I Peter 4 - Suffering Christians

A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick

The Great Chapter we have been reading this week has the distinction of containing one of only three places in the entire Bible where the word "Christian" can be found. We readily identify with people of two millennia who have identified themselves with this title. We are happy, and even proud, to be called "Christian." However, of the three New Testament uses of this word, this one may leave us feeling uncomfortable. Looking at this chapter, we will approach one of the most difficult topics of all time, the question of suffering. Very few of us are exempt from it - fewer still understand it. In a global sense, the Bible helps us understand that suffering came in with the fall of man - when the first Adam and his wife Eve sinned by disobeying God's clear command, they and all their offspring were brought under the curse - women would henceforth suffer in childbirth, men would suffer hardship in their work, and all would succumb to the ultimate suffering of death. Tall people suffer, small people suffer. Children suffer, great-grandparents suffer. Whether smart or educationally challenged, wealthy or beggarly, athletic or lazy - everyone suffers. Suffering is a given, we all get a share. However, it seems that about the only time we accept suffering as being justified is when the person who suffers has apparently brought it on by foolishly putting himself or herself in harm's way, or by engaging in activities which are harmful to others. We say, they got what they deserved, their just dessert - they made their bed, now let them lie in it. Our problem, and one which has been wrestled with since the beginning of recorded history, is that we cannot understand why people suffer in spite of being good. We have this notion that doing good should have as one of its rewards, freedom from pain and suffering. While it may be nice to say to the other person, "wait for heaven, where there will be no sickness, no pain, no tears," what we want for ourselves is the benefit now - if being good doesn't bring an end of suffering, why bother? Take it one step further. We are chagrined to find out that some suffering comes about, not only in spite of, but on account of our being good. This is the topic of Peter's First Epistle. However, before listening to what Peter has to say about the suffering of Christians, we want to quickly debunk two erroneous ideas. 1. There is no inherent blessing in suffering. This is an idea which has been promoted by many religious systems, even some which fly the Christian banner. On the one hand, the reasoning is that because our bodies are inherently evil, any suffering endured by the body will help to dispel that evil. Therefore, any sickness, any broken bones, any ailment which causes physical pain or suffering is called good. In addition, there are some who have believed that suffering attracts God's attention; the more suffering, the better. This idea has led to the more extreme forms of asceticism - self-inflicted suffering. No doubt this is why Paul includes in his "Hymn to Love" (I Corinthians 13) the phrase "If I . . . surrender my body to the flames. . . ." From Hindu holy men who lie on beds of nails, to Islamic radicals who sacrifice their bodies in homicide bombings, to Philippine men who have themselves hung on a crosses like that of Jesus - the theme is the same; achieve favor with God, or attain an exalted spiritual state by self-inflicted suffering. Let's make this perfectly clear, suffering is not good. The only way it can be turned into something that is good is by way of our response to it. A godly response to suffering will yield good fruit, but it's not the suffering that produces the good, it's the godly response. We might ask, where does it come from, this idea that suffering is good ? It's possible that, in part, the idea comes from this teaching by Peter, specifically the first verse in which he refers to Jesus who "suffered in his body," obviously referring to the crucifixion. It's the next statement that can be misunderstood, "he who has suffered in his body is done with sin." This sounds like, "physical suffering will purge you from sin" - thus the doctrine of purgatory. However, the word used here is "sarx" which means "flesh," and when placed in the light of the rest of Scripture simply means that when, as Paul wrote, we are crucified with Christ, we become new creatures. To be "born again" is to die to sin, and we do that by identifying with the Christ of the cross, not by getting ourselves hung on a stake, but by simply believing in Him who died there. Jesus already bore the suffering for our sin - no amount of beating on our bodies can add to what Jesus has already accomplished. Furthermore, that is why Peter goes on to explain that the Christian does not ". . . live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires [i.e., "the flesh"], but rather for the will of God." (Verse 2) ("For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do - living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry." - Verse 3) 2. The second idea to debunk is that all suffering is the same. Peter addresses this in verse 15 where we learn that there is a kind of suffering which comes from sinful activity. Certainly a joyful response to suffering is not appropriate for the murderer, thief, lawbreaker, or for that matter, the meddler! When these sinful activities cause suffering, the proper response is a sorrow which leads to repentance. (II Corinthians 7:10) By the way, doesn't it seem odd that Peter included "meddler" along with "murderer"? The KJV translates the phrase, "busybody in other men's matters," and the RSV uses "mischief-maker." Perhaps we need to rethink the popular view that there are gradations of sins - "meddling" is ok, "murder" is not. Now here are some things to keep in mind when suffering becomes a part of our life experience. 1. First, Peter reminded the early Christians that any suffering they may endure would be only temporary - "the end is near" (Verse 7) That may be small comfort to the sufferer for whom time moves along ever so slowly, but we remember what the Psalmist wrote, "Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5) 2. Second, and this goes without saying, Peter counseled them to pray. (Verse 7) Perhaps Peter remembered the time he was in prison (Acts 12). When he was miraculously delivered, he found his way to the meeting place of the believers, and discovered that they had been in prayer for him. Of course we know that all prayers are not answered the same - I'm sure the church also prayed for James when he was put in prison, but he was "put to death with the sword." (Acts 12:2) However, Peter nonetheless believed that prayer made a difference, and it is appropriate to pray for deliverance from the suffering. Even Jesus prayed, "If it be possible, take this cup [of suffering] from me." Also notice what apparently contributes to an effective prayer life: "be clear minded and self-controlled." The first part, from the word "sophroneo" meaning "to be of sound mind," reminds us what Paul taught: when we pray it is important that we pray "with the spirit, and . . . with the understanding also." (I Corinthians 14:15) The second part ("nepho") has to do with soberness and watchfulness - as Jesus said, "Watch and pray." 3. Third, there is the exhortation "love each other deeply." (Verse 8) Elsewhere the adverb is "fervent" (KJV), or "unfailing" (RSV); the Greek Lexicon says, “keep love constant." We note that this love is what is expressed among believers, and is evidenced through the gift of hospitality (Verse 9), as well as through the other gifts of service and encouraging words. (Verses 9-11) What does this have to do with how we deal with suffering? Well, Peter goes on to explain that if we genuinely care for one another, we become blinded to each others' faults ("love covers over a multitude of sins" - Verse 10) - guided by love, we are not so quick to judge those who are suffering. Does God protect the faithful? Yes, but if it appears that they are not protected, does that mean the person is guilty of not being faithful? Perhaps, but not necessarily so. Love lets God be the judge of that. 4. This next point could cause us to think that Peter was out of touch with reality. He instructs suffering believers to "rejoice." (Verse 13) This gives us a flash back to the first days when the Gospel was preached in Jerusalem, and the disciples were put in jail. As a result of Gamaliel's wise advice, they did not receive the death sentence, but were beaten, and strictly commanded not to preach anymore concerning Jesus. What was their response? "The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 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 Christ." (Acts 5:41,42) And tell me, what were Paul and Silas doing when they were put in jail? Acts 16:25 gives us the answer, "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. . . ." However, the Christian who rejoices in suffering is not some mentally imbalanced person who gets deranged pleasure from physical pain. Rather, this is a person who is receiving a down payment on the joy that is waiting in glory. (Verse 13) 5. Then Peter, trying to help the Christians of his day adequately cope with the suffering imposed upon them due to their faithful witness, says that they should substitute praise for shame (Verse 16). The word "ashamed" comes from a word meaning "disfigured," and would be applied to a person who feels disgraced due to this disfigurement. This would be people whom we would say suffer from a very low self-esteem, and believe that other people think negatively of them. Such people shy away from contact with other people, and are not very likely to take the initiative in talking with other people about the Lord. The answer is not to go to a therapist to bolster self esteem or take a course in assertiveness training, although these may not be bad in and of themselves, but to be built up in faith. As we praise and worship our Creator, we are built up in our most holy faith. (Jude 1:20) Certainly Peter remembered the words of Jesus who said, "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:26) 6. The last piece of advice is found in the chapter's last verse: "So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." (Verse 19) Ultimately, our lives and our well-being are in His hands, and we have complete trust in our loving heavenly father. Just prior to this, Peter made the statement, "For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God." Obviously he's talking about Christians, but this has little to do with the church cleaning up it's act. Rather, he is saying that it is to be expected that there will be trials for God's people - because of God's great love for His sons and daughters, He allows trials to come, in part, so that they may become pure as gold. (I Peter 1:7) No doubt the writer of Hebrews has the same idea: "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!" (Hebrews 12:7-9) If Christians think this is tough, they are reminded by Peter that the harsher judgment of the world will come at the end. Conclusion: Included in the Preamble of our National Constitution are the words, "All men are created equal." That may be true, but not all suffering is created equal. Some suffering is created by our own foolishness; Some suffering comes as a consequence of our sin; Some suffering simply happens because we walk in a fallen world and we all, in small or large measure, are victimized by the brokenness;. Some suffering may be a form of discipline. But the kind of suffering Peter wrote about is different from all of the above - it's a suffering that comes to those who dare to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We know the Gospel to be Good News, a wonderful message of God's love and forgiveness with the accompanying promise of eternal life in the presence of our Lord. We wonder, "Why would anyone reject, never mind oppose to the point of persecuting, those who believe and preach this Gospel?" In the days of the First Apostles, the teaching of Jesus posed a threat to the current religious system. The religious leaders enjoyed their power, prestige and prosperity which was secured by the ignorant compliance of the people to the burdensome requirements of the rituals. In our day the reasons may be as different as the kinds of suffering we are subjected to. People we preach to don't want change their ways - they fail to understand that what is given up nothing compared to what is gained - it's like trading manure for fruit! Others look down on Christians claiming their message is too simplistic, believable only by the uneducated and incompetent. Some ridicule belief as a crutch that strong people like them do not need. And many simply reject anything which they think will impose restrictions - freedom is in, obeying God is out. At the beginning we pointed out that one should not seek to suffer, and it is nothing but foolishness to purposely put oneself in harms way. However, there may be an exception. We are commanded by our Lord to faithfully live and preach the Gospel, knowing full well that to do so will result in suffering. How did the first disciples handle this dilemma? They calmly and confidently said, "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:20) And they went right on preaching in the face of threats, certain beatings and even death. Their boldness was strengthened in the prayer meeting, and when called in again before the rulers, they declared, "We must obey God rather than men!" (Acts 5:29) They knew they would suffer, but they did not shrink back. May the same be said of us. Discussion Questions I Peter 4 - Suffering Christians 1. How many times does the Bible use the word "Christian," and in what contexts are they located? 2. When and how did suffering first come into this world? 3. Why do some people think that suffering is good? 4. Why is "meddling" as sinful as "murder"? 5. When will all suffering, as we know it, cease? 6. According to Peter, what two qualities should accompany prayer? 7. What relationship does "loving one another" have to do with our dealing with suffering? 8. What are some examples of rejoicing in suffering? 9. How do you think praising God can help reduce the shame that can come with being identified as a Christian? 10. We have interpreted "judgment" (begins at the house of God) to mean "trials." How is this to be understood? 11. Why are Christians in our society persecuted, and what are some ways they are persecuted? 12. If Christians continue to spread the Gospel knowing full well it will be opposed, does that mean they are seeking suffering? - - Return to Top of this Page - Email a Link to this Page - Go To Next Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick - Back To Sermons Page or to the Sermons Alphabetical List - - Download This Sermon This Page's Title Is: Your Name Is: Your Email Address Is: Your State and Country: Please identify your vocation: Senior Pastor. Associate Pastor. Youth Pastor. Lay Minister. Church Member. Which section of this site would you most likely return to? 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