Keys of the Kingdom 1 – Cost Benefit Analysis

The Apostle Peter was informed by Jesus just before Jesus ascended into heaven that he was going to experience extreme trial and suffering in his life. Yet, he maintained faithfulness to the Lord, following Him. Join us as we consider that together today in John chapter 21.

All the youth pastors told me five times this morning to dismiss the youth, so youth, you may go next door. The rest of you, would you stand with me and open your Bibles to the Gospel of John? If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand up real high, and one of our ushers will bring you one. John's Gospel is in the New Testament, right after Matthew, Mark, and Luke. We will be in John chapter 21, and we're going to pick up our reading this morning at verse 15.

The Apostle John records, "So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep.' Jesus said to him again a second time, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'Tend my sheep.' He said to him a third time, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?' Peter was grieved because He had said to him a third time, 'Do you love me?' He said to Him, 'Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep.' Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.' This He spoke, signifying by what death Peter would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, 'Follow me.'"

Father, as we look into Your Word today, I pray that You would give us insight, wisdom, and understanding. God, that You would teach us by Your Word and prepare us.

The work and power of Your Spirit is essential for all that You've called us to. You've prepared good works before the foundation of the world that we would walk in those things. I pray, God, that this time together would be beneficial in preparing us for this week and the good works that we will walk in for Your namesake and for Your glory. God, transform our lives. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

What if Jesus said to you, "You're going to die a painful martyr's death," and then followed that up with, "Follow Me"? That's exactly what happens here in John 21 as Jesus has this conversation with Peter. Jesus predicts Peter's future death by crucifixion, a death by which Jesus says Peter will glorify God. It’s going to come when Peter is older, but he will die by crucifixion. It's right there in verses 18 and 19.

Look again, if you will, at John 21:18. "Most assuredly, or of truth, I tell you, Peter, I'm telling you the truth. I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished. You did what you wanted to do. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish." This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He spoke this, He said to him, "Follow Me."

How would you respond? "You're going to die a painful martyr's death; follow Me." I think I might respond in the same way Peter did. Look at verse 20. Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following—that's John, the one who had leaned upon Jesus' breast at the Last Supper, the one who said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" Peter turned around, seeing John, said to Him, "But Lord, what about him?" I love that.

Peter, you're going to die a painful martyr's death. He looks around and sees John. "What about this guy?" Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remains till I come, what is that to you? You follow me."

What does it matter, John? I'm not talking to John; I'm talking to you. You follow me. Talk about a heavy revelation! When you're old, you're going to die a painful martyr's death. Follow me. That's what I'm calling you to. I'm commissioning you to teach and tend my sheep, and I'm promising you that the outcome will be severe. The outcome of you following me and serving me will be your death.

Now, it's interesting to note the contrast between Peter here, at this seaside chat with Jesus around the Sea of Galilee, recorded by the Apostle John in John 21, and Peter prior to Jesus's crucifixion, recorded for us in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 26. Would you turn there? Just to the left of the Gospel of John, a few books back, you'll pass Luke and Mark, and then you'll find Matthew 26.

In Matthew 26, there's another conversation between Jesus and His disciples, principally Peter. Matthew 26:31 states, "Then Jesus said to them, to His disciples, 'All of you will be made to stumble because of me this night, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.'"

Peter answered and said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble." Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say

The disciples present a stark contrast. Jesus, or rather Peter, proclaims his zealous commitment to follow Jesus unto death. However, Jesus responds, saying, "All of you are going to be made to stumble because of me this night." This is the night that He would be betrayed. Jesus continues, "You're all going to be made to stumble," and Peter insists, "Though everybody else stumbles, I would never stumble."

Jesus then tells Peter, "Not only are you going to stumble three times, but you are going to deny me." Peter adamantly replies, "There is no way! Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you." The other disciples agreed, saying, "That's right, we wouldn't do that either."

What is the rest of the story? It is recorded just a few verses later in the same chapter, Matthew 26. In verse 69, we find a powerful account. Jesus has just been arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, having been betrayed by one of His closest disciples, Judas Iscariot, who betrays Jesus with a kiss. A group of Roman soldiers, along with a contingent from the chief priests, take Jesus away to the house of the chief priests to be tried.

Peter follows at a distance. We read in verse 69 that Peter sat outside in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee." But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying." In essence, Peter said, "No hables," meaning he did not understand.

When he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth." Again, he denied it with an oath, saying, "I swear, I do not know the man." A little later, those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them; your speech betrays you. You've got the accent of a Galilean."

Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the man!" Immediately, a rooster crowed, and Peter remembered the word of Jesus that He had said to him: "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." So, he went out and wept bitterly.

Phenomenal! Even if everyone stumbles, I will not. Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you. In this passage from Matthew 26, we see a young girl who says to Peter, "You're with the guy." The original language hints that she is a very young teenage girl. Peter responds, "I swear I do not know the man," three times. Then the rooster crows, and he goes away and weeps bitterly. He was so confident, declaring, "I will not deny you. I will stand with you even if it means death." What a phenomenal contrast to that event in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 26.

In John 21, after Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, He is with the disciples at the Sea of Galilee. The story unfolds like this: Peter says to his friends, the other disciples, "I'm going fishing." He is the great fisherman of the Bible who never caught a fish without Jesus' help. They pile into the boat and go fishing. Jesus had told them to go to Galilee, saying He would meet them there after He had risen from the dead. They fish all night long but catch nothing. This is a familiar story seen throughout the Gospels.

In the morning, as they are getting ready to pack it in, they hear someone yell from the shore, "Have you caught any fish?" They have to respond, "No, we didn't catch anything." The voice instructs them to cast the net on the other side. This brings a sense of déjà vu for those guys in the fishing boat. When they follow the instruction, they get a great catch of fish. Peter instantly knows it is the Lord. He jumps into the water and swims to the shore, where Jesus already has breakfast prepared for them. The other disciples gather around, and they partake of this breakfast with Jesus.

Now, Jesus has a conversation with Peter, and I suggest that this is like a rematch for him. Three times he swore, "I do not know the man," and now three times Jesus asks him a very simple and interesting question: "Peter, do you love me?" It goes back and forth. Jesus asks, "Peter, do you love me?" Peter replies, "Yes, Lord, you know I love you." Jesus responds, "Feed my sheep." The second time, Jesus asks, "Peter, do you love me?" Peter answers again, "Yes, Lord, you know I love you." Jesus says, "Tend my sheep." The third time, Jesus asks, "Peter, do you love me?" Peter responds, "Yes, Lord, you know I love you." Jesus instructs him, "Feed my lambs."

In English, we look at this and think it seems redundant.

Conversation. What's going on here? It's like a broken record, but we miss something in English that is revealed in the Greek in which this was originally written.

You see, in our language, we have a deficiency in that we use the word "love" kind of glibly for all kinds of different things. You might say, "I love tacos," "I love my dog," and "I love my wife." Hopefully, your love for your wife is greater than your love for tacos. Some people you might wonder about, but hopefully, the Greek language provides clarity.

There are at least four words that could be translated as "love" in English. Three of them are used in the Scriptures. One of them is the Greek word "eros," from which we get the idea or concept of romantic love, or erotic love. The other word is the Greek word "phileo," which speaks of brotherly love. We have a city in our nation, Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, which has that root at the beginning of its name.

The third word used in the Scriptures is "agape" or "agapao" in Greek, and it speaks of a sacrificial love, a self-sacrificing love that will lay down one's life for someone else with no hope of anything in return. It is a love that is most perfectly defined for us in Paul's description of it in First Corinthians chapter 13, where he says, "Love is patient and kind; it does not boast." These are all great aspects of this love called agape.

In this conversation between Jesus and Peter, this seaside chat, Jesus says to him, "Peter, do you agape me?" In one sense, He's asking, "Peter, are you ready to lay down everything to follow me? Are you ready to sacrifice to follow me? Do you agape me?"

Peter looks at Jesus and replies, "Yes, Lord, you know I phileo." Peter says the very thing that, oh guys, you remember when you were in sixth grade and you had that crush on that girl, and then she said the words you never wanted to hear: "I really like you like a brother." That's what Peter did. I'm not speaking from personal experience, but that's what Peter did.

Jesus asks Peter, "Do you love me to sacrifice all and give it all to follow me?" Peter responds, "Lord, you know I phileo."

I love you like a brother. I love you, man.

"Feed my sheep." This was the second time Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me? Do you agape me?" Peter replied, "Lord, you know I love you like a brother. You're like a brother to me." Jesus then instructed him to tend to the flock.

The third time, Peter was thrown a change-up. Jesus asked, "Do you really love me the way that you say you love me?" It says Peter was grieved that Jesus asked a third time, "Do you fully love me?" He responded, "Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you." Jesus then said, "Feed my lambs."

After this, Jesus gave him a heavy revelation. He dropped a bomb on him, saying, "Listen, when you were young, you did what you wanted to do, but now you will follow me. Here's what's going to happen: you will die; you will suffer a martyr's death. You will be crucified. It's going to happen when you're old, but that's what's going to happen." Following that, He said, "Follow me."

Interestingly enough, those are the same words Peter had heard at the very beginning, in that exact location, probably right after another failed fishing trip. Like many fishermen, Peter liked to go back to the same spot. I imagine he was in the exact same spot on the shore where he was three and a half years before when he first met Jesus.

Jesus came as a rabbi, a teacher who was beginning to be renowned. His name was starting to circulate, and Peter kind of knew casually who He was. One day, Jesus came by the boat where Peter was washing his nets after a long night of fishing, during which they had caught nothing. There was a multitude of people listening to this rabbi, Jesus of Nazareth, and they were pressing against Him.

So, Jesus said to the guy washing his nets, "Hey, can I stand in your boat and just put off a little from the shore? I'll preach from there." Peter agreed, "Yeah, sure, whatever."

As Peter washed his nets, he listened to Jesus and casually watched what was going on as He preached to the multitudes. At a certain point, the rabbi said to him, "Hey, fisherman, what's your name?"

"Simon, son of Jonah."

"Simon, put out a little from the shore and cast down your nets."

Peter replied, "Hey, Lord, listen, we've been fishing all night and didn't catch anything, but at your word, I'll do it."

He pushes out, and all of a sudden, there is a great catch of fish. What is Peter's response? He bows down before the Rabbi and says, "I'm not worthy to be in your presence." Jesus says to him, "Follow me; I’ll make you a fisher of men."

For the next three years, he and some of his friends, including his brother, follow this Jesus. They travel around Galilee and down to Jerusalem. Peter watches this man cast demons out of people, heal the sick, raise the dead, feed multitudes, and walk on water. Peter even gets to walk on water himself. All of those who followed closely with Jesus had one thought: He is the Messiah, and he is going to destroy the Roman occupation. He is going to establish his kingdom, and they are going to be in his cabinet.

They all started to fight with each other over who would be the greatest. Who would be Prime Minister? Who would be Secretary of State? I’m sure James and John were vying for Secretary of Defense. But who would be the greatest? That was their anticipation and hope.

Then it was all dashed to pieces as their expected King said, "Tonight, every one of you is going to betray me. You are all going to stumble because of me. You are all going to run away." "There’s no way, Jesus! I’ll die with you!" they all said. "That’s right, that’s what we will do." But they all failed, and he died. All their hopes were in a cold tomb outside the city of Jerusalem.

What did they do? They hid. They ran and they hid. But he rose from the dead, just as he had told them. Three times he said, "I will die, and I will rise from the dead on the third day, and I’ll meet you in Galilee."

Now, here he is in Galilee, and it’s rematch time. "Peter, do you love me? Are you ready to give it all? Follow me, feed my sheep, serve me." Knowing this, are you ready to do all this, knowing that you will suffer? With what he remembered about his past failures, he couldn’t say, "I’m ready to lay it all down." But in honesty, he said, "Lord, I do love you. I do have tender, brotherly, affectionate love for you."

I'm not sure I'm there yet, and even still with that, Jesus says, "I want you to follow me and serve me. Tend my lambs, feed my sheep." The call is to follow me; the commission is to feed my sheep. The outcome? You will suffer, and you're going to die by crucifixion.

I wonder how that knowledge of his future suffering and death affected Peter's way of life and living for Jesus. How would that affect you to know there is an endpoint that will punctuate your life, and it is a death by martyr's death on a cross? I don't know when, I don't know where, and I don't know the day or the hour, but I know that's what's going to happen. That's the endpoint.

How would that affect him? Before Jesus had died on the cross, in theory, Peter was ready to suffer and die for Jesus, but in practice, he failed. There had to be that thought in the back of his mind: Will I be able to do that? Now Peter is prophetically informed by Jesus that one day he will suffer. It's not just a might; it's not a maybe; it's a certainty. You will suffer and die on a cross. That's what's going to happen if you follow me and if you serve me. I guarantee it.

Then the call comes: "Come, follow me." What did Peter do? If you follow through the rest of the New Testament and Christian history, you find that he faithfully followed Jesus, and then he was crucified. It was about 40 years after this seaside conversation with Jesus. It wasn't anywhere near Jerusalem; it was in the city of Rome. He died a martyr's death.

What could change? What possibly could happen to make this unfaithful denier an ultra-faithful disciple? How could that happen, taking him from unfaithful to ultra-faithful, from denier to disciple? I suggest to you that the answer is pretty simple. It's point number one on your outline: An encounter with the risen Jesus changes everything. An encounter with the risen Jesus.

Changes everything. What changed from Peter's denial to his commitment to follow in spite of suffering and death? What changed? He met the risen Jesus. He knew Jesus before the death, burial, and resurrection, but now he meets the risen Jesus. Prior to the point of the resurrection, it was a theoretical concept—the idea of dying and then living again. Yes, Jesus spoke a lot about it. He said, "If anyone lives and believes in me, he shall never die. Do you believe this?" I am the resurrection and the life. He spoke often of the coming resurrection, and all of his disciples believed it in theory.

But now, Peter is having breakfast with a once-crucified, now-glorified Jesus of Nazareth. I suggest to you that the resurrection of Jesus changes everything. It changed Peter, it changed James, and John, and Bartholomew, and doubting Thomas, and Saul of Tarsus, who was a persecutor of Christians and became a preacher of Christ. How did that happen? He met the risen Jesus. When you have an encounter with the risen Jesus, it changes everything.

This challenges all of us with a question: Have you had an encounter with the risen Jesus? Peter did, and he became a denier who was now faithful unto death. He went from cowardly to courageous. How does that happen? He met the risen Jesus. From cowardly to courageous.

Look at the Book of Acts. If you're in Matthew or John, it's just to the right: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts. Acts chapter 2 describes the birth of the Church. Jesus has now ascended into heaven, and his followers—Peter, James, John, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthias—all these followers, 120 of them, are gathered together in a small room in Jerusalem. The Spirit of God is poured out upon this group of witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus, and they speak with other tongues—something we could talk about at another time.

It's such a commotion that a massive multitude of people gathers together, and they are all asking the question, "What on earth is going on here?" Peter stands up before the very same crowd of people who, just a month and a half ago, had shouted, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" This is Peter, who hid amidst that crowd, covered and concealed, and didn't want anybody to know who he was. He even swore that he did not know the one they were chanting to crucify.

Now, Peter stands up and begins to preach the Gospel to this group of people. At a certain point, he says in Acts chapter 2, verse 36, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." That's gutsy! Before this chanting mob that had called for His crucifixion, he boldly declares, "You crucified Him, and He is alive. God in heaven has made Him Lord and Christ."

In Acts chapter 2, when they heard this, they were all cut to the heart and said, "What must we do?" Peter replied, "Repent, and be baptized for the remission of your sins."

Not just in Acts chapter 2, but also in Acts chapter 4, let me set the stage for you. Just a few weeks later, Peter and John are going up to the temple in Jerusalem to pray. As they approach the temple, they pass through the gates, where a man who is lame is begging for gold or anything. Peter comes to this man, whom he has probably passed many times before.

He looks at the lame man lying on the ground and says, "Hey, look at me." The lame man looks up at Peter, and Peter continues, "Listen, silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have, I give to you. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, rise up and walk." He takes him by the hand, lifts him up, and he is healed. The man walks into the temple, jumping, leaping, and praising God.

Let me tell you, that was good public relations for the Gospel! Now, a whole bunch of people gather around Peter. They have all seen this lame guy. "Isn't that the lame guy who was always at the gate?" they ask. "Yeah, I think I gave him some silver. That's the lame guy; he's been there for years!" And there he is, jumping, leaping, and praising God. Everybody is wondering, "How did this happen?" So, Peter sees this as an opportunity.

Chapter 4, verse 8: Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel, because in the midst of this commotion, the leaders of Israel dragged Peter and John away, they didn't want all the people to hear what they had to say."

Now Peter is standing before the very same council that said, "Let's crucify Jesus." He continues, "If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means has he been made well? Let it be known, verse 10, to you all 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, by Him this man stands before you whole. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone. There is no salvation in any other, for there is no name under heaven given among men whereby they must be saved."

From denier to preacher, we see this transformation in Acts 2 and Acts 4. Turn to Acts chapter 5. At the end of that little meeting, Peter and John, along with the others, were strictly warned, "You're not allowed to preach in the name of this Jesus any longer."

So what did they do? They stopped, right? No, they kept preaching in the name of Jesus. They were in the temple every single day, preaching in the name of Jesus, and now thousands of people were following Christ—5,000 added to the church. The religious leaders were not too happy about this. They thought, "If we kill this Jesus guy, it's done." But now, all of a sudden, it's not done because He didn't die or stay dead.

As a result, the chief priests and the rulers grabbed Peter and all the apostles and threw them into prison. They wondered, "What are we going to do with these guys?" In the middle of the night, an angel came to them in prison, opened up the doors, and said, "You guys can leave." They got busted out of jail by an angel—how cool is that? The angel told them, "All right, here's what you're going to do: go into the temple and preach."

The next morning, the chief priests gathered and said, "Okay, go get those guys from the prison and bring them here." The jailers came and reported, "They're not there." Another guy came running in, "They're in the temple preaching!" So they went and grabbed them and brought them before the Sanhedrin again.

And then this happens in Acts 5:27. When they had brought them, they set them before the council. This is the same body of people who had crucified Jesus. The high priest, the very one who said He was to be crucified, asked them, saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled all of Jerusalem with your doctrine, and now you intend to bring this man's blood upon us. We told you to stop. Can't you just be quiet? Stop it!"

But Peter and the other apostles answered, "We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you murdered and hanged upon a tree. Him God has highly exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. We are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."

Peter steps up to the plate. The chief priest says, "Didn't we tell you not to preach in this name?" Peter responds, "Yeah, but here's the problem: Jesus, whom you killed, raised from the dead and told us we should preach in His name. So should we listen to Him or you? You tell us what you think." They decided they would obey God.

At that time, they were trying to figure out what to do with these guys. Some suggested killing them. However, there was a wise man on the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel. He said, "Hey, can we have a sidebar for a moment? Let's put these apostles outside." So they put the apostles outside of the room and had a little sidebar chat. Gamaliel said, "Listen, guys, if you persecute these men and they are of God, you will be fighting against God. So let's just let them go. If it's nothing, it will come to nothing."

In Acts 5:40, they agreed with Gamaliel. When they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus anymore, and then they let them go. So what did they do? They ran away and kept quiet, right? No, they departed from the presence of the council rejoicing.

They were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. Daily, in the temple and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. How does that happen?

Point number two on your outline: the fear of suffering, pain, and death is diminished when the certainty of resurrection is realized. When Jesus spoke with Peter in John 21, it became very clear to Peter the cost of discipleship, the cost of being a follower of Jesus. Jesus always accentuated the cost of following Him. In Luke's Gospel, chapter 14, verses 27 and 28, He says, "Whoever does not bear his cross, suffering, and come after Me cannot be My follower. For which of you intending to build a tower does not sit down and first count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it?"

Jesus constantly emphasized the cost to His disciples. He said to them in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 10, "You will be hated for My namesake." He also said to His disciples in John chapter 15, verse 20, "A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you."

Why did Jesus do this? I suggest that He did this because He did not want His disciples to be surprised by suffering. He said it’s a given: you will suffer. If anyone desires to live godly in Christ Jesus, you will suffer persecution.

However, here's the problem: the experience of Americans for nearly 300 years has been a benefit through the Gospel. As a result, we don't believe that if anyone desires to live godly in Christ Jesus, they will suffer persecution. In America, there has been a benefit to being identified as a Christian, so our experience has been different.

Goes against what we read in the Scriptures, and so we have to ask this question: Was Jesus wrong, or is our experience non-normative? Jesus says normal Christianity is to suffer shame for His name. Why did Jesus tell His disciples that they may be persecuted, they may suffer shame, and they may die being persecuted for His name's sake? Because He wanted them to understand the commitment quotient.

What's that? Well, point number three: where the cost is higher, the commitment is greater. Commitment increases proportionally to cost.

We're beginning a new series here at Cross Connection in the book of First Peter. By this point, you might be wondering what this has to do with First Peter. The series I'm calling "Keys of the Kingdom" because this book, First Peter, has themes of sanctification, submission, suffering, eternal salvation, and our witness in a world that is contrary. I am convinced that this letter, maybe more than any other letter we've studied through in the last several years, has more application to us in 21st-century America than maybe any other book of the Bible.

Sanctification, suffering, eternal salvation, submission, and our witness in a world that is contrary to us—it has great application. First Peter was written about 40 years after Peter had that seaside chat with Jesus. Here’s one thing that Peter knew for certain: He was older than he was when he had that conversation. Jesus said, "When you were young, you did what you wanted to do, but when you're old, you're going to be crucified."

He was looking at himself and thinking, "Well, I'm old." He looked around the world in which he lived, which, at this moment in about the year 64 A.D., is believed to have been written. Early in the year, Peter was living in a city called Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire. At that moment, there was a madman who was the emperor named Nero. He came to the throne about ten years earlier, in 54 A.D., and by 64 A.D., the tension was increasing against a group within the Roman Empire that was growing quickly, called the Christians.

This community was particularly growing in Rome because of two problematic figures named Paul and Peter who were living there. There were even people in Nero's own household, among the palace guard, who were Christians. Nero had an agenda; he wanted to be great and to remake Rome. On July 18th, 64 A.D., he sent men under cover of darkness into the city, and they set fire to Rome. This event is known as the Great Fire of Rome, and it destroyed three-quarters of the city. Many people died, and it is said that while the city burned, Nero played a lyre from his balcony and rejoiced. Why? Because he wanted to rebuild the city in his own image.

However, after the fire, news began to spread that Nero was responsible. In response, he claimed, "No, I didn't; the Christians did." This marked the beginning of the first politically motivated and nationally run persecution of Christians, and it would not be the last. For the next four years, until he died in 68 A.D., Nero systematically killed the leaders of the Christians, including Peter and Paul.

Peter was crucified, but he objected to being crucified in the same manner as his Master. He requested to be crucified upside down, stating that he was not worthy to die as Jesus did. Paul, on the other hand, was beheaded for his faith and witness of Christ in the city of Rome. The people turned against the Christians, assuming they had torched the city. They dragged them out of their homes and beat them to death. Sometimes, they would wrap them in the bloodied skins of animals and throw them to dogs and other beasts to be torn to shreds.

Nero would have them covered in pitch oil, and then he would put them on stakes and light them on fire to illuminate his garden by night. This happened, but this letter was written before that, just months prior. It was written from Rome to the Christians. Peter says in First Peter, chapter one, verse one, that he is writing to those who lived east of Rome, about a thousand miles away, in Galatia, Pontus, and Cappadocia. He writes to them and reminds them to remember the cost of discipleship.

In First Peter, chapter four, verse twelve, he says, "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing was happening to you. But rejoice to the extent that you are a partaker of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed"—what's that? The resurrection—"you may also be glad with exceeding joy." He says, "Listen, Christian follower of Jesus, don't think it's strange when you go through these fiery trials, burned at the stake, as though something odd and weird and strange was happening. Our Master said this would happen."

Why is this applicable? Why do I think that this has application in 21st-century America? Because, as I've said for many years, I think that more and more, 21st-century America mirrors first-century Rome. Point number four is becoming more and more true: opposition to our faith is and will continue to increase.

Listen, if you're a follower of Jesus today, understand this: what has happened for 300 years in America is abnormal to Christian history. Pick up any Christian history book, and you'll see that it is true. Start with Fox's Book of Christian Martyrs; you can get it for free on the internet. Pick up the Voice of the Martyrs magazine. What we've experienced—freedom of religion and peace—is non-normal Christianity, and unfortunately, we've started to think it's normative. We've come to think that abnormal is normal, and in nature, abnormalities always get driven out. So, opposition to our faith is and will continue to increase.

To feel it a little bit, churchgoers— I won't call them Christians; I'll call them churchgoers— are doing a cost-benefit analysis of being a Christian. Does it really benefit me like it once did? You see, in America, there used to be a time, and it wasn't that long ago, where there was a great social benefit to identifying yourself as a churchgoer. Saying, "I'm a Baptist," or "I'm a Methodist," or simply, "I'm a Christian," or putting a little dove on your business card or on your business truck, or a fish. People would say, "Oh, he must be a good guy because he's a Christian." Every politician would say, "I'm a Christian," and if you wanted to be elected to office, you went to church, and everybody would see you in church. That was a really important thing.

You know what? That's going away. The social benefit to being a Christian is disappearing, and you feel it. You don't like it because it's abnormal, but it's normal to Christianity. It's abnormal in our culture, but it's normal to Christianity. I'm here to tell you, do not think it's strange. Don't think it's strange. Why is this happening to me? Why is it going? Because Jesus said it would. So, for lack of a better way of saying it, suck it up. This is normative, and it's going to get more opposition.

How many of you have heard in the news in the last ten years or so that Christianity is in decline in America? All of us. The Pew Research Forum has been saying it for years, and they have the research to back it up. Christianity is in decline in America, and I want you to understand those numbers are not exactly true. Here's what's on the decline in America: nominal Christianity. The church is being challenged to be refined, and those who only came to church because of the social benefit of what it might do for them in society are saying, "Well, it's not doing that anymore, so I'm out of here." They are less likely to identify as Christians, and so now they identify as the "nuns"— not M-U-N-S, that's Catholic, but N-O-N-E-S, the nuns. They have no religious affiliation, and more and more, that's on the rise.

But do you realize that the evangelical, gospel-preaching, Bible-believing church is growing in America? It is. Why? Because where the cost is higher, the commitment is deeper.

Commitment is greater. We saw that in China in the last century, and we've seen it in every place where persecution has encountered the church. The social benefit is disappearing, and increasingly, Christians are being seen in our culture as anti-progress, anti-rights, anti-education, anti-intellectual, anti-science, anti-social justice, anti-welfare, anti-immigration, pro-war, prejudiced, bigoted, and racist. Those are the terms that are being applied to Christians in our culture today.

Now, I believe that those are mischaracterizations of the church. However, taken out of context, the things we believe and say can be presented in that way. That's what's happening, and it's going to get worse. So, that's why I think this passage of Scripture is important. The man who wrote this, Peter, knew something for certain that Jesus said to him in Matthew chapter 16. After Peter made this great proclamation, "Jesus, you're the Christ, the Son of the living God," Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16, verse 18, "I say this to you, Peter: on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it."

Society says the church is dying, but I'm here to tell you Jesus said it's not. After He said the gates of hell will not prevail against my church, He continued, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom. I'm giving you the keys of the kingdom, Peter, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Peter, I want you to have a bigger view. This is not your home. I've called you to bind things here and serve me here, but this is not your home. So, don't think it's strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing were happening. Instead, rejoice to the extent that you are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

Amen. Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father, thank you for your great grace.

Jesus, I thank You that You do not want us to be ignorant of the things that we will face as followers of You. You have clearly told us, "In the world, you will have suffering and trials, but be of good cheer; You, Jesus, have overcome the world."

Help us to be more than conquerors through You, with a vision of heaven. May the reality of the resurrection rest upon us, and may this world see Your glory revealed in us. In Jesus' name, Amen.