Righteous Exiles

Thank you for reading this sermon from Christ Fellowship. I hope and pray that this sermon will be a blessing of grace and truth to you. With that said, let me encourage you not to use this sermon as a replacement for your local church. Christ Jesus did not establish his Church simply for us to consume content. Instead, He calls us to be part of a real, covenant family. 

Some things are so important, but so easy to forget, that we need to hear them over and over again. 

Here are some things that I easily forget and need to hear repeatedly: 

Your value is not determined by what you produce. 

Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you can’t see. 

Whatever you’re feeling today won’t last forever. 

You don’t have to have an opinion on everything. 

I need to be reminded of that stuff constantly… 

Today’s text is like that. Peter isn’t saying anything new at the end of chapter 4. He’s only going to repeat things we’ve already heard, but they bear repeating. 

[12] Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.  

This is the third time Peter has talked about suffering. And I recognize that the kind of suffering he refers to is not something our church currently faces. He’s talking about religious persecution. 

I do think it is important for us to reflect and pray for Christians in places where that kind of suffering takes place. In fact, the number of Christian leaders being imprisoned and martyred for their faith has never been higher than it is today. 

I don’t want to minimize that in any way. But suffering is suffering. We could easily replace the words “fiery trial” with any other form of suffering we experience and the theology would still be true. 

And so, every Christian needs this message. Don’t be surprised by suffering.  

But so often we are surprised by it. It catches us off guard. It’s not what we had planned. It’s messy and uncomfortable, and sometimes very painful. 

It may be a surprise to us, but it’s not a surprise to God. In fact, Peter says plainly that God’s intention is to test us. 

Why has this suffering come upon you? It’s not random. It’s not beyond God’s control. It is purposeful and meaningful, chosen for you by God. 

In our arrogance, we are quick to revolt against such a thought. But we would be missing the point. Look at the next verse. 

[13] But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 

Suffering in the life of a Christian is purposeful and meaningful because of our union with Christ in His suffering and in His glory. 

Jesus suffered under the will of God for a great purpose. We are united to Jesus by faith, and so, we should not be surprised when we also suffer under the will of God.  

Rather, we should rejoice as Paul does in Philippians 3 – I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings. 

This thing about suffering is perhaps the greatest indicator that Christianity is more than just believing a set of ideas. It’s a relationship.  

We are becoming like the Person we are united to, just as two people in a marriage become more like each other. They share the ups and downs of life together, and it creates a bond. 

In the same way, we share in the sufferings and blessings of Christ. 

[14] If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 

What a promise that is, specifically to the believers who are suffering persecution or discrimination for their faith. Peter says this because this is a kind of suffering that they have not earned. It only happens because of their association with Christ. 

Sickness, pain, anxiety, stress, relationship problems… these things are common to everyone, Christian or not. The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. It’s part of living in a sinful world. 

But mistreatment of Christians is different. It only happens to the just. And there is a great blessing associated with it.  

[15] But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 

One of these things is not like the others. Murderer, thief, evildoer… those choices bring obvious consequences. But meddler… that’s an interesting word.  

It refers to someone who likes to stick their nose in other people’s business. Peter thinks that belongs on the list here. And in fact, all four of these words refer to offenses against other people.  

Peter recognizes that sometimes we suffer because of our own personal sin. We make choices that bring greater suffering into our lives, often because we have harmed or offended someone else. We are not the victims. We are the perpetrators.  

We’re suffering justice in those cases, not injustice. And so, that kind of suffering doesn’t help us identify with Christ. It’s not a blessing. 

[16] Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.  

This is the only time in the New Testament that the word “Christian” is used by a Christian to describe followers of Jesus. Unbelievers used the word Christian to describe followers of Jesus, most often as a slur or an insult.  

That explains why Peter uses the word here. He’s saying, when they call you a Christian, “wear it as a badge of honor”.  

[17] For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?  

This verse is incredibly important, because it explains why Christians suffer. 

Suffering is God’s judgment of His church, not in the sense that God is punishing us for our sins. 

Instead, the Scriptures teach that God uses suffering to purify His church. He uses suffering to lead us into greater repentance and faith. 

But God’s judgment has a much different function for those outside the church. Peter clarifies this by quoting Proverbs 11:31 –  

[18] And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 

In other words, people united to Christ need suffering to part ways with sin, how much more terrible will be the judgment on people who are not united to Christ? 

This is deeply significant. True Christians will find this concept sobering, because we know that apart from Christ, we too are the ungodly sinners. 

And I think that’s why Peter distinguishes between believers and unbelievers the way he does. The difference is not in degrees of sin, but in obedience to the Gospel. 

Who are the lost? The lost are those who do not obey the Gospel of God. Who then are the righteous? We are those who have obeyed the Gospel. 

What does it mean to “obey the Gospel”? I think it means what Jesus commanded everywhere He went to preach. Repent and believe for the kingdom of God is at hand. 

And now we come to the conclusion of our text: 

[19] Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. 

This is a beautiful verse, because it does so much. 

First, it’s a gut check. When you suffer, will you entrust your soul to the Creator. Peter chose that word “Creator” carefully. It should remind us of the debate between God and Job.  

When we are tempted to ask questions about the difficult events and circumstances of our lives, God can rightly respond – where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? 

Did you know there are more than 30 trillion cells in the human body? And that a single human cell has more than 10 trillion molecules? 

If you look at a single human cell under a microscope looks like New York City from an airplane. 

And we question the God who created it and sustains it. So, this verse is a gut check. 

It’s also an encouragement. Peter says we are entrusting our souls to a faithful Creator. In other words, there are promises in play here that we should not forget. 

All suffering is temporary. God will never crush His people. He will also never abandon us. We’re entrusting our souls to someone who can be trusted. 

Last Sunday, we sang a hymn – “There is a Fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel’s veins.” 

That hymn was written by a man named William Cooper. William was a poet who wrote almost 300 hymns, which is fascinating because he struggled with chronic depression throughout his entire life. He attempted suicide at least five different times, but God wouldn’t let him die. 

You’ve probably heard the old saying, “God moves in mysterious ways.” That’s not in the Bible. It comes from one of Cooper’s hymns! 

I want to read you the second verse from that hymn. 

Oh, fearful saints, new courage take: 

The clouds that you now dread 

Are big with mercy and will break 

In blessings on your head. 

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, 

But trust him for his grace. 

Behind a frowning providence, 

He hides a smiling face. 

Entrust your soul to a faithful Creator. It’s a gut check. It’s an encouragement. And finally, verse 19 is itself a reminder of the Gospel. 

I’m convinced Peter was literally thinking of Jesus when he wrote this verse. Who do we know that suffered according to God’s will, entrusted His soul to a faithful Creator, and did it while doing good? 

It was Jesus. Not my will, but yours, Father…  

Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit… 

No matter what you’re going through, keep your eyes on Jesus. Entrust your soul to the One who also suffered under God’s will. He is faithful.