The believers Peter was writing to were facing suffering and persecution. In just a few short years both Peter and Paul would die for Christ under the reign of Nero. Peter writes to encourage suffering believers to be faithful to Christ in the midst of sufferings, and gives a wonderful promise of where they would the strength to endure them.
Teaching Notes:
Sharing The Sufferings Of Christ
1 Peter 4:12-19
Intro: I’ll begin tonight by giving you a couple of examples of those that have shared in the sufferings of Christ – one from 202 A.D. and the other from 1981.
In A.D. 202 the Roman emperor Septimus Severus issued an edict making conversion to Christianity illegal. The resulting persecution was felt most severely in Carthage, on the North African coast. Vibia Perpetua, a 22-year old mother of an infant son, along with her servant girl who was 8 months pregnant, was arrested for joining a class of Christian believers. Perpetua nursed her child in prison and made arrangements with her mother to take him if anything should happen. The servant girl gave birth to her child in prison. When Perpetua’s father learned that she was to be thrown into the arena with wild beasts, he tried to get her out. But he was beaten instead. On the day of the execution the men were taken first. Among them was Saturus, the Bible class leader. He stopped at the gate for one last word of testimony with Pudens, the prison governor, who later turned to Christ and became a martyr himself. The men were sent into the arena with a bear, a leopard, and a wild boat. As Saturus was mangled by the beasts, the spectators shouted, “He is well baptized!” Next Perpetua and her servant were stripped and sent into the arena to face a “mad heifer.” The torture soon became too much for the crowd and they cried, “Enough, enough!” The women were taken to the executioner. Perpetua called out to some grieving friends, “Give out the Word to the brothers and sisters; stand fast in the faith, love one another, and don’t let our suffering become a stumbling block to you.” The first blow of the gladiator was not sufficient. Perpetua cried out in pain, took the gladiator’s hand, and directed the sword to her throat. (For sources see Ruth Tucker, From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya, pp. 33-35).
On January 19, 1981, a group of terrorists called “M-19” broke into the S.I.L. residence in Bogota, Columbia, and kidnapped Wycliffe translator Chet Bitterman. The communiqué from the terrorists read, “Chet Bitterman will be executed unless the Summer Institute of Linguistics and all its members leave Columbia by 6:00 PM February 19.” Wycliffe did not budge. Brenda Bitterman and her two little children waited 48 days. On March 7 the terrorists shot Chet Bitterman through the heart and left his body on a bus in Bogota. More than 100 Wycliffe members in Columbia were given the choice of a new field. None left. And 200 candidates volunteered to take Chet Bitterman’s place.
Throughout the centuries millions of Christ’s disciples have shared in His sufferings, many unto death. In our text tonight, Peter is writing to believers who are facing suffering for Christ, and he gives them counsel on how to face them, and where they will draw their strength for such suffering.
1. What Were Peter’s Readers Facing?
- Notice the words Peter uses in this section: fiery ordeal (vs.12), sufferings of Christ (vs.13), reviled for the name of Christ (vs.14), suffers (vs.15), suffers as a Christian (vs.16), suffer (vs.19). Suffering is the predominant thought, but not just any kind of suffering. They were facing suffering because of their allegiance to Jesus Christ. This is evident by the use of “sufferings of Christ”, “reviled for the name of Christ”, and “suffers as a Christian.” As a matter of fact, in just a few short years, Peter and Paul would both die as martyrs for Christ under the reign of Nero. Intense persecution was coming, and Peter, as a good shepherd is doing his dead level best to prepare them for it.
- The Judgment Of God: In vs.17-18, Peter connects their sufferings with the judgment of God. This judgment begins with the household of God, and then goes on to destroy the ungodly. However, we must be careful to understand what Peter means. He is not saying that this is a judgment of His wrath upon believers. In vs.18 we read, “And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved…” This judgment of believers is unto their salvation, not their condemnation. Well, then, why does God bring this judgment? We find the answer in vs.12. It comes upon them for their testing. When a Teacher gives a test to his students, his purpose is not to see how many students he can flunk. Rather, it is to find out how much they know. He is hopeful they will do well. These fiery ordeals are to reveal to us how genuine our faith is, not to condemn us. This is exactly what Peter has already told us in 1:6-7 “we have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of our faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” When God brings His judgment on the world, it begins with His church and ends with the lost. For His own, it will be the fires of His purifying love; for the lost it will be the fires of His holy wrath.
- Suffering According To The Will Of God: Vs.19. What Vibia Perpetua and Chet Bitterman faced was according to the will of God. So was Christ’s, Bunyan’s, Wurmbrandt’s, and a score of others. We must not think that somehow the devil was able to bring these sufferings, and God was unable to stop him. These sufferings were ordained by God.
2. How Should They Face Their Sufferings?
- They Should Not Be Surprised In Them: Our sufferings cause us the most trouble and grief when they surprise us. The theology of American Christians today is so shallow, that if we met with suffering for Christ, I wonder who would stand. We have heard so often that “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” The love of God has been so emphasized, that we have a lopsided view of God. To make matters worse the Health and Wealth gospel has told us it is never the will of God for His children to suffer. If God sends judgment upon His church in America, we are in big trouble! We are not prepared for it! Sufferings are not strange thing. Jesus, and all His apostles told us that we would face suffering. Mt.10:24-28; Acts 14:22.
- Keep On Rejoicing In Them: For those of us who have a hard time rejoicing in the Lord when we are not suffering, this seems like a pretty tall order. Why are we to rejoice in our sufferings. Peter tells us, “so that at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation” (vs.13). Apparently, if we do not rejoice in our sufferings will not rejoice with exultation when Christ returns. Our rejoicing in sufferings now prepares us and enables us to rejoice with exultation when Christ returns. Persecution has a way of weaning us from the world and setting our affections on heaven.
- Do Not Be Ashamed In Them: In Acts 5:41 we read that after the apostles had been beaten for preaching Christ, they rejoiced that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. They suffered shame for His name, but they were not ashamed of their sufferings. Actually, when we suffer for Christ it is an honor, not a shame. On one occasion, someone spat on William Booth as he was ministering on the streets. Another brother rushed up to wipe off the spittle, but Booth replied, “Don’t wipe it off, it’s a medal!” That’s the spirit of one who loves His Master.
- Glorify God In Them: vs.16. God receives glory from our lives when the way we speak and live shows that He is glorious. When we rejoice in the midst of our sufferings, this shows that God is more valuable than our comfort. When we trust Him in our suffering, it shows that He is faithful and true.
- Entrust Your Soul to a Faithful Creator In Them: In our sufferings, Satan is seeking to devour faith, while God is seeking to refine and strengthen faith. God’s purposes for us will be accomplished when we respond in our sufferings the way Jesus did when He cried, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Jesus entrusted His soul to a faithful creator. He is our example. In 2 Corinthians 1:9 Paul tells us that God’s purpose in our suffering is to cause us to not rely on ourselves but on Him who raises the dead. God’s will is that we trust Him as we are going through the fires.
3. Where Do We Get The Strength For All This?
- There are several answers to this in the text. We could gain strength from a sound theology (vs.12), the hope of glory (vs.13), and the fear of what happens to unbelievers (vs.17-18), but let’s take a look at another answer found in vs.14.
- The Spirit Of Glory And Of God Rests On You: Now Peter may be saying 1 of 2 things. He may be saying that the reason we are being reviled for Christ is because the Spirit of God rests on us. In other words, He so manifests Himself through us, that the result is ungodly men reviling us. But he may also be saying the reason the Spirit of God rests on us is because we are reviled for Christ. In other words, Peter may be saying that the Spirit of God resting on us is the consequence of our sufferings. If this is his true meaning, Peter is teaching us that if we face sufferings for Christ, the Holy Spirit will rest on us in such power that He will enable you to die well. This is exactly what happened to Paul. 2 Tim.4:16-17 tells us that when everyone else deserted him, the Lord stood by him and strengthened him to carry out the full proclamation of the gospel. In other words, God will not stand idly by and watch us as we suffer. He will draw near. How else could the thousands of Christian martyrs be burned at the stake while they sang God’s praises? You might think, “But I don’t have the strength to die for Christ.” Maybe you don’t have that strength now, but you don’t need it now. You will only need it when you need to die for Christ, and the Spirit of God will rest upon you then, giving you the strength you will need. He will sustain your faith, give you glimpses of glory, and courage, and cause you to magnify Christ in your death.
We in America may face this kind of suffering – let’s be prepared for it, by having a solid theology, and great trust in God.
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