The South Pacific Islands called Vanuatu consists of four main islands with additional 80 islands surrounding these. Approximately 220,000 people live on the islands today. The islands are around 1,000 miles from Australia itself and were first explored by Captain James Cook. 450 miles long, the islands had no Christian influence prior to 1839. It was then that two missionaries came to what was then known as the New Hebrides, John Williams and James Harris, both from the London Missionary Society. Within minutes of going ashore, they were clubbed to death, cooked, and eaten in the face of the ship that was still offshore. Three years later, the London Missionary Society sent another team to the Islands in 1842, and these missionaries were driven off within seven months of arriving on the islands. John G. Paton sailed for the New Hebrides (via Australia) with his wife Mary on April 16, 1858, at the age of 33. In the next year after they arrived, both his wife and his newborn son died of the fever. He would suffer from the same fever fourteen times during his stay on the islands, each time fearing he would die, as did his wife and child. He served alone on the island for the next four years under incredible circumstances of constant danger until he was driven off the island in February, 1862. The natives were cannibals and occasionally ate the flesh of their defeated foes. They practiced infanticide and widow sacrifice, killing the widows of deceased men so that they could serve their husbands in the next world. He married again in 1864, and took his new wife, Margaret, back this time. The two labored together for 41years. So much of Paton’s life was based on finding courage in Christ in order to hope. Even before he left for the islands, he found the need for courage. When a Mr. Dickson discovered Paton was heading off to the islands, he exploded, “The cannibals! You will be eaten by cannibals!” The memory of Williams and Harris who had died only 19 years old was fresh in the minds of Mr. Dickson. But to this Paton responded: “Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my Resurrection body will rise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer.” Paton admitted that at times his heart wavered. But he took heart from the power of the Gospel. Yet, he learned the language and reduced it to writing, he built orphanages. They translated and printed and explained the Scriptures, ministered to the sick and dying . . . dispensed medicines every day . . . taught them the use of tools . . . They held worship services every Lord's Day and sent native teachers to all the villages to preach the gospel.
“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, 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, 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” (1 Peter 3:18-22).
Today’s Big Idea: “Unjust suffering carried out with unwavering confidence in God produce unimaginable impact and blessing for you and others.”
This message and this Scripture this morning is aimed to encourage people who find trouble because they are Christians. Sometimes God has determined that Christians will suffer for being Christians. Peter is talking about suffering in this text: “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:17). “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking…” (1 Peter 4:1). Between these two calls to suffer comes our text, verses 18–22. So the main point of these verses is to help us get ready to suffer with Jesus for doing what is right, not for doing what is wrong. There are some puzzling things in the verses ahead of us.
There is no evidence that the Apostle Paul read Peter’s letters but if he did, he might have laughed at one point. In 2 Peter 3:15, Peter says that Paul is difficult to understand at times. Paul would have wondered if the pot was calling the kettle black if he read 1 Peter 3:19.
One person tallied up the various interpretations of this one verse and found there to be 180 different translations. Yet, for all the puzzling things in these verses we must not forget this main point — Peter’s intention in this text is to help us arm ourselves with the faith to suffer for the sake of Christ and His kingdom So each time we find ourselves scratching our heads at something Peter has written, we’ll search to discover what he means by looking at the big picture of enduring suffering. If the idea of a sermon devoted to suffering for doing right sounds irrelevant to you, it may be because you, like most Americans, are insulated from the bigger world outside our own little country. You and I are only about 5% of the total world population. The American era represents only about 5% of the last 6,000 years of recorded history. For most of the world and for most of history being a Christian has not been safe. Stephen Neil says in his History of Christian Missions that in the first three centuries, when the Church was spreading like wildfire, “Every Christian knew that sooner or later he might have to testify to his faith at the cost of his life.” Remember Christianity overtook the Roman empire in the centuries.
Evangelical missionaries entered Cambodia in the 1920s. By the time they were expelled in 1965 there were about 600 believers. Between 1965 and 1975 during the civil war the Christian population soared to an estimated 90,000. It was an amazing work of God. But when the Khmer Rouge took control and Pol Pot unleashed his fury on the nation, most of these Christians died or fled the country.
On April 23, 2009 Senator Dorgan from North Dakota gave the following address to the Senate floor: “I want to tell you about one man today, a man that is very courageous. A man named Gao Zhisheng… He disappeared 80 days ago, has not been heard from. We know that two years ago he was arrested by the Chinese secret police and put in prison and tortured. Tortured with electric shock and other devices I won’t describe. What was his transgression then? He wrote an open letter to the United States Congress asking us to pay some attention to the lack of human rights that existed in China. For writing an open letter to members of the United States Congress in 2007, Gao Zhisheng, one of the most … noted and distinguished human rights lawyers in China, was imprisoned for 58 days and brutally tortured. Now, in 2009, he was detained 80 days ago by ten members of the secret police in China and has not been heard from since.”
Jesus said: “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake” (Matthew 24:9). This doesn’t mean that everyone will hate you. There is always a dividing when the Gospel comes into a home. Again, Jesus said: “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law” (Luke 11:51-53). Some will hate you while others will love. How should we react when persecution comes our way?
Pastor David Jones and his wife Mary have been told that they cannot invite friends to their San Diego, Calif. home for a Bible study — unless they are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars to San Diego County. “We told them this is not really a religious assembly — this is just a Bible study with friends. We have a meal, we pray, that was all,” Jones said. They were ordered to either “stop religious assembly or apply for a major use permit which is very costly. The county relented according to yesterday’s San Diego Union Tribune as it received hundreds of complaints
1. Jesus Does for You What You Cannot Do for Yourself
“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…” (1 Peter 3:18). “So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured” (Hebrews 13:12-13). “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me’” (Mark 8:34). Throughout the New Testament the mindset of Christianity is: our Lord suffered, we will follow him in suffering. How can this be, we ask? Who would come to follow Christ when it may cause them to die? How can we have any success at evangelism when people realize that following Christ in this life will only increase difficulty? The call to follow Christ at the risk of death only highlights the biggest things in life is not a comfortable lifestyle. Following Christ is risky yet, following Christ and enduring suffering in this life only highlights that living on the earth for increased comfort now is the not the reason for living. The biggest human needs are how to have our sins forgiven and overcome our separation from God and live forever with happiness in his presence instead of living forever in misery in hell. That’s ten thousand times more important than living long on the earth and being comfortable for a zillionth percentage of your existence.
Peter assumes 3 ideas in 1 Peter 3:18: Christ died “for sins.” This is what separates me from God. This is my biggest need. These are my biggest enemy—not Satan. “but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). This is vastly more terrifying than suffering for righteousness' sake—suffering the wrath of God because my sins have not been forgiven. But Jesus died "for sins." This is the greatest thing in the world. I do not have to die in my sins. There is forgiveness. This is why people would believe on Jesus even if it cost them their lives. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Christ died “the just for the unjust.” His death was substitutionary. He took my place. He stood under the wrath and penalty that I deserved and bore it for me. His death was utterly innocent. It was all for others’ sins, and not His own. Christ died “once for all” — that is, His death was final and all-sufficient to accomplish the forgiveness of all who believe on Him. He does not have to ever offer another sacrifice. There Jesus said these words on the cross, “It was finished.” It was all that was necessary to take away the guilt of my sins. The debt is paid in full. “For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself” (Hebrews 7:26-27).
All of this brings me to God. “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…” (1 Peter 3:18). This is the great comfort of martyrs and suffering Christians. Our worst enemy—sin—has been defeated. And Jesus has made sure that we will be at home safe with God. He has brought us to God. The separation has been removed. God is near us, and He is for us. Our lives are now hid in Him. How does this help us to suffer? Because one of the terrible temptations of the devil in suffering is to make us think that God has forsaken us. What he is saying here is: Suffering is no sign that God has forsaken us and turned against us! Christ has carried our sin, absorbed the wrath of God, and brought us safe to God.
Today’s Big Idea: “Unjust suffering carried out with unwavering confidence in God produce unimaginable impact and blessing for you and others.”
2. Jesus Christ Produces Hope
“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, 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, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water” (1 Peter 3:18-20).
Martin Luther said of 1 Peter 3:19 that there is perhaps no other verse more obscure in the New Testament than this verse. There is a lot of controversy over what this refers to. One person counted up the number of different interpretations of these verses and found 180 different interpretations down through the years. I’ll tell you what I think and how it relates to the main point. I think it refers to the time when people in Noah’s day were disobedient, mocking him as a righteous man obeying God (like the situation in the lives of Peter's readers), and that Jesus, in the spirit, was sent by God in those days to preach to those people through Noah. Just like in 1:11 the Spirit of Jesus was in the Old Testament prophets predicting His coming, so the Spirit of Jesus was in Noah preaching to the disobedient people of Noah’s day.
They are NOW in prison—that is, in a place of torment awaiting the final judgment (Luke 16:24). I don’t take this verse to refer to Jesus' going to the place of the dead and preaching to the spirits there—though many wise and good people take it that way. There are three ways that this strengthens us for suffering.
2.1 I’m Assured Greatness of Christ
He is not bound by space and time. He was there preaching thousands of years before and He is here speaking today. He will be with you, as He said, to the end of the age—in China and Bangkok and Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and Japan and Siberia and the Philippines and Ivory Coast and Germany and Van Buren —wherever you may suffer, both now and forever.
2.2 It Is Better to Obey Than Disobey
That is what happened to the people in Noah’s day. They thought it was foolish to heed the call of God like Noah did. So they stayed comfortable and respectable until the rain started. This is again why people can be converted with a message that calls for suffering — it is a suffering that will keep them out of eternal prison.
2.3 There’s No Disadvantage to Be Among the Minority
That’s the point in verse twenty where it says that in the ark “in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.” It must have felt foolish to be such a small minority. But the point is: if you are a minority with God, you will be saved and the tables will be turned. So when the suffering comes, don’t throw away your confidence that has great reward.
Again, today’s Big Idea: “Unjust suffering carried out with unwavering confidence in God produce unimaginable impact and blessing for you and others.”
3. Baptism is a Reminder
“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…” (1 Peter 3:21),
Verse eighteen said that Christ died for sins and brought us to God. In other words Christ saves us. But the question is: who is “us?” And who does Christ’s death actually save? Look to verse 21 for the answers: those who are baptized. But Peter knows that this will be misunderstood if he does not qualify it. So when he says, “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…” Baptism is an outward expression of a spiritual, inward appeal to God for cleansing. Baptism is an outward advertisement of my inward faith. In other words, baptism is a way of saying to God: “I trust you to apply the death of Jesus to me for my sins and to bring me through death and judgment into new and everlasting life through the resurrection of Jesus.” Baptism may cleanse the body because it was by immersion. But that is not why he says it saves. It saves for one reason: it is an expression of faith.
Today’s Big Idea: “Unjust suffering carried out with unwavering confidence in God produce unimaginable impact and blessing for you and others.”
How does this strengthen us for suffering with Christ? Like this: When we have come through the water of baptism, we have passed through death and judgment. We have been buried with Christ and we have risen with Him. We have passed from death to life. Judgment is behind us. The suffering we are experiencing cannot be the condemnation of God. That has already been experienced for us by Christ. We have received that by faith and we have expressed our faith by baptism. It stands as a constant reminder that the worst suffering has been averted. Christ took it for us. We will never have to come into judgment. There is now no condemnation. We have already died that death in Christ and been raised in him. Therefore our present suffering is not the wrath of God but the loving discipline of our Father and the preparation for glory.
4. Christ Now Reigns
“who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him” (1 Peter 3:22).
Take this one thought with you in preparation for your suffering. No harassing, oppressing, deceiving, accusing demon is free to do as he pleases. All angels, authorities, powers, devils, evil spirits, demons, and Satan himself are subject to Jesus Christ. When Peter says at the end of his letter (5:9) that the devil prowls around like a lion seeking to devour, resist him firm in your faith, THIS is the faith He has in mind. The faith that all angels, authorities and powers are subject to Jesus. This is what we rebuke and resist the devil with: you are subject to Jesus. Jesus reigns at God’s right hand and you are under Him. You can do nothing without his permission. You are a cat on a chain. You cannot touch me unless He lets you. And He will only let you to the degree that your touch will turn for my good and for His glory. So stand firm believers. Stand firm in this great faith, and arm yourselves with the purpose of Christ. The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.
