As promised, here is part two of the sermon from 1 Peter. Stephen Mowat, I used you as an illustration in preparation, but forgot to mention it when I preached. So you get to read what I almost said.
Introduction: Review From Last Week
Last week we looked at 1 Peter 4 and talked about persecution and our response to it. Peter tells us that we are to expect suffering—it should not come as a surprise. If we aren’t being persecuted, then we should be surprised.
Then Peter tells us that we should rejoice in our suffering. There’s no point in getting down and out about it…we ought to rejoice, and for two reasons. First, because if we suffer now for a little while, we will be exceedingly joyful when Christ returns. And second, we are blessed right now as the Spirit of God rests on us. God has sent His Holy Spirit to us so we won’t have to walk the Christian walk alone.
This week we’re going to look at the other two responses. But before we do that, we need to remember why Peter was writing. Like we said last week, Peter was writing to Christians in Rome right after it burned to the ground. Nero blamed them for starting the fire and began killing Christians. To be a Christian meant being hated, insulted, and killed. Whether it was being lit on fire or thrown into the arena with a gladiator or torn to bits by wild animals, you were most certainly dead. So Peter writes to these people to give them a proper perspective on suffering and their response to it.
If it were me, I would be tempted to renounce Christ and say forget it. And I’m sure that was what was going on in many of their minds as well. That’s why Peter’s letter is so important. So, let’s look at what he has to say.
Again, turn to 1 Peter 4:12-19. It says, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 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? 18 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.”
Evaluate Its Cause
So our third response is found in verses 15 and 16. Peter says you shouldn’t suffer for reasons other than being a Christian—for bearing the name of Christ. So, our third response is to evaluate the cause of our suffering. When we’re suffering, we ought to take a look at why. And this response, I believe is the most key and one we should take time to understand. Lots of people think they are being persecuted for Christ, when really they’re not. These are the same types of people who write letters to the editor trying to persuade people to vote “yes” for the marriage amendment. They’re anti-abortion, so they stand in front of abortion clinics and picket. Or they’re anti-Democrat—because all Democrats are liberal and all Republicans are conservative Christians—so they only vote Republican and judge others who don’t. Or, they go witnessing and tell someone, “You’re going to hell if you don’t repent right NOW!” That person cusses them out and they think they’re being persecuted for Christ’s sake. As we’ll see these people are a little off the mark, a little misguided.
Verse 15 says, “If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.” There are four evils mentioned that are typical of a sinful lifestyle and they are used to illustrate the character of unacceptable suffering. They're very obvious, at least the first three. Don't suffer as a murderer. I mean, if you murder somebody and you suffer and they put you in prison or take your life, don't moan and complain. You should be ashamed. Same thing with being a thief, someone who steals in stealth and gets caught. You should be ashamed. Or an evildoer. The word "evildoer" covers all the crimes not mentioned in the first two words. Those first two are pretty broad...murder and thievery. And then summing up all the rest, don't suffer as an evil doer, all other forms of wickedness and sin. If you do, you should be ashamed.
Then he adds one other very interesting word, as he says, "a troublesome meddler." You say, "Well how in the world did you get a troublesome meddler in there with a murderer, a thief and an evildoer?" Because this is a very interesting word. By the way, it's only used here in the whole New Testament, so it is harder to define it. Some say it means a busybody, someone interfering in the affairs of others. It could also mean one who is unfaithful with goods committed to him—a bad steward. Or it could mean one who has his eyes on others’ possessions, a coveter. The word comes from two different words: “episkopos,” which is the word for overseer; and “allotrios,” which means stranger. And if you combine the two words together it means someone who looks over or someone who intrudes into things that belong to someone else. Someone that looks over or intrudes into things that belong to someone else. It is a sort of "mind your own business" word.
The question is, why does Peter say this word along with a murderer, thief and evildoer? This type of sin doesn’t seem to fit in well; it’s not as extreme as killing a guy. The reason he includes meddler is because Christians weren’t supposed to act like that. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11, Paul says, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” You are to attend to your own business and to work with your own hands, do your own trade, stay out of other matters.
Whether that’s in the areas I spoke of above—the social issues, or issues within the church. We tend to meddle in each others’ business in the church too. We always want to know about every little detail, and we gossip about other people. Or we complain about other people. I have a pastor buddy who I graduated college with. He pastors a small church in Indiana, and he says people from his congregation will drive by his house frequently during the week. And his house is on a road that’s out of the way. So he knows they are driving by just to “check up” on him. They are meddling. Peter lists this in the same breath as murderers and thieves. It’s a serious sin! We’d like to think that just because there’s no criminal penalty for gossiping that it’s okay for us to do it. And we’d like to think that we are called to transform the government. But it’s not, and we’re not.
In his book, The Contemplative Pastor, Eugene Peterson explains what it means to be subversive, a big word for the opposite of meddling. He says that by being subversive, we take our message of Christ crucified and resurrected seriously, and we know that the gospel is offensive. If we are to have long-term effectiveness, the route to take is not to argue with the government and push our agenda on society. Rather, it is to, as Paul said, live quietly so you will win the respect of outsiders.
Being subversive means we assume three things to be true:
1. The status quo is wrong and must be overthrown. It is so deeply wrong that repair work will be futile. The world is, like a car, totaled.
2. There is another world that is livable. It exists, though it is not visible…it is the kingdom of God. The subversive Christian then operates out of the conviction that the kingdom of God is real.
3. The usual means by which one kingdom is overthrown and another brought to power won’t work. You can’t depose a dictator, change the constitution, elect a bunch of Republicans, etc. We must live as subversive Christians.
Jesus was subversive. He spoke in parables, which were hard to understand. Now with Pharisees and chief priests, he was up front and to the point. But with those seeking to know the truth, he spoke in parables. He healed people and told them not to tell others. He was not a meddler, and did not seek to change the government as some wanted him to. So should we live. Back to our passage, Peter says we should not suffer for being obnoxious, nosy and messing with the government. If we evaluate why we’re suffering and find it is because we are going on TV bashing our government or abortion or homosexuality or anything else, we are not being persecuted as a Christian. We are then being given our just punishment. If we take it upon ourselves to force our Christian thinking upon our culture, we've stepped beyond the boundaries.
Some of you are thinking that I’m saying we should hide our Christianity, never witness to others, etc. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying there is a way to go about it that we’re missing. Yes, share your faith regularly. Do not compromise the gospel. Don’t water it down. Don’t be afraid of being rejected. Live as Christ calls us to live, righteous and holy lives. Just don’t throw yourself into the political scene, or act like a bigot, or judge non-Christians for not behaving like a Christian does. If you do, you deserve your suffering and should be ashamed. But if you suffer for bearing the name of Christ, you should not be ashamed.
Peter goes on to say in verse 16, “If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.” We must evaluate if we are suffering as a Christian. The word “Christian” was originally a derogatory term given to followers of Christ by non-Christians. Just as those who worshiped the Emperor Caesar Augustus were called “Augustinians,” so worshipers of Christ were called Christians. What Peter is saying is almost ironic. The world considered murderers, thieves, evildoers and meddlers to all be horrible people. It also considered Christians to be horrible people. So, you can be despised by the world, but it better be for the right reason. You had better be a subversive Christian.
Entrust Yourself to God
So, we should evaluate why we’re suffering. And now one final point. In verse 19 it says, “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” Entrust yourself to God: our fourth response to suffering. Perhaps this is the hardest, even harder than rejoicing. God, after all, is the One who is allowing us to endure this trial. If he would just act on our behalf and save us from whatever it is, life would be better. But instead He asks us to go to Him. To entrust yourself to God means to give Him yourself, with the thought that God will take you and sustain you. When Jesus was dying on the cross, He said, “Father into your hands I commit my spirit,” using the same word as we see here.
God is our faithful Creator. As our Creator, we know that God created all things, and that He permits and enables the events of life. Without God, we would not exist. Theologian G.K. Chesterton once said, “He who has seen the whole world hanging on a hair of the mercy of God has seen the truth.” It is precisely for this reason that Peter calls him Creator—by the way this is the only time this word is used in the NT. Entrust yourself to the one who both created you in his image, and who sustains your every breath. He is faithful to you, so be faithful to him and commit your life to Him.
John MacArthur tells of how a man named Jeffrey Bull was held for three years and two months by the Chinese communists. Part of the time he was held in solitary confinement, he was half starved, threatened, badgered, subjected to the infernal techniques of brain washing. He was desperately holding on to some power of objectivity in his brain by making at one time a special study of the six different types of mosquitoes in his cell just to keep his sanity.
In the midst of all of this he composed a long poem and I will read part of it to you. Close your eyes, and imagine yourself locked in a room just small enough to sit down in, dimly lit, alone. This was his prayer in the midst of horrible suffering:
Let not Thy face grow dim, dear God, nor sense of Thee depart.
Let not the memory of Thy Word burn low within my heart.
Let not my spirit, Lord, grow numb through loneliness or fears.
Let not my heart to doubt succumb and keep my eyes from tears.
Let not the distance come between as months and years increase.
Let not the darkness close me in, let me not lose Thy peace.
Let not the pressure of the foe crush out my love for Thee.
Let not the tiredness and the woe eclipse Thy victory.
For Thy joy is my joy and my hope, Thy day and Thy kingdom gracious God shall never pass away.
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