To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout the earth, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance. You are invited to come to the Wednesday evening prayer meeting and pray. (7:00 PM EDT Wed., Jan. 2, 2002) (If you have e-mail prayer requests, please send them before 5:00 PM.)

!!!NOTE THAT THE PRAYER MEETING WILL BE AT 7 PM ON JAN. 2!!!

"(12) Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. (13) But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. (14) If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. (15) If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. (16) However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. (17) For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (18) And, 'If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?' (19) So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." (1 Peter 4:12-19 - NIV)

I used the New American Standard (NASB) translation today rather than the NIV because it gives a more literal translation and, I think, brings out some of the concepts from the Old Testament that Peter is referring to. At one point, however, of the several translations I usually look at, only the King James keeps the literal meaning. In verse 17, the NIV refers to "the family of God," while the NASB refers to the "household of God." The King James translates this phrase as, "the house of God," which is what it literally says. I will refer to that again later. I've included both the NIV and the NASB texts for comparison.

Before I go on, I want to, again, remind you that Peter wrote his letter to God's elect, chosen through the sanctifying work of the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling by his blood -- in other words, for salvation -- to be made pure and holy and perfect before God. Peter, in chapter 1 verse 1, mentions a number of places located in the present area of Turkey as the places where the saints are to be recipients of his letter. But the Holy Spirit has written through Peter to all of the saints all over the world and throughout the history of the church -- and to us also.

Peter is telling us again to expect to suffer: "Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you." Peter is writing to a general audience all of whom may not be suffering a 'fiery ordeal' at the moment. Not all of us may be suffering at the moment either, but we can definitely expect to suffer at some time. The fiery ordeals are not something strange, but rather, are to test us. They are part of the process of making us like Christ.

Verse 13 says, "But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation." Peter is not telling us to rejoice because we are suffering, but because we are becoming like Christ. Christ didn't suffer for the sake of suffering -- to show how tough he was or how much he could endure. He was no tougher than the average man. But he was also God -- the word who became flesh. He didn't suffer for the sake of suffering. He suffered for our sake -- to save us from suffering in hell.

Haven't you ever suffered, even in some small way, and rejoiced because you knew you were sharing in the sufferings of Christ? I have. But, still, most of the time I complain or am angry. Peter says that there is a reason that we must keep on rejoicing: "To the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation" The reason to rejoice while you are suffering is so that you will be able to rejoice much, much, much more in the future at the revelation of his glory. If you don't think you are sharing in the sufferings of Christ, you won't become more like him either. We don't have much physical persecution around here, but listen to what the writer of Hebrews says about some people who suffered for Christ in the past (this is from the "faith chapter," Hebrews 11:35b-40):

"Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated -- the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."

People in other parts of the world are really suffering like this. Did you notice that some refused to be released so that they might gain a better resurrection. They were probably being told to deny Christ, but realized that if they didn't, even if they were killed, they would finally rejoice with exultation.

Now look at verse 14. Verse 14 says, "If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." The Holy Spirit of God is the seal that God put upon us that guarantees our salvation.

According to 2 Cor. 1:21,22: "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

And according to Eph. 1:13,14: "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-- to the praise of his glory."

Have you ever been reviled -- "cussed out" -- because you were speaking for Christ? Any of you who remember the days of "fishing" on OSU campus have probably experienced this. Peter -- rather, God speaking through Peter -- says you are blessed because his Spirit, the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

Verse 15 says, "By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler." This is an important concept. Peter has repeated it several times. People can suffer for many reasons. You can suffer because you bring suffering on yourself by what you do. Maybe no one who is hearing or reading this is a murderer, but most of us have done some evil and suffered for it. If that's the case, your suffering doesn't count. You deserved it. In any case, God disciplines those he love and treats as son. The objective is for it to bring forth in you a harvest of righteousness and peace after you have been trained by his discipline (Heb. 12:5-11).

Verse 16 says, "But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God." People definitely suffer whether they are Christians or not. God's creation is in a fallen state, so we all suffer because of that. But I believe that it is possible to suffer for being a Christian and not see a direct connection between your suffering and anything you have done as a Christian. It's because we are continually fighting a spiritual battle against (from Eph. 6:12) "the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Our enemy the devil would like for us to feel defeated when someone reviles us because of Christ. Do you feel that you are going to sound stupid or be told that you are stupid if you try to explain the gospel to someone who doesn't believe -- or if you try to give Jesus as the reason you made some decision that is contrary to what the world would decide. Our enemy is telling you that you ought to feel that way. Don't believe it. It's a lie. Instead, in the name of Jesus, glorify God.

Verse 17 says, "For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God (literally, from the house of God); and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" I wasn't sure at first what kind of judgment Peter was talking about here. There is a judgment before Christ for both believers and unbelievers, but the word "For" that Peter used to start verse 17 definitely connects it to what he has just said concerning suffering. So I had to conclude that, by "judgment," he was referring to suffering. The commentaries confirmed this.

The word "judgment" can refer to the making of a decision concerning guilt or innocence, or to punishment as a penalty, or to punishment as correction. The judgment for the house of God (that is us) is different from the judgment for those who do not obey the gospel. And when Peter says that it is time for the judgment to begin, I believe that we should understand it to mean right now at the time we are reading the letter and not just to the time Peter wrote it.

The reason I made a point of the fact that the text literally refers to "the house of God" rather than the household or family of God, is that the experts say that this is an expression that in the Greek Old Testament refers only to God's temple.

Now listen to what Malachi 3:1-4 says:

"(3:1) See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty. (2) But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. (3) He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, (4) and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.

This passage says that the Lord will come suddenly to his temple -- his house (v1). He will be like a refiner's fire and a launderer's soap (v2). He will purify the Levites and refine them like silver and gold (v3). Then the offerings will be made in righteousness and will be acceptable to the LORD. The Levites are the tribe that served the temple. The priests came from the tribe of Levi. They offered the sacrifices to God.

But in Peter's letter, we are the priests; and we are also the living stones that are being built into God's house with Christ the chosen and precious cornerstone. We are the ones who are able to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Peter says so in chapter 2 verses 4 to 6. The "judgment that begins with the house of God" is the judgment that refines us and makes us like Christ, suitable to be in God's presence.

Again, verse 17 from today's passage says, "For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God (literally, from the house of God); and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?"

Verse 5 from the Malachi passage says, "'So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,' says the LORD Almighty." Those that are in this judgment correspond to those whom Peter refers to when he says, "What will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" God will quickly testify against them. If we don't act as priests of God, they will be condemned.

Peter emphasizes the serious condition of the unbelievers with a quote from Proverbs 11:31 in verse 18: "and if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? (The capital letters are used by the NASB to indicate that verse 18 is a quote from the Old Testament.)

To sum it up, the judgment that begins from the house of God, our judgment, is to refine us and make us like Christ. The judgment of those who do not obey the gospel is condemnation. And, by the way, in case any of you have forgotten, obeying the gospel means trusting Jesus.

According to verse 19, "Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right."

Praise God for his great salvation. Praise God for his mercy. Praise God that he loves us and treats us as his children. Praise God that we can come before him as priests through Jesus. Praise God for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Praise God for Jesus. Amen.

Come and let's pray for each other as well as for the whole church. Come and encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. Love them.

Love in Christ,
Dean

PS: If you absolutely can't make it to the prayer meeting, send your prayer requests back to me by e-mail and we'll pray for them.