1 Peter 4 Where Judgement Begins

1 Peter 4:12-19

Suffering… It is not a strange thing. It is common. It is normal. All people will suffer in this world. Christians will suffer in this world. Christians will suffer for being Christian in this world.

This is not strange. Christ suffered. Christians in the 1st century suffered. Christians all the way up until now will suffer. Its almost strange.... if we don’t suffer.

This morning: How shall a Christian suffer as Christian? With the right mindset, with the mind of Christ. We understand where it comes from and we understand that to suffer for Christ is a privilege.

Persecution for the cause/sake of Christ is a privilege. Being laughed at, being slandered, being hurt, rejected because of who you are as a Christian… is a privilege.

How is that? You are partaking of the same sufferings as Christ, sharing in the same sufferings that He has suffered. You are feeling similar pains, and enduring similar treatment.

Now: Maybe we have not suffered for our faith to the point of shedding blood… But when we feel the pain… The pain of Christian suffering... This is what we do...

We do not go inward to wallow in self-pity or pride. We do not go to the lie (God has forsaken me, Christ does not love me; surely I have done something wrong.) No, we go to truth, we go to God’s Word, God’s promises… we go to...

Hebrews 12:2-4 “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”

But we are all looking to the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and who has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God… Verse 1 - We remove the hindrances and run as hard as we can for the Savior...

And when His glory is revealed… you will also be glad with exceeding joy. When He comes, when we shall see Him, and we shall be like like and experience this glorious experience together… and on that day...

Romans 8:18 - I will consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with that glory which shall be revealed in us...

Verse 14 - So, Christian, blessed are you when you suffer for His name’s sake. Blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you...

Look at Acts 7:55-60 - Stephen was preaching Jesus. The people hated Stephen for standing for Jesus. The people threw rocks at Stephen until he died. The people that surrounded him snarled and hated him… But look… Jesus is standing and approving Stephen while the world hates him.

God sees all, he sees you. He sees what you are going through and how you are going through it. One day, your name will be called out, you will be honored on behalf of heaven and you will be exceedingly glad… Joyful that you stood firm and suffered well in this life until the end.

Listen: Such a future hope changes our hearts and minds today. Such a hope and excitement keeps us moving forward with joy and strength. We can even rejoice through the pain, as we look forward to what will be.

Church: Do you see it? Do you see Him? Do you see heaven?

God is with you. God is in you. God knows what you are going through. God is going to get you through it. God is going to bring you to Himself and He will reward you on that day.

Verse 15 - Suffer, and suffer well for Him. He is worth it. Suffer for Christ and for doing what is honoring to Him. Suffer for the Gospel. Suffer for what is right. Suffer for what is good.

Church: Do not suffer for what you should be ashamed of. Do not suffer by sinning against God or neighbor. Do not kill those who persecute you; do not steal form them or seek to overthrow them, by scheming and plotting, meddling in the political matters of men, and using worldly techniques to cause revolutions or riotous movements.

No, change the culture and the world by being Christian. Change people by the message and by your Christian life being lived out.

Exalt Jesus, not your politics. Exalt Jesus, not your agenda. Exalt Jesus, not your talents and abilities. Exalt Jesus, not your intellect.

Do it Jesus’ way. Suffer according to the will of God. Commit your soul to Him. Do good. Be faithful. And let God do what only He can do. Let God do His work through you.

Lastly, verse 17: The time has come for judgement to begin at the house of God...

Trials are coming to the church now. God is over the trials and He is with us through the trials.

Does God allow the trials. Yes, God allows trials to come. And what He allows to come, can and will do a good work in and through us.

What all does God do to church through suffering?

God is purging, chastening, and purifying the church then and the church now. The Lord brings pain to strengthen the church, to transform the church, to mature the church… and to separate the saints from the ain’ts.

God can and will allow much tribulation to come our way, for our own good, for the beauty of the Church, and for His own glory.

Romans 5:3-5 - tribulation produces endurance, character and hope. James 1:2-4 - Trials produce patience and they make believers mature Christians.

Hebrews 12:7-11 - God, the Father, is in the business of raising godly children, and God allows pain to come in order to produce more spiritual fruit, for our profit, to be trained by it, for some sort of good that God will produce.

Someone reading this may shout: “But what about unbelievers? It seems they suffer less than we do...”

In the Old Testament and the New, it may seem that the wicked prosper at times. It seems that they are “blessed” and are allowed to carry on in their evil without penalty, without chastising, or punishment.

Church: Do not envy them. Do not be consumed or worried about this. God is Just. God is their Judge.

And, If God allows this kind of judgement, this chastising and suffering to come to His children, what will come to those who are not His?

Church, we will have our trials and suffering now… but we will have our glory and honor later. We will have our pain now, but our heaven later.

Christian: Do not compromise. The best is yet to come. Your reward is coming.

But: Unbeliever, you will have your heaven now, and your hell later. You will have your pleasures now, and your pain later. The only heaven you will ever know is this life and this world. The worse is yet to come for you unless you repent.

So: Everyone, run to Christ before it is too late. Everyone, run to Christ and find comfort and refuge for your souls.

Everyone who is suffering, there is a Comforter, a Savior, a Helper, and Friend Who will lead you to and guide you through, with His presence… throughout this life.

He will never give you more than what He can handle.

Come and rest in Him.

Oh sinner and saint, commit your souls to the Faithful Creator. Commit your souls to Him today. Live to know Him. Live to serve Him. Live for Him through the pain, and experience your heaven in the future, with Him.