In the Midst of Trouble – 1 Peter 3:13-17
- August 1, 2022
- Pastor
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1 Peter 3:13-17
Well, let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to 1 Peter 3:13-17. If you’ve been reading along over these several weeks, then you know we’re getting ever closer to one of those mysterious passages – the one about Jesus going to proclaim or preach to spirits in prison. What’s that all about? Well, come back for our Homecoming service on August 14 and that’s when I’ll be preaching that text. Next week, we have the wonderful opportunity to hear the testimony and music of Dawn Smith-Jordan.
This morning, we’re going to continue to be encouraged, by Peter, to take a stand in the midst of our troubles. As we’ve noted previously, this is a letter that’s being written to Christians that have been scattered across Asia Minor in the midst of an ever-increasing persecution by Rome. The people receiving this letter, the churches that are circulating this letter are feeling like aliens and strangers in this world, and we sympathize with them. We, too, feel like aliens and strangers in our world and our country and perhaps even our own communities this morning. Our values, our principles, our passions, our worldview is so different from those around us and we’re finding encouragement in what Peter has to say. Follow along with me, now, as I read our text:
13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
“Prepare our hearts, O God, to accept Your Word. Silence in us any voices but Your own, so that we may hear Your Word and, in hearing it, that we may also do it; through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
How are we, as a Christians, supposed to live in a culture, in a society with a government that’s growing in its antagonism toward our beliefs?
Right Response to Undeserved Trouble
A lot of the trouble that we face in life is not deserved. It’s not fair. It’s not just. But let me tell you something; sitting around and whining about everything being unjust and unfair won’t do us any good. And that’s why Peter offers this rhetorical question, “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?” Some people say that Peter sounds an awful lot like Paul, right here. Remember Paul’s statement in Romans 8:
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? … Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? Who is to condemn? … Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:31-39).
Ultimately, nobody can harm you. If you’ve trusted in Jesus Christ for your salvation, then every day is a win/win proposition for you. If you die, you win. You go to be with your Lord and Savior. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Philippians 1:21, 23b). If you continue living, you win. You’re able to fellowship with family and friends. “But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account” (Philippians 1:24). Now, that’s how some people understand what Peter is saying here.
But there are others that read Peter’s words and, understanding the context in which he’s writing, say, “Peter? Come on! There’s an entire world out there that can harm me. Nero is killing Christians by the hundreds because of their refusal to call him Lord. There are people in 21st century America that would like nothing more than to physically harm a Christian for their beliefs. Have you seen the vitriol and violence towards Christians since overturning Roe vs. Wade? Peter, you’ve got to be kidding.”
To those folks, Peter writes verse 14, “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled…” This is a third-class conditional sentence, which means this is the most likely outcome. You could read it as “since you are going to suffer.” Peter says, since this is most likely going to be a reality for you, have no fear and do not be troubled. Prove yourself zealous, prove yourself to be passionate about what is good. Don’t acquiesce to evil. Don’t stoop to the level of the world. Don’t give up on righteous living. If there’s one thing that Satan wants from us, it’s to be less and less passionate about Jesus Christ.
This is what Satan has been after since he fell. He wants to take worship away from God. He wants to take worship away from Jesus Christ. He doesn’t care what you worship or what you’re passionate about or what you’re zealous about, so long as it’s not Almighty God. He’s doing everything he can to get you to re-route your passion for other things. Satan’s goal is to take praise away from God the Father. He wants us to become so frustrated, so bored, so aggravated in our Christian journey that we begin to pour that energy and passion for God’s Word and right living into other things: golf, fishing, politics, family, an Alma Mater, it doesn’t matter.
And Peter’s encouragement is since this is most likely going to happen, don’t forget that you’ll be blessed. Have no fear of them and don’t be troubled. In the midst of trouble, in the midst of difficulty, in the midst of people wanting to harm you, live in such a way that they will be compelled to ask you where your hope comes from (v. 15).
“Why are you like this? Why don’t you just break down and cuss me out? What don’t you just break down and lose your temper and get red in the face and scream at me? Why don’t you just act hateful to me, since I’ve been acting hateful towards you? What in the world is going on inside of you?” That’s the whole reason that we live this way. Every single trouble we face is an opportunity to share the witness of Jesus Christ.
Recount Your Blessings in the Midst of Trouble
All I could think about was that old hymn by Johnson Oatman, Jr. titled Count Your Blessings. That’s essentially what Peter is saying right here in verse 14, “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed.” Put your finger there and go back with me to John 15 for just a moment. Let me take you to that Upper Room with Jesus and the disciples and listen to what Jesus says only a few hours before His death. John 15:18, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you.” Then down in verse 21, “But all these things they will do to you on account of My name, because they do not know Him who sent Me.” Jesus says that if we’re truly following Him, then we’ll suffer for righteousness’ sake.
You may not suffer imprisonment and torture like they do in other parts of the world. You may not suffer threats to your family’s safety like they do in other parts of the world. You might not even have your property taken or family members separated like other parts of the world. But you might be ridiculed. You might be overlooked at work or school. You might have people roll their eyes or shake their finger at you. You might have someone write some hurtful comments on your social media accounts. You might hear something via the grapevine – the best way to hear about something.
Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:10-12, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Recount the blessings of your life. God has blessed every single one of us financially. We’re all financially blessed. We’re among the top 5% of wealth in the world. Nobody in this place (today) lives in a shack made of reclaimed tin or tarps. There’s not a single donkey tied up in the parking lot – oh sure, that 4×4 might ride like a mule and you might call it a bad name, but none of us rode livestock or walked to get to church today. God has blessed us educationally, vocationally, and in so many other ways, but don’t forget that not all blessings are physical or financial or visible or tangible. We have blessings that are being stacked up in heaven.
Listen to Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…” That’s eternal. That house you live in is going to burn up one day. That car you drive is going to rust out one day. Those clothes you’re wearing will become threadbare one day. But you have eternal blessings in the heavenly places when you have Jesus Christ. Nothing can touch that.
Reaffirm Your Commitment to Jesus
Look at verse 15, “[B]ut in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy…” Now this doesn’t have the impact that it’s supposed to have if we don’t keep it connected to the end of verse 14, which reads, “Have no fear of them, nor be troubled…” We need to stop acting as though we’re afraid of everything. Who’s going to be President. Who was President? What are they going to do in Congress? When is the economy going to collapse? Stop being afraid. There’s no need for fear. “How do I do that?” Honor Christ. Fear God. Don’t be afraid of the interest rates, or gas prices, or groceries. I’m not saying those things aren’t important and that we can (or should) insulate ourselves from having conversations about them. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m simply saying don’t live in fear.
“[S]anctify the Lord God in your hearts” (NKJV). Fear Him. Honor Him. Commit your life to Him. Re-commit your life to Him. Dedicate yourself to Christ. Because, let me tell you something, He’s the One who ultimately secures and stabilizes your life. He’s the One who keeps you. He’s the One who provides for you. Set Him apart from everyone and everything and recognize His holiness and recommit your life to Him supremely. Worship Him. Honor Him. Sing to Him. Pray to Him.
Peter says, “[B]ut in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy…” and he says, then you’ll “have a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (v. 16).
Many of you know that I’m a student of history. I really enjoy reading history and studying history. I’ve confessed my obsession with Wikipedia many times, and yes, I’m aware that it’s not 100% accurate, but this is true of any human endeavor. Anyway, one of the biographies that I just finished reading was Doctor Sangster.
William Edwin Sangster was born in 1900 into a humble home in Shoreditch, London, the son of Anglican parents. In a fragment of autobiography, he wrote: “I believe that I was born to be a minister. I cannot recall a time in my life when I was without a sense of holy vocation. It did not derive from any conviction in the mind of my parents, who had never so much as entertained the thought. But I felt the pressure of a directing hand upon me from my tenderest years. [In] my teens, seeking what I came to regard as a deeper and more personal experience of God I drifted from the church of my baptism and early training and associated with the people called Methodist, and when the time came for me to join the army on my eighteenth birthday, I was already a local preacher. [A]rmy life tested me and deepened me. The strange Man upon the Cross haunted and held me all the time. I came out of the army convinced that His was the only way and I offered myself for the Methodist ministry. I had four years training in college and was put on sound lines of scholarship.”
He ministered in Bognor, Colwyn Bay, Liverpool and Scarborough, attracting large congregations in each place. In 1936 he was called to succeed Leslie Weatherhead at Brunswick Church, Leeds. It is a sufficient tribute to his power as a preacher that he should have been selected as the successor of the most popular preacher in the Methodist Church.
His longest and most memorable ministry was at the Central Hall, Westminster, where he succeeded the veteran Dinsdale T. Young. Sangster had the largest Sunday evening congregation in London, filling the 2,500 seats in the Hall. That’s Sunday night, folks! And they did that for 16 years.
During World War II, when the bombing began, he threw open the vast basement of the Central Hall to the homeless. They say he had a little red light on the pulpit that would illuminate whenever the Germans would start bombing. When that little light would come on, he would stop preaching and usher everyone downstairs to the bomb shelter. It’s reported that during the Blitz (on London) they served over 500,000 people. For five years he and his family made their home there and William and his wife slept in the men’s restroom. (Ladies, be thankful you’re not sleeping in the men’s restroom.)
He lived through a lot of trouble. But the greatest trouble in his life was at the end, when they diagnosed him with ALS. This is what he said when he received the word:
- I will never complain.
- I will keep my home bright.
- I will count my blessings.
- I will try to turn it to God’s gain.
In other words, when I get to the place in my life where the trouble is so great that all I can do is take that one muscle, that one finger and point it to God, that’s what I’ll do. That’s what we do in troubled times.
“Lord, we reaffirm our commitment to You this morning. One of the ways that we do that is by coming to Your table. One of the many blessings that is ours by virtue of Your grace is the reminder that You died in our place. You died for our sin. You died in order that we might be restored to a right relationship with our heavenly Father. So, God, as we come to this table, we ask that You visit us anew by the power of the Holy Spirit, in order that we might be renewed and transformed in spirit and mind to reflect the love of Christ Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.”