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Sunday, 20 May 2007 – Talk on 1 Peter 3:13 – 4:19

The following talk is as delivered, with only the projection, congregational prompts, and the NIV text of the Bible reading of the whole passage, removed.

The reading this week is quite long. It’s from 1 Peter 3:13 all the way through to the end of Ch.4. It starts on page 1219 in the church Bibles.

While you’re finding it - let me remind you of the background to this letter, when it was written, and who it was to. Peter was in Rome (the Babylon in Ch.5 v.13 is ‘code’ for Rome) and he was writing to a string of church’s spread through modern day Turkey. It may well have been written just before Nero’s persecution of the church which took place around AD 65/67. While official Roman government persecution was therefore probably not the reason behind this letter - the everyday oppression of a minority faith - the things many of our brothers and sisters are suffering right now in other countries - is. So the underlying theme of it is about living as Christians in a hostile world. It’s highly unlikely that Peter knew his readership. This was a general letter of encouragement and warning to places he’d never visited. In that sense it’s teaching is as applicable today to us as it was to the churches of Asia Minor in the first century.

I hope by now you’ll found the page. So let’s now read 1 Peter 3:13 to 4:19.

Yes - it is a long passage - but I felt it good to read it right through - even though there’s several separate sermons I could now preach from it! Relax - you’ll only getting one this morning! But I am going to mention for completeness something that I definitely won’t be addressing again.

Of Ch.3:19, and the verses immediately following - Martin Luther said, “... a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the NT, so that I do not know for certain just what Peter meant.” Later commentators totally agree with him! Nobody who’s studied these verses understand them in the light of the rest of the NT. You could also add Ch.4:6 into this category. The common consensus is that Peter was drawing on apocalyptic writings that were in general circulation at that time - well know to the recipients of this letter - but lost to us with the passing of time. And that’s all I’m going to say on the conundrum of those verses and their place in this passage.

You probably picked up last week (when Ian was speaking) that you can’t extract part of this letter and deal with it in isolation. He darted both before and after the verses that were the main thrust of his talk. And if I don’t - it doesn’t mean the same themes do not appear throughout much of this letter in different forms. Well the main thrust of these verses (aside from the difficult bit I’ve already mentioned) is the way you live as a Christian in a world that views you with either an active or a passive hostility.

And I see three general strands in Peter’s comment on the subject.

One - is to look to Jesus’ example. In this passage Peter seems to do a Paul. He’s going along on one idea - goes off through the back doubles of a few other thoughts - and then returns to his theme of suffering. But in his bit of off-roading in the second half of chapter three - he mentions Jesus dying for our sins. He then picks up the same thought again at 4:1 - “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin”. Of course - Jesus had none of His own sin to be done with. The only sins He ever carried were ours - voluntarily taken up and dealt with on our behalf. And I think the best commentary on this verse is in the Bible itself.

Hebrews 12:1-4 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” It then adds - “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”

Interesting that. > Peter’s letter and those verses in Hebrews both imply a link between having done with sin (not seeking to satisfy it and make provision for it) and experiencing suffering. But then Paul’s also on the same track in 2 Timothy. “In fact” Paul says, “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus - will be persecuted”. > So maybe our preaching on salvation through Jesus Christ alone should have something in it like you get in films with a the scene calling for volunteers to go on a very dangerous mission. ‘If you want back out - now’s the time to do it’. And could we be misrepresenting the Gospel by not doing so? At least in this country. Maybe we undersell God’s righteous expectations of His followers?

Because I was wondering if it’s true the other way around - the relationship between sin and suffering for Jesus sake? If we don’t suffer as Christians - is it because we don’t take sin seriously enough?

Years ago, before there were automated barriers on the Underground - ticket collectors used to take cash in lieu of a ticket from passengers leaving a station. They’d then book the money in at the end of their shift. But some kept part of the takings. One station had been plodding along quite nicely - until one ticket collector came there who started handing in all his takings. Of course it immediately showed up the shortfall from everybody else. So he got threatened - and his life made very hard - just because he did what was right.

Now I don’t know if it was a Christian faith that drove his principles - but he certainly took sin seriously - and he suffered for it. He was “keeping the clear conscience” of 3:16. I wondered too over the second part of that verse. Did his persecutors ever felt ashamed? Did their consciences get pricked because of his integrity? Consciences usually get pricked when the difference between right and wrong is both taught and lived out by the Church. And if we do that? We’re get persecuted.

Hebrews says “have the same attitude as Jesus”. And it was “for the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross, scorning its shame”. It also says that He “endured such opposition from sinful men” - and therefore we are to take heart from that “so that we won’t grow weary and lose heart.”

There was a heresy going around the early church that said - Yes - Jesus was God - but not a real man. But if He wasn’t - how could He understand from the inside what our life is like with it’s sufferings and temptations. But He was. And He does. Also - as it says elsewhere - He was tempted just like us - but without sin. And in all He went through - Hedidn’t blow it - therefore He’s able to help us withstand sin and survive suffering. Not just survive - but in the end - at the final tally of all things - win. Because He is the victor over sin and death. 3:22 says - Jesus is now at God’s right hand - with angels, authorities and powers all in submission to him.

Which is probably why the second strand of what I see Peter saying is - when you suffer - enjoy it!. (This is of course suffering specifically because you’re Christian.) Verse 4:13 says “rejoice”! And in case you missed it the first time - he say it again “be overjoyed”! Why? Well, it’s a blessing of course! Yes - really - according to Peter. Verse 3:14 says, “if you should suffer for doing what is right - you’re blessed”. And verse 4:14 says, “if you’re insulted because of the name of Christ - you’re blessed”. And 4:16 says “if you suffer as a Christian, don’t be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name”. If nothing else - what Peter says is an antidote to the subliminal thoughts we often have (misunderstandings that were around at the time of Jesus as much as today) that if things aren’t all going ‘right’ for us (whatever we think ‘right’ should be) something’s gone wrong.

Now there was a time in early church history when some Christian’s took the idea of enjoying suffering to a mistaken extreme. They actually sought martyrdom. I’m sure Peter didn’t have in mind specifically seeking suffering for it’s blessedness! Because - while the Bible shows the expectation of suffering as Christians - Peter says in 3:14 “if you should suffer” - and he says it again in 4:15. In fact he says it several times.

So what did Peter mean by saying we are blessed if we suffer for Christ - because I’m sure he understood well enough that pain and suffering doesn’t feel like a blessing. I wonder if the honest ticket collector I mentioned a moment ago ever ‘felt’ blessed as he was being threatened. Scared more like it. But then - maybe ‘being blessed’ isn’t a feeling? Maybe it’s more like an inner reassurance - an indefinable experience of inner peace. Maybe it has something to do with a deep experience of God’s intervention at those times - like Daniel experienced in the lions den - or Paul did during his shipwreck experience - both saying an angel of God stood beside them. And maybe we need to rediscover that this ‘joy’ is relational - evidence of the active implanted presence of God the Holy Spirit, as in Galatians 5:22.

Because we do need God’s help to see us through sufferings endured for His sake. But it’s worth remembering a story Corrie Ten Boon told. She’s the Dutch lady of ‘The Hiding Place’ fame who spent time in Auschwitz. Her father once said to her, “as a little girl I gave you your train ticket when you got to the station. God will give you the grace to endure - at the time you need it - not before”. And some us like me - who are always trying to cross bridges before we get there - need to take that on board.

But a warning: Recognising we need the Holy Spirit’s help and expecting to receive it doesn’t let us off the hook about the way we chose - decide to respond - to the consequences of being a Christian. God will be there with us, in us, and through us - but he still looks for our chosen obedience.

I know we’re looking at what Peter wrote - not Paul. But there is a classic Pauline encouragement in his letter to the Philippians I couldn’t ignore. “Rejoice in the Lord always.” he says. “I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Now no-one can say that Paul lacked the experience of suffering! And in case you think Paul’s sufferings were incidental - hear Jesus words said at the time of him conversion: “This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name.... I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” OK, we’re not Paul. But Jesus also said that all His followers would be misunderstood and persecuted.

In 1939, at the beginning of the second world war, Winston Churchill told the people of this country, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat”. Jesus says to His followers - you and me who believe in Him - I have a lot to offer - but it will include blood, toil, tears and sweat. Maybe not our idea of a potential route to blessing - but it is in the job description.

And undoubtedly (since Peter points to his expectation in 4:7 that “the end of all things is near”) being ‘blessed’ will also have to do with our final ‘performance appraisal’ - the one we’re going to have when we stand before God for an end-time review of the way we’ve lived. Performance appraisals are now standard practice in most organisations. It’s a system of assessment where you have a set of targets you need to meet - and you get measured as to how well you’ve performed against this criteria. And your performance usually affects the rewards you get for what you’ve done and the way you’ve done it. And a good performance appraisal will cover your character as well as your volume of activity.

If you look at 4:17 and following - you’ll see a reference to a performance appraisal all Christians will face - both as an ongoing process and as an end-time assessment. The “Judgement that begins with the family of God” in 4:17 isn’t the separation of the sheep from the goats - those who’ve accepted Jesus as savour and those who have not. Peter’s mentioned that judgement at 4:5 - those who “will have to give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead” - and goes on to say more about their judgement as “those who do not obey the gospel”. But here it’s Christians standing before their God and being checked out to see how they’ve performed as His servants. So - what’s the assessment criteria we will be measured against?

As I was typing this talk out - a thought popped into my head. It was what Mary said to the servants at the wedding feast in Cana. “Whatever He tells you to do - do it.” And in one sense, that’s about it. He’s the boss - we are His servants. Whatever He tells us to do (or not do) we should obey Him.

But the Bible gives us specific instructions and standards - words said by Jesus and built on by Paul and Peter and others - that help us into the everyday living of the Christian life. They’re ground-rules for living as the “strangers in the world” Peter says we are in 1:2. And they’re recorded for us so that we aren’t left fluffing around in the dark wondering how He wants us to behave.

Basically - they are instructions for Christian integrity. And Peter lists his own selection of details on the subject in these verses under the general idea of not going on living like everybody else - and how to respond correctly when our Christian faith provokes reactions from non-Christians.

I’m not going to review all he says - because the same sort of instructions appear throughout the NT. And they’re prefigured in the OT. Like the verse from Micah we thought about earlier. But just to get a flavour - there’s “loving each other deeply” in 4:8. “Offering hospitality without grumbling” in the next verse. > Funny one that - I wonder what it means? I think it means doing it because you want to - not just as a duty. Not resentfully might be another way of putting it - because in some cultures hospitality it is a duty. In Zambia a few of us were invited to a lady’s house where we consumed her week’s supply of meat at one meal. Culturally she couldn’t have fed us on less. But I know she did it willingly. And you could apply the principle to a whole range of Christian service - not just hospitality. Because 4:10 says “use your gifts to serve others” and then gives some examples. And for us in our society - the crunch ‘value measurement’ might be time, not money.

Something of an overview of Peter’s instructions appears in 1:13 & 14 - “Prepare your minds - be self-controlled. Don’t be conformed to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.” He also says in 3:10, we’re to “keep our tongues from evil and our lips from deceitful speech”.

And in 3:9 he talks about revenge. Have you heard the saying: “Revenge is a dish best served cold”? It’s even been turned into entertainment - programmes made about juicy examples. And people get applauded for getting there own back. Well - that isn’t the Christian way. And some of us - while never actually carrying out a revengeful act - might just need to go through the box-room of mind and turf out ideas we sometimes retain.

And I guess I could add other specific areas of disobedience that would press buttons for someone or other - but I’m not going to. The Bible says - “if it is a sin to you - it is a sin to you”. And I doubt there’s a person here who isn’t aware of there own areas of weakness and shortcoming. Well that your battleground - where you fight your own war to produce and maintain a life of Christian integrity.

If you’ve been around kids for a while - you’re be familiar with a standard well used question - “Why?” - which usually comes in the form - “Why do I have to do... that?”. Well - Peter anticipates the ‘why’ question about living a life of Christian integrity and gives us a couple of answers in these verses. He says in 4:7, “...be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.” Doing what displeases God breaks fellowship with Him like a naughty child losing closeness and communication with it’s parent. And pray is communication. Two way too. We need to know how to pray - and the Bible tells us we need the help of God the Holy Spirit to pray. Sin becomes a barrier in our line of sight to the living God.

Secondly he says “as a Christian... you bear that name”. You need to understand a little from the OT to see what that means. In the OT to mention God - and to mention His Name - was the same thing. So to bear the name of the Messiah (which is Hebrew for the Greek title of Christ) is awesome. The point is - if you wear the label - then you must behaviour as His name demands. Not dragging His name through the mud.

Just over a week ago I was driving up from Somerset with a Christian CD on in the car. One of the tracks was an old hymn that mentioned holding up God’s banner - and that it must not suffer loss. The picture’s one of warfare - the sort of a few centuries ago - the era behind the annual ceremony of trooping the colour on horse guards parade. For soldiers then - those committed to their regiment - the colours were more valuable than their life. They represented what they were fighting for. But when we sin - we desert our colours - and drag then through the mud - before demons and angels, as well just people. His name - His honour - is our colours. So what do you think He feels - when - as the Bible says - we’ve lost a sense of ‘the sinfulness of sin’. And when we’ve lost the value in bearing His name.

The other side of that picture is that of the tenacious hero, who saves the colours in the face of overwhelming odds - sometimes by giving their life to do it. Amongst these you’ll find the Indonesian Christian schoolgirl Mike Penny mentioned a few weeks back - who’ll carry a machete scar down the side of her face all her life - because those who hate Christians tried to behead her. They did behead her three friends. And I could read out a whole load of other examples of heros of faith - many who need our prayers and are listed in the persecuted church’s prayer diaries - who’s names are all logged in the heavenly version of Hebrews Ch.11. They live in places like Vietnam - Sri Lanka - India - North Korea - and Pakistan.

But you’re also find their sort in an industry down the road - where one of our Christian brothers is holding up the standard in the face of corrupt working practises he doesn’t want to be part of. And you’ll find them also in the Care Home - where one of our sisters is determined to work through her night shift and answer the night calls - rather than sleep through, and still draw her money. This is also holding up the standard of the living God.

And no - it’s not easy - which is why the NIV Bible we use has added the two heading in the sweep of verses we’ve been looking at this morning - ‘Suffering for doing good’ and ‘Suffering for being a Christian’.

So - as we come towards the end of our service - I want to draw your attention to 4:3. It says “For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do...” - and whether or not the detailed list of disobediences Peter goes on to enumerate applies to you - that statement is still true.

Well one response we can make to that verse is in the words someone passed on to me a while ago - to me ‘source unknown’. I’ll read it to you:

Behind my back I fling,
Like an unvalued thing,
My former self and ways.
And reaching forward far,
I seek the things that are beyond times lagging days.

Perhaps you’d like to make that your prayer as we come to sing our closing hymn. And it’s actually the hymn I was listening to in the car coming home from Somerset.

Granville Richards