1 Peter 4:1

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind. For he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. We have spent enough time in our past lifetime doing the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lewdness and lust, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these things, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason, the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Father, we open your word today asking that you, by your Holy Spirit, would use your word, which is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, to transform us, Lord. Make us more and more into the image of what you desire your children to be. We believe that this is inspired, that it is useful for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, so that we who are your people would be thoroughly ready and equipped for every good work. The scriptures say, Lord, that you prepared good works that we would walk in them, and these good works are to glorify you, our Father in heaven.

So the time that we spend here this morning, would you use your word to transform us? As we go to work, school, or wherever we go this week, may we be able to represent and honor you well. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those who agreed said, Amen. You can be seated.

As we go through this passage of scripture today, you may find it a little strange that we would be talking about the topic of suffering on Mother's Day. It may not necessarily seem like an appropriate topic, but we have been going through the book of 1 Peter together since the beginning of the year, and this whole book really speaks quite a bit about this topic and this issue of suffering.

Suffering, and I don't think I even really need to say it, but it's something to at least acknowledge, is not something that we like to think much about. I don't like to ponder very often the realities of suffering, especially in our nation, where we have tried as much as we possibly can to make it so that we can live our lives with virtually no suffering. That is the way our society, our culture here in the United States of America, is essentially situated. We try to keep ourselves from any form of suffering.

But the fact is, there is a lot of suffering in the world. There's a lot of suffering in the world because we live in a broken world, a world that is broken because of sin. Try as we might to stay away from the realities of suffering, to not be confronted with the realities of suffering, there is not a day that goes by that we are not bombarded with the reality of human suffering around the world. In every form of news media you encounter—whether it's on the radio, the internet, TV, or if you happen to still read one of those big paper things that people used to get in their yard—suffering is very, very real, and it's constantly going on around the world. Human beings in the world suffer. Every human being suffers, and it is because of the brokenness of sin.

You see, it's only the person who has the revelation of God in the Scriptures that fully understands where suffering comes from. Those who don't look to the Scriptures as a source, the source for truth inspired by God, the Creator, do not fully understand. They have all kinds of reasons as to why they think suffering might exist, but we are given the real reason in the Scriptures, back in Genesis chapter 3, that through one man sin entered the world and death through sin, and death spread to all humanity. There is a curse because of sin, and we are bombarded with it.

One of the things that we find both observably true and also true through the Scriptures, or what we see in church history, is that beyond the normal suffering experienced by human beings—the suffering of disaster, the suffering of disease, the suffering of death because of these things—there is an increased level of suffering experienced by the follower of Jesus. This suffering is not just the result of the fallenness of this world, but a suffering that is the result of being a follower of Jesus.

Followers of Jesus are often subjected to another level of suffering. What Jesus refers to in the Gospel as suffering for righteousness' sake, suffering for doing good, and suffering for being a representative of our King and His Kingdom occurs in a world that is contrary to our King and His Kingdom. Thus, followers of Jesus uniquely experience this reality amidst all the other sufferings that one could potentially endure.

We live in a nation where we are afforded great religious liberties, and we have not necessarily been bombarded with that kind of suffering that is unique to many Christians. However, when you read church history and look at what is happening throughout the world among many Christians today, you know that it is still taking place. Jesus speaks about this, and the New Testament authors address it as well. Suffering for righteousness' sake, suffering for what one does for the Kingdom of God—this is exactly the kind of suffering that Jesus experienced.

Recently, I spoke at a conference that focused on a neat topic. Last Thursday was the celebration of the Ascension of Christ. It may not be a holiday that we have really heard of here in the United States, but in Germany, it is a very significant holiday. In fact, it is a national holiday, and everyone has time off work for Ascension Day. The conference centered on the life and ministry of Jesus. We discussed the prophetic anticipation of Jesus, the incarnation of Christ, His life, ministry, miracles, and teachings. We also talked about His death, burial, resurrection, and ultimately, on Thursday night, we discussed the Ascension of Christ back to heaven.

When you look at the life of Christ, the punctuated part of it is most certainly His suffering. This suffering was not due to anything He had done; it was unjust and brought upon Him despite His good deeds and righteousness. This is the experience of Christ—suffering for righteousness' sake. Jesus told His disciples that they could expect to experience this kind of suffering in the world as well. In fact, the closer He came to the suffering of the cross, the more He began to speak about this with His disciples. He said, "A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you. If they hated me, they will hate you. If they revile me, they will revile you." You will endure tribulation in this world for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

And so, He was readying His followers for the reality that they would suffer just as He would suffer. Every single one of His first hearers, as they heard those words on the night that He would be betrayed, suffered for righteousness' sake. You can read through the Book of Acts and the epistles of the New Testament, and you will find that this is the case. You can also look at the early Christian histories, such as Fox's Book of Christian Martyrs, and see that this is true. In virtually every place that the gospel has gone, and in virtually every place that the church has existed, there has been suffering for righteousness' sake, for the kingdom of God.

We see that this was what Jesus suffered. This is what He said His disciples would suffer. This is what we have seen happen to followers of Jesus for the last 2,000 years. Yet, as we have previously seen in the Book of 1 Peter, we see it here again in 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 1. It says, "Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh," while He was here, God incarnate in the flesh, "He suffered for us."

In fact, this is such an important truth that I want you to reach over and underline it in your neighbor's Bible. Just underline "Christ suffered for us." They won't mind. Even if it's a Bible that we lent to you, you can underline it there because we would love for someone to turn to this and see it's underlined: "Christ suffered for us."

We need to always keep this in mind as followers of Jesus: His suffering on the cross had nothing to do with His own actions or His own sinfulness. The author of the Book of Hebrews says that Jesus was tested in all points like we are, yet He never sinned. He never transgressed the law of God. He suffered for my sins. He suffered for your sins there on the cross. He took our sins upon Himself.

Second Corinthians 5:21 says, "God made Him, Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us." He became sin for us. We saw it in the last passage in 1 Peter chapter 3 that we studied a couple of weeks ago, and Peter hits on it again here. Christ's suffering was on our behalf. He suffered for sin, but not the sin of His own. I may be a bit repetitive here, but it's something that we need to hold dear: He suffered for us. He suffered on account of sin, the sin of the world, to which Peter writes.

First Peter 4:1 states, "Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind." This letter, called the First Epistle of Peter, which we've been studying since the end of January, serves as a basic training manual for Christians in a world that is in opposition to them. We need to be ready for the opposition we will face. There is an enemy, the adversary, whom the Bible calls the devil. He goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The entire world is under the sway of that wicked one and is in opposition to the Kingdom of God and His King.

As representatives of the Kingdom of God and His King, if you are a follower of Jesus in this world, you will face opposition. Paul speaks in this way, Peter speaks in this way, and Jude speaks in this way. Almost every New Testament author prepares the followers of Jesus for opposition. In this basic training manual, Peter emphasizes that we need to arm ourselves. It is clearly a military picture, indicating that we need to have the armament, the armor, and the guarding of ourselves. He instructs us to arm our minds and to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

We are to arm ourselves with the same mind as Jesus. What mind is that? It is the mindset that acknowledges Christ's suffering for us in His flesh. We need to arm ourselves with this understanding. What exactly is Peter saying? Simply this: the knowledge of the unjust suffering of Jesus for the sins of others serves as a mental armor or guard for our hearts and minds, which we, as followers of Jesus, need to put on regularly.

Followers of Jesus may suffer a different kind of suffering than non-followers of Jesus. Although they will experience the same kinds of suffering—disaster, disease, death—Christians endure these challenges just like those who do not follow Jesus. However, Christians may experience an added level of suffering. In the midst of that, as they potentially face these trials, we must ensure that we are armed with the right mindset when confronted by such challenges.

I think we would all agree that suffering, in general, is hard. We do not like to suffer.

Even minor irritations, like a common cold, can be bothersome. We don't like to suffer. How many of you know about the "man cold"? Let's be honest: we hate to suffer. We don't like to experience anything that irritates our comfort. America is structured to help us live our lives without experiencing discomfort. I think we would all agree on that.

There are people who preach messages that seem to come out of the Bible, claiming that if you're a follower of Jesus, you won't experience any discomfort. Clearly, that's not what the Bible says when we look at passages like the one before us. In general, we don't like to suffer. Suffering is hard, but suffering unjustly for doing the right and good thing is exponentially more difficult than simply enduring the minor irritations of life.

If you suffer harm or reviling—if someone speaks against you despite your good actions—everything in your nature wants to fight back, to revile in return, and to defend yourself. Yet, in this passage, Peter, inspired by God, says that we are not to do that. We are to bear it patiently.

Now, patience is another word that we don't like in the American lexicon. We have no time for patience, right? American society is structured around a lack of patience, except for, might I add, the speed limits in our nation. I recently had the opportunity to drive in Germany, and let me say, a friend of mine lent me his Audi S5 for about an hour. My wife is very mad at me because my friend Martin and I went on the Autobahn and drove very fast—over 260 kilometers an hour, which is over 160 miles per hour. It was fun!

America hasn't quite grasped this concept of patience. This is something we need to learn from the Germans. It may be a total aside, and distracting as it is, but it was indeed fun.

Anyways, suffering for doing the right thing is something we do not want to endure. To face and handle such unjust suffering for righteousness' sake, Peter says that we need to arm ourselves in our minds, just as Jesus did when facing suffering. This obviously begs the question: what was the mindset of Jesus?

When he was facing suffering, how did Jesus respond? To answer that question, we can turn a couple of books to the left. You're in 1 Peter. If you turn just two books to the left, you'll pass James, a small book, and then you'll come to Hebrews.

In Hebrews chapter 12, right near the end, the author says this in verse 1: "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily trips us up, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." This race is about following Jesus.

In verse 2, it continues: "Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Notice those words from the author of Hebrews: "who for the joy that was set before him."

What was the mindset of Jesus in facing unjust suffering? He counted such suffering as joy. Now, that is, in all honesty, absurd. To rejoice in or have joy in painful suffering that you should not experience because you've done the right things, and now you're suffering for wrongs you didn't even commit, seems completely absurd. This perspective only makes sense when we understand the nature of the joy and where it came from.

This then is the mindset that the follower of Jesus, who may potentially face suffering in a world that is opposed to them, needs to arm themselves with. This is the mindset we need to confront opposition and suffering. What mindset? We need to confront it with joy and rejoicing.

Really? Well, you're in Hebrews; just one book to the right is James. Look at James chapter 1. This might be one of the most absurd Bible verses in the Bible. James chapter 1, verse 2 states: "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials."

And I bet every single one of you do that perfectly every single day. I know I do every time I am confronted with suffering for doing righteousness' sake, for doing the right things joyfully. That's how you will always find me: happy, rejoicing, glad—never down, never upset, never glum. Nothing. None of that ever. My wife's sitting there going, "liar."

Brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. Not just James, but the Apostle Paul repeatedly speaks the same sort of mindset, the same words. You can write it down and look at it later. In Romans chapter five, Paul says in verse three that we followers of Jesus glory in tribulations. That's you, right? You glory in tribulations. Oh, praise the Lord! I love tribulations. Love it. We glory in tribulations.

You want to know how I know that’s not true? Because there’s a whole segment of the church that wants to get out of tribulation. They say, "Let’s just get out of here as quick as possible. We don’t want tribulation." And yet Paul says we glory in tribulations. Not just in Romans chapter five, but also in Second Corinthians chapter twelve. Paul is speaking about his own difficulties, his own trials, and he says this in Second Corinthians 12:10: "I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distress." Really? I mean, Paul must have had another level of perfection and awesomeness to be able to say that with a straight face.

"I take pleasure in distress. I take pleasure in infirmities and needs and persecutions." I take pleasure in those things? You know, if we’re honest, I, in my flesh, do not take pleasure in those things. It’s not just in Romans five or Second Corinthians twelve; it’s also in Philippians chapter two. Again, Paul says this in verse seventeen: "Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice." Paul says, "If I’m being sacrificed, I am glad and I rejoice."

In Colossians chapter 1, verse 24, Paul states, "Now I rejoice in my suffering." Now, as I’ve already alluded to, and I think we all would agree, my natural tendency is to try and stay away from any form of suffering. I will do almost anything in my power and strength to not have to suffer, especially.

For doing the right thing, if I suffer for doing the right thing, that seems unjust, and I want to fight against injustice. That is my nature, and that's your nature. We are all created in the image and likeness of God, and He is completely just. He hates injustice, and that part of our nature is divinely influenced. We hate injustice.

So, in my flesh, if I see someone suffering for righteousness' sake, or if I experience suffering for righteousness' sake, I don't want to be quiet about it. And yet, Paul says, "I now rejoice in my sufferings." Why on earth would someone ever rejoice in their suffering? Well, let's go back to First Peter, chapter four, and see what Peter's explanation is, because he said something that is outright absurd, and he better explain himself.

First Peter 4:1 states, "Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same mind." Why? "For he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin."

Point number one on your outline: suffering for righteousness is an instrument of sanctification. I apologize; my points this morning are a little long. I wrote them at 30,000 feet, a little bit tired, and on an Airbus A380 somewhere over the Atlantic.

Point number one: suffering for righteousness is an instrument for sanctification. Now, what is sanctification? It is the transforming work—big theological word—that God wants to do in the lives of His followers to make them more like Him. That's sanctification: the transforming work that God wants to do in the lives of His followers that makes them more like Him.

He is transforming us more and more, as it says in the book of Romans, into the image of His Son. He wants us to take on the character traits of Him here on the earth. He wants that to be evident in my life and in yours. So, suffering for righteousness' sake is an instrument for sanctification.

Now, if you can receive it, this is a heavy truth: the sufferings of this life can have a purifying effect in our lives. You may ask, is that really true? Is that really what Peter's saying? Well, let's examine it. We just looked at James, chapter one, a moment ago. You can turn one book to the left to James again, and there he said, "My brethren, count..."

It all begins with joy when you fall into various trials, as stated in James 1:2. In this verse, James addresses my brethren, the followers of Jesus, and encourages them to count it all joy when they encounter various trials. But why would I do that? He explains that the testing of your faith, which involves trial and suffering, produces patience. There it is. We often dislike that word, but let patience have its perfect work in you so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

There's a simple question: How many of you would like to be perfect, complete, lacking nothing? That sounds pretty good. So, what’s the process? Count it all joy, brethren, when you fall into various trials, for the testing of your faith produces patience, which leads to maturity and completeness in Christ.

Peter seems to echo this in 1 Peter 4:1, where he states that suffering brings about the cessation of sin and transforms us. James, in James 1:2-4, describes suffering as a joyful experience—not because suffering itself is joyful, but because the outcome of suffering is joyful. Why do people put themselves through the suffering of preparing for a race, the Olympics, or some other difficult endeavor? They endure the suffering because there is a reward on the other side. You may not understand why someone would want that reward, but whatever it is, they desire it.

James asserts that the outcome of suffering will be patience, which leads to perfection. However, perfection is not about being sinlessly perfect; it means we are mature, complete, and lacking nothing in Christ Jesus. That sounds like a good thing.

Not only James, but also Paul in Romans 5, states that we glory in tribulations. Let me read the whole passage to you. In Romans 5:3-4, he writes, "And not only that, but we also, Christians and followers of Jesus, glory in tribulation." Why? Because we know—this is the same word that James used in James 1—that tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. Hope does not disappoint. It is a hope of eternity that will not leave you disappointed. Now that sounds really good: an enduring, strong hope that won’t let you down in the end.

That sounds great to me, but that is the outcome of what? Why glory in tribulations? Because tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and the outcome of character is hope.

In 2 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul mentions that he was most gladly enduring infirmities and actually took them as a pleasure. Why? In verse 9 of the same chapter, the passage states, "And he, God, said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, Paul, and my strength is made perfect in your weakness.'" The outcome? Paul says, "Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in my infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses for the sake of Christ, for when I am weak, then I am strong."

What is Paul saying? Simply this: strength in Christ comes from the weakness of my flesh that is brought about through the tool or instrument of suffering for righteousness' sake. God is able to produce a sanctifying, purifying effect in my life through these things.

Now, suffering, especially suffering for righteousness' sake or for doing good, is not enjoyable. Nobody likes to suffer. It's not the kind of tool that we enjoy. Nevertheless, it is the tool that is needed. The tool that is needed is painful, but it's essential.

I'll give you a simple example. About 15 years ago, I came home from church on a Sunday afternoon, and my little brother's friend was in the front yard with a motorcycle, a dirt bike. I thought to myself, "Well, that looks like fun," so I decided I'd try it. A few hours later, I found myself in the ER down here at Palomar. It was great—super.

When I got to the ER, I had road rash all over my hands, a very painful thing. The doctor came in and said, "Yeah, we've got to clean that out. We've got to get all that road rash out of there." The nurse took this little scrub brush, the most hideous tool I've ever seen in my entire life. For the next 20 minutes, she scrubbed my hands while my eyes watered. I was just sitting there thinking, "Oh my God, this is the most painful thing ever." But it was essential—essential to remove that which was going to cause major problems in the long run.

If it's not removed, the road rash will remain. Humanity has crashed and burned because of sin, and we are riddled with road rash. The only thing that can remove it is the tool that God has chosen to use: suffering. It is one of the tools that God uses for the purifying of our lives to remove the road rash of sin. Suffering brings about a purifying effect.

Why is this scrubbing of suffering necessary? Look at 1 Peter, chapter four, verse one. Since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. In verse two, it states that he, the one who has suffered in the flesh, no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

Point number two on your outline: Suffering for righteousness helps free me from the lusts of the flesh to live for the will of God. Let me say it again: Suffering for righteousness helps free me from the lusts of the flesh to live for the will of God.

You see, suffering in the flesh for the sake of Christ and His kingdom is a crucifying, a putting to death of my sin nature, my carnality, your carnality, our flesh, as the Bible calls it. Suffering for the sake of the kingdom of God is like crucifying this old flesh. This is why we can rejoice. We can have joy. We can be glad. We can count it all joy when we face such sufferings—not because we are sadistic and enjoy suffering, like the little kid who keeps picking at that little boo-boo they have gotten. It hurts so badly, but they keep doing it. You wonder, "Why are you doing that?" They have no idea; they just like suffering.

Nobody really likes suffering. But how can I be glad and rejoice? Jesus had joy in suffering, Paul speaks of joy in suffering, and James speaks of joy in suffering. How can I possibly achieve joy in suffering? Only if I am able, with the mind of Christ guarding my thoughts, to see that God is purifying me. The suffering for righteousness helps free me from the lusts, the sinful desires of my flesh, to live for the will of God.

If you can receive it, this is a hard truth to accept because our tendency, our nature, is to try and stay away from anything that makes us uncomfortable. I would suggest that many of us live as immature followers of Jesus, never fully growing in our walk with the Lord because we try to avoid anything that would challenge us. However, if we can accept it, these trials are tools used by God for our ultimate good.

It's like the child who is sick and whose parents give them medication that tastes bad. The child resists the medication, not understanding that it is necessary for their healing. Many parents have experienced the need to hold their child and restrain them while they cry and say no. They cannot comprehend why their parents are doing this, but it is the only way to bring wholeness. Our Father in Heaven watches us go through these pains, and I have no doubt it breaks His heart. Yet, He knows that this is the only way to remove the carnality from our lives so that we can live for the will of God.

In the moment when I face trials of suffering, my flesh wants to do anything it can to escape it. We try to make excuses, we try to make deals, and we plead with God to take it away. Sometimes we think, "Maybe I didn't have enough faith," or "Maybe the person who prayed for me didn't have enough faith." We might even question whether the oil used in prayer was truly good olive oil from Israel. But it has nothing to do with that. God is sanctifying us, and the sanctifying work is painful. Yet, it is ultimately for our good, even if we don't feel good in the moment.

We need to realize that these are moments of suffering. They are brief moments in what is already a very short life. This life is fleeting, and the longer we live, the more we understand how short it truly is. When we are young, we often don't grasp the brevity of life, but as time goes on, it becomes clear. Life is short. In fact, all the people nodding in agreement likely have gray hair or no hair. In this very brief life, we may experience moments of affliction and suffering, especially for the sake of Christ.

Moments of suffering for Christ's sake and our nature can often lead us to become fixated on a particular moment. We may think, "This is so bad; it's never going to end. It's horrible." In doing so, we can turn into an Eeyore, focusing solely on our suffering in this brief life, not realizing that there is eternity beyond it. We fixate on these moments.

Notice what Peter says in verse two: we should no longer live the rest of our time in the flesh here on this planet for worldly desires, but rather for the will of God. Life is brief; it is short. In the sufferings we endure during this momentary life, Peter points out that these moments of suffering have a redeeming quality. Not only do they have a sanctifying quality for those who follow Jesus, but they also possess a redeeming quality.

What kind of redeeming quality? It is a redeeming of time. Look at what he says in 1 Peter 4:3: "For we, if you're a follower of Jesus today, this is us. We have spent enough time of our past lifetime doing the will of the Gentiles, the desires of nonbelievers." We have spent enough time doing that when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

For some of you sitting here today, the second part of verse three represents what I call your BCR, not a VCR—some of you may not even know what that is—but a BCR. What is a BCR? It is your Before Christ Resume. For some of you, this is your Before Christ Resume.

What does it include? Lewdness, crude and vile behavior, shameless lust, sinful craving, desire, drunkenness, endless carousing, and illicit idolatry. When you hear those things, you may think, "Yeah, I remember that." I have found that many people walking with the Lord reflect on their past and say, "Gosh, I wasted so much time in my life doing those things."

Peter writes that we have spent enough time involved in these wicked things. Therefore, not only is suffering sanctifying, but suffering is also redeeming. Point number three: suffering for righteousness reminds us how much time we've wasted on unrighteousness. Suffering for doing what is good and for righteousness reminds us of how much time we've wasted on the opposite.

Unrighteousness. Now, you don't need to raise your hand because we all would, but have you ever suffered for doing wrong? You just had a thought of one of the types, huh? Have you ever suffered for doing something stupid, for doing something wrong? The pain of that suffering, when you suffer for doing something foolish, stupid, or wrong, is compounded by the guilt over the foolish thing you did, right? You are suffering because you made a mistake, you made a bad decision, and while you're suffering the pain of it, you think, "That was so dumb. I can't believe I did that." You are riddled with the guilt of the foolishness of doing that stupid thing.

Here's the awesome thing: when you suffer for doing what is right, for doing what is good, you suffer with joy, not guilt. You suffer with joy because, number one, it's suffering for righteousness. It's suffering for doing the right thing. Number two, it's a suffering that is sanctifying; God is transforming you through it. Number three, it is a suffering that is redeeming the time of the past life that you lived. Number four, it is a suffering that will be rewarded in eternity. When you suffer for doing foolishness, there's pain associated with guilt, but when you suffer for doing what is right, there is joy in knowing that God, through this, is transforming you, redeeming what you've done in the past, and will reward this suffering in the future.

Peter continues in 1 Peter, chapter four, verse four: "In regard to these, they think it's strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you." What is Peter saying in regard to revelries, drunkenness, and abominable idolatry? In regard to all the things that you did before you walked with Jesus, which you no longer do now that you walk with Him, those who still practice these things think it's strange that you don't run with them anymore.

Do any of you have that friend, coworker, or family member who you used to hang out with, who you used to be involved in all kinds of things with? Now they look at you and say, "What the heck is wrong with them? They don't do that stuff anymore." They think it's strange that you're not involved with them in the same excess of sinful living.

Not only do they think it's strange, but he says here that they speak evil of you. Point number four on your outline is that a purified life baffles unbelievers. It not only baffles them, but it also confuses and confounds them. They used to do these things with us, and now he doesn't do that anymore. What happened to Joe, they say? What happened to Bob? He doesn't joke with us anymore. What happened to Dave? He doesn't drink with us anymore. He doesn't get drunk with us anymore. He doesn't smoke dope with us anymore. What happened to that?

They might say, "Hey, if he really wants to succeed in this company, he's going to have to do what he used to do." When he used to step on people, he was just like all the rest of us. Sure, it might be dishonest, but he cut corners. Now, he doesn't do that anymore. Why doesn't he do that anymore? They think it's strange because you've changed. Peter says that not only do they think it's strange, but they also speak evil of you.

At this moment in our nation, where we are afforded great religious liberty, you will probably not suffer serious pain, beating, or persecution for following Jesus, but you might suffer this. Jesus even says that this is a form of persecution. What is that? It is when they think it's strange that you don't run with them anymore and they speak evil of you. In Matthew chapter five, Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, verse 11, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake."

Did you notice what he said? When they speak evil of you, it is persecution in the eyes of Jesus. Though we may not be persecuted to the point where we lose our lives or endure the shedding of blood because of persecution, this is still a reality of persecution. According to Jesus, it is a form of suffering.

Point number five is that the sanctified life invites ridicule. The sanctified life invites ridicule because it baffles those who are still walking in sin. It confounds and confuses them, causing them to ridicule you. The sanctified life is convicting; it convicts them of their sin, of righteousness, and of coming judgment when they see the work.

Of the Spirit in your life, you don't run with them after the same form of excess any longer. You may lose a friendship or two over it because, well, he used to run with us, but he doesn't run with us anymore. Not only have you lost that friendship because you don't do the same things that they do, but now they speak evil against you to other people. Once upon a time, you had a good friendship with them, but your friendship was centered around the lust of the flesh and the sinful desires of a fallen world. Now, your desire has shifted. Your will is to do the will of Him who has called you, the will of God in heaven, even if it invites derision or ridicule. There has been a transformation.

In fact, one of the greatest transformations that Christ is working in us is this desire to follow Him in the face of opposition. Out of conviction, they will revile and persecute you, saying all kinds of evil against you falsely for the sake of Christ. But Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 4:5 that those who revile and persecute you will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. What does He do? He turns us back to eternity. He says, "Listen, you walk through this knowing that it is redeeming, it is sanctifying, it is suffering for what is righteous, and it will be rewarded." If they will not repent and turn to Christ for His forgiving grace, they will give an account.

That is why you don't need to take your own defense into your own hands. You don't need to ridicule or revile back because you can say, "God will defend me." You can leave your case with Him. Isn't that what we saw with Jesus in the previous passage here in 1 Peter? Back in 1 Peter 2, it says that Jesus left His case with God the Father in heaven. You can go back and read it later in 1 Peter 2.

So, I have one minute and 53 seconds to wrap it up. He trusted that God would judge. I can have joy in suffering because it is suffering for righteousness. It is sanctifying. It is redeeming. It is suffering that will be rewarded in eternity. God, who is my judge, will judge righteously. He says in verse 6, "For this reason, the gospel is preached also to those that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit." He is referring us back to the last passage in chapter 3, which you can look back to if you'd like to, or listen to the message from two weeks ago.

There is a day of judgment, and there is a righteous Judge. He will reward you openly, as we see in Matthew chapter five. There, in the Sermon on the Mount, He speaks about those who will experience difficulty. He says, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad." Why? For great is your reward in heaven.

Peter reminds us that there is a reward for those who endure such things in this life. There is also a judgment that will come upon those who refuse to repent in the face of such conviction. The Spirit, by inspiration, says to fix your focus on things above, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame. He has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. God help us. Amen.

Would you stand with us? Join me in prayer as we close today. Father God, I need Your help because my flesh, this carnal body, doesn't like to suffer and wants to do anything to avoid being reviled or spoken against. But Lord, I pray that You would stir us this week to walk through these things, looking to You, trusting that You will judge, trusting that You will reward. This is redeeming the past time that we've wasted, and this is sanctifying us as we suffer for righteousness' sake.

Should we be called to do that, Lord, give us the ability, by Your strengthening power, to do so. We are not sufficient in ourselves to think anything as being of ourselves, but our sufficiency comes from You. It is through You and in You that we can be strengthened to walk in this way.

God, would You shine brightly in our lives to those who do not yet know You? As they see our lives transformed before their eyes, may they want to know the God who transforms. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those who are agreed say, Amen.