How To Stand Strong In A World Gone Wrong

1Since 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, 2so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3For 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. 4With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6For 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.

OUTLINE

I. Be Prepared To Suffer Rather Than Sin. (4:1-2)

II. Live Differently, Despite the World’s Hostility. (4:3-4)

III. Trust in God’s Ultimate Judgment. (4:5-6)

TRANSCRIPT

Introduction

If you're new to our church, I like to preach in series of messages. Typically, we'll take a book of the Bible and we'll just walk through it week by week. And we started that last year in the book of First Peter in the New Testament. And then we took a pause because of a special series in the month of October. And then we took another pause in December for Christmas.

So today we're going to go back to this series called Living Hope. And today I want to take you to First Peter, chapter four, verses one through six. I want to bring a message entitled “How to Stand Strong in a World Gone Wrong.” So you'll open up your Bible there. We'll read it in just a moment.

You know, in our United States military, every branch has what they call readiness units. These are units that are prepared to respond to disaster or danger at a moment's notice. The army has the brigade combat teams and immediate response forces. The Navy has carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups. The Air Force has Rapid Deployment Squadrons and Air Mobility Command. The Marines, well, they're just Marines. Say no more. But they also have Marine Expeditionary Units. The National Guard and Reserves have certain units that have been designated as readiness units to support domestic emergencies or to go along active duty forces.

And so the United States military recognizes that a danger could come at any moment, and we need to be prepared. The reason I share that with you is because at the beginning of this new year, I think as Christians, we should be reminded that living for Christ is not easy. The Christian life is not a playground. It's a battleground. And if we are not prepared to face the sin, the temptations, and the pressure of our culture to conform to the world rather than live for Jesus, then we are gonna find ourselves defeated.

We need to be ready. It is not a matter of if sin will knock at your door. It's not a matter of if you'll be tempted to stray from God. It is not a matter of if our culture will seek to conform you into its image and to squelch your faith in Christ.

It's just a matter of when and how. And it's a matter of will you be ready when that time comes? Many of us have New Year's resolutions. A couple of mine have to do with the scales in my bathroom and some exercise equipment that sits idle.

But, you know, another resolution that maybe many of us have is not in the physical, but it's in the spiritual. That we want to be more like Jesus and we want to live for him more in 2025 than we did in 2024. Dear friend, that's not going to come easily.

The Christian life is not like those moving sidewalks in the Atlanta airport. And by the way, this is a public service announcement. It's not meant for you to just stand. When you get on that thing, keep walking. It just gets you there a little faster. But some folks think that the Christian faith is just standing there until we get to heaven, but it's not. It is not a playground. It's a battleground. It's gonna be a battle. It's gonna be a fight to the finish to live for Jesus.

And our young people are living in a world that I think is harder to live for Jesus today than it was 20, 30, 40 years ago. And so if you're going to live for Christ in 2025, you're going to have to be intentional and be ready and be prepared.

You're going to have to know how to stand strong in a world gone wrong. And that's what the Apostle Peter is concerned about here in this section of his letter. He wrote this letter in the first century to Christians who were scattered throughout the Roman Empire, and they're finding it difficult to face the struggles and the sin and the temptations of life. And they're finding themselves under increasing pressure by the government and by the culture around them to forsake their faith in Jesus and to live like the rest of the world. And so he wants them to know how to stand strong.

And I think these lessons for them apply to me and you today in the 21st century. I want to read the passage of Scripture together. You can read it silently from your copy of God's Word as I read out loud from the English Standard Version. And then I want to come back and give you three keys that will help you stand strong in a world gone wrong.

1 Peter 4:1–6 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.

May God bless the reading of his holy word.

If you're taking notes, I want to give you three keys to standing strong in a world gone wrong.

I. Be Prepared To Suffer Rather Than Sin.

First of all, if you want to stand strong, you need to be prepared to suffer rather than sin.

You need to be prepared to suffer rather than sin. The time is gonna come where you're gonna have to make a choice. Do I sin and go along with the crowd, or do I say no to that sin, even if it means I suffer for standing for Jesus? And if you want to stand strong in a world gone wrong, you better be ready. You should be prepared, you should have your mind set that you are willing to suffer for Jesus if it means saying no to sin. That's what the apostle Peter means when he writes in verse one, “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking.”

He's saying, since Christ suffered, and if you call yourself a follower of Christ, it should not surprise you that you too will suffer as you follow him, as you seek to live for him. If you live in the same world that Jesus lived in, if you live in the same flesh like Jesus lived, if you face the same enemy of your soul, Satan, the devil, like Jesus did, and he suffered, then you should be prepared to suffer as well. It is not gonna be easy.

It's not always gonna be popular. It is not always going to be convenient to live out the will of God in your faith. And when you stand up and say, I'm gonna live for Jesus and I'm not gonna go along with the world and its passions and lust, be ready to suffer. You may suffer relationally when people laugh at you and break off friendships with you because you won't go along with them. You may suffer financially as you lose business deals because you will not participate in the unethical practices. You may lose popularity, you may lose a lot if you choose to live for Jesus. And you need to make up your mind. That's why he writes, “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking.” He's using a military phrase. Arm yourselves literally, put on your armor, suit up for battle, get ready to stand strong because the arrows are coming your way and you need to have the same way of thinking that Jesus had. That's what it means to arm yourself. You're not arming yourself with physical weapons. You're arming yourself with a way of thinking. You're wanting the mind of Christ to influence how you think about living for Christ.

He suffered for doing the right things. Are you willing to join him in that? Are you willing to suffer for doing the right things? And you need to make up your mind now before the temptation or trial comes. You don't want to be figuring this stuff out in the heat of the moment.

Peter says, go ahead and get prepared. Arm yourself with the same way of thinking. The Bible has a lot to say about the way we think because your beliefs will impact your behavior. Philippians 2. 5. Paul said, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…”

Romans 12:2. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

The world wants you to think like it thinks. But Peter says we need to think like Jesus thought. He thought it was more important to live for the Father, no matter the cost. And if we want to be like him, we're going to have to be ready to suffer rather than sin. And how did Jesus face suffering? I was thinking about that this week.

Prayerfully

He faced suffering prayerfully, as you look at the Gospels, prayerfully. Do you remember hours before the cross of Calvary, he has been betrayed by Judas. But before he goes to the cross, he goes to the garden of Gethsemane. And what does he do? The Bible says three times he falls down on his face before the Father in prayer. Father, if it is possible, let this cup of suffering pass from me.

And when you and I face the sufferings of doing the right thing, we're gonna have to be prayerful. We're going to have to take it to the Father. Father, I'm seeking to live for you, and I don't want to suffer. And if it's possible, take the suffering away.

Submissively

I want to be prayerful. I want to go to the Father. But Jesus also faced suffering submissively. He not only faced it prayerfully. Father, if it's possible, let this cup of suffering pass from me, He also faced it submissively. Because he said, nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done. Father, I'm willing to do the right thing all the way to the cross, if it's your will. He faced suffering prayerfully and submissively.

Silently

And he faced suffering silently. Even the apostle Peter tells us in this same letter in First Peter, chapter 2, verse 23, that when Jesus was reviled, by people he did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously. He faced his suffering silently, trusting his heavenly Father.

Joyfully

And I was reading another passage of scripture that seemed so strange. Hebrews chapter 12, where the writer of that book says that Jesus faced suffering joyfully.

Hebrews 12:2, “Who for the joy that was set before him, Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” And the writer of Hebrews continued, you consider him, lest you become weary in your soul.

Jesus faced suffering joyfully. You say, was he a masochist? How could he be joyful about suffering when he did the right thing? Jesus could face suffering joyfully because he saw beyond the suffering to your salvation. He knew that all the suffering he would endure as your Savior, taking the punishment for your sin on his own body on the cross of Calvary would bring salvation to you. And it brought him joy. Joy that on the other side of crucifixion was coronation, where he would be called King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And every knee will one day bow and every tongue confess that he is the Messiah. Joy. Because he knew that on the other side of death was resurrection life, not just for him, but eternal life for you. Joyful.

Redemptively

And he faced his suffering redemptively. This is a way in which we can't share with Jesus. He faced his suffering redemptively because it was through his suffering that that our salvation was bought. In 1 Peter 2: 24, the Apostle Peter, speaking of Jesus, said, “He himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, having died to sin, might live for righteousness. By his stripes you are healed.”

It was through his suffering that you have been saved. And while we cannot join Jesus in suffering redemptively, we can't save anyone. We can nonetheless face our suffering with joy because we have a God who is the God of Romans 8:28. He's the God who makes all things work together for good to those who love God and who are called according to his purpose.

And how do we know that verse is true? Because you're sitting here today as a follower of Jesus. Good came out of Christ's suffering. And God is still in the business of bringing good out of even the bad of life. So if we suffer like Jesus suffered, let it be not because we did wrong.

I've got a T shirt, you know. Maybe you've got a T shirt that you know you've suffered for doing wrong. Right? My father once said to me when I was a teenager, “Ricky, if you could kick the person who's responsible for most of your troubles, you wouldn't be able to sit down.” That was my dad's way of saying, look in the mirror, son. You're sitting here complaining about your life and you're the problem.

Make different choices if you want a different life. By the way, teenagers, that still is true, even for you today. You've tried it your way. Maybe it's time to listen to mom once again. Maybe it's time to listen to dad once again. Maybe it's time to listen to God and his Word once again. You've made a mess of your life. You've hurt yourself. God says some of the suffering you face is because of your own choices.

We also know what it is to suffer because we live in a broken world where we can do all the right things and suffer because other people do the wrong thing.

But there is also a suffering that can come when you do the right thing, when you stand up for your faith in Christ and you stand on your Christian values and you are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And in this world, you watch it, there will be people who will want to cancel you. There will be people who want to condemn you. There will be people who want to criticize you.

But be prepared to suffer rather than sin, just like Jesus, if you want to stand strong in a world that's gone wrong.

Elizabeth Elliot was married to Jim Elliot. They were missionaries in the 1950s. They went to Ecuador to reach an unreached people group, the Auca Indians. And after some initial success they thought eventually, those same people they went to reach with the good news of Jesus, murdered the men, and Elizabeth and other wives were left widows.

And in that moment of suffering, Elizabeth could have chosen to become bitter. But instead she kept her eyes on Jesus and it made her actually better. She went back to the same people who had murdered her husband and shared the love of Christ and the gospel of Jesus and the forgiveness of God with them and led many of them to faith in Christ, still today a Christian community because of the blood of the martyrs of Jim Elliot and others. Later, Elizabeth would write a book entitled These Strange Ashes. And she wrote,

“To be a follower of the crucified means sooner or later a personal encounter with the cross. And the cross always entails loss. The great symbol of Christianity means sacrifice, and no one who calls himself a Christian can evade this stark fact.”

Dear friend, I want you to be ready when you're tempted to sin or when you're tempted to compromise, to stand strong by being willing to suffer rather than sin.

If you're taking notes, I'll give you a second key that I think Peter would have you learn today.

II. Live Differently, Despite The World’s Hostility.

And that is you should live differently in spite of the world's hostility. If you want to stand strong in a world gone wrong, live differently in spite of the world's hostility. You'll see that in verses three and four

1 Peter 4:3–4 ESV

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;

Peter, tongue in cheek, writes for the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do. It's Peter's way of saying to Christians who have been saved out of paganism, he's saying, you've had plenty of time in your past to live sinful lives. It's high time to start living for Jesus.

And then he gives this ugly laundry list of how the lost world wants to live.

Living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.

What an ugly list. You have to remember, in the first century, these were Christians who had been saved out of paganism. They're first generation Christians. They couldn't point back and say, yeah, my great granddaddy was a gospel preacher. No, no. They were the first generation to leave their false gods, to leave their family gods and ancestors, to walk away from their pagan worship and to trust in the one true living God through faith in Jesus Christ, his Son. And their whole world was wrapped up in these false gods and pagan worship. For many of the men to provide food for their family, they were a part of a trade. They would take their skill. Maybe it's woodworking or stone cutting or artistry or food. And they would have unions, they would have trade guilds. And most of those trade guilds were dedicated to a god. We're going to be committed to the God Dionysius, and we're going to be committed to Bacchus, the God of drunkenness and wine. And so all kinds of things went along with their get togethers. It was a networking time. It was a time of meeting new people. And it was also a time of debauchery. It was Vegas on steroids.

You're going to this convention and there's all sorts of sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, lawless idolatry involved. And when Christians walked out of that lifestyle and said, I cannot do that any longer, they were losing their businesses and their financial gifts. They were losing friends and family members who would reject them and laugh at them. But they chose to live differently. And Peter, writing to that first generation, said, you've had plenty of time to live like that. It's time to live for God, not like the Gentiles.

I remember as a kid at Corinth Baptist Church in Lake Park, Georgia, hearing a hymn the church sometimes would sing, still in the hymnals today. And it was so easy, as I look back on it now as an adult, to sing it than to live it. I would sing this song. I'm not going to sing it to you, but I would sing this song, and our church would sing this song with gusto.

“I am resolved no longer to linger Charmed by the world's delights Things that are higher Things that are nobler these have allured my sight I will hasten to him I will hasten so glad and free Jesus Greatest highest I will come to thee I am resolved to go to the Savior Leaving my sin and strife he's the true one he's the just one he has the words of life I'm resolved and who will go with me? Come, friends, without delay Taught by the Bible, led by the Spirit we'll walk the heavenly way.”

We would sing that song. We sang it in the first service this morning. And as an adult, I realized that is so much easier to sing than to do.

I am resolved no longer to linger Charmed by the world's delights and yet every day I get charmed by the world's delights, thinking it's more valuable and it is greater than what God offers. And it's a lie.

And the apostle Peter says, you've got to make a choice. You've got to say, I am resolved. I've made up my mind no longer to live like I used to live. That's the B.C. part of Ricky's life—- Before Christ.

That has to be a part of my past. And for some of you today, you're not a pagan, and you weren't saved out of paganism. But for some of you, this list may look familiar to your past. For some of us, we have a different list of sins, but it's sin nonetheless, and it's who we used to be. And it pulls at us.

And people want to bring us back into the old way of life. And God says, no, you pursue Jesus now. Live differently. Resolve to go to the Savior now. When you choose to live differently, be ready to suffer the world's hostility.

Did you catch that in verse four? 1 Peter 4:4

1 Peter 4:4 ESV

With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you;

Surprised

This isn't a person or a group of people who sin once in a while. This is a lifestyle that these people are trying to pull you back into. And they are surprised when you refuse to go back, when you refuse to participate, when you stand up and say, no, I have Christian values now. God and his Word dictate my beliefs and my behaviors, not the fickle, changing opinions of the world. I stand on God's Word and I live for Jesus.

They're going to be surprised.

One of the reasons they're surprised is because they've met others who compromised and who did come back. And when you stand strong, they don't know what to do with you. They're surprised.

And they're surprised because they can't imagine life any better than what they've got.

I remember checking out at the parking garage at a hospital in Jacksonville many years ago. And I had a pastor's clergy badge, so I didn't have to pay every time I left. So I went up to the little booth and I showed my ticket and the clergy badge to the lady inside, and she said, oh, Pastor, it's so good to meet you. I'm a Christian, too. She said, I'm going to tell you, and she started giving her testimony. I'm thinking, okay, there are four cars behind us. You probably should let me go. But she's so on fire for Jesus. She was talking about she was a prostitute. She had been a drug addict. And she said, I'm gonna tell you something about Jesus and drugs. If there's a higher high than Jesus, I couldn't handle it. And we just had church right there in the parking garage at University Hospital.

People can't imagine a life better than what the world has to offer.

Oh, yeah, and there are pleasures to sin. Let's just be honest about it. If it wasn't fun, we wouldn't do it. But they're temporary and they're false and they're counterfeits to true life. Jesus said in John 10:10, it is the devil who has come, the thief who has come to steal, to kill, and to destroy. He said, but I've come that you may have life and life more abundantly than what the devil can offer you. And they're surprised.

Slanderous

They're also surprised because it convicts them. And when they're surprised at you not coming back, they become slanderous. Did you catch that in verse 4?

1 Peter 4:4 ESV

With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you;

They are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery. And they malign you. They slander you. They criticize you to your face and behind your back. They mock you for who you are. Christians, I'm going to tell you something. There are people in this world who do not like you, and they certainly don't love you. They mock you for your faith in Jesus. They laugh at you. They think you are ignorant. They think you are superstitious. They. They hate you. And you need to be prepared for that hostility from the world. Everybody's not gonna like you if you live for Jesus. They crucified him, and he says, don't be surprised when they persecute you. Matthew 5 11-12. Jesus said, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you for my sake. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Jesus says, you aren't the first to be persecuted and mocked and laughed at because of your faith in God. You won't be the last. But you rejoice because great is your reward in heaven.

And your decision to live differently despite the world's hostility is one of the keys, one of the keys to standing strong in a world gone wrong. Are you prepared for that from your family member who condemns you because of your Christian values? Are you ready to live with the hostility of a culture that mocks your faith in Jesus Christ?

So be prepared to suffer rather than sin, Live differently despite the world's hostility. And then key number three.

III. Trust In God’s Ultimate Judgment.

Trust in God's ultimate judgment. You'll see that in verses five and six. 1 Peter 4:5-6

1 Peter 4:5–6 ESV

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.

Peter, having written about those who malign you, says in verse five. But they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

Bad News

He says, ultimate judgment is coming to everyone one day, and God is ready. It's only his grace and mercy and forbearance that has kept us from standing before the judgment bar of God. But God's ready. And these people who malign your Christian faith when you won't conform to their way of living and thinking, will one day stand before him and give an account of how they've treated you and how they have rebelled against God. For the lost, this is bad news, to stand before a holy God, undone and unforgiven.

Good News

But for those who place their faith in Jesus, it's good news. Romans 8:1. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

When we stand before the Lord Jesus Christ, it will not be for us to be punished for our sin. It'll be to be rewarded for our service and to hear him say, well done, thou, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joys of thy Lord. You've been faithful over a little. I'm going to bless you with much.

The world may say, who do you think you are? But Jesus says, I know who you are. You are mine. And we stand before him one day and we will give an account and we'll be blessed. But for those who do not trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, they will stand before him in judgment because they've rejected their Savior.

There's a strange verse. It's verse six. 1 Peter 4:6

1 Peter 4:6 ESV

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.

A lot of ink has been spilled trying to interpret that verse. First, let me tell you what it doesn't mean. This verse does not teach that there is a second opportunity to get saved after you've died.

When Peter writes, for this is why the gospel was preached even to those who were dead, he is not saying, “Ah, just live like you want to live in this life. You'll get a second chance in the next. You'll hear the gospel in the next.” No. The Bible declares in the book of Hebrews, today's the day of salvation. SEE Hebrews 3:7-8; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 9:27 It is appointed unto man once to die, and after this, the judgment. Death seals your fate. There's no second chance. You need to trust Christ now.

I preached a message many years ago entitled, “It is never too soon to repent, but it will soon be too late.” And if you need Jesus, you can't do it fast enough. Trust him.

So Peter's not saying that someone's gonna go and preach the gospel to you after you're dead. What Peter is saying is those followers of Jesus who have now died have no regrets for living for Jesus in life. They heard the Gospel, the good news of Jesus, and they were saved. And now, though they've died, they have no regrets.

They were judged by men in this life, like people do, but now they're with God, alive in the spirit, like God is alive. I can tell you, if we could talk to our loved ones in Christ who have gone on and we could hear testimony from them, they would say, “You will never regret living for Jesus. You'll only regret not doing it.”

Now Peter is saying, listen, this is why the Gospel was preached even to those who are dead. They heard it when they were alive. Now they're dead. Yes, they were judged by other people in life for their faith in Jesus. But they're alive in the Spirit, the way God lives. Psalm 90, verse 12 says, “So. Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to learn wisdom.”

God, this life is short. Teach me to be conscious of that and teach me to live for you. Now will I have the chance. I've had plenty of time to live for myself and to live for the world. And to live for sin. I need this time to live for you. And I want to live for Jesus.

Conclusion:

The apostle Peter's not writing this as some practitioner in an ivory tower whose life is perfect. You do remember who this guy is who wrote this letter, don't you? He was one of the original 12 disciples of Jesus. And he had a lot going for him.

Whenever Jesus said, who do people say I am? He was the one who said you were the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus blessed him. Blessed are you, Simon Bar-jonah. Flesh and blood has not revealed that to you, but my Father in heaven.

He was spiritually in tune with the will of the Father. And he recognized Jesus for who he really was. He's the disciple that we sometimes mock for losing faith. As he stepped out of the boat and walked on water towards Jesus. And then he went down. Jesus had to save him. But you would have never gotten out of the boat.

That's the kind of faith he had. It wasn't a perfect faith, but what kind of faith is that that would cause you to trust Jesus like that, even just for that moment?

He could sometimes put his foot in his mouth, though. Peter's the guy who said to Jesus, even if all these other disciples leave you, I'll never desert you. I'll die with you if necessary.

And Jesus said, peter, Satan has desired to sift you, but I've prayed for you. But before the rooster crows, you'll deny knowing me three times. So you're big and boastful, but you need to be humble. He didn't believe it. He didn't believe he could ever deny Jesus.

He didn't believe he could ever give in to the sin of silence when it came to Jesus. He didn't believe he would ever give in to the pressure of the world to judge him and to conform him to be like them. He didn't believe that he would ever be more concerned about the judgment of people than God. But that's exactly what happened.

You Remember the night Jesus was arrested and taken from mock trial to mock trial, back and forth? Jesus was being arrested and on trial. And Peter slunk in the shadows following Jesus. And on three occasions he was recognized. Aren't you one of the Galileans? Aren't you one of his disciples? Aren't you with Jesus? And three times he denied he even knew Jesus. The last time with cursing, no, I don't know him. And in that moment, the Bible says Jesus was being brought out to be taken to a new place. And Peter saw Jesus. Jesus saw Peter. They locked eyes, and Peter broke down and wept and ran.

Peter knew in that moment what he had done. He had chosen sin over suffering. He had not chosen to live differently despite the world's hostility. And he was more concerned about the judgment of people than he was the judgment of God. And he was broken and repentant.

After Christ was crucified and resurrected, the Bible says that Jesus had a private appearing to Peter. Later, when Peter goes back fishing, Jesus appears to them on the shore and they have a miraculous catch of fish.

Peter's the one who jumps out of that boat and swims to Jesus. Jesus cooks him breakfast. After breakfast, he takes Peter aside from the other disciples and he asked him, Peter, do you love me? Peter said, yes, Lord, I love you. The Bible says he asked him a second time, Peter, do you love me? Peter says, yes, Lord, I love you. And the Bible says Peter was grieved when Jesus asked him a third time, do you love me? And he says, Lord, you know all things. You know I love you. Jesus said, then go tend my sheep. I have work for you to do.

It's just my speculation, but I think the reason Jesus asked Peter three times, do you love me? Is to give Peter a do-over. Three times he had denied Jesus. Now three times he had a chance to say, I love you. I don't love you with a perfect love. I don't love you with an agape love, but I do love you.

Peter became that bold preacher of Pentecost, where 3,000 people get saved and are baptized. Peter becomes that bold proclaimer who says to the Jewish leadership, the Christ you crucified, the Father has raised from the dead.

And as an old man writing this letter, he says to me and you, don't do what I did.

Don't give in to a hostile world. Instead choose to suffer rather than sin. Live differently in spite of the world's hostility and trust in in the ultimate judgment of God.

Tradition tells us that Peter was crucified as a martyr, but he felt so unworthy to die like his Savior. He asked to be crucified upside down, but nonetheless, he was willing to suffer rather than to sin.

Let's pray together.

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