Suffering Well: The Example of Jesus
Hope As Exiles: 1 Peter Series • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
As exiles who live in a foreign land, how can we suffer well for Jesus?
How can you have the strength to stand for Christ when you face the threat of losing your friends, family, popularity, success, and a host of other things.
What about even greater threats that could come in the future, like not getting into a school, not getting a job, losing your job, being put in prison, facing physical harm, or even death…for living for Jesus?
Is he worth it? How will we have the strength to embrace and endure this type of suffering and persecution?
As we continue our study in 1 Peter 3, and focus on the idea of suffering well for Jesus...I want to read again two truths that we must know about suffering as Christians:
First, Suffering and persecution are the norm...and should be expected if we choose to follow Christ:
2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”
But the other truth we must know is: We will be blessed and our reward in heaven will be great if we suffer well and face persecution for Jesus.
Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Last week, Peter gave us the blueprint of how to suffer well for Jesus....through honoring Christ the Lord as Holy in our hearts and holding onto our heavenly hope.
Tonight, he will give us the motivation and the strength to suffer well for Christ by looking to the example of Jesus.
So, here is the main truth we must know from our text tonight:
We can be strengthened to suffer well knowing that our suffering will lead to glory, victory, and vindication by looking to the example of Jesus.
1. We can be strengthened to suffer well because Christ Suffered for the Unrighteous and was Raised from the Dead to Bring us to God (vs 18)
1. We can be strengthened to suffer well because Christ Suffered for the Unrighteous and was Raised from the Dead to Bring us to God (vs 18)
After calling the church to suffer well, Peter now gives them the example of Christ who also suffered unjustly for the cause of righteousness.
However, the main example Peter wants to show through Christ is that suffering leads to glory and exaltation.
1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,”
“suffered once for sins” symbolizes that Christ’s suffering is now over and has been completed...there is no more need for more suffering. This reminds the church that their is no need for us to pay for ouir sins because Jesus has already completed this through his suffering and death.
This first verse proclaims that Jesus has ultimately defeated our greatest enemy-our sins that separate us from God.
As terrible as suffering persecution from others on this earth can be it does not even come close to suffering the wrath of God for eternity in hell…but Jesus has suffered in our place so that we could escape the wrath of God and receive forgiveness in him!
“Righteous for the unrighteous” symbolizes Peter’s point of unjust suffering throughout the letter. This reminds Peter’s readers that Christ, the righteous one, died in their place, the unrighteous ones. This is another clear reference to substitutionary atonement and refers to Isaiah 53:11.
Christ died on behalf of sinners to bring them to God. We were all straying like sheep, but Christ, the good shepherd, has now turned us from our sin and brought us to God through his sacrificial death for our sin.
Jesus’ death makes it possible for us to be brought near to God and to have a relationship with him.
Ephesians 2:12-13 “remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
“put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” signifies that Jesus can lead believers to God because he was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.
The terms “spirit” and “flesh” should not be understood as immaterial vs. material but rather that Jesus suffered death in reference to his body but the Spirit raised him bodily from the dead.
You can think about what Jesus did for us to the role of a trailblazer...
Jesus was the “trailblazer” for us to clear the path to God through his sacrificial death and glorious resurrection. As Hebrews 2:10 says, he is the pioneer and founder of our salvation.
So, because Jesus took the wrath for our sin, he can bring us to God. Because Jesus was raised from the dead and has entered the realm of the glorious resurrected life, he can and will bring us to this resurrected and glorious life also after our suffering.
Romans 8:11 “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
2. We Can be encouraged to suffer well because Jesus Proclaimed Victory over Demonic Spirits (vs 18b-20)
2. We Can be encouraged to suffer well because Jesus Proclaimed Victory over Demonic Spirits (vs 18b-20)
Since Jesus’s earthly life has been put to death and he has entered into his resurrection life that is made possible through the Spirit, he further demonstrated his victory over death and the forces of evil by proclaiming victory to the spirits in prison that he had risen from the dead they had been defeated.
Disclaimer…this section of Scripture is one of the most difficult texts to understand and interpret in all of the New Testament…so in humility, I will unpack what I believe Peter is trying to say to his readers and what God is wanting us to hear tonight as well...
So picking up at the end of verse 18 Peter says...
1 Peter 3:18-20 “being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah...”
To understand this passage, we need to know two things....
First, who are the spirits in prison? Are they human spirits of people who have died or angelic spirits?
I believe these are the fallen angels that are mentioned as the “sons of God” in Genesis 6:2, who cohabitated with the daughters of men which brought about the judgement of God in the flood.
These fallen spirits connect with the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 also because Peter mentions the story of Noah and the flood in verse 20. He says “they (these spirits Jesus proclaimed victory over) formerly did not obey when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah”
Refers to the period when the sons of God sinned and the time of the flood...120 years.
We have other New Testament examples of this referring to the “sons of God” being fallen angels in:
2 Peter 2:4-5; Jude 6-7
There are two other reasons why “spirits in prison” refers to angelic spirits and not human spirits.
First, besides the reference in Heb. 12:23, the use of “spirits” in the plural always refers to spiritual beings and normally refers to evil spiritual beings.
Second, the Greek word for prison never refers to the place of the human dead but only refers to the location of Satan and his demons (Rev. 18:2; 20:7; 2 Peter 2:4).
The second question we need to answer is when did Jesus proclaim his victory to these fallen angels? Was it between his death and resurrection or after?
I believe this event occured after Jesus’ resurrection during his ascension into heaven, not during the time of his death and resurrection. i.e. he did not descend into hell from this verse. The verb phrase in the Greek for “He went” in verse 19 is also used in verse 22 to describe Jesus’ going into heaven. Also another Greek verb, katabaino normally used to describe Jesus’ descent (Romans 10:7; Ephesians 4:9-10).
So, why does Peter say all these things? How does this connect to the suffering his readers were facing and the suffering that we are currently facing or will face in our lives as Christians?
First, Even though “those that disobeyed” refer to the fallen angels, Peter seems to be linking them to the slanderous behavior of his readers pagan neighbors who are abusing them.
Second, and more importantly...Just as Jesus rose victoriously from the dead and proclaimed his victory and triumph over the evil spirits, Peter’s audience could be encouraged that they too...through their faith in Christ, would rise from the dead and triumphed over the evil forces they were facing in their suffering.
Theologian R.T. France says:
“Peter’s readers might be called to endure the worst that anti-Christian prejudice could inflict. But even then they could be assured that their pagan opponents, and, more important, the spiritual powers of evil that stood behind them and directed them, were not outside Christ’s control: they were already defeated, awaiting final punishment. Christ had openly triumphed over them. Here is real comfort and strength for a persecuted church which took very seriously the reality and power of spiritual forces.”
Here is the truth for us today:
The evil forces and suffering that are behind those who persecute you and slander you for your faith in Christ have been defeated by Jesus!
Christ has already declared victory over them through his resurrection!
And through faith in Christ, we will experience this victory and resurrection too when Christ returns!
So, we must stand firm during persecution and hold fast to the victory we have in Christ…knowing our vindication is coming when Christ returns!
3. We can be encouraged to suffer well because Jesus is Exalted on High as the Resurrected and Ascended Lord and has Subjected all Powers to Himself (vs 21-22)
3. We can be encouraged to suffer well because Jesus is Exalted on High as the Resurrected and Ascended Lord and has Subjected all Powers to Himself (vs 21-22)
1 Peter 3:20-22 “because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.”
Let’s focus on verse 22 first that exclaims Jesus’ triumph over all evil powers and then we will come back to verse 21 to see how baptism connects with our victory in Christ.
Jesus has completed his heavenly journey of victory and triumph. He now sits at the right hand of God, demonstrating that his work is finished, and all things have been placed under his feet. Jesus has universal authority over all ranks of the spirit world.
Because Christ has triumphed over all things, through trusting in Christ, Peter’s readers would be encouraged that they too would triumph over their enemies, be vindicated, and win the victory as Christ has.
Baptism is the Assurance of Our Victory
“in which a few, that is eight persons, were brought safely through the water.”
Peter highlights that only a few were saved to encourage his readers that though they are a minority, they too (like these eight in Noah’s day) will also be saved.
If God preserved Noah when he stood in opposition to the whole world, he will also save his people, even though they are now being persecuted.
But how is baptism the assurance of our victory....how does our baptism correspond to the flood and “save us?”
The waters of the flood symbolized destruction and anyone submerged under water dies.
Submersion under water represents death, just as Paul described Jesus’ upcoming death in terms of baptism in Rom. 6:3-5.
Tom Schreiner further explains how our Baptism connects with the flood of Noah and our salvation:
“The waters of baptism, like the waters of the flood, demonstrate that destruction is at hand, but believers are rescued from these waters in that they are baptized with Christ, who has also emerged from the waters of death through his resurrection. Just as Noah was delivered through the stormy waters of the flood, believers have been saved through the stormy waters of baptism by virtue of Christ’s triumph over death. The word “now” refers to the present eschatological age of fulfillment. With the coming of Jesus Christ, the age of salvation has arrived.”
However, Peter clarifies that it is not the physical act of baptism that saves a person but a person’s appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This connects back to verse three where Peter first told his readers that they have been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This emphasizes that salvation is not our initiative but God’s.... It is the resurrection of Jesus that makes the new life possible.
Schreiner concludes:
“Believers at baptism ask God-on the basis of the death and resurrection of Christ-to cleanse their consciences and forgive their sins. They can be confident on the basis of the work of the crucified and risen Lord that their appeal to have a good conscience will be answered.”
Response
Response
Through Christ’s death and resurrection:
Christ has suffered for our sins once for all and saved us from God’s wrath to bring us to God.
The work is done.
Christ has taken our wrath that we deserved.
Through Christ’s death and resurrection:
Christ has triumphed over every enemy, suffering, persecution, or evil we will face.
Because we have the victory in Christ, we can stand firm and endure suffering for Jesus.
This means not conforming to the culture on
gender pronouns
same-sex marriage
abortion
cohabitation
The ideas of social justice theory
relativism
The exclusivity of salvation in Christ
The Bible being the word of God
Through Christ’s death and resurrection:
Our Baptism is the reminder of our victory now and the assurance of our triumphal resurrection when Christ returns.