Introduction:
A. I like this picture – Don’t you know that that car never saw it coming!
1. In some respects life is unpredictable and we need to learn to expect the unexpected.
2. When it comes to the Christian life, there is not much that is unexpected.
3. Jesus tried to prepare us for everything we will face – the good and the bad; the easy and the hard.
4. Jesus never tried to hide the fact following Him would not be easy.
5. As a matter of fact, Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” (Jn. 15:18-20)
6. Jesus ended that same presentation to His disciples saying: “33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn. 16:33)
B. As Christians, then, we should be prepared for the expected – which will include persecution.
1. But as we prepare for persecution we should do so not as someone preparing for the worst, but someone preparing for the best.
C. The story is told of a preacher who was in the hospital facing a serious surgery.
1. A new nurse came on duty and looked at his chart.
2. The nurse said to him, “Well, I guess you’re preparing for the worst!”
3. The minister smiled at her and said, “Oh, no, I’m preparing for the best. I’m a Christian, and God has promised to work all things together for good.”
4. Needless to say, the nurse exited the room in a hurry.
D. One of the reasons that Peter wrote this letter was to prepare Christians for the persecution that lay ahead, yet Peter’s approach was optimistic and positive.
1. “Prepare for the best!” was his message.
2. This passage speaks to all who would live godly lives in the midst of a hostile, ungodly culture.
3. The apostle Peter gives us important principles that will equip us to act appropriately in the midst of persecution.
4. Let’s work at applying these principles to our lives so that we can experience the best of blessings, even in the worst of times.
I. Principle #1: Be Zealous for What is Good
A. Peter began: 13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?
1. Peter’s rhetorical question shows that it is unusual for most people, even those hostile to Christianity, to harm believers who are zealous for what is good.
2. When we are passionately pursuing kindness and mercy and generosity and humility and thoughtfulness and consideration for the needs of others, then there is little for others to criticize.
B. Being zealous for what is good produces a godly life, which should be the goal and delight of all disciples of Jesus.
1. So this is always a good place for us to start – are we zealous for what is good?
2. Do we love the things of God and the things that are right and good?
3. Are we committed to pure living and positive actions toward others?
4. The first response to a hostile world that Peter encourages is for us to be zealous in doing good.
II. Principle #2: Be Willing to Suffer for Doing Right.
A. Peter continued: 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed…17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. (3:14, 17)
1. Peter wants us to understand that goodness on our part is not a guaranteed blanket of protection from attack.
2. It certainly helps make an attack less likely or less frequent, but since the darkness hates the light, in the end it will do all in its power to snuff it out.
3. Jesus went about doing good, yet a hostile world eventually killed Him.
B. Concerning suffering, there are two possibilities.
1. First, we may suffer for doing wrong, if so we are getting what we deserve.
a. As our heavenly parent, God will discipline us when we disobey His Word. (Heb. 12:5-11)
2. Second, the other possibility is that we may suffer for doing right.
a. When this happens we must accept our suffering as part of God’s wise and sovereign plan for blessing our lives.
b. God sometimes wills that we suffer for righteousness so that we might receive the blessings that come out of such suffering.
c. Remember, Jesus said, “11Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Mt. 5:11-12)
d. You also remember what Peter said about the blessings of suffering back in chapter 1: 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Pet. 1:6-7)
e. And who can forget what James said: 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)
C. So if you and I are required to suffer for our faith, let us do so with courage and confidence, knowing that our reward will be great and it will only cause us to be more spiritually mature.
III. Principle #3: Be Not Afraid
A. Peter wrote: “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” (3:14b)
1. Did you know that the phrase “fear not” or “be not afraid” is found 365 times in the Bible?
a. That’s one for every day! And we need it every day, don’t we?
2. When we have the right kind of fear for the Lord, then every other fear is conquered.
B. Peter quoted Isaiah 8 and the setting of that quotation is significant.
1. Ahaz, King of Judah, faced a crisis because of an impending invasion by the Assyrian army.
2. The kings of Israel and Syria wanted Ahaz to join them in an alliance, but Ahaz refused.
3. Israel and Syria then threatened to invade Judah also.
4. Behind the scenes, Ahaz went ahead and made an alliance between Judah and ungodly Assyria.
5. The Prophet Isaiah warned Ahaz against ungodly alliances and urged him to trust God for deliverance.
6. Isaiah told Ahaz to allow the Lord to be his fear.
7. When we fear the Lord and trust the Lord, then we have nothing else to fear.
C. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mt. 10:28)
D. So Peter told us to not be intimidated by the unbelievers who persecute us.
1. We should not allow them to shake us from our faith.
2. Suffering for our faith must be viewed as an opportunity to stand for Christ and receive blessings, not as an excuse to compromise our faith.
3. There have been many who have suffered over the years for their faith, and they stood their ground and were not shaken.
4. John Bunyan, the 17th century English preacher and writer of The Pilgrim’s Progress, went to jail because he continued to preach without a license.
5. Martin Luther, the reformer, stood before his enemies and refused to recant his scriptural beliefs in spite of all kinds of threats and consequences.
E. The next principle is a key to facing suffering without fear.
IV. Principle #4: Be Clear about Who is Lord
A. Peter wrote: 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.
1. When we revere Christ as Lord in our hearts, we affirm our submission to His control, His instruction, and His guidance.
2. When He is Lord, then we obey and submit even if that submission includes suffering.
B. A.W. Tozer said that people who are crucified with Christ have three distinct marks:
1. They are facing only one direction.
2. They can never turn back.
3. They no longer have plans of their own.
C. Have we truly set apart Christ as Lord of our hearts and lives?
1. Have we put Jesus on the throne, and are we seeking to put His Lordship in effect over all of our lives?
2. When Jesus truly is Lord then we seek to do good, and are willing to suffer for our faith without fear.
V. Principle #5: Be Ready to Defend the Faith
A. Peter continued: Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. (3:15-16)
1. When Jesus is Lord of our lives, and we experience persecution for our faith, this gives us an opportunity to witness.
2. Peter suggests that we should always be ready to give an answer.
3. Our English word “apology” comes from the Greek word translated “answer.”
4. The apology we are to give is not an “I’m sorry” apology, rather it means to give a defense, like in the court of law.
B. Apologetics is the branch of theology that deals with the defense of the Christian faith.
1. Every Christian should be able to give a reasoned defense of his or her hope in Christ, especially in hopeless situations.
2. A crisis creates an opportunity for witnessing when a believer behaves with faith and hope.
C. Peter suggests that our defense should be done with gentleness and respect, not with arrogance and a judgmental attitude.
1. We are to be witnesses, not prosecuting attorneys!
2. Our purpose must be more than just to win arguments; we are trying to win souls for Christ.
3. Peter suggests that when we conduct ourselves appropriately, even in the face of persecution, we will have a clear conscience, but our persecutors will not.
4. In the end it will be obvious who is right and who is wrong, if we will behave rightly and give a good defense of the faith.
VI. Principle #6: Be Like Jesus
A. Peter culminates this section on the suffering of believers with the example of how Jesus’ unjust suffering achieved God’s triumphant purpose.
1. Peter wrote: 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits - 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand - with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. (3:18-22)
2. I’m sure that when the Spirit inspired Peter to write this section, he had no idea that it would be classified as one of the most difficult portions of the NT.
3. Although we may not be able to answer every question surrounding this passage, we can certainly understand the point that Peter was making.
4. Ultimately, Peter’s point is that Christ’s perfect example of suffering unjustly lead to the accomplishment of God’s saving purposes, and this should give us the hope that God’s triumphant purposes can be realized in the midst of our own suffering.
B. Let’s spend a moment looking a little more closely at the progression of Peter’s argument.
1. Peter began by declaring that Jesus suffered for our sins in order to bring us to God – that’s clear and easily understood.
2. Then Peter mentioned that Jesus preached to some kind of imprisoned spirits.
a. Whoever these imprisoned spirits were (probably fallen angels who rebelled with Satan), the thing that Jesus preached to them was not the gospel – it was not an opportunity for them to repent.
b. Rather what Jesus preached was a message of His triumph – He proclaimed His Victory.
c. Maybe He sang the Queen song – “We are the Champions…no time for losers, cause we are the champions of the world!”
3. Then Peter related all of that to the days of Noah and those who were disobedient and perished in the flood.
4. There were only 8 who were saved by the ark, through water, and that water now symbolizes baptism that now saves us.
a. The flood pictures death, burial and resurrection. The waters buried the earth in judgment, but also separated and lifted Noah and his family up to safety.
b. Noah and his family were saved because they believed God and entered into the ark of safety.
c. Sinners are saved by faith when they trust and obey Christ by entering the ark of baptism to be united with Christ.
5. Baptism saves us, not because it physically removes our external filth, but because it cleanses our soul as we make a commitment of ourselves to the Lord.
6. And Peter points out that baptism saves us by the resurrection of Jesus who is now reigning at God’s right hand.
7. And so we learn that God has brought triumph out of the persecution of our Savior, and we followers of Jesus can be confident that God will do the same with our persecutions.
8. Someday, we will be with Jesus at God’s right hand, reigning with Him forever in His triumph.
Conclusion:
A. So these were Peter’s words of encouragement for the Christians he wrote to who were going through a trial that was only going to get worse.
1. He told them not to prepare for the worst, but for the best.
B. Look again at the principles Peter told them to live by:
1. Be zealous for doing good.
2. Be willing to suffer for doing right.
3. Be not afraid.
4. Be clear about who is Lord.
5. Be ready to defend the faith.
6. Be like Jesus.
C. Let me end with the stories of two Christians who lived like that in the face of persecution.
1. The first story is of a preacher named J. H. Crowell, who when only sixteen years old took a voyage on a sailing vessel where he was the only Christian, in a crew of twelve.
2. Before leaving his mother he promised to meet her three times a day at the throne of grace in prayer.
3. So regularly he went below and prayed aloud.
4. The other sailors persecuted him for this. They threw wood at him and poured buckets of water over him, but could not put out the fire in his soul.
5. Later, they tied him to the mast and laid thirty-nine stripes on his back. Still he prayed.
6. Then they tied a rope around his body and threw him overboard. He swam as best he could, and when he took hold of the side of the ship they pushed him off with a pole.
7. At last his strength gave way, and, supposing they meant to kill him, he prayed that God would forgive them, and called out: “Send my body to my mother and tell her that I died for Jesus.”
8. He was then pulled on deck unconscious, but after some time came to.
9. Conviction began to seize the sailors, and before the end of the day two of them were converted.
10. Inside of a week everyone on board, including the captain, was saved.—Sunday School Times.
E. The second story is of Eusebius who was one of the early church leaders.
1. The emperor Valens threatened Eusebius, because of his faith, with confiscation of all his goods, torture, banishment, and even death.
2. The courageous Christian replied, “He needs not fear confiscation, who has nothing to lose; nor banishment, to whom heaven is his country; nor torments, when his body can be destroyed at one blow; nor death, which is the only way to set him at liberty from sin and sorrow.”
3. May we develop a faith and courage that will hold us fast even in the face of persecution.
4. Let us like Paul have the attitude “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
5. Let’s live for Christ and prepare for the best.
Resources:
The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 1 Peter, by John MacArthur, Moody Publishing, 2004
The Bible Exposition Commentary, 1 Peter, by Warren Wiersbe, Victor Books, 1989
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Peter, by Edwin A. Blum, Zondervan, 1981
