The Fiery Trial, Part 2 B

And he's saying if God is already purifying His church, if there is a purging going on in His church that is necessary, what's it going to be like when He brings His final judgment on those who do not obey the gospel of God? You've heard it said that the Roman emperor Nero played his fiddle while Rome burned.

Whether or not that's true, what is true is that Nero blamed the Christians in Rome, ushering in widespread, violent persecution of Christians throughout the Roman Empire. And it was in that environment, or a very similar one, that Peter wrote his first epistle. And the comfort and guidance Peter gave to persecuted Christians in his day is just as relevant in our day, as you'll see in a few minutes when John MacArthur continues his study, Faith Through the Fire. And now with a look at how you can keep your spiritual footing in a hostile world, here's John. Peter is saying, look, if you suffer as a murderer and the government comes in and puts the penalty on you, if you suffer as a thief and the government comes in and sentences you, if you suffer as some kind of evildoer involving any other criminal offense and the government takes you prisoner, or if you have become an agitator of the status quo and a social revolutionary, then don't count that as suffering for righteousness sake. You should be ashamed of that.

So you have to do an inventory. You have to evaluate the suffering. You say, I'm suffering, why am I suffering? Verse 16 says, if anyone suffers as a Christian, in other words, you suffer just for being a Christian.

Let him not feel ashamed. The implication is, if you're suffering because you're a murderer, you're a thief, you're a criminal of some kind, or you're a troublesome meddler disrupting the society, you should be ashamed. But if you suffer while you're doing your job, living a quiet and tranquil and peaceable life, honoring Jesus Christ, being the best citizen you can possibly be, and proclaiming faithfully the gospel of Christ, and you suffer, you have no reason to be ashamed. In fact, in that name, let him glorify God.

What a statement. If anyone suffers as a Christian, in that name, the name Christian, you will glorify God. It's a beautiful term, by the way, Christian. The early Christians spoke of themselves as brethren. They spoke of themselves as the saints, or the holy, the consecrated people. They spoke of themselves, I love this phrase, as those of the way, Jesus being the way, the truth and the life. But their Jewish opponents stigmatized them as the Nazarenes. They also gave them a name which they intended to be a name of derision. They called them Christians. That was not, first of all, a name that Christians assumed. I don't think they would have been so bold as to assume that they could bear the name of their Christ.

It was given to them by the world. First in Antioch, according to Acts 11, Agrippa, again in Acts 26, I think about verse 28, makes reference to it. And eventually it came to be claimed by believers, but at first it was a mocking term.

It came to be a beloved term as it is for us. So he says, if you suffer because you're a Christian, don't be ashamed, don't be ashamed. But in that name, the name Christian, in that name, as a follower of Jesus Christ, let him glorify God.

What does that mean? Praise God for the privilege. Praise God for the privilege.

Why? Because you're sharing in the sufferings of Christ. Because the spirit of glory is strengthening you. Because you are adding to your weight of eternal glory.

All three of those reasons. And there's one more reason in verse 17. For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God.

If it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? This is an interesting verse. He is saying, if you suffer as a Christian, then for the sake of the name Christian, you ought to be happy to suffer. And you ought to praise God for the privilege because you're sharing Christ's sufferings. Because the spirit of glory rests on you and strengthens you. And you must rejoice in the strength of the spirit.

And because you are adding to the weight of your eternal reward. Then he adds here, you should look at suffering as a sign that the end is near. And so it's time to clean up the household of God.

Boy, that's an important statement. Back in verse 7, do you see how verse 7 starts? The end of all things is at hand. The end of all things is at hand. So he says there in verse 17, it is the time for judgment. By the way, the word time here is not kranos. It's not clock time.

It's kairos. It means it is the crucial moment. It is the point. It is the season for judgment to begin. Boy, this is a great statement. With the coming of Jesus Christ, I want you to follow my thought here. With the coming of Jesus Christ came the Christian dispensation. We know it's the dispensation of the church. Christ came and suffered and died. That is the beginning of the end.

It is the last time already. Christ appeared in the end of the age. We are living in the end time, the last time. So Peter says it is already the time for judgment to begin.

Where did it begin? It began on the cross when our sins were judged in Christ. And we are living in a season of judgment. The sufferings of Christians then are a part of God's plan for an unfolding judgment which culminates in the great white throne.

Now follow this. Peter's not speaking of condemnation when he uses judgment. He's speaking of chastening, of testing, of purifying, of purging.

But he is saying, he's giving us a hint about this dispensation. He's saying in this dispensation God will be judging. And to begin his judgment he is judging or purging or testing or chastening, purifying his church. And it starts that way and it ends with the final condemnation of the ungodly.

That's what he says. If judgment begins in God's purging the household of God and begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? In other words, if God has a judgment for those who believe and it's as important and serious as it is, then what will the judgment be for those who do not believe? The people of God are being judged, tested to remove the chaff.

They're being sifted, purged to remove the dross. The church is always in the process of being purged and purified. The household of God here means the church, the assembly of redeemed people in a collective way. Back in chapter 2 verse 5 we are called a spiritual house, a spiritual house. In 1 Timothy 3.15, the household of God is the church of the living God. 1 Timothy 3.15 says the household of God is the church of the living God.

So that's what he's saying. Peter is talking about the church and he is really speaking collectively here. And he's saying if God is already purifying his church, if there is a purging going on in his church that is necessary now, what's it going to be like when he brings his final judgment on those who do not obey the gospel of God?

This purging, this evaluating, this testing is necessary in this age. There's a kind of a wonderful analogy of this in Ezekiel 9.6. Back in Ezekiel when God looked over the sinful people on the earth and he wanted to cleanse them, he said, I want to cleanse the earth. That was his intent and he said this and I quote, begin at my sanctuary.

Start with Israel. God ultimately will judge the ungodly. Right now he's purging, purifying his church. So, when you suffer for righteousness sake, it is God's purging, God's purifying, God's testing. And I'm telling you, when you look at the church that has been purged and you look at the church that has been tested and you look at the church that has been persecuted, you find the pure church, do you not? So, look at your persecution.

See it for what it is. Is it God beginning the judgment at the household which he loves and beginning the purging of his judgment during this age? You see, before the full final judgment comes, the church has to evangelize the world. And in order to be effective in evangelizing the world, the church must be purged from sin, the true separated from the false, and the carnal cleansed or removed. And then the pure church can move out. And so, look at the persecution as the judgment of God that must come, and it must come first on the household before it comes to the strangers. First he will purify his church, then he will judge the ungodly. If it begins with us first, and it does, what's going to be the outcome of those who do not believe? God's judgment does begin at the household. It doesn't end there. Peter looks beyond to the tragedy of eternal judgment.

And what is he saying? Here's the point. Get this. It's far better to endure suffering as the Lord purges the church and endure it with joy than to endure suffering in the future, which is eternal. You see his point? Hey, look at your suffering and consider this. You say it's tough to suffer. Better you should suffer now as he tests and purges you and fits you for usefulness and glory than that you should not suffer now, but suffer then forever and ever.

That's far worse, far worse. And it comes on those, verse 17, who do not obey the gospel of God. That's reminiscent of Romans 1, 1 to 5, where Paul uses the same phrase, the gospel of God, the good news about Christ. What will be the outcome, he asks?

I'll tell you what. Terrifying judgment, eternal damnation, 2 Thessalonians 1, 4 and following Paul talks about the persecuted church and how the church has persevered in faith in the midst of persecution and affliction. And then in verse 5 he says this is a plain indication of God's righteous judgment, so that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God for which you indeed are suffering. He's saying you ought to know that this is a plain indication, all this tribulation, all this trouble, all this suffering is a very plain indication that God is judging you, he's purging you, he's cleaning you, he's testing you, making you more useful, he's letting you share in the sufferings of Christ, he's building for you a great eternal weight of glory.

And that's far better, far better than what the rest of the world is going to experience. For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus and these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction. So don't be complaining about suffering now and having glory later.

There are many who miss the suffering now but will endure it forever and ever and ever. Peter then supports his point with a quote in verse 18. This quote is taken from Proverbs 11 31. Peter says, and if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? Proverbs 11 31 actually says, if the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner?

Peter freely interprets the words. When he says, and if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, difficulty refers to the hard time that persecution brings to the believer. Our salvation brings persecution. Our salvation brings a hardship, a judgment, a disciplinary corrective, purgative, instructive, remedial testing through suffering that, get this, keeps us from committing damning sins. That judgment will continue in the church until the rapture and even after that, when God redeems a new generation of people, they too will suffer. And if it's so difficult and there's so much suffering as a Christian being purged, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?

He asks. What kind of suffering will they endure if we have to endure this? The answer is a far greater suffering.

They will be cast into the lake of fire, which burns with fire and brimstone forever and ever, where the worm dies not, the fire is not quenched. So, all of this helps us to see the importance of a clear evaluation of our suffering. It is to be for righteousness' sake, not because of sin. We are not then to be ashamed when we suffer, but to honor God because He is purifying His church, where judgment must begin, if we're gonna be a pure people to reach the world. And so, when you see yourself suffering, look at it, see it for what it is, evaluate it.

It should be a good reminder of how much more severe judgment could be and will be for those without Christ. How do you handle suffering? Expect it, rejoice in it, evaluate it.

See it for what it really is. It's God graciously purging His church for usefulness, for communion with Christ, for greater weight of glory. It's not to be compared with that terrible suffering that the sinners and ungodly will endure forever.

One final point. Expect suffering, rejoice in suffering, evaluate suffering. Fourthly, entrust yourself to God. Entrust yourself to God. Godless man can't do that. The sinner can't do that.

It'd be too late. You and I can in the midst of our suffering. 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. The word therefore is there because of the true perspective on suffering just summed up. Because you now understand suffering, you now understand that it is remedial, corrective, purgative, instructive. You understand that God uses it to test you, to purge you, to make you more useful, to give you a greater weight of glory. Therefore, in the midst of it, let those also who suffer according to the will of God, it is in His will as He cleanses His church, entrust their souls. We are suffering according to the will of God. It is His purpose.

It is His intended purpose for His children. To purge, purify, chasten, to make us tender, to make us effective. The word entrust, by the way, is a banking term.

It means to deposit for safekeeping. Just go through suffering, taking your soul, and depositing it with God. The word soul means your life, your being, your person.

Give it to a faithful creator. That's the only place in the Bible where that phrase is used. Why does He use it?

Listen to this. He uses the word creator to remind us that we're simply giving back to God what He created, which means that He is most capable of caring for it, right? And when we say He's a faithful creator, we can trust Him with it. As creator, He best knows the needs of His beloved creatures. As a faithful creator, He will meet those needs because He is faithful to His promise. My God shall supply all your needs. By the way, the word entrust here, entrust their souls to a faithful creator, para tithimi, is the same word exactly used of Jesus when on the cross He entrusted His Spirit to the Father.

Same word. In the midst of His suffering, He gave Himself to God. Peter says, give your life to God for Him to sustain in the midst of the greatest suffering. And He is trustworthy and He will be faithful. And that verse ends, in doing what is right.

That's where it ought to be. We do what's right, we commit ourselves to God. We suffer, we entrust our souls to a faithful creator and do what is right. To say it another way, while doing what is right, take what comes, commit yourself to God. No defection, obedience, commitment, faithfulness.

Just keep doing what is right. So, when suffering comes to the believer, we expect it. We rejoice in it. We look at it closely and evaluate it. Is it a result of sin or is it a result of righteousness?

And is God just purging, purifying, testing that we might be more useful, more glorious? I was thinking of Jeffrey Bull, the age of 30. He had been held for three years and two months by the Chinese communists. Part of the time, he was held in solitary confinement. He was half-starved, threatened, badgered, subjected to the infernal techniques of brainwashing.

He was desperately holding on to some power of objectivity in his brain by making, at one time, a special study of the six different types of mosquitoes in his cell, just to keep his sanity. In the midst of all of this, he composed a long, long poem, which I could never take the time to read, but I will read you five stanzas, brief ones. This was his prayer in the midst of horrible suffering. Let not thy face grow dim, dear God, nor sense of thee depart. Let not the memory of thy word burn low within my heart. Let not my spirit, Lord, grow numb through loneliness or fears. Let not my heart to doubt succumb and keep my eyes from tears.

Let not the distance come between as months and years increase. Let not the darkness close me in. Let me not lose thy peace. Let not the pressure of the foe crush out my love for thee. Let not the tiredness and the woe eclipse thy victory.

The last verse. For thy joy is my joy, and my hope, thy day, and thy kingdom, gracious God, shall never pass away. We have to live in that kind of confidence. Let's bow in prayer. Father, we thank you for the testimony of a faithful saint in the midst of unbearable circumstances who found his strength in you. We thank you, Lord, that it is your will to purge and purify and cleanse us through difficulty and particularly through persecution as we are bold for Christ. May we know that if we are not bold for Christ, we shall not know the suffering, nor shall we know the glory of communion with the suffering Savior, nor shall we know the glory of the Spirit resting on us, nor shall we know the eternal glory. No, Lord, if we're not willing to be bold for Christ, we can escape, but we cannot be the tested, refined, purged, purified, useful vessel. So test us, Lord, as we are faithful, and we'll thank you for such a privilege.

Amen. And I wonder, do you have any final words of encouragement for that person who may be listening, who one way or another has been the target of hostility because of his or her faith? What would you say to that person?

I would say this. Embrace the suffering. Prepare your heart for the suffering because it is inevitable. I love what the Apostle Paul says, that he's shared in the sufferings of Christ. You remember when the Apostle Paul said, I bear in my body the marks of Christ? What was he saying? He was saying the people who resent Jesus Christ can't hit him. They can't wound him because he's not here, so they wound me in his place. This was a badge of honor to him, to bear the marks of Christ, to suffer for Christ.

And that's what Peter says. When you suffer for righteousness' sake, you're blessed and the Spirit of grace and glory rests on you. But by all of this, we don't mean that you should be obnoxious and draw hostility because of the obnoxiousness of your personality. But when you suffer for Christ, when your faith has to be poured through the fire for God to do his work, when the culture turns on you with its hostility, as it's doing right now, when there's a price for being a true and obedient believer, embrace that, rejoice in that, because God will use that to refine you, to strengthen you. I think there have been many Christians who have lived in our history here in the West and in America who have never been persecuted.

They've had trials in life, but not the level of hostility that all of us are facing today. And I think we're hearing from people, well, this is a tough time, this is going to be really hard on the Church, but again, I remind you, when you suffer for righteousness' sake, the Spirit of grace and glory rests on you, which is to say, you're provided with the strength you need to go through this and for it, by God's grace and purpose, to refine you and conform you more to Christ. I would remind you that the study is available on MP3s.

You can download them at gty.org, or you can order CDs if you want. If you want the six-CD album, you can get it from Grace to You, and only from Grace to You. Just let us know you want Faith Through the Fire.

That's right. How can you respond to trials the way Christ did? What hope should you cling to, even in the most intense persecution?

Answering those questions is what this study is all about. To pick up John's series called Faith Through the Fire, contact us today. Faith Through the Fire is available in a six-CD album. To get the CDs for your personal study or to give to a friend, call us toll-free at 800-55-GRACE, or go to gty.org.

If you'd prefer downloading this study, every lesson is available free of charge. In fact, all of John's sermons, even his most recent ones, are available to download for free, both the MP3s and the transcripts. Just go to gty.org.

And thanks for remembering that we depend on listener support to be on radio. If we're making a difference in your life, consider making a donation to help us take these Bible-teaching messages to spiritually hungry listeners across the globe. You can mail your tax-deductible gift to Grace to You, Box 4000, Panorama City, California, 91412. Or call us at 800-55-GRACE, or go to our website, gty.org. Now for John MacArthur, I'm Phil Johnson, reminding you to watch Grace to You television this Sunday, and then be here when John examines what true faith looks like and what it doesn't look like. That study is titled, Show Me Your Faith, and it starts next Monday, so tune in for another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth, one verse at a time, on Grace to You.