The Acts of the Apostles 82

Subtitle: Showdown in Jerusalem III

Acts 22:1-21.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on September 29, 2024.

We pick up with the Apostle Paul at the temple compound in Jerusalem.  He has been arrested by the Roman commander and is on his way to the Antonia Fortress.  There were stairs on the northwest side of the courtyard outside of the temple proper.  These went up to a set of bridges that connected the Antonia Fortress to the roof of the porch that was on the perimeter of the courtyard.

Last week, we saw that Paul asked to speak to the crowd from the stairs.  This is where our scene opens.

Let’s look at our passage.

Paul addresses the crowd in the temple (v. 1-21)

Paul begins speaking to the crowd in Hebrew.  This gets their attention, and he is able to continue.  It is clear that Paul is doing all that he can to connect with them.  He is one of them.  Their language is his language.  He is not an outsider who does not care about the temple and Jewish matters.

However, forces have been operating through disgruntled countrymen to make Paul look like he is something other than them.  Paul has been presented as one who is trying to dismantle the Law of Moses and as one who isn’t worthy of respect and an honest hearing.

This is a common tactic of manipulation, whether from a spiritual source or a human one.  An individual or small group is isolated from the larger group and presented as defective and unworthy of respect.  This has always been a problem, but the advent of the theory of evolution has created a powerful tool of dehumanizing people.  Whether in regards to slavery or the lower class of the population, these people can be treated as subhuman because they are at a much lower level than others. 

Of course, this is all hogwash.  It is not our intelligence quotient, our genes, our skin color, or our money, that makes us worthy of respect when we speak.  Our worth is in the fact that we were all made as imagers of God.  Of course, we fall far short of that, but it can’t change the fact that this is what we are made for.  We are imagers of God.  It is this relationship to Him that gives each and every human worth.  This is what Paul is trying to counteract in this crowd.  They have been mentally prepped to resist him without an honest hearing.

Thus, Paul continues down a line of demonstrating his genuine Jewishness.  He was born a Jew, though it wasn’t in Judea.  Yet, he was “brought up” in Jerusalem being trained by the famous Rabbi Gamaliel (grandson of Hillel the Elder).  That phrase, “brought up,” is a verb that includes one’s youth, though it isn’t specific.  In fact elsewhere, Paul refers to himself as a son of a Pharisee.  This was probably meant literally, i.e., his dad was of the sect of the Pharisees.  This would explain how Saul would have been sent to Jerusalem and accepted for training.  However, it is also possible that he meant it figuratively.  He was a product of the teaching of Gamaliel, and thus, a “son” (product/disciple) of a Pharisee.  Regardless, this would put Paul in a very small group that was held in great prestige by the common people of Jerusalem.

By the way, it was common for Jews who came from outside of Judea to be looked down upon by Jews inside of it, particularly those of Jerusalem.  However, Paul’s training would have offset that.

This naturally leads into his zeal for Israel.  This crowd is rioting against him because they are zealous for the temple and Jewish matters.  Paul shows them that he too was just like they are.

When a person think they have to do something in order to prove that they love God, then watch out.  The flesh can corrupt this motivation and lead people to do very ungodly things in His Name.

Still, Paul had persecuted those who followed “They Way” [of the Lord].  This referred both to the teachings and the people who believed them.  Paul had persecuted them to the point of death.  Remember, they were just trying to kill him.

In case they would question this (it has been 20+ years), he calls the high priest and the elders of Israel to witness.  His work and station was very high within Israel.  No one was more zealous for the Law of Moses than Saul of Tarsus in those days.

He mentions that his zeal was so great that he had obtained letters from the elders to go to Damascus and arrest any followers of The Way that he found there.

This is all important.  Paul is listing things that he knows to be a list of his shame.  However, this crowd would see them as a list of honor.  Paul is not boasting.  Rather, he is leading up to the unlikelihood of his conversion.

Paul was not a disciple of Jesus who was trying to find a way to make Jesus relevant after his death.  It has been posited that the disciples made up the story of the resurrection because they didn’t want to lose the social power that they had obtained among parts of society.  They didn’t want to go back to hard labor, but hoped to bilk dumb religious-types of their money.

Yet, Paul is a problem for such an argument.  Something huge had to happen to turn a man like Saul of Tarsus away from arresting Christians to be killed and towards promoting Jesus himself.  The previous explanation falls woefully short of people like Saul/Paul, and there were plenty others like him, not to mention Romans and Gentiles who would not be inclined to embrace Jewish fables.

People often ignore difficult parts of a data set in order to make their smug explanation “probable.”  However, if the resurrection of Jesus really did occur, then it would perfectly explain all of the data, whether a disciple of Jesus or a entrenched enemy like Saul of Tarsus, whether a Jew or a Gentile.

In verse 6, Paul shares his experience with Jesus on the road to Damascus.  It truly was extraordinary.  Even if you don’t believe it, the fact that it is Saul of Tarsus telling the story is itself extraordinary.

We often refer to this as the “conversion” of Saul.  However, the word conversion may overemphasize certain things in our minds today.  We can think that Saul used to be a Jew, but  now he has converted to Judaism.  I think that this is absolutely the wrong way to think about this.

Peter and John, Paul and Barnabas, were not creating a new religion.  The way of Jesus was not something that came out of left field, with no connection to what had gone on before.  The Jewish Scriptures are a treatise on the failure of humanity, Israel, to bring forth God’s salvation.  And yet, it points to a Promise from God that He would send an Anointed One, a Messiah, or Christ, who would raise up the fallen of Israel and of the Gentiles. 

The Way of Jesus was exactly what the Law and the Prophets said was coming.  He was the fulfillment of all that it pointed to.  There is nothing more natural than for a Jew, an Israelite, to embrace Messiah!  Paul wasn’t converted.  Rather, he was blinded so that he could see the truth.  Messiah had come, and they had crucified him.  Yet, even now, Messiah Jesus is offering grace to those who would simply believe in him and in the role that God the Father has given to him.

We might say that Jesus represented God “too well.”  As long as God stays in heaven, we can give lip-service to Him and pretend that we really like Him.  However, in Jesus, we are brought face to face with a man who perfectly represents that heart of the Father, but in human flesh.  When unyielding, absolutely blazing truth becomes a man, don’t expect him to live long.

Paul then describes the bright light that suddenly shone around him.  It caused him to fall to the ground.  God in His mercy confronts us in our sin.  Of course, not all have this experience, but they do have things that knock them off of their high horse and speaks to their heart and mind a message they have not been wanting to hear.

Jesus of Nazareth confronts Saul with the truth of his sin.  “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”  The only answer is that he thought he was serving God by doing it.  Yet, Saul was confronted with the truth that he was part of a long line of Israelites who had betrayed the God of Israel.  He was on the side of the forces of antichrist, instead of fighting the battles of the LORD.  Mercy!  Wouldn’t you want to know if you were fighting for the wrong side out of your own blindness?  This is the work of Jesus that his disciples are called to do.

The religious crowd would probably notice that Saul represents Jesus giving him a double salutation (Saul, Saul).  This was a common way of getting someone’s attention.  However, within the Old Testament it is used by God in very special places.  God speaks to “Abraham, Abraham,” as he is about to sacrifice Isaac.  We see it with Jacob, Moses, and Samuel.  Jesus himself employed this with Martha and Peter (“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.”}.  You might do a study of addresses by God to people with a double salutation.  It is enlightening.

Regardless, Paul notes that the men saw the light (though it was particularly aimed at him).  However, they did not hear the words.  Christ was speaking to Saul in his heart and mind.  It was a message for him.  This was an event that was both natural (the light) and supernatural (the message).  Even the light has a supernatural source.

Paul then describes the Lord’s instructions to go into Damascus.  Of course being blind, he is helped into Damascus by his men.  Aren’t you glad that God knows how to get our attention?  He won’t force us to serve Him, but He will get our attention from time to time.

Paul then shares his experience in Damascus with the Jew Ananias.  Ananias had a good reputation among the Jews of Damascus.  He comes to Saul and somehow (by the Holy Spirit’s revelation) knows that he is blind.  Ananias tells Saul to receive his sight and he is able to see within one hour.  Thus, God was working directly with Saul and indirectly through this prophet.  However, Paul  shares the message that Ananias was told to give him. 

Saul had been chosen to “know God’s will,” “to see the Just One,” and to “hear the voice of his mouth.”  Each of these are fulfilled in Jesus.  God’s will is for all men everywhere to repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is also His will that all men everywhere be presented with this most important truth.  Though Saul did not see the Just One (who is Jesus) when he was blinded, Saul would later have the Lord appear to him in visions.  Lastly, the experience outside of Damascus was not the last time that Saul would hear the voice of God’s mouth (who is Jesus).  Ultimately, Saul would be a witness of this to all men.

Of course, every Christian today needs to know God’s will, see the Just One, and hear the voice of his mouth.  We may not literally see Jesus.  However, our relationship with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, as we grow in our discipleship, will help us to know what the Lord Jesus is saying to us.

Ananias tells Saul that he needs to rise up, be baptized, and wash away his sins while calling on the name of the Lord.

In verse 17, Paul shares his experience in Jerusalem after he had come back from Damascus.  He was in this very same temple when the Lord Jesus spoke to him in a trance.  “Trance” is a word that focuses on the state of a person’s mind.  In a trance, a person’s mind becomes more aware of the spirit realm and less of the natural realm around you.  The word “vision” is about the things a person sees in their mind.  Both of these terms go hand in hand.  The Apostle Peter in describing a previous experience (Acts 11:5) uses both words, “in a trance, I saw a vision.”

Paul had been in the temple with people praying and sacrifices going on around him, but in a moment, all of that receded and he saw Jesus speaking to him.  The message is that Paul should quickly leave because his testimony of Jesus would not be received.

It is interesting to hear Paul’s response to Jesus.  He appears to be making a case why he would be the best person to stay and preach to the people of Jerusalem.  He had been dead-set against following Jesus.  He had persecuted those who followed Jesus.  He had held the coats of those who killed Stephen.  Yet, Jesus rebuffs him with a simple, “Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.”

Here, Paul is again.  Only this time, he is not departing quickly.  This time, he is standing and delivering an absolutely amazing testimony of how the grace of God through Jesus turned him around 180 degrees.   God’s mercy is giving him one last shot to stir their hearts to faith.

There are times when people need to hear a hard word.  It is generally a word that they have been running from for a long time.  Paul knew exactly what it was like to be blind and think that you are doing what is right, and yet, to be so wrong.  He knew what it was like to kick at those goads that God sends our way, in His mercy.  He could see himself in them.  To give up on them would be to give up on himself.  So, the love of God that had been birthed in Paul’s heart was now fixing itself on this angry crowd and loving them despite their actions.

We are called to people such as these, a people kicking against the goads of God’s grace, a people stubbornly persisting to follow blind guides.  However, sometimes, it is we who have the Gospel who are kicking against the goads.  We can become comfortable in a certain way of doing church, in a way of living, and in a way of being “Christian.”  We follow the tradition of how things are supposed to be done and pat ourselves on the back.  Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit is trying to get our attention to the tragedies all around us, people slipping into eternity without Jesus.  We can be standing in the way of God’s Spirit and declaring that we are doing what God wants.

We have to be careful.  We need to be a people who are not simply praying against things that hurt us.  “God, take it away!”  Maybe, just maybe, it is intended to get our attention.  Maybe, it is a goad from God to spiritually wake us up.  Maybe, He is using it to sober us up, or even raise us up from spiritual death.

Goads are things that should change our hearts.  They are spiritual and packed with the power of the Holy Spirit.  However, we can go right on by them.

You may be ministering to someone like this, and you just want to give up on them.  Notice that Paul isn’t giving up on his people, no matter how stubborn they are and no matter how unjust they act toward him.  He is telling them the  best thing they could ever hear.  “Let me tell you about Jesus!  He stopped me in my tracks, when I was planning to drag people off to their deaths.  I thought I was wonderful and that God would be proud.  But, Jesus loved me enough to stop me and call me to repentance and salvation!”  Now, that is Jesus!  That’s the Gospel!

Can you imagine God becoming tired of holding out His peace to this world?  Can you imagine God saying, “We don’t serve your kind here!”  No.  Jesus was the perfect picture of the Father.  What did he do?  He laid down his life in order to serve everyone.  Jesus has set the table with a plate just for you.  However, if you never sit down to eat the meal, it will not do you any good.  Thus, we can block the good that God is trying to give us.

Friend, if we are going to help people, then we need to quit kicking against the goads and start learning, so that we can help others.  May God help us to follow Jesus like Paul did.  He walked into difficulty out of faith that God was going to use it to save some!

Showdown III audio

Sharing Jesus Passionately 2

1 Peter 3:14-17.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on April 2, 2017.

Today we will finish out our series on the purpose of the Church and followers of Jesus.  We have used the words: Connect, Grow, Serve, and Share.  When we share the truth about Jesus it becomes necessary to give an answer to questions that inevitably arise, and to give a defense to accusations of error.  Throughout history there have been some very eloquent answers and defenses given, and some of them can be found in the Bible.

The first Christian martyr, Stephen, gives an eloquent defense before the Sanhedrin (a Jewish court) in Acts chapter 7.  The Apostle Paul gives a defense to a Jerusalem mob in Acts 22, and a defense to the Sanhedrin in Acts 23.  Later he gives another defense before King Herod Agrippa in Acts 26.  Down through history the impassioned statements of believers and martyrs have been recorded in books like “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.”  You will notice something in all of these that I have mentioned.  They are not filled with the vindictive ramblings and railings of people who are missing their marbles.  Instead, we see very reasoned defenses of the Gospel of Jesus and their faith in it.  Though Christianity is referred to as a Faith, never think for a moment that it also means that there is no reason.  So, today we will look at this area of reasoning with people in the marketplace of Ideas.

The case for apologetics

In this passage Peter speaks about the reality that normally we are not persecuted for doing good.  But there are times when you suffer even for doing what is good.  For whatever reason, another person or king may feel threatened and then seek your harm, though it is undeserved.  In those times we need to stand our ground and share the truth of Christ without anger and striking back.  Thus we defend ourselves with the Truth.  The word apologetics is used for any line of reasoning or answering that is used to defend the faith, of Christianity in this case, against others.  It comes from the same root of the word “defense or answer” in 1 Peter 3:15.  The word actually can mean either one.  If someone is simply asking a question then you give an answer.  But if someone is seeking to demonstrate that you are in error, then you are giving a defense.  This is the area of learning to defend our faith, both in Jesus personally and in the teachings of him and his apostles.  Peter gives us a command in verse 15 to be ready to give an answer or defense.  It is a necessary part of the being a follower of Jesus.

It would be easy to have an attitude that is super spiritual.  We could state that we don’t have to defend the faith because people are either drawn by the Holy Spirit or they are not.  However, this is not the attitude the apostles and early Christians took.  Christians have been reasoning people because their Lord and Master is a reasoning being.  Also, we must not defend the faith in order to get a duty off of our plate.  We must care about whether people believe or not.  A Christian who runs into resistance should be driven to their knees in prayer.  “O God, help me to find a way.”  “Fill my mouth with Your words and anoint me with Your Spirit.” When people ask questions or bring up reasons why they don’t believe, we must seek to answer them with passion for the faith and passion for them accepting it.  Yet, it is also true that not everyone asks honest questions.  Some seek only to tear down continually, and will not listen to reason.  It is not your job to give an answer to every person on earth, but it is your job to give an answer to every person who “asks of you the reason for the hope within you.”

Peter goes on to remind them how they should answer and defend.  It should be done in a Christlike manner.  The how is just as important as the what.  In fact, we should check ourselves before we answer anyone.  Am I letting the character and person of Jesus shine through me?  We defend ourselves, but not as the world defends itself.  In fact, if we are honest, we want to defend in a worldly manner.  It takes courage and strength to restrain one’s self and be like Christ.  So what does it look like to gve an answer or defense of our faith in a Christlike manner?

Peter lists 4 things.  First, we are in a state of readiness.  Like the Boy Scout motto, “Be prepared,” we make sure that we are ready to give a reason for our faith in Jesus.  We prepare ourselves spiritually, mentally, and physically.  And yet, Jesus tells us that we need not worry about the exact words we should say.  But, we do need to spend time in the Word of God and prayerfully thinking through the issues of our day.  People will have questions and we need to prepare ourselves to answer them.

Next Peter uses the word “meekness.”  This word is more about our inner demeanor than it is our outward.  It points to an inner calmness, gentleness, and humility within our spirit.  This is to be in contrast to an arrogant, brash, and spiteful demeanor.  The inward will outwardly express itself.  But a meek person can give a passionate and strong defense of the Gospel.  We see this with Stephen and Paul as I mentioned earlier.  The meek person does not approach the unbeliever with an attitude of superiority, and yet neither are they ashamed and timid about their faith.  May God fill us with His Spirit so that we can be strong and meek.

Next Peter mentions fear.  In our day and age it is not in vogue to speak of fear positively.  However, there is a place for proper fear.  Peter is referring to having a proper respect for other people and a proper reverence for the Lord Jesus.  Thus we sanctify (hallow) the Lord in our heart.  I belong to Him and He has called me for this very purpose.  I must do it, and I must do it in the way that He wants me to do it.

This leads to the fourth thing, a good conscience.  Living in harmony with the faith and the teachings of Jesus and his apostles, gives us an assurance that we are doing the right thing.  It gives us confidence before those who question us.  We have a good conscience, not because we never fail, but because even when we fail we admit them, repent of them, and reconcile with those we sin against.  When a Christian faces and deals with their sin, it keeps their conscience clean.  There is no guilt that can be held over their head in order to shut them up.  You need to realize that the devil wants to cover you in a pile of doubts, confusion, shame, and guilt.  Why? So that he can get you to shut up and not try.  Parents should take this very same thing to heart.  It is hard raising kids.  But if you quit when it gets hard, the devil will win in the life of your child.  Over the years many brilliant people, in defending Jesus and the Gospel, have left us with quite a repository of answers to give the world.

The Case for Christ

There is a movie that is coming out this weekend called The Case for Christ.  It is based off of a true story of an investigative journalist named Lee Strobel.  You may be interested in seeing the movie, but even more important you really should read the book that he wrote in 1998 by the same name.  You see, in 1979, Lee Strobel was a boozing, self-absorbed, and immoral man who was driven to be a great journalist.  He was also an atheist.  That year the conversion of his wife to Christianity rocked his world.  But he was rocked even more by what it did in the life of his wife.  He felt like he was losing his wife and yet she was becoming a better person.  The book traces his investigative interview with 13 different professionals within different professions in order to prove to his wife that Jesus and Christianity were well proven frauds.  After 21 months, in 1981, Lee was astounded that he had convinced himself that it was all true and was backed by evidence that would not only stand up in court, but more evidence than was often used to send people to prison for life.

Lee visited professionals in the areas of ancient source documents, both biblical and secular, archaeology, philosophy, psychology, theology, and even medical doctors.  Remember that Lee was an atheist who was out to prove the religion his wife was embracing was a fraud and easily proven wrong.  He thought he had an answer for every claim of Christians.  Here is a sample of how his journey went.  He felt that the 500 people who had seen Jesus at one time must have had a hallucination.  In his book he says, “I went to a psychologist friend and said if 500 people claimed to see Jesus after he died, it was just a hallucination.  He said hallucinations are an individual event.  If 500 people have the same hallucination, that’s a bigger miracle than the resurrection.”  Often skeptics who deny the reality of Scriptural events will point to alternate explanations that superficially appear to be a valid answer.  But, upon further speculation, you find that they actually make it more impossible.  Another example of this is the crossing of the Red Sea.  Often people will say that the water wasn’t very deep, perhaps ankle or knee deep.  Yet, when you think about it, this only changes the miracle to the fact that God drowned Pharaoh and his army in knee deep water.  I share this to show that there are many people and books written that answer the many questions and misunderstandings that people have towards Jesus.  However, it is just as important to share the good news about what Jesus had done for us, than to answer people’s questions about the bible.

Evangelism Explosion and the  Way of the Master

Sharing with people their need for salvation and the grace of Jesus can be intimidating for many.  There are individuals who are gifted with the ability and desire to talk to everyone.  But most people have to work at it to share Christ with others.  In 1962 Dr. D. James Kennedy, senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, came out with an evangelism tool called Evangelism Explosion.  It is famous for the leading question, “Suppose that you were to die today and stand before god and he were to say to you, ‘Why should I let you into my heaven?’  What would you say?”  Of course it involved a set of Scripture verses to share with people once they gave their answer.

Another tool that is more recent comes from pastor Ray Comfort with WayofTheMaster.com.  He uses some of the 10 commandments (lying, stealing, taking God’s name in vain, adultery) and uses them to show people that they are guilty before God by their own admission.  If they stood before God they would have no defense.  Then he explains how Jesus was making a way for them to be set free from their sin and guilt.  All they need to do is confess their sins, believe in their heart that Jesus paid the price for their sins, and then put their trust in Him and His teachings. 

As good as these attempts to systematize sharing the gospel are, we must recognize that this is a spiritual endeavor.  No one will be rationalized into the kingdom of God.  However, that is not to say that reasoning is not important.  We are both mental and spiritual.  Thus we must engage people’s minds.  Yet, a key component cannot be overlooked, the spiritual sense of our sin and the amazing grace of Jesus.  In the words of Herod Agrippa to the Apostle Paul, many people hear a great presentation of the Gospel and yet say, “You almost persuade me to be a Christian.”  When you hear this, don’t get discouraged and give up.  Don’t hang your head down and feel like you have disappointed God.  Whether noncommittal or even resistant, it is not our job to save people, but to give them a reason for the hope within us.  In fact, very few get saved the first time they hear the gospel.  It is often over the course of time and many explanations of the gospel that people come to faith in Christ.  So hang in there and be faithful to the mission.  The words that God will say to us on that day are “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  Let’s focus on being good and faithful to the mission that Jesus has given us to share the gospel with those who are not believers in Him.

Sharing Jesus 2 audio

The Problem of Suffering I

As we continue through the book of 1 Peter, we are now at a point where Peter speaks to the area of suffering.  Many believers were encountering suffering on a personal basis and often throughout a whole region.  Eventually, Caesars such as Nero and Diocletian would promote a persecution against Christians throughout the whole Roman world.  Thus these words from Peter were timely. 

In our own day and age, we still see large parts of the earth where persecution of Christians is the norm.  Even in America, where we have been sheltered for so long, we see a growing animosity against believers, along with incidents of clear persecution.  Thus these words are timeless and we need to pay attention to what God is saying to us.  Let’s look at 1 Peter 3:13-17.

What Kind Of Person Harms Those Who Do Good?

In verse 9 we are told to not pay back wrong for wrong.  However, this brings up the area of when others repay my good with wrong.  No matter how right and good you try to do things, there will always be some who resent you for it.  What kind of person does evil to those who do good?  That is the question that Peter puts forth in verse 13.  The main intention is to remind them that only evil people who do not belong to God will do such things.  God is against those who do evil and has gone on record that he is going to judge them.  Thus we need to remind ourselves, when we are suffering from wrongs that others do to us, that they are not doing what is right and God is against them.  That may not make you feel better, but suffering tends to get in the head of an individual.  We can begin to question all manner of things, even God’s favor for us. 

Another aspect to this question is that the answer is not just an evil person, but is the fact that they are only a human.  They are NOT God, even if they do command the power of government like Caesar.  Even if the whole world worships him as a god, he is only human.  He will stand before the true God and give account for the evil he has done.  That is why Jesus reminded his followers in Matthew 10:28 that they should not fear those who can only kill their bodies.  Rather we need to fear God who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.  When people persecute us we can be tempted to accept it as God’s punishment upon us, especially if it is ongoing.  We wonder where God’s blessing is and look for the reasons why we are so wretched to deserve this.  Thus in verse 14 Peter moves to another point.

The Righteous Who Suffer Are Blessed

How can God tell us that when we suffer for doing what is right we are blessed?  How can persecution be interpreted as blessings?  We so often only see blessings that are material.  However, we are missing the more important, eternal blessings.  In verse 12 Peter had told them that the Eyes of the Lord are on the righteous.  You are blessed because God is watching over you with affection and care.  Secondly, you are blessed because his ears are open to your prayers.  Now clearly the psalmist was not trying to say God literally has eyes and ears.  Yet, the One who created the eye and the light that makes it work did it so that we can “see” what he “sees.”  The same is true with ears.  As an aside, let me just say that even this point becomes moot in the light of Jesus and his incarnation.  God didn’t take on flesh so that he could see and hear, but so that we can understand that he has always seen and always heard.  So when you are suffering praise God that he sees your plight and pray to him with your petitions and your praises.

Lastly you are blessed because your trust in God puts you on His side.  Here Peter quotes from Isaiah 8 when he says do not be afraid...nor be troubled.  Now if you go back and read this whole chapter you will see that God speaks to both the Gentile nations and the people of Israel.  God is a sanctuary to those who trust Him, but He is a stumbling block to those who do not trust him.  So, whether you are an unbelieving heathen or a waffling Christian, you are going to either come to faith in Jesus or you will trip over him.  When God doesn’t do things our way it is easy to stumble in our faith.  But if we trust him we are blessed because those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  God will bring them through every trial.

Those Who Suffer Should Do These Things

In verses 15-17 Peter lays out several things that we need to do especially when we are suffering for doing what is right.  The first is to set our heart and mind upon the Lord alone.  To “sanctify” means to set apart for a particular purpose.  We can’t make God holier or more sanctified.  But we can make our heart and mind a special place where God’s thoughts and his desires are set up as primary and special.  They are our sole focus.  This word is the same as is used in the Lord’s prayer: “hallowed be Thy name.”  The prayer is about God’s name (Jesus and all that he is) being set apart in the hearts and minds of people.  In Hebrews 12:1-2 we see this need again.  “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross…”  If we are to run this race well we need to set our heart and minds upon the desires and thoughts of Jesus Christ.  If we are to run well we need to run in the footsteps of the only one who ran it perfectly, Jesus.

The next thing those who suffer need to do is to ready themselves to give reasons for their faith in Jesus.  Typically this verse is quoted to encourage people to study apologetics.  However the context goes beyond just defending the gospel.  This actually represents the suffering person going on the offensive.  When we do not pay back wrong for wrong it will open the door of the inquisitive.  We need to be ready to pour forth that inner communion of love and adoration of our savior to them.  We can only do this if we have been reading the Word, spending time in prayer, and meditating upon God’s Word and our life.  It is here that the Holy Spirit clarifies these things in our soul.  Why do you hope in Jesus?  Can you spend hours pouring forth why you hope in Jesus?  It is increasingly important in these days that we have a relationship with Jesus that is real and spiritual.  Peter also mentions the attitude we should go about giving those reasons.   Our attitude should first be meek.  This simply means to be gentle.  It doesn’t matter how strong you are.  Meekness is strength under control.  Sharing our hope in Christ should be done gently, but also in fear.  Not fear of people, but fear of the Lord.  I am representing him.  I need to have a healthy respect and speak out of pure motives rather than out of a hurt and embittered heart. 

Lastly we need to keep our conscience clear.  Improper motivations behind even good actions can cloud our conscience just as sure as if you through a clump of mud into your drinking water.  When we repent of impure motives and trust God that he forgives us and cleanses us from it, we will have a conscience that is clear.  Many believers today have a murky conscience.  Even when they repent they don’t fully trust the forgiveness of the Lord.  We need to stop such insanity.  Either God is a Truth teller or he is a liar.  But he is not both!

If we live through suffering in such a way it will cause some to be ashamed.  They will sense the guilt of their actions and perhaps repent.  But even if they do not “feel” ashamed, they are shamed nonetheless.  We need to keep the door open for the salvation of those who persecute us by responding in these ways.

Final Thoughts

It is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.  When we suffer for doing evil, we deserve it.  We need to suck it up, repent, and learn.  But when we suffer for doing right, we take our place alongside God himself.  We are able to stand next to Jesus and all the other saints who suffered with him.  We have the joy of having a bond with Jesus that others will not understand.  We’ve been through the same fire that he went through.

Also, remember that God’s will is never just about suffering.  It is about the ends to which that suffering will take us.  We not only will have a place next to Jesus, but we will be like him because we have faithfully traveled the same path as him.

Lastly, suffering in this passage is based upon the choices of others.  We need to remember that God is greater than the choices of others.  And, even though we may be caused pain because of their choices, God has promised to overturn the evil others do to us.  Let us keep our faith in Jesus to the end!

Probs Suffering I Audio