1 Peter 4:12-5:14 (Genesis 1:1-2 & 2:1-3)

Transcription

1 11/19/2017 Present Suffering < Future Glory 1 Peter 4:12-5:14 (Genesis 1:1-2 & 2:1-3) Jared Hey ST STEPHENS BIBLE CHURCH

2 Big Idea: Christians are to stand firm in the pattern of Christ: present suffering BUT future glory. Word Matches Explain, go through them run through the answers on the next slide. What about this word? Shout out some options. Well would it surprise you that the word matched with being a Christian is suffering? We often associate all the positives with being a Christian. We are loved, saved, we have received grace, we are God s children, we have a great inheritance and we are free. Those things are all true, but if we get to focussed on them we can miss out on something that is really important to our Christian life. When you hear the word suffering, what comes to mind?

3 Positives or negatives? If you are like me, it will be negatives. We don t like to suffer, we don t like to see suffering. What we need to be challenged with tonight is that suffering for the Christian is actually a positive. Suffering just for following Christ is to be seen as a joy, as blessing and an honor. Let s pray and ask God to help us to see this great truth tonight. The first thing we need to see tonight is that 1. Suffering is Expected (4:12-19) Have a look at v12 with me 12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

4 Peter starts by telling these readers not to be surprised by the suffering that has come their way. Suffering for being a Christian is not strange it is expected and normal. Would you be surprised if I told you that Lionel Messi loves soccer? Or that Zola Nene loves cooking? Or that Jan braai likes to braai? That wouldn t really surprise us that s exactly what we expect. Peter wants these Elect Exiles scattered across Asia Minor to know that they should expect suffering it s the norm for Christians to suffer. Peter has been talking about suffering since the start of his letter. The Elect Exile will face suffering in his or her lifetime. But the suffering Peter talks about is specific.

5 It s true that because our world is fallen and broken we will all suffer in some way or another. But in Peter s letter he constantly links suffering to just being a Christian. Living out your life in a world that is hostile to God and is driven by human pride will naturally bring suffering and struggle our way. When we live for Jesus, suffering will come our way in various forms. But that is normal, that is expected and so Peter calls us to rejoice. Suffering for the name of Jesus is something we must wear as a badge of honor. That s the pattern Jesus set for us. When we suffer for the name of Jesus it means we are following the example of our great King. That s exactly what Peter did in Acts.

6 This is Peter s response to suffering for preaching Christ in Acts 5:41 41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. That s the attitude we are challenged to be marked by. We need to continually be praying for boldness and courage to not be ashamed of Jesus in the various places we might find ourselves. We need to pray for a humble attitude that puts Christ first, others second and ourselves last. As we do that we can expect suffering. The great news is that means we on the right track. Crazy right? Might take a while to get our heads around that.

7 Jesus set the pattern for us in his life, his life was marked by suffering and submission, but led to eternal glory. We love Jesus, we know how incredibly amazing he is, but we must remember that the world doesn t think the same. We will suffer for Christ s name. What links to that is that suffering for Christ s name also refines our faith. Have a look at v For it is time for judgment to begin with God s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And, If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? This section seems a little confusing at first. It seems to be saying that God is using the world to judge us.

8 That seems a little bit strange and confusing. But right at the start of this section we are told that these sufferings have come not as a judgment but a test. In chapter one Peter already told us that trials/tests come to strengthen and prove our faith. As suffering comes our way it will either break us or grow us and strengthen us. This is a real testimony to Christianity since its start. People were willing to suffer for the name of Jesus, some suffered death for the name of Jesus. Being willing to die for what you believe in shows and proves to those around you that your faith was real. In the time that Peter is writing that was happening pretty regularly. Instead of crushing the church, it grew the church in an amazing way.

9 If you look through church history you will see that under extreme opposition and persecution, under great suffering Christianity thrives and grows. What Peter is getting at is that life as a Christian won t mean we have everything now in this world, in fact it will mean the opposite. We should expect suffering and struggle in this life, but in the life to come we will have more than everything because we are in Christ. That is far better than it will be for those who are not in Christ, they will face eternal judgment. Suffering now will be tough, but compared to eternal suffering it is a no brainer. Our suffering now is there to refine us and keep us focused and should grow our faith. Let s be brave and embrace suffering for the name of Jesus.

10 Next time someone asks you about your weekend tell them about church. When people are being horrible to you, love them for the name of Jesus. Be generous, be loving and be compassionate knowing that it will cost you for the name of Jesus. Expecting suffering prepares us but it will still be difficult and hard. Thankfully what we see in my second point is that 2. God gives us the church (5:1-7) Follow with me as I read from v1 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 be shepherds of God s flock that is under your care, watching over them not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. 5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders.

11 Peter appeals to two groups of people, the elders and the younger. Now to appreciate what Peter is saying here, we need to acknowledge that is isn t talking about old people and young people. The word for elder is presbyter, that is someone who leads a church, someone who has the gifts of being a minister. And that comes out in the rest of what Peter says, he calls them fellow elders, those who are to look after and care for and watch over the flock of believers. Those that are to set an example for the flock to follow. The second group then is not just Peter s appeal to young people. It is everyone who is not a minister or presbyter it s the rest of the church. They are to submit to the elders, to the ministers authority of teaching over them.

12 God gives us the church, he gives us each other, he gives us the church structure, because we need each other. As we have already seen suffering is expected, but we also know that suffering is not fun, it will be hard. That s why gathering together regularly and being encouraged by each other and encouraging each other is so important. It s tough to suffer alone. The chances of pushing through are extremely unlikely, but with others supporting you the chances of pushing through are pretty high. I ve been doing teen ministry for a while now and in my time I ve seen a few teens turn their back on Jesus. The cost of following Jesus was just too much for them.

13 Those of you who serve or have served in some form of teaching ministry will know just how heart breaking that is. You invest time and love and care and sometimes the person looks like they will go on to do great things for the Lord but then suffering comes their way and they stop coming to youth or church and then they disappear. We need each other we need to work together to endure suffering. Our elders are called to be shepherds of people. God has placed you guys under our care until Jesus returns. Our hearts should be driven to care for you and to watch over you. This motive should stem from a willingness to serve you not for dishonest gain or for power.

14 When it comes to living for Jesus we should be a good example to you. We should model Christ to you in our lives. Around the world there are many so called shepherds who are 100% in it for dishonest gain as well as for power and status. They exploit the poor and the vulnerable. On the Cape Flats and in our Townships you will see them everywhere. These men and women are wicked, they are not true shepherds, they are not caring for people or watching over them. They are not serving, rather they are being served. The great news for the shepherds spoken of in this section is that when Jesus the Chief Shepherd returns they will receive their glory.

15 Those evil men and women who are chasing glory now will lose out in eternity. Elders are called to shepherd. Youngers that s the rest of the church are called to submit to the elders authority. The great news is that when you have a shepherd that is watching over you and caring for you then you know that submitting to him is for your own good and the best thing you can do. Just like we all submit to God s authority. But then Peter goes on in the second part of v5, follow with me All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because, God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

16 Peter knows this will be tough. He and his friends had constantly argued and fought over who would sit at Jesus right and left hand when he reigned as King. They never understood the pattern of God s kingdom until after they received the Holy Spirit. They wanted power over everyone, they wanted riches, they wanted others to submit to them. Jesus says the first will be last and the last shall be first. If you want to become the greatest in his kingdom you must become the very least in this world. Elders will have to fight against power and money as they lead Jesus flock. The younger will naturally want the power the elders have and will have to fight against their sinful hearts. The best remedy for wanting to be the best is humility. We are not the greatest.

17 Yesterday Charissa and I were watching I am Bolt. Now I love Usain Bolt, he is an incredible athlete. He is one of, if not the greatest athlete of all time. But the title of the show I am Bolt got me thinking. Many greats of the past have used this phrase I am the greatest. Mohammad Ali, Pele and Bolt. I am the greatest. I am is the greatest, because that s what God calls himself in Exodus. Moses asks God who he should tell the Israelites is sending him and he says tell them I am sends you. Saying I am puts all the focus on you, it makes everything about you. God can say that because he is our creator, he is the greatest and the most powerful. Our pride shines through when we say it.

18 We forget that we are not the greatest but I am is the greatest. The challenge is to clothe ourselves with humility. Such a great phrase. Tonight you all have clothes on. I am very grateful for that. Who of you would ever dare to come to church naked? Who of you would go to the mall or your work naked? No normal person would do that because we would feel so exposed and awkward, plus it s inappropriate. That s how we should feel about humility. When we are not humble, when our pride puffs up and we forget who we are in Christ we should feel naked, we should feel exposed and inappropriate. We need each other. Christianity is not all about me, it s about Jesus and it s about people. That s tough and that s why it needs to be modelled.

19 That s why we need each other. As we work on our humility we mustn t forget finally that 3. We must stand firm (5:8-14) Follow with me from v8 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. Peter starts off by reminding these readers not to forget that the enemy is real. The danger is that we can get caught up in our Christian bubble and forget there is an enemy. The devil has been defeated by Christ and has no real power of his own, but that won t stop him from looking for cracks. He hates Jesus, therefore he hates us.

20 It makes him extremely angry when people turn and follow Jesus. Peter warns us to not take him for granted. Once again a great description by Peter, comparing the devil to a lion looking for someone to devour. Most of you will know that I love nature shows and I have seen my fair share of lion hunts. Lions don t just rush in and kill something. They have a planned strategic attack, they try and separate the weak from the strong and isolate them before making the kill. That s why breaking fellowship with believers is really dangerous. Together we are strong, alone we are vulnerable. That what Peter goes on to say.

21 We must resist him by standing firm in the faith and remembering that we are part of a huge family. There are believers all around the world enduring suffering and that should m=encourage and motivate us. When I struggle with something nothing is more comforting than speaking to someone who has experienced the same thing. Sometimes words can t explain how you feel or what you are going through. Before my mom passed away a few years ago I dealt with death very differently to how I do now. Some of my friends lost their dads before my mom passed away. I felt awkward and just wanted to cheer them up and wanted to do all I could to help. Once my friend told me that he doesn t remember anything I said to him when his dad passed away.

22 All he remembers is that I was there and that meant the world to him. I only fully understood that when my mom passed away. No one could say anything to make me feel better, no one could do anything to make me feel better. But people being there for me in that moment meant a great deal to me. Now that I have experienced that I can pass that on to those around me. The enemy is real, we can encourage each other by standing firm in our faith and remembering we are not alone. That will mean we have to be willing to share our struggles with each other, we need to be vulnerable with each other. Which means we need to create a safe environment with each other once again team work is needed.

23 The last thing we need to see from this section is that our suffering is limited. Follow with me from v10 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. In all of these sufferings and struggles for just for being a Christian we mustn t forget that God is with us. He gives us strength. Remember chapter 1, we are shielded by his power. The patter Christ has set for us is suffer now, BUT eternal glory. Peter wants to end with this thought, we are God s Elect. Elected to face suffering and called to submit now. But we have eternal glory in Christ. Although it doesn t always seem like it, suffering has a time limit, it s only for a little while.

24 When you compare our life to eternity, our life really is a little while. I like illustrating this for the teens using a white board unfortunately no white board. But I have a paper and a pen paper eternity the dot our life it s a little while. Once we have endured all the suffering that will come our way just for being a Christian, Jesus will restore us and strengthen us to be firm and steadfast. Suffering is expected, God has given us the church to help us stand firm. There is lots more to say from this little letter. But if you remember nothing else next time you read this letter remember this from 1 Peter the pattern is set as follows. Elect, Suffering, Submission, Glory. Let s pray.