When Thru Fiery Trials… Part 2

So we took our time with the
Lord’s table. Now I’m going to blitz through this sermon. We began last week acknowledging
in this section, beginning in verse 12, that Paul is, or Peter
rather, is turning a corner and it is a new section, but not
a new theme. He’s going to revisit an old
theme in a new way. The previous section closed,
as we recall, with a doxology of praise, glory to God. But Peter again turns his attention
to this whole subject of suffering, which has been a theme throughout
this book. We reviewed it last week. At
the beginning of the book, in verse 1, he called us aliens
who are scattered. That certainly implies or suggests
suffering or difficulty. In chapter 2, verses 11 and 12,
he repeats that thought that we are aliens and strangers.
In chapter 2, verse 18, particularly narrowing the focus to verses
19 through 21, it is a call there to follow Christ’s pattern in
suffering, to follow in the footsteps of Christ. In chapter 3, Beginning
in verse 13, the whole theme continues all the way to chapter
4, verse 6. And Paul takes a brief hiatus
from it there and comes right back to it in verse 12. But there,
as you remember, we were given instructions to the oppressed.
What we’re supposed to do in the midst of those trying times. Remember, we were called there
to remember who we serve or to be reasonable. We are to remember
that the smile of God awaits, that we are to be assured, confident. We are to be composed or fearless
in the face of opposition. We are to be devoted. A submission
there that issues forth proclamation. We are to be so devoted to God
that others who see us in the midst of our distress acknowledge
that we follow a different God. Finally, there in that section,
Peter called us to be clean, innocent of that which we are
accused. And so we have seen this theme
of suffering time and again throughout Peter’s epistle. And he’s not
even done as we conclude this passage before us. Chapter 4,
verse 12 through 19. Peter will visit it again. But we turn our attention to
this particular section. where Peter, as it were, takes
a snapshot of saints tiptoeing, as it were, through the hot coals
of persecution. How do we behave? How ought we
behave in the midst of persecution? If you would, by way of review
and even to set our course for the morning, let’s pick it up
in verse 12 of chapter 4 once again. Beloved, do not be surprised
at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your
testing as though some strange thing were happening to you.
But, to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep
on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you
may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name
of Christ, you are blessed because the Spirit of glory and of God
rests upon you. By no means let any of you suffer
as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or a troublesome meddler.
But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but
in that name, let him glorify God. For it is time for judgment
to begin with the household of God. And if it begins with us
first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the
gospel of God? And if it is with difficulty
that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless
man and the sinner? Therefore, let those also who
suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to
a faithful creator in doing what is right. We began last week
considering this passage where Peter is observing those and
really observing those who are handling persecution correctly,
begins observing a sound Christian in the midst of a great trial.
First of all, we noted that a sound Christian in great trial should
cultivate an expectant mind. He should expect it. It’s part
and parcel of the call to follow Christ. Don’t be offended. Don’t be surprised. Don’t be
troubled as if it’s some new thing, as if you’re the first
one in the history of Christianity to ever endure such a harsh treatment
at the hands of unbelievers. Perhaps these first century Christians
had cause for this. They’d never had a history of
this. There certainly had been martyrs
in other religions, but none who followed Christ save Christ
himself. But that should have been their
first clue that if they were to follow Christ, that difficulty
was sure to come to them if it had come first to Christ. Jesus’
words echoed that same sentiment when Jesus said in John 15, if
the world hates you, keep in mind it hated me first. Jesus,
in essence, said to expect it. He predicted it. Don’t be surprised, brothers,
said John in 1 John, if the world hates you. We should expect it. It comes
with the Christian life. Don’t treat it as if it’s some
strange thing that is just happening. And what Peter says is that there
is a sovereignty to all of these things that come our way. There
is a sovereignty and a sovereign plan to that difficult, ungodly
boss that you have. There is God’s sovereignty woven
into that harsh neighbor, that God-hating friend that you know. There is a sovereignty in crossing
your paths with these people. Things don’t just happen or occur
by chance for the Christian. They’re all ordained given by
God.” Peter says, don’t be surprised.
Don’t treat it as a strange, as an unwelcome thing, as if
it’s a thing that just happened by chance. Secondly, by way of
review, a sound Christian should not only cultivate an expectant
heart, but he should maintain an attitude of exultation. Look
down at verse 13. where he says, but to the degree
that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing. In other words, he sees a people
that is so joyful in the salvation that they possessed in Christ,
and he says under no circumstance can you be justified to jump
the tracks. Keep on rejoicing. You were found
rejoicing in Christ, in your Savior. Don’t stop, no matter
what. And here he said so far from
being offended at this surprise, don’t be surprised, don’t be
caught off guard, and don’t stop rejoicing. Let it carry you through. As one Puritan said, it is not
enough for the Lord’s people to have their hearts kept free
of discouragements at the cross. When you’re ridiculed because
you are a so-called Jesus freak, when you’re ridiculed because
you go to church on Sunday morning, when you read the Bible, that
2,000 year old book, it’s not enough for the hearts
of the Lord’s people to be kept free from discouragement. And
Peter deals with it as something that is probably pretty common.
Especially for these first century Christians to be just astounded
at the way that they were suddenly being treated. Especially for
us. We can’t be discouraged or amazed
as if it’s some strange thing. But he goes on to say, they ought
to rejoice in their sufferings for Christ as a matter of great
honor. Consider it all joy, James says,
right? Consider it all joy, my brethren,
when you encounter various trials.” The word there for James sweeps
far beyond just the trials of persecution. It’s just the trials
of life. And James says, consider them,
esteem them, value them, place a value upon them, and treat
them accordingly. We are to greet with joy these
things Charles Bridges, that great Puritan
pastor and commentator, said it this way, even in the midst
of heaviness itself. And Bridges acknowledges that
even the difficulties we go through are difficult. That’s why they’re
called difficulties. Even in the midst of heaviness
itself, such is this joy that it can maintain itself in the
midst of sorrow. This oil of gladness swims above
and cannot be drowned with all the floods of affliction. Yea,
it is often most sweet in the greatest distress.” We are to rejoice in the midst
of our trials if they are because of Christ. And Peter says this
strange little phrase that he’s going to clarify later in this
passage. We’ll take it up next. when he
says that we are to rejoice in our sufferings to the degree
that you share in the sufferings of Christ. Not everything that comes our
way, not all the suffering that comes our way is because of the
sufferings of Christ. It’s not all because of the fact
that we have placed our faith in Christ and named the name
of Christ and follow Christ and put Christian principles in our
forefront. But they hate Christ, we know
that the world hates Christ and we know to the degree that we
follow Christ, to the degree that we embrace embrace his word
and follow in his footsteps, we will be persecuted. We know that. To the degree that we share the
sufferings of Christ, We are to rejoice. Thirdly, and this
is where we begin afresh. A sound Christian. In great trial
should not only cultivate an expectant mind and maintain an
attitude of exaltation, but thirdly, they should thoroughly evaluate
their heart. Note, Peter begins the little
discussion here in verse 14 with the word, if. And he proceeds
to set in contrast two possibilities for suffering. He had already
in previous discussions made the case that everyone suffers
in this life, right? We know that. It’s axiomatic.
Life is difficult. Yes, we know. Everybody suffers. And he reiterates here the point
And he encourages the reader to ascertain the cause of the
suffering to the degree that he’s able. Is it because of our
faith in Christ really and truly? Or is it the logical, natural
suffering that is brought about by sinful living? What Peter essentially asks his
reader to do is evaluate his heart. Evaluate your case, your
station, your life. Look at verse 14. If you are reviled for the name
of Christ, you are blessed. Because the spirit of glory and
God and of God rests upon you. Peter basically begins a confirmation
here of verses 12 and 13 by a distinct reference to the cat calls to
the reproach that was caused by their faith, by their relationship
to Christ. Literally, he says here, you
are happy. If this is true, if you are reviled
for the name of Christ, you are happy. It’s that same word used
on the Sermon on the Mount. Blessed. Oh, how very happy you
are when people insult you. What? I mean, it doesn’t have to necessarily
show on our face. But when those speak ill of us
because of Christ, we can rejoice. Christ suffered a much worse
fate for us. Much worse than harsh treatment
at the office. Blessed. Are you? Oh, how very
happy are you? Matthew 10.22 says it this way.
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm
to the end will be saved. Don’t lose your faith. Don’t
lose your joy because of some harsh treatment when Christ said
to expect it. Mark 13. All men will hate you
because of me. Luke 21. All men will hate you
because of me. How many more times could Christ
say it? that we are to expect it. And
in the face of it, we are blessed. We should be happy. Think of
it. Think of it, people. The Spirit
of glory and God rests upon you. And it isn’t just because of
your persecution that that comes. In other words, what Peter says
is, consider this. The Spirit of glory and of God
is already resting upon you. What can they do to you? I mean,
we teach the children that in kindergarten, sticks and stones
may break my bones, but names may never hurt me. This is the
adult version of it right here. He says, you know what? Let them
say whatever they want to say. Let them do whatever they want
to do to your body. But the Spirit of God and glory
rests upon you. This glory. that is mentioned
here expresses that glory. It’s the triumphant manifestation
of God in all of His perfections. I mean, imagine that the spirit
of glory is dwelling in us. The same spirit that went before
God as a pillar of fire before the children of Israel. And when it says that it rests
upon you, it means it’s almost there almost isn’t a word strong
enough. It means far more than it just remains or abides on
you. I mean, that’s probably what we would do. We’d pull out
the thesaurus, you know, if we were translating this and say,
oh, how can we say this a little more colorfully? There’s no word
strong enough. It expresses the complete rest
and satisfaction with which the spirit of glory resides within
us. He is there, placed there by
God, the Father. It is that same word, this word
rest that was used of the, remember the quiet retreat in prayer that
the Lord Jesus took after John’s death. It is the same word that
is used of the calm relief which Christ offers to weary souls,
Matthew 11. Come to me and I will give you
rest. When God calls us to himself
for rest, it’s not a temporary break. It’s not something that’s fleeting
or partial. It’s thorough. It’s complete.
It’s abiding. It’s never going to go away.
And what Peter says to his first century believers, and to us
as well, is that, look, let them say and do whatever they want.
You have the Spirit of God. It’s a magnificent thought for
us Christians. This word is also used of those
who meet their blessed end and they are said to be at rest. It’s eternal. Their position in Christ is never
going away. It’s never going to diminish
or wane at all. And so this reproach because
of the name of Christ is a proof of glory residing within us.
It’s already belonging to us as sufferers in Christ. Already
there. It’s the glorious Spirit of God
who is glorious in Himself, just as the Lord Jesus is glorious
in Himself, just as the Father who is called the Father of glory. When the reproaches of the enemies
are cast upon us, We need to just settle in the reminder and
rest in the reminder that the Spirit of God is upon us. When
they revile the good confession of Christ, which the Spirit gave
to us, we remember that the Spirit is there. The Spirit of glory
and of God is there within us. When they deride us because of
the peace that we have in Christ, because we don’t get all in a
dither over the various things that go on in the world, when
the world criticizes us because of the peace and the consolation
that the Spirit gives us, we can rest in the reminder that
we have the Spirit of God and glory. When they speak evil of
us who are temples in which the Spirit dwells, we can be reminded. We should be reminded. We must
be reminded. That’s where we must live. That
the world in its hatred for Christ can say and do anything to us. But we stand confident, knowing
that we stand in Christ because the Spirit of glory in God dwells
within us. But, and this must have just caught
those first century Christians by great surprise. But, remember what he is having his
readers do is examine their hearts. He said, if you are reviled for the name
of Christ, you are blessed. But he wants them to consider,
is that the case? And he says the same thing to
us. Is that really the case? Is it truly because of Christ? Or verse 15, this abrupt change. By no means. By no means let
any of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or evildoer or troublesome
meddler. It was noted by one historian
that when a ruler Pliny came to govern some of these, perhaps
even these very Christians, he found that they met on a fixed
day together before daylight, before dawn, and that they had
bound themselves by a sacramental oath. You want to hear it? They had bound themselves by
a sacramental oath. This is his observation, an unbelieving
ruler, a sacramental oath not to commit
any crime, but that they would not do or see done any thefts,
any robberies, any adulteries, that they would break no promises
and would not argue any liabilities placed upon them. This is an
unbeliever observing the Christians in his day. So it’s just obvious
that Peter said, by no means let any of you, this abrupt change
of course, no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, a thief,
an evildoer, a troublesome member, meddler. Those things ought not
even be said, right? But perhaps in that First century
Christianity with things in flux and people just now coming to
Christ. Part of their difficulty was brought on by their poor
testimony because they hadn’t really left their old life behind. They hadn’t really left their
stealing behind, their evil doing, this general term for all kinds
of misdeeds. Essentially, it says, stay clear
of criminal offenses. Because those criminal offenses
expose you to suffering by the hand of justice, which is appropriate. Carry yourselves innocently in
the world. Live correctly so that you never suffer justly
at the hands of men. He says, don’t go to jail. Don’t
get arrested. Don’t do misdeeds that are going
to bring upon you difficulty, suffering. The one that I especially appreciate
here is the Troublesome Meddler. Because the list goes down really
rapidly, doesn’t it? It starts with Murderer and ends
with Troublesome Meddler, but they’re all in the same list.
Murderer, Thief, Evildoer, Troublesome Meddler. This Troublesome Meddler
is a busybody in other people’s matters. The word there used
is the same word that Paul uses to talk about the elders. It’s
another term to talk about the office of shepherding in the
church overseers. What this person becomes is an
overseer of everyone else’s matters in the church. They know everybody’s
business. They know how to fix everybody’s
stuff. They usurp authority. They go in and they go about
fixing everybody else’s stuff. Right. Remember, one of the most abrupt
turns in the Gospels, in the Gospel of Luke. Remember the
two brothers quibbling about their inheritance. Teacher, right
in the middle of his sermon, right? It would be like one of
you standing up. Pastor, would you help negotiate
this deal with my brother across the aisle? Here’s Jesus preaching
the Gospel, and somebody stands up in the crowd and says, Teacher,
tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me. And
what did Jesus do? What is this? What do I have
to do with that? I’m not going to meddle in other people’s business.
And yet we find it all too easy to get involved and to try and
fix and to be so used by others as to offer our services to them,
even though they didn’t ask. You know, there’s an interesting
transition. I want you to turn to 1 Thessalonians. I don’t know
who the guy is. Paul doesn’t name him, but he
was in Paul’s crosshairs. He was in Paul’s crosshairs.
And he deals with him on two occasions, I believe. Now, it’s
possible that this is a general thing that Paul saw in every
church, but I think there was a specific individual in mind
here in the midst of the Thessalonians. Look at chapter 4, verse 9. And Paul begins there to encourage
and commend them. Now about brotherly love, we
do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been
taught by God to love one another. And in fact, you do love all
the brothers throughout Macedonia. Remember, this is one of their
commendations that they were one of the just magnanimous churches
in supporting the work of the Lord. Yet, we urge you, brothers,
to do more and more. Make it your ambition to lead
a quiet life. Mind your own business and to
work with your hands, just as we told you, so that in your
daily life may win the respect of outsiders and you will not
be dependent upon anybody. Now, I say that I believe that
he had a particular individual in mind. Maybe there were a multiplicity
of them. Maybe this was kind of the character
of the Thessalonian church. But I think he had one guy in
mind, at least one. Make it your ambition. And he
says it so graciously, right? When the first time you deliver
one of these messages, you just kind of use a scattershot approach,
right? You’re going to use a shotgun, not a scope rifle. And you just
kind of give out this general announcement, making your ambition
to lead a quiet life, mind your own business, to work with your
hands. And apparently, the guy didn’t
get the message. Turn to 2 Thessalonians 3. In 2 Thessalonians 3, now he’s
got to pull out the scope rifle. And the only thing he doesn’t
do here is name names. But I think everybody in the
Thessalonian church knew who he was talking about. And we
can only hope and pray that the individual got this message.
2 Thessalonians 3, verse 6. In the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ. OK, so Paul starts just about
as strongly as he can. In the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother
who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you
receive from us. What teaching? We just read it. For you yourselves
know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle
when we were with you. We did not eat anyone’s food
without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night
and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden
to any of you. We did this not because we do
not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves
a model for you to follow. Skip down, if you would, to verse
11. I’ll read verse 10. We got all
kinds of time. For even when we were with you,
we gave you this rule. If a man will not work, he shall
not eat.” What a great rule. And in a sense, that is contained
in that initial exhortation in 1 Thessalonians 4. Verse 11. Look there. We hear that some
among you are idle. They are not busy, as he had
already exhorted. They are busy bodies. Such people
we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and
earn the bread they eat. In other words, he says, this
is just incredible advice. Get a job, get busy, stay out
of other people’s business and work. And as for you, brothers, never
tire in doing what is right. If anyone does not obey our instruction
in this letter, and here’s where I think Paul put the church on
notice. If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter,
take special note of him. Do not associate with him in
order that he may feel ashamed. Paul says, in a sense, begin
church discipline with this brother. If he’s just going about and
meddling in everybody else’s business, put him at arm’s length. Put him at arm’s length. Paul says, examine your hearts. And he flips the coin again to
the other side and he says, but if anyone suffers as a Christian,
if you are truly suffering in Christ, if you have not brought
yourself on because you’re a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, a troublesome
meddler, and you truly can be said to be suffering in Christ,
then continue to rejoice. Don’t be ashamed, as he says
here in verse 16. But in that name, let him glorify
God. We’ll take it up next. Lord,
stay. What that looks like. Let’s bow before Him. Our merciful God, Peter asks his readers to examine
their hearts. And Lord, we know You would do
the same. Help us to examine our hearts
to see what is the cause of the conflicts in our lives. Is it
truly because we follow Christ and name the name of Christ and
seek to do what’s right? Or do we bring this on ourselves
because of our own evil and our inconsistencies and our sinful
habits and patterns? Father, grant us the grace as
we examine ourselves. Be glorified in correcting us
and purifying us and continuing this process of sanctification.
Father, grant us your grace as we continue throughout this week
to evaluate ourselves. Is the persecution that we face
because of our own obnoxiousness or is it truly because we simply
name the name of Christ and hold to biblical principles and desire
to glorify You in all things. It’s a difficult question, Lord,
and we need the Spirit to answer that for us in our lives. Grant
us grace, Father. It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.