Suffer Like Jesus.

Steve Gentry

[0:09] We’ll go ahead and have a seat. Welcome to Village Church. [0:11] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve. [0:13] I’m one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:15] And as always, I am thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:18] If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to First Peter, Chapter two. [0:22] We’re going to be starting in verse 18 this morning.

[0:25] Last Sunday, we began looking at different spheres of relationships, [0:29] different spheres of responsibility that we have on this earth [0:33] as we follow Jesus in our lives. [0:36] And each is given in the context of looking forward [0:40] to the day of visitation from chapter two, verse 12. [0:45] This is given in light.

[0:46] There is coming a day when all will stand before God in judgment, [0:51] believer and unbeliever alike. [0:53] And in every sphere that Peter lists, what he wants the church [0:57] to understand is that we must conduct ourselves [1:01] as those who know we will stand before God. [1:05] And because of that, our lives in this world have consequences

[1:09] into eternity. [1:11] We are not waiting passively for the day of visitation, [1:15] but instead we are applying our faith, applying the obedience [1:19] that God calls us towards to give hope to the world around us, [1:23] to shine the light of Christ. [1:25] The first reason is that because this is God’s world and it is good.

[1:29] He created all that exists and wants us to invest our lives [1:33] and things that matter in this world. [1:35] And the second reason is that our goal, as I said, is to live [1:39] as lights of Christ so that others can come to faith in Christ [1:43] through our witness, even if they are our enemies. [1:47] None of these things are easy.

[1:50] Last week, Paul started with what can be viewed as an impersonal relationship, [1:54] and that is the relationship of Christian to government. [1:59] And each section over these weeks is going to get a little more personal [2:02] as it zooms in further and further to more personal relationships, [2:07] even the relationships within the family dynamic. [2:11] But this week between verses 18 through 25,

[2:13] it’s going to cover the relationship between slave and master. [2:18] And this, of course, is a topic that every preacher is excited [2:22] to cover in 2025 America. [2:25] Not really. [2:26] But when you go through entire books of the Bible at a time, [2:30] it’s a bonus, it is not a bug.

[2:32] You get to cover every issue, even very difficult topics [2:37] that people struggle to really wrap their minds around for this reason [2:41] or for some other reason. [2:43] But I want you to understand that difficulty is not because of the Bible. [2:48] The difficulty is not because the Bible is somehow hard to understand. [2:52] It’s not because the Bible is somehow unclear.

[2:56] If you went through the bibliology class a few weeks ago, [2:59] you found that one of the aspects of scripture is its great clarity. [3:03] The Bible was given to us to be understood. [3:05] God wants us to understand it. [3:07] And so the difficulty is not with scripture. [3:09] The difficulty is us.

[3:12] The difficulty is on our context. [3:14] The difficulty is on our stomachs. [3:17] In a sense, there are topics in scripture that if you take the posture [3:22] that scripture takes in these truths, it will be unpopular [3:25] in the culture around you. [3:27] The culture cannot stomach some truths that scripture has.

[3:31] But some issues like the issue of slavery are difficult [3:35] because the tensions over those issues survive even to this day. [3:40] Our nation, we have to be honest about our context, went to war with itself, [3:45] with shadow slavery being a looming issue, [3:48] whether it was the main issue or not, as controversial. [3:52] But to this day, it remains one of the more controversial subjects

[3:56] to tackle in history, sociology, economics. [4:01] And so when we get to the point of preaching it, [4:04] that doesn’t remove the surrounding context where culture is concerned. [4:08] I want to be clear this morning. [4:11] Some of you want me to give an academic treatise [4:14] on the issue of slavery in the United States.

[4:17] That’s not my goal. That’s not going to happen. [4:20] I’m going to present it as it’s covered in verses 18 through 25. [4:24] And so if you expect expect me to do more than that, [4:27] you’re going to be disappointed. [4:29] But if you expect me to present it in a way [4:32] that is completely palatable to our current cultural context

[4:37] and current moral context where the nation of secularism is more [4:41] kind of postmodern than anything else, I may also disappoint you as well. [4:45] And of course, if you expect me to defend the Confederacy, [4:48] you’re going to be very disappointed by my coverage of it today. [4:52] But what we must do [4:55] is fight the urge to be in one hand, reductionistic

[5:00] about this text is tempting. [5:02] And some commentators even do this to just kind of treat this [5:06] and make a direct application to our current context and say, [5:10] well, this is talking about the issue of an employee employer relationship. [5:16] And that would do great damage to the context of First Peter. [5:20] That’s not the context it was delivered to.

[5:23] So that’s not the context we can begin with and be faithful [5:25] to what the Bible actually means. [5:28] But also we need to understand that there are current applications [5:32] that I do hope to make. [5:33] And one of them that’s easy is the relationship [5:37] between employee and employer.

[5:39] There are applications that can be drawn to your relationship, [5:43] to the boss that you hate. [5:45] But we must also fight the urge [5:48] to pretend that these passages on the other side [5:53] excuse injustice that has happened throughout history [5:57] and did happen, historically speaking, in many different societies

[6:01] where the issue of slavery is concerned. [6:04] And so I’m going to not delve into either of those. [6:08] What we must do instead is understand the text according to Peter’s intention [6:13] behind writing it, the original audience who received the text, [6:17] what it would have meant to them, and of course, the application of faith [6:22] in Jesus that Peter very clearly makes in this text.

[6:27] Only when you are willing to humbly submit yourself to that reading [6:31] of scripture can we hope to apply it throughout all of history [6:35] and then and only then to our current context. [6:39] And so the key is that if you’re willing to apply proper hermeneutics, [6:43] we will be able to understand how to apply a vision [6:47] for the full restoration of all things and how God has worked

[6:52] through a cursed world of sin [6:55] to shine the light of Christ in every context and in every situation, [7:01] even unjust situations. [7:03] And I’ll start reading in verse 18 this morning. [7:07] Servants. Now, I want to be clear right off the bat [7:10] that when you see that in whatever translation you might be reading,

[7:13] I’m coming from the ESV because I like it. [7:15] But that’s a bad translation. [7:18] It’s a weak translation. [7:19] And it’s translated as servants [7:23] specifically because of the hot button issue that it is. [7:26] But in the original context, the readers would have read this.

[7:30] And in their language, they would have understood it as a word [7:33] that simply means slaves. [7:35] Slaves, be subject to your masters with all respect, [7:39] not only to the good and gentle, [7:43] but also to the unjust. [7:46] For this is a gracious thing.

[7:49] When mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. [7:55] For what credit is it if when you sin [7:59] and are beaten for it, you endure. [8:02] But if when you do good and suffer for it, you endure. [8:06] This is a gracious thing in the sight of God. [8:11] And so he gives us the scenario.

[8:14] And in this context, it would have been a clear scenario [8:16] because of the amount of slaves that existed throughout the Roman Empire [8:21] and would have been in the context of the dispersed church [8:24] and all of these cities at that time that we read about [8:27] at the beginning of this series. [8:30] He is making the statement that you as a follower of Christ,

[8:34] if you are a slave, you are going to endure [8:40] unjust punishment. [8:42] And it is a gracious thing of the Lord when you endure that. [8:46] Now, here’s the key. [8:47] I’ve done zero hermeneutics thus far, and that’s a very troubling statement [8:51] to many people.

[8:53] But that’s simply what the text says. [8:56] And so let’s jump right into it. [8:57] Number one, this morning, I want you to understand that unjust treatment [8:59] is no excuse for sin. [9:02] Unjust treatment is no excuse for sin. [9:05] That’s Peter’s ultimate point.

[9:07] He’s saying submission to God transcends [9:11] your situation or whatever situation might be. [9:15] And this specific situation, he’s talking to an audience [9:19] that would have read it and been this is the scenario. [9:22] They were slaves. [9:24] They were people who were owned by other people.

[9:28] And understand, last Sunday, when we noted that verse 17 ends [9:31] with a pecking order, he said, fear God, honor the emperor. [9:35] That’s how he ends verse 17. [9:38] He’s saying the government is not God and is never to be treated as such, [9:42] even if the government attempts to take that position in your life. [9:47] You don’t give to the emperor what is only due to God.

[9:53] He’s giving the same type of treatment [9:56] to the relationship between a slave and a slave’s master. [10:01] In which the submission dynamics can be very similar [10:05] to the dynamic between citizen and government. [10:10] But this is not as simple, as I said, as an employee, [10:13] employee or relationship, because Peter is writing to a group

[10:17] that does not in the Roman ecosystem. [10:21] They did not have legal rights. [10:25] Now, Roman slavery was vastly different [10:28] than slavery in the antebellum south. [10:30] And so when I talk to this audience, when I say slavery, [10:34] what you immediately go to is perfectly normal.

[10:37] You immediately go to the antebellum south and you immediately begin [10:39] thinking about slavery in the antebellum south. [10:42] But that’s not a direct crossover, contextually speaking, to Roman slavery. [10:48] One, because ethnically and racially Roman slaves [10:51] were every color under the sun. [10:53] But second, because Peter does not even address

[10:57] verse 18 specifically to all types of slaves, [11:01] the word that he uses is not the same word [11:05] that you see throughout the rest of the New Testament. [11:07] The word that he uses is actually a word [11:10] that literally means household slaves. [11:14] And so in the Roman empire, those types of slaves ranged in responsibility.

[11:19] They could have been medical doctors, could have been academic teachers [11:23] and professors. Some of them were shipbuilders. [11:25] Slaves in the Roman culture were even in government positions [11:29] like the city treasurer was typically a position of a slave. [11:35] And so most household slaves may not have risen to those levels, [11:40] but these would have been people who even as slaves could have owned property

[11:45] and they raised families together in favorable positions, [11:50] albeit without legal freedom. [11:53] And what’s interesting about Roman history is that Rome cultivated [11:58] an economy and an ecosystem in which slaves were owned, [12:04] but they conducted themselves within society at large [12:08] with a certain level of freedom.

[12:11] Now, the limitations on them, then, were largely in a legal sense [12:17] as and here’s the bad, really negative and very sinful. [12:21] They were considered property with virtually no rights [12:27] that were not dictated through their masters. [12:33] And I want you to understand the Old Testament is filled [12:35] with laws and regulations about slavery in a just way.

[12:41] And so a lot of times when we’re talking about the Bible, [12:43] one of the immediate kind of flags that an atheist [12:47] or someone who doesn’t believe Christianity will throw up at you is, [12:50] well, the Bible defends slavery. [12:53] That’s not on its face a true statement, because as in all things, [12:58] you have to then ask the question, well, what kind of slavery are we talking about?

[13:02] If we’re talking about shadow slavery, which was the slavery [13:04] that mostly existed in the South, that was a slavery that was built, [13:08] historically speaking. [13:09] And some people will try to make an argument against this [13:11] to find some kind of qualification. [13:13] Don’t do that. You just make yourself an idiot.

[13:15] But it was largely based on kidnapping. [13:18] And so in the South, a system based on kidnapping [13:22] was immediately an unjust system, because in the Old Testament, [13:26] there is a clear law. [13:27] If you bring theonomy to modern day, which is what we should do, [13:30] it’s a good practice, is it was a law that incurred a capital offense.

[13:35] It’s called man stealing. [13:37] And by capital offense, I mean, if you kidnap someone in the Old Testament, [13:40] you were executed for that crime. [13:42] That’s the just punishment for kidnapping. [13:44] And so shadow slavery is based on a system of kidnapping, [13:48] which some Roman slaves were.

[13:49] But let’s not get lost in the deep weeds on that. [13:53] So understand that there are Old Testament laws to dictate, [13:57] even in a sinful world, how we conduct these types of things. [14:02] And I will be as specific as to say, [14:05] slavery in Rome did not fit the vision [14:09] that God gave as a compromise through the Old Testament law.

[14:13] And so Roman slavery was also sinful. [14:17] But do not fall to the temptation, [14:20] because here’s what happens in a lot of these conversations. [14:23] We get distracted by the fact that he’s talking about slavery [14:27] and we miss Peter’s overarching point [14:31] of why he’s bringing this into the conversation.

[14:35] What he’s saying to these people is that coming to faith in Christ [14:40] did not change your position in society. [14:44] It doesn’t. [14:45] So when you came to faith in Christ, if you were a slave, [14:49] the moment you came to faith in Christ, you received the same freedom [14:53] in Christ that every other believer receives, spiritually speaking.

[14:59] Peter’s point is, when you wake up tomorrow, you’re still going to be a slave. [15:03] And you need to understand what it looks like to live [15:07] as a follower of Jesus, who happens to live in an unjust system of slavery. [15:14] Note, to begin with, Peter does not tell them to refuse the position [15:20] that would have led to chaos and swift death. [15:23] And so Peter doesn’t look to these people and say, Discipleship 101,

[15:25] go to your master and tell them, I’m a Christian. [15:28] I’ll see you. [15:30] And there are sociological reasons [15:33] why he would not say that, because it wouldn’t have [15:37] made their lives better, because if they had said, OK, I’m a Christian, [15:40] I’m out of here, it would have been one of two things would have happened.

[15:44] One prison, which might be worse than death in Rome to death. [15:49] Those are the two consequences. [15:50] And so Peter is saying [15:53] you in many senses have to deal with the cards that are dealt with you in life. [15:57] What Peter does instead is brilliant. [16:00] He instructs them on how to apply the gospel to their situation

[16:05] by using the same ethic from verse 12, the day of visitation. [16:10] All Christians must posture themselves towards the judgment of God [16:13] and live in light of the fact that I’m going to stand before God [16:17] and everyone around me is going to stand before God. [16:19] And I need to conduct myself with that attitude, [16:21] but also with the direct application of verse 17.

[16:25] Fear God, honor the emperor. [16:28] What Peter is basically doing without restating himself is he’s saying, [16:31] Fear God, honor your earthly master. [16:35] What gospel freedom did offer to these slaves [16:40] was patience in the midst of hardship. [16:44] What he’s saying is this is not some token freedom

[16:48] that you have in Christ. [16:51] No, you’ve been liberated from a much worse sentence than slavery. [16:55] You’ve been liberated from the condemnation that you deserve from God. [16:58] And you have real spiritual freedom. [17:00] And that real spiritual freedom does not lead to a token [17:04] submission to your earthly master.

[17:07] But instead, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, [17:09] Peter commands that they continue to live in their current position, [17:14] even in a scenario of injustice and suffering. [17:20] Why? Because faith in Christ [17:23] offered the promise of reward in heaven [17:26] that gives hope on the other side of suffering.

[17:31] But it does not mean you’re not going to suffer. [17:34] He wants them to understand the freedom in Christ, yes, [17:37] transcends your situation and it provides you [17:41] with the faith you need to both do hard things [17:44] and suffer hard things with the promise that ultimate deliverance [17:50] and your current suffering is not in vain.

[17:55] God promises that nothing you experience in this life is arbitrary. [18:00] None of the hardships that you endure in this life are meaningless. [18:05] God will use it for his glory. [18:09] Nicolassians, chapter three deals with this issue as well in verse 22. [18:14] And he actually is more specific and he gives a harder command [18:19] than we see here in First Peter two.

[18:21] Paul writes and he says, bond servants. [18:23] Now, this is the general word. [18:25] This is not a it might sound better than slave, [18:29] but understand he’s meaning you are a servant in bonds. [18:33] He’s saying you are chained. [18:35] You are not free bond servants obey in everything.

[18:39] Those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye service [18:43] as people pleasers, but with sincerity of heart fearing the Lord. [18:48] Now, that introduces the same posture that we read last week [18:52] when he said fear God, honor the emperor. [18:54] What Paul is saying is understand that when you submit to the government, [18:59] like we talked about last Sunday, you’re serving the Lord.

[19:03] And so it’s not that the government is God. [19:05] It’s that your obedience to the government is actually obedience to God. [19:09] And he says the same thing to slaves here. [19:11] He says your obedience to your masters is not that your masters are God, [19:16] even if they claim to be God, understand that your obedience [19:19] to your masters is from your fear of the real God.

[19:23] But note what he says. [19:26] He says, this is not just behavior modification. [19:27] He says, you do not obey your master with a bad attitude. [19:31] I have a bad attitude about almost everything. [19:33] It’s one of the hardest sins I have to repent of. [19:36] Just be frank, if you catch me tomorrow morning,

[19:39] I’m probably going to be grumpy. All right. [19:40] I’ve just got a bad attitude. [19:42] And one of the reasons is because 99 percent of the time I have zero ambition.

[19:47] I’m one of the people you will meet that when I wake up in the morning, [19:50] I don’t want to do anything. [19:54] And when I say anything.

[19:59] Anything. You know, the old saying, just me and Jesus, that’s all I need. [20:03] I change it. Just me and my lazy boy. [20:05] That’s all I need. [20:07] And I’ll just be happy as a clam. [20:09] This is all day long. All right. Just none. [20:11] And so if you ever asked me to do anything, fine.

[20:17] But Steve, it’ll be great benefit to you. Whatever.

[20:21] What Paul wants to say, it does, you know, good. [20:24] And it does not sanctify you at all. [20:26] And it’s not repentant at all. [20:28] If you do the right things with bad motivations, [20:31] if you do the right things with grumbling, [20:33] if you do the right things with complaining,

[20:35] if you do the right things, but your heart is not in it. [20:38] What he’s saying is, is even if you are in a position [20:41] you do not want to be at in life with a and for your situation [20:45] with a job that you hate, a boss that you hate, coworkers that you hate, [20:50] you are underpaid regardless of the situation. [20:53] You bring everything that you have to it

[20:56] because you are not living for the praise of men. [20:59] You are living for the praise of God. [21:02] And I have to remind myself of that all the time. [21:05] That there are eternal consequences [21:08] to the decisions that I make and the things that I invest in in my life. [21:15] I’m not investing in it to please you.

[21:17] I’m investing in it to please God. [21:20] And that is good ambition. [21:22] That will get you out of bed in the morning. [21:25] That will remind you of what your purpose is. [21:27] But what fascinates me about the New Testament is he’s not just saying, [21:31] if you like your situation,

[21:34] do it as though you’re doing it for God, because wouldn’t that be better? [21:38] Wouldn’t that be easier? [21:41] You will not meet a slave that’s like best case scenario happening right now.

[21:47] Now he looks at the slave, those with a position that we would say, [21:51] that’s the worst. [21:53] And he says, serve your master as though you’re serving God, [21:57] not as people pleasers, but somebody with a good attitude.

[22:02] It’s rooted in fear of God. [22:04] My life is never rooted in the fear of man, [22:06] because this is the type of submission that is based on my trust in God, [22:12] not on my trust in man, because man can never deliver me. [22:15] God has always promised to deliver me. [22:19] This is just again,

[22:21] everything goes back to the great commandment, love God and love other people. [22:25] When you apply this to your life, [22:27] you understand I am serving God by serving people. [22:33] Now note what’s fascinating about the way the New Testament deals [22:39] with slavery that is revolutionary and that we don’t talk about much [22:44] is not the commands he makes on slaves.

[22:48] It’s the commands the New Testament makes on masters. [22:51] Look in Colossians 4.1. [22:52] So after saying you serve your master with fear, like you’re fearing the Lord. [22:57] In verse 22, know what he says to the master in Colossians 4.1. [23:01] Masters, treat your bond servants justly and fairly, [23:05] knowing that you also have a master in heaven.

[23:08] Now, note the difference here, because remember, I said in Rome, [23:12] slaves were treated as property, not human beings. [23:15] What is the immediate application of chapter four, verse one? [23:19] What Paul is saying is stop doing that. [23:21] They are human beings. [23:23] Treat them as such.

[23:24] People that deserve to live under justness and people who deserve to live [23:28] under fairness. Why? [23:31] Because he challenges the master’s personal identity. [23:37] He says, you are not God. [23:40] And at the end of the day, the same master that the slave has. [23:45] You have. He’s showing equality.

[23:49] That’s revolutionary in that system. [23:51] But go further in Ephesians, chapter six, verse eight and nine. [23:53] It strips the master of earthly rights that God does not give. [23:57] He says, knowing that whatever good anyone does this, [24:00] he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is bond servant or free. [24:04] But then he says in verse nine, masters, do the same to the bond servants

[24:10] and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their master [24:15] and yours is in heaven and that there is no partiality with him. [24:20] That turns the slave master relationship on its head. [24:27] Paul specifically looks to the masters who would have had legal rights, [24:31] who were viewed as humans. [24:33] And he basically says, who do you think you are?

[24:37] And that’s the rhetorical, because what he’s saying is you thank your God. [24:42] Well, you’re going to meet him someday and he’s not you. [24:47] And if he says, stop threatening your slaves, [24:50] what comes on the other side of threats? Abuse. [24:53] And so they couldn’t threaten their slaves. [24:56] What else couldn’t they do?

[24:58] They had direct application is they couldn’t abuse their slaves. [25:01] Why? Because whatever the slave did for the master [25:05] was for God and whatever the master did for the slave was for God. [25:11] Why? Because there’s no partiality with God. [25:15] And if that begins in the slave master relationship, [25:19] what he’s talking about is a gospel faith

[25:22] that would literally change societies as more and more slaves came to Christ [25:28] and more and more masters came to Christ. [25:32] Note, though, why it is sinful and upending slavery. [25:40] What he’s saying to the master is you don’t own them. [25:45] God does. And he looks to the slave [25:48] and he says, your master doesn’t own you.

[25:51] God does. Your position on Earth [25:56] does not dictate your position with God. [26:02] And so some of you, even in our church, you have more authority [26:06] than other people. [26:09] And the question is, how does your relationship with Christ dictate [26:13] how you use your authority with other people?

[26:15] Are you always looking to get one over on them? [26:19] Are you always looking to use your position [26:24] to keep people beneath you? [26:27] Are you passive aggressively [26:30] abusive to your subordinates? [26:35] That’s an identity in Christ problem.

[26:38] And Christ would say, stop it. [26:41] Or if you have a position where you’re the low man on the totem pole [26:46] and everybody’s above you and you just walk around all day. [26:49] Well, if I was in charge, [26:51] these idiots don’t know what they’re doing. [26:54] I deserve that money. He doesn’t even do anything.

[26:58] You also. Have an identity problem. [27:03] You, by acting in that way, believe that your posture on Earth [27:07] says something about your posture, where God is concerned. [27:10] And let me tell you something, it’s a troubling thing to fall [27:13] into the hands of the Lord when you’re not finding your identity in Christ, [27:16] because it begs the question, do you really believe the gospel of Jesus Christ?

[27:21] Now, quickly, this is not, though, [27:24] condemning the slave to a life sentence of servitude. [27:27] Don’t read it that way either. [27:29] Remember, this is a difficult thing about some of these conversations. [27:32] This requires walking and chewing gum at the same time, which I know. [27:35] I’ve watched some of you. You can’t do it.

[27:36] You put a piece of gum in your mouth, you can trip. [27:38] All right. You’re like, oh, no, too many things at once. [27:41] And so for some of you, it’s like, don’t chew gum. [27:44] I’ll do the work for you. [27:47] First Corinthians 721

[27:50] informed slaves that they actually should gain freedom [27:53] if the opportunity is possible. [27:56] What does he say? He says, were you a bond servant when called? [27:59] Do not be concerned about it. But. [28:02] And I love the way scripture does this. It’s very sensical. [28:05] If you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of that opportunity.

[28:08] If you can find a just means, a legal means to your freedom, [28:12] that’s going to benefit in you in life because you won’t be a fugitive forever. [28:15] You won’t go to prison. [28:17] You won’t be killed because you abandoned your post. [28:21] And then in Mark, Matthew 10, 23, Jesus actually tells all of his followers, [28:25] avoid persecution if possible.

[28:28] He says, when they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. [28:31] For truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel [28:35] before the Son of Man comes. [28:37] What’s the application here? They’re both the same. Use your head. [28:41] Use the good noggin the Lord gave you. [28:45] Because I’ve had it so many people tell me over the years and well meaning people.

[28:48] It’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. [28:50] But I know you were well meaning when you said it. [28:52] I mean, you know what the church could use? [28:54] A little persecution. [28:57] To which I say, not me.

[29:02] I am no masochist. [29:04] I am not looking to be persecuted for my faith. [29:07] If it happens, that’s the will of God for my life. But. [29:12] You’re suffering first. [29:14] If you want it, all right, if you’re like, this guy wants it, take him. [29:19] Give me five more minutes, I’m good.

[29:22] But the question is, what do you do in the face of suffering? [29:27] Number two, you follow the example of Christ and suffering. [29:31] Look at verse 21.

[29:36] For to this you’ve been called [29:38] because Christ also suffered for you, [29:41] leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps. [29:45] He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. [29:49] When he was reviled, he did not revile in return. [29:52] When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued in trusting himself

[29:56] to him who judges. [29:59] Justly. [30:01] You need to understand and form a vision for your life [30:05] that God has a plan for my suffering. [30:09] God has a plan for your suffering, one of the hardest parts of discipleship, [30:13] especially in our context.

[30:16] With all of the wonderful freedom, wonderful blessings of luxury, [30:21] leisure, ease that we have, [30:25] though on the other side, a two edged sword makes one of the hardest parts [30:28] of discipleship, helping you form a vision for joy filled suffering [30:33] because we are conditioned to believe that suffering must be avoided at all costs. [30:41] We want it to be easy.

[30:43] We want to always have [30:46] earthly victory as well as heavenly victory. [30:50] But here’s the truth. [30:52] The world is still cursed by sin. [30:55] And God has not finally judged all of the wicked. [30:58] Therefore, you are going to suffer.

[31:02] Maybe not specifically for your faith, [31:05] but that doesn’t change the pain. [31:08] The question is not if you’re going to suffer. [31:11] You’re going to. [31:13] The question is, will you do it well? [31:16] But then there’s another question in there.

[31:19] How can verse 20 even be true? [31:22] How can it be? Because here’s what it says. [31:24] How can it be a gracious thing? [31:28] Think about this. [31:29] A gracious thing to suffer unjustly.

[31:36] The reason we struggle with that, again, is because of where we are in history. [31:41] Our default mode in this life and how our nation really conditions us [31:48] is to believe that the greatest prize that we can attain [31:52] is an alleviation from suffering. [31:56] And if we can get alleviation from suffering, [31:58] that puts us in position to get the second greatest prize.

[32:02] Vengeance against all of our enemies. [32:05] Vengeance against our persecutors. [32:06] But God tells us that the gospel actually turns such an idea on its head. [32:13] Faith in Jesus would exchange earthly gain for Christ [32:17] as the greatest prize. [32:18] That is what puts an unbelieving world in awe.

[32:22] That’s Peter’s point. [32:24] I love Philippians 310. [32:25] It’s one of my favorite texts because it fits so well in conversations like this. [32:31] First, it begins by saying the greatest thing is the resurrection. [32:33] But know what it says, he says that I may know him, Christ, [32:37] and the power of Christ’s resurrection, but it doesn’t stop there.

[32:40] That’s where we want to stop. [32:42] Because heaven and then no suffering on the road to it. [32:47] But after he says the power of his resurrection, what does he say? [32:50] And may share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. [32:54] What is the path towards that? [32:58] I mean, the statement may share in his sufferings is troubling

[33:01] because the Christian knows, first off, that the greatest enemy is death. [33:06] And that enemy has been overpowered because of the resurrection. [33:10] But the setup for resurrection, according to the apostle [33:14] Paul, writing this to the church on the other side of the resurrection.

[33:20] Is that that path necessitates suffering?

[33:25] Are you willing to suffer to show [33:30] that your greatest treasure is Christ? [33:33] You see, for Paul and Peter, that’s a no brainer. [33:37] But also understand this was not theoretical to either of them. [33:40] Read the Book of Acts. [33:42] This was the path that they lived on.

[33:45] Extra biblical history even reveals to us [33:48] the suffering and death that these men walked through. [33:53] Their point is following Jesus will never be easy. [33:59] Verse 21 states that Jesus left us [34:03] an example to follow, and we like that [34:06] so long as we’re only dealing with morals.

[34:11] But other than morals, we prefer Christ, the victor to Christ, the example. [34:18] But Peter throws it into us and he says, if Christ is going to be your example, [34:22] you have to follow the example of suffering. [34:26] Because Christ suffered and he did not just give token suffering [34:30] to pay the penalty for your sin. [34:33] He also gave you an example of suffering

[34:36] so that you would know the path that is the path [34:39] required to follow him. [34:43] Hebrews 12, two through three reminds us [34:47] that the path of faith from Hebrews 11, the great [34:51] faith hall of fame looks to Jesus as the example. [34:55] He says, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who

[34:59] for the joy that was set before him, what did he do? [35:02] He endured the cross. [35:04] That’s no insignificant matter. [35:06] And it says he despised the shame. [35:10] And for those of you that think Christian suffering is either a masochistic thing [35:14] or it doesn’t hurt that bad.

[35:17] He gives us this phrase, despising the shame. [35:21] It wasn’t fun. [35:24] It was hard and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. [35:28] Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility [35:33] against himself so that you may not grow weary or faint hearted. [35:38] You will be tempted to grow weary and faint hearted because it will hurt.

[35:43] But Jesus was no masochist friends. [35:46] He despised the shame, but he endured it because of the joy on the other side. [35:53] Jesus knew resurrection was on the other side, but he also knew [35:57] redemption was on the other side. [35:59] He also knew the restoration of all things was on the other side. [36:03] Verse three reminds us that Jesus endured real hostility from real

[36:08] persecutors, from real sinners, and he did not grow weary. [36:13] He put his all into it and he endured the suffering with joy. [36:19] So must we. [36:23] You see, for the Christians in First Peter,

[36:26] this was a path that they had just begun to walk.

[36:32] Peter writes this passage in light that they had begun to suffer, [36:35] but it was going to ramp up over the next few centuries and get worse [36:40] and worse and harder and harder. [36:43] And the answer to growing in faithfulness was not for them. [36:48] The alleviation of earthly suffering. [36:52] What Peter is saying is if God removes your suffering,

[36:55] he removes the blessing.

[36:58] If he removes the hardship, he removes the growth. [37:03] If he removes the difficulty, [37:06] you will be less acquainted with Christ.

[37:12] There are difficulties that I walk with people through all of the time, [37:17] real suffering, real hardship, real disease, real loss [37:22] from parents having stillborn children, [37:25] to parents having children who only live a few months, [37:29] to parents who lose their children early, to elderly people dying of cancer, [37:35] to dealing with disability, to dealing with hardship,

[37:38] to dealing with divorce, to dealing with children [37:41] who forsake their faith and apostatize, to dealing with just unfaithfulness [37:46] all around them.

[37:50] And I’ve grown accustomed recently to reminding everyone, [37:55] everyone you know is going to die. [38:00] Prepare accordingly.

[38:03] You are going to suffering, excuse me, you are going to suffer. [38:07] And I want you to understand that for the majority, for so many of you, [38:11] you have not yet had the worst day of your life.

[38:18] And that’s not something that I tell you, [38:20] because I want you to walk down the street terrified, [38:22] a piano is going to fall on your head. [38:24] No, because I want you to prepare yourself by finding your joy in Christ [38:30] rather than your position, because you will lose every position someday. [38:36] And everyone will forget everything that you’ve done.

[38:41] And the question will be, is Christ enough?

[38:47] But when you live to avoid hard things, [38:51] you live avoiding the greatest blessings Christ might bring into your life.

[38:56] Do not use difficulty as an excuse. [38:59] Don’t be some sniveling coward.

[39:03] Don’t avoid hard things, fainting weakness, making these platitudes. [39:09] Well, my faith is not as strong as other people’s. [39:13] So you think you’re making a personal effort [39:15] to make a personal claim of weakness, but rather what you are doing [39:17] is you are laying an unjust accusation at the feet of Christ.

[39:23] You are claiming he is not enough. [39:27] You are claiming he did not do enough for you on the cross. [39:31] When this text commands you, follow the example of Christ, [39:37] endure difficult circumstances with joy filled faith, [39:42] because you know that Jesus walked a harder road than you are walking. [39:50] His path was more difficult physically, emotionally,

[39:54] mentally and spiritually than anything I have endured [39:58] and anything I will endure in my life. [40:02] But I will warn you, friend, if you want resurrection, [40:05] you must walk the path of suffering [40:09] and you must walk the path of death.

[40:14] But thanks be to God. [40:15] Number three, this morning, Christ guarantees vindication for the faithful.

[40:22] Guarantees it. [40:24] Your faith will not put you to shame. [40:28] When you live [40:31] with excuse after excuse, [40:34] with a victim’s mentality, [40:36] you don’t do yourself or anyone else any favors.

[40:44] Your Christ is too weak.

[40:50] You are not the first person to suffer.

[40:54] You are not the first person to suffer with what you are suffering with. [41:00] Thousands and millions of people have had it worse.

[41:07] You live accordingly.

[41:10] So what do you do? [41:12] You wake up every day reminding yourself, [41:14] my eternal reward is in heaven, and that is enough.

[41:20] Some of the people that Peter is writing to would never know a day of freedom [41:23] in their lives. [41:25] They would never own anything that they could truly say belonged to them. [41:30] If their master wanted it, he could take it.

[41:35] Christ is enough.

[41:39] Verses 24 and 25 serve to vindicate the suffering Christian. [41:42] Look at what it says. [41:43] He Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the tree [41:48] that we might die to sin and live to righteousness [41:52] by his wounds you’ve been healed for you were straying like sheep, [41:57] but have now returned to the shepherd and overseers of your souls.

[42:04] It’s all about Jesus according to Peter.

[42:08] Because you’re not going to escape injustice. [42:12] You’re not going to escape suffering. [42:15] So what Peter does is he says, [42:18] accept something better.

[42:21] This text reminds us that God has not designed our lives to be absent of suffering [42:25] or injustice. [42:27] Remember, where do we start? [42:28] First Peter 1 4 states that there’s an inheritance on the other side of suffering [42:33] kept in heaven. [42:34] So enduring suffering is a fruit of faith that proves your salvation.

[42:42] This passage is meant to remind us

[42:47] that God has a reward on the other side of hardship. [42:50] We don’t endure it for the sake of enduring it. [42:53] We endure it because we trust God has overcome it. [42:57] And in overcoming it, he promises there’s great purpose.

[43:03] Even if it is the light of Christ shining through me [43:07] to my persecutors, we endure it reminding ourselves [43:13] this is no masochistic venture, nor is God a sadist inflicting these things on us [43:19] for his pleasure. [43:21] Instead, he sees the whole picture when I do not. [43:25] And he reminds me in this passage, I look for my vindication

[43:29] from Christ in Christ through Christ with Christ in resurrection to glory. [43:37] Peter points specifically to the substitutionary atonement for his vindication [43:41] and the vindication of his audience. [43:44] Some would deny the atonement. [43:46] That’s foolish. [43:46] That’s also counterfeit Christianity.

[43:49] They do not want to believe that God has wrath towards our sin. [43:53] He does. [43:53] It is very real. [43:55] Because if I remove that, I also remove hope from suffering.

[44:01] God is not blind to my suffering and Christ proves it. [44:05] There’s a reason the cross is central to Christianity [44:09] because it puts our sin on display alongside the great love of God for his people. [44:15] He loves us to the extent that Jesus endured the greatest suffering, [44:19] the wrath of God for my sin. [44:21] That is how I know there is no suffering that I can endure

[44:25] that God does not understand and sympathize with. [44:28] I endure all suffering knowing that God sympathizes because Christ endured it. [44:34] The term for bore our sin in First Peter means to carry a massive heavy weight. [44:42] My sin is no small matter. [44:45] Neither is your sin. [44:47] Jesus bore our sin and the weight then has been taken off of me.

[44:55] Your suffering under the hand of injustice without the weight of sin [45:00] is true liberation in this life. [45:03] It frees you to love your persecutor and to know that you have already defeated him. [45:11] Because what’s the worst you can throw at me? [45:13] You kill me? [45:14] Okay, I’ll resurrect.

[45:16] But he also wants you to understand it’s not theoretical. [45:20] Jesus was literally beaten for you.

[45:24] Peter quotes Isaiah 53, [45:27] but he changes a few things. [45:30] In Isaiah 53, 4 through 6, here’s what it says. [45:33] He says, surely he’s born our griefs, carried our sorrows, [45:36] yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. [45:40] He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities.

[45:43] Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. [45:47] And with his wounds we are healed. [45:50] All we like sheep have gone astray. [45:52] We have turned everyone to his own way. [45:55] And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. [46:00] Peter restates this in verses 24 and 25, showing

[46:05] that grief and sorrow are summarized in the term sin. [46:10] What’s the source of my grief? Sin. [46:13] What’s the source of my sorrow? Sin. [46:15] Good news. Christ bore it.

[46:19] And then he says, with his wounds, we are healed.

[46:25] Now, some Charismatics will tell you that [46:29] by his wounds you’ve been healed points to sickness [46:32] and disease in this life, claiming final victory over suffering, even physical. [46:40] You should know even from the context of First Peter, [46:42] that can’t be right. [46:45] Because First Peter removes that idea and points it toward

[46:49] the problem of sin rather than the problem of suffering. [46:52] He does not remove hardship on the cross. [46:55] He gives me an example to endure it. [46:58] You can endure beating. [47:02] Because Christ endured beating for you. [47:06] My favorite is how he rewrites verse six from Isaiah 53 in verse 25.

[47:12] But to explain that, I need to skip to the end. [47:15] I like reading the last chapter of a book first [47:17] because it tells me whether or not the journey is going to be worth it.

[47:22] In First Peter 5, 4, we can see Peter’s point of verse 25. [47:26] And I love the way he does this. [47:28] He says in First Peter 5, 4, when the chief shepherd appears, [47:32] you will receive the unfading crown of glory. [47:38] Now, Isaiah 53 puts us as the sheep who have gone astray [47:46] and Jesus paying the price.

[47:48] But then in verse 25, what does he say? [47:52] He says you were straying like sheep, [47:58] but you’ve been returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.

[48:04] The vision set toward that unfading crown of glory in 5, 4, [48:11] that the chief shepherd will reward us with in his timing, [48:17] begs the question, what is your hope?

[48:24] An easy life.

[48:28] Leisure unparalleled.

[48:32] Never a day of pain on this earth. [48:36] Or is your hope the unfading crown of glory? [48:43] The reward from the chief shepherd who paid the price for you.

[48:53] And so Peter asks the slave,

[48:57] do you trust God enough to keep waiting for real freedom? [49:06] Because the call of faith demands it. [49:11] A few application points. [49:13] Serve God faithfully, even in the face of injustice.

[49:19] Things are not all as they should be. [49:25] Serve God faithfully.

[49:28] Submit to earthly masters for the sake of Christ. [49:32] Remind yourself, I’m obeying Christ as I’m sarcastic with my boss. [49:38] Just kidding.

[49:41] Thirdly, walk the hard road knowing there is reward. [49:46] And then finally, follow Christ, no matter the cost.