Christ’s Victorious Suffering, Our Righteous Life • 09.03.23
Nick Lees   -   September 5, 2023

Christ’s Victorious Suffering, Our Righteous Life

1 Peter 3:18-4:6

Discovering hope and gospel purpose while facing opposition

  1. Find hope in the redemptive, victorious nature of Jesus’ suffering
  2. Arm yourself with the resolve of Christ

 

Good morning church family! (Welcome visitors, introduce self + series)

Ushers + Bibles (1 Peter 3; Page 1205)

From the beginning of this letter, Peter has been reminding his audience of the living hope that they have been given. This living hope came through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and it included the present suffering that they face because of their faith. Do you recall the praise Peter shared in the beginning?

1 Peter 1:3–9 (ESV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

In this we hear of living hope of eternal life and present-day suffering that refines our faith… These two realities went hand-in-hand as this faithful Christian minority lived under the rule and reign of the Roman Empire.

Our sermon series has been titled Elect Exiles: Living as Outsiders to capture the tension that Christians face as they live in a world that is not their home, especially as the majority culture rejects Christ and his teachings. This is still just as applicable to us today as it was to the original audience in the 1st century! Followers of Jesus still occupy a minority role in the world and yet we are called to live winsomely and righteously for Christ.

This is the kind of teaching and equipping that Peter has provided in this letter. How to live for Christ in a world that opposes him. How to suffer redemptively. How to be on mission for the glory of God rather than living for self. Our text for today will be a continuation and development on these same themes. We are picking back up in 1 Peter 3 and I’d like to start by reading the last verse from our passage last week.

1 Peter 3:17 (ESV)

17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

Please realize that 1 Peter is a single letter that is designed to be read in one sitting. So, when we start and stop each week, that has the disadvantage of tricking us into thinking that what we’re studying today is disconnected from what came before or what comes after. But it is connected! As I mentioned a moment ago, this is a continuation of Peter’s teaching to them, specifically on how to respond when they suffer for doing good. Previously he had told them not to be afraid, but to honor Christ the Lord as holy in their hearts. They were to be ready as a witness! It should not be surprising to Christians to suffer for doing what is right. That is part of living for Christ in a world that opposes him. And, as we’ve heard already in this letter, suffering is not meaningless but rather it is an opportunity to be refined in your faith and to have confidence in the outcome of your faith – the salvation of your soul.

Peter is continuing to reveal how our willingness to suffer for righteousness’ sake proves that our faith is in Christ and that we have the hope of heaven. Let’s read our text for today and continue to learn…

1 Peter 3:18–4:6 (ESV)

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, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 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. 21 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, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

 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, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For 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. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 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.

The first part of our passage is commonly called the most difficult text in the entire New Testament due to its complexity. However, as I prepared for the sermon today, I was blessed to be reminded, that while complex, the overall message is quite clear considering what Peter has already been teaching them. He is continuing to hold Jesus up as an example of victorious suffering, over both physical and spiritual enemies, and then calls Christians to allow Christ’s example to guide their own righteous way of life. We’re going to unpack all this together. Let’s spend our time…

Discovering hope and gospel purpose while facing opposition

First, Peter directs their attention to Jesus’ suffering. Not just any suffering, but his victorious suffering! He, the perfectly righteous one, has suffered and died for the unrighteous (that’s us). He did this once for all, which is exactly what we heard earlier this year in our study of Hebrews!

Hebrews 10:10–14 (ESV)

10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Jesus is the once for all sacrifice for his people. He has made it possible for sinful men and women like you and me (or Peter’s original audience) to be reconciled with God. This is what Peter is saying by, “That he might bring us to God.” He is acknowledging that outside of faith in Christ, we are dead in our sin and enemies of God, but through faith in Jesus, we are forgiven, made new, and brought near to God. This is the same hope Paul preached to the Ephesians about:

Ephesians 2:13–16 (ESV)

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

Jesus’ finished work on the cross brought unity between believing Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) and peace between formerly sinful men and their holy God. There is both redemption and victory in Jesus’ suffering! This realization leads us to our first discovery of hope and gospel purpose this morning…

  1. Find hope in the redemptive, victorious nature of Jesus’ suffering

As men and women who were formerly dead in sin, condemned to death and eternity in hell, there is a TON of hope in the redemptive, victorious nature of Jesus’ suffering. Because he suffered for doing good, we are transformed from unrighteous to righteous! This is the beautiful truth that Paul preached to the Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 5:17–21 (ESV)

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

What a GREAT exchange! If your faith is in Jesus Christ, then you have exchanged your former unrighteousness for his righteousness. God looks at you through Christ and says, “Innocent! Righteous!” What an incredible blessing!

Now the way Peter explains this in verses 18-22 stretches our brains quite a bit. So, I thought I’d share a helpful summary from Pastor and Commentator Tom Schreiner:

The paragraph is a difficult one, but it has three main points. First, Christ suffered for the unrighteous to bring believers to God (v. 18). Second, by the power of the Spirit he was raised from the dead and proclaimed victory over demonic spirits (vv. 18–19). Finally, he is now exalted on high as the resurrected and ascended Lord and has subjected all demonic powers to himself (v. 22). The main point, then, is that believers have no need to fear that suffering is the last word, for they share the same destiny as their Lord, whose suffering has secured victory over all hostile powers.

Believers, then, are akin to Noah. They are a small embattled minority in a hostile world, but they can be sure that, like Noah, their future is secure when the judgment comes. The basis of their assurance is their baptism, for in baptism they have appealed to God to give them a good conscience on the basis of the crucified (v. 18) and risen (v. 21) work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I found this to be a very succinct and understandable summary of a complex passage. Jesus is victorious over the evil spirits who oppose God and his people. We know these to be fallen angels or demons with the chief adversary being Satan. The Bible does not shy away from the very real enemies of God and the people of God. Not only is their physical opposition from other humans, but there is also spiritual opposition from evil spirits! Christians must be aware of both realms of opposition, which is what Peter brings up here.

When Peter says that Jesus was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, he is referring to both the physical realm and the spiritual realm. Though he physically died, he was still alive in the spiritual realm. And, in that realm, he proclaims his victory over the evil spirits who have been imprisoned by God for the day of Judgment.

Now there are all sorts of debates on when Jesus did this, but from what I read it seems like the most logical time for Jesus to have done this is either after his resurrection or his ascension. At those points, Jesus’ victory over the evil spirits would have been readily apparent. What they had intended for evil, God meant for good!

Interestingly, Peter links these evil spirits with the days of Noah. Noah’s story is found in Genesis 6 and if you’re familiar with it, things had gotten very bad on earth leading up to the introduction of Noah.

Genesis 6:1–8 (ESV)

When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Prior to Noah, the corruption of humanity had reached a peak. There was physical and spiritual corruption so severe that God was grieved and determined to wipe humanity off the face of the earth. Save for one man and his family. We cannot review the entire story of Noah today, but I am pointing it out because Peter uses it in his lesson to his audience. The fallen angels/evil spirits of Noah’s day were imprisoned by God and awaiting judgment. Peter speaks more of this in 2 Peter 2 and Jude also writes about it in his epistle. The reason Peter shares it here is to drive home the victorious nature of Jesus’ suffering through his resurrection. That is why in verse 22 he moves from the going and proclaiming victory over the spirits to Jesus’ going into heaven where he now reigns at the right hand of God. Jesus conquered the hostile, evil spirits and now has complete authority over them.

In this same passage, Peter also draws a comparison between salvation through the water for Noah’s family and present-day salvation through the resurrection of Jesus Christ for us. Notice verse 20 says, “through water” and verse 21 says, “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” These are comparisons to drive home that the source of our salvation as Christians is Jesus’ finished work on the cross and empty tomb. Peter explains that the rite of Christian baptism is an appeal to God for a good conscience or pure heart through Jesus’ resurrection. Baptism is a public declaration of an inward heart reality, namely that a person has faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. Baptism is a public and formal appeal to God to purify our inner man or woman as we trust in Christ for salvation!

All this ties into what we heard last week about the very real battle that is going on within us. As Christians, we know that we are still at war with our flesh (sin nature). There is a very real temptation to respond to evil with evil rather than good. There is a very real temptation to flee from opposition and suffering by either caving to societal pressure to fit in or to run to ungodly idols for comfort (turning to food/relationships/entertainment/immorality/etc.,) But Peter is counseling his audience, and us, to turn to Christ! He is the source of salvation. His suffering was redemptive and victorious and provides us with great hope!

This, of course, assumes that you recognize the depth of your sin and your need for a Savior. If you do not realize that your sin makes you an enemy of God, then you might not think it is really that big of a deal. “What’s all this hubbub about?!” Peter is writing to a people who recognize that their sin and rebellion against God had punched them a one-way ticket to hell, until Jesus stepped in as the perfectly righteous One to bear the wrath of God meant for them, to die in their place, and to raise again in victory over sin and death!

The primary focus of verses 18-22 is the hope of Jesus’ finished work in his death, resurrection, and ascension. Because Jesus is victorious, Christians do not need to fear in their suffering. If you are in Christ, you share in the same destiny as your Lord. You have the hope of redemption and victory. You will be with God for all eternity!

That was Good News to these Christians living under Roman rule. They were the minority. They were feeling the pressure from their family/friends/authorities. Which is why Peter goes on to address how they ought to respond.

After looking at Jesus’ redemptive, victorious suffering and finding your hope there, you then…

  1. Arm yourself with the resolve of Christ

Let’s read 4:1-6 again:

1 Peter 4:1-6 (ESV)

 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, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For 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. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 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.

Peter points out yet again that Jesus is your example to follow. Christians are to think like Jesus thought and live like he lived. And Jesus was committed to the pursuit of holiness/obedience to God even if it meant suffering. He valued holiness over his own comfort/ease/or the temptation of sin.

Unfortunately for you and me, we still struggle with sin and cannot do this perfectly, like Jesus. However, that does not mean we should not try! The reality is that we are living in light of Jesus’ victory. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us to enable us to live for the Lord. We must not forget the living hope to which we have been born again! So, even though it is hard, we must arm ourselves with the resolve of Christ!

Why?

  • Because living this way neuters sin’s influence in your life

Having the resolve of Christ is a way to hinder sin rather than sin hindering you! Consider this, if you were to decide deep down to the core of your convictions that you would rather suffer than sin against God, what effect would that have on you when you face temptation? It would certainly provide a deep level of conviction to operate out of. It would provide fuel to the fire of righteousness. If you’ve already decided, before you get into a tempting situation, that you value holiness more than ease/comfort/pleasure, then you will respond differently! You’ve already counted the cost of following Christ! On the other side of the same coin…

  • Because living this way helps you live for the will of God

When you choose to suffer for righteousness’ sake it becomes increasingly difficult to still be focused on your own selfish desires. They are contradictory to one another! A person who has prepared themselves to suffer for Christ has already decided to put Christ first (to honor Christ the Lord as holy in their heart!). They are in a better position to be willing to obey God’s Word!

Consider the difference between two runners who decide they want to run the Dam to DSM Marathon. The first runner signs up for the race, pays the registration fee, and selects a rigorous training plan. The second runner “says” they will run the race, but never registers, never puts their money down, fails to stick to a training plan, and eventually, the week prior, declares they will miss the race. There is a massive difference here and it boils back down to their original commitments. The first runner committed to the race, and it changed how they lived over the coming months with the outcome of finishing the race. The second made no commitment, continued to live however they wanted in the moment, and ultimately gave way to selfishness with nothing to show for it.

Peter commends to his audience a willingness to suffer for righteousness’ sake because it will bear tangible fruit in their lives. They will put off sin and live righteously! They will fulfill their calling as elect exiles! Hilariously, Peter says in 4:3 that they’ve had more than enough time to live sinfully! No one needs more time for that.

Is that the way you think about your sin? “Lord, I don’t need more time to sin. I want to be holy as you are holy. I want to experience the joy that comes from walking in righteousness. I want to boldly proclaim the excellencies of you who has called me out of darkness into your marvelous light!”

You’d better believe these Christians were facing opposition for their choice to live like Christ. As they stopped worshiping the Emperor and attending the temples of pagan deities and stopped enjoying the gladiatorial games that were such important parts of Roman society, it invited opposition into their lives.

You likely know this principle from personal experience. People from your old ways of life do not like it when you change. Your new way of life of following Christ is weird to them. It causes them discomfort. They may feel judged or ashamed of their behavior that you no longer participate in and choose to lash out to protect themselves.

My wife, Micaela, faced this kind of opposition from her friends after she became a Christian. It was like something right out of 1 Peter. She became a Christian during a summer internship and returned home to her college apartment with two roommates who had no interest in Christ. They made sure to let her know that they did NOT appreciate her new identity. “Who are you?! What did you do with Micaela?! Why won’t you party with us anymore?! You’re no fun!” This developed into complete ostracization by hiding in their rooms and refusing to do social things together anymore. Perhaps you’ve experienced the same. That’s what Peter’s audience faced. And he was telling them not to be surprised by it!

We know the world hates it when Christians oppose the world’s values. There have been innumerable lawsuits over the past decade against Christian bakers, artists, wedding venues, and the like for holding to a biblical view of marriage. In fact, the same circumstances surrounded how we ended up with this building! The previous owners were forced to close up shop and sell the building due to a lawsuit and negative publicity after refusing to host a same-sex wedding ceremony due to their beliefs. Opposition to Christ was occurring in the 1st century and it is still alive and well in the 21st century.

Yet Peter calls them to remember there is a Just Judge! Even though they face opposition and persecution for their faith, even though their social relationships have become strained and people mock them for their beliefs, they still have an unwavering source of hope. They can entrust themselves to the Just Judge like Christ did… He is the unchanging God and the one who securely holds their hope of eternal life.

As Peter wraps up this section, he reminds them that the gospel was preached even to those who are dead (meaning it was preached to folks while they were alive but have since died), that even though they have died just as all men/women will do, they still have the hope of eternal life in the spirit. Peter is giving them hope in the face of those who mock them, “Look at the end result of your life of faith! YOU STILL DIE. Where is your hope now?!” Peter gives them the same hope that Jesus gave the Samaritan woman at the well:

John 11:25–26 (ESV)

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Death is not the end for a Christian, it is the beginning of eternal life with God. This reality gives them incredible hope in the face of current suffering!

What about you? Do you believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life?

If you do, are you armed with the same resolve as Jesus? Are you willing to give up the relative comfort and ease of fitting in with this world to boldly live for Jesus? I’m quite serious about this. Making a break with sin is essential to salvation. The Apostle John gives us some very clear evidences of salvation to consider in his first epistle:

1 John 1:5–10 (ESV)

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 2:3–4 (ESV)

3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,

As Christians, our lives must be marked by a willingness to confess our sin and keep his commandments. We must break from the former ways of life. We cannot choose the approval of our world over the approval of our Savior.

Christians are elect exiles… outsiders in this world… we will find ourselves at odds with the values and practices of our society, are you ok with that? Are you willing to count the cost of following Christ? *pause*

It is folly to try to compromise with our culture and try to assimilate their values in order to attract them to church or Christ. As the saying goes, “What you win them with, you win them to.” We want to win people to Jesus, don’t we? Then let’s arm ourselves with the resolve of Christ and live boldly, yet winsomely in our world. May we not fear man and try to fit in… but may we honor Christ the Lord as holy in our hearts and be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in us!

I want to close by encouraging the Christians in the room to share the gospel with the people God has put in your life. We should want as many people as possible to have the opportunity to repent and believe and have the hope of eternal life! Will you risk the rejection of others to give them the hope of the salvation of their soul? *pause*

Communion

As part of our worship today, we’re going to remember the redemptive, victorious suffering of Christ through a celebration of the Lord’s Table. This is an opportunity for Christians to remember all that the Lord has done for us through his death, burial, and resurrection.

We will celebrate by partaking of both the bread and the cup as a symbol and reminder of Jesus’ body broken in our place and his blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins. Communion is an opportunity to remember how great a price was paid so that we could be saved from our sin. It is a sobering, yet joyful celebration for Christians. Sobering that the Son of God would give himself for us as a ransom. Joyful that he did, and the result was a living hope that cannot be taken from us! Jesus is victorious; therefore, we have the hope of heaven with Him!

At this time, I’d like to invite the ushers forward with the elements.

Before we pass them, I want to share the biblical requirements for joining in this celebration.

This celebration was given by Jesus to his followers. We invite anyone who has trusted in Jesus Christ alone for salvation to join us in this celebration today. If your faith is not in Jesus Christ alone, then we would encourage you to let the elements pass by you and simply consider what you’ve heard so far during the service this morning and reflect on what is keeping you from trusting him.

The second requirement we see in Scripture is a call to examine ourselves. This is the idea of making sure that you’ve confessed any known sins and sought to turn away from it. It would not be wise to partake of the table if you have sin in your life for which you are not repentant. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11 that taking the table while living in sin is eating and drinking judgment on yourself. I would ask you not to do that, for your sake and the sake of God’s glory. Instead, I would encourage you to use this time to confess that sin and make a plan to address it right away. If you know you need to be reconciled to someone else in this church, please take care of that during this time. The table is time to protect the unity of the church.

The ushers are going to pass the elements now as we have a time of silent reflection and prayer to prepare for the table. Please use this time to reflect on all that we’ve talked about today and to prepare yourself to take communion by confessing and repenting of any known sin. After the elements have been passed, I’ll lead us in prayer and taking communion together.

Ushers pass elements

Silent prayer. Corporate prayer.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 (ESV)

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Take bread.

25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Take cup

Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus!