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Yeah. Thank You Eureka Baptist Choir. I was wonderful last week. We started this sermon through first Peter chapter 4 verses 12 through 19. And the big idea of this text and I encourage you to turn there with me first Peter chapter 4.
The big idea of this text is to understand that Persecution is a part of the normal Experience of the believer in this text. I have seven reasons why. This is so and These we saw three of these one Sunday ago and these three that we saw are that the believer should not be surprised That the Lord uses these trials to test your faithfulness.
Your experience is similar to that of Christ. That's the second reason and the third reason is that God's favor is upon those persecuted for Christ's sake. Today, we're going to look at points four and five and the next Sunday.
We'll look at point six and seven as You begin this morning. We are once again going to read the text first Peter 4 12 through 19. Beloved. Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as those something Strange were happening to you.
But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings that you may also rejoice to be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed 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 become of the of the ungodly and the sinner and if the righteous is scarcely saved What will become of the ungodly and the sinner therefore?
Let those who suffer according to God's will and trust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good. Okay, so once again our big idea is that is to understand that Opposition from the world that persecution is a normal Part of the experience of the believer and here's the fourth reason why?
God's favor is Not upon those who do wrong and suffer for it in the previous point point number three. It was God's favor is upon those Who do wrong or who do right and suffer for it, but God's favor is not upon those Who do the wrong things and suffer for it.
Now the suffering we saw that believers experience This persecution. There's a spectrum. What we've seen is that the spectrum is anywhere from? Personal insults that people hurl at you to Martyrdom, there's a wide spectrum whether it's personal insults or whether it's martyrdom.
The spectrum is a reality for believers that this is the opposition that you will experience. That Jesus said it would be this way if the world hates you. Remember that they hated me before they hated you, but then he says something very interesting here in verse 15.
Not all suffering that people experience than that even believers. Experience is because of their righteousness in verse 15. He says this. Let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.
Peter already addressed this. Earlier in this letter in first Peter 2 20 He wrote what credit is it if when you sin and are beaten for it you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure this is a gracious thing in the sight God.
Okay, so we see this theme in Peter of these two kinds of Suffering there is suffering for doing good and there is suffering for doing evil. What Peter does is he lists four examples of ways? That people suffer and when someone suffers in this way the blessing of God is not over this person.
This is not an exhaustive list that Peter gives. But this is what he says he's these four ways that People may suffer. The first one. He says is murderer. Then he says thief then he says evildoer then he says a meddler.
Okay, let's look at these one at a time. We know what a murderer is. This is someone who takes the life of another. You shall not murder is one of the Ten Commandments as Exodus 2013 says. Jesus describes murder is more than just the taking the life of another.
In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 Verses 21 and 22 Jesus said you have heard that it was said to those of old. You shall not murder and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.
Whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council and whoever says you fool will be liable to the hell of fire. What Jesus is saying is to merely be angry at your brother to the point where you hate the person.
Makes you guilty of heart murder. So anyone who suffers as a murderer is not suffering for Christ's sake but for one's own wrong doing and The consequences for murder are grave, of course. Genesis 9 6 says.
Whoever sheds the blood of man by man shall his blood be shed for God made man in his own image you take life. The punishment is supposed to be that your life is taken. While the consequences for murder are often less than our day.
They are still severe. Then in verse 14 Peter writes that you are not to suffer as a thief. This is also one of the Ten Commandments. Exodus 2015 says you shall not steal. We all know what stealing is.
It's when you take something that's not your own. Stealing has different levels of severity. It could be anywhere from stealing a candy bar at a grocery store to an employee embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from one's employer.
If one gets caught doing this suffering will follow and The suffering once again does not involve the blessing of the Lord. In ancient times Stealing was taken very seriously. Far more seriously than in our day.
When Jesus was crucified Matthew 27 38 records that two robbers were crucified next to him. What this tells us is that in ancient Rome the punishment for stealing was capital punishment. No I'm sure this was a pattern where it eventually got to this point, but still Stealing was taken very seriously.
There's consequences for this. These thieves were crucified because of their actions. Then we get to the third category of Wrongful suffering that Peter lists and that is suffering as an evildoer. While the first two are very specific This one is general the NIV version of the Bible says.
Any other kind of criminal. So what Peter is describing is someone who is known for wrongdoing and this person is involved in all kinds of evil. Typically when someone is involved in one sin, the reality is that this person is involved in all sorts of sins and Whatever this person gets busted for the Lord's blessing is not of course over this person's suffering.
The last sin that Peter lists as an example of someone suffering for the wrong reasons is suffering as a meddler. Anybody know what a meddler is. That's it. This isn't something we hear every day. But the place you've probably heard it in recent years is in the case of election meddling.
What the media has been saying is that foreign entity entities were getting involved in our elections. Now I'm not going to go down that rabbit trail. But I say this to help you understand what the word meddling means.
Meddling means that one party gets involved with something in which one has no business getting involved. Proverbs 26 17 says. Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
You don't want to grab a passing dog by the ears that maybe you've tried it not a good move. It doesn't go well for the person who does that. This is stirring up trouble where no trouble needed to be stirred up.
If the person didn't grab the dog's ears the dog would have left him alone, but because he caused trouble Unnecessarily he got himself hurt. This one can be tricky because sometimes We might neglect to do what we are supposed to be involved in and we should be involved in maybe more than we realize.
James 4 17 says. Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it sins. We should aim To do the Lord's work in the jurisdictions where he has placed us. We have responsibilities to our families our church and our communities our country.
Last week we talked about the homecoming controversy in the st. Croix Falls School District and the question is should Area churches really get involved in the public school. And I believe and you can tell by my actions that the answer is yes.
We have a responsibility to the students to hold leaders accountable as a church and as Taxpayers. It is the same with governing authorities. We have a responsibility as Christians to hold them accountable.
They need to know that they are not the ultimate rulers God is and they need to know that it is in their best interest and the best interest of the people to follow his unchanging laws. When you do that good things happen.
We have certain Responsibilities based on where the Lord has placed us. So we are not grabbing the ears of a dog when we promote good and try and defend off evil in these arenas. That are closest to us.
But what is an example where we meddle in something that we should not? There can be times where we stir something up where it doesn't need to be stirred. We live in a fallen world. We should not expect perfect governments.
Some Christians today think that we should have Christian governments everywhere. This day will come When Christ reigns on his throne at his return. But it won't come before then. There's a there's a well-known pastor in Idaho named Doug Wilson.
He's a proponent of full-fledged Christian governments. This comes from his false understanding of the end times where he thinks Christian influence will be so strong all Over the world that there will be Christian governments Everywhere and then Christ is going to come back.
So in other words, we bring in the kingdom because of Christianizing the world. Now the Bible doesn't obviously teach that it teaches that the world is very evil and it will increase as we get nearer to Christ return.
How does anybody ever come up with a view like that? It's called academic corruption. Okay, it's it's alive and well in the Christian community where people overthink things and the plain reading that Christ is gonna come back.
He's gonna establish his throne for 1 ,000 years and then the eternal state is gonna happen. It's just it's just too easy, right? It's just Common people can understand it. It can't be right. Yeah, but that's that's the way it is.
Anyway, that's just the pet peeve of mine. So when Christians are trying to produce full-fledged Christian governments. They are trying to do something in this fallen age that the Bible says will not be done.
Full-fledged Christian governments will only come when Christ returns when our government pushes obvious evil. We should stand against them, but we should also expect that a majority of our leaders will not be Christians.
So we should not make a big deal about every little mistake they make and hold them to standards that are unreachable in this age in which we live. But when they push great evil as frankly we have seen all over the place in our country.
That's when we should get involved in making the place in which we live a more blessed place. But what happens when Christians go too far is it gets the government's attention and The government then targets those Christians and then suffering comes and this is not the suffering that has the Lord's blessing as long as the government isn't going too far let them govern and We are to live quietly and mind our own affairs as first.
Thessalonians 411 says. Meddling can also happen at work. You have certain responsibilities at work. But you might be nosy and start farming someone else's land problems come from that. The employee whose territory you have crossed will not appreciate it and your boss will not be happy as well.
What if someone tells us something that is confidential? And we go tell a multitude of people what was meant to stay between you and that person. This is what we call gossip. What you shared to others is none of their business.
And when people realize that a man or woman cannot hold his or her tongue consequences come to that person. People can no longer trust. If the person who told the confidential information wants to share that with other people it is up to that person.
But it is not up to the one who was told to keep that information in confidence. There are all kinds of suffering that may come from meddling. And when that suffering comes Peter is saying it's not the Lord's blessing.
So when suffering comes from wrongdoing the Lord makes it so that there will be Consequences. The truth is every sin we commit has consequences. There are negative effects that we experience when we sin and the greater the sin the greater the consequence.
Some people's sins lead to a bad relationship. While the sins of others leads them to spending years in jail. I Know another man who I knew a number of years ago with whom I Recently came into contact with who's facing great difficulties in his life.
He understands it is because of his own sin. He left his first wife and children to go to prison. And what he found is that his second marriage was very difficult and she he should never have left his first wife.
He is currently going through a divorce with his second wife. He thought the grass was greener and what he discovered is that if he would have endured with his first wife. The Lord would have been pleased with that in both of these cases that I just presented both men are Christians the Lord has not cast them off and Generally speaking, of course, the Lord's blessing is upon them.
But they both understand that there are consequences for their sins and there is a certain sting to their suffering. Because it is not for the Lord's sake that they are in these trials. They are not suffering because of their faithfulness to Christ, but rather their unfaithfulness.
So we see the contrast. What a blessing it is to suffer for doing good and how difficult and painful it is to suffer for wrongdoing. May our suffering in this life be the former and not the latter. Understand that persecution is a part of the normal experience of the believer and The fourth reason why is that God's favor is not upon those who do wrong and suffer for it.
And here's the fifth reason that you are to understand that persecution is a part of the normal experience of the believer and that is. Those who suffer for Christ have no reason to be ashamed. Those who suffer for Christ have no reason to be ashamed.
I've already explained that those who suffer for Christ's sake carry the Lord's blessing with them. We saw that one week ago. Now, let's see Peter described this in another way in verse 16. There he writes.
Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian let him not be ashamed. But let him glorify God in that name. What is interesting is that When I was younger, I used to watch Jeopardy. Anybody else used to do that.
It used to write because once Alex Trebek was gone. It's it's not worth watching anywhere it. There was a question on there that asked which word in the New Testament is used only three times. Anybody know?
Christian. Only three times in the New Testament right here and in first Peter 4 16 Acts 11 26 and Acts 26 28 in the book of Acts the early Christians were called the way and they were called disciples of Jesus.
In our day followers of Jesus are mostly referred to as Christians, so that's an interesting side note, but Peter says that if you suffer as a Christian you are blessed. The early Christians needed to hear this.
The world around them saw that the one They followed was brutally murdered on the cross that the most humiliating death possible Is a death on the cross. They would hang there for hours naked everybody to see.
And they were being set as an example for anybody who went against the Roman Authority he died a criminal's death. But the followers of Jesus were not to be ashamed. To be associated with him in Romans 1 16 the Apostle Paul wrote.
I am NOT ashamed Of the gospel for it is the power of God to those who believe first for the Jew then for the Gentile. Jesus crucifixion brings eternal life because God's justice was satisfied Through his crucifixion and he was raised gloriously from the dead.
What happened at the cross? Was to be preached and Celebrated not run from its people's only rescue from the darkest future in hell. Just as Christians were not to be ashamed of Christ's suffering they were not to be ashamed of their own suffering.
Whenever we experience the suffering of persecution the feeling of shame May come over you. When people say mean things to you it hurts and it feels like you are in the wrong as people admonish you as.
You get lectured as you stand with Christ as you stand for the Word of God. You will be tempted to think that you are a troublemaker. This is what they want you to think. You may have thoughts that maybe they are right.
Maybe you should feel bad for standing strongly. Maybe you should apologize for standing strongly. But you should not feel that way. Last week I read what one lady said about me because of my comments at the the school board meeting and what she said about Me was unflattering and by the way what she says about me.
She says about every Christian who's standing on the Word of God. And frankly it's been that kind of year for me as I have voiced my concerns in different arenas. The other arena where I have addressed concerns Concerns is with the movement that I was once involved in that where my family history goes back to my great-grandfather.
And that's the the Evangelical Free Church of America and in God's providence. He didn't put me in that movement. I Wrote an article back in June defending a pastor Who challenged the woke direction of the movement and instead of listening to his legitimate concerns?
They they were literally teaching heresy instead of listening to his concerns they canceled him. And how does a Denomination cancel a person they take away his ordination. That's the best they can do and that pastor is Jeff clear where pastor Jeff will be speaking at our May conference May 4th and 5th.
And he is going to tell his story about what his experience of being canceled was like. And as I defended pastor Jeff. One man in the EFCA leadership sent me a message saying this to me. He sent me Titus chapter 3 verses 10 and 11.
He says this describes me as. For a person who stirs up division after warning him once and then twice have nothing more to do with him. Knowing that such a person is warped and sinful. He is self-condemned.
Now that same verse was used Against Jeff clear when they took away his ordination. Okay, Titus 3 10 and 11. Like why does anybody come to this church? I mean, why would you come to a church with a pastor who that describes, right?
If that if that verse describes me, nobody should come to this church, okay nobody. I don't want to go to that pastor's church. But that's what that's what was sent to me if you call out false teaching within a movement.
You are considered Divisive if you defend a shepherd who is calling out false teaching within a movement you are considered divisive. There's persecution happening to shepherds who are standing against corrupt religious leadership.
I Just mentioned Jeff this has also taken place with a pastor in Maryland. I've mentioned before David Whitney who kept his church open during kovat 19. Unless he meets the leadership's unbiblical demands.
They are kicking him in his church out of the evangelical free church. What these religious leaders want to do is shame those who stand against their power. They want to maintain their power in their status and when it is threatened.
That is when unjust treatment happens to those they are threatened by. And it's sad that there isn't much difference between institutional Christianity and Washington DC and you know what the problem is, too.
I Actually just wrote an article about this. It's called the theology of niceness. Okay, the theology of niceness if you want to summarize the problems with American Christianity in two words. There you go.
Theology of niceness, okay, that's three words, but theology of niceness. Okay, what is the theology of niceness? It's we elevate love above truth. What is first Corinthians 13 say it says love is kind.
Love is patient. Yes. Okay, so Christians we should be kind. We should be patient. We should be everything that first Corinthians 13 says that love should be but it also says this first Corinthians 13 6 says love rejoices with what the truth.
Which means that you cannot elevate love above truth. In fact if you elevate love above truth What is that by definition? Unloving. It's not love. The moment you disconnect love from the truth. It's no longer loving.
So if you tell someone in the nicest way possible Jesus is not the only way to God. That's the most unloving thing. You could tell someone that the within the theology of niceness. I Didn't come up with that terminology, by the way, a pastor told me we're leaving this denomination.
Because we're fed up with the theology of niceness. That's where I heard first heard it and when he said that I'm like. That's the problem right there. You call out false teaching you're called divisive.
Because within the theology of niceness, it's fertile ground for false teaching because you don't want to offend people so so things that have the veneer of Christianity they become welcomed they become diverse viewpoints instead of being condemned and then in that Environment false teaching thrives and anybody who calls that false teaching out Violates the theology of niceness.
So what do you do with that person? You call them divisive. Yeah, so you can just kind of see how things work within Christianity and within this environment. These leaders who are proponents of the theology of niceness.
Guess who they don't treat nicely. The pastors who are practicing Titus 1 9. What does Titus 1 9 say you're supposed to proclaim the truth of God's Word and to rebuke those who contradict it? Okay, so once you rebuke what they're doing.
That's where they shame you and as they shame those who threaten their power and their status and their theology of niceness. You can feel small their bullying and condescending tactics can intimidate and you can actually feel like you did something wrong.
But as you are shamed for doing what is right? You are blessed as verse 16 says if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be shamed. But let him glorify God in that name as you face opposition from the world and even false Christianity you are blessed.
They say you are doing wrong, but God's opinion is the only one that matters and he approves of what you do. He wants you to keep following him to keep doing what he has called you to do. And you will have people tell you that you are not supposed to do that.
And by the way, do you know who failed the theology of niceness with flying colors. Every prophet in the Old Testament John the Baptist Jesus Christ and every apostle that followed him and every great from church history all of them failed the theology of niceness.
Okay, you got my point. But here's what they will tell you. Here's what the world will tell you. Whether again, there's there's there's two there's two areas there's two places that persecution comes from it comes from false Christianity and it comes from the world.
Comes from both places, but and as the world tells you don't raise your kids that way. As people tell you stop sharing the gospel with these people it's unloving. Don't stand up for that will stir up too much controversy.
Stop being so unloving they'll tell you these things. Just be kind to everybody just be loving. Love is love. Kindness is everything right? That's the ethic of our culture as They tell you these things.
Stop being so judgmental as you speak the Bible to us. Religion has no place here. You'll hear this over and over again. You will hear these things as a Christian people will shame you. But what the Word of God tells us in verse 16 is let him not be ashamed.
But let him glorify God in that name. Do you know who are the ones who should truly be ashamed? It is those who try to shame you as you follow Jesus closely. Those who advance Satan's agenda by going after those who are doing God's will.
These are the ones who should be ashamed. There's no honor. Going down the path of the world. There is no honor. What Jesus says is so convicting in the Gospels. He says he who honors me before men. I Will honor before the Father and his holy angels.
Honor. Being sold out for Christ. Fully sold out for Christ not caring what people think. Doing what you're supposed to do. Honor comes but being a coward fearing man. Being calculated so that as many people will like you as possible.
There's no honor down that path. There's shame we want to be people who have honor as we follow Jesus closely. We want to be soldiers of the cross. Right like the old song says the cross before me the world behind me.
When you leave the world behind and you carry your cross and you follow Jesus. There's honor. Can you imagine going through this life. People thinking you're this religious nut. You know that it's just mean and angry and always causes problems and and always ruins.
Thanksgiving dinner and I mean all these things and. Then you stand before Jesus one day. And he honors you before his father and the holy angels. You're not gonna be thinking about what these people said about you or what they did to you.
You're not gonna care. Because Jesus honors you and his opinion is the only one that matters. Well done good and faithful servant. Those are the words he will say one day to those who are not Cowardly, it's interesting when you look at The end of Revelation, there's a list That is given here.
About those Who will be thrown into the lake of fire. Listen to this? But as for the cowardly the faithless. The detestable as for murderers the sexually immoral sorcerers. Idolaters and all liars their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.
Which is the second death. Is that interesting list? Murderers, I mean just horrible. Everybody agrees that murders bad, right? What about being a coward? It's in the list we need to be soldiers of the cross as a Christian.
You have a name attached to you. You have an identity and it's the biggest identity you have it's it's greater than The town you live in the state you live in the country you live in the family you come from.
You have an identity attached to you. You belong to Jesus Christ. Like that, you know today is my birthday and what I think about on my birthday. And I think about this even on days that aren't my birthday, but especially on my birthday.
The only reason I draw breath Is to is to fulfill God's will for my life. It's the only reason I'm here. The only reason I get to really enjoy anything in this life is to accomplish the purpose he has given me.
And I think about this. I'm the third child. Sister Cassie is the oldest brother Caleb. My brother Caleb is only 18 months older than me. They didn't plan on having me. Okay, you do the math here and they've even told me you were you were a surprise child.
And so I'm thinking well God put me here to preach the word to shepherd his people and think about your life. God has placed you here For a purpose a specific purpose a purpose that only you can fulfill.
Right and that purpose involves standing with him through thick and thin. Your allegiance is to him your identity is in him. His name is attached to your name. They can't talk about you without talking about Jesus because that's the most important thing about you.
So that's what Peter's saying here this name is Attached to you and it is the name of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And as you do what you are supposed to do as a follower of Jesus. Wherever God has placed you whatever he has called you to do God is glorified through you.
He looks on you with favor as you do God honoring actions in Jesus name. The one thing you should not feel feel For doing what he calls you to do. It's shame. But that's the experience you're gonna get in this world and you just need to prepare yourself for that and I need to prepare myself.
But you will be shamed For following Jesus. You will be considered the worst people on planet earth because you're narrow-minded and This is who you are, right? You're you're the early Christians were called haters of mankind.
You're against the progress of humanity. You will be shamed but his name is Attached to you and he will reward you as you walk with him as you do what you're called to do so understand. That persecution is a part of the normal experience of the believer as he said earlier in first Peter.
We should not be surprised. This is a part of the normal experience of the believer. And the fifth reason why is that those who suffer for Christ have no reason? To be ashamed and next Sunday Lord willing we're gonna be looking at verse point six and Seven in the remainder of this text.
But this time let's bow our heads in prayer Father in heaven. This is a rallying cry for us to live out our faith In the in the place you have placed us. We belong to Jesus and my prayer is that every soul in this room would belong to Jesus.
His name is attached to every person's name in this room, that's my prayer our identity is in Jesus and Jesus alone and Help us Lord to not be ashamed of Jesus and the Bible and How you call us to live what you call us to live.
But may you be glorified in our lives. In Jesus name. Amen.