(I Peter 4)

What is God’s will?  This always excites enormous debate.

Back on January 23, 2005 we look at God’s Will in this book of I Peter.

What is the will of God?

Peter give three ingredients in 2:11-17.

I.                    The will of God is to submit to governing authorities (vs. 13-14).

II.                 It is God’s will that we live His Truth – not just talk about it (vs. 15).

III.               It is God’s will that those who are free would live like servants of God (vs. 16).

Peter sums it up like this:

-         Show proper respect to everyone

-         Love the brothers and sister in Christ

-         Fear God

-         Submit to governing authorities

Today I would like to give a fourth point to this message that comes in chapter 4:  It is possible and we will suffer according to God’s Will.

I.                    The suffering of Jesus Christ is the pattern (4:1-6).

God will judge all these things; yes He will judge the living and the dead.

What was Peter’s point of reference?  It is a surprising one to me.

It is not any of the saints of the OT.

It is not any of the saints of his day.

It is not the saints of the future.

It is not any of the normally born of the human race with our sinful nature that needs to be defeated.

It is Christ.

II.                 The will of God is the plan (4:12-19).

Here is the plan:

That’s it?

That’s it.

But what who am I suppose to marry? Or where am I supposed to live?  Or what kind of work should I do?  Or what kind of car should I drive?  Or what kind of golf clubs am I to use?  Or what grade of gasoline am I to burn?

I need to know these important things!

Yet Peter serves up a plate full of Matthew 6:33.

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things will be added unto you; which may for us mean that some of these things will be taken from us.

Then what shall we do?

This will cause deep suffering in Christians.

What is our suffering?

Are we suffering because of evil?

Are we suffering because of our meddling?

Are we suffering because we were doing what was good?

I heard this week that there are Christian workers who are helping Tsunami victims.  Aggressive Hindus come to these places and beat the Christian workers while they are doing what is good.

There was a friend who did missions work in Minnesota who when the group he reached out to had enough, they would gang up and beat him.  I saw him once with both eyes black and blue – this was here in Minnesota.

Job like suffering will occur when we are doing what is right (Job 2:13; 30:25-27; 23:8-12).

We should look at Christ and seek to have His gracious and submissive attitude (no more and no less).

We should commit ourselves to our faithful Creator.

We should continue to do good.

I refuse!  Then so be it.

I submit!  Then Peter says welcome to God’s will.

If you suffer, don’t be surprised.

Have you ever had a good surprise?

While preaching a week of messages at a Bible camp in Wisconsin, some 20 years ago now, my friend was the camp manager, Willie Rathburn came out with this hideously scary mask and started laying some good surprises on some of us.

Willie jumped up from behind something a scared about 9 or 10 of us half to death.

I watched one of the counselors, who was about 16 come around the back of this car.  Willie said, “Watch this.”  He put the mask on and started toward the teenager.  Willie didn’t do anything except walk by the fellow.  I watch the young man’s face drop with the shock.  He was surprised! 

The end to Willies fun came when he tried it on his wife Becky.  She didn’t get shocked at all.  In fact she grabbed that hideous mask by the top and ripped right off his head.

No surprise to her.

Don’t be surprised.

And when you get over not being surprised,

Commit yourself to your faithful Creator,

And continue to do good.