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

Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.—1 Peter 4:15–19

Introduction

Right now, around the world, there are more than 260 million Christians suffering for the Name of Jesus. Our experience here in America of relatively little persecution is the anomaly, not the norm. Consider the statistics from the 2020 World Watch List from OpenDoorsUSA.org, which tracks where it’s most dangerous to follow Jesus around the world. 

• 2,983 Christians were killed for faith-related reasons (roughly eight Christians a day)
• 9,488 churches or Christian buildings were attacked
• 3,711 Christians were detained without trial, arrested, sentenced, and imprisoned

But beyond the numbers, let me highlight the three top countries on the list that are experiencing some of the greatest persecution:

• North Korea – If North Korean Christians are discovered, they are sent away to labor camps as political criminals or killed on the spot. Worship of any kind is impossible unless done in complete secrecy. They estimate about 300,000 Christians in the country of 25 million.
• Afghanistan – In Afghanistan, it is illegal for an Afghan person to leave Islam. Large parts of the country are run by militants or the Taliban, and converts to Christianity often live in secret. They estimate a few thousand Christians in this country of 37 million.
• Somalia – Somalia is mired in civil war, tribalism, and violent Islamic militancy. Conversion to Christianity is seen as betraying one’s family and clan. Converts to Christianity are harassed, intimidated, and killed. They estimate there are only a few hundred Christians in this country of 15 million.

Let me bring it down one more level. We take it for granted that we can go to church or watch a livestream and that our children can go to church and receive sound biblical teaching. But in some of these countries you cannot worship, and you are forbidden to share the gospel. In China, children under 18 are not allowed into church buildings or allowed to participate in any church activities. What we take for granted—children’s curriculum, middle and high school ministry, hiring a pastor for children’s and family discipleship—is all illegal. These children are told in the schools that if they follow Jesus, they may not be allowed to graduate or go on to university.

The book of 1 Peter is not some untested theory operating in hypothetical situations. It is a book that has served as soothing balm for the open wounds of the persecuted church. It has been and continues to be a solid foundation for suffering Christians to stand upon, century after century until Christ returns. 

Last week, we saw a glimpse of why we suffer. Suffering for Jesus is unsurprising, but not meaningless. God uses and redeems the suffering of his blood-bought children to purify them and to give them ever-increasing joy in Jesus. Suffering reveals that Jesus is our treasure. It tests our faith and results in the Spirit of glory resting upon us.

This week we answer the question, “How should we suffer?” In the apostle Peter’s final words on suffering for Jesus, he longs for his audience to know how to suffer well. 

Main Point: Believers suffer to glorify God by entrusting themselves to their faithful Creator.

We use suffering to display for all to see that life in Christ is worth it no matter what. 

Peter’s aim again goes back to the broad theme of the book from 1 Peter 1:1 and 5:12, as “elect exiles ...  stand firm in the true grace of God.” Remember your identity (elect exiles) and become increasingly unwavering as you cleave to Christ. Don’t waver, topple, give up, or close up shop. Persevere, endure, and stand firm in God’s sustaining and enabling grace.

Our plan is to look then at this passage in three parts, which contains four imperatives:

1. Don’t Suffer for Doing Evil (1 Peter 4:15)
2. Suffer Unashamedly to Glorify God (1 Peter 4:16)
3. Know That Judgment Has Begun (1 Peter 4:17–18)
4. Entrust Yourself to the Faithful One (1 Peter 4:19)

1) Don’t Suffer for Doing Evil (1 Peter 4:15)

But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.

We see a contrast with the previous verse and previous passage. In verse 14 we saw, “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed.” Then Peter says, “But let none of you suffer as a murderer.” What is he contrasting? Peter is contrasting good suffering with bad suffering. Good suffering is the type of suffering that takes place “for the name of Christ.” Suffering for the sake of Jesus is blessed suffering that results in God’s Spirit resting upon us.

But Peter doesn’t want his readers to suffer for doing evil; this would be bad suffering. Peter’s point is not that we should run away from the punishment. Some might understand it that way: “But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.” No. Peter doesn’t want his readers to do these evil acts that result in deserved punishment.

Peter lists four types of behaviors: murder, stealing, doing evil, and meddling. The first three are pretty self-explanatory. Don’t murder, don’t steal, and don’t do all manner or types of evil. It’s not necessarily that Peter’s readers are actually doing these things, but his point is that believers shouldn’t practice evil that is deservedly punished. That does not glorify God. 

Earlier in 1 Peter 2:20, Peter writes, “For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure?” There is no reward or credit for sinning and then getting the deserved and well-earned punishment. Peter doesn’t want Christians running around doing evil things and then playing the victim with a martyr’s complex. It’s not gracious and blessed suffering in the eyes of God when we’re doing evil. Instead believers should strive for good behavior in following Jesus.

The fourth term, “meddler,” only shows up here in the Bible and nowhere else. It’s an unusual word and could be translated as “watching over another’s affairs,” “mischief-maker,” “troublemaker,” or “busybody.” Not only should Christians not practice heinous sins, such as stealing or murder, but they should also not meddle in one another’s affairs as busybodies. There is no Christian badge of honor for being nosy and engaged in the business of others. We shouldn’t have an inordinate interest in who’s seeing a counselor, whose marriage is struggling, who bought a new car, or who was seen at the local pub, as if we were some sort of moral police force. Peter wanted believers to avoid being obnoxious and tactless and distracting from the faith, so that the gospel would get a fair hearing.

2) Suffer Unashamedly to Glorify God (1 Peter 4:16) 

Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 

In verse 16 we get two commands: (1) don’t be ashamed, but (2) glorify God. If you do suffer as a Christian—not for doing evil—you should not be ashamed but instead glorify God in that name.

The stress in this verse is on the name “Christian.” If you suffer as a Christian, glorify God in that name, “Christian.” The name Christian only occurs a few times in the New Testament and is a label given to Jesus’s disciples. It means “followers of Christ.” In Acts 11:26 it says, “And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians,” and in Acts 26:28, Agrippa says to the apostle Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?”

The call to not be ashamed is a call to not deny Christ in the face of suffering or persecution. Jesus says in Luke 9:26, “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Or in 2 Timothy 1:8 Paul writes, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.” Do not deny Christ or be ashamed of the gospel, but stand up for Jesus.

Instead, glorify God in that name—namely, that of “Christian.” What the world uses as an insult, wear as an honor and opportunity to display the praiseworthiness, trustworthiness, and infinite worth of God and his glory. Like 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” The glorious aim of our lives is to show that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever …

• Even when someone snickers in the lunch room that you’re a Christian
• When someone mocks you for believing in a Creator
• When you’re left out because they know you hold biblical convictions on marriage and sexuality
• Like Christians in China who refuse to deny Christ and lose their jobs
• Like Christians in Iran or Afghanistan who will not deny Christ and are killed
• Like Christians in Nigeria who refuse to deny Christ and have their homes burnt down
• Like Christians in Morocco who refuse to deny Christ and lose both property and the custody of their children.

You will rejoice and be glad when Jesus and all of his glory is revealed. You are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you! If someone sneers and laughs that you’re a Christian, Peter says to wear that name proudly. Continue to live and speak such that God is glorified in our actions, lives, and behavior. Christians are to use suffering to show that Christ is far better than all that this world can offer—pleasure or pain. Jesus is more satisfying to our parched and thirsty souls, and only he is living water that truly satisfies.

3) Know That Judgment Has Begun (1 Peter 4:17–18)

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?”

In verses 17–18 we have no imperatives, but rather get the reason for why Christians suffer in verse 16. The reason Christians suffer is because the judgment has begun at the household of God. This raises two questions: (1) Why does Peter use the phrase “household of God,” and (2) What is the judgment?

The “household of God” points back to the Old Testament, where God’s house is his temple. And as we saw in the Malachi 3 passage last week, God comes in judgment as a refiner’s fire to the Levites to purify them to serve in the temple.

Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.—Malachi 3:1–4 

God’s purifying judgment comes first to his people, and as Peter has established, we are now God’s “chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, and people for his own possession” (1 Peter 2:9). God is sanctifying his church as priests to serve him.

What is the judgment? This judgment then is the experience of pain and suffering as part of God’s designed purifying work in the lives of believers. Just as God is a refiner’s fire for the Levites, fiery trials test believers to purify and sanctify them. Suffering for Jesus tests and purifies believers, confirming that Christ is their treasure.

Peter gives the rhetorical question “If it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” If believers experience the painful purifying work of God in their lives on the way to glory, vindication, and eternal joy, how terrible then will the experience be for those “who do not obey the gospel of God?” See the parallel in verse 18:

And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

Verse 18 is nearly a direct quote from the Greek translation of Proverbs 11:31, parallel in construction to verse 17, but adding the idea of the righteous being “scarcely” saved. Scarcely could have two possible meanings. The first is when this word is used in Romans 5:7, which says, “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die.” The idea here is that it could barely happen; it’s rare or unlikely. This is clearly not what Peter means when he uses the word scarcely, as though Jesus’s blood could barely save and forgive his people. Peter has already emphasized the sufficiency of our redemption: you have been “ransomed from futile ways … with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18–19). 

The second possible meaning is that the righteous is saved with difficulty. The NIV translates it as “it is hard for the righteous to be saved.” This same word is used in Acts 27:7–8 and 16, where it has the meaning “with difficulty.” Peter’s point is that the pathway of salvation is marked with difficulty.

This difficulty of the Christian life is illustrated in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. The main character, Christian, has to persevere through obstacles that highlight the difficulty of the Christian life—the narrow road, if you will. It’s not an easy pathway filled with sunshine, rainbows, and daisies. Bunyan’s main character has to trek through the Slough of Despond, turn away from Mr. Worldly Wiseman, climb the Hill of Difficulty, fight Apollyon, walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, get through the town of Vanity Fair, and escape from Doubting Castle and from Giant Despair until he finally arrives at the Celestial City. His journey was marked with difficulty. It was not mainly coasting but striving by faith.

If the road, journey, and pathway of believers is marked with striving, trials, and difficulty, Peter then asks the rhetorical question, “What will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” The answer is left unspoken, but the implication is that it will be terrible. So while the present suffering that Peter’s readers were experiencing was difficult, they will escape eternal judgment and punishment at the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter is using an argument from the lesser to the greater. Peter’s point is that if even believers here in their earthly life will experience the winnowing pain of suffering for the name of Jesus, how terrible and unbearable will it be for those who hate and reject God? Eternal damnation apart from God will be a horrific reality. If believers experience suffering in this life as God’s beloved, how much worse will it be for those who are truly enemies?

One might wonder why eternal separation from God will be terrible and deserved. At one level, the Bible tells us it is an “eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” and it will be “eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:41, 46). At another level, those who disobey the Word desire a life without God—apart from his presence, grace, and love. And that is what hell will be: a place void of God’s loving presence and grace. Hell will be where all those who trust in themselves see how they fare under the sovereign justice of the Creator of the world. Heaven will be where all those who trust in Jesus behold the sufficiency of Christ’s redemption. Hell will be hell because God’s love and presence will be absent.

This is a very sobering and somber word this morning. It is a great encouragement for all those who are in Christ. Remain steadfast and stand firm, because this light momentary affliction is preparing for you an eternal weight of glory. But it is also a warning to all those who do not obey the gospel of God. Condemnation and final judgment is coming. 

4) Entrust Yourself to the Faithful One (1 Peter 4:19)

Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

The fourth and final imperative in this section is to entrust ourselves to a faithful Creator while doing good. There is a difference between trust and entrust. The word here is not trust but rather entrusting, which conveys the idea of “to give to someone for safekeeping, to turn over to someone to care for.” It’s used in 2 Timothy 2:2, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” Give it over to allow them to take care of it. This is what Peter calls believers to do with their lives: entrust themselves to God. 

1 Peter 2:23 says, “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”

One of the best examples of entrusting something into the hands of another is when you prepare your will. To whom will I entrust my children? Into whose hands will I entrust my very own flesh and blood, to love them, to care for them, to raise them, to teach them, and to care for them if Stephanie and I die? Believers can entrust themselves to God who judges justly, who is trustworthy, and who is sovereignly in control of all things by his power.

Note how God is described here in this passage: “faithful Creator.” The use of Creator recalls God’s sovereignty not only as Creator, but as the sustainer of everyone and everything. Believers do not suffer haphazardly but rather according to God’s will, knowing that our Creator and present Sustainer is faithful.

I remember when I was a first-time father—Noelle was maybe 2 years old—and we were playing at the park. I proceeded to throw her up in the air, getting maybe 12–15 feet high, and then to catch her again. She would squeal with laughter and delight. I remember distinctly a little old lady sitting on a bench with a look of nervousness and fear. I wasn’t going to drop her (thankfully, I didn’t), and my daughter was entrusting herself to me. 

That’s the image Peter paints. As a child trusts her earthly father, how much more can God’s people entrust their lives to the faithful Creator of the world. I could have gotten distracted and dropped my daughter, leading to injury. But the faithful Creator—he never drops his children. If gravity was the problem, God could pause the laws of nature to ensure the protection of his children. If enemies are too great, God needs only speak the words that lead to complete destruction. Nothing is too great or difficult for him, so we can entrust our souls to him. In trials, in suffering, in heartache and pain, and in all the days of our life, God is trustworthy.

Conclusion

This morning we got the bad news and the good news. The bad news is that judgment is coming, and it will be horrific for those who do not obey the gospel of God. It will be terrible for those who remain in their sin. It will be a place apart from the loving presence of God. But the good news of the gospel has come. God saves and purifies his children so that they can entrust themselves to him knowing that he will surely bring us all the way Home. Those who trust in Jesus will surely be saved, vindicated, and glorified, and they will rejoice and be glad at the revelation of his great glory. And even now, we display with our lives that we have superior satisfaction in Jesus Christ. To whom will you entrust your life and soul this morning? Will you entrust your life into the pierced hands of Jesus, bearing the scars of his death for sinners? Or will you entrust your soul into your own hands, believing that your way is enough? Turn to Christ today! For those who are Christ’s, let’s continue entrusting our souls to our faithful Creator.

Sermon Discussion Questions 

Main Point: Believers suffer to glorify God by entrusting themselves to their faithful Creator.

Outline

1. Don’t Suffer for Doing Evil (1 Peter 4:15)
2. Suffer Unashamedly to Glorify God (1 Peter 4:16)
3. Know That Judgment Has Begun (1 Peter 4:17–18)
4. Entrust Yourself to the Faithful One (1 Peter 4:19)

Intro Question: What is one area of your life in which you have entrusted your personal well-being into the hands of another? (Examples could include your advisors, mentors, coaches, financial advisors, or advance directives if you become incapacitated, etc.) Why would you entrust yourself into the hands of another?

Discussion Questions

• Why shouldn’t believers suffer as murderers, thieves, evildoers, or even meddlers? Why does Peter give this command?
• How might one be tempted to be ashamed of suffering as a Christian? How do we instead glorify God as Christians?
• What does it mean for the judgment to begin at the household of God? In what sense is judgment currently taking place?
• What will then be the outcome of those who do not obey the gospel?
• What does it mean for the righteous to be “scarcely saved”? See Romans 5:7 and Acts 14:18.
• What does it mean to entrust ourselves to a faithful Creator? Why does Peter use “entrust” instead of “trust,” and why does he use the term “Creator”?

Application Questions

• Are there any bad, wicked, or evil behaviors we are committing that cause us to suffer and that we need to discontinue?
• Are we sometimes ashamed of being Christians? How should our thinking change so that we instead glorify God as Christians?
• How does the beginning judgment that believers experience strengthen and fortify our faith in Jesus?
• This week, how can we practically entrust ourselves to our faithful Creator? What are some promises of God’s enduring faithfulness and love that we can memorize?
• Download the 2020 World Watch List (PDF) from OpenDoorsUSA.org to learn about the persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. 

Prayer Focus

Take a moment to thank God for Peter’s continued teaching on suffering so that we would be steadfast, full of joy, have the Spirit resting upon us, and can entrust our souls to our faithful Creator. Confess any times you have been ashamed of Jesus or when you have been an evildoer or meddler in the affairs of others. Thank God for being sovereignly in control of all things, including any present suffering we may experience, and that we can entrust ourselves to him. Ask God for help to continue trusting him and entrusting our souls to our faithful Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will never leave us nor forsake us.