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How Should I Act as a Christian?
Take Courage
1 Peter 3, 4


All Christians are called to suffering:
1) “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12)

Everyone suffers in various ways:
1) trials that come as the result of living in a fallen world
2) trials we bring on ourselves that are the direct result of sin and its consequences
3) suffering for the name or cause of Christ.

The sufferings of Christ are given as our example of patient endurance (1 Peter 4:1) during trials and suffering that will come into every Christian’s life.

CHRIST’S EXAMPLE
Scripture tells us that Jesus, who was fully God, shared in our humanity in every way (Hebrews 2:14-18). On earth, he lived as a man and he suffered just as we do. Isaiah states that Jesus “was despised and rejected by men, a man or sorrows, and familiar with suffering” (Isaiah 53:3). Let’s look at some of the ways Jesus suffered, some of which are very much like our own.

1) Forced to flee to Egypt as infant (Matthew 2:13-15)
2) His birth directly caused the deaths of infant boys under age 2 in and around Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16-18)
3) He was tempted by Satan for forty days and nights (Matthew 4:1-11)
4) The religious leaders planned to have Him killed (Matthew 12:14; John 11:45-53)
5) Some people believed he was a lair (John 7:12)
6) His own town rejected Him (Mark 6:1-4)
7) People tried to stone Him (John 8:57-59; 10:31-39)
8) He mourned over the future of Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37-38)
9) He sorrowed until drops of blood dropped from His brow in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-40)
10) His disciples deserted Him (Matthew 26:47-56)
11) Was falsely accused during His trial (Matthew 26:60)
12) He was spat upon, struck, slapped, beaten and mocked (Matthew 26:67-68; 27:30-31)
13) Crucified (Matthew 27:32-35)
14) Suffered the punishment we justly deserved when He was separated from the Father and became our sin in God’s sight (Matthew 27:45-56)

It is important to note that God did not replace Christ’s suffering (Matthew26:38-39) nor does he replace our suffering with glory—He transforms suffering into glory!

1) “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body…because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-14)
2) “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16)

Let’s look at the differences between punishment and persecution. The word persecute comes from the root word, pursue. We are “punished” by good people when we do wrong. As Christians we are admonished to never suffer for doing wrong (1 Peter 3:17)! We are “persecuted” or “pursued and watched” by evil people when we do good. We are only persecuted when we are falsely accused for following Christ. The world never persecutes “religious” people, only “righteous” people. 1 Peter 4:12 tells Christians to expect suffering such as a limitation of our rights, verbal abuse, etc.:
1) On our jobs
2) In our schools
3) In our neighborhoods
4) In our own families

The “fiery trial” the early church would undergo could literally be translated as one which was smelted in a furnace. The Bible often refers to the smelting process of fine metals such as silver and gold. In fact, silver was once considered to be of more worth than the finest gold. The smelting process heatED the precious metal until all impurities or “dross” are removed.

1) “Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for the silversmith;” (Proverbs 25:4)

Refining silver is often used as an analogy for the trials we go through to test or refine our hearts:

1) “For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.” (Psalms 66:10)
2) “See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” (Isaiah 48:10)


REASONS FOR PERSECUTION

1) Lifestyles we lead

Christians World
Children of Light (Ephesians 5:8) Love darkness (John 3:19)
Live by Faith (Romans 1:17) Live by sight (2 Cor. 5:7)
We are salt (Matt. 5:13) Salt flavors, but irritates
We are peculiar, different or separate (Titus 2:14, 2 Cor. 6:14-18)
We divide

2) Lies we suffer
a. “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12)
b. “Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses… (Matthew 26:59:60)

3) The Lord we serve
a. “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you…(John 15:19)
b. “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)

RESULTS OF STANDING FOR CHRIST

1) Personal insult
a. “They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said.” (Matthew 27:29)
b. “But they laughed at him.” (Matthew 9:24)
2) Physical Intimidation
a. “…you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:4)
3) Social Injustice
a. “"You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.” (Mark 13:9)
b. “…you will be hated by all nations because of me.” (Matthew 24:9)


OUR REACTION TO PERSECUTION

1) We have fellowship with Jesus Christ
a. “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake…” (Philippians 1:29)
b. “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” (Philippians 3:10)
2) Know that glory awaits us
a. “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him…” (2 Timothy 2:12)
b. “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:10)
3) Return good for evil
a. “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven…” (Matthew 5:43)
4) Rejoice in the Lord
a. “I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” (Genesis 15:1)
b. “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” (Acts 5:41)
c. “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matthew 5:12)
d. “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant…enter thou into the joy of the Lord.” (Matthew 25:21-22)
4) Release Love
a. “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you…For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? (Matthew 5:44-47)
b. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)



EXAMINE OUR LIVES

1 Peter 4:1 makes a very bold statement, “…for if you are willing to suffer for Christ, you have decided to stop sinning.” The phrase “to stop” comes from the Greek word, Pauo. This is a passive verb that suggests the subject of the verb is being acted upon and that the subject itself does not do anything. Another way of saying this verse would be that if you have suffered in your body, you have gotten “release from sin.”

1 Peter 4:15-18 goes on to remind us that “judgment begins with the house of God.”
Let’s be sure that we are suffering for Christ and not because we have done wrong.

1) Why am I suffering?
2) Am I ashamed, or glorying Christ
a. “[speaking of Jesus]…is not ashamed to call them brethren.” (Hebrews 2:11)
b. “…wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God.” (Hebrews 11:16)
c. “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38)
d. “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33)
3) Am I concerned for the lost? (1 Peter 4:17-18)
a. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go. And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace.” (Acts 16:27-36)
4) Commit yourself to God
a. “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12)
b. “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised…” (Hebrews 10:23)



TAKE COURAGE - STUDY QUESTIONS
1 Peter 3, 4




1) Without opening our mouths, how can we witness to a lost world?



2) What does it mean to “sanctify the Lord in your heart?”



3) Have you ever been in a position where you had to be “ready” to answer someone about the hope of Christ in you? Explain.



4) Why is it important to be respectful and gentle when witnessing to others? What can be the result of being over zealous?



5) 1 Peter 3:15 seems to indicated that we should be “asked” before we share our faith. Would you agree or disagree? Explain.



6) What is the inner witness to ourselves that we are children of God?



7) According to Jeremiah 17:7-8, what two things can “the man [or woman] who trusts in the Lord” expect to experience in their lives? (See 1 Peter 4:12)



8) How is the suffering of Christ different from our own? How is it similar?



9) Not many of us have not “resisted to the point of shedding your blood” in our struggles against sin, yet what happens when we deny our fleshly desires? (See Romans 8:13)
10) Suffering comes with the promise of a reward (1 Peter 3:14). What kind of reward can we expect?



11) 1 Peter 4:19 speaks of “those who suffer according to God’s will.” Is it difficult to realize that both “calamities and good things” (Lamentations 3:38) come from God? Can you sight an example(s) from Scripture?



12) What are some of the reasons God may allow suffering in the life of His child?



13) Have you ever experienced injustice because of your faith?



14) What does it mean that we have “stopped sinning?”



15) 1 Peter 4:17 says that “judgment begins in the family of God” and that it is “hard for us to be saved.” How should this affect our hearts toward the unsaved world around us?



16) What does it mean to “commit yourself to God?”



15) Rejoice in suffering? How is this possible?



16) What are some of the subtle ways we can deny Christ?