1 Peter 4:12-19

1 Peter 4:12-19

Turn to 1 Peter 4.

A man who went to the perfume counter and told the clerk he’d like a bottle of Chanel No. 5 for his wife’s birthday. The clerk smiled and said, “A little surprise, eh?” “You bet,” answered the customer, “She’s expecting a cruise.”

There was a couple who had been debating the purchase of a new car for weeks. He wanted a new truck but she wanted a fast little sports car so she could zip through traffic around town. While he would probably have settled on any beat up old truck, everything she seemed to like was way out of their price range. “Look!” the man’s wife said, “I want something that goes from 0 to 200 in 4 seconds or less. And my birthday is coming up. Why don’t you surprise me?” So, for her birthday, he bought her a brand new bathroom scale.

Those were definitely some surprises.

A surprise is an event or something you receive that you weren’t expecting. In our passage this evening Peter talks about not being surprised. He wants to prepare us in advance for what is about to happen so we won’t be surprised when it does. If you remember the main subject of Peter’s letter, you’ll know it’s about persecution and suffering.

In this letter Peter writes about suffering almost two dozen times. Why does Peter have so much to say about this topic? First, he writes so much about it because suffering is common to all people. Everyone endures pain, heartaches, and tragedies. Second, because his readers were going though persecution even as he wrote and history tells us that persecution only got worse in the months to come. And third, he has so much to say about suffering because God alone has an answer for it.

So, what hope and encouragement can we learn about suffering from Peter in this passage?

First, Peter says not to be surprised.

1 Peter 4:12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

Peter is telling his readers there’s no reason to be surprised when suffering comes. Instead, suffering should be expected. It’s like being surprised you got wet when you jumped in the pool or were surprised that it snowed on Roan Mountain in the winter. Those things happen. It’s the nature of life. And so is suffering. Don’t be surprised you get wet, don’t be surprised there’s snow, and don’t be surprised that you suffer because you are a follower of Jesus.

Perhaps you heard about the teacher in Leesburg, Virginia who told the school board that he would not teach gender transitioning. He said:

I love all of my students but I will never lie to them regardless of the consequences. I’m a teacher but I serve God first and I will not affirm that a biological boy can be a girl, and vice versa, because it’s against my religion. It’s lying to a child, it’s abuse to a child, and it’s sinning against our God.

The teacher has been put on administrative leave. He’s not allowed to work because of his beliefs.

Jesus consistently warned the disciples that this would happen.

John 15:21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.

And again:

John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

On September 11, 2001, Flight 93 was crashed in a Pennsylvania field. You may recall that one of the passengers was able to call his wife before the crash. He told her, “Our plane has been hijacked. There are three men on board who say they have a bomb. They have already killed one passenger. Please call the authorities.” His wife, recounting the conversation, said, “The entire conversation as it was going on, my thoughts were these: ‘No, no, no. This can't be happening. We have good jobs. We have great kids. Things like this don't happen to people like us.’ ” But they were happening to her. And bad things continue to happen. We live in a fallen world that is in open rebellion against God. Why would we not expect bad things to happen?

When surveyed about what one question they would most like to ask God, the number one question usually revolves around suffering. People want to know why God allows it and where he is when it happens. The majority think God did a pretty good job creating the world but would give him a higher rank if it were not for suffering. The problem is they don’t understand God’s role in suffering or his answer to it.

A few years ago Philip Yancey was invited to Newtown, Connecticut to talk to some grieving parents after the Sand Hook shooting. They wanted him to come and talk to them about pain and suffering and God. As he prepared for what he would say Yancey said something dawned on him. He knew when he reached Newtown that he’d be asked where God was when that tragedy took place, but he said a much harder question is, “Where is no-God when it hurts?” He explains it like this:

The atheist will tell people that the universe is random and there’s just sort of this blind indifference rather than a meaning and a purpose behind it. [However], I notice that these atheists are never asked to speak as such places like Sandy Hook Elementary School, because whatever they would have to say would never be of comfort to the parents.

People may blame God for their suffering, but they still call on those who believe in God to help them through, not someone who says there is no God. Imagine an atheist standing up and saying:

Well, the universe is random? Bad things happen. Get used to it. Your children aren’t alive anymore. That’s just what happens.

There’s no comfort in that. So instead they ask a preacher or they ask a Christian author like Yancey who has written on the problem of suffering to speak at those places, because a Christian will stand up and say:

What happened was tragic. It should never have happened. We should be angry at that kind of evil. However, we believe there is a good God who will make all things work together for your good if you trust him. And for those who trust him God promises life beyond the grave.

That is where we find hope for our suffering. A Christian will suffer differently than somebody who doesn't have that hope. We find our hope not it our circumstances but in God. Don’t be surprised when trails happen though.

Second, Peter says to rejoice.

1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

Instead of being shocked by these events and doubting God, Peter tells his readers to rejoice. Why would Peter tell us to rejoice? The Bible gives several reasons why we should rejoice when we suffer. Perhaps the biggest reason is that suffering refines our faith and helps us mature as believers. Turn back to chapter 1. There Peter wrote:

1 Peter 1:6-7 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

And James wrote that we should:

James 1:2-4 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Persecution and suffering help us focus on what’s really important which in turn helps us follow closer to Jesus.

Jesus said we should rejoice with suffering because of the rewards we will receive.

Matthew 5:11-12 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.

Peter gives us another reason for rejoicing in trial. He says we’re to rejoice because our suffering ties our lives to the experience of Jesus. The persecution we experience gives us an opportunity to “participate” in the sufferings of Christ. Paul taught the Colossians that his own sufferings completed the sufferings of Christ.

Colossians 1:24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.

It’s not that Jesus didn’t suffer enough, but that there is suffering we experience now that helps others even as the suffering of Jesus helps us and brought salvation. For example, the persecution of that teacher may cause some to question the lies that are being told about transgenderism and it may encourage others to stand for the truth.

Here’s another example of how our suffering can fill up the suffering of Christ. Just west of Joss, Nigeria (which is where Sung Bauta is from) is the small of Miango. Behind one of the churches in Miango is a small cemetery with fifty-six graves. Thirty-three of them hold the bodies of children of Christian missionaries. This was the cost of taking the gospel to Nigeria for many families. Charles White told his story about visiting this little graveyard and ended it with a tremendously powerful sentence. He said:

The only way we can understand the graveyard at Miango is to remember that God also buried his Son on the mission field. And when He raised Him from the dead, he called the church to follow Him into the same dangerous field called “all the world.” The question we must answer is are we willing to follow?

Those families suffered the death of their children as a result of taking the gospel. But if they hadn’t gone who would have told them about Jesus? Are we willing to follow Jesus when it is difficult? Will we follow him when it is dangerous? Will we follow him if it causes pain, suffering and even death?

One particularly interesting story of Christians rejoicing in suffering is that of the apostles in Acts 5. They had been arrested by the high priest and the Sadducees but during the night an angel came and let them out. The next day when they met to decide what to do the apostles they couldn’t be found. Finally, someone came and told them the apostles were outside preaching. They were arrested again.

Acts 5:40-42 40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

They rejoiced because they had been counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ. But they also knew that one day their suffering would be turned to joy. As Paul told the Romans:

Romans 8:17-18 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

For all these reasons and more, Peter instructs us to rejoice when we face persecution and suffering.

Third, Peter says to remain faithful.

1 Peter 4:14-16 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

I want you to notice verse 16 where Peter talks about suffering as a Christian. It is one of only three places in the Bible that mentions the word “Christian.” The early church didn’t refer to themselves as Christians. They called themselves disciples, believers, followers of the Way or brethren. It is thought ath the name Christian was originally a derogatory term or nickname given to them by Romans who wanted to come up with a term that set them apart from the Jews and especially from the rest of the Roman Empire. Those in the Roman Empire were called Kaisarianos or followers of Caesar. They held allegiance to Caesar, they paid their taxes to Caesar, and they weren’t antagonistic against the government.

Because the disciples didn't give the all-allegiant bow to Caesar, they were given a different title, Christianos. They're followers of Christ, not Caesar. They wouldn't say that Caesar was lord; they kept talking about Jesus being Lord. So it was a derogatory term. However, over time these early believers took on the name Christian. They just thought, "It's sort of filling to call ourselves this derogatory term, because we embrace being followers of Jesus Christ."

Peter reminds his readers that final they must remain faithful and not suffer – even if it’s just being called a derogatory name – because they deserve it. Suffering for the name of Christ is acceptable and will be rewarded, but suffering for sinful behavior is unacceptable and is deserving of punishment.

Peter mentions some things that might cause a person to suffer. If you were to murder someone your suffering would be just. If you take something that doesn’t belong to you the suffering you received as a result would be just. Then he broadly mentions and other kind of criminal activity. If we break the law we can expect to suffer. But then Peter adds an additional category. He talks about a meddler. What is a meddler? Here is how two other translations word it:

Prying into other people’s affairs (NLT)

A troublesome meddler interfering in the affairs of others (Amplified Bible)

I think it’s interesting that he lists meddling with murderers and thieves. The point is we should avoid those things that will deservedly bring suffering on us. At that time Christians were under assault unjustly. Any kind of evil behavior would add to an already difficult situation and needed to be eliminated. As Christians we should live godly and good lives so that there may be no just cause to our persecution and suffering. It is when we suffer for doing what is right, rather than for what is wrong, that we are blessed.

Fourth, remember where judgment starts.

1 Peter 4:17-18 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

It may seem strange to think that God will start his judgment with his own people. We can think of lots of people who deserve his judgment more, but this has always been the way God acts. In the Old Testament we read:

Jeremiah 25:29 See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword on all who live on the earth, declares the Lord Almighty.

Amos 3:2 You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.

Do you remember the message Jesus had for the seven churches in the Book of Revelation? To five of them it was a message to repentant and judgment if they did not.

Ephesus: I will remove your lampstand. (Revelation 2:5)

Pergamum: I am coming to judge you. (Revelation 2:16)

Thyatira: I am going to bring death and sickness to you congregation. (Revelation 2:22-23)

Sardis: If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief. (Revelation 3:3)

Laodicea: I will spit you out. (Revelation 3:16)

God’s judgment is always done for a purpose and always with a reason. Why was God going to bring judgment to those five churches?

Ephesus: They had lost their first love

Pergamum: The teaching of false doctrine

Thyatira: Condoning of immorality

Sardis: They were spiritually dead

Laodicea: They had become apathetic

God starts with his people because they should know better, but also because he wants to see them do better. The author of Hebrews says that God disciplines those he loves. It’s when he stops disciplining us that there’s a problem.

That God starts with his own though should be a warning to unbelievers. If God will punish those who love him, how will he treat those who don’t? Paul wrote:

2 Thessalonians 1:8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Though God disciplines his own people now through persecution, his future judgment of the unbelievers will be infinitely more devastating. It is much better for us to endure some suffering now than to later bear eternal torment.

And fifth, stay committed to God.

1 Peter 4:19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

The Greek word translated “commit” was a banking term. You deposit your money in the bank with the understanding it will be safely kept. It’s the word Jesus used from the cross.

Luke 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

Likewise, we commit our lives to God believing he will take care of us. That doesn’t mean we won’t have any problems. As we’ve already seen, we know we will and shouldn’t be surprised by them. Therefore, when we go through trials we need trust him. Turning our backs on God because of difficulties won’t fix whatever is happening; it will only make us weaker. It is God who gives us strength to make it through.

When C. S. Lewis was asked the question, “Why do the righteous suffer?” He said, “Why not? They're the only ones who can take it.”

It is easy to think that God has abandoned us in our darkest hour. We need to understand that God still love you and is still there for you.