1 Peter 4

Discussion Questions

1. Have you experienced what H.B. Charles referred to as ambidextrous faith where you needed – and were able – to “hold blessings in one hand & trouble in the other”?
2. Have you had an experience where, though you had to experience suffering, you can now see that it worked for good? Was this obvious in the moment too, or only in hindsight? Given this experience, do you think you might recognize & approach a future instance of suffering differently?
3. As we seek to be stewards of God’s grace over the coming week, can you think of two specific things you can do to show God’s grace to people over the coming several days? Try to think of two types of action: something you can say & some act of service you can perform, to follow through in both word & deed.

Transcript

We do study through books of the Bible here at The Village Chapel. And if you’d like a paper copy to follow along with, just raise your hand and someone will deliver it to you. And up on the screen, you will see our Wi-Fi information and password and that ubiquitous QR code that Chris and Lindsay were talking about. You can capture that code and get the sermon notes and quotes if you wish. And as always, we like to give a shout-out to our folks that are watching online. Good morning and welcome. Let’s see. We kind of keep track of where people are watching from. And in the last week, we’ve been joined by folks from Agartala, India. Shout-out from India. Surabaya, Indonesia and Loveland, Colorado which is, gosh, that’s just amazing. Welcome to you all.

Like I said, we do study through books of the Bible here at The Village Chapel. This morning, we are continuing our study of 1 and 2 Peter, which we called “A Living Hope.” And I just would like to emphasize that our hope is not based on a successful NFL draft, it is not based on a playoff hockey game, it is not based on a Braves’ baseball game with three home runs by one single player. Thank you, Travis d’Arnaud. It’s not based on success or wealth or good health. All those things can be good things, right? But they are not ultimate things. And we have a living hope because our hope is based on our risen Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen?

In Christ, our past is forgiven, our present is protected, and our future is secured and assured. As we read our text today, I’d like for us to keep in mind a couple of things. Peter is writing about this same living hope to young believers in Asia Minor, an area that we would call Turkey in present-day. They were a mix of Jewish and Gentile believers. And the Gentile believers especially had come out of a former lifestyle, just this pagan lifestyle where no holds barred, everything went. These believers were beginning to experience some suffering and some persecution as they left this former way of life.

Peter writes to them as a pastor, not as a theologian. He’s a fisherman and a pastor. And he writes to them as a pastor. He wants to reassure these young believers that suffering is a part of the Christian life. It’s part of the journey of faith. It can serve as a purifying agent refining their faith, and it joins them, and it joins us, with suffering fellow believers like we just heard about in Carrie’s prayer from the Democratic Republic of Congo. It joins us to fellow believers, and it joins us to the sufferings of Christ.

I think Peter has another goal as well. He wants to impart a sense of mission to these young believers. And he makes a statement in verse 10, that’s the title of our message today, “Stewards of God’s Grace.” Paul mentions something similar in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 4. He says,

“This is how one should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.”
1 Corinthians 4:1-2

So, one of the essences of being a steward is faithfulness. Paul continues in Chapter 5 of 2 Corinthians, and he says we’ve been given “the ministry of reconciliation” and “we are ambassadors for Christ.” What a sense of mission in those three words: stewards, ministers, ambassadors. I’d like to encourage you that those statements are not made with a church staff in mind. It’s a description for every believer; we’re all entrusted with this mission. Regardless of who we are, wherever we live, wherever we work, wherever we worship, we’re entrusted with this mission.

So, this passage divides up neatly into three sections. Verses 1 through 6, Peter is talking about the past, the way these believers used to live and calling them out of that. Verses 7 through 11 are about the present, about what they are being called into, what kind of a lifestyle are they being called into. And then verses 12 through 19, Peter’s talking about the future. He’s talking about suffering with the end in mind. In all three of these sections, Peter is encouraging these young believers that their lives will look different than the world around them.

So, let’s pray, church and then read through our text: Heavenly Father, like we just sang, take our life and let it be all of our life, Lord, consecrated to Thee. Lord, I pray that You would give us a solid sense of what You are doing in our lives today, what You’ve already done and how You’re calling us to walk to be stewards of Your grace to the watching world. I pray that You would illuminate this word. Open our eyes, ears, hearts and minds. Holy Spirit, we want to hear from You. We lift this up in Jesus’ name. Amen.

So, our passage starts in Chapter 4, and he says, “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh…” I’m going to go back and read one verse out of Chapter 3 that gives the perspective, sets up the precedent for this “therefore.” So, Chapter 3, verse 18, I’m going to read, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteousness for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.”

Gosh, I just love that. Just beautiful what Christ has done for us. And so, Peter takes that statement, carries it over into Chapter 4 and he says, “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh, has ceased from sin.” And he means humans, not Jesus. “…so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. But the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties and lawless idolatry.”

Wow, that’s a lot right off the bat, Peter is instructing these believers to think about the suffering of Christ on the cross. And he says, “Arm yourself. Weaponize yourself. Put on the whole armor of God. Prepare yourself to battle against this way of living” – that he’s talked about in verse 3. He’s talking about this pagan culture that was living solely for human passions uncontrolled, unbridled, moved by whatever seized them in the moment. Unless you think that we are far removed from that kind of living, a little stroll down Lower Broad on a Friday or Saturday night will convince you otherwise.

Peter is telling these believers, “Look, you used to live like this. But now instead you are living for the will of God.” And on this next slide, it’s worth asking ourselves this question: Are we intentionally living a life of “Your will be done”? Is that our mindset, the lens through which we see our everyday life? Are we intentionally living a life of “Your will be done”?

So, we see a picture, if you will, of the culture in their day. What’s the culture of our day look like? I’m sure there’s plenty of verse 3 things that happen in our world today, but there’s also this part of our culture right now that’s given to extreme anger, to polarization, to anxiety, to this self-autonomy that we call expressive individualism. And I’d like to suggest as believers that we’ve also been called out of that and into a life of living for the will of God.

In the next three verses, Peter says, “Well, this is going to be the result of being called out of that type of living.” So, let’s reach verse 4. “With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.”

So, whether it’s this verse 3 style of living that I keep referring to or this anger and rage economy that we find ourselves in today, Peter is saying, “Don’t be surprised when people malign you when you don’t join them in their behavior.” And you could call it being maligned, you could call it cancel culture. I think we see that on social media when people are talking about what they see as injustices in the world. It’s not enough to be silent if you don’t join them in what they’re railing against. Quite often, you’re maligned for your silence. And Peter is saying, “This is going to happen. People are going to be angry at you for not joining in their behavior.”

And I would like to encourage this, that our lives are supposed to look different. I don’t mean like a weirdo Christian different that’s depicted in a lot of movies and television, but our lives are supposed to be different. Living as a non-anxious presence in an angry world is in itself going to be a witness and a testimony. I would encourage us to live lives like that, to be a non-anxious presence.

In verse 6 there’s an element that we talked about in our sermon prep meeting. Verse 6, where he says, “For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.” There are several interpretations. What does that mean that the Gospel was preached to those who are dead? There are a lot of different interpretations by different commentators, but one that we all discussed, and I would say this is how I interpret this verse. Although I’m comfortable saying I don’t know, we don’t know everything. There’s a bit of a mystery about some things, but to me that verse means that before we accept Christ, before we come to Christ, we’re spiritually dead. And I think that’s what Peter means about this, that the gospel is preached to those who are spiritually dead.

Well, moving on, verse 7, Peter says, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies – in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” And I love this little doxology here from Peter, “To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Well, I love this. Peter is now bringing us to the present. In verses 2 through 6, he was reminding these believers how they used to live, calling them out of it. And then now he’s moving into the present, from the indicative to the imperative. “Now live like this” is what he’s saying. Don’t live with your former life in the rearview mirror looking over your shoulder. You’re being called away from that behavior. And the best way to get away from that behavior is to move towards something else. And this is the type of behavior that he’s calling them into.

Verse 12, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and 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 be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And ‘If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?’” And then he finishes with this beautiful verse. “Therefore, [out of all this] let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good.”

He talks about two or three different ways of suffering here. Verse 12, he refers to suffering as a fiery trial. And this is the refiners’ fire, like refining gold and making it pure. This is not a fiery judgment. This is a test and suffering that is fully intended to purify the life of a believer. And then he contrasts that in verse 15, which I’m going to read, “Let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.” That’s not suffering to be purified, that’s suffering from bad choices. There’s a little bit of a contrast there. And then verse 17, this is a humbling verse, he says, “It is time for judgment to begin at the household of God.” And I would just encourage us, my goodness, we should get our own house in order before we criticize others.

This week while studying this passage, that phrase out of verse 10 “stewards of God’s grace” has just been in my mind all week. And so, I wanted to explore three different facets of what being a steward of God’s grace might look like. In the Greek, the word for steward is oikonomos. Another version of that is where the word “economy” comes from. Oikonomos is a responsible slave or servant. This servant would have total responsibility for his master’s household. He was trusted with everything; staffing, schedules, the accounts, all of the finances, managing food and drink, fields, animals, herds and flocks. Everything necessary to run and maintain a household was trusted to this good and faithful servant.

You might think of Genesis chapter 39, where Joseph was trusted with running Potiphar’s household. Everything that Joseph did, the Lord blessed, and he took on more and more responsibility till there’s one verse where it says, “So he [Potiphar] left all that he had in Joseph’s charge. And because of him [Joseph] he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.” So, Joseph, although he was a servant, was running the entire household. Peter is telling these Galatians that God has entrusted them with the responsibility of managing the good news of the Gospel of grace of Jesus Christ. He is saying, “I am leaving you to run this household of faith. I’m entrusting this to you.”

As believers, we have that same awesome responsibility. So, what might that look like in our lives? The first facet of that is opportunity. The opportunity of a steward. If you were a steward like Joseph managing a household, there’s no telling where you might end up on your master’s business. You would be tasked with representing him everywhere you went. No matter who you talked to, who you did business with, you were representing your master. As the great theologian Dr. Seuss says, “Oh, the places you’ll go.”

As stewards of God’s grace, we have the opportunity to represent Him wherever we go, wherever we are, whoever we’re with, and we have this opportunity to extend grace in any number of ways. Many times extending grace might be because there’s a situation where extending grace is required, meaning somebody has wronged you in some way, somebody has irritated you in some way, someone has loudly expressed an opinion that you cannot stand, and then we’re given this opportunity to extend God’s grace just in the way we relate to each other.

But then there’s a deeper level too. Are we willing to listen to the Holy Spirit in order to extend the grace of God through Jesus to our unbelieving neighbor? Listen to this Spurgeon quote,

“Oh, my brothers and sisters in Christ, if sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies; and if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay, and not madly to destroy themselves. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”
C.H. Spurgeon

Man, I hope that moves you. Are we wrestling in prayer for our neighbors and our loved ones? I know this quote is aggressively evangelistic, right? But take that quote and wrap it in grace and compassion and then pray for opportunities, patiently allow the Holy Spirit to create an opportunity for you to share that grace with someone. Are you willing, am I willing, for God to create some kind of divine disruption or distraction in your life to accomplish His will of extending grace to someone who is not a believer, to work things out, to put you in some situation where the Holy Spirit can use you to extend His grace? I would encourage all of us to live with an open hand to our life to accomplish that, to be able to be used in that way, to seize that opportunity.

Well, what might the characteristics of a steward look like? That would be our next question. And Peter listed some of these characteristics in verses 7 through 11. Some of those characteristics would be self-controlled, sober-minded, loving one another earnestly, showing hospitality without grumbling, serving one another with the gifts of grace.

Self-controlled. Back to what Peter was saying at the beginning of the chapter, right? What controls us? Are our passions just running away with us? Are we living an uncontrolled life on our own part, being controlled by what seizes us at the moment? Or are we intentionally living for the Lord? Are we self-controlled, meaning controlled by the Holy Spirit, allowing for God to do His will in our lives?

Sober-minded. I know there’s an immediate thought of not living in drunkenness, which the Bible teaches against, right? There’s living soberly that way. But I also ask, are we being clear-headed in our faith? Are we taking our faith and our life seriously? Because Jesus thought enough of your life to die on the cross for you, for your life and for what it’s worth. And so, the question is, are you valuing your life in light of that?

And then loving one another earnestly, if we’re valuing our life that way, how are we loving and valuing others? With lip service when it’s convenient? Are we skimming the surface of loving others? Or like we just asked the question for sober-minded, are we taking their lives as seriously as we are our own life because Jesus also thought they were worth it to give His life to save them? And are we valuing their life in light of that as well? How do we value our life? How do we value others?

Showing hospitality without grumbling. It is hard for us to understand how seriously a first-century Jew would’ve taken this concept of hospitality. It was part of the fabric of their lives, and they were commanded to show hospitality and kindness to strangers. What might that look like for us? Showing hospitality could mean valuing someone else’s needs over our preferences, right? When you think of hospitality, you think of inviting someone into your house. And I’d ask, can we go a level deeper? Can we invite someone into the living room of our lives even when it’s inconvenient? Can we show others hospitality?

And then the last one, serving one another with the gifts of grace. We all have gifts. We all have gifts of some sort. How are we using those? Just to satisfy our own passions just to get ahead? Or are we still intentionally “Your will be done,” living for God, serving others with our gifts?

In verse 11, Peter talks about two manifestations of grace. I’m going to read this real quick. He says, “Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies – in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” There are two manifestations of grace that Peter’s talking about there: speaking and serving. You could interpret that as loving in word and deed. And you could interpret that as everything we say and everything we do. In everything, we have an opportunity to extend the grace of God. A whole life example of extending the grace of God.

Jesus said this to His disciples in the upper room in John, Chapter 13, He said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Are our lives looking differently? Well, the last facet of being a steward of grace that I’d like to talk about is the testimony of a steward. What about the Christian life speaks to the glory, the goodness and the faithfulness of God? I’d like to suggest that the way we handle suffering may speak louder and more clearly about God than anything else in our lives.

What role does suffering play in our lives? Is there even a role that exists or is it just merely something to be stoically endured? I mean, at the very least, suffering can’t be ignored, can it? It is disruptive. It makes itself known. It demands our attention. It is rude. The effects of the fall continue to beset us. I think even the most hard-nosed atheist among us has to admit that things are not the way they ought to be. It is obvious that they are not the way they ought to be.

Greg Allison says in his book, Embodied, [this is not a slide] he says, “Though not the way it’s supposed to be, suffering is part and parcel of living in a fallen world.” Well, so if suffering exists because of the fall, how does God regard it? Is it merely our own fault? It’s a consequence. Is God saying, “See, bro, told you so”? Or is God standing on the sidelines with His hands in His pockets saying, “I wish I could help but there’s nothing I can do”? Or is He looking the other way distracted because He has other things on his mind? And I would suggest that God is not angry. He’s not helpless. He’s not indifferent. God is sovereign. If He has created everything that is, if He is the creator of everything, He’s then sovereign over everything, including our suffering.

We’re not meant to ignore our suffering. We’re encouraged by Scripture to lament and grieve. And the Psalms and David himself give us plenty of examples of godly lament. It is encouraging that we’re not raising our fist to an empty sky, that our cries are not falling on deaf ears. And our plight is not ignored by unseeing eyes. God is not withdrawn or indifferent to our suffering. He is well aware of our suffering. He’s moved by our suffering. He’s so moved by our suffering that He sent His only son to live a perfect life and die for us to rescue us and alleviate us from our sin and suffering. And at the end of the story, to return to make all things right and put a final end to death and suffering.

Isaiah teaches us that, although Jesus lived a perfect human life, He willingly suffered for us. Surely, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was pierced for our own transgressions. He was crushed, crushed for our iniquities.

And Tim Keller says this in his book, Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering,

“Jesus lost all His glory so that we could be clothed in it. He was shut out so that we could get access. He was bound, nailed, so that we could be free. He was cast out so that we could approach. Jesus took away the only kind of suffering that can really destroy you: that is being cast away from God.”
Timothy Keller, Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering

So as Christians, we’re called to share in Christ’s sufferings. And we are called to become more like Christ in every area of life, including suffering. Suffering is a fundamental part of the Christian life. I’d like to encourage us that if we view our suffering through the lens of our identity in Christ and not the other way around, we won’t judge God by our circumstances, but we will evaluate our circumstances by what we already know of God and His character. And if we view our circumstances by what we already know of God and His character, that enables us to hold joy and suffering at the same time and recognize that they are not mutually exclusive.

H.B. Charles says it this way,

“Real faith is ambidextrous. It can take blessings in one hand and trouble in the other, lifting both in the worship of the God who is worthy of our stubborn trust, complete obedience and unceasing praise.”
H.B. Charles

Man, holding blessing and trouble, holding joy and suffering at the same time, lifting them to the Lord, it puts our suffering in the proper perspective, doesn’t it? And it focuses our attention on God in the midst of whatever we’re walking through.

Tim Keller also said this in Walking with God, [but this isn’t a slide]. “When unbelievers handle suffering rightly, they are showing the world something of the greatness of God.” Friends, we need to hear this, “Faithfully following God while suffering, it is a powerful opportunity to share the Gospel with those who don’t believe. No one wants to suffer, but when believers do suffer, they can trust God for their own comfort and sustenance; they can bless and comfort others as they themselves have been comforted; and they can make a powerful statement to the watching world that the God who is faithful in the easy places is still faithful in the difficult places and is worthy of worship in all places.” He is a good, good father.

One last thought and one last slide. Friends, when we glorify God and share intimacy with Christ while we’re suffering, we can actually experience a deep level of worship in that moment. That can be a huge witness to God’s glory and God’s greatness to the watching world. So, let’s close with this last slide, it’s verse 19 from our passage. And by the way, as our worship team will come up to play out our response hymn, I’ll remind you that there are people in the back that would love to pray with and for you. If you’d like to go back there and see them and pray with them, they would love the opportunity to pray with you.

So, would you read this verse with me? It’s the last verse in our passage today.

“Therefore, let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”
1 Peter 4:19

Amen. That is what we are called to. Let’s pray, church:

God, You are good, You are faithful. You are the same God in the easy places and the difficult places, and You are worthy of our worship at all times and all places. And God, I do pray that You would bring us to a spot of being able to listen to the Holy Spirit and allow You to make us stewards of Your grace wherever we go, whatever we do, whoever we’re with, knowing that You will walk alongside us and provide these opportunities to do that very thing that You ask of us. We lift this up in Jesus’ name. Amen.