Suffering as a Christian � Part 2
How to Suffer Rightly
1 Peter 4
Oct 28, 2012 AM
Introduction (1Peter 4:16)
�Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.�
Suffering as a Christian
It means, Being in trouble, we would say, simply because you are not like those around you
Simply because you live, and act, and react like Jesus did
And you get in some real trouble for it � suffer for it (or as we say, Hurt for it!)
Christianity was founded on the willingness of believers to put up with troubles
and hardships, and prisons, and mockeries, and persecutions, and sufferings, and even death!
This
sin-cursed earth already causes suffering � makes life hard � because of SIN
But
the Chrstian has a good reason to suffer
For
doing and living right!
If
you are not having a hard time as a Christian, then you are not very much of a Christian (2Tim 3:12)!
Background (Philp 1:29)
It is an Honour to be Accused of Being a Christian
(Acts 11:26)
Of loving the Lord jesus Christ more than anyone living being
Of loving the Bible and prteaching and church over the latest movie or end of season match!
Of looking forward more towards heaven than the next holiday
Of loving souls who are headed for hell, more than their own lives
Enduring hardship is a distinctly Christian way of living
(Acts 9:13-16)
Our Greatest Goal in life should be
to get people to want to become �Christian�
The apostle Paul sought to get king Agrippa to be more than just saved from hell, and more than just a church-goer, and more than just a disciple
Paul preached and provoked and prodded king Agrippa until Agrippa reluctantly admitted that Paul had almost convinced him to become a� Christian (Acts 26:28)!
The Greatest Theatre for reaching the lost unbeliever, and for teaching the
immature believer is when we suffer! Not when we succeed, or are blessed and are carefree, but when we are: In prison, In hospital beds, In debts, In troubles (2Cor 11:23-30)
The challenge this morning is for us to learn How to Suffer Rightly
(1Peter 4:1)
Instead of murmuring and complaining like the nation of Israel did in the wilderness for 40 years
Instead of seeking revenge like king Saul tried to do
Instead of envying and fighting like the Galatians were doing
Instead of quitting like Job�s wife tried to do
Let�s learn the Christian way of handling troubles, of handling suffering
Last Week � Suffering as a Christian � Part 1
We Need to Suffer As Christ Has
Suffered for Us (1Peter 4:1; 2:21-23)
He left us a perfect example
Suffering is not just something He did, but something He taught us to do (1Peter)!!!
What We Used to Be
(1Peter 4:3) We walked (lived) this way
Lascivious � seeking only pleasure and luxuries
Lusts � sex addict
Excess of wine - drunkeness
Revellings � feasting, showing off
Banquetings � stuffing ourselves with food and drink
Abominable Idolatries � worshipping dumb idols
And we SHOULD have gotten in trouble for doing those things!
But now that we are born again, we should get in trouble for better things!
Getting In Serious Trouble as a
Christian (1Peter 4:4-7)
The world around us thinks it is Strange that we do not seek such excess of riot
- Riotous living
- Pub life, full of excesses, fightings, brawls, jealousies, drug abuses, arguments, back-stabbings, drunken parties, date rapes, abortion pills,
So they spread vicious rumours about you � speak evil of you � talk about you, and snicker at you, and ignore you, and blame you
- On the job � if there is a problem, you will be the first to point to � that you were �reading your Bible instead of working� or praying, or witnessing�
- At home � that you are always in your room and not pulling your weight
- Your own wife or husband will attack you when problems come and blame you
- And none of them will know why they do it � it is demonic!
But it is really THEY who are in serious trouble (4:5,7)
- They will answer to God for how they live and how they treat us
- Vengeance belongs to God
- Just pray for them, and constantly live to forgive them as Christ forgave YOU!
That�s why we preach the Gospel to them!
- So that they can be judged here and now and get saved from the wrath to come
- And then start living according to God in the Spirit (instead of in the flesh)
So, Arm Yourselves
(1Peter 4:2,7-11) � that�s how we left oit last week � a call to arms, to preparation for a battle
Prepare Yourselves
Live no longer to the lusts of men
But to the will of God! Do you even know what the will of God is?
What is the will of God when Suffering?
- To be Sober
- Very prayerful
- Fervent charity towards others
- Hospitality
- Ministering/serving
- That God may be glorified
Message � Suffering as a Christian � Part 2
Expect It - Suffering as a
Christian is Not Strange (1Peter 4:12)
Anticipate, expect, even look forward to it � in the military, you prepare for a fight, and then you head into it expecting it! If there is none, then PRAISE GOD, but if there is a fight, then you were ready and expecting it!
Peter calls the suffering of a Christian, �Fiery Trials,� not just troubles
It is normal, and must be prepared for - Quite normal (2Tim 3:12)
- Abel suffered at the hands of his brother Cain � for worshipping God the right way
- All the prophets of Israel suffered at the hands of those who heard them (Matthew 5:10-12)
- Joseph suffered at the hands of his brothers, his employer, his employer�s WIFE
- Jesus suffered wrongfully at the hands of the religious and the Romans
- All the apostles suffered at the hands of Herod and the Pharisees
- But they decided that it was the normal thing to do, and they weren�t going to quit!
- AMEN!
All throughout history there has been suffering just for being Christian
- Through the first 3 centuries
John the Baptist was wrongly imprisoned and then beheaded
Stephen was stoned
The Apostles
James was beheaded by Herod
Paul was beheaded by Nero
Andrew was crucified on a new kind of cross in the shape of an X
Peter was crucified upside down
Thomas was speared in southern India
- Then through almost 1,000 years of the Dark ages
Millions were tortured by the Spanish Inquisition just for reading a Bible, and just for speaking out against the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church � Millions!
Drowning of mothers for not having their infants baptized
The Spanish Armada was an attempt by king Philip to bring England back under Rome
- All over the world, Chrstians are hated for Jesus� sake! Always have been
- And yet it has been Christians who have given their lives, and given their money, and built hospitals, and risked their lives to preach the Gospel, and protect the weak
- We have been given a few hundred years of peace for the most part � but don�t count on them lasting much longer!
- Modern day examples of people like:
Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani in Iran
Tens of thousands of Christians have been hunted down and slaughtered in East Timor, as well as in Nigeria, the southern islands of the Philippines
- 50 million men women and children since Stephen in Acts 7, until now!
Don�t fear it, and never be ashamed of it (we will talk more about this in a moment)
- To the world, to your friends, and even your family, you will look like a failure
- But when you are doing right, and living as Jesus Christ told you to live � as you just simply follow in His steps
- Never be ashamed of living as your Lord lived, acting as He acted, and reacting as Jesus reacted
We have such a hard time with �troubles,� (large bills, and car problems, and lack os jobs, and some family problems), that we are usually overwhelmed when suffering begins just for being a Christian!
Experience the Fellowship with Christ
(1Peter 4:13,14)
We love to fellowship together
But we rarely seek a fellowship with the Lord Jesus (Philp 3:10) � a deep, felt, appreciated, enjoyed walk with the living Jesus Christ who saved you and dwells within you!
Fellowship with Jesus happens best when we are in times of sorrow and affliction
When we as Christians are persecuted or troubled, 3 great things are present for us to enjoy:
- Joy � happiness
- The Spirit of God
- And the spirit of glory � heaven (the real and full glory will be experienced in heaven, but we get a taste of it down here when suffering)
- All rest upon you � like the glory of God rested upon the Tabernacle in the wilderness
The world won�t understand � they will only say hurtful things about you
But you will find yourself only glorifying, praising and thanking God IN the trial
Eschew Wrong Suffering � Avoid �
Let None of You Suffer as an Evil Doer (1Peter 4:15)
An evil doer is a criminal, or as a law-breaker
- Murderer
- Thief
- Evil doer � someone who does evil things
- Busybody � gossiping (1Tim 5:13), talking about other people�s lives (soap operas)!
- Look at the range of crimes!
There are laws against such things � and for good reason! (Gal 5:19-23)
The courts SHOULD come after you and catch you and judge you and punish you if you are doing wrong!
No Christian should ever break God�s laws, or even man�s laws! If you do, then you SHOULD suffer � don�t come whinning to me about getting caught shoplifting, or lying, or struggling with some weakness that gets you thrown in jail! I will visit you, but I won�t protect you from being in trouble!!!
That�s why it is so important to choose to live godly, clean, peculiar, not like everyone else
Entrust God With Your Whole Life
(1Peter 4:16-19)
If you get in trouble for for praying as Daniel did, for not bowing when the world bows to its idols as Shardrach, Meschach and Abendego did, for preaching as Stephen did, for humbling yourself before your enemy as king David did, �
- Don�t be ashamed (2Tim 1:12) � embarrassed, self-conscious, uncomfortable being in trouble for a good thing!
- Instead, Glorify God (Luke 6:22,23) � honour Him! Make Him big, and justified in the way he is handling your life! Praise and thank Him for being in control!
Believe that God is taking good care of you as a faithful Creator! Jesus did, as well as all Christians throughout history! It is US who need to be reminded to suffer rightly!
Judgment must begin with us (2Peter 2:9)
Just think about how bad it will be on this world of sinners who obey not the Gospel
Final Thought� Suffering without
Christ is only torment
Conclusion to Part 2
Prepare to Suffer as a Christian
Getting into trouble, simply because you are not like those around you
Because you live, and act, and react like Jesus did
If you are not having a hard time as a Christian, then you are not very much of a Christian (Luke 6:26-29)!
It is an Honour to be Accused of Being a Christian
of being like Jesus Christ
Our Greatest Goal in life should be to get people to want to become �Christian�
The Greatest Theatre for reaching the lost unbeliever, and for teaching the
immature believer is when we suffer!
Enduring hardship is a distinctly Christian way of living
The challenge this morning is for us to learn How to Suffer Rightly
As Christ Has Suffered for Us
Keep What We Used to Be in the Past
Getting In Serious Trouble as a Christian
Arm Yourselves
-
Prepare Yourselves
- By Expecting It - Suffering as a Christian is Not Strange (1Peter 4:12)
- Experience the Fellowship with Christ (1Peter 4:13,14)
- Eschew Wrong Suffering - Let None of You Suffer as an Evil Doer (1Peter 4:15)
- Entrust God With Your Whole Life (1Peter 4:16-19)
Just remember
Suffering with Christ, AS a Christian, is a blessing, and do-able
But, Suffering without Christ is only Torment
That�s why there is so much anger and bitterness � because everyone is suffering alone, on their own, without Jesus!