Christians In A Hostile World

Very quickly, I forgot to mention next Sunday, I will not be here, I'll be in Louisville for the annual ACBC conference. You remember that and pray. I've got a session that I'm speaking in, and so you pray for that if you remember. It's interesting, the conference this year is about transgenderism and homosexuality and everything else, and all the speakers have gotten emails about security measures that are going to be taken because they're expecting some sorts of things to happen.

So it sounds like it's going to be exciting. Okay. So, I don't know, maybe I'll get a Secret Service detail. I don't know. Probably not. And then I also want to mention, and I want you to note this, on October 11th, two weeks from today, we are going to have a special service of commissioning for our church plant team as they leave us to begin the new church on October 18th.

So you've got to be here for that as we ask God's blessing on them and send them off to begin the work that God has called them to do. So make sure you note that, October 11th. And lastly, I'm not going to tell you why I changed the subject of this sermon, but I will tell you that this is what the Lord allowed me to give at the Midwest Regional Fire Conference this last week.

And so I want to share that with you today. And however the Lord uses it, I'm not sure, but it's by his providence that we're talking about this. And so let's ask God to bless the preaching of his word now as we begin, shall we? Father thank you again for your word which is sufficient and authoritative which is detailed it tells us how we ought to live in difficult difficult times and so we pray now that you would guide our thinking more than that more than guide our thinking but prepare us to live for you in the environment in which we find ourselves in the age where we are and Father we will thank you as we live for your glory in Jesus name Amen many of you know me know that I am a political animal I love politics I love watching how candidates have to get their constituencies to follow them I love to see how they piece together their coalitions I like watching the debates in fact my all-time favorite television show is the West Wing now when I was in college I was considering a career in politics I really thought about that.

And I remember one weekend when I was visiting my parents. I'd come home for the weekend. And at that time, my dad was pastoring a church in northern Indiana. And we were having a conversation in his office. And I made the remark, yeah, someday I'd like to have an office, an oval office. And then my dad made one of his most memorable statements.

He said this, I wonder why anyone would trade the power of the pulpit for the mere power of a political office. And that caused me to pause and think. It might have even been one of those things that caused me to be where I am today. I don't know. But that made me think. Now, my dad was not indifferent to politics.

He was not. I can remember as a kid watching him get all dressed up as the model citizen to go down to the fire station to vote. And he never missed an election. I can remember in 1968 hearing my dad mumble something about moving to New Zealand if another Kennedy was elected president. But he didn't despair when the election went the wrong way. And he never thought that the way of Christ was that we gained the levers of political power in order to get things to change.

A few years after that conversation, when I was in seminary, a pastor in a very large, influential church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, resigned his pulpit in order to run for a seat in Congress. He resigned as a pastor in order to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He obviously had a different view. But you might say to me, but wait a minute.

Things are a lot different now. The recent decision by the Supreme Court legalizing homosexual marriage is undiluted evil. And I got a knot in my stomach the other day when I was listening to NPR's morning edition about that story about lesbians now getting the law changed so both their names can appear on the birth certificate of their babies. And I'm not the only person who feels that way.

God's people are despairing over the path our nation is taking. And you might say to me, and if that's not bad enough, the government has proven hostile to us now. It's actually getting more hostile toward the church. And just for being the church, the government's getting hostile. So tell me, in that kind of environment, how are we to live as the people of God?

How are we to live as the people of God? Now that's a good question. Where do you think we ought to look for the answers? Yeah, let's look in our Bibles. Turn to 1 Peter. Turn to 1 Peter this morning.

Let's look together at the book of 1 Peter. Now this book was written by the Apostle Peter to God's people living in an incredibly immoral culture with the government growing increasingly hostile to the church. In Peter's time, the government had not come out to officially persecute the church. Not yet. But it was starting to get hostile. It was starting to turn.

And so Peter has a lot to say to us as we face an increasingly hostile government in a difficult environment Now our theme for the FIRE conference this last week was on matters of church and state and I was given the assignment on pastoral perspectives on church and state relations. And this is where I chose to land, because I think this is a very, very important, important topic that we need to consider. How should you live as the people of God in the face of an increasingly hostile state.

And not just this state, but people, the culture around you, your friends getting increasingly hostile towards you. Now, as we open up the book of 1 Peter, let me give you some divisions here. In the first part of the book, which goes from chapter 1 verse 3 to chapter 2 verse 10, that's the first part of the book, Peter emphasizes our position and our possessions.

That is, who we are and what we have in Christ. Before he ever talks about our responsibilities towards government or towards people who are persecuting us, before he ever gets to talking about our obligations in those situations, what he does is he opens up for us this, who you are and what you have in Christ. He thinks it's that important. So the first part of the book, chapter 1, verse 3, through chapter 2, verse 10, emphasizes that.

And then in the second part of the book, chapter 2, verse 11, through chapter 5, verse 11, he emphasizes our responsibilities, our obligations in the face of hostility and persecution. Now this morning I want to highlight some of what Peter says. If we really wanted to do the right job, we'd read through the whole book and then preach through the whole book.

But I will not do that. Okay? We're just going to highlight some of the themes that answer the question, how should the people of God live in an increasingly hostile environment? Well, the first thing we need to understand is understand then who you are. Understand who you are. If you're going to face hostility, you need to understand exactly who you are.

So let's begin by reading chapter 1, verses 3 through 9. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by God's power are being guarded through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this you rejoice though now for a little while if necessary you have been grieved by various trials so that the tested genuineness of your faith more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ though you have not seen him you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Well, where do we begin in understanding who we are?

Here's the first. You are a worshiping community. Verse 3. You are a worshiping community. This is the confession of a worshiping community. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here is worship, our confession to God. Peter, someone might ask. Here we are, beaten by our masters, treated cruelly by unbelieving spouses, reviled by former friends, slandered by our community, and the government's starting to limit our freedoms, and you want to talk about worship. Why? It's a good question. because when problems appear on the horizon, we start to get very self-focused.

You know what it's like. When life gets hard, the universe ends right here, three inches from your nose. When suffering comes, that's where the universe tends to end, right here. We're all concerned about ourselves. And what Peter, I believe, wants to do is to get us to raise our sights to see the glory and the might and the awesomeness and the mercy of God.

I think Christians today are despairing with the way things are going because they have the wrong view. Government is big and God is small. And so in our worshiping communities together, we need to start seeing again the majesty of God. Peter lived in a very difficult environment. And yet he knew who God was. And as we gather for worship, we need greater thoughts about God.

We need to see who God is. Not only that, but he says in verses 3 through 5 that you're a community of hope. Here he speaks to us about the living hope that we have. What do people who are persecuted, slandered, and reviled need? What do they need? They need hope.

Do they not? They need hope. People without hope quit. We need hope in the midst of difficulties. And he says that we have a living hope, a confidence in God that can never be extinguished. And how can that be?

Notice that we have been given that birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus. In other words, we have this hope because the anchor of it is a living Lord, Jesus. He is alive. In chapter 1, verse 13, I think there's a very important verse. Therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded, what are we to do? Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

That is when He reveals Himself and comes again We have a living hope Why Chapter 1 verse 13 Jesus returns He going to come back Chapter 3 verses 21 He now reigns above all spiritual powers. Those powers that are behind the evil in our age, Jesus reigns over them. Chapter 4, verse 5, Those who persecute us will one day stand before Jesus and answer for what they have done to us.

That should give you some hope that God is watching. Chapter 4, verse 13, there's joy when He returns. Chapter 5, verse 1, we will share in His glory when He comes again. Chapter 5, verse 4, He will appear with a reward. So we have a hope in the midst of hostility because we have a living Lord. He has been resurrected.

He is alive. and we have an inviolate inheritance. You notice, we have an inheritance waiting for us. An inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It cannot be touched. It is ours and will not shrink, will not rust, none of it. What is that inheritance?

It's a life of unending joy with no more evil, no more sorrow, no more oppression, no more tears. That is our inheritance. and nothing will change it. So why do God's people despair and get discouraged when they see what's happening in our culture and with our government? Because they're not paying heed to what he said in chapter 1, verse 13. Set your hope fully on the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ when he is revealed.

Could it be that we do not long for glory? Could it be that what we long for is a comfortable Christian middle class life where we come to church and we hear a good sermon and we eat together and we go home and watch our football and watch our children play and we have just a nice comfortable life. I think most American Christians are afraid of losing that.

And their hope is anchored in the present and not in the future. now young people I can say this to you with confidence I remember what it was like to be young up to about 30 and I know this the older I get the more important glory becomes it becomes more of a reality and I want to challenge you young people here that you start looking to glory glory is where our hope rests there's coming a day when all of this will be gone and we will have unending joy in the presence of Jesus doing the things that we were always intended to do without the corruption of sin. It'll be marvelous. It'll be wonderful.

That is what we need to be thinking more of. That isn't to say we ignore what's going on now. It is to say that don't put your hope in now. Things change, don't they? Radically. he also says that not only are we a worshiping community not only are we a community of hope you are a community of joy verses six through nine he talks about the joy that we have this this this joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory is that does that characterize your joy right now it's man i'm so joyful i can't even i can't even put words to it right alright that's the kind of joy we have to have future grace leads to joy if my hope is set on the revelation of Jesus then that's going to lead to joy sure life is hard and by the way notice he does talk about grief and sorrow there's nothing wrong with that but what it does is it refines our faith so that when Jesus appears he will come with praise and glory and honor for His people.

I believe that's what He means when He talks about, though you do not see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy. No, that's not it. There it is. Up in verse 7, that our faith tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus as praise and glory and honor that He's going to give to you, good and faithful servants.

You see, so life is hard, but when Jesus appears, you'll find praise and glory and honor. There is no excuse. There is no excuse for despairing, joyless Christians, even in the face of an overreaching, liberty-destroying government. Christians are not people who should have the long faces because things aren't going well. we ought to have joy. Look at chapter 1, verse 22.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth, by your obedience to the truth, he's talking about the obedience, the submission to the Gospel that saves you. Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart since you have been born again not of perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and abiding Word of God. Isn't that marvelous?

Do you know what one of the purposes of the Gospel was? To produce people who love one another. That's one of the purposes of the Gospel. The Gospel comes with all its power producing new life, purifying polluted, unloving, bitter, malicious people for the purpose of making them love like brothers. the gospel has come to purify us so that we will love one another right yesterday and as i was preaching at the wedding i made reference to titus chapter 3 about disobedient selfish enslaved people who envy one another who hate and are being hated That's the way of the world.

Listen, you know what you do? Let me give you a challenge. Do this. Go to Burger King or McDonald's or Arby's or something and sit around the people. And in a godly way, eavesdrop. Okay? and here's what you're going to hear over here you'll hear someone saying you know i tell you this is what i told her she has one blankety blank blank blank listen to this conversation over here you say yeah you know that guy's an idiot and over here you know i hate it when they do that you will hear i'm not kidding you listen that's the world out there malicious envious, hating, and being hated.

That's the world. And the Gospel comes and purifies us malicious, putrid people so that we love one another. That we come from different backgrounds and we'll love one another. My brother was here yesterday. Probably some of you saw my brother Andy and his wife and daughters. Andy's only 15 months younger than me.

We're really close. And man, we stood against the world. We too. Sometimes even against our dad. You know, if one of us got persecuted, the other one was there to support him, you know. I mean, we stood together.

We stood together. And that's, I think, what's part of it. God commands us to love one another deeply, earnestly, fervently. Because when you've got family, you can stand. You can stand. When you've got people who love you, you can handle it.

You can face it. And so we ought to love one another. And by the way, you know what? The leadership of this church ought to expect you to love one another. It's an expectation that we all should have that we love one another. You know, when our kids didn't love one another, they got spankings.

You're going to love one another. We're going to make you love one another if we have to. That's the expectation. We're supposed to love one another. And if we do, we'll be able to stand together. Look at chapter 2, verses 9 and 10.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. I believe this is the apex. This is the last thing he says in the first part of the book.

This is the apex of his argument. He's driving to this point. And that is this. We are a community with a greater allegiance. We are a community composed of people who have a greater allegiance than just earthly allegiances. We are what?

We are a new humanity. We are a chosen race. We're a new humanity within the rest of humanity. We are different than the rest of humanity. We're a royal priesthood with the duty of proclaiming Christ to the world and offering sacrifices to Him. We are, and note this, we are a holy nation.

I have a loyalty that transcends my loyalty as an American. It's my loyalty to my King, Jesus. And I have brothers in Romania and Albania and Mongolia and all over the world who are also part of that nation. And we have a greater allegiance than there is to our own nations. We have an allegiance to our King, the Lord Jesus. We are God's possession.

We are prized by Him. We are the object of His special affection. We have become the people of God. A constituted people that belong exclusively to God. And no one else can make that claim. So you see, we are a community that has a greater allegiance than anything else. we are separated from the rest of humanity, we have an ultimate allegiance that carries more weight than any earthly allegiance, even the allegiance I have to my country.

By the way, it is no accident, and I don't want to ruffle any feathers here, and that's not my intention, but I think it's right. You do not see an American flag up here. There's a reason for that. We are here to worship our king. Now, am I glad I'm an American? Absolutely.

I am so glad I was born in this country, and I love my country. But there's a higher allegiance that I have, and that's to my King, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one I have to obey. He is the one who sets the rules. Russell Moore used to be the professor at Southern Baptist Seminary. Now he is the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

In a recent interview in Christianity Today, here's what he said. I want you to listen to this first sentence because, man, it just blew me over. Here's what Russell Moore said. For too long we have assumed that the church is a means to an end to save America. Do you hear that? Too many people think the church is a means to an end to save America.

That's how a lot of people have approached church. We've got to get busy to save our country. Is that why the church exists? To save America? No. Listen, he goes on.

But the end goal of the Gospel is not a Christian America. The end goal of the Gospel is redeemed. Redeemed people from every tribe and tongue and nation and language. We belong to another kingdom. We do. And so we belong to a community that has an ultimate allegiance to Christ. people in this country lose hope not because they're going to lose their liberty.

Some are losing hope because they think if America fails, God fails. Folks, American can go down the tubes and Christ's kingdom will go on. and it will grow and it will accomplish what God wants it to accomplish. So, question. Do you see the looming power of the state or a powerful Savior who lives today, who guarantees real glory, who transforms lives, who is a king that deserves full allegiance?

What do you see? What do you see? well now the second part of the book he tells us fulfill your obligations we have obligations in this kind of an environment you know what when suffering comes god doesn't say oh you know the things i normally expect of you don't worry about it you don't need to submit you don't need to do those things suffering's too much don't do that anymore no instead he says we've got to do we've got to follow our King Jesus and do the things he's commanded us to do. What are they?

Well, first of all, I believe in verses 11 and 12, he lays out the grand strategy. Know the grand strategy. Here it is. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles, unbelievers, honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Know the grand strategy. Now look at what we're up against. Here's what we're up against. Do you see this? So that when they speak against you as what? As evildoers.

When they speak against you as evildoers. What are people saying about evangelical Christians. Here's what they're saying. You bigoted, homophobic, woman-hating, liberty-destroying, intolerant, religious fascists. Isn't that how we're characterized today? We are characterized as evildoers, are we not?

Yes. That's what we're up against. So how do you fight back? Here's the grand strategy. The first thing, verse 11, renounce fleshly passions. Now don't get thrown off by that.

It's interesting to me that we're to abstain from the passions of the flesh. In chapter 1, he talks about the former way of life we inherited from our forefathers. In chapter 4, he mentions things like drinking and orgies and parties and all that sort of thing. But I don't think that's the main thing he's talking about here because in the context that's immediate, you know what he's talking about?

Things like this. Well, let me just define, first of all. What are the passions of the flesh? Finding contentment or gratifying yourself through anything you naturally want. Gratifying yourself, finding contentment in things that you naturally want. So think of yourself in a hostile environment.

As you go into a hostile world, you have natural impulses for what? For your own well-being. For your acceptance. Right? I don't want people hating me. for your safety and your ease, for your rights and for fair treatment. Those are the sorts of things that we have to abstain from.

Because if we don't, they're going to undermine our devotion to Christ. And I think I've seen it. I don't know if you have, but I think I've seen it. This desire for our rights and fair treatment has undermined our devotion to Christ, so we're more devoted to our Constitution than we are to our King. And Jesus gets the short shrift in the whole thing. It undermines our devotion to Christ because now, because of those desires, this is what we want now.

And we're not concerned about our Savior and our Lord. You see? These war, they wage a campaign against your devotion to Christ. The second part of the strategy, verse 11, calls on you to wage an aggressive campaign of good works. an aggressive campaign of good works. Now, you know, some of these things to me are yesterday, but I realize that for some of you, you weren't even born yet.

Do you remember the Persian Gulf War in the 90s? I remember when it started. It started on a Wednesday night. We were here on prayer meeting when they started flying the missions against Iraq. I remember going home and turning on television and watching a blow-by-blow of that whole thing. But do you remember what happened in the period before we went into Kuwait?

You remember that? You remember that the Americans amassed this incredible, gigantic force of infantry and armor and air power and sea power. I mean, it's just like you think they're going to sink the Arabian Peninsula with everything they put over there. Because they're amassing this incredible force. That's what he tells us to do. We have to amass an arsenal of good lives and good deeds and pursue an aggressive campaign of good against those who would do us evil.

And notice verse 12. This may even lead to the conversion of our enemies so that they are praising God when Jesus comes again. We have to live our lives in such a way that people see your good deeds and they don't talk about you. They talk about your God. You see. Can I ask you?

I want you to think about this. Now, I know the unbelieving world is warped in its understanding. It'll never get it. But let's give the unbelieving world the benefit of a doubt just for a moment and ask this question. Do the people of this country see Christians as people who are just overwhelming with good works or do they see Christians as whining, complaining, self-righteous bigots?

Now, of course, some of that is their warped view. They're unregenerate. They don't get it. but frankly, some of it we deserve. We known for what we protest We not known for the good things that we do We not known for those things We known for what we against We are not known for what we do. That's not what God calls us to do. He calls us to overwhelm them with good.

What is the first good thing He talks about? What is the first good deed He talks about? Verse 13. be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution whether it be to the emperor right in there Nero right? nice guy Nero as supreme or to governors is sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good for this is the will of God that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people live as people who are free not using your freedom as a cover up for evil but living as servants of God Honor everyone.

Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. Honor the president. Really? Yeah.

Be subject. Now what's fascinating about it, we all know what it means to submit. Submit to the government. That's what he's telling us to do here. This cuts across our American DNA. If I don't like it, I don't have to do it.

You can't trample on my rights. I'm not going to submit. That's not what God says. And in fact, do you notice what He says in verse 15? This blows my mind. For this is the will of God that by doing good, you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.

Now what has He just said? Do good so you can silence those who speak evil against you. What's one way of doing good? Be known as people who are submissive to the government. Not as the guys who sit around at Perkins or on the coffee table just running down the president. Now, I believe there's a place for honest political discussion.

I think you can disagree without being dishonorable. But we've got to be subject. Rebels make horrible witnesses for Christ. and do it for the Lord's sake. You don't submit out of fear of the government, but out of love for your king. That's why you submit. You honor the emperor.

You honor the president because of your loyalty to your heavenly king. Chapter 4, verses 12 through 17. Okay, so we're to know the grand strategy. We're to encourage submission. We ought to prepare for suffering. This to me is the most difficult of them all.

Proverbs chapter 4, verse 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. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. If you're insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed. Do you hear that?

You're in a place of blessing if you're insulted because you're a Christian. Because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. but let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 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?

Prepare for suffering. This is difficult. This is difficult. I'm going to be perfectly honest with you we need to start preparing for this the thing that just gets me the most is is I want to know and I won't I'll never know I want to know what life is going to be like for my grandchildren to prepare for suffering means to prepare them that's why this that's why this seems so difficult but notice what he says here he says don't be surprised we act surprised and upset when the news story on NPR misrepresents our views I listened to a story the other day and it was like this guy needs a lesson in civics He doesn't even get the way our country works.

This is ridiculous. Right? I'm just, I'm alone in my car ranting and raving. All right? Give me this guy. I'll give him a civics lesson.

Ugh. And we, and so the news stories gets it wrong. They misrepresent us. Do you ever notice that it's always called pro-abortion and anti-abortion instead of pro-life? That just, mm. But, you know, then I say to myself, what?

You should expect that. They're going to hate you. They're going to hate you. So too often what happens is we get resentful and we start complaining and we start getting in our groups and we start... Or we withdraw. So the only people we're ever around are other Christians.

And we try to isolate ourselves from it all. We've got to prepare. What did Jesus say to us? He said, if they hated me, they're going to hate you. It's a given. Listen, folks, prepare for it.

Let's stop thinking that people are going to get it. They're not going to get it. They don't have the ability to get it. They're going to hate us because they hated Jesus. What wrong did Jesus do? Nothing.

Jesus lived a perfect life. And what happened? He got crucified. Can you ever think about that? Here's the guy who lived perfectly and they crucified him. What?

And he did all kinds of good stuff. He fed people And they nailed him to a cross If they hated me they hate you Larry was a guy who worked in our foundry Some of you heard this story Larry was a guy who worked in our foundry When I was in seminary, a couple of us Grace guys, Grace seminary guys, worked at the foundry. And they, and Larry and his two buddies, they ran these two molding machines right over here.

And I worked here and my friend Russ worked over there. And they called us Gracies. it was like they're they you know they just want to make fun of us they call this gracies all the time well larry gets converted sad to say not because of us but some other christian got to him and he gets converted and so now he's not getting drunk with the other two guys and he's not going out on his lunch hour and fooling around with other women and he's not doing that anymore and they just heap scorn and abuse on him. And so Russ and I and Joe and Don come around and go, oh, Larry, we're so sorry they're treating you badly.

Here's what this new Christian says to us mature seminary students. He says this, you know, I was just reading in my Bible that Jesus said that if they hated him, they're going to hate me. So, okay. It's like, oh, Yeah, that's right. He got it. He knew it right away.

It didn't bother him. He says, well, these guys are going to hate me. They hated Jesus. Certainly these guys are not going to like me. So, I mean, he's okay with that. We all ought to be that way.

In fact, honestly, as we begin to suffer more and more, we ought not to think of it as the new normal. We ought to think of it as the real normal. because America is just a blip on the historical screen. It is the lot of Christians through the last 2,000 years to suffer. It is the lot of Christians all over the world to suffer. I've sat with them. I've talked with them.

I've heard stories of what it was like in junior high to be ridiculed in front of your whole class, to have a teacher punch you in the stomach because you're a repenter. This is the normal way of life. That's what Christians do. They suffer. And what we have in America for the last 400 years is an anomaly. It's not normal.

I thank God for that. But when suffering comes, we ought not to think it's something unusual. That's the way of Christ. It's the way of suffering. And by the way, it's the beginning of God's judgment. God has a final judgment.

He's had judgment in the past, hasn't he? The flood, other things. Now he's starting his final judgment. Now, he's not judging unbelievers yet. He starts with us. And it's a purifying judgment that exposes our sin and makes us long for our Father more.

But the last judgment has arrived. It's starting with us. You know, many of you young people, you 30s and below, you were at my house. Many of you were at my house. Do you remember when you would destroy things or burn things down? Remember? and who who got in trouble at my house my kids got in trouble why i start with them right they should know better that's what god does the final judgment has started it started with us and so what does peter say boy what's it going to be like for those who don't know the gospel it's hard for us now but boy it's really going to be hard for people who don't know the gospel you need to know not just that you're going to suffer but you need to know how to suffer and we are called to suffer well turn back to chapter 3 chapter 3 verse 9 do not repay evil for evil reviling for reviling but on the contrary bless for to this you were called that you may obtain a blessing for whoever desires to love life and see good days let let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit let him turn away from evil and do good let him seek peace and pursue it for the eyes of the lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer but the face of the lord is against those who do evil so how do we suffer well god's people fight back don't take it fight back but fight back with good you know a lot of people say, oh, we're just supposed to be a doormat.

No, you're not. You're supposed to go to war. You're supposed to fight back, but you fight back with good. It's not good enough to hold your tongue. Here's what he says. Never retaliate.

Never retaliate with evil when you're treated badly. You retaliate with a blessing or with a good deed. When someone insults you, it's not good enough to hold your tongue. Some people say, boy, pastor, this guy really gave me a hard time at work, and I just bit my tongue. And I say, good, but that's not good enough. Jesus calls you to return a blessing.

It's not done until before you leave, you bless that guy who insulted you. When someone does something harsh to you, you retaliate with good. Do something good. I remember counseling a woman years ago when I was down at Clear Creek. She was married to a guy who was just a real bum. and honestly he was. And she had a tough job.

And I started with work. I said, when your boss gives you a hard time, before your shift is over, find some way of blessing him. Find some way of saying something good to him. And then we started working on her husband. I said, now, you go after your husband with good. You start returning good for his evil.

And I gave her all kinds of suggestions. And you know what? About five weeks later, he showed up. he said, I don't know what happened to her. Like, you know, I do these things and she's good to me. Right? That's what God calls us to do.

He quotes Psalm 34 here. Do you see that? And not only does he reemphasize returning good for evil, but he adds something. Pursue peace. Pursue reconciliation with your enemies Stop avoiding your enemies Pursue peace with them Go after them When someone mistreats you pursue peace with that person. We're talking to one of the guys, a guy I've known for many years.

He's one of the pastors at First Baptist Church in Carmel, Indiana. And they're a fire church. And their council is debating some pro-gay protected class ordinances, you know, to make homosexuals and things a protected class. And so they're going to the meetings. And this is what I said. I said, go to those council members and make them your friends.

Even if they vote against you. Even if they vote for those ordinances, pursue peace with them. Make them your friends. All right? You see, too many of us are more interested in winning the argument than in pursuing peace. One of the guys at the fire conference, his name is Greg Withrow.

Greg is one of the granddaddies of fire. He's one of the guys that got our fellowship started. He has a great, great picture. Here's what it is. We have a choice to build a boxing ring or setting a table. Now you think about that.

When we're up against our enemies, we have a choice. We can build a boxing ring, or we can set a table and invite them to sit down and eat with us. Pursue peace. And by the way, you know what I think we ought to do? We ought to be known for preemptive strikes of good. Don't wait for evil to come.

Be preemptive. And folks, can I say this? I praise God because I think that's what we're doing here. I think we've had some good preemptive strikes of good. You remember our tutoring program when the school was here? There's one.

Our hog roast and our music festival? There's another. Our deacons with their relief teams when it flooded? There's one. Did I ever tell you about one of the town council members coming to me, sitting down in my office and saying to me, man, you guys are doing a great job. We've dropped the ball.

What can we do to help you? See, preemptive strikes of good. Let's not wait for evil to come. Let's just go after them now. Let's fire first. Alright?

Look at verse 13. Suffer with confidence. He says, Now who's there to harm you if you're zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Alright? When I first studied through the book of 1 Peter, I remember sitting in my office.

I'm coming across this verse. Who's going to harm you if you're zealous to do good? And I remember saying, very loud, what are you talking about, Peter? Just a breath ago, you're talking about being beaten up by slave masters, and now you're saying, who's going to harm you? Well, I'm getting beat up. Of course someone's going to harm me.

Then I had to really think about it. He says, no, no, no, no. What he's saying is, no lasting harm is going to come your way. Even if you're physically abused, no lasting harm will be yours. Look at Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery by abusive brothers.

He's thrown into jail because of a lie. He's forgotten in jail for years until God's providence elevates him to a place of prominence. Did he suffer? Yes. Was he persecuted? Yep.

Was he abused? Yep. Was he slandered? Absolutely. Did all of this produce a crooked man who is bent on vengeance and angry and saying, I'm going to look out for number one. Is that what happened to Joseph?

No. Joseph was not harmed. He ended up being one who looked out for his brothers. Who harmed him? Nobody. We ought to suffer with confidence.

Oh, there's more I could say, but I'll just add one more point, because I know I've gone long. I just want you to look at chapter 3, verses 21 to 25, and we'll close with this. For to this you have been called. He's just gotten done talking about being beaten up by masters. Listen, he says, be subject to your masters, even the ones that beat you. Even the ones that treat you harshly.

You still submit to them. And then he says, why? For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither deceit was found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in turn. When he was suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed, for you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. Here's the last thing. Suffer like Jesus. Suffer like Jesus. Don't respond with reviling.

Don't respond with evil. Instead, what? Entrust yourself to Him who judges justly. And at the end of this book, Peter says, Therefore, those who suffer according to God's will should entrust themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. Now the only way that's going to happen is if you are connected to Jesus by faith. That's the only way.

Because then, His sacrifice has freed you from those passions that drive you. If Jesus is everything to you, you're not going to worry about your rights. You're not going to revile. You will go out there and you will be a warrior with weapons of good in your hand willing to defeat your enemy but doing it in the way that Christ did it. Is it interesting that Jesus his enemies by dying.

At the point of weakness was the point of victory. That's what we must see. We must see that the point of power does not give us victory. It is the point of weakness that gives us victory. We may look weak in the eyes of the world, but with Christ, who has delivered us from those passions that would drive us, even in our weakness, we'll overcome. I think this is important for us.

I don't know what's going to happen. You don't know what's going to happen. Oh, I pray. I pray that suffering does not come. I pray that everything gets reversed, but I'm not counting on it. Let's set our hope fully on the grace that will be revealed when Jesus comes.

And let's fight with good. Let's overcome the evil around us with the good. And even when we think we're weak, remembering God does not use the strong he uses the weak as he did his son Father thank you for your word help us to live according to it Father I know in my own heart how discouraged I can get and I forget my ultimate allegiance to my king please help us help us to go to war with good help us to rely on Jesus help us to give our loyalty to him and above all Father help us to glorify the name of Christ so that we will know what it means to have the Spirit of Christ upon us when we suffer.

God, help us, we beg you in Jesus' name. Amen.