This evening, we find our scripture passage in 1 Peter 4, verse 12 to verse 19, found on page 1,891 in the Pew Bibles. Page 1,891, 1 Peter 4, verse 12 to verse 19. This is the inspired word of our God. Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God. And if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful creator and continue to do good. And may the Lord bless the reading and the study of his word to each one of our lives as we look at it together this evening. Brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ, one of the most popular preachers in America, has a message that almost everyone wants to hear. His message is that God's plan for your life is that you have plenty of wealth, that you have good health, lots of friends, that basically you have heaven right here on earth. His message is part of what we know as the prosperity gospel. It is a message that most people find very attractive. But if Peter were alive today, it is a message that I'm sure he would denounce. Have you noticed how often Peter addresses the reality of suffering as a Christian? He began writing about it already in the very first verse of this first letter It's written between the lines in that first verse where he addresses his readers as God's elect strangers in the world scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. It is a description of people who are strangers in a hostile world, who are scattered, who face opposition and even persecution because of their faith by the sixth verse of chapter 1. He is already speaking about suffering grief in all kinds of trials and that theme of suffering continues right on through his letter. As we begin a new section in his letter here in chapter 4, Verse 12, we read, dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial. You are suffering as though something strange were happening to you. Why is Peter's message so much different, so very different from the message of many of the popular preachers today? Some commentators point out that Peter had a message that brought up the reality of suffering for your faith because he was writing both to Jewish readers and also to Gentile converts. They point out that the people of Israel, the Jewish readers, certainly knew what it was like to suffer. After all, as God's special people, they had a history of suffering some 400 years in bondage in Egypt. Later, put into captivity by the Assyrians while Judah fell into captivity by the Babylonians. The Israelites, including the Jews of the first century who were under the yoke of the Roman Empire, knew what it was like to live a life of suffering because of their identity with God. But as Christianity spread and as Gentiles became saved, the concept of suffering for their faith was an alien concept to them. They had not suffered for what they believed before. Those who worship the gods of the Greeks and the gods of the Romans were accepted socially for that worship. If you went to the temple of Artemis, and engaged in the immoral activities that were considered worship in that culture, you would not be condemned or persecuted for that. That was socially acceptable to worship the various gods and goddesses of the Roman and Greek empires. But now these Gentiles had come out of religions that were accepted by their cultures, and they came, by God's grace, to saving faith in Jesus Christ. And as they did so, they faced great suffering. Rather than presenting them with a prosperity gospel, Peter and the other apostles as well, spoke to them honestly, not only about the true and wonderful joy of salvation, but also about the inevitable trials, the persecution, the hardships that come in living out the Christian life in a hostile, fallen world. Why do Christians face trial, severe persecution, and even martyrdom? The main reason is that we are identified with Jesus Christ. As verse 13 puts it, but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. And verse 16 adds, however, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ were first called Christians in Antioch, but the name Christian was not given to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ out of respect, but rather out of disdain. The name Christian was coined by the unbelievers in Antioch. Up until the name Christian was applied to those who believe in Jesus Christ, they were known as disciples, believers, and those who belong to the way. Why then did the people of Antioch call the believers Christians? It was because most of them wanted to identify the Christians with someone whom they disdained, with Christ himself. The name Christian was coined by the unbelievers in Antioch. They rejected, for the most part, the gospel of salvation. There were some who believed, but most of that culture was like our culture today, where most of them wanted nothing at all to do with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. They rejected the truth of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone. Most of them wanted no part of this message of salvation brought about by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. They did not want to hear that one needed to be a believer and the one who had sacrificed himself for his people in order to be reconciled to God the Father. And they certainly didn't want any part of the message that believing in Christ meant that you had to live a transformed life, a life of purity and holiness rather than debauchery and revelry. It was out of that type of ridicule and disdain of Christ himself that the name Christian came into being. And the same disdain impacts Christians today. Christians around the world suffer the most inhumane treatment imaginable. Why? Because they bear the name of Jesus Christ at the root of the suffering brought on by persecution is hatred for the Lord Jesus Christ and thus hatred for those who believe in him and show their Christianity by their faith and by their conduct. As Jesus said in John 15 verse 18 to 21, if the world hates you, keep in mind that the world first hated me. If you belong to the world, the world would love you as its own. As it is, Jesus said, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you. A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecute me, they will persecute you. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. because of that inevitable suffering that comes with living out your faith in a fallen, hostile world. You might expect that the suffering we face, along with the persecution that our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world face, that it would make Christianity a great burden to bear. It might make it seem as though in this life Christians have nothing but sorrow and heartbreak and persecution, that every Christian would be like Eeyore, that depressed donkey from Winnie the Pooh, or Sadsac, that cartoon character from a previous generation who always had that dark cloud of trouble following him around wherever he went. But this passage reminds us that through suffering we are blessed with great spiritual blessings. Did you pick that up in verse 13 and 14? Peter writes, but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ so that you may be overjoyed when he returns in glory. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the spirit of glory and of God rests on you. It is because of our identity with Christ that we face the disdain, the ridicule, and persecution of those in the world. But it is also because of our identity with Jesus Christ that we share in his glory. That is what verse 13 is telling us. And verse 14 is teaching us that when we are insulted because of our identity with Christ, we receive a blessing. For God's Spirit will be upon us, giving us comfort and giving us peace as we face insults and hostility from those who detest our Savior and Lord and thus detest his followers. Perhaps Peter was reflecting, as he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write those verses, perhaps he was reflecting on the words of Jesus when he spoke the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, verse 10 to 12, where Jesus says, blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Perhaps it is hard for us to imagine living in a land where we have not faced persecution, at least physical persecution, that there could possibly be any type of blessing or joy in facing imprisonment for our faith. Yet the apostles took great joy in knowing that their identity with Christ caused them to suffer, just as Jesus had also faced ridicule because of who he was. For example, in Acts chapter 5, we read how the authorities called in the apostles and had them flocked because they were proclaiming the gospel. Then they ordered them, it says, not to speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. Acts 541 then says, the apostles left the Sanhedrin rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name. And not only did they rejoice that they suffered disgrace for the name of Christ, but also verse 42 of that chapter describes how they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah, that he is indeed the eternal Christ. The reaction of the apostles in the first century as they rejoiced in their suffering and persecution was not an isolated event. It has been repeated over and over throughout the history of the New Testament church. Just one example of many is that of Gildo de Bray, the author of the Belgic Confession. You may recall that when he was imprisoned awaiting execution on the gallows, he wrote to his wife, remember that I did not fall into the hands of my adversaries by mere chance, but through the providence of God, who controls and governs all things. Writing to a former congregation, he added, as for my chains and my bonds, rather than frightening me and filling me with horror, on the contrary, they are my delight and my glory. I count them more precious than gold, he wrote. His last words before being hung at the age of 47 were, my brothers, I am condemned to death today for the doctrine of the Son of God. Praise be to him. I would have never thought that God would have given me such an honor. because we live in a land where throughout our history it has been socially acceptable to be a Christian. It is good for us to take Peter's warnings to heart about suffering for the name of Jesus Christ. The winds of change have come across our culture forcefully and rapidly, and in that way we are similar to the Gentile converts. They had not suffered persecution before when they worshiped the false gods of the Greeks and the Romans, but now that they worship the one true God, they would suffer. And as our culture changes, we too find that we will suffer because of our faith and our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and our identity with him. In our culture, we are seeing that growing hostility against those who bear the name of Christ, against those of us who are Christians. But in years to come, we may face more than insult and ridicule. We may face more than economic sanctions such as many bakers and florists and other Christian business people have already faced. and years to come, we may face the type of persecution that the faithful people of God in other parts of the world have faced and are now facing. And should that persecution and even martyrdom come our way into our land, we must stand firm, remembering those promises that there is blessing when we suffer even persecution and martyrdom, because we bear the name of Jesus Christ. However, this passage also teaches that when we suffer, We suffer according to God's will and that it is hard to be saved. In other words, our suffering isn't just based on the hostility of those who hate Christ and hate Christians, nor is it just by happenstance when we suffer with circumstances beyond our control. Instead, verse 19 tells us that we suffer according to God's will. Why would God's will include the suffering of his dearly loved people? Does that make God somehow a cruel God who delights in the suffering of his people? Quite the contrary. The purpose for suffering, according to God's will described in verse 19, can be seen more clearly in verse 12. Verse 12 and verse 19 serve in a sense as bookends on the entire passage. The painful trials that come as we suffer according to God's will are a result of God refining us and purifying us, much as a goldsmith will purify and refine the gold in the fire. Peter had previously written about that in chapter 1, verse 6 and verse 7. He had described the great blessing of having a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and an inheritance guaranteed for us in heaven eternally. And then after describing some of these great blessings that come to those who believe in Jesus Christ, Peter writes, In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. In those verses, the Holy Spirit is teaching us that our trials and our suffering is for our good. God uses them to shape us and mold us, to sanctify us. And as God strengthens us through those trials, he is glorified as we lean on him for the strength that we need. The hymn writer also wrote about God sanctifying work through our trials. In the fourth stanza of that familiar hymn, How Firm a Foundation, the hymn writer wrote, when through fiery trials your pathway shall lie, my grace all-sufficient will be your supply. The flame shall not hurt you. I only design your dross to consume, your gold to refine." In this passage, then, we see that our identity with Christ necessitates suffering, and yet it also brings great joy. The passage enables us to relate to the truth of scripture in other places, such as Acts 14.22, which tells us through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God. But as we suffer according to God's will, even undergoing fiery trial, we do so with the knowledge of Romans 8, verse 18, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed through us and to us. And that is why when you suffer because of your faith in Jesus, you can rejoice that you participate in his sufferings. As verse 16 reminds us, if you suffer as a Christian. Do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. Praise God that he shapes and molds through the trials that we face so that our dross is removed, so that we are purified and sanctified as God uses the trials and even the persecutions that come into our lives to cause us to lean more fully and completely on him as we realize that his grace is indeed sufficient for whatever we face in the pilgrimage of this life. Verse 19 gives us another application as we suffer according to God's will. It says that we are to commit ourselves to our faithful creator. We recognize that the Lord sustains everything that he has created. When he created the world, he didn't just wind it up like someone would wind up an old-fashioned pocket watch and then let the gears and the springs and the other mechanisms turn the hand of the watch. There are some who believe that God created the world and then just let it go on its own, and that's why the world is such a mixed-up place that it seems to be. They are known as deists. But we know from Scripture that the Lord, having created the world, upholds and sustains what he has created by his gracious and powerful providence. And what is true for the world is true for each individual. The Lord knit us together in our mother's wombs. The Lord knew us long before we were ever born. And the Lord has determined the number of days that each one of us will live. As Psalm 139.16 says, all the days ordained for me to live were written in your book before one of them even came into being. Consequently, The Lord has a thorough and loving knowledge about each one who, by His grace, has placed their faith in Him alone. He has also promised to meet our needs and to uphold us through whatever trials, whatever suffering, whatever persecution may come our way, never leaving us, no, never forsaking us. Our closing hymn also addresses that biblical truth As it quotes from Isaiah 41, verse 10, where the Lord promises, fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Commit yourself to your creator, and he will indeed uphold you through whatever suffering and trial you may face. He will do so even as he brings judgment on those who reject the gospel. Peter writes about that in verse 17 and verse 18. These verses have caused some confusion because they speak about the judgment on the family of God. The word for judgment in verse 17, for it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God, is used in the context context of a disciplinary fashion. As a father disciplines his children, God disciplines those whom he loves and shapes and molds them through the hard circumstances of their lives. But the judgment that each one of us deserves for our sin was born by Jesus Christ on the cross. Those who have rejected him and in turn reject and ridicule and persecute his people will face judgment. Peter quotes from Proverbs 11 31 in verse 18 when he asks, if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? When Peter says it is hard for the righteous to be saved, he undoubtedly has in mind both the humiliation and the suffering of Jesus Christ, a hardship and a sorrow that we cannot even begin to grasp the magnitude of, but also he speaks of the hardships, the trials, and the temptations that come into the lives of those who believe in Christ Jesus. The question of verse 18, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner, is rhetorical, reminding us of the certainty of judgment for those who reject Jesus Christ. Their judgment will be severe and their judgment will be eternal. If you are among those who have never come to the Lord in humble repentance and saving faith, take to heart the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 6, verse 1 and 2, where he writes, we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For he says, in the time of my favor, I heard you. And in the day of salvation, I helped you. I tell you, now is the time of salvation. Today is the day of God's favor. No matter what is in your past, no matter what sins and temptations you struggle with in the present, you can come to Christ with full assurance that he will forgive you, he will accept you, for he has promised, all that the Father gives me will come to me. and the one who comes to me, I will by no wise cast out. Rather, he receives us, and he says, come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, burdened down with your sin, and I will give you rest." Another application is in the last phrase of verse 19, telling us to continue to do good, No matter what trial you face, no matter what persecution may come up in your life, continue to do the good deeds that God has before ordained for you and for me to do. Have you noticed that often it's those who suffer the most who make the largest impact with their lives for the gospel? Because despite their suffering, they continue to do good, living out their faith in Jesus Christ. Also, this passage reminds us that when we are insulted and ridiculed and suffer, we must make sure that it is for righteousness sake, that it is because we belong to Christ and we bear the name of our Savior, the name Christian. We have perhaps known professing Christians who are ridiculed and insulted, not for righteousness sake, but simply because of their obnoxious behavior. Peter points out in verse 15, if you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. That verse covers a lot of ground. There is a big difference between a meddler and a murderer, but both are going to face suffering. But it is a completely different type of suffering than the suffering that the true Christian faces because they bear the name of Christ Jesus. Whose message do you think most people would rather hear? Would they rather hear the message of Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, telling us that we will face suffering in this life and that it is even according to God's will as he sanctifies us and purifies us and allows us to face persecution and ridicule so that we share in the sufferings of his son who faced such great persecution when he lived here on earth? Or do you think people would rather hear the message of one of America's most popular preachers, a handsome man with a winsome smile who will tell you that God's will for your life is that you have lots of wealth, good health, plenty of friends, that you basically have heaven right here on earth. Life is great right here on earth for those of us who have true saving faith in Jesus Christ. There is an inner joy that is so great that Peter and the other writers of scripture describe it as indescribable, an indescribable joy. And there is a peace which surpasses all understanding. Even for a martyr like Gildo de Bray, as he faced the gallows, he had a peace which surpasses all understanding because he knew that his only hope his only comfort in life and in death is that he belonged to his faithful Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. There is also the sweet, wonderful fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as that wonderful fellowship with God the Father through the reconciling work of the Son of Through that work of Jesus Christ, we can call out to God the Father, the one who is the giver of every good and perfect gift, the overflowing fountain of all good, the omnipotent, omniscient, almighty, eternal God, Abba, Father. And we come into his presence by the intercession and the high priesthood of Jesus Christ. All that in addition to the tie that binds the communion of saints with other believers who are brothers and sisters within the family of God. And the best, as is often said, the best is yet to come. I trust and pray that your hope is not in the prosperity gospel and not in self-righteousness, not in some perceived obedience to the law, but that your trust and hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. He came to this earth as a man of sorrows in order to suffer and to die and to rise again for the salvation of all those who, by his grace, have true saving faith in him alone. and identify with Him through their sufferings as they bear that name, regardless of the consequences. May that description be a description of your life and mine this day and always. Amen. Our Father and our God, how thankful we are for your son, the man of sorrows, the man of suffering. And what a privilege that we bear his name, Christian, and that we also bear some of the ridicule and some of the suffering and persecution that he bore for our sake. Ours is so light, ours is but a trifle. How much grief and sorrow and suffering did you go through, Lord Jesus, in redeeming us from our sin? So we ask that you would continue to sanctify us, having justified us by shedding your blood and giving us the gift of saving faith. Sanctify us even through the trials that we face. Remove from us our dross, our apathy, and strengthen us in our faith that we would be a witness for you to others. For we ask all these things in your precious name, Lord Jesus.