Chosen: Undeserved Suffering

1 Peter 3:13-17 “13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 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, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.”

Recently, as I was studying for this message, I heard about a man named Graham Stains

Graham was an Australian missionary who had moved to India in 1965 to work with the poor and underprivileged people of the country

Particularly with the lepers. He built a clinic and he taught people various trades and skills to give them ways of providing for their own needs.

And along with that, he shared the Gospel with them

There were various attempts from the radical Hindu community to get him to stop, accusing him of forcefully converting people to Christianity

But Graham wasn’t worried about it and kept serving.

In January of 1999, Graham and his two sons: 10-year old Philip, and 6-year old Timothy, were on a trip and had arrived at a village and were sleeping in their van in front of a sort of make-shift Christian church in this village

Their vehicle was set upon by an armed mob who poured gasoline over their vehicle and set it on fire, and Graham and his two sons were unable to escape.

And they died a horrible death there

Suffering.

What do we do with suffering like this

And the suffering of countless others who have lived faithfully for Jesus, yet suffer?

When you know that you love God, are walking daily with Jesus, living openly, honestly, and humbly with the brotherhood of believers,

And yet, you find yourself in a season of suffering.

As we have noted before, we, here in this church and community do experience suffering.

Just because we live in a world that is broken by sin, all of us experience tragedy, hardship, difficulty, suffering,

This is something that everyone in the world deals with

and it’s hard for us to understand why.

But for those who have been called, Chosen,

There is a very specific A very specific kind of suffering.

And this is a kind of suffering that we have very little experience with.

That is, suffering for the sake of righteousness

Our forefathers knew suffering.

Men like Felix Manz, George Blaurock, Michael Sattler, Hans Hut, and thousands more men and women died terrible deaths for the cause of Jesus Christ

But for generations, we have lived in this land relatively untouched and unopposed. the Mennonites and Amish are more of a curiosity to folks rather than an offense to anyone

And it’s hard for us to imagine this kind of suffering and to even think that this could happen to us

But, Peter is writing to folks who realize that this is a distinct possibility for them

The persecution of Believers was not yet at its fullest during this time, but it was common enough for these men and women to know that it was possible for them.

And so, Peter wants to give them something to think about as they face this possibility

So, here are some tools and some ideas as we think about suffering:

Good works are generally accepted

He starts with a rhetorical question

(do you know what a rhetorical question is?)

It’s a question used to make a point, rather than one to be answered

Example: a kid goes down to Yotty’s and gets an icecream cone.

A bigger kid comes along and knocks his cone to the ground

The little kid yells, “Hey, who do you think you are?”

Now you don’t expect the big kid to say, “Well, my name’s Bobby, and I live up there on 6th street. I like bike riding and baseball...”

No, that was a rhetorical question!

If you do what is good, who is going to harm you?

Well, who indeed?

Here’s the thing: even the world loves good works.

Even the world loves charities and giving money to non-profits and “good” causes

In 2022, the 100 top charities in the United States took in a combined total of almost $59 Billion, just from private donations!

(that’s from people like you and me)

BTW, only a very small fraction of those 100 were “Religious”: Wycliff Bible Translators and Samaritan’s Purse were in that list

The world loves doing “good work” and generally the world isn’t goign to harm you for simply for doing good things

But there is a very marked difference between Believers and the world

See, Believers aren’t called to merely perform good works. Anybody can do good works

Anybody can throw money at charities

Anybody can show up and help their neighbors clean up their properties after a tornado

But Believers are called to much more than that: We are called to righteousness.

And this is where the rub really starts to come in.

This is where the world is going to start restless and antsy and going to start pushing back at Christians

Because Believers are called to Righteousness.

True righteousness is that which comes only through Jesus Christ

It is the imputed righteousness, or that which is credited to us through faith in Jesus Christ

It is that righteousness which shines the light on the wicked and fallen condition of our hearts yet is given to us through no effort of our own

It goes far deeper than “doing good works”. It addresses the heart—the thoughts and motives and intentions of our hearts

It is Christ’s righteousness which proclaims our “goodness” to be like filthy rags.

Our goodness, our good works, don’t earn brownie points with God

But we aren’t just called to personal righteousness. Believers are called to point the world toward the true righteousness of Christ

And this is where Believers will meet opposition. And this will bring suffering

There is blessing in suffering for the sake of righteousness.

"Even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness”

Peter doesnt’ say here that you absolutely will suffer for the sake of righteousness

Rather, he speaks in somewhat general terms. Even if you suffer for righteousness sake, there is blessing in that!

The key is that you suffer for the sake of righteousness.

Something that we have to face up to is that not all Believers (or those who call themselves Believers) are that interested in righteousness

There are some who may have the intent of doing good, but are not very Christ-like about it

There have been numbers of people and groups who have been extremely hateful and offensive in their supposed efforts to do good

And they portray themselves and martyrs when they are not accepted

But we are taught here that there is blessing in being persecuted for the sake of righeousness

If your main concern is being right with God through Jesus, and pointing others toward the righteousness of Christ, then you can expect opposition

Whether it is just verbal

Or it goes to the extent of physical violence

2 Timothy 3:12 “12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”

Does that mean if we aren’t being beaten and killed, that we aren’t living godly, or living righteously? No not necessarily However:

We should ask the question

Are we content merely with good works, or are we actually more concerned with righteousness?

Then, expect that the likelihood of suffering and persecution is going to be ramped up.

But there is great blessing in that because it is a sign that we are living as Jesus told us to live.

This word translated “blessing” is the same word that Jesus would have used in the Sermon on the Mount

Matt. 5:11 “11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”

“Blessed” doesn’t mean lucky or happy

But it does mean “fortunate” and “highly favored”

We are fortunate to suffer? We are highly favored to suffer?

Yes, because in the next verse, Jesus says, “Rejoice! Be very GLAD. Because great is your reward in heaven!

This tells of an eternal focus that realizes our life on this earth is truly brief, and our true reward lies in eternity.

And if God asks you to suffer for Him, that means that He has also chosen you for a great reward!

That is why the apostles in Acts 5 rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for Him. No doubt they remembered the words of Jesus here in Matt. 5.

I imagine it being like an officer choosing a soldier for a special mission, full of danger and hardship and suffering. But at the other end, there is great reward and special recognition and the thanks of a nation

There is blessing in suffering because the reward in Heaven is great for those who have been chosen for this special mission!

Preparation for suffering begins in our hearts

Peter reminds us, Don’t be scared of this thought of suffering. Don’t let it bother you.

Instead, inwardly begin to make preparation for this.

And here’s where it starts:

In your hearts, honor Christ the Lord as holy

In your hearts, before suffering even comes your way, sanctify Christ.

Set Him apart as being your only focus, your only prize, your only joy

In the year 1653, the German poet Johann Franck wrote a poem Jesu Meine Freude. The English translation is: Jesus, priceless treasure, source of purest pleasure, truest friend to me, long my heart hath panted, till it well-nigh fainted, thirsting after thee. Thine I am, O spotless Lamb, I will suffer naught to hide thee, ask for naught beside thee.

Preparation for suffering for righteousness begins with having Christ set apart as Lord of your heart..having a heart that longs for Him above

Anything in life

Health, safety, food, drink, whatever it is

Being prepared to make a defense

Here’s a tough question: Are you prepared to make a defense of your faith

The word is apologia. It is where we get our word “apologetics”

this doesn’t mean, as I’m sure you know, that when we are confronted about our faith, we say, “I’m so sorry. Sorry to have offended you”

Rather it means, a defense, an answer. Be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about the hope that you have

And are you ready to do that?

This is why I tend to preach or teach as I do..walking us through books of the Bible, because this where we discover Christ, our foundation

Can you give a reasoned and clear defense of your faith?

This might scare some of us

We may think that this is saying that we have to be ready to be ready to debate the smartest agnostics or atheists

But no. It just means knowing the foundation of your faith and being ready to express it

You don’t have to be the smartest or the most well-spoken and know all the theological arguments.

But it does mean being ready to say:

Here’s what I know:

God created people to be in fellowship with Him

Sin and rebellion broke that relationship

But Jesus came and made a way for us to be reconciled (or enter back into fellowship) with God our Father

But here’s the key: It must be done with gentleness and respect (vs. 15)

This has not always been the case when it comes to Christians

Believers can be abrasive and abusive, unfortunately.

e.g. Social media

If you go into the city or urban centers, you can walk past Christians who are yelling through megaphones and waving their Bibles, and people trying to scurry out of the way

But we are commanded here. When it comes to making a defense of our faith to do it gently

I so much appreciate watching apologists on videos who may be doing a Q&A period and they may get an angry and agressive question

And yet, they give a calm and carefully measured response, full of grace

Have a good conscience

This is so important when it comes to suffering

It’s when your faith is really being put to the test that Satan comes with all kind of accusation

“if you had just said things differently, or done things differently, or if you had planned differently, you wouln’t be in this situation

Or, “God doesn’t really care about you”

He may try to convince you like Job’s wife did: “Curse God and die”

But we are reminded here to have a clear conscience before God

To know that there is no hidden sin…that your relationship with God is good, that your relationship with others is good

That this suffering is not because you are being punished for sin

Or if it is, that we acknowledge that sin before God and reach out to Him for mercy

To know that your life is consistent with what you profess

We are reminded in this passage that

consistency of life

living openly and honestly with others and before God

Is so important when it comes to suffering

Because in living this way, we are not supplying the enemy with ammunition

It says, “So, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame”

The key, again, is good behavior in Christ.

Not just any good works, but that which comes from living in Christ. The fruit of abiding in Christ

In the end, when your life, your testimony in Christ is slandered, those who revile you will be put to shame

If not in this life, certainly in the life to come.

Because in the end, it is not you they are slandering. It is not you they are persecuting

It’s Christ Himself!

You, however, can live with a clear conscience

So, again, I know that we have talked about this before,

But, church, what would your response be

What would my response be, if we were to find ourselves persecuted and killed for the sake of righteousness?

This is a real and challenging question.

Because we have a hard enough time blessing and praying for those in our country who we feel have a harmful and evil agenda.

They may have done nothing personally to us, but we are upset about laws they may have put in place or policies, or things they say on the media.

What is our response to them?

Gladys Staines, the widow of Graham stains 10 years after her husband and two young sons died a horrific death for the cause of Christ said this in an interview:

"During these ten years, there have been times of sadness, I feel sad that I do not have my husband to support me, to guard me, but these are just momentary emotions of sadness which also fill me with great hope, the hope of heaven and of being reunited with my husband and children in paradise and seeing the Father face to face. This guarantee fills me with consolation.

"I cannot express how I felt when I got the news of my husband and sons being burnt alive. I told my daughter Esther that though we had been
left alone, we would forgive and my daughter replied, 'Yes, we will'.

And Gladys and her daughter stayed for years after this and continued to serve the people of India

May God give us the strength and the grace to live this way