1 Peter 4:1-3
“Having the same mind as Jesus: Against sin”
Vs. 1a The same mind as Jesus
Vs. 1b-3 Dead to the lust of the former life
Intro
Peter wanted to give an encouraging word to the church about their “great salvation” that should be producing a “living hope” even though they were experiencing severe persecution. The Holy Spirit led Peter to the example of Jesus who suffered for doing good in the will of God. In our modern form of Christianity many a believer is under the misguided notion that if they are in the “will of God”, then they will know it if they are healthy, wealthy, wise and wonderfully happy about their current situation and circumstances. I’m afraid many Christians have no understanding of the process and purpose of their sanctification and are under the illusion that now as Christians everything and everyone ought to be engaged in giving them: What they desire When they desire it.
In reality many Christians are living as if here and now on earth is their heaven and have no interest in a heavenly minded life! These professing believers have become placated by Churches and pastors that will grant them their every wish and have become about, “Creating spectators who go to church instead of participants who are the church.” Sunday sermons are little more than a classroom for kindergarteners instead of equipping the saints for service! Peter, like His Master Jesus, knew of no such Church as the text will exhort believers to NOW ACT on the example that Jesus has shown us in the midst of severe persecution!
Vs. 1a The same mind as Jesus
Vs. 1a As noted many a time the word “Therefore” in the Bible is a conjunctive word that links what is being written with what was just written. What was written was the example of both Jesus and Noah whereas examples as seen in “the will of God in suffering for doing good”. Peter wastes no time in getting to his exhortation led by the Holy Spirit as he states it immediately “Since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, ARM YOURSELVES ALSO WITH THE SAME MIND”. The Greek phrase “Arm yourselves” was used of a soldier putting on his heavy armor and not his light infantry armor.
The point of Peter is that the Christian is in God’s army NOW and needs the heaviest armor to withstand the attacks of the enemy of our soul both for our own flesh as well as Satan. The expectation was not a suggestion for this suffering and persecuted Church, it was a demand! First, we note that this is a mental battle as “outlook determines outcome,” and the believer must possess the same “mind of Christ” with regards to unjust suffering and react the way He did towards it. Jesus said it in Luke 6:40 when He told His disciples “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.”
Peter had just given his readers insight about how great a sacrifice Jesus had made when he saved humanity from the satanic and demonic plot to make human redemption impossible by tainting the human DNA with demonic mutations. Peter also told his readers about when this took place which was after Jesus’ death and prior to His resurrection as He made a public proclamation to these mutations in hell. The exhortation’s focus appears to be upon the use of time and not upon the acts of what Jesus did during that time as the words “same mind” are linked with the exhortation to the reader of this letter “that he should no longer live the REST OF HIS TIME”. In looking at these 11 verses I see that Peter’s words are telling his readers that Jesus’ example of the use of time ought to produce four things that are of the same mind of Jesus that ought to be occupying our lives with until Jesus calls us home:
- Vs. 1-3 Dying to the lust of the former life
- Vs. 4-6 Loving the lost
- Vs. 7 Excited about our exit
- Vs. 8-11 Serving the saints
Time is the most precious commodity given to humanity but it is also the one most wasted And Peter wants to make sure to those whose time is short and days are numbered that they “no longer should live the rest of their lives in the flesh for the lust of men, but for the will of God.”
Vs. 1-3 Dead to the lust of the former life
Vs. 1b-3 The exhortation is easy enough for us to understand as we all the face the temptation when we are serving God and everything is coming apart to say, “Well here I am serving God and nothing is going right so I might as well go back and live like a sinner instead of a saint.” It seems as though Peter understood the nature of the flesh and the spiritual warfare that we Christians go through during difficult seasons as he offers his readers reasons why we should take a “militant attitude towards sin”.
The dictionary defines a “Militant” as “Someone who is engaged in a war or acts aggressively for their cause.” If you are a militant then you do question your beliefs any more than a soldier questions his orders. Oh, to God we Christians would take aggressive actions towards our own sins the way we react to others! It is far too easy for us Christians to get accustomed to our own sin instead of hating it and fighting against it with all we have. Nothing I know of will destroy “THE REST OF OUR TIME” than the flesh and sin! Many a believer in Jesus has become a powerful weapon against God’s word and witness in the hands of satan as they have yielded to their flesh! Peter sees in these three verses,three things that ought to deter us from going back “to living the rest of our time in the flesh for the lust on men instead of for the will of God”.
Vs. 1b-2a “Since Christ suffered for us”: The Point Peter is making to these believers is when you are being tempted to go back to the life of the flesh STOP and realize what Jesus had to suffer in order to save us from what we are about to go back and do! The truth about our sin is that our flesh in conjunction with satan’s lies maximizes the temporary pleasure of sin for a season while minimizing three things about us to sin:
- How much time it wastes: Both while engaged in the sin and the guilt and failure we experience after we sin.
- How much destruction it causes: Our sin is like the aftermath of a tornado that leaves in its path broken homes and ruined lives.
- How much Jesus sacrifice has changed sin: Jesus finished work on our behalf against sin has not only paid the penalty for our sin past, present and future but also broken the power over us that sin had as we don’t have to sin now we choose to do so and satan would have us not know that we don’t have to sin.
How can we enjoy that which made Jesus suffer and die on the cross? Who would place in a glass case in a prominent place in your home a weapon that was used to kill your loved one? No, you would never want to see that weapon again. Jesus’ whole purpose to come to earth was to deal with human sin and to conquer it forever. He did so by living a sinless life, by teaching and demonstrating the truth before all. He dealt with the consequences of our sin on the cross by offering forgiveness, healing and the power to live differently. Jesus WAS a militant against sin all the while having compassion upon its victims, lost sinners! Our goal during the “rest of our time” is to cease from sin until Jesus returns or we go home to be with Him. Peter is not saying that our “suffering in the flesh” has caused us to stop sinning. The context is that if you are being persecuted to death for living for Jesus then you haven’t been actively involved in the “lusts of men” and is a sign that we are not living in the power of the flesh but in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Vs. 2b “Live…for the will of God”: Peter’s point is that we need to make good and wise investments with our time and there is no better investment with your time than being in the will of God. It is interesting that a child of God cannot just avoid the “lusts of the flesh” they must seek to live for the will of God! A life spent in just avoiding the things that will enslave us will not make us any less a slave only we will serve a different master not the flesh but religion and legalism. Now, if we are to be free people we must seek the freedom from the “lusts of the flesh” through the JOY OF PURSUING THE WILL OF GOD! We must not leave the waste of the world without the “Joy of the presence of God”!
The will of God is no more a burden then a sunset or sunrise. Jesus said in Matt 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” The will of God comes from the heart of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. There will be times that we battle discouragement from our present situation and circumstances but don’t allow Satan to take you captive to doubt and uncertainty when you can start with what you know to be true about God. We don’t know what He is doing but we do know that what He is doing is good and best for us and His glory and that it is impossible for Him to do evil! We don’t live on explanations, we live on precious promises!
Vs. 3 “For we have spent enough of our past life-time in doing the will of the gentiles”: There are times when the child of God can remanence about the “good ol times” and be tempted to fall back into the flesh but what Peter is suggesting isn’t looking at the temporary pleasures of sin for a season but rather the bondage and destruction that the pursuit of the flesh reeked upon our lives. We need to ask ourselves two question when tempted to sin:
- If sin was so pleasurable, so rewarding, so wonderful….why did you leave it?
- If sin is so good and desirable a condition then why did Jesus have to die to save us from it?
Peter goes on to list 6 past lusts of the flesh that many of these persecuted believers had wasted their life on. These things should remain dead and buried in their life not a present pursuit:
Lewdness: This describes actions which shocked and encouraged disgust from even a pagan society. Most of this was sexual in nature and we see that becoming more and more prevalent in our current society.
Lusts: The word in the Greek is not limited to sexual immorality but unrestricted passion for things that separate a soul from God, greed, gluttony are as poisonous snakes as sexual lusts!
Drunkenness: This word is a compound word in the Greek that means wine and overflow. The Bible doesn’t forbid drinking alcohol, but it does forbid drunkenness and being under the control of it where the drink is in control, not the spirit of God!
Revelries: This is a Greek word that means a wild party primarily centered around the worship of foreign god’s and ceremonies.
Drinking parties: This phrase also is one that has a connection with religious ceremonies and Paul speaks of it in 1 Corinth 10:14 as he forbids drinking the cup of demons.
Abominable idolatries: This phrase means “contrary to law and justice, illicit and criminal.” The practices described in this were so reprobate as to be illegal even by the pagan Roman law!
Next we will take up the other aspects of what we ought to be doing with our time in a world that is apart from God!
1 Peter 4:4-11
“Having the same mind as Jesus: Towards the lost, heaven and the church”
Vs. 4-6 Loving the lost (Salvation)
Vs. 7 Excited about our exit (Glorification)
Vs. 8-11 Serving the saints
Intro.
In 1st Peter, Peter wrote an encouraging word to the church about their “great salvation” that should be producing a “living hope” even though they were experiencing severe persecution. The primary example he uses was of Jesus who suffered for doing good in the will of God. Peter writes, “Since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, ARM YOURSELVES ALSO WITH THE SAME MIND”. The emphasis is upon the use of time as Peter tells the reader “that he should no longer live the REST OF HIS TIME” in the flesh for the lusts of men. In looking at these 11 verses I see that Peter’s words are telling his readers that Jesus’ example of the use of time ought to produce four things that are of the same mind of Jesus that ought to be occupying our lives with until Jesus calls us home:
- Vs. 1-3 Dying to the lust of the former life (Sanctification)
- Vs. 4-6 Loving the lost (Salvation)
- Vs. 7 Excited about our exit (Glorification)
- Vs. 8-11 Serving the saints
Last week in verses 1-3 Peter understood the nature of the flesh and the spiritual warfare that we Christians go through during difficult seasons as he offers his readers reasons why we should take a “militant attitude towards our own sin”. Oh, that we would take aggressive actions towards our own sins the way we react to others! Peter in these three verses gives three strong deterrents from going back “to living the rest of our time in the flesh for the lust of men instead of for the will of God”. The first area that we ought to be spending the rest of our time deals with our “Sanctification”!
Vs. 1b-2a “Since Christ suffered for us”: The Point Peter is making to these believers is when you are being tempted to go back to the life of the flesh STOP and realize what Jesus had to suffer in order to save us from what we are about to go back and do! The devils lies maximizes the temporary pleasure of sin while minimizing three things about sin:
- How much time it wastes: Both while engaged in the sin and the guilt and failure we experience after we sin.
- How much destruction it causes: Our sin is like the aftermath of a tornado that leaves in its path broken homes and ruined lives.
- How much Jesus’ sacrifice has changed sin: Jesus finished work on our behalf against sin has not only paid the penalty for our sin past, present and future but also broken the power over us that sin had as we don’t have to sin now.
How can we enjoy that which made Jesus suffer and die on the cross?
Vs. 2b “Live…for the will of God”: Peter’s point is that we cannot just avoid the “lusts of the flesh” they must seek to live for the will of God! We must not leave the waste of the world without the “Joy of the presence of God”!
Vs. 3 “For we have spent enough of our past life-time in doing the will of the gentiles”: Peter isn’t looking at the temporary pleasures of sin for a season but rather the bondage and destruction that the pursuit of the flesh reeked upon our lives. We need to ask ourselves two question when tempted to sin:
- If sin was so pleasurable, so rewarding, so wonderful….why did you leave it?
- If sin is so good and desirable a condition then why did Jesus have to die to save us from it?
Vs. 4-6 Loving the lost (Salvation)
Vs. 4-6 The second area that we should be spending the rest of our time with is other’s “Salvation”! Peter qualifies this pursuit by saying that those that we are desiring to reach think it strange that we are no longer in “the flesh, pursuing the lusts of men”! The Greek word for “do not run” is a phrase that means “to run in a troop or a pack like a band of renegades.” Peter offers a threefold exhortation to believers that has to do with them and not whom they are witnessing to:
Vs. 4 Be different: Peter’s first point to these believers is one that perhaps they were not fully aware of as their trust in Jesus had made them “different”, from the way they used to be. In their former sinful nature, they thought nothing of wrecking their lives and bodies in the pursuit of the “lust of the flesh” but now where at one time they were drunkards they were sober, where they once were engaged continually in immoral behavior they were pure. The things they once loved they now hated and the things they once hated they now loved. Such transformation caused their former family and friends to think it “strange,” and the Greek word here doesn’t mean something odd or unusual but “something foreign in nature to something else”.
If we are going to reach the lost we will need to be recognizably different than the way we were. So much of modern evangelism and the “seeker” movement attempts to be “unrecognizably different to the unregenerate” in an attempt to appeal to their flesh and make “going to church” fun!!! Church has become more about “entertaining the sinners” instead of “equipping the saints”. There is nothing fun about being in a condition that leaves your life in ruins and the church should not be engaged in imitating the tools that have led to the destruction of so many!
Vs. 5 Be patient: Seeing that these former friends and family are now engaged in their persecution, Peter’s second exhortation is for these persecuted believers to exercise patience towards the unsaved. Our patience is needed as often we have forgotten that we also were blind to our condition as they are now. They will, if they remain unrepentant, give an account to God who WILL judge them and as long as they still have breath there remains the possibility of “hope” that they will become followers of Jesus. Our patience ought to be based upon looking into the past and realizing how far we were at one time from the grace and knowledge of Jesus and now we have trusted in only Him. The sinner’s judgment must never be from our hearts towards them no matter how they have mistreated us, our prayer is that they, like us, will turn away from sin and towards the Living God!
Vs. 6 Be bold: This is a difficult passage for some, but the context is the believer’s suffering persecution for doing good in the will of God. The “those who are dead” cannot mean those who have died physically as the gospel is only preached to the physically alive as there is no possibility of salvation after a person has died apart from Jesus according to Hebrews 9:27. In this case the Greek makes it clear that the gospel had been preached to non-Christians who had become believers and then died being judged by non-Christians on earth and persecuted but in heaven they had been made alive in the spirit. We can be bold for two reasons:
- Because there is nothing the world can do to us even in their persecution as God will reward us for being bold in God’s love and truth towards others.
- Because just like us you can never know the potential of the message of our boldness may have upon a soul who was lost, and we have no other better example than our own soul!
I Peter Chp.4:7-19
“Endurance to the end”
Vs. 7 Excited about our exit (Glorification)
Vs. 7 The third area that we should be spending the rest of our time with is our “Glorification”. The first century believers were to live expectant lives and anticipating the return of Jesus in their lifetimes but the fact that Jesus hadn’t come back yet and they were being severely persecuted for their faith didn’t invalidate God’s promises. The question that Peter now addresses is what does live “expectant lives” of the soon return of Jesus look like? Peter gives his readers two primary things it should produce in their hearts:
Be serious: The end of “all things” ought to produce in the heart of a believer a sobriety that leads to living as if this is your last day and hour. The Christian who has no expectancy of the soon return of Jesus, lives frivolously and wastes time as if there is always a guarantee of tomorrow. Instead of living in fear of tomorrow we need to live in faith as if there is no tomorrow! There are those that look at the bible and end times “as a hobby” and speculation leads to daydreams and wishful thinking that they can live as they want in the pursuit of the “lusts of men” as we are going to be “raptured” anyway. Peter didn’t share that viewpoint of the soon return of Jesus; instead he exhorted them to get serious about their faith.
Be watchful in your prayers: The Greek word “watchful” is a word that means to be calm and collected in spirit and the context is in prayer. The “expectant life” is one that ought to cause the believer to be calm and collected in their prayer life. Our minds and hearts will become more focused and specific as we see that our time is short. There will be no time wasted on lazy, listless, routine prayers of the same things over and over or trying to tell God about something that He already knows. It will be replaced with humble crying out for our transformation and those around us as well as an attitude of gratitude as we praise Him, not for favorable outcomes but for His will being done.
Vs. 8-11 Serving the saints
Vs. 8-11 The fourth and final area that we should be spending the rest of our time with is “loving each other”! Peter says that, “above all things” and in the Greek words tell us that this is to be a prerequisite to every believer to exercise love towards each other. Elsewhere the word is used to describe an athlete who is working in their sport to get better. What this suggests to us is that Christian love for each other isn’t automatic and will require intense effort and is not about emotional feelings instead it’s about an obedient heart. Peter tells his readers that loving each other must include three traits:
Vs. 8 Fervency: The word “fervent” in the Greek is “stretched out” and the idea is that love is extended to reach the person loved and isn’t self-centered but others-centered in nature. “Courtesy” without love is pleasant but cold, “Generosity” without love is nice but odd without love… love is what makes all these other virtues what they should be! Peter says that when a Christian truly loves their fellow believer they would never think of publishing their failings to others instead they would only think of covering them from the sight of others. Gossip in the church is eliminated when love for each other is present and you can always tell how mature the body of Christ is by how much gossip exists!
Vs. 9 Friendly: The Greek word for “hospitality” means “friendly to strangers” thus the idea is not friendship shown to those whom you have a relationship with but to believers you don’t have a relationship with. I think that Christians’ ought to work towards being people who make friends with every person they meet, and you can’t find a person who doesn’t like them. The fact that Peter says without “grumbling” tells us that Peter was telling his readers that it wasn’t enough to do the action that they had to have the right heart in doing it!
Vs. 10-11 Faithfully: Finally, Peter speaks of discharging the Spiritual Gifts faithfully as stewards not as owners of the gifts. We need to be faithful and generous if our distribution of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit towards the body of Christ is a way that builds others up while not calling attention to ourselves. Far too much of the work of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ has been overshadowed by the instrument instead of all the glory going to the Giver of the gift it has unfortunately been upon the recipient of the gift. There is no greater deterrent to the continual work of the Holy Spirit in the church than the misuse of the gifts of the Holy Spirit seen in the self-glorying arrogance of the person who claims to be anointed by God! The clearest way to see if a person is truly anointed by God and has been baptized in the Holy Spirit will be their invisibility and God’s visibility!
1 Peter 4:12-14
“The prosperity of persecution”
Vs. 12 The purpose of it: Refinement
Vs. 13 The attitude though it: Rejoicing
Vs. 14 The promise in it: Refreshment
Intro.
Every Christian who lives for God can expect a certain amount of persecution be that on the job, where they live and even amongst family and friends. No matter what a follower of Jesus says, or does, there will always be people who will criticize them, but this isn’t what Peter is writing about in chapter 4:12-19. Peter has already written about the:
- “Occasional persecution” from those around them!
Now he is going to give five instructions that deal with:
- “Official persecution” from those above them!
Peter offers these suffering saints five things that deal with persecution from those above you:
- Vs. 12 The purpose of it: Refinement
- Vs. 13 The attitude though it: Rejoicing
- Vs. 14 The promise in it: Refreshment
- Vs. 15-18 The mindset by it: Reviewing
- Vs. 19 The outcome because of it: Recommitment
I personally found this section convicting as I read Peter’s words to this extremely persecuted church in light of my attitude. There is little doubt that our country is going through a difficult time and God’s church is experiencing an increasing unpopularity among their fellow citizens but let’s be clear, that in no way resembles those that Peter is writing to. Yet Peter mentions that his expectation for them in verses 13-14 was to “rejoice” and be “glad” with “exceeding joy” and to think of themselves as being “blessed”. I’m left with the reality that our present circumstances are not near as bad as theirs were and I need to read this section to make sure that my heart is being changed in the right direction towards rejoicing and being “glad” with “exceeding joy” and to think of myself as being “blessed”.
Vs. 12 The purpose of it: Refinement
Vs. 12 This section starts with the word “beloved,” in the Greek it is a word that means “divinely loved ones”, and is a descriptive title that would remind the readers that were going through severe persecution that they are loved by the heart of God. So often when we go through difficult seasons we can count the father of lies telling us that our present circumstances are an indication that God is either angry at us or doesn’t love us. What a sweet pillow Peter’s reminder is so that these dear saints could lay their weary head upon the heart of the Father who so loved them! Such words at the start of this exhortation helps them to endure the heartache and pains they were presently experiencing. With that said, Peter begins to offer his readers answers to what no doubt they questioned in light of the severe persecution they were experiencing:
Vs. 12 The purpose of it: Refinement
The phrase, “do not think it strange” in the Greek is “STOP thinking it is an alien thing to you”. What this suggests to us by Peter’s words is that these Christians had a misconception that their faith in God had provided an immunity from suffering and that their present circumstances were abnormal to which Peter corrects their wrong thinking and tells them that what is strange is that they misunderstand standing and not the persecution. Oh, how important this word from Peter is for today’s church in America with what we are currently experiencing and our attitude towards us believing that we are close to the rapture due to what we are going through.
The church has experienced a long history in our country of popularity and is just now NOT as popular but again that in no way represents what our brothers and sisters go through this very hour throughout the world! These suffering saints were being informed that suffering for righteousness sake was the norm and they could expect the world’s hatred of Jesus to become a hatred for those who love Him and reflect His life.
Peter calls their current condition a “fiery trial” and the Greek wording here is very revealing as it describes a “furnace”, used for smelting and refining silver and gold. The same word is used in the Greek translation of Ps. 66:10 “For You, O God, have tested us; You have REFINED us as silver is REFINED.” That Greek word coupled with “as though some strange thing happened to you,” is Peter giving the readers the understanding that severe persecution has a “purpose” and it is a “refinement” or a “purification,” making the raw ore of our lives closer to the 99% purity thus refinement and persecution go “hand in hand,” as it is the process that God employs upon His children. Such persecution has gone on since the beginning as the religious Cain killed the relational Able. Whatever glorifies God angers Satan and he will attack. Because of this truth, persecution is not a “strange” thing, the “absence” of persecution is a strange thing. In fact, if Satan isn’t attacking we need to wonder the reason? Satan and the world never attack a “religious person,” they don’t go after “religious Christians”! It is good for us to examine the trial we are in as there are three types of trials we can experience:
- Difficulties: These are the kind of trials that are a part of human life as we know it and almost everybody goes through them. People get sick, cars break down and things generally don’t go the way we think they should when we think they should.
- Disobedience: These are the kinds of trials that are a direct result of our own rebellion and sin as we have gone against the things of God. Though this is a trial it is by our own doing and hand.
- Discipline: This is what Peter is mentioning here and it is related to refinement because we are His disciples and God has in His wisdom allowed the trial to purify us and make us more like Him.
Though “refining trials” go hand in hand with our maturing development we still need to be reassured that what we are experiencing is within God’s plan!
Vs. 13 The attitude though it: Rejoicing
Vs. 13 Having established that the believer shouldn’t think that the trial was foreign to them, then what attitude should they have in regard to it? Peter tells them the strange attitude of rejoicing and then goes on to tell them two reasons to rejoice when suffering persecution:
“To the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings”: Peter says that it is a highest honor to “partake of Christ’s sufferings” as they are a gift from God. Not every Christian will be mature enough in their faith to see their persecution this way, but we know of many both in the bible and outside the bible. In Acts 5:41 we are told of the apostles as they departed the religious leader’s persecution “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.”
What Peter is talking about is the special blessing that allows us what the three Hebrew friends of Daniel experienced when thrown into the fiery furnace as they discovered a fourth One with them in the midst of the flames, the “Son of God,” Dan 3:23-25. Jesus promised to be with His followers to the “END” in Matt. 28:20 and he wasn’t just speaking of those disciples as Steven saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father in Acts 7:56.
“When His glory is revealed”: The world and many in the church today wrongly believe that the “absence of suffering” means “glory,” but the truth is that it is the opposite as the trial of our faith today is the assurance of glory when Jesus returns. God is not going to “replace” suffering with “glory” instead He will “transform” suffering into glory. To illustrate this Jesus told the parable in John 16:20-22 of a woman giving birth as He gave understanding that the same child that brings the expectant mother pain will also give her extreme joy. The pain she experienced at childbirth was “transformed” into joy by the birth of her baby. We see it spiritually in Paul’s example in 2 Corinth. 12:7-10 as Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” gave him a greater amount of God’s grace and strength so much so that he would proclaim that “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Vs. 14 The promise in it: Refreshment
Vs. 14 The Greek word “reproach” means a gnashing of teeth and refers to the general suffering that Christians can expect when their life is like that of Jesus as the world hates to see Him. Peter tells them that severe persecution further indicates two promises:
Prosperity: Peter says that when the world reacts to a Christian that way you are “blessed”, and the Greek word means to be “prosperous”. I can’t help but see the irony of what Peter is saying that such treatment means prosperity when the false teaching “prosperity movement” is teaching the opposite. The world doesn’t persecute “worldly Christians” ; it only goes after “spiritual Christians.” The Cross gave Jesus shame and pain, but it also brought power and glory. The Christian needs to understand this principle so that they can rejoice when our life includes “postponed pleasures”. We may pay today in order to enjoy our future in eternity. Our sufferings will one day be transformed into glory and then we will be glad about exceeding joy.
Refreshment: Peter says that their sufferings brought blessings as it ensured that the “Spirit of glory of God” would rest upon them. The Holy Spirit would rest upon them and the word “rest” is an agricultural one that describes the “resting” of the soil in a field to produce a more bountiful crop as the soil would receive more strength. It is the same word that Jesus used in Matt. 11:28 where He encouraged those who labored and were heavily ladened to come to Him and He would give them “REST”! The Holy Spirit refreshes the believer as He takes over the saint’s battle with his flesh and enables him to enjoy the presence and power of a life enjoyed in the Lord. The reference also has a significance to the Shekinah glory of God that dwelt in the tabernacle in Ex. 40:34 and 1 Kings 8:10-11. It was what Paul and others saw when they were stoning Stephen in Acts 6-7. The truth is, suffering saints don’t have to wait for heaven in order to experience His glory. Through the Holy Spirit they can have the glory now. This explains how martyrs can sing praises to God while they are being burned alive or go to prison bound in the darkest dungeon. The Bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp who lived in the 2nd century was arrested for his faith and threatened with death if he didn’t deny his trust in Jesus. He said in response, “Eighty-six years I have served Jesus and He never did me any injury. How am I to blaspheme my King and my Savior.”
Next, we will finish this section by examining two more aspects of what severe persecution should do in the life of the believer.
1 Peter 4:15-19
“The mindset and outcome of persecution”
Vs. 15-18 The mindset by it: Reviewing
Vs. 19 The outcome because of it: Recommitment
Intro.
Peter’s words to persecuted Christians in chapter 4:12-19 was not focused upon the:
- “Occasional persecution” from those around them!
But rather upon the:
- “Official persecution” from those above them!
And in so doing he wrote to these suffering saints five things that deal with persecution from those above them, three of which we examined two weeks ago:
- Vs. 12 The purpose of it: Refinement
- Vs. 13 The attitude though it: Rejoicing
- Vs. 14 The promise in it: Refreshment
We will conclude with:
- Vs. 15-18 The mindset by it: Reviewing
- Vs. 19 The outcome because of it: Recommitment
Peter mentions that his expectation for them in verses 13-14 was to “rejoice,” to be “glad” with “exceeding joy,” and to think of themselves as being “blessed” and I remind you that Peter’s words were to those who were facing severe persecution and even death. We take up the final two points of Peter this morning. Before we start let me remind you that Peter started this section with the word addressed to them in verse 12 “beloved,” and in the Greek it is a word that means “divinely loved ones,” this was far more than a descriptive title as it would serve to remind the readers that despite what they were going through they were loved by the heart of God. So often when we go through difficult seasons we can count the father of lies telling us that our present circumstances are an indication that God is either angry at us or doesn’t love us. He also wanted to let his readers know that by use of the phrase “do not think it strange,” (which in the Greek is “STOP thinking it an alien thing to you) that these Christians had a misconception that their faith in God had provided an immunity from suffering and that their present circumstances were abnormal. Peter corrects their wrong thinking and tells them that what is strange is they misunderstand their present circumstances and not the persecution.
Vs. 15-18 The mindset by it: Reviewing
Vs. 15-18 The word “suffer” in verse 15 is linked with the words of verse 14 and “reproach,” so Peter is writing about suffering that comes with being hated for no reason.
Vs. 15 The first area we need to review or “examine” has to do with asking and answering the “WHY” question of, “Why I’m being hated”. Some of the readers had apparently “suffered” in the past for being “murderers, thieves, evildoers and busybodies”, verse 15. Not all hatred is because of righteous living and can’t all be attributed to “refinement,” but rather our own “disobedience”. The hatred they had received for such behaviors was to be in the “PAST” and NOT in the “PRESENT.” They needed to be about the Lord’s business and not acting as if they were “self-appointed over-seers in other people’s business”. I’m afraid that this has become a global epidemic in our world today and even amongst God’s people. It has come about because of the advancement of global information where almost as soon as something happens we are given the information in real time and with that comes talking heads who want to tell you what you just witnessed means with their particular slant.
Then we all gather around talking about it, constantly offering our opinions. We are NOT “self-appointed over-seers in other people’s business” we are to be only about our “Father’s business” and we could avoid some of the hatred which has at times more to do with not minding our own business than it does about our Father’s business! The fact that we are Christians doesn’t mean that we should escape the normal consequences of sinful behavior. Peter wants his readers to make sure that they are suffering hatred for being Christians and not criminals!
Vs. 16 The second area of examination has to do with asking ourselves the question; “Are we “ashamed” to be identified with Jesus when the world despises Him?” Peter no doubt thought of himself as he wrote this with his own denial of Jesus no doubt in his mind. Jesus is not ashamed to be identified with us and even calls us His family! It is important to realize that at this time the state religion was the cult of Caesar where the emperor was worshipped as a god. Such worship of the emperor served two purposes:
The subjects of the Roman empire gave allegiance and obedience to not only the laws of the land politically but religiously as they didn’t question the laws as they came from the emperor who was god!
The worship of Caesar tended to unify and bond the entire empire into one making it easier to manage geographically.
The popularity of that “state religion” known as “Kaisarianos” (Kaisar being the Greek form of Caesar). Christianity came onto the public with a “rival claim to world worship and dominion!” The LORD Jesus is the messiah who according to the Church would one day soon come back and lay claim to rulership and take the government upon His shoulders. Those who worshipped Jesus were known as “Christianos” worshipers of a Christ and as such against the worship of the emperor and his worshippers the “Kaisarianos”!
The Roman empire saw that the “imperialism” of Christianity was challenging the imperialism of the Caesar’s with its spread evangelically. The Roman’s answered this challenge by 10 bloody persecutions! The point is that in those days it “COST SOMETHING” to be a Christian. Society not only hated you for being a Christian they would persecute and even take your life. That is what Peter means when he writes, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed”. The negative is not being “ashamed”, but Peter wasn’t just asking not to be ashamed he asked them to positively “glorify God” when the Romans hated them for identifying with Jesus and going against the society’s worship of the emperor. Saints it’s easy to be a follower of Jesus when it doesn’t cost you anything, when it is popular to be one but how many Christians would stand up to worship Jesus openly and publicly when society wants to kill you for doing so? Most churches in America are reporting that their congregations have seen a 50% decline in attendance during Covid-19 and the state saying that we can’t publicly gather together for worship what would it be like if the state said that we couldn’t publicly worship not due to the possibility of spreading a virus but because they saw us as atheists and subverting the government?
Vs. 17-18 The third question we need to ask ourselves when we are being hated is; “Are we seeking to love and save those who hate us?” Peter wanted these severely persecuted Christians to realize that such persecution was to purify them in their witness to the lost world that was persecuting them. They were undergoing a discipline by the hand of God designed to cause them to be a purer witness not to go into hiding in an attempt to avoid persecution! The starting place of judgment was the church, NOT to judge the church alone but to provide a clearer witness of the unbelievers of their need for Jesus when they were hating and killing those who in spite of their efforts were lovingly reaching out to them!
When the believer in Christ suffers for their loving witness the judgment upon those who continue to reject Jesus is greater and we assure our glory in the presence of Jesus for all eternity! When God sends a refining fire upon the church it is for our discipline and the world’s judgment, Peter says. The church will be saved through it with difficulty in the sense that it was necessary for God to purify His dearly loved ones by drastic means of persecution and suffering. If God’s people need disciplinary judgment, how much more will the unsaved merit the wrath of God when they reject the righteousness of God? The reference is to Gen 19:15-26 when God sought to rescue Lot from Sodom before the city was destroyed. God was willing and able to do so but found Lot was unwilling as he lingered and argued with angels and finally had to be taken by the hand and dragged out of the city. Lot was “saved by fire”, as everything he lived for went up in smoke. We can compare that with Paul in Acts 16:15-34 who when imprisoned for his witness; he and Silas chained in the darkest dungeon, after the earthquake by God freed them stayed to witness to the jailer who had beaten them and had heard them praising God. That is what Peter is talking about as a witness as had Paul and Silas not received the discipline of God to purify them the Philippian jailer would have killed himself and never received Jesus! Paul had a greater love for his persecutor then he did for vengeance and because of this they received their freedom and the joy of seeing another soul added to the kingdom of God.
Vs. 19 The outcome because of it: Recommitment
Vs. 19 The Greek word for “commit” is a financial term that means “to give in charge of a deposit”. Peter is exhorting the persecuted believers to make a further “deposit” in their spiritual lives and grow deeper. While Donna was undergoing her stem cell transplant at UW medical center I was forced to live at the cancer apartment 4 miles away and found that I could go to the hospital everyday by walking faster than taking the free shuttle. While I didn’t mind the walk, I found the mental onslaught unbearable after a few days as I didn’t know if during my over an hour walk if she would be alive when I arrived, and I became mentally tortured by the prospects of that. There was a stretch of that walk where I would come upon a concrete staircase that seemed to go on forever and every day when I reached it I felt as though I was stuck on it even though I didn’t have to climb it. One day as I passed by it and tears were running down my face in fear of what might be God spoke to me that He wanted me to “Press into Him to press on with Him!” Those words set me free from the fear and the doubt as I “recommitted” my heart to Jesus every day on that journey to the hospital at that very spot! Saints we are “extremely loved and valuable to God”! He made us, sent His only Son to redeem us, He lives in us and promises to never leave us or forsake us. So, when you deposit more of your life with God’s “savings and loan trust” you have nothing to fear and a guarantee of a greater reward then what you originally deposited! Such commitment I found was not a single action but one I needed to take each and every day on my four-mile walk to the hospital so it’s a “constant and continual recommitment”! We do this by trusting God in spite of the circumstance or consequences and this is best revealed to our own hearts by “doing good” even to those who hate us as if they are our “Faithful Creator”! The unsaved persecutors are controlled in the present because they are controlled by their past but we Christians have a glorious present and future because it’s controlled by our loving Father. Our God will NOT fail us so we can not only allow the refinement we can rejoice in it and make a further recommitment through it to Him!