Called to Suffer

1 Peter 4:1–19 ESV

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does. The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 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. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

We, as Christians, are going to go through times of adversity, times of suffering. I believe that one of the reasons why so many Christians falter and leave the faith is because they are not taught about the trials and tribulations that come with being a follower of Christ. So, when challenging times come, they find themselves lost with no hope; they expect everything as a Christian to be smooth sailing. There is another group of people, who faced with adversity, persecution and trials, they cower and refuse to stand up for the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or deny the power of the Gospel to go along with the status quo because they are afraid to be criticized, or they do not want to lose membership or money out of their greedy, self-serving pockets. Making money from false teaching trumps having to suffering for the sake of the Gospel.

Brothers and sisters, if you have put your faith in Christ, that alone guarantees that there is a demonic assignment given to destroy your faith, your resolve, and to ruin anything said or done to glorify God and to advance His kingdom. We must remember, the devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus didn’t promise us that things would be dandy if we follow Him, and that we wouldn’t go through some rough, terrible things in this life, He told us we would endure suffering, especially because we choose to dedicate our lives to the preaching, teaching, and witnessing of the Gospel message.

In Matthew 10:34-36 Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A person’s enemy will be those of his own household.” The immediate result of the Gospel is frequently conflict. To follow Christ, there must a willingness to endure tough times, trials, and tribulations.

I want to speak specifically about suffering as a Christian. Being part of the body of Christ means that there will be heartaches and pain; there will be opposition and persecution, there will be suffering because suffering comes with the territory. Satan will attack marriages, families, and yes, He has his eyes set on destroying the church. Even churches go through times of transition and struggle. MacArthur says, “We are constantly exposed to a world system energized by Satan and his demons. Their effort is to discredit the church and to destroy its credibility and integrity. Christians, however, must stand against the enemy and silence the critics by the power of living holy lives worthy of the call.”

Think of how in times of war they hit the military base because that takes out many soldiers at one time. Satan does the same thing, he hits our local congregations to destroy the faith and unity of those within those 4 walls. Whether it be outside influences, or from the inside influences, the enemy of our souls wants to destroy the Christian, and the best way to get to the Christian is to destroy the church. We must understand this and be willing to do what it takes so that God is glorified, and His name is exalted.

Yes, we as Christ’s church will face adversity, we will also suffer, but it is how we deal and respond to that suffering that makes the difference. Do we continue to fight the good fight of faith, or do we run with our tails between our legs? Do we stand up and proclaim the Gospel in midst of troubling times or do we give in to the enemy and admit defeat? Do we stay committed to prayer and the study of God’s Word and acting in obedience to it, or do we conform to what the world wants us to do and be. Folks, these last days, attacks on the church will increase, and we must have an attitude of victory amid adversity. During the time of this letter, it was when the city of Rome burned by emperor Nero, and he chose Christians as the scapegoat. Christians in that day went through unspeakable torment, persecution, and suffering. The Apostle Peter was telling the New Testament church during his day, and he is telling us today is that our attitude, our determination, and our approach to Adversity and suffering is what sets us apart from the world and will make us the last ones standing when it is all said and done.

I would like to make a few points on why we suffer….

(Verses 1-2) We are called to suffer because Jesus suffered…

"Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, as to live for the rest of time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. I love the word ‘therefore’ which means “for this very reason” or “because of that.” Peter is telling us that we as Christians must be willing to suffer in the flesh, knowing that by our suffering it will produce the greatest victory. Christians should arm themselves with the same way of thinking, the same thought process that came to fruition in the suffering of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We can be victorious in suffering, even to the point of losing our lives for the sake of the Gospel. What I mean is that Christians should understand that the Gospel calls for us accept that potential death comes with following Jesus. Each day, the we must have the mindset of proclaiming the Gospel until death. Peter understood this and was willing to sacrifice himself so that he could have a condition that is free from sin. In Philippians 2:5-8 Paul says, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” We carry that same resolve because His Spirit lives in us. We must be willing to sacrifice it all for the sake of the Gospel. Once again, we are called to suffer because He suffered for us.

(Verses 3-7) We Suffer because the world hates us… “For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. WITH RESPECT TO THIS THEY ARE SURPRISED WHEN YOU DO NOT JOIN THEM IN THE SAME FLOOD OF DEBAUCHERY, AND THEY MALIGN (DO EVIL TO, PERSECUTE, OPPRESS, CRITICIZE, SPITEFUL TO) YOU. They will pay a steep price for what they do…. But they will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the Gospel (the Good News) was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in flesh the way people are they might live in the spirit the way God does.” The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be self-controlled and sober minded for the sake of your prayers.”

The world hates us because we no longer engage in a consistent pattern of sin as they do. Sin for the Christian has become a weight that drags them down rather than pleasures that make them happy. Former friends, family, and even church members are astonished, surprised, and yes, angry and vindictive because you longer care about the pleasures of this world. We Christians long to have the mind of Christ. Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what the will of God is, what is good, acceptable, and perfect.” We no longer live according to the ‘god of this world,’ meaning Satan and the world’s warped perception of living, and for us going against that, it comes with a price. We see even now that proclaiming the Gospel is viewed by the world as hate speech. But my fellow workers in Christ Jesus we are called to be in the world but not of the world. In this world, everything must be accepted, and if you disagree with anything you are on the outside looking. As followers of Christ, we want to be on the outside; we hold true to what is right no matter what the cost.

This world has become afraid to call a spade a spade. We even have some churches who have conformed, agreeing with the world on issues based on man’s selfish reasoning instead of God’s commands. We are scared to say that homosexuality is wrong, sex outside of marriage is wrong, same-sex marriage is wrong, adultery is wrong, and abortion is wrong. We as believers suffer ridicule, persecution, and death because we proclaim the Gospel truth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Paul says in Romans 8:36, Paul is reiterating Psalms 44:22 when he says, “As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” To the world, we may not be much in this life, but we must remember we are treasures in the eyes of Christ. Lastly, we see that it is getting closer and closer to the coming of our Lord, so we must be watchful, focused on kingdom business. We need to have a prayerful attitude, earnestly seeking the Lord in all things as we navigate through our sufferings as the body of Christ.

(Verses 8-11) We are called to suffer to bear one another’s burdens… “Keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God Supplies--in order that in everything God may be Glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever. Amen. A few things Peter mentions…

Love one another earnestly: With sincere and intense conviction we love one another. How do we do this? By giving godly wisdom to a downcast brother or sister, encouraging them as they navigate through the challenging times of life. As Scripture say, “weep with those who weep.”

Show hospitality without grumbling: If a brother and sister come to you for something, do it out of your love for the Lord and those who are created in His image and likeness. Share their pain and their sorrow, because as Christians we are all part of the body of Christ. Paul says in Galatians 6:10, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially those of the household of faith.”

Serve one another: If a brother and sister have a need, let us tend to that need. If it affects us in some way, let us remember that what we seek is not of this world; we seek heavenly riches. Another thing is that All (not some) born again believers have a spiritual gift to impart of the fullness of Christ, to equip, encourage and exhort the saints, and fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord.

With the strength that God supplies. Everything we need to bear one another’s burdens, is given by Almighty God. Paul tells us in Galatians 6:2 to “Bear one another’s burden, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

IV. (Verses 12-19) Our Suffering Glorifies God

Peter is telling us that we shouldn’t be sad or downcast when we are ridiculed, insulted, and persecuted because of our faith! Peter says in verse 14 that if we are insulted for the name of Christ, we are blessed! If we suffer for doing good, if we suffer for the glory of the kingdom, we should be singing and shouting, thankful just to get a taste of what our Lord and Savior had to endure! Peter says we are blessed because the Spirit of glory rests on us! We are not to be ashamed, but we are to glorify God!

I’ll leave you with this folks, as I mentioned before, suffering comes with the territory. We can either use it as a catalyst to increase our faith, trust more, be patient and love one another through our struggles as believers, or we could react as the world does which benefits nothing or no one. I choose to rejoice in my suffering, because that lets me know that God is being glorified in it. We cannot be selfish or self-centered because the eternal destiny of millions are at stake. We need to use our gifts for the Kingdom of God, we must be willing to go all the way, even to the point of death. When we have this sense of urgency, when we are willing to give 100 percent of ourselves for the sake of the Gospel, mountains can and will be moved. It does not matter the number of people you have in your congregation because Jesus said, when there are two or three gathered in His name, He is in the midst. The I Am is right here! We as a body suffer together, rejoice together, and glorify God together. God bless you all.