1 Peter: Living for Christ When the Fiery Ordeals Come

In 1 Peter 4:12-19 the Apostle returns to the subject of suffering for righteousness sake. Peter’s overriding concern for his readers is to offer council and prepare them for the very real possibility of more intense persecution to come. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that may be coming your way. Instead of being surprised when persecution arrives on the church’s doorstep, believers are to rejoice that they are sharing in Christ’s sufferings!

Peter knows from his own experience that faith in Christ will produce in the believer’s life, 1) a radical change, 2) a radical challenge, and 3) a radical conflict.

1st, Faith in Jesus results in a radical change. When Christ enters a sinner’s life by repentance and faith, there is a radical change. It may not appear physically obvious to friend or neighbor or family, but the change is as radical as radical can be. You’ve gone from death to life! It’s why Jesus compares our salvation to being born again!

2nd, Faith in Jesus results in a radical challenge. Because there has been this radical change in us — which is Christ in us the hope of glory — there is the challenge of relating to a culture and world system that sees us as the enemy. The love between the Christian and our Christ alienates us from the world. And the more we love Christ, the more alienated from the world we will become. Like John Bunyan’s character Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress when we pass through Vanity Fair we advert our eyes from the goods and wares of the world, and the vendors become incensed that we won’t purchase their products. Our challenge is to communicate to the world why our love for Jesus keeps us from purchasing what the world wants us to buy.

3rd, Faith in Jesus results in a radical conflict. Precisely because we don’t “buy into” the world’s ways, the world’s philosophies, and the world’s activities, the world will never understand us. In some cases that lack of understanding will become hostility; in some cases they will kill us. In John 15:20 Jesus tells the disciples, “Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also ... They will treat you this way because of my name ... “ The world doesn’t like us because we will never put the world first. You may have a lot of trouble in this world because you won’t put your company first, because you won’t put your race first, because you won’t put your political party first, or even because you won’t put your family first. You can’t, because you see, there’s a Lord, and his name is Jesus, and he’s your first love and your greatest loyalty.

So there’s a radical conflict which is caused by a radical change, and that radical change presents a radical challenge for us to enter into the world and to testify to what Jesus has done for us. And when you do, don’t be surprised when there is a radical reaction. It is that radical reaction that the Apostle refers to in 1 Peter 4:12-19. The New Testament simply assumes Christians will be mistreated, and maligned, and martyred.

I. CHRISTIANS SHOULD EXPECT FIERY TRIALS

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” (1 Peter 4:12–14, ESV)

1. Peter begins by telling his readers not to be staggered or shocked when fiery ordeals come their way

a. and fiery ordeals are coming

2. how we deal with those who hate us is a measure of our Christian faith

a. now, please be aware that Peter is referring to those who hate you because you’re a Christian

b. being persecuted because you’re an obnoxious jerk or the schoolyard bully doesn’t count ... or as Peter says ...

“But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler,” (1 Peter 4:15, ESV)

3. when the church is maligned, mistreated, and martyred we are sharing in the suffering of the Messiah, and when we do we also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of his glory

A. THE FAITHFUL WILL BE PERSECUTED

ILLUS. Today there is an escalating hostility toward orthodox Christianity throughout Western culture. Twenty years ago in 2010, Chicago's Cardinal Francis George, speaking before a gathering of priests about the dangers of the secularization of our society, said, "I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history." While the Cardinal’s timing is off (he died of cancer some years ago) his words are prophetic. He was completely accurate about the growing secularization of American culture, and the growing hostility toward the Confessing Church.

"Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3:12, NASB95)

1. throughout its pages, the New Testament assumes the world’s hostility toward God’s people

a. the Apostle assumes it in vs. 12

b. Jesus talked about it in his Sermon on the Mount

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10–12, NIV84)

2. I read that verse, and I think to myself, “Ya know, I’ve never had a red-hot poker shoved into my eye, so I must not really be living for Jesus.”

a. perhaps the difficulty lies in the word persecution

3. the New Testament refers to any number of ways that believers will be persecuted

a. The Bible Speaks of Persecution by Physical Cruelty

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.” (Matthew 10:16–18, NIV)

1) in places like China, North Korea, Kenya, India, and virtually any place where Islam is the dominant religion, believers fully understand what Jesus meant when he said, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves ... "

2) as I mentioned this morning, an estimated 100,000 people are killed every year just because they are Christians

a) that means that by the end of this day 400 brothers or sisters in Christ will have been martyred for the faith somewhere in the world

b. The Bible Speaks of Persecution by Slander

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." (Matthew 5:11, NIV)

1) slander is making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation

ILLUS. In June 2015 when the Supreme Court made Homosexual marriage legal nation-wide Justice Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion, bluntly said that defenders of traditional marriage are irrational bigots. The last major group holding out against homosexual marriage is the Evangelical Christian community, of who the Southern Baptists are the largest segment of that group. If you believe in the biblical view of marriage, you’re an irrational bigot according to Justice Kennedy.

2) that’s slandering the Body of Christ — at least a section of it

c. The Bible Speaks of Persecution by Reproach

1) to reproach someone means to blame them for their actions as the source of what has gone wrong, and shame them for who they are

ILLUS. In 2017 the Princeton Theological Seminary decided to award the Kupyer Prize to Rev. Timothy Keller. Princeton Seminary is the second oldest school of divinity in the United States, and one of the most prestigious. It is associated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Tim Keller is a Presbyterian minister and the now retired pastor of Redeemer Church in NYC in downtown Manhattan. It’s considered one of the most influential churches in America, and Keller is one of the most influential pastors in America. Keller began the church in 1989 with 50 people. Today the church’s attendance is 5,000 each week. He’s a conservative (mostly), gospel-centered preacher.

The Kupyer Prize is the highest honor the Princeton Seminary bestows, and is given for excellence in Presbyterian Theology and Public Life. The prize includes both an invitation to speak at the seminary and a $10,000 award. In 2017 the Princeton Theological Seminary decided to award the Kupyer Prize to Rev. Timothy Keller, but just a few weeks later, the invitation was rescinded when liberal students, and faculty members accused the seminary of “ ... honoring and celebrating a man who has championed toxic theology for decades.” The “toxic theology” Keller is being accused of is his opposition to the ordination of women and homosexuals — which has been the orthodox position of the church for 2,000 years. Princeton Theological Seminary caved in to the real bigots, and decided to Dis-Honor Tim Keller because of his positions on Biblical Christianity.

2) this is the kind of persecution that is prevalent in America today — the Confessing Church, and Confessing Christians are fast becoming the politically expedient group to reproach in our society

4. whenever you remain faithful to your convictions, persecution in some way, follows

a. one of the principles that Jesus laid down for his followers is that Christians are not to respond in kind toward those who would persecute them

1) when reproached for our faith, we do not reproach in return

2) when slandered for our faith, we do not slander in return

3) when harmed for our faith, we do not harm in return

“But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:13, ESV)

b. Jesus encourages us to overcome the evil committed against us be doing good toward those who commit the evil

1) conquering evil does not mean to be passive toward evil

a) it means to be aggressively forgiving

b) it means to be aggressively kind

c) it means to be aggressively positive and affirming toward those who commit evil against us

3) any other way of responding to evil is to actually be sucked into the maelstrom

B. THE FAITHFUL WHO ARE PERSECUTED SHOULD BLESS THEIR PERSECUTORS

1. our response toward those who malign us, mistreat us and martyr us is, to say the least, counterintuitive

a. the normal reflex would be to curse those who curse us, and repay evil for evil, and live in a state of perpetual animosity toward those who despise us

1) Jesus says that’s the normal reflex of the lost person, not the saved person

b. the Gospel is not merely an intellectual truth we are to believe ... it is a lifestyle to be embraced and demonstrated in the lives of those who name the name of Christ

1) a Church redeemed by the Gospel must give evidence of the Gospel

2) that evidence in no where more persuasive than in how we treat those who malign us, mistreat us and martyr us

2. the Christian reflex should be to bless those who would curse us, to repay good for evil, to live in peace with all men instead of hostility, and to refuse to avenge ourselves

a. to bless those who persecute us does not mean to encourage them in their persecution

b. to bless those who persecute means wishing for them God’s very best — that includes coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ

C. THE FAITHFUL WHO ARE PERSECUTED SHOULD PRACTICE SUBVERSIVE MORALITY

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17–21, NIV84)

1. in this passage, Paul encourages his readers to practice a subversive morality

a. what do I mean by that?

b. we subvert our persecutors by taking all of the “fun” out of their persecution

ILLUS. Dr. Josef Tson is an 80-year old evangelist, and pastor from Romania. In 1997 he wrote a book entitled, Suffering, Martyrdom, and Rewards in Heaven. In the 1970's and 80's Josef Tson, was the pastor of a Baptist Church in communist Romania. For many years the government had attempted to intimidate him into silence to no avail. In the summer of 1977, the government changed tactics. They offered Tson a cushy job if he promised that he would never again preach the Gospel. If he didn’t take the deal he would face execution. Tson tuned down the job. Tson told the government representative, “‘You said you were going to finish me as a preacher. I asked my God and he wants me to continue to be a preacher. Now I have to make one of you two angry and I decided [it is] better [to] make you angry than God.” He was arrested and imprisoned. He was repeatedly interrogated and beaten. One day a man entered his prison cell, and told Tson, “On behalf of the state, I’m here to kill you.” Tson responded, “You should know your supreme weapon is killing. My supreme weapon is dying. ‘Now here is how it works, sir: You know that my sermons are on tape all over the country. When you shoot me or crush me, whichever way you choose, [you] only sprinkle my sermons with my blood. Everybody who has a tape of one of my sermons will pick it up and say, ‘I had better listen again. This man died for what he preached.’ Sir, my sermons will speak 10 times louder after you kill me and because you kill me. In fact, I will conquer this country for God because you killed me. Go on and do it.’

c. now that’s subversive martyrdom

ILLUS. Josef Tson was not executed that day, but every day for the next four years he woke up assuming that day would be the day of his martyrdom. The Romanian government finally decided to exile him.

II. APPLICATION

1. the Scriptures say that the world will know we are Christians by our love for our enemies

2. how do we respond when persecution arrives on our doorstep

a. let me off you four responses

A. LAMENT OVER THOSE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING PERSECUTION

1. lament is a word that means to express grief to feel a sense of brokenheartedness

a. the Apostle Paul tells believers in Rom. 12:15 to mourn with those who mourn

b. we must never forget the plight of brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering great hardship for bearing the name of Christ

“Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.” (Hebrews 10:32–35, NIV)

1) in these verses Paul reminds his readers that many of them were exposed to insult and persecution, but there were other times when they stood side by side with those who were so treated

2) he writes that there were times when his readers stood by those who were in prison suffering vicariously with them

2. when we see brothers and sisters facing persecution we need to offer up a lament to God

a. in the bible, a lament is actually a form of prayer where the believer brings to God’s attention their plight and their pain and the pain and plight of others

“Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” (Hebrews 13:3, NIV)

3. Offer up a Prayer of Lament for Your Fellow Believers Around the World Who Are Suffering in Jesus’ Name

B. LOVE THOSE WHO WOULD COMMIT EVIL AGAINST YOU FOR YOUR FAITH

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” (Luke 6:35, NIV)

1. as much as we cringe at this one, it’s so clear in the bible I don’t think the trickiest theologian could scoot around it

2. there are those in the world, maybe as close as the cubicle next to you at work or the locker at school, who oppose you and may even try to hurt you for the sole reason that you love Jesus

a. Jesus says, "Yes, love them. If they hurt you, love them. If they say untruthful things about you, love them. If they confiscate you possessions, love them. If they destroy your home, love them.”

b. love Jesus so much, that it’s his love in you that spills out into the lives of your enemies

3. Love Those Who Would Commit Evil Against You for Your Faith

C. LIFT UP YOUR PERSECUTORS IN PRAYER

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:43–44, NIV)

1. Jesus tells us to lift up our persecutors in prayer because this is what Christian do

a. prayer for your enemies is one of the deepest forms of love, because it means that you have to really want that something good happen to them

1) it may be for their conversion

2) it may be for their repentance

3) it may be that they would be awakened to the enmity in their hearts

4) it may be that they will be stopped in their downward spiral of sin, even if it takes disease or calamity to do it

b. but the prayer Jesus has in mind here is always for their good

2. Lift up Your Enemies in Prayer

D. LONG FOR YOU HOME IN HEAVEN WHERE THERE IS ONLY PEACE

“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:11-12, NASB95)

1. persecution, and harassment, and, opposition to the faith, all make the Christian long for The Kingdom

a. some might ask, “How can we rejoice and be glad” when our belongings are being confiscated, our bodies being perhaps marred, our very lives being threatened

b. because this world is not your home, you're just passing through

1) you no longer belong to the world, though you remain in the world and so the things of the is world no longer hold a priority for us

ILLUS. Like Christian passing through Vanity Fair, we avert our eyes and say, “No thank you!”

2. Long for God and the Things of God More than the Things of this World In a culture that is becoming increasingly hostile to orthodox Christianity, how will the world be able to tell who the real Christians are