Hope for True Spiritual Life through Suffering

Throughout human history, ancient history and today, there has been a constant tendency that when change is desired – if those in charge won’t agree with me and I still feel strongly about change – then it must require violence…

On a Ship – when the crew wanted to replace their Captain and the officers loyal to him, they would mutiny and take the power by sword, or at gunpoint. Think mutiny on the Bounty, in the late 18^th century when the crew of the Bounty had become accustomed to life ashore during a five-month layover in Tahiti – and who wouldn’t – but unwilling to stay at sea with Captain Bligh, the mutiny placed the Captain and 18 of those loyal to him in a lifeboat and left them at sea…

On land we would call this a coup – we are watching the suffering caused by this ongoing in the nation of Sudan today…

We also see this going on right around us when individuals or groups reach the point they believe violence is the only means to impact change to the way that they believe is right, or the only way for us to reach justice. This is not something unique to either end of the ideological spectrum – it is in our view everywhere today…

It is also in our view in our biblical history as well…

In the time of Christ, Rome was the dominant world empire and they enforced a peace that brought some good to the world such as the network of roadways and commerce across continents…

But the enforced peace often also means a forced ideology…

Just as not all are happy with some of the ideologies being forced upon our culture today, the Jewish people were not particularly happy with the forced ideologies of Rome.

Of those who were unhappy, some were actively resistant while others were seeking to peacefully maintain the purity of the Jewish traditions.

Two of these groups that we read about were:

• The Jewish Zealots who desired a violent overthrow of Rome

• And the Pharisees who desired to maintain the purity of the Jewish Traditions.

If you wanted to find these groups – where would you look…you might think to find them near the seat of power, in Jerusalem…but that was not so…

Instead you would have need to look to the Northern edges of the Jewish territory…on the north side of the Sea of Galilee, in Bethsaida, Capernaum and Chorazin…

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You may recognize the names of these towns as well, not because of their political power, but because this was right where Jesus chose to begin his ministry…

And if Christ began his ministry here – where did he get his first disciples from?

Right there…

And who was the first that Jesus would call? And who would be come the leader among Christ’s disciples?

Peter…

So do you think that Peter would have been impacted by the ideologies or the region – the answer is a clear yes and we see that in his responses over the next three years…

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We might even imply that Peter’s parents had been impacted – as they named him Simon, a popular Jewish name because of the immortalized efforts of Simon Maccabeus, brother of the leader of a successful Jewish revolt from a century prior…

Peter was a staunch conservative who was yearning for the Messiah to overthrow Rome…although Peter is never identified as a zealot – he certainly shared the tendency of a zealot…

Peter saw the power of Rome causing an unjust suffering for the Jewish people and Peter longed for the might of the promised warrior king, the messiah who would restore Israel and right the injustice…

Prior to Jesus’s final days in Jerusalem, Peter repeatedly pledged that He would follow Jesus even unto death – his perceived power was in the strength of the sword in the face of unjust suffering…

But not surprisingly, when Jesus did not go down that path, but instead voluntarily gave himself up to the unjust authorities, to willingly suffer under their unjust authority, Peter turned away…he denied even knowing Jesus.

Peter’s hope of overthrowing Rome through a mighty warrior were gone…

Ultimately, we can see that Rome was never conquered by the sword of the zealots…

But Rome was eventually conquered…conquered by a different kind of power

• A power that is greatest in the face of unjust suffering…

• A power that transformed Peter’s heart zealous for violence to a heart zealous for something else when facing unjust suffering

1 Peter 3:13—Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?

Now, fascinating fact – do you know where Peter writes about zealousness for the Christian…from the very seat of the unjust suffering – he is not in Jerusalem…He is not in Bethsaida, Capernaum or Chorazin – He is right in Rome…where he likely knows that his unjust suffering is a path to the death that Jesus revealed to him,

“When you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. After which Jesus says… “Follow me.”

Follow me even into your own unjust suffering and through it, the Father will be glorified…

It is in the teaching that we receive through Peter, facing unjust suffering, that we know that we can have hope…

This is why we have chose our annual theme of

Hope for Everyday Life

And today as we look at this next passage in the letter from Peter, that we will find

Hope for True Spiritual Life through Suffering:

Please turn with me in your Bibles so that we can read the very word of God together.

If you are using the Bible in your chair, please open to page 182 in the back section, the New Testament.

I don’t know about you – as we have been walking through 1 Peter it has not always been the Word that is easy to hear, but it has been exactly what I needed to hear as I want to grow in my relationship with Christ and to grow in my Spiritual Life…this morning let’s give thanks that He would give us what we need and not only what we might ask for…

This is the Word of the Lord from the 1 Letter of Peter…starting in Chapter 3, verse 13.

READ 1 PETER 3:13-22

Can we give thanks that the power of salvation lies in the resurrection of Christ and not in our good works?

Join me as we pray that God would open our hearts to the depths of his Word today.

PRAY

We definitely have some work to do in unpacking this passage…I know that when I first began studying it, there were certainly parts that caused me to sit back and ask what does that mean…

And if you ever wanted to be in good company thinking something like that…

Martin Luther commented on this text, saying “A wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for certainty what Peter means.”

But that will not cause us to give up, but to be even more excited to unpack this passage to find

3 Key Insights for true spiritual life that help us seize the opportunities.

True spiritual life that helps us seize the opportunities that unjust suffering can provide in our lives…

The first key insight that we can unpack here comes in the first half of the passage…we can

I. Understand the Nature of True Spiritual Life (vv. 13–17)

As we have been unpacking this letter week by week, I think we can all agree from the previous messages and today’s scripture, that our calling as to how we should respond to unjust suffering is a tall order

• Submitting to an unjust government or a cruel boss is not natural.

• Wives – submitting to a husband who is disobedient to God – that’s hard.

• As we heard last week – we are to give a blessing in return for evil – I want to ask are you kidding me?

Righteous responses to unjust suffering are neither easy nor natural.

If they were, Peter would not had to exhort the church to respond differently to the trials they were facing…

What the world would say is natural would be.

• When the authorities forcing their ideology on you, we should take up the sword and make change happen on our terms.

• If the powers that be won’t change, then maybe I need to take power, time of a mutiny…

• Or if those are not possible, then why not just slander those in power, manipulate others to force their agreement with me and where I have suffered, seek revenge…

That would be my natural response…

What would my supernatural response look like…not a superhero response, but a supernatural response of a True Spiritual life sparked and set ablaze by unjust suffering and by the power of one far greater than me…What would that look like?

Doing good— “...if you prove zealous for what is good… But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed… those who revile your good behavior in Christ… that you suffer for doing what is right …

Do you ever think to yourself, why do I need to be told something multiple times…maybe because it is just that important…

Peter must have thought this was an important point…

Doing Good…in suffering…and…not just doing good, that in doing so you are blessed and you are a blessing to others…

If you think you have heard that before…you are right…

2:12 …because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

2:20 But if when you do what is right …, this finds favor with God.

3:1 In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands … they may be won without a word

3:9 not returning evil for evil … but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

Peter is arguing that somehow, certainly not by our natural tendencies, as believers seek true spiritual life…

• Living like Chris in times of unjust suffering…

• Living with their spouse when their husband or wife are not seeking to please God

• Living with local authorities to include at your workplace where your name may be slandered for the name of Christ

• Or living in the community up to and including under our national authorities, as a false ideology is being forced upon us causing unjust suffering.

Of course I can see how doing good is a blessing to others…

What about the I am blessed part though – not feeling that…hold that thought and we will get there…

But first let’s look at how the supernatural life is characterized:

A lack of fear—"Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? … AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED”

More than just a brand of clothing – Having “No Fear is supernatural response and a sign of true spiritual life in the face of unjust suffering…

Now Peter did not start there, but through the Lord, he arrived…

Acts 5:40…and after calling the apostles (Peter and John) in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus... 41 So they went on their way… rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.42 And every day, … they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus…

Somehow, supernaturally, Peter and John show no fear – In for being beaten simply for preaching Christ – they rejoiced…they considered it a privilege and a blessing…

And so supernaturally, without fear, they continued to preach the gospel.

Considered worthy to be persecuted for Christ – they were ignited for True Spiritual life…

Now I am not talking about being flogged today…but we should all ask ourselves – in my Spiritual life – have I been bold enough that the world has tried to push back – has that thought ignited a greater Spiritual life in you?

Peter and John were seizing the opportunity…not just enduring the suffering…

Which leads to a third characteristic of True Spiritual Life in unjust suffering…

Courage to speak with kindness— “always being ready to make a defense to everyone … yet with gentleness and reverence.”

Often when we look at 1 Peter 3:15, to be compelled and ready to make a defense, we think about defending God to the unbeliever

• Defending the authority and inerrancy of Scripture

• Defending the truth of the resurrection

• Demonstrating Christianity’s consistent, comprehensive and cohesive worldview

• Or even just explaining the difficult passages of the Bible to the sceptic…

That’s a monster task and I need to continue studying more…

Thankfully, I do not believe that is the burden which Peter intended to place on God’s people when facing unjust suffering…

But it says, “always being ready to make a defense…” Of What?

For the hope that is within you…

This is not the call for a theology lecture…

It is an opportunity for a testimony – the testimony of Christ’s Work in you…

Often when we describe our testimony, we limit to the saving work of grace in our lives…we may even practice that testimony to be ready…

But let us not fail to be ready to give the testimony of Christ’s work in the believer’s life in the face of unjust suffering that empowers them to do good and allows then to live with no fear and to be able to do all of this with the gentleness and kindness that reflects our Savior.

When Peter says, “DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION,” Peter is quoting from Isaiah which literally says, “Do not fear what they fear!”

What they may be thinking is that If I were being treated in the way that I see you being treated, I would fear and retaliate and fight with no consideration for others to get what I think is right and just…

So, what they are asking - The underlying Question – “How can you respond this way when you are suffering?”

My defense:

• I have a living hope in Christ who took the suffering that I justly deserve and He is making an eternal hope for me – so I will not fear those may seek to take this earthly life from me

• If my living hope contains glories that cannot fade and are imperishable – I will not fear earthly loss as one who does not have a living hope…

• If my living hope is in a resurrected King who has promised a resurrected body, I will not fear those who can harm this flesh and bones

For Peter, this is why after being flogged and order to never again speak the name of Christ – what did he do? He preached the gospel…

• So, believing, employees, how are you loving your unreasonable bosses with this kind of true spiritual life?

• Believing wives, how are you loving your unreasonable husbands, no fear, with this kind of true spiritual life?

• Believing students and teenagers, there may be some authorities in your life that are not godly, how are you loving the ungodly authorities with this kind of spiritual life?

• Believing citizens, how are you loving your unreasonable political leaders, no fear, with this kind of true spiritual life?

We must understand that this is the true spiritual life, supernatural life that we have been called to…and for the motivation to take these steps, we can…

II. Look to the Example of True Spiritual Life—Christ (v. 18¬-20)

For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. (1 Peter 3:18)

We could quickly move right through this seeing a simple restatement of the gospel. Christ died for my sin to pay a penalty that I owed, not him, dying a death I deserve, not him and in glorifying God, the Father was satisfied and raised His Son from the dead…

But I think there may be more for us in how Peter describes Christ’s death “in the flesh” and being made “alive in the spirit.”

To get there – let’s step back a bit…it helps here and it can also help us with those hard verses that Martin Luther was pointing to…

First, we will look again at where Peter is leading…

Then we will compare that to a parallel teaching of Paul

And then I will explain why we think can understand what Luther said was so hard…

Where is Peter going….

Restatement: Believers who are facing unjust suffering, are to look to the example of Christ who amidst unjust suffering died in the flesh (his body) to the world of the flesh (the world’s value system) and was raised to new life (and new value system). So also, you are to die to your natural responses during unjust suffering to bring forth true, supernatural, spiritual life.

That is really a summary of point 1 from today…

Paul teaches a very similar truth in Romans 6:

Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin (flesh in Peter’s terms?) might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;7for he who has died is freed from sin.8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. (Romans 6:6-8)

As you compare the two – do not forget that Peter is adding the context of unjust suffering…

Now how do we link these? YOU don’t all have to tell Pastor Viars – but I am stealing some of the thunder by looking at a verse from next week…

What may be initially confusing, Peter seeks to clarify in chapter 4.

4:1Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, (Paul’s words were for he who died is freed from sin). 2 so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

In this context, we can them look back to better understand Peter’s theological logic in chapter 3

Let’s break those down…

“Put to death in the flesh”—Christ’s physical suffering in the flesh carries the theological significance of dying to the world of the flesh—its fleshly lusts which animate sin.

As Christ died for the penalty for our sin, taking our judgement this rendered a verdict of guilty upon the world of fleshly lust within us…

Picture this thinking back to Easter – not the neat and clean picture we might see on a crucifix, but the bloodied, beaten and unrecognizable body of Christ as he became sin on our behalf…

• The ugliness of our sin in our natural lives has been nailed to the cross that it may live no more…

• If that old man were to come back to life…

• I am not a zombie movie guy, but that is what this makes me think of…a “living” corpse…it is frightening…and that is how we should see our old flesh.

• We would return evil for evil – we need to put that to death

• A constant cycle of revenge in our view of justice – need to kill that

• A constant effort to overthrow unjust authority – may it not be…

Peter goes on to a second theological point as a supporting argument, not as a new theological point…and this is where we get into the confusing and often debated questions about Noah and the Spirits…

Why did Peter include this?

An additional past example of the judgement of the “world of the flesh”—Noah’s flood (v. 19-20a)

19 in which (or better: considering this work of Christ) also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.

What’s the point here…

The point: Peter uses the greatest past example of universal judgement of “the flesh”—the flood. During that time, Christ’s Spirit was preaching through Noah to repent. Yet, the world of the flesh did not repent and it was universally judged. Now, Christ’s death on the cross “in the flesh” is the ultimate and true judgement upon “the world of the flesh.”

The example of the flood is brought out as an example of the judgement upon n the world of the flesh…

This is not the only plausible understanding of this passage, and I am not saying that I am unequivocally right, so if you read other views, consider them in this fashion about how they impact the meaning of the overall passage and how do they show consistency with other scripture…

For today – I am saying that the flood was a past and universal judgement on the way of life represented by our unredeemed way of life…and it also helps me to see the consistency in other areas…

And this leads to a third piece of theological logic…

“Made alive in the spirit”—Christ’s physical resurrection carries the theological significance of NEW LIFE after the judgement of death/suffering in the flesh.

The true spiritual life we are talking about is only a reality because of Christ’s physical resurrection and for those of us living as a reflection of Christ’s life alive in the Spirit we can have hope that we too will be…

Exalted above all opposition (v. 22) —"who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.”

In one sense Peter has been calling us to live in the pattern of Christ in the face of unjust suffering…

Living a True Spiritual Life…following the example of Christ…

• Who is there to harm you? We can live with No Fear…

• And then, supernaturally, we can press into the unjust suffering knowing g that as Peter says,

• that someday, somehow, if you suffer…you are blessed

• Unjust suffering provides the fuel for the fire that brings sanctification

As such, our third insight in True Spiritual Life and seizing the opportunities calls us to…

III. Embrace the Means to True Spiritual Life—salvation through judgement/suffering.

Change does not happen in our lives when things are easy.

Growth does not happen in an environment that leaves us the same…

Something truly good – based n god’s definition of good, not mine can only happen within the confines of the believer’s life…

As such, I hope that this is helping you to see the beauty of Peter’s theology of suffering and to understand this passage more…

Again to look back at what Peter has already said…and will say later in the letter…

“…(in suffering) you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. (1:8–9) …you are blessed when you suffer for righteousness (3:14)…but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing (4:13)… For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God …AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED… (4:17–18)”

• You are blessed when suffering – though it may not feel like a blessing

• Through difficulty and hardship, the believer is saved –

• otherwise why would we think we need to be saved?

• Because to the degree that I share Christ’s suffering means that I can seize more opportunities for rejoicing?

Yes – that is what Peter means…

Peter’s word’s mean that God precisely uses suffering in the believer to bring forth something beautiful.

• To bring forth the life of Christ in You!

• There is something that God does in and through suffering that He could not accomplish in any other way – so why would we ask him to…

• Because he is at work turning what we see as a curse into a true spiritual blessing.

I agree that this is just what Peter means…

Noah had to go through the judgement/suffering to experience a new creation (v. 20b, 21)

Then Peter does not stop with just a picture of the past, but also a picture for the believer today…and as such he make the logical step to the waters of Baptism…

Peter says – Corresponding to that, to the picture of judgement and salvation through the flood waters – Baptism now saves you…

Now I hope you are all on the edge of your seat ready to pounce on what I say next…because you are thinking to yourself…that is not what I have been taught – by grace you have bee saved, through faith…Why is Peter now saying Baptism saves?

He is not.

Peter is clear that it is not the act of getting dunked, the removal of dirt from the flesh…I know there are other churches that would teach this, but it is not what Peter is saying here and to teach it that way is wrong…

Believers, likewise, must go through the waters of judgement/suffering— “Baptism” symbolizes precisely that believers must be immersed through suffering in the death to the flesh for new life

Peter specifically says that it is not our works in going down in baptism,

• that would be a works based salvation,

• but it is going down into the waters of suffering and the death to the flesh that suffering should produce in the life of the true Christian….

• so that the Christian will have a clean conscience—the new spiritual life that is produced….

All baptized believers have once proclaimed, : I have died with Christ to the world of the flesh and I am raised to new life in Christ.”

And where is this new life more clearly visible?

• In the midst of suffering

• When the unjust suffering comes…

• When the flood waters look like they will overwhelm us…

• The judgment and discipline of the Lord come such that in the true children of God…The Spirit of God uses the trial to develop and to reveal a true spiritual life in his power

Tim Keller said it this way…

“The very waters that would have crushed you will save you. It will lift you up. The glory and distinctiveness of the Christian life is not that we escape troubles and escape the floods, we have something within us that uses those things to make us into something great.”—Tim Keller

• when your government treats you unjustly…there is your assurance, your hope of God’s promise that He is working to put to death all the remnants of the old man in your life (revenge, bitterness, harshness) and He is bringing forth that new resurrection life that is precious to God….in that we can rejoice!

• when your boss treats you with contempt…there is your assurance, your hope of God’s promise that He is working to put to death all the remnants of the old man (fear, worry, gossip) in your life and He is bringing that new resurrection life that is precious to God…. in that we can rejoice!

• when your spouse or parent is unkind …there is your assurance, your hope of God’s promise that He is working to put to death all the remnants of the old man in your life (despair, depression, self-pity) and He is bringing that new resurrection life that is precious to God…. in that we can rejoice!

Unjust suffering, what we tend to think of as a curse is actually a blessing….what we would want to get rid of…God wants to use for our good.

[Gospel] Non-believer—the sufferings of this world and the judgement of the world to come will crush you unless you know the One who can turn the ultimate suffering/judgement into life giving salvation for you.

And believer’s, now in Christ, that true spiritual life is activated and developed through suffering…THIS IS THE WAY!…How are you pressing into it?

Conclusion:

As Peter penned this letter from Rome, He knew well and good the temptation and struggles we would face in a world of unjust suffering.

I believe he was recalling those final words that Jesus said to him on the beach described in John 21…Peter learned of the type of death through which he would glorify God…not the epic heroic death of a warrior…but a death through unjust suffering being taken where he did not wish to go…

And Jesus’s invitation…Follow me

Friends – are we ready to follow Christ, even into unjust suffering?

Remember – The Roman Empire did not fall to the might of a zealot’s sword…

Rome was changed by the humble and willing believer who followed Christ into unjust suffering…

Do you want to change the world?

God’s children must set “Christ as the Lord of our Heart” (v. 15) going through the judgment/suffering of unjust suffering unto the new life

Set you heart upon Christ and let a True Spiritual life speak a testimony that cannot be denied…