Sermon The Believer’s Response To Evil, Suffering And Injustice

Sermon The Believer’s Response to Evil, Suffering and Injustice

Scriptures: 1Peter 2:20-24 “Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.”

1Peter 3:17-18 “But—now get this clearly fixed in your mind—when you do what is right and suffer for it with grace and patience, God applauds! Illustration: Jesus Christ's suffering and death on the cross. He, the perfect God-man, was mistreated, hated, maligned, beaten, and finally nailed cruelly to a cross. He suffered awful consequences, even though He spent His life giving and serving.”

Introduction: Believers need a proper response to suffering and injustice we see around us. Many good Christian and faithful believers are troubled and anxious about the suffering and injustice in our world. This problem is not new. It is voiced in the Old and New Testament as God’s people struggled to understand seemingly undeserved suffering and injustice. Many faithful people serve in ministry, giving, forgiving, sacrificing, submitting to God’s will and denying themselves with an attitude of gentleness and humility. And after all those beautiful things, you will get ripped off occasionally or abused or mistreated without a cause. Peter knew it was important for suffering saints to have the right mindset, so he warns them ahead of time to be ready to patiently endure and keep believing.

The Bible doesn't hide this painful reality from us. In 1 Peter 2, he addressed God’s servants, by asking, "For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God." Part of this "makes sense," according to our logical and fair standard. Part of it doesn't. If a person does wrong and then suffers the consequences, even though he or she patiently endures the punishment, nobody applauds because they are getting what they deserved.

But—now get this clearly fixed in your mind—when you do what is right and suffer for it with grace and patience, God applauds! Peter follows this teaching with an illustration about Jesus. The sinless, perfect God-man was mistreated, hated, maligned, beaten, and finally nailed cruelly to a cross. He suffered awful consequences, even though He spent His life pleasing God, giving and serving others. Jesus did not speak out of term, criticize or injure no one. Peter invites us to follow in His steps.

One thing is certain: if people treated a perfect individual that way, then imperfect people cannot expect to escape mistreatment. If mistreatment hasn't happened to you yet, it will.

1 Peter 3:14-17 “But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!”

To our natural mind, suffering for doing what is right seems like a miscarriage of justice. I’ve been asked hundreds of times why God allows evil to take place, and I have to tell you honestly that I do not know the answer—not fully. The Bible talks about “the mystery of iniquity.” In 2 Thessalonians 2:7, it reads, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.” Here, in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, God describes lawlessness as a "mystery" that is already at work. Lawlessness is present now, but it will culminate in the deeds of the man of lawlessness. This truth was hidden until God revealed it through Paul. We are not told why lawlessness is covered in mystery, but we are told that it has a source, and it will come to an end.