Lesson 26 — Be Strong In Remembering
Text: 1 Peter 4:12-19,
“Beloved, think it not
strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange
thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's
sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for
the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil
spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a
murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's
matters. Yet if any man suffer as a
Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it
first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of
God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the
sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God
commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful
Creator.”
We
have been studying the book of I Peter and we said that the Lord Jesus Christ
exhorted Peter in the 22nd chapter of the gospel of Luke to, “Strengthen Thy Brethren.” We feel that
Peter did just that by being used of God to write the books of First and Second
Peter. We’ve looked at many things in these lessons and today we want to just
summarize some things and place the emphasis in the word of God where God
places the emphasis.
Remember
the people that Peter wrote to at this time were believers who were suffering
severe persecution for their faith in Christ. In I Peter chapter four and verse
sixteen, Peter says, “Yet if any man
suffer as a Christian.” Just
prior to this in verse fourteen, Peter writes, “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ.” That word reproached
means to “be taken into their teeth.” It has the meaning of being disdained so
strongly as to suffer even physical harm. These believers not only suffered
from verbal abuse, social standing in the community, but perhaps for some even
physical bodily harm as well.
For
most Christians in America, we have no idea what this kind of suffering is all
about. It meant more to these people to be a Christian than you or I can
imagine that it means in our day. They lived in a world dominated by Rome.
Caesar was to be worshipped and everyone was expected to bow the knee. These
believers were in a great conflict because they would worship no one except the
Lord Jesus Christ. They were called Christians as a term of reproach and
disdain. This was not a term that they chose for themselves.
Peter’s
words were inspired by the Spirit of God and used of God to not only strengthen
these scattered Jewish believers back then, but for us today as well. Let’s
look back quickly at some very practical things that Peter was led by the
Spirit of God to pen in order to strengthen the brethren who were trying to
live, “as a Christian.”
#1) We need
to Have a Lively Hope because of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
1
Peter 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath
begotten us again unto a lively hope
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Because
of the fact of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, we can be a hopeful people.
We have a living hope. We don’t have to be like others who are without hope.
When we hear negative news, when
illness, trials or events seem to take a turn for the worse, we have a God Who
hears and answers our prayers, amen. As believers, we need to see God’s unseen
Hand behind everything that happens in our lives, remove all secondary causes
and be hopeful people, not faithless and despairing like those who are without
hope in this present world.
#2) We Need to Love the Lord Jesus.
1
Peter 1:8 says, “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him
not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” As a Christian, I need to put Christ first
with respect to love. He is the object of our love and we prove our love by our
obedience to His commands. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
We
love our spouses, our children, our parents, our brethren, and the work of the
ministry, but the love we are to have for Christ must exceed all other loves.
If we love the Lord the way we should, all other loves will be what they
should. In other words, if I love the Lord Jesus supremely and preeminently,
than I will be a better more loving husband, father, son and pastor.
#3) As a Christian, I need to be
Holy.
1
Peter 1:15-16 says, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be
ye holy; for I am holy.” Because of the righteousness of Christ that has
been placed on our accounts, we are seen by God as perfectly Holy.
I am justified and seen by God just as if I had never been a sinner! We also
need to demonstrate by our lifestyle or conversation a life characterized by
holy living, not to save us but because we are saved.
Being
holy in all manner of conversation means that living as a
Christian effects the way we talk, how we interact and deal not only
with our brothers and sisters in Christ but with everyone we have contact with.
God has empowered us by the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit to enable us
to do this. As we grow in Christ and put off the old man and put to death our
flesh, God’s Spirit is able to do His work in making us more like Christ. Every
outward thing that we do should grow out of our desire to live a holy
Christ-honoring life, “as a Christian.”
#4) As a Christian, we ought to Love
the Brethren.
1
Peter 1:22 says, “Seeing ye have purified
your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that
ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.”
An
unfeigned love is one that is true and sincere and not fake or put on. It’s a
real love that we should have for our brothers and sisters in Christ. 1 John
3:14-18 says, “We know that we have
passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not
his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and
ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we
the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down
our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his
brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how
dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us
not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”
This
love for the brethren is more than just a kind word; rather it is love in
action, a love backed up by “doing” more than by mere words. In fact, if there
are people you do not love, than you are not behaving as a Christian. There is
nothing Christ-like about an unloving spirit. Our example, the Lord Jesus, even
loved the people who drove the nails into his hands and feet. The “brethren” are those who have trusted
Christ as their Savior. Of course we are to love the lost and bring the Gospel
to them, but we are commanded, as a Christian, to love the brethren.
#5) As a Christian, we are to Abstain
from Fleshly Lusts.
1
Peter 2:11 says, “Dearly beloved, I
beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war
against the soul.” This means that anything, I mean anything that would
cause me to fall into sin and bring reproach on the name of Christ, needs to be
removed from my life. This may be different for each person. Is it pornography,
is it alcohol, is it anger, is it laziness, you fill in the blank?
We
must bring our bodies into subjection and by prayer and supplication and God’s
Holy Spirit and His word, we can and must have victory over these fleshly
lusts. We’re in a spiritual battle and we must use the whole armor of God if we
are to be victorious believers. Peter says that this world is not our home, we
are strangers and pilgrims here and we have a home in heaven to look forward
to. Let’s live presently as if we are already there. We must set our affections
on things above, as a Christian.
Paul
said in Colossians 3:1-2, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection (the things you
think about and love the most) on things above, not on things on the earth.”
#6) As a Christian, we are to have
Good Works.
1
Peter 2:12 says, “Having your
conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as
evildoers, they may by your good works,
which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
Jesus
said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven.”
James
2:26 says, “Faith without works is dead.”
We
know that works have no part in our salvation, but they are done to bring glory
to God and to demonstrate to a lost world that Christians are living their
lives looking for opportunities to do good to all men.
Paul
said in Galatians 6:9-10, “And let us not
be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we
have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the
household of faith.”
#7) As a Christian, we are to Live Under Authority.
1
Peter 2:13-14 says, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake:
whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are
sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do
well.”
All
of us have the spirit of anarchy in our old natures. We think we know more than
the boss at work, we want everything to go our way in our lives and we some are
always at odds with those who have been placed in a position of authority over
us.
First
and foremost, we must yield to the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ in our
lives, then we must yield to God ordained authority
and to submit to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake. This is something
that we must put to death moment by moment as the flesh with all its pride and
selfishness rears its ugly head daily in our lives. The spirit and attitude of
anarchy and rebellion to God ordained authority has no place in our lives as a
Christian.
Romans
13:1-2 says, “Let every soul be subject
unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be
are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the
ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”
#8) As a Christian, Wives are to be in Subjection to
their own Husbands.
1
Peter 3:1 says, “Likewise, ye wives, be
in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also
may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives.” As a
Christian wife, who should desire to lead an unsaved husband to Christ, she
must do it with an attitude of subjection to him and not as a nagging wife who
puts him down and pushes him away using her Christianity to embarrass and
promote herself as better and superior to him.
An
unsaved spouse will never be won to Christ by a saved partner apart from a
Christ-like humility that was demonstrated by the Lord when He humbled Himself
even to death on the Cross. Again we are reminded that by being in subjection
to her husband, a wife is by no means of less value but in order for a home to
function the way God intended, as a Christian, we must obey the Lord in all
areas.
#9) As a Christian, Husbands are to love and honor
their Wives.
1
Peter 3:7 says, “Likewise, ye husbands,
dwell with them according to knowledge, giving
honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs
together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” The word
honour speaks of a cherished position or something that is deemed of great value
and price. As Christian husbands we should treat our wives as a special gift
from God. Our words, our tender touch, and our actions towards them should
demonstrate to them and to all who are watching that we hold our wives in a
position of honor. It is what God expects as a Christian.
#10) As a Christian, we should be a
Praying People.
1
Peter 3:12 says, “For the eyes of the
Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the
face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” The Christian life is a
life of prayer. Prayer to a God Who delights in answering our prayers according
to His will. As people of prayer we should live holy lives so that we can go to
the Lord at a moment’s notice knowing that His eyes and ears are attentive to
our every need.
Psalms
18:6 says, “In my distress I called upon
the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my
cry came before him, even into his ears.”
James
4:2-3 says, “Ye lust, and have not: ye
kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye
ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your
lusts.”
Philippians
4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
#11) As a Christian, we must be Ready
Always to Give an Answer.
1
Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify the Lord
God in your hearts: and be ready always
to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is
in you with meekness and fear.” As Christians we must be ready to give an
answer to those who need Christ and who are seeking the truth in their lives.
We must work at it, studying our Bibles, knowing what we believe as we seek to
share the truths of the gospel with a lost and dying world.
#12) As a Christian, we must
recognize that we are going to Go Through Trials.
1
Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, think it not
strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange
thing happened unto you.” The truth is that there is almost never a time in
your life as a Christian that you are not going to be going through trials,
some being more severe than others. As a Christian, we are going against the
grain of this world as we obediently live the Christian life. We would like it
to be different, and someday it will be, but not in this life and not on this
earth.
And
so, as a Christian, we are to expect trials will come and when they do we must
know that they are from God to help us to depend upon Him and to mature and
grow. 1 Peter 1:7 says, “That the trial
of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it
be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the
appearing of Jesus Christ.”
#13) As a Christian, we are to Cast Our Cares Upon The Lord.
1
Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your care
upon him; for he careth for you.” Sometimes we love to carry our own cares
because we like for people to know that we have them and will have sympathy on
us. As a Christian we are commanded to cast our cares upon the Lord and it’s
amazing that He wants to carry them for us.
Jesus
said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me,
all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly
in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my
burden is light.” The rest that we need as a Christian is not in a secluded
geographical location, but in Christ and Christ alone.
#14) As a Christian, we are to be
Sober and Vigilant.
1
Peter 5:8-9 says. “Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast
in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your
brethren that are in the world.” As a Christian, we must understand that
the World, the Flesh and the Devil are our enemies and that Satan is out for
our destruction and to cause division in our homes, our churches and in the
world. We are physically no match for the Devil but before Christ He is a
defeated foe.
We
are to resist him stedfast in the faith. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:10-13, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the
whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto
you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
As
we conclude this very practical book of I Peter we must understand that we are
not doing the things admonished for us to do to become a Christian, but rather
because we are Christians. I believe with all my heart that this is the way God
intends for us to live. One of these days we are going to face the piercing
eyes of our Lord Jesus, not to stand in judgment of our salvation, but to give
an account of our service to Him. He is going to hold every Christian
accountable for how we behaved in this world “As a Christian!”