Keys Of The Kingdom 12 - The Benefits of Suffering

No one likes to suffer, and yet when we read through the New Testament and the whole of the Bible, we find that there are many benefits to suffering. Open with us to First Peter chapter 4 as we discover what some of those benefits are.

Amen. Good morning! Oh, that's awfully nice of you. I feel like maybe I should introduce myself. I'm Pastor Miles, one of the pastors here at Cross Connection Church. Happy Mother's Day! Thank you. It is such a blessing to be able to celebrate our moms today.

I figured that at the end of the service, we want to give all the moms a red rose, but I get a chance to do that before the end of the service for my mom and my wife. I'll give one to my aunt as well since she's up here too. It is a good thing to honor our moms. Amen.

Hey, remember your mom willingly changed your diapers. The next person who will do that will cost you a lot of money, so it's good to honor our moms. Some of us, myself included, made mom's job a little bit more difficult, and so they deserve to be honored for that, for certain.

We have award ceremonies for athletes, writers, and actors, but to my knowledge, we don't really have an award ceremony for moms. I think it's important that we have a day set aside each year to honor our moms. We have so much to thank them for, and we are blessed as a church to have some great moms represented here.

As I said, at the end of the service today, moms, when you leave, we want to give you a rose just to honor you. In just a moment, we're going to have you stand and pray for you. One of the things we've done here for a number of years at Cross Connection is to honor, recognize, and acknowledge the sorrows of the day. That's what these white roses are up here in front today.

We know that there are some seated here today for whom Mother's Day is a hard thing. I've heard over the years that for some, they don't even want to come to church on Mother's Day. They wake up with a dryness in their throat, a heaviness in their heart, and a pit in their stomach because of the sorrow of loss—maybe the loss of a child when a child was very young, perhaps a miscarriage or a stillbirth.

Maybe you have a child who has been estranged from you and is not walking with the Lord. We want to acknowledge those sorrows today. I know that there are some in our midst who have desired to be moms, but that opportunity was never given to them. At the close of the service today, if that is you, we invite you to come and take one of these white roses to acknowledge that sorrow of loss. If you see someone with a white rose, please pray for them today and honor them.

Now, for the moms, we would like to ask you to stand so we can honor you today and pray for you. All the moms in our church, would you please stand and stay standing? We want to pray for you. Let’s bow in prayer.

Father, we thank you so much for these moms. We are grateful for the blessing they have been to each of us individually and the blessing they are to our church. We pray, God, that you would pour out a blessing upon them. A simple rose is really not enough to express the gratitude and honor we place upon these ladies, these moms. We ask, God, that you would bless them in a great way. None of us would be here without them, and so we thank you for them today. In Jesus' name, amen.

Instead of sitting down, would all of you stand and open your Bibles to First Peter in the New Testament, right near the end of your Bible? We will be in 1 Peter chapter 4. If you don’t have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of the ushers will bring one to you.

I bring you greetings from Deutschland. Good Morgen! I spent this last week in Germany at Cav Chapel in the northwest part of Germany, teaching at a conference. There were about 500 Christian workers from throughout Western Europe, predominantly from Germany, but also from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and France. It was a real blessing to see. I hear people say a lot of times, especially in our country, that Christianity is dead in Europe. That is not true. God is doing an amazing thing there. I was able to speak at this conference with my good friend David GIC and a couple of other pastors in our movement. It was a truly blessed week.

So, greetings from Germany. First Peter chapter 4 is where we are at today, and we will begin in verse one. Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with...

The same mind is important because He who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. 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, 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 and 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 and 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 First Peter together since the beginning of the year. This whole book really speaks quite a bit about this topic and the issue of suffering.

Suffering, and I don't think I even really need to say it, is something that we do not like to think much about. We do not like to ponder very often the realities of suffering, especially in our lives.

In the nation in which we live, we have tried as much as we possibly can to create a society where we can live our lives with virtually no suffering. This is the way our culture in the United States of America is essentially situated; we try to keep ourselves from any form of suffering. However, the fact is that there is a lot of suffering in the world.

There is a lot of suffering 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 and to avoid being confronted with it, there is not a day that goes by without being bombarded by the reality of human suffering around the world. This suffering is evident in every form of news media we encounter, whether it’s on the radio, the internet, television, or even in the newspapers that people used to receive in their yards. Suffering is very real and constantly occurring around the globe. Every human being suffers, and it is because of the brokenness of sin.

Only the person who has the revelation of God in the Scriptures fully understands where suffering comes from. Those who do not look to the Scriptures as the source of truth inspired by God, the Creator, do not fully grasp the reasons behind suffering. They may have all kinds of theories about why suffering exists, but the real reason is given to us in the Scriptures. Back in Genesis chapter 3, we learn 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 constantly bombarded by it.

One of the things we find, both observably true and also affirmed through the Scriptures and church history, is that beyond the normal suffering experienced by human beings—such as the suffering from disaster, disease, and death—there is another level of increased suffering experienced by followers of Jesus. This suffering is not just the result of the fallenness of this world; it is a suffering that arises from being a follower of Jesus. Followers of Jesus are often subjected to this additional level of suffering, which Jesus referred to in the Gospels as suffering for righteousness' sake.

Doing good often leads to suffering for being a representative of our King and His kingdom in a world that is contrary to both. Followers of Jesus uniquely suffer this reality amidst all the other sufferings that one could potentially endure. There is an added level of suffering that Christians may experience.

We live in a nation where we are afforded great religious liberties, and we have not necessarily been bombarded with the 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 this suffering is still taking place. Jesus speaks in the Gospels, and the New Testament authors address this as well. They discuss suffering for righteousness' sake and suffering for what one does for the kingdom of God. This is exactly the kind of suffering that Jesus experienced.

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

When you look at the life of Christ, the most punctuated part of it is certainly His suffering. This suffering was not because of 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." He was preparing His followers for what was to come.

Followers of that reality 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. If you read through the Book of Acts and the Epistles of the New Testament, you will find that this is the case. The early Christian histories, such as Fox's Book of Christian Martyrs, also confirm this. Virtually every place that the gospel has gone and every place that the church has existed has seen 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, and this is what we have seen happen to followers of Jesus for the last 2,000 years. As we have previously seen in the Book of First Peter, we see it again in 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 1. Jesus experienced this kind of suffering for us. Look there again at 1 Peter chapter 4, the beginning of 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, and 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.

2 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 world to which Peter writes in 1 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. This 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; we need to have the armament, the armor, 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? Peter tells us that since Christ suffered for us in His flesh, we need to adopt this mindset. What exactly is Peter saying? Simply this: the knowledge of the unjust suffering of Jesus for the sins of others serves as mental armor or a mental guard for our hearts and minds. As followers of Jesus, we need to put on this mindset regularly.

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

I think we would all agree that suffering, in general, is a significant aspect of life.

Suffering is hard. We don't like to suffer, even from minor irritations like a common cold. 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 would irritate our comfort. America is structured to try and live our lives where we're never irritated by discomfort. I think we would all agree that this is true.

In fact, 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 sort of 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 suffering the minor irritations of life.

If you suffer harm or if you are reviled—if someone speaks against you after you did the right thing, the good thing—everything in your nature wants to fight back, to revile back, and to defend yourself. Yet, in this passage, Peter, inspired by God, says no, that's not what we are to do. 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. American society is ordered around a lack of patience, except for, might I just add, the speed limits in our nation. I just got to drive in Germany again, 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. This is the next thing we need to deal with: our impatience. We just need to learn from the Germans in this one. It is a total aside and somewhat distracting, but it was fun.

Anyways, suffering for doing the right thing is something that we do not want to endure. To be able to face and handle such unjust suffering for righteousness' sake, Peter says that we need to arm ourselves in our minds.

Jesus was facing suffering with a specific mindset, which obviously begs the question: what was the mindset of Jesus when He was facing suffering? To answer that question, we can turn a couple of books to the left. If you are in First Peter, just turn two books to the left. You will pass James, a small book, and then you will come to Hebrews.

In Hebrews chapter 12, right near the end, the author of the book of Hebrews 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 which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." This race that we are following is focused on Jesus.

In verse 2, it continues: "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, 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, especially when it is undeserved, seems completely illogical. To suffer for doing the right things and to count that as joy appears completely absurd unless we understand the nature of the joy and where it came from.

This then is the mindset that the follower of Jesus, who could 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: we need to approach it with joy and rejoicing.

Now, if you are in Hebrews, turn one book to the right and look at James chapter 1. This might be one of the most absurd verses in the Bible.

Verse 2: My brethren, followers of Jesus, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. I bet every single one of you does 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, I am joyful. That's how you will always find me: happy, rejoicing, glad—never down, never upset, never glum. None of that ever. My wife is sitting there going, "liar."

Brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. It's not just James; 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 5, Paul says in verse 3 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!

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 want to escape as quickly as possible. They don’t want tribulation. Yet Paul says we glory in tribulations. It’s not just in Romans chapter 5, but also in 2 Corinthians chapter 12. Paul is speaking about his own difficulties, his own trials, and he says this in 2 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, in needs, in persecutions. I take pleasure in those things. You know, if we’re honest, my flesh and I do not take pleasure in those things. It’s not just in Romans 5 or 2 Corinthians 12; it’s also in Philippians chapter 2. Again, Paul says in verse 17, "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 he is being sacrificed, he is glad and rejoices.

Colossians chapter 1:24 states, "Now I rejoice in my sufferings," says Paul. 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 avoid suffering, 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; that's your nature. In fact, 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, divinely influenced, causes us to hate injustice as well.

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. 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 1 Peter chapter 4 and see what Peter's explanation is, because he said something that is outright absurd, and he better explain himself.

1 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. Now, I apologize; my points this morning are a little long. I wrote them at 30,000 feet, a little bit tired in 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 stated in the book of Romans, into the image of His Son. He wants us to take on the character traits of Him here on earth, and He wants that to be evident in my life and in yours.

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 is saying? Well, let's examine it.

We just looked at James 1 a moment ago. You can turn one book to the left to James again, where he said, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials" (James 1:2). But look at the following verses immediately after. James says, "My brethren, followers of Jesus, count it all joy when you fall into various trials." Why would I do that? Knowing that the testing of your faith, which is trial suffering, produces patience. There it is; we hate that word. But let patience have its perfect work in you, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Here's a simple question: How many of you would like to be perfect, complete, lacking nothing? Sounds pretty good. What's the process? Count it all joy, brother, when you fall into various trials, for the testing of your faith produces patience, which produces maturity and completeness in Christ.

So, Peter seems to say in 1 Peter 1:4 that this suffering brings about the cessation of sin; it transforms us. James says here in James 1:2-4 that this suffering is a joyful experience—not because suffering is joyful, but because the outcome of suffering is joyful. Why do people put themselves through the suffering of preparing for a race, or preparing for the Olympics, or preparing for some very difficult thing? Why endure the suffering? Because there's some sort of reward on the other side.

Now, you may not understand why someone would want that reward, but whatever it is, they want that reward. Here, James says that the outcome of suffering is going to be patience, which leads to perfection. Now, perfection is not sinless perfection; it means that we are mature, complete, lacking nothing in Christ Jesus. Sounds like a good thing.

Well, not just James, but I also cited Romans 5, where Paul said that we glory in tribulations. Let me read the whole passage to you. Romans 5:3-4 says, "And not only that, but we also..."

Christians, followers of Jesus, glory in tribulation, knowing the very same word that James just used in James chapter 1. Tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope. Hope does not disappoint; it is a hope of eternity that will not leave you disappointed. That sounds really good—an enduring, strong hope that won't leave you disappointed. This is the outcome of why we glory in tribulations: because tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance 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 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9, the whole passage says this: "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, is that "therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." Therefore, he takes pleasure in his infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, and in distresses for the sake of Christ. For when he is weak, then he is strong.

What is Paul saying? Simply this: strength in Christ comes from the weakness of my flesh, which 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 is not the kind of tool that we enjoy. However, God's sanctifying work in our lives is essential, even if it is painful.

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 dirt bike. I thought to myself, "Well, that looks like fun," so I decided to try it. A few hours later, I found myself in the ER down here at Palomar.

To the ER, I had this road rash all over my hands. It was a very painful experience. The doctor came in and said, "Yeah, we have to clean that out. We need 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 goodness, this is the most painful thing ever." But it was essential to remove what could cause major problems in the long run if it wasn't taken care of.

Listen, 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. This suffering brings about a purifying effect.

Why is this scrubbing of suffering necessary? Well, look at 1 Peter 4:2. Therefore, in verse one, it says, "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 continues, "That he, the one who has suffered in the flesh, no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lust 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. It's a bit long, so let me say it again: suffering for righteousness helps free me from the lust 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, and 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, and we can count it all joy when we face such sufferings. Not because we're sadistic and enjoy suffering, like the little kid who keeps picking at that little boo-boo that hurts so badly, but they keep doing it. You might wonder, "Why are you doing that?" They have no idea; they just like it.

Suffering. What is wrong with you? Nobody really likes suffering, but how can I be glad and rejoice like 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'm able, with the mind of Christ guarding my mind, to see through that God is purifying me. The suffering for righteousness helps free me from the lusts and 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 to you that a lot 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 make us uncomfortable. But if we can receive it, these trials are a tool used by God for our ultimate good.

It's like the child that is sick. Mom and Dad get them the medication, but the medication tastes bad, and they don't want it. Sometimes, for the health of the child, for the healing of the child, you've all experienced this as moms and dads. You have to hold the child and restrain them while they're crying and saying no. They can't understand why you're doing what you're doing, but this is the only way to bring wholeness.

Our Father in Heaven, I have no doubt, watches us go through these things, and it pains and breaks His heart as He sees us. But He knows this is the only way to remove the carnality from my life and from yours so that I can live for the will of God.

In the moment when I face trials of suffering, my instinct is to do anything I can to get out of it. We try to make excuses, we try to make deals, we try whatever it may be. We plead, "God, just take it away. Get rid of this." And the Lord doesn't. Sometimes we think, "Well, maybe I didn't have enough faith," or "Maybe the guy who prayed for me didn't have enough faith," or "Maybe that oil wasn't really good olive oil from Israel that they prayed for me with."

No, it has nothing to do with that. God is sanctifying, and the sanctifying work is painful. Yet, it's ultimately for my good, even though I don't feel very good in the moment. We need to realize that these are moments—moments of suffering.

There are moments in what is an already very brief life. This life is short; it's very brief. The longer you live, the more you realize how short it is. When you're young, you don't realize how short life is, but as life goes on, you come to understand its brevity. In fact, all the people who are nodding have gray hair or no hair. Life is short.

In this very brief life, there are experiences of potential affliction and suffering, especially for the sake of Christ. Our nature is to focus on the moment of suffering, thinking that it is so bad that it will never end. We can become fixated on these moments, turning into Eeyore, and we forget that there is eternity beyond this life. We fixate on the suffering and overlook the bigger picture.

Notice what Peter says in verse two: we should no longer live the rest of our time in the flesh for worldly desires, but for the will of God. Life is brief, and in the struggles we endure in 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 redeem our time.

What kind of redeeming quality? Look at what he says in 1 Peter 4:3: "For we, if you're a follower of Jesus, have spent enough time in our past lifetime doing the will of the Gentiles." We have spent enough time pursuing the desires of non-believers. 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 your BCR, or Before Christ Resume. Some of you may not even know what a VCR is, but a BCR is your Before Christ Resume. What does it include? Lewdness, crude and vile behavior, shameless lust, sinful cravings, drunkenness, endless carousing, and illicit idolatry. When you hear these things, you might think, "Yeah, I remember that."

Here's what I have found: I meet people who...

Are walking with the Lord, and they go, "Gosh, I wasted so much time in my life doing those things. I wasted so much time." Peter writes here that we have spent enough time involved in these wicked things. Not only is suffering sanctifying, but suffering is redeeming.

Point number three: suffering for righteousness reminds us how much time we've wasted on unrighteousness. Suffering for doing what is good, for righteousness, reminds us how much time we've wasted on 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 times, huh? Have you ever suffered for doing something stupid, for doing something wrong?

The pain of the suffering when you suffer for doing something foolish or wrong is compounded by the guilt over the foolish thing you did. You're 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're 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 redeeming of the time of the past life that you lived. And 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 a joy knowing that God, through this, is transforming you. God is redeeming what you've done in the past, and God will reward you in the future for this suffering. But Peter continues in 1 Peter 4:4, in regard to...

They think it 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? He is referring to all the things you did before you walked with Jesus, which you no longer do now that you walk with Him. In regard to all these things, those who still practice them think it strange that you don't run with them anymore.

Do any of you have that friend, coworker, or family member with whom you used to sin? You used to be involved in all kinds of things together, and now they look at you and say, "What the heck is wrong with Joe? He doesn't do that kind of 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 strange, but Peter also says they speak evil of you.

Point number four on your outline: a purified life baffles unbelievers. A purified life baffles unbelievers; it not only baffles them, it confuses and confounds them. They used to do these things with you, and now they wonder, "What happened to Joe? 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."

They might say, "If he really wants to succeed in this company, he's going to have to do what he used to do. You know, when he used to step on people, he was just like the rest of us. Sure, it might be dishonest, but he cut corners. Why doesn't he do that anymore?" They think it's strange because you've changed. Peter says 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 or persecution for following Jesus. However, you might suffer this form of persecution. Jesus even says that this is a form of persecution. What is it? It is those who think it's strange that you don't run with them anymore and who speak evil of you. In Matthew Chapter 5, Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "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's...

Persecution, in the eyes of Jesus, is a reality. Though we may not be persecuted to the point of losing our lives or enduring the shedding of blood, it is still a form of suffering. According to Jesus, this is a significant aspect of our faith.

Point number five: the sanctified life invites ridicule. It baffles those who are still walking in sin. This confusion leads them to ridicule because 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 and notice that you no longer run with them in the same form of excess, they may react negatively. You might lose a friendship or two over it. They might say, "He used to run with us, but he doesn't anymore."

Not only have you lost that friendship because you no longer engage in the same activities, but now they speak evil against you to others. Once, you had a good friendship, but it was centered around the lust of the flesh and the sinful desires of a fallen world. Now, your desires have 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 and 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. However, 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. This perspective turns us back to eternity. We walk through this knowing that it is redeeming, sanctifying, and a form of suffering for what is righteous. It will be rewarded.

If they do not repent and turn to Christ for His forgiving grace, they will ultimately give an account. That is why you do not need to take your own defense into your own hands. You do not need to ridicule or revile back. Instead, you can trust that God will defend you; you can leave your case with Him.

Isn't that what we saw with Jesus in the previous passage? Here in First Peter, back in First Peter chapter 2, it says that Jesus left His case with God the Father in Heaven. You can go back and read it later, 1 Peter chapter 2.

So, I've got 1 minute and 53 seconds to wrap it up. He trusted that God would judge. I can have joy in suffering because it's suffering for righteousness. It's suffering that's sanctifying, suffering that's redeeming, and suffering that will be rewarded in eternity. God, who is my judge, will judge righteously.

He says in verse six, "For this reason the gospel was 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 5, there in the Sermon on the Mount, as 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, for great is your reward in heaven." So, Peter says, "Let me remind you, there's a reward for those that endure such things here in this life, and there is a judgment that will come upon those that 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, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

God, help us. Amen. Would you stand with me and pray 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 I can to get away from being reviled.

Lord, I pray that you would stir us this week to walk through these things, looking to You and 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, because we are not sufficient in ourselves to think anything is being of ourselves. Our sufficiency comes from You, and 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 that agreed said, "Let's sing to the Lord."