Suffering for What is Good

1 Peter 3:13-17

Immanuel – 7/25/21

Peter was standing on the edge of a great change. Everywhere the gospel had taken root, persecutions followed. Yes, these persecutions were relatively small and localized, but they were consistent. They weren’t enough to break the church, but they were still painful. For many of these early Christians though, they enjoyed relative peace. The gospel spread rapidly all over the world.

But Peter understood that was all about to change. The madman on the throne was growing increasingly incensed by this new religion coming out of Judea. The general population was more and more offended by the teaching of this faith. Additionally, tensions with Rome were rapidly escalating in Jewish communities all over the empire – many of which hosted churches that Peter planted, churches that he loved.

In a few short years the dam would break. Nero, with sadistic glee, would hunt down Christians, turn them on one another (if possible), torture them, and slaughter them. The Jewish Wars would erupt and hundreds of thousands of Jews were put to the sword, famine devastated populations as a result, and all that was precious in Jerusalem was turned to ash. In the middle of all that, Rome was thrown into a brief civil war.

Chaos, ruin, death; these were just beyond the horizon. Peter did not yet know what exactly was coming, but he knew that a beast was rising, and four horses were about to be released. He remembered the prophetic warnings of His Lord. He could clearly read the signs. The birth pains were beginning (Matthew 24:8).

And in 4:7 Peter writes, the end of all things is at hand.

I believe that with great urgency Peter sent out this letter to the elect exiles; to encourage, to give them hope in a hostile world, to prepare them for a world about to be thrown into greater hostility. He understands suffering is about to increase with stunning rapidity; so he wants to prepare his flock. He wants them to be ready. He wants to remind them of Kingdom priorities and equip them to faithfully endure.

There are many parallels in our time. There are many preparations we too should be about. There are many priorities that desperately need Kingdom alignment. We have much to learn.

In our passage today Peter dives headlong into preparations for suffering. The rest of his letter is concerned with the attitudes of believers, especially as they face adversity. But before we get into that, I want you to see once more, the words Peter has already spoken about suffering.

Now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. -1 Peter 1:6-7

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

-1 Peter 2:12

For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. -1 Peter 2:15

For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. -1 Peter 2:19

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you have been called, that you may obtain a blessing. -1 Peter 3:9

Purpose

Suffering is a blessing.

We need to prepare ourselves.

Just a note: Throughout this sermon I am going to share with you the stories of Soviet dissidents who suffered terrible persecutions at the hand of the communists. I take these stories from the book Live Not by Lies: A Manuel for Christian Dissidents by Rob Dreher.

Read 1 Peter 3:13-17

Peter starts with a rhetorical question. It is a question that focuses the reader on a particular form of suffering: persecution.

Read vs 13

Two Implications

This rhetorical question has two weighty implications. The first implication follows the logic of the preceding verses. Peter has just quoted Psalm 34, exhorting the church to peace, to righteousness, to truth. You pursue these things to have them. You pursue peace to have peace.

The first implication of this rhetorical question is that the normal Christian experience is not persecution, but peace. If you are zealous for doing good, seeking peace, blessing those around you; who would want to harm you? This was an underlying motivation for submission that Peter addressed earlier. Take submission to the government as an example:

Be subject…to the emperor as supreme, or to the governs as sent by him…to praise those who do good. -1 Peter 2:13-14

Do good and know peace. Persecution is not the normal effect of gospel living.

The second implication of this rhetorical question is, “if you are zealous for doing good, can anyone truly harm you?”

Paul asked a similar rhetorical question. Actually, a series of rhetorical questions – with the same gravity of Peter’s:

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. -Romans 8:31-37

If you are zealous for doing good, pursuing righteousness and peace and truth – which means zealously pursuing Jesus – then God is for you. So who can be against you? Suffering may afflict your body – and that for a moment – but no one can take your soul, and no one can steal your eternity. Those rest securely in the palm of the Almighty!

Again, the two implications:

Persecution is not the normal effect of gospel living.

God is for you. Or, as Peter quoted in verse 12, the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their prayers.

But, even though persecution is not the norm, persecution should be no surprise.

Read vs 14a

The Blessing of Suffering

If the normative peace of Christian living is broken – which Peter anticipates in the near future – a blessing comes with it. Peter is not primarily referring to future blessings. He is referring to a blessing that comes in the midst of the suffering.

Peter wrote about this earlier. Suffering refines. It takes faith that is rough and impure, and transforms it into faith that is brilliant and strong, more precious than a whole world of gold.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a Soviet dissident and later a renowned writer. He spent two decades in prison or in gulag concentration camps. He was “beaten, humiliated, deprived of liberty, made to live in filth and freezing temperatures, and crawling with lice; and made to endure many other grotesque manifestations of communism’s determination to bring heaven on earth.”*

Of these afflictions Solzhenitsyn writes, “‘That is why I turn back to the years of my imprisonment and say – sometimes to the astonishment of those about me – bless you prison. Bless you prison, for having been in my life.’ Suffering had refined him, taught him to love. It was only there that the prisoner began to understand the meaning of life.”*

You see, suffering is not the opposite of blessing. In Christ’s kingdom, so different than the vanity of men’s kingdoms, suffering reveals blessing immeasurable. Suffering opens your eyes to the temporary nature of all the things we cling to. Suffering reveals the unfailing nature of God, and His gracious love – ever present in times of need.

And suffering reveals how precious it is to love those around you; for all endure affliction of some sort.

In fact, suffering only multiplies unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind; of which we looked at in last week’s sermon. The greater the depth of your suffering, the more tender your heart will become, the more you will be able to sympathize. Then sharp banks of your heart will be overwhelmed; humility and love and a longing for unity will spill forth.

Yes, when God reveals all these things through our sufferings, the kingdom of God has truly come into our present experience.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” -Matthew 5:10

The blessing of the kingdom is in the midst of the trial, not just on the other side. This is why James can write:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. -James 1:2-4

What a kingdom! When sufferings and persecutions come upon us, we lack nothing! For all we need is Christ; and in Him, we find all! What blessing! So do not be afraid of those that would bring you harm, and do not let your heart be troubled!

Read vs 14b-15a

I can’t help but be reminded of Jesus’ words.

“Have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

-Matthew 10:26-28

Fear

The threats of men may be intimidating, but in light of eternity, they are small threats. For they can only take a drop from the ocean of life eternal. But make no mistake, fear is the natural response to such threats. Remember, the man writing the words we are considering once caved in to fear.

Fear overwhelmed Peter when a young servant girl asked if he knew Jesus. He denied Him. Twice more he was asked, and with curses and shouting Peter vehemently denied his Lord. Then crowed the rooster. Then came the flood of bitter remorse.

After the resurrection Jesus gently restored Peter. And soon the Holy Spirit would indwell Peter, with the rest of the disciples. Only then would Peter stand before the very same court that condemned Jesus, and proclaim,

Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead…This Jesus is the stone that the was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. -Acts 4:10-12

Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. -Acts 4:19-20

Once, Peter was unable to face the accusations of a maiden. Now he stands boldly before councils and kings, unafraid to speak the name of Jesus. And a few years after penning the letter which we are studying, he would acknowledge Jesus one final time, and be crucified for it.

Every one of us – elect exiles – can say that Jesus loves us and gave Himself for us. Through Him we have forgiveness of sins. Through Him the love of God is lavished upon us. Through Him we have a hope that this world cannot take or tarnish. The price of all this? The life of the Son of God. How small then to be ready to give up anything, even your life, for the sake of Jesus the Lord?

Let the fear of the Lord grip you. Not the sort of fear that cowers as it awaits some impending blow, like a broken animal. But the type of fear that is filled with praise and awe and worship and love. A type of fear that fears more than anything, dishonoring Jesus – because to Him you owe everything! This is the type of fear that drives out all others. No fear of man can master a person who first fears the Lord.

Silvester Krčméry, a Soviet dissident, was brought before a Soviet anti-religious tribunal. He knew that to reveal his faith was to be condemned. With incredibly courageous faith, he stood up and testified “God gave me everything I have. And now that I face persecution because of Him, and am called on to profess my faith in Him. Should I now pretend I don’t believe? Should I hide my faith? Should I deny Him?...We will not allow ourselves to be led to hate, to rebel, or even to complain; that is where our strength and superiority lie.”

For these words Silvester Krčméry was locked inside a communist prison for 10 years; enduring tortures, deprivations, and isolation; all while his young family was left without him.

A Reason for the Hope

Peter does not end his exhortation by encouraging us not to fear. He goes on to set us about preparing for active evangelism.

Read vs 15b-16

If you are a follower of Jesus, one of the elect, then there is a hope within you. Like Peter said back in 1:3, God has caused us to be born again to a living hope. In the face of persecution and hostility, your faith activates through hope. It looks beyond the circumstances of the temporary, and sees the things that are eternal. Those eternal realities, though not yet acquired, fill your heart with joy and love and freedom. The eternal streams into the present through hope.

This will so befuddle your persecutors and accusers, that will not be able to help themselves. You will be so noticeably different than they, that they will want to know what makes you so distinct. What is going on inside of you? What makes you so unbreakable? What makes you so hopeful?

It is amazing. Persecution doesn’t send us into retreat. Persecution puts us on the front foot. The enemies of God come after His flock; but what they don’t realize is that God has them right where He wants them. They are refining His flock and they are going to hear the gospel of His Son!

Therefore, Peter is exhorting us to prepare, to get ready for the moment the accusations and questions come. They will come. And these questions and accusations will not always be asked in friendly ways.

In the first century Christians were accused of being atheists and haters of Rome, because they would not worship Caesar. They were accused of being cannibals, because they ate the flesh and blood of some person. These were the types of accusations they had to prepare for.

Do you understand the prominent worldviews of today, enough to engage them? Are you able to anticipate what accusations will be brought against you? Do you understand your faith enough to defend it?

Now is the time to prepare. It will take studying, thinking, reading; even practicing with others. Watching a YouTube video and calling yourself prepared is like running a mile and saying you’re ready for a marathon. Now is the time to train. Now is the time to work. Now is the time to prepare.

There are words of Jesus’ that are often misunderstood.

“When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” -Matthew 10:19-20

This does not mean that you should show up before your accusers with an empty mind and a naïve expectation that the Spirit will miraculously move your mouth. Show up with a mind filled with truth and reason and hope, for your defense will be built upon all these. The arrangement of your defense, the precise words and emphases and rationale and answers, all these will come from the Spirit. And you will know that the Spirit of Christ is with you!

Again, Peter’s experience, as he faced the high court that condemned Jesus. Before he got there, Peter was a student of Scripture. He learned from Jesus. He understood the rationale of his accusers.

When [the religious leaders] saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized they had been with Jesus. -Acts 4:13

They were astonished. The high court was hearing from Jesus through Peter and John. It was quickly dawning on them that cross had not defeated Jesus.

I doubt the religious leaders would have been so amazed if Peter and John answered arrogantly or defiantly. There is a gentle and respectful way to speak to others. Do not let your presentation, your demeanor, or your tone do the offending. Let the truth offend. Be gentle and respectful.

Likewise, if your life is a mess with sin, what good will words do? Have a clear conscious now, so that in the time of questioning you are not disqualified before you even get a chance to speak. Your faith must be as true now as it is in the day of testing.

“Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” -Matthew 10:32-33

Let us not deny Jesus, in word or in deed.

If you practice what you preach and your words align with your life, if you speak with gentleness and respect, if you know what you are talking about, and the Spirit fills your mouth; then your accusers will be put to shame. Just as the religious leaders were astonished by the two fishermen that stood before them.

We do not face secret police or religious tribunals, but we do face a society growing increasingly intolerant of the truth. The pressure is mounting to deny your faith. They may come after your reputation. You might lose your job. Friends and/or family might reject you.

No matter what comes, let us not waver on the truth, the truth that the Bible proclaims, so that we can confidently know that we have not denied your Savior. And, in the end, God will vindicate His sons and daughters.

Read vs 17

Yes, there is nothing noble about suffering for doing wrong. But suffering for doing good, how much better! It is no overestimation to say, “Infinitely better!” Suffering for doing good is a great reward, though it is incredibly difficult.

When all is stripped away, then all that is left is Jesus. There is no greater pleasure, no greater hope and joy and satisfaction than being by your Savior’s side. And there is no greater place of fellowship with Jesus than to be on the cross beside Him, and hear those precious words, “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:24).

The follower recognizes the cost of following Jesus, and is willing to pay it. The admirer of Jesus stands beneath the cross and, turning away, returns to the comforts of home. Are you a follower or an admirer?

“If we later day believers are not able and willing to be faithful in the relatively small trials we face now, there is no reason to think we will have what it takes to endure serious persecution in the future.” Yuri Simko, a Russian Baptist pastor who lived under constant communist threat said, “Without being willing to suffer, even die for Christ, it’s just hypocrisy. It’s just a search for comfort.”*

*Dreher, Rob (2020) Live Not by Lies: A Manuel for Christian Dissidents

From the chapter The Gift of Suffering.