indeed.

Indeed,

when you suffer for righteousness sake,

you will be blessed.

Future tense, right?

You are suffering.

You will be blessed.

Now Peter has just finished using Psalm 34

in the previous paragraph

to remind us

that God has promised eternal blessing,

eternal for his people

and he has promised victory

over all who do evil.

God sees the suffering of his people.

God inclines his ear to their cries.

He will deal decisively

with all their enemies

who will not repent

and trust in him.

And now he introduces

this rhetorical question

at the beginning of verse 13.

He's confronting suffering Christians

in their fear and distress.

If you are zealous for good,

he says,

meaning you are trusting Christ,

you are following him in holiness,

all of those things

giving evidence to the fact

that you have truly been born again of God,

which we've seen in the earlier chapters.

If that's you,

you're zealous for good,

you're believing Christ,

you're following Christ,

who is there to bring you harm?

Who can harm you?

And of course,

the immediate answer might be,

well, lots of people could harm me.

Isn't that the point?

That there are some

who will not only threaten harm,

but actually have the power

to deliver that harm.

And of course,

we understand as we begin

to meditate on this text,

Peter isn't referring to harm now.

He's speaking of harm

in the ultimate sense.

Your enemies,

no matter how great they are

in this life,

have no final power over you.

You belong to God,

Peter says.

You're safe in him,

Peter says.

Who is there to harm you

when you're God's?

The body they may kill,

Luther says.

God's truth abideth still.

His faithfulness,

his goodness,

his promise

of our eternal inheritance

that is undefiled

and unfading

and kept in heaven

for us

who are being guarded

by God through faith.

All of that

is true for you today

and it will be true

for you in eternity.

So who can harm you?

Who is there to fear?

Peter says.

It's the same reasoning

that Paul used

in that amazing section

of Romans 8.

Andy read the first four verses

of Romans 8 a minute ago.

Let me read the last few verses

of Romans 8 to you.

You know the text.

What then shall we say

to these things?

If God is for us,

who can be against us?

Why would you say that, Paul?

What do you mean?

Where is this security

coming from, Paul?

He continues.

He who did not spare

his own son

but gave him up

for us all.

How will he not also

with him,

with Christ,

graciously give us

all things?

What's the all things?

That's the future inheritance.

The inheritance

that is ours

in Christ Jesus

as joint heirs

with Jesus.

That's what Paul's

talking about.

If God's for you,

if he's the one

that predestined you

and called you

and has sanctified you

and will glorify you,

who can be against you?

He did not even

spare his own son.

Who shall bring a charge

against God's elect?

Paul goes on to say.

It's God who justifies.

Who cares

what your enemies think?

Who is to condemn you?

Jesus Christ

is the one who died.

More than that,

who was raised,

who's at the right hand

of God,

who is indeed interceding

for us.

And then there's that

great line of questions,

rhetorical questions

that Paul presents.

Who shall separate us then

from this love of Christ?

Shall tribulation do that?

Shall distress do that?

How about persecution, Paul?

What about famine

or nakedness

or danger

or the sword?

And then Paul quotes

the Old Testament

to describe what our experience

could be like in this life.

He says,

for it's written,

for your sake,

for the sake of the Lord,

for the sake of Jesus Christ,

we are being killed

all day,

all day long.

We're regarded as sheep

to be slaughtered

by this world,

the prophet says.

What does Paul remind us of?

Oh, no,

he says.

The no's emphatic.

May it never be said,

no.

In all these things,

we are more than conquerors

through him

who loves us.

For I'm sure

that neither death

nor life

nor angels

nor rulers

nor things present

nor things to come

nor powers

nor height

nor depth

nor anything else

in all of creation

will be able to separate you

from the love of God

in Christ Jesus

our Lord.

That, loved ones,

is your blessed hope.

Who's there to harm you?

You belong to him.

Who can ultimately

bring you ruin?

It's Christ

that has died

for your sin.

Before God,

you stand justified

as if you never sinned.

That is your hope.

There's a reason

that Peter began the letter

with this amazing affirmation

of the Christian's

future inheritance.

There's a reason

he continued

in chapter 2

to instruct us

to set our hope

on the grace

that is to come to us

at the revelation

of Jesus Christ.

It's the same reason

that he reminds us here

of our blessed status

before God.

It's because

to thrive in exile,

which is always

going to be characterized

by suffering

in some measure,

that will only happen

when we keep our minds

focused entirely

on the future inheritance

that awaits us

beyond this life.

even though you may suffer

for righteousness' sake,

now,

Peter says

in verse 13,

you will be blessed

and honored

and vindicated

in the judgment.

When it's all said

and done,

you're the one

who will receive

the blessing.

Christ

has won

your victory.

We just sang it,

Christus Victor.

on that day,

who will but tremble

when he stands,

Christ the victor.

It's amazing.

Says Jesus

in Matthew 5.

Blessed are those

who are persecuted

for righteousness' sake.

Why, Jesus?

for theirs

is the kingdom of heaven.

You suffer now?

It's fine.

The kingdom belongs to you.

Don't be afraid.

It's yours.

Christ has won it for you.

Blessed are you,

Jesus goes on to say,

when others revile you

and persecute you

and utter all kinds

of evil against you

falsely

on my account.

Now, let's not get

that twisted up.

Jesus isn't saying,

don't worry

when you do stupid things

and people call you out on it.

That's not what he's saying.

What's he saying?

He's saying,

when you live faithfully

and you preach the truth

and you do exactly

what I call you to do

and people revile you

and slander you

and persecute you

and talk all kinds

of evil about you

and ridicule you

falsely

on account of the gospel,

he says,

instead,

rejoice.

Be glad,

Jesus says,

for your reward

is great

in heaven

for so they persecuted

the prophets

who were before you

so they persecuted

our Lord and Savior

who paves the path

forward for us.

How can we thrive

in suffering?

Well, it starts

by preaching the gospel

to ourselves

every single day,

regularly pondering

our blessed future,

the internal inheritance

that God is keeping safe

for us in heaven

as he guards us

through faith

here on earth.

Number two,

how will we thrive

in suffering?

we're going to have

to persevere

in following Jesus.

We're going to have

to persevere

in following,

we're going to have

to keep going,

keep going.

Look again

at verse 14.

Have no fear

of them

nor be troubled

but in your hearts

honor Christ

the Lord

as holy.

As is typical,

the indicative

of verses 13 and 14

is immediately followed

by imperatives

and as we've come

to get used to

with Peter's style

of writing,

he delivers

the initial imperative

by way of contrast.

He does that a lot

in the letter,

doesn't he?

He gives the negative

and then it's immediately

followed by the positive.

Not this but that,

right?

He's doing it again

here

and here's essentially

what he's saying.

Because your enemies

cannot ultimately harm you

and because you are

blessed forever

in Christ Jesus,

don't be afraid of them.

Instead,

just keep going.

Keep honoring Jesus

as Lord

in your heart.

How do we suffer

well for Jesus?

We keep trusting.

We keep following him

even when you're threatened,

even when you're slandered,

even when you're persecuted.

Just keep going.

For the Dory fans,

just keep swimming.

Don't stop.

Persevere.

What exactly

does that look like?

Well, let's break it down

a little bit more.

Looking at this contrast,

don't be afraid,

don't be troubled,

but honor Christ as Lord.

The contrast itself

is what helps us

understand what Peter

has in mind

when he uses these two words,

fear and trouble.

He's not insinuating,

let's get this right,

he's not insinuating

as the Bible never does,

that the feelings,

that the emotion

of fear

and anxiety

and distress

are inherently

sinful

and problematic.

Some of us feel

more deeply

than others.

the feeling

itself

is not sinful

in this case.

It's what we're doing

when we're confronted

with the feelings

of fear

and distress

and hardship

and anxiety.

It's what we're doing

with that.

It's how we're responding

to that that really makes

the difference here.

And in this case,

to fear those

who would harm us

and be troubled

by their reviling

would be to shrink back

from faith

in Jesus Christ.

It is to allow

the threat

of opposition

to accomplish

its objective.

Isn't that what

the opposition

is trying to do?

They're trying

to silence

the Christians.

They're trying

to make the Christians

look foolish

so that they might be

anti-evangelized

and return back

to the way of thinking

that the world has.

That's the objective.

To get us

to give it up.

To stop being

so ridiculous

and to turn around.

Fear

and trouble

if not handled

in light

of God's word

and God's faithfulness

and God's truth

will cause us

to shrink back

allowing our enemies

to get exactly

what they want.

It's when

we begin

to turn away

from faithfulness

and begin

to compromise

the truth.

It's shifting

your convictions

to align

with what's

culturally acceptable

rather than

with God's word.

That's what it means

to fear

and to be

troubled here.

It's to continue

in the sin

that marked

your life

before coming

to Christ

hoping that

it will appease

those in your life

who ridicule you

for living

in such stark

difference now.

It's in Jesus' words

an attempt

to save your life

rather than

to surrender

it to him.

That's what it means

to fear

and trouble

in this text.

It doesn't mean

that somebody's

coming at you

ready to take

your head off

that you can't

be afraid

of that.

I would be

afraid of that.

That's not what

he means to say.

No, he's saying

what we do

with that

is really

what matters.

To thrive

in suffering

Christians

are going to

have to

persevere

in faithful

discipleship.

We must

persevere

in following

the lordship

of Jesus Christ.

That's the

positive side

of this.

Don't be afraid

but keep

honoring Christ

as the Lord.

Holy here

set apart.

Keep setting

Jesus apart

as the Lord God.

This is the

lordship of Jesus Christ

showing itself

every day

in our lives

and we are

to do that

from the heart

for as Tom

Schreiner wrote

the heart

is the origin

of human behavior

and from it

flows everything

that people do.

So then

recognizing

our blessed

state

as God's

people

we must

persist

in genuinely

following Jesus

as Lord

refusing to

fall away

when danger

rears its head

and it's that

heart level

faith

that is

always

evidencing

verse 13

a zealousness

for what is

good.

When the heart

is settled

when we're

persevering

not on the

surface

but in

genuine

faith

the result

is a

zealousness

for good

and this

contrasting

imperative

it's really

just a

reiteration

of everything

Peter's been

saying in the

last two

chapters

though we

are to

respect

others

our fear

is to be

reserved for

the Lord

alone

so don't

shrink back

even when

you're

threatened

persevere

!

Why?

Can't we

just get in

and then

just try to

stay out of

the way?

What Jesus

said in

Matthew 10

you'll be

hated by

all for

my name's

sake

but only

the one

who endures

to the

end

will be

saved

you said

does this

perseverance

really matter

or can I

just you

know walk

the aisle

and say

the prayer

and fill

out the

card

and go

to Terry

and Kathy's

place to

get baptized

or whatever

it is

and we

just

be done

isn't that

just enough

and then I

can just

kind of go

on with

business

as

normal

well no

that's not

biblical

Christianity

only the

one who

perseveres

to the

end

will be

saved

why should

you care

about this

because it's

what makes

all the

difference

in your

spiritual

life

keep

going

third

prepare

to display

and defend

your hope

prepare

to display

and defend

your gospel

hope

look again

at verse

15

always being

prepared

to make

a defense

to anyone

who asks

you for

a 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 I

want you

to notice

how Peter's

line of

thought

continues

to build

this

section

is not

my

sister's

English

teacher

it's

not

technically

grammatically

an

imperative

but

she

doesn't

know

Greek

in

Greek

not

that

you

care

to

know

Greek

either

I

don't

really

care

to

know

it

that

much

in

Greek

it's

functioning

as

another

imperative

it

looks

a bit

like

a

participle

it's

actually

an

adjective

it's

functioning

like

an

imperative

here

now

why

is

that

important

for

us

because

Peter's

giving

us

instructions

!

And

what

is it

that he

says?

Well

he's

addressing

a particular

circumstance

that could

arise

from your

perseverance

if you

just keep

going

despite the

suffering

what might

happen?

Right?

Just as

faithful

Christians

will attract

the attention

of unbelievers

in the

beginning

which leads

to the

potential

of threat

and

slander

Peter

Peter

now

indicates

that

persevering

in that

suffering

by

continuing

rather than

shrinking

back

that

even

more

attention

could

be

drawn

to

your

faith

and

whenever

it

does

he

says

whenever

that

happens

whether

the

inquiries

from

unbelievers

are

sincere

as

they

might

be

or

just

mocking

as

they

might

be

we

must

be

prepared

to

make

a

defense

for

what

make

a

defense

for

your

what's

the

word

hope

hope

this

hope

that's

buried

deep

in our

hearts

what is

it

it's

that

blessed

future

that is

secured

to us

by the

death

and

resurrection

of Jesus

Christ

for our

sins

by the

regenerating

work

of the

Holy

Spirit

on all

of those

who have

been

called

of God

that's

the

hope

this

hope

is the

assurance

of our

future

inheritance

and that

someone

would

inquire

about

it

means

that

we

have

persevered

in

such

a

way

that

they

could

actually

witness

the

legitimacy

of our

hopeful

expectation

that

beyond

this

life

for us

is God

that

beyond

this

life

for us

is

Jesus

that

beyond

this

life

for us

is

heaven

and

sinlessness

and

paradise

and all

that God

has promised

for his

people

we have

suffered

in such

a way

that they

would

say

you know

I think

they really

believe

this

I think

they really

think

this is

what's

going to

happen

to them

after

they

die

in

persevering

through

suffering

we

let

our

persecutors

see

our

hope

on

display

and

then

notice

what

Peter

does

implicitly

by telling

us to

be

prepared

to

make

a

defense

here

he's

acknowledging

that

the

Christian's

hope

in

Christ

is

not

superstitious

it's

grounded

in

rationality

it's

grounded

in

an

intellectual

reasoning

and

it

can

be

legitimately

defended

he

doesn't

say

hey

when

they

ask

you

about

the

hope

just

say

well

you

just

gotta

have

faith

no

he

says

make

a

defense

tell

them

why

you

have

faith

tell

them

why

you

have

hope

tell

them

that

the

word

of

God

that

the

Bible

is

really

the

word

of

God

and

why

you

believe

it

is

tell

them

that

God

really

does

exist

that

he

really

did

create

the

world

that

we're

in

and

tell

them

why

you

believe

that

give

the

evidences

for it

that

has

persuaded

you

not only

spiritually

but

intellectually

to believe

that

that's

true

tell

tell

them

that

Jesus

Christ

is

God

in

the

flesh

who

came

and

lived

a

sinless

life

and

died

an

atoning

death

on the

cross

in our

place

so that

all

who

trust

in

them

will

receive

his

righteousness

as

he

takes

on

their

wickedness

and

sinfulness

in his

body

on the

tree

and

then

he

raised

from

the

dead

and

then

say

this

is

why

I

believe

that's

!

true

make

a

defense

it's

rational

it's

reasonable

it really

is

the

slander

of the

world

against

Christians

will

always

be

shaped

like

ridicule

for what

they see

as an

irrational

and foolish

faith

but we

do not

have an

irrational

faith

we do

not have

a foolish

faith

there are

parts of

what we

believe

that are

incomprehensible

that is

we are

finite

creatures

that are

trying to

comprehend

the nature

and the

work of

an

infinite

God

we will

never

be able

to

supply

every

possible

answer

that

anyone

might

ever

ask

about

God

and about

the

Bible

and about

all of

those

things

we don't

have

that

capacity

no one

ever

will

but we

do

have a

rational

faith

and it

is

reasonable

and even

when they

bring their

slander

and they

question

they put

you in

a

corner

and they

think

they've

got

the

trump

card

and

you're

not

exactly

sure

what

to

say

you can

rest

assured

that

in

2,000

years

of

Christianity

they're

not

going to

ask

you

a

question

that

some

other

Christian

hasn't

been

asked

and

hasn't

sorted

through

just

because

you

don't

have

the

answer

doesn't

mean

there

isn't

an

answer

so

what

do

you

do

you

get

in

your

Bible

and

you

start

to

talk

to

the

other

people

in

the

church

and

say

hey

I

was

talking

to

my

friend

the

day

and

one

another

in

that

we

study

Peter

goes

on

to

say

that

there

is

a

righteous

way

to

defend

our

faith

and

that

in

our

defense

we

need

to

be

concerned

to

do

it

a

particular

way

notice

what

he

says

our

defense

of

the

gospel

must

be

given

with

gentleness

respect

and a

good

conscience

now

I

the

people

that

we

are

to

be

making

this

defense

to

have

been

harsh

disrespectful

and

everything

that we

would

say

is

how

could

their

conscience

even

let

them

do

that

to

another

person

and

Peter

says

who

cares

you

make

your

defense

in

the

way

that

Jesus

would

make

his

defense

gentleness

humility

respect

them

as

human

beings

made

in

the

image

of

God

do

it

with

a

good

conscience

so

that

after

you're

finished

making

your

point

you

don't

have

to

go

and

beg

for

God's

mercy

on

your

life

because

you

sinned

a dozen

ways

in

the

process

of

it

in

other

words

if

unbelievers

are

to be

offended

let

it

be

for

the

truth

that

we

proclaim

and

not

the

way

that

we

have

chosen

to

proclaim

it

and

in

the

final

judgment

Peter

says

I

think

that's

what

he's

referencing

when he

talks

about

them

being

put

to

shame

in

the

final

judgment

you

will

receive

your

vindication

because

God

has

saved

you

and

they

will

receive

their

judgment

if

they

have

not

repented

and

believed

so

you

don't

need

to

take

the

!

judgment

on

yourself

you

don't

have

to

sit

in

the

place

of

God

and

give

them

what

they

deserve

you

haven't

been

called

to

do

that

I

haven't

been

called

to

do