Called to Holiness #17

TAKING CARE OF GOD’S FLOCK

When you look at today’s text, you will notice that Peter is talking to elders. Elders are also known as shepherds or pastors. The word “pastor” comes from shepherding imagery in the Bible. So your next thought might be, “What does this have to do with me?” Good question.

            I was tempted to go a few ways with this text:

1) I could change the terminology around so that each of you would see yourself in the text. You are all servants and these principles all apply to you. But that isn’t really being fair to the meaning that Peter intended.

2) I could be direct and tell you that you are all shepherds in one way or another. Someone is looking to you for guidance and leadership: children, friends, your students, etc. While that is true in many respects, that still does not accurately deal with the text.

3) I could take the opportunity to tell you all the things that pastors do in the church and make a defense for pastoring. But that would either sound like bragging or complaining.

            Such manipulation of the text gives the impression that Scripture can be used and twisted to our own purposes. That is not an impression I want to give you. Then I would not be a good pastor.

            Peter’s intention in this final appeal is to challenge the leaders of the church to embrace their purpose in the congregation and for the congregation to support their leaders. Remember that the church Peter wrote to was in a state of crisis; persecution and threats of persecution were a constant reality. In the midst of a hostile world that didn’t care for holiness and holy people, churches needed pastors to be sure of their calling, committed to the Word of God, and zeroed in on Jesus as our goal.

            This message is for you. If you are part of this church and you want to know what your role is in relation to the pastors, this message is for you.

1. The Shepherd’s Calling

Peter addresses the elders in the church. “Elders” is not a term we use here, though some churches in our conference do have elders. I don’t think they use “elder” as a term for their pastors. Elders, in our current use of the term, refer more to administrators and church boards.

            That is not what Peter means here. He says, “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed…” (5:1). Then he says, “Be shepherds…” and that is how we know that he means pastors, not administrators.

            “Elders” is an OT term. In ancient Israel, certain men were chosen on the basis of their maturity and wisdom to give guidance to God’s people. In the absence of priests and the temple, the people worshiped at synagogues where elders presided over the teaching and ministry. When the early church began to organize itself they adopted the term “elder” for their leaders. As Paul the Acts missionaries went about planting churches, they appointed elders in all of the churches (Acts 11, 14:23, 20:17-38).

            To these elders, Peter makes an appeal: “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them…” (5:2a). Few of us have experience with sheep, so the imagery might be lost on us. Like most animals they are probably kind of dumb. So we are being compared to dumb sheep who need shepherds. Or to put in a better light: we need godly men who love the Word of God to remind us of God’s love in crisis times. But what does Scripture have to say about the calling of a shepherd?

            Three words come to us from the Bible in response: Leading, Feeding, and Guarding.

            Leading: When the Bible uses the shepherd metaphor it often refers to leadership. Ezekiel 34 compares Israel’s leaders to shepherds (not in a good way). But a prophecy from Micah 5:2 promised a good shepherd would come and lead the people. Matthew quotes this prophecy in 2:6, “…for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.” Sheep need a shepherd because left to themselves they tend to wander off. Without spiritual leaders, churches would tend to scatter when a crisis hits.

            Feeding: Out of Peter’s own experience we find that shepherding the flock of God involves feeding. Before Jesus left his disciples to go back to His Father, he had this conversation with Peter, (READ Jn. 21:15-17). Feeding of course refers to the teaching of the Word. Sheep are prone to nibbling on the grass till they get down to the roots. They need to be continually moved to find fresh grass. The job of pastors is to keep the congregation moving around the Bible and feeding on all its truths.

            Guarding: Paul, in his farewell to the Ephesian elders, charged them, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood,” (Acts 20:28). Part of the job of a pastor is to guard the flock from “wolves in sheep’s clothing” or false teachers and their teaching.

            Leading, feeding, and guarding duties form the primary responsibilities of the pastor of a church. Peter’s challenge is an imperative (“Be shepherds”) which means it is a command to watch over the church as shepherd over his flock.

2. The Shepherd’s Heart

Elders are called to be shepherds. Elders also need a shepherd’s heart. That is, they need to have the right attitude towards the work of being a shepherd of God’s flock. Peter gives us three “not-buts” to describe the proper attitude:

a) His attitude towards his work – Would you want a pastor who did not want to do his job? We talked about the calling of a pastor, but what if you have a pastor who doesn’t feel called?

            Here’s the first “not-but”: “…not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be…” (5:2b). I read an unbelievable statistic about pastors in the U.S. Barna says that 1700 pastors leave the ministry each month down south. It’s a tough gig. But Peter reminds us that if we serve we should not serve because people have pushed us into serving; that’s just disastrous for the church. The church does not need reluctant leaders. If an elder or pastor does not feel called by God to be a pastor, he will not be successful.

b) His attitude towards his compensation – What is the motivation to be a pastor? Peter makes this distinction in the second “not-but” “…not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve…” (5:2c).

            Three wrong motives are easily identified: Money – one should not become a pastor to get rich (or more reasonably – because it is merely a means of employment). Paul instructed Timothy that elders in his church should not be “lovers of money,” (1 Ti. 3:3). Honors – one should not become a pastor because of the prestige. Jesus talked about spiritual leaders who like to be seen, who like to be seated in places of honor, and who enjoy the titles, like being called “pastor,” (Mt. 23:5-7). Power – Some people seek leadership positions simply to gain an advantage over others. Elders must be eager, but not eager for benefits, rather, eager to serve.

c) His attitude towards his people – The last “wrong” motive flows into the next “not-but.” Peter wrote, “…not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock,” (5:3). Peter and the disciples learned this lesson the hard way when they began arguing over who was the greatest and when James and John asked to sit at Jesus’ right and left in the kingdom of God. Jesus replied to this ambitiousness in Mark 10:42-45 (READ). The elders are to rule over (oversee) the flock as undershepherds of our Lord. But those who “lord it over” the flock are those who have come to see the church as their own possession. Pastors who talk about “my church” or “my ministry” forget that Jesus called pastors to serve in the same manner as Jesus served. Christ did not consider equality with God something to be grasped…and made himself a servant, even a slave, dying a slave’s death on the cross. That’s our example of leadership; that’s the example elders are supposed to leave for the flock. Being an example, leading the way, does not mean doing every job in the church; it means that elders use their gifts in plain sight so that others will be encouraged to use their gifts with similar courage.

            Three words that stand out in this part of the text and that apply to pastors are these: willing, eager, and example.

3. The Shepherd’s Reward

Why do we do it? Why do pastors take on one of the most stressful jobs in the world? According to statistics, pastoring is not a desirable occupation. Why do it then?

            Peter states it simply, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away,” (5:4). The “crown of glory” refers to a laurel wreath that athletes would win in the games. Usually made of leaves or flowers, this reward was a great honor for the victors who would wear them with pride.

            The crown of glory that the Chief Shepherd gives is similar but eternal and unfading. This crown is the glory of having obeyed Jesus and followed him into the ministry, suffering and all. What comforts pastors in this verse is the knowledge that the labors of love no one knows about are recorded in God’s book. Deeds done in the name of Jesus are remembered. All the prayers pastors pray for their people, all the confidential works, all the unrecorded hours put into the leading of the church, are not wasted nor forgotten by our Lord.

            Christ’s own hands upon their heads are the crown of glory for the faithful elders who dare to lead God’s people. The sheep are His sheep; the shepherds are His sheep too. He is not the model shepherd; He is the Shepherd.

4. And Sheepish Humility

Now Peter turns to the congregation and says “submit.” Remember that your elders are servant-leaders in the pattern of Jesus; they are not lording it over you but serving willingly, eagerly, and doing their best to be like Jesus. To these kinds of leaders, Peter beckons the congregation to submit.

            The writer of Hebrews makes a similar appeal, “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be no advantage to you,” (Heb. 13:17).

            To be sure, there is a mutual humility encouraged in these verses, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another…” (5:5a). Peter has in mind that wonderfully disturbing event when Jesus washed his feet and the feet of the other disciples in John 13. That’s what “clothe yourselves” actually means. The word means “apron” and thus “put on an apron of humility” just as Jesus put a towel around his waist and knelt to wash feet.

            Let us wash each other’s feet in this sense. We do not walk the dusty streets of Jerusalem in sandals, nor do we step in camel dung on our sidewalks. We can wash our own feet just fine. But that is not the point, is it? Elders or pastors are servants of the congregations, but the congregation reciprocates by serving the pastor. Each of us has a job to do in the church. Foremost is the task of caregiving. Pastors cannot do this task alone, and neither are they supposed to. Whether you have a title or not, caring for the church is a member’s responsibility. This is a mutual relationship.

           

I recall attending an evening service at our church with my parents when I was five years old. Something had grabbed my heart that evening, I can’t remember what, but it tugged at my soul. On the way home, I remember telling my mom and dad that I wanted to be like Billy Graham.

            To a five year old, “being like Billy Graham” meant being a preacher. But something else struck me about Billy Graham, and that was his passion for the Lord Jesus and His Word.

            I forgot that confession until I was fifteen and attending counselor-in-training camp at Red Rock. There at a fireside, overcome with what the Spirit had shown me that week, I declared “I think God wants me to be a pastor.”

            I have now served as a pastor for 25 years. And, beginning in 1989 at Crestview Fellowship until today, I would have to say these have been the toughest 25 years of my life. I’m no Billy Graham. I’m not a super-pastor or a mega-church pastor. I haven’t written 50 books like Piper. By the grace of God I’m just doing the best I can.

            And do you want to know something weird? I really cannot imagine doing anything else. I guess that crown of glory keeps me going.

            This is what pastors are called to; this is what a shepherd’s heart is like; and this is what pastors look forward to – it all comes down to Jesus.

            If your desire is to build up the body of Christ, Peter urges you to submit to the Chief Shepherd and to His undershepherds who work for Him. In humility we serve each other, for the name of Christ compels us.

May the God of Peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.

                                                            AMEN

Called to Holiness #16

WHAT IS THE POINT OF SUFFERING?

A Christian Perspective on Painful Trials

Recently, the Supreme Court of Canada determined by a vote of 9-0 that a total ban on all forms of assisted suicide is unconstitutional. Given a year to rewrite federal and provincial law, and under special circumstances, Canadians will be able to ask their doctors to end their lives. The court did not specify what kind of illnesses qualify for this decision, but it would include both physical and psychological pain. If I may be blunt, you can ask your doctor to murder you if you feel like life’s not worth living.

            Belgium has long had this legislation in place. On April 19, 2012, an attractive 64-year-old woman checked herself into a hospital in Brussels, where she was killed, at her own request, by lethal injection. The retired schoolteacher did not have an incurable disease, nor was she in chronic pain. She wanted to die because she suffered from chronic depression. She found a psychiatrist who agreed. Her family was not informed in advance. Her son found out about her death the next day when he was summoned to deal with the paperwork.[i]

            Our Canadian society is creeping towards an individual rights-oriented mentality of thinking that will ultimately destroy itself. Pain and suffering are the great enemies of our culture.

            In the church at large too, we find a false teaching that says, “If you’re in the center of God’s will, you’ll be free from trials.” But the Bible teaches that being in the center of God’s will may mean that you are in the center of suffering.

            Another false understanding of pain and suffering is that it is unpredictable and unavoidable and meaningless. We can only accept it and hope it goes away soon.

            Christians must disagree with all of these philosophies. First, we confess that while God does not cause all suffering, He does allow it. God may not cause our suffering but he does “cause all things to work together for good, to those who love God and are called according to his purpose,” (Ro. 8:28). Christians do not view suffering as a negative experience but as something positive. Suffering is not random and senseless; it is part of God’s plan. And, if you can imagine, suffering is not something we merely endure as Christians, it is something we experience and in which we rejoice.[ii]

            Rejoice? That is counter-cultural. Peter has spoken a great deal about suffering in this letter. He returns to the theme one more time to offer us six reasons to rejoice in suffering in verses 12-19.

1. Suffering is to be expected

Peter writes, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you,” (4:12). Peter’s readers struggled with the presence of suffering too. “Why do we have to suffer?” they wondered.

            Peter’s answer is that suffering is to be expected, both in this world of sin and especially as a follower of Christ. Please note, it is not normal but it is to be expected. Suffering is not God’s original plan but he uses it for his purposes.

            One translation calls “the painful trial” a “fiery ordeal.” Another adds “which comes upon you for your testing.”[iii] Fire and testing could suggest that the Christians were being burned at the stake for their faith. More likely, however, is that Peter is using the imagery of a refiner’s furnace. Precious metals (gold, silver) must be subjected to the heat of a fire in order to remove the impurities. (see 1:7).

            It isn’t strange. It isn’t meaningless. There is a purpose to pain and suffering in the Christian’s life. As we read in v. 19, we are “those who suffer according to God’s will.” God is refining our faith through pain for his purposes. The fire of trial tests our faith and reveals to us that which does not belong in the holy person. It might be pride, wrong-thinking, or outright sin. It is not a surprise to suffer, it is expected.

2. Suffering is our Participation with Christ

Not only is our suffering the refinement of our faith, it is also evidence of our union with Christ. We rejoice in suffering because it shows we belong to Jesus. “But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ…” (13a).

            Joseph Tson, Romanian pastor who stood up to Ceausescu’s repressions of Christianity, wrote, “This union with Christ is the most beautiful subject in the Christian life. It means that I am not a lone fighter here: I am an extension of Jesus Christ. When I was beaten in Romania, He suffered in my body. It is not my suffering: I only had the honor to share His sufferings.”[iv]

            Our suffering does not save us; only Christ’s suffering is effective for our salvation. He died for sins once for all (3:18). But Paul speaks of the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings and becoming like him in every way (Phil. 3:10). This was his great passion; it is the passion of every Christian to suffer for his name if only to be like him.

3. Suffering now means joy later

We rejoice in suffering because this joy will explode in greater joy later when Jesus comes again. Suffering for Christ is the expected experience of the believer, but rather than despair in our pain or feel bitter, Peter tells us it is a cause for joy.

            This does not mean that the believer should enjoy suffering. That would be a form of pious sado-masochism and not at all Christlike. Suffering for Christ now will bring joy in the future. The reason, Peter teaches, is that it is better to stand by one’s faith now, even though it means suffering, rejection, loneliness, ridicule and the like, than to deny Christ and suffer the judgment that is surely coming for those who reject Christ.

            Peter expands this thought in verses 17-18 where he indicates that judgment is taking place now already. “For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (17-18).

            This is not the judgment that sends people to hell. Peter refers to the gospel message that reveals with light the dark places and sends people scattering for fear of the light. Humans don’t like to be told that they need saving; the gospel is that message. The gospel does not condemn, but those who reject it condemn themselves. At the same time, we who believe the gospel suffer for believing it from those who have rejected it. Though we suffer now, we will know the joy of what we have believed in later.

4. Suffering comes with a blessing

We rejoice in suffering because as we suffer the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon us. “If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you,” (14).

            In the hour of your greatest trial, God is there. In our great suffering we have the consolation of the Holy Spirit working for our comfort. Just when you think you cannot bear it anymore, the Holy Spirit gives you peace.

            Paul Brand, the missionary surgeon to India wrote in his book: Pain: The Gift Nobody Wants, “I have come to see that pain and pleasure come to us not as opposites but as Siamese twins, strangely joined and intertwined. Nearly all my memories of acute happiness, in fact, involve some element of pain or struggle.”[v]

            Only the Holy Spirit can help us to see the difference between pointless suffering and suffering with meaning. No one says, “The greatest joys I have experienced are those when I have been most comfortable.” It isn’t true. Cozying up on the couch doesn’t teach you anything. But the Holy Spirit shows us that in suffering there is a blessing. And the first blessing is his unending presence throughout all of the pain.

5. Suffering Glorifies God

As we rejoice in our suffering we bring glory to God. Peter wrote, “If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name,” (16).

            Glorifying God in suffering means showing by your actions and attitudes that God is more valuable, more desirable, and more satisfying than what this world offers. And the best way to show that God means more to you is to rejoice in Him when everything else that satisfies falls away. If everything is gone, your health, your friends, your family, your comforts, your wealth, and all you have left is God, He is enough to rejoice over.

            One of the Psalmists wrote, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for the living God…” (Ps. 42:1-2a). This deer isn’t just thirsty; this deer is being pursued by some Kleefeld hunters and is desperate for a drink. In the midst of turmoil and pursuit and danger and trouble, our thoughts turn to the Lord who is our life, our everything. We are desperate for God. We pursue God. And when we so pursue Him in life and struggle we bring glory to God while others marvel at our steadfast trust in God.

6. Suffering is an Opportunity to Trust God

Finally, we rejoice in suffering because it reminds us to go to God and put our trust in him.

            I am prone to grow spiritually lazy when things are going good. In those times of rest I begin to feel like I have drifted from the passion I have for God. Suddenly, a prickly situation arises and I am cast down, struggling, grasping for a foothold for my self-concept and for deliverance from this trial. What do I do? Where do I go? I am thankful that my default mode is turn to God and pray, even if I am crying out to him and asking “why,” I am surprised to find myself in prayer. It’s a revelation really, to discover that our cries are really prayers. Then I pour out my heart to God.

            “So then,” Peter writes, “those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good,” (19).

            “Entrust” or “commit” is a banking term Peter uses which means to deposit one’s valuables to another for safekeeping. Paul used the same term when he told Timothy, “…I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day,” (2 Ti. 1:12). It is the same word that Jesus spoke from the cross when He said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”

            Suffering is an opportunity to entrust ourselves again into the hands of our Creator. He has made us and has a purpose for us, even in suffering…or especially.

Malcolm Muggeridge, the British journalist once said, “As an old man, looking back on one’s life, it’s one of the things that strikes you most forcibly—that the only thing that’s taught one anything is suffering. Not success, not happiness, not anything like that. The only thing that really teaches one what life’s about … is suffering.”

            Why is suffering so integral to the Christian life? Paul said it well, as was said before, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead,” (Phil.3:10).

            I am the last person who wants to suffer. Suffering is neither pleasurable nor comfortable. Like most North Americans I seek the comforts of health and home. But Peter makes a valid argument:

            1. We should not expect life to be comfortable. Suffering is to be expected.

            2. Suffering unites us to Christ like no other experience on earth.

            3. Suffering is temporary as an experience linked to our this-worldly existence.

            4. When we suffer we know that the Holy Spirit moves in swiftly to comfort us and to encourage us in our pain.

            5. When we suffer with the right attitude we bring glory to God through our rejoicing.

            6. Suffering is an opportunity to be brought back to the truth that our most valuable possession – life itself – is best left in God’s hands.

            I know that suffering brings us closer to God. Christ has brought us near to God through the cross, when we were far away. Nothing can change that truth.

            On the other hand, our experience of Christ’s power is best illustrated with a diagram:

Us……………………………………….Christ

How do we grow in relationship with Christ, to be where Christ is, to know him more fully, as Paul says?

            We can read the Bible, pray, worship, sing, praise, share our faith, give our money to those who need it, listen to sermons, use our gifts, fellowship with other Christians, and many other very important activities. But even after we do all these things we may still feel like this:

…………………..Us…………………Christ

            What Peter has taught us today is that nothing moves us closer to Christ than going through hard times. Suffering alone does not bring us to Christ; it’s what we do with suffering that brings us to Christ. In suffering we become desperate for the Lord and for nothing else but intimacy with the Lord…if we are devoted to him…and we cry out to Him. And after the trial is over, the suffering is done, we see in hindsight, that this has happened:

………………………………………..UsChrist

            Will you rejoice in your suffering? If you trust in your Creator, our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ who saved you from your sins, you will entrust your life to His keeping.

            So we keep rejoicing. Rejoice in the Lord always.

                                                            AMEN

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[i] Margaret Wente, “Assisted Suicide – What could possibly go wrong?” Feb. 20, 2014, The Globe and Mail.

[ii] Adapted from Bob Deffinbaugh’s “A Final Word on Suffering” sermon

[iii] NASB

[iv] Undated paper, “A Theology of Martyrdom.”

[v] (Christianity Today, Jan. 10, 1994, p. 21)

Called to Holiness #14

INCENTIVES FOR HOLY LIVING

What would it take to inspire you to live a holy life? And by a “holy life” I mean: a life that imitates the life of Christ and bears witness to his love. What would it take to spur us all on to holy living?

            Incentives.

            We need a reason to change. We need a reason to live a certain way. We need a reason to choose a life that counters the status quo life that everyone else lives. We need motivation. We need incentives.

            Recently, I sent out 100 surveys to be filled out by specific individuals (not from our church) in order to collect information on a project I am working on. As an incentive to complete the survey and mail it back to me, I offered random recipients an opportunity to win one of three restaurant gift cards. I had heard of this technique in garnering response from a class I attended.

            You would think that a “no-strings-attached” incentive like this would get a response. So far, only 26 of the 100 people surveyed have responded after two months.

            What does it take to lead people to act, to respond? The right incentives. On the one hand, the incentives need to speak to a deep-seated need that can be filled by the offer, whatever that might be in their lives. On the other hand, the incentives need to be so overwhelmingly convincing that there is no doubt that they offer the power to make a difference in their lives.

            Ultimately, only the Holy Spirit can drive home the words of motivation that you are going to hear from out text. He must convince us that the incentives are worth grasping.

            In 4:1-6, the apostle Peter appeals to us to make Christ’s sufferings a practical force in our lives. Christ’s sufferings are an incentive from which we draw strength and encouragement to live a holy life for his name’s sake.

            What are these incentives according to Peter?

1. Christ suffered for our sins

First, Peter brings us back to 3:18 with his opening word, “Therefore.” He wrote, “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body…” (4:1a). Peter wants to remind us of the ultimate price that Christ paid for our sins, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God,” (3:18). The King James says, “Christ suffered for sins once for all…”

            What greater incentive is there for holy living than this in the Christian understanding? Christ suffered for us and died to free us from the grasp of sin, from the guilt of addiction, from the entanglement of unspeakable habits, and from the secret sins we all possess but no one knows anything about except God. Those have been nailed to the body of Christ upon the cross.

            Many years have passed since the movie The Passion of the Christ was released. I was caught up in the fever of this movie at the time, praising it and promoting it. Since then, I confess that the graphic portrayal of the violence inflicted on Christ was over the top in terms of public viewing. I have no doubt that Jesus suffered horribly in his body as well as in his soul. I am not so sure we should make his suffering a form of grotesque entertainment. And yet, the picture of Christ’s bloody brow and the open wounds on his back as he was nailed to the cross should come to our minds. This was the price for our relationship with God.

2. Better to suffer than to sin

Second, Peter calls us to take on the suffering of Christ in our lives to best deal with the reality of sin. He wrote, “…since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin,” (4:1).

            We still sin. There is no doubt of that. So these words may leave us puzzled. How does our suffering purge us from sin?

            The NT writers echo this sentiment. Paul wrote, “We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Ro 6:2). And John said, “No one who lives in him (Christ) keeps on sinning…No one who is born of God will continue to sin…he cannot go on sinning because he has been born of God,” (1 Jn. 3:6 & 9). Taken at face value, if we were good Christians, we would never sin again. But that’s impossible. What does Peter mean when he says “whoever suffers in the body is done with sin”?

            a) Peter might be teaching that the more you suffer, the more you purge yourself of sin. But if Christ suffered for our sins why would we have to suffer more? The word “done” is in the perfect tense, meaning that the suffering is done in the past with ongoing benefits.

            b) Perhaps it refers to our physical death. When we die we will be through with sin, as Christ was at his death. But this is an awkward way to write this idea.

            c) It may mean that when we are baptized we are united with Christ in his suffering and death (Ro 6). But then we are reading Paul’s thoughts into Peter’s, and suffering in the body does not fit this idea.

            d) The fourth view takes Christ suffering in the body and applies it to believers. Christ’s suffering in the flesh ended his relationship with sin once for all. You and I are to arm ourselves with this “attitude” that sin is powerless to affect us. We will then choose suffering because, if we don’t, we are choosing sin. Suffering, in Peter’s argument, proves that sin’s bondage is broken. We are to get it into our heads that Christ is worth suffering for; live by that conviction; in your suffering sin is defeated.

            When you choose the right way to live and suffer for it, you prove that sin has no mastery over you. One preacher rather starkly illustrated it like this: Suppose a woman’s husband was killed trying to save her from the attack of a rapist who was infected with AIDS. It would be absurd for the woman, after her husband’s funeral, to call up the rapist and say, “Let’s meet at a motel.” Having been rescued from that which would destroy her, why would she want to go back to it? Peter’s argument is, since Christ gave Himself to deliver us from the sin which would destroy us, why go back to live in it? Christ’s suffering for our sin should motivate us to holy living.

            Paul urged Timothy to choose suffering for Christ over the sin option when he wrote, “…do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace,” (2 Ti. 1:8-9a).

3. You have sinned enough

I don’t know about you, but these next words bowl me over: “For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do…” (4:3a).

            That’s enough. You’re done. Don’t do anymore. Suffer if you must, but don’t do any more sin. Peter isn’t being harsh here; he simply says, “That’s enough.”

            Think of it this way: any amount of sinning you did in the past is enough. If you sinned a little before you came to Christ, it’s enough. If you sinned a lot and for many years before you came to Christ, it’s enough. You can never sin so little that you could say, “I need some more time to sin.” Would any of you ever say, “I know I need to get right with God and make a break with sin. But just a little more time. A little more time with sin.” Peter says, arm yourself with this attitude – the time you spent sinning is enough. Make the break – choose the will of God. And if you suffer for it, then suffer for it.[i]

            The suffering may come in the form of your buddies with whom you ran with now mocking you. Peter picked up on the truth of this when he wrote, “They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you,” (4:4). The flood symbolizes an overflowing amount, while “dissipation” is the character of abandoned man, or simply put, he is “wild.”

            Come on, they say, one more drink for old time’s sake. Don’t be a wet blanket. You can quit any time. They may even mock your Lord saying, “God will forgive you.”

            No, Peter says, you have sinned enough. Break with the past and choose to suffer the losses now so that you may gain what Christ has for you.

4. Sinners will have to give an account

If we suffer for doing right instead of sinning and we experience the loss of friends or the loss of reputation, we will be hurt. If, because we want to be holy, we suffer physical abuse or personal damage, our inclination will be to want justice. We may be tempted to take justice into our own hands.

            Peter offers a fourth incentive to choose the holy route and live for Christ: those who do us wrong because we do good will have to give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead (4:5).

            The assurance of these words is hard to imagine. Will justice be done? Will those who have wronged me be taken to account? There is a promise in verse 5 that needs to be taken seriously. Nothing will be swept under the rug. Nothing will be forgotten. God will judge each wrong, each injustice, each wound, according to his perfect justice.

            Police still do not know who killed Tina Fontaine, throwing her into the river wrapped in a plastic sheet. But God knows. Winnipeg may never bring the killers to justice, but God will. The mystery of Candace Derksen’s murder continues on because of missing details. God knows every detail. If he knows these secret things, does he not also know every offense you have experienced for his Son’s sake?

            And even if the perpetrators of sin and crime should die before facing justice in this life, Peter assures us that God is the judge of the living and the dead. Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed to man to die once and after that the judgment.”

            So if someone is getting away with murder, literally or figuratively, leave it in the hands of God who judges the living and the dead. It is better to suffer for doing right and leave vengeance in God’s hands.

5. Living according to the will of God

The last incentive refers to another side of judgment. Verse 6 is another difficult passage to understand, much like 3:19. If you checked out my blog you will have read that the answer to that one is not easy. In v. 6 Peter seems to suggest again that the dead were preached to, “For this reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead…” (4:6a).

            We can look at this verse in three different ways: a) Jesus preached to the dead souls in hell, giving them a second chance to repent, as is thought in 3:19. But scripture does not teach that there is a second chance after death. b) The ‘dead’ in v. 6 means “spiritually” dead, but 4:5 does not support that idea. c) Peter is meaning that those who heard the gospel and received it while they were living are now dead. Those believers will be vindicated on the Day of Judgment.

            This last view is the most likely and fits the context best. Peter gives his readers, and us, the reassurance that those who hear the gospel, believe it and live it, even though they die, continue to live by the spirit with Christ according to the will of God.

            Death comes to everyone. To the unbeliever, death can seem like judgment, as if it were the punishment for living. So the unbeliever may say to us, “We all die. You Christians die too, so where is your God in this? We’re all worm food.”

            Peter’s response is this: Yes, we all suffer, Christian and unbeliever alike. But our faith in Christ is not in vain, nor is our suffering. Even though death claims us all, we are alive in the spirit according to God’s will. And the sufferings we experience here are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed when Christ comes (Ro 8:17ff).

Holiness cannot be separated from the difficulty of suffering like Christ and for Christ. It is the high cost of following Jesus. But the payback is immeasurable.

These are the incentives for holy living:

1. Christ who loved us and gave himself for us, suffered.

2. When we suffer, we reveal that we are done with sin.

3. Any amount of past sinning is enough. No more.

4. Those who continue to sin will have to give an account of their actions before the Lord of glory.

5. We who embrace the gospel will triumph over death.

            When we think of the “why” of holy living, in other words, what purpose is there in living a godly life, there are three answers that come to my mind: To honor Jesus who died for me; to be like Jesus; and to be a witness of the transforming power of Jesus in my life. Is that not enough?

            Some celebrities were asked what they hoped God would say to them when they go to heaven and entered the pearly gates, as it were. I was surprised at what they said. Meg Ryan said she hoped she would hear, “Way to go, kid.” Steven Spielberg said something like, “Hey, you listened.” And so on. I was surprised because, in my humble and finite opinion, I wondered whether heaven was even on their radar.

            But the question is a good one. What do you hope to hear from Jesus when you enter his presence? All I could think of was the standard, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” And then I would embrace Jesus for a long time and let the troubles of this earth fall away forever as I receive his unending love.

            I believe that will be worth all the trouble of this world. That’s incentive.

                                                            AMEN

           

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[i] Adapted from John Piper’s sermon Arming Yourself With the Purpose to Suffer.