This transcript was generated by whisper.ai. I want to welcome you back for day five of our look through 1st Peter chapter 4, this great chapter about what it means to face suffering in this world. It helps us to believe, to look at it in a different way. As Peter writes about suffering in this chapter, he writes from experience. He is Peter the persecuted. He lived and died under persecution. The book of Acts alone reveals experiences of arrest, chapter 4 of beating, chapter 5 of death sentences, chapter 12. Tradition tells us that Peter died a martyr, crucified in Rome at about 75 years of age. Now, do we face persecution like that today? Yes. Some people in the world, some followers of Christ in the world do, but most of us do not. We do not face persecution in that horrible degree. We see persecution instead in terms of cold stares or behind the back ridicule or outright prejudice. You may not lose your life, but you might lose a job. You probably won't face the darkness of a prison, but you might face the loneliness of a personal rejection. We still face persecution today. And Peter the persecuted is also in this chapter Peter the encourager. These experiences of persecution, did they turn him bitter? No. We see a man who could praise God through his experiences of persecution. He has shown us the groundwork, the foundation of how to deal with persecution in chapter 4. He's given us these three powerful truths. You might call them Peter's personal persecution, perseverance perspectives. These three powerful truths for how to live in a new way are different attitude towards suffering. Suffering is necessary, the suffering of Jesus. Suffering is short-term, but finally he tells us, maybe most significantly of all, suffering is shared. Verses 12 and 13, "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the suffering of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. " He says here, you share, you participate in the suffering of Christ. When you suffer for following him, you're suffering as he suffered for bringing truth into this world. There is a oneness with Christ, there's a depth of fellowship as you identify with him in any way, even in suffering. The Romans could not understand why the early Christians could die as they did. They prayed in prisons, they praised God from lion's arenas, they sang hymns even while they were being burned at the stake. But it's because Jesus was with them, they were not alone. The first martyr, the first follower of Jesus to give his life for Christ, Stephen, reveals the depth of his fellowship. Do you remember what he said when he was being stoned, when he was being killed for his faith? He looks into heaven, he says, "Look, I see the Son of God standing at the right hand of the throne of God. " Even as he was suffering, he was identifying with Christ. You are participating in Christ's suffering. He doesn't mean here that somehow your suffering brings forgiveness to your life. No, it's just a reminder of what Jesus did for you. It's just a reminder of your fellowship, your connection with him. And he says, "As you rejoice that you are suffering, in participation with, in fellowship with Christ, that rejoicing will be transformed into an overjoyed heart when Christ is revealed. " So because of this sharing that we have in suffering, he's got three things to say to us. He says, "Because you share in Christ's suffering, don't be surprised, rejoice," he says, "for Christ first. " And then he says, "Don't be ashamed, praise," and he also says, "Don't be confused, but commit, commit and continue. " First, because you are sharing in the suffering of Christ, he says, "Don't be surprised, but rejoice. " Suffering, Peters tells us here, "It should never take you by surprise. Why me? How did I deserve this? How could this happen? " God has told us there will inevitably be some suffering on this earth. He says, "Here, it's not strange. In fact, it's practically inevitable. We follow Jesus. " So whatever Jesus faced, we're going to face. Because we are different in this world, we have a different way of living, the different are always persecuted. People always want to point out and push down those who are different. It's also because we sometimes serve as the light that's in this world, and people that want to live in the darkness want to snuff out the light. So they try to do that by persecution. It never works because how can you do that? It's the light of God, but they try to do that. So he says, "Don't be surprised, but instead rejoice. " What do you rejoice in? You don't rejoice in the suffering, obviously not, but you rejoice that you participate in the suffering of Christ. Because he suffered on the cross, you are forgiven. Because he suffered persecution, you will face persecution. Because he suffered and understands suffering, he is now with you in your suffering. Don't be surprised, but rejoice that Jesus is with you even in the suffering. And then in the end, he's going to bring glory even through the suffering. Don't be surprised, rejoice, he says. You share in the sufferings of Christ. He also says, "Don't be ashamed, but praise. " Verses 14 to 18, "If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the spirit of glory and of God rests on you. " If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. "For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God. And if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? " So Peter says here, "Don't be ashamed if you suffer as a Christian, but praise God that you bear that name. " Now, remember, Peter knew what it meant to feel shame in the face of persecution and to even allow that shame to govern his actions as he's in the courtyard the night before Jesus dies. And Jesus is arrested. He is on trial. He faces the very light persecution of somebody accusing him of being with Jesus, and he denies Jesus three times. In the moment where he most wanted to stand up for his faith, he's ashamed. But Peter overcame that shame. And in the book of Acts, you see this theme repeated again and again and again amidst all of his persecutions. He loudly proclaims the name of Christ. And Peter tells us here what to do. "To rise above shame, you remember your name. " I know that rhymes, but it just has to. It's what's in this chapter. "To rise above shame, you remember your name. " Christian. Christian. If you suffer for being a Christian, he says, "Remember that you suffer for that name. " In that name, he says, "You glorify God. Use your life to live out that name. " The name Christian. You remember that even in the suffering, you're identifying with Christ. You remember who you are. You don't let the suffering, you don't let the persecution become your identity by becoming angry at the other person, by becoming bitter. No. You keep your identity in Christ by remembering your name. Christian. Follower of Christ. Now, he does remind us of a couple things here. He says, "Take care not to call suffering on the basis of some other reason, persecution. " If you're a murderer or a thief or even a meddler, he says, "Don't call that persecution. " That's not what I'm talking about here. There's a lot of people who say they're being persecuted as a Christian when the truth of the matter is they're just acting like a jerk. They're just acting like somebody who nobody would want to be kind to. They're meddling in other people's lives. They're not talking about committing crimes, just the way that they act. So don't call that persecution. But when it's because you love Jesus and you're loving others in his name, then recognize the way to rise above shame is to remember, "I'm a Christian. " And then Peter, in talking about this, has this phrase, "Judgment begins with the household of God. " What's he talking about here? Well, it's an answer to an interesting question. Why does it seem that Christians get away with so much less than others? Why does it seem that even in this world, Christians are judged so harshly for the smallest mistake while it seems that others literally get away with murder? Why is it when a pastor commits some sin, it's on the front pages of the newspaper? Everybody wants to look at it and sometimes even glory in it, it seems like. Well, that's because they expect us to live a different kind of life. And if I'm not living that life now, the world around is going to judge me for that, is going to look at me for that. Because we're God's family, we have a greater responsibility. And the truth of the matter is, it's not just the world around us. God is going to discipline us for those sins in our lives. If God judges even his children, what's going to happen to those who do not believe? If I have to face discipline in this life for my sins as a child of God, there's a warning in that that Peter's talking about here for those who do not even follow God. Don't be fooled by some of the good things that happen in this world to think that somehow God is not going to be the judge in the end. He is. He is. So because we share in his sufferings, don't be surprised but rejoice in sufferings. Don't be ashamed but praise God even in the sufferings. And finally, he says, don't be confused but commit and continue to serve. So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. Commit to your faithful Creator, continue to do good. That word commit, commit themselves, it's literally commit their souls. One translation translates it, entrust your souls to a faithful Creator. Because the word commit has the idea of entrust. It's the same word that Jesus used when he said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. I entrust my spirit. " It's a rich word. It meant, it was used to mean depositing money with a trusted friend. Maybe you were going away on a journey, you had a bunch of money under a mattress. You went and entrusted the money to a friend while you were gone. And this is saying you are entrusting your life into his hands. When you suffer according to God's will, don't run away from God. He's the only one who can meet your needs. Note, you entrust yourself even more deeply to him. You see, Satan's scheme is to use the sufferings of this world to cause us to run away from the only answer. But you and I can defeat that scheme by instead recommitting ourselves to our faithful Creator and doing what is right. When your very life is deposited in his hands, what some others think of you or do to you is not going to bring you shame because you know that what he thinks of you, what he has done for you, is the most important thing about you. So you again and again, you entrust it to him. When you face pain, when you face suffering, it's an invitation, commit, entrust, and then continue to do good. Commit myself, continue to do good. Anytime you face difficulties in this world, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. Our Father, as we pray, we thank you for this chapter where Peter, who had faced so much suffering, saw the suffering of Jesus, faced so much suffering in his life, teaches us about suffering, the truth, so that we don't have to chase after some false idea of never suffering in this world. But instead, we can praise you, Jesus, that you suffered for us on the cross. We can thank you, Jesus, that suffering is short-term, that very soon, very soon, the end of all things is near and there will be a day of no more suffering. But we can also be grateful, Jesus, that we share in your suffering, that you are with us, that you strengthen us through every suffering that we face. So we thank you for these things. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you, Jesus, amen. Join us next week, 1 Peter chapter 5, our end of the study of 1 Peter. Peter, in chapter 5, the great leader of the early church, talks to us about a different kind of leadership.