1 Peter. Now let's turn here together. 1 Peter chapter 4. And let's
read this, the last three verses. For the time has come that judgment
must begin at the house of God. And if it first begin at us,
what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely
be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore,
let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the
keeping of their souls to Him in well-doing as unto a faithful
Creator. I want to look at encouragement
in judgment. Encouragement in judgment. When we hear the word judgment,
that's a word that strikes fear into the heart of an unbeliever. And rightfully so, because a
person who leaves this world, departs from this world, and
faces God, never having bowed to Christ, never having believed
on Christ, never having trusted the person of Christ Jesus, His
blood and His righteousness alone. That person will face judgment,
and it's serious judgment. But the Spirit of God is moving
Peter here to use the judgment of God not to terrify the believer,
but to encourage and console us in all our sufferings. I want you to see that. We looked
last time at three reasons for this, and I want you to look
at these three reasons again and notice that these words It
could be four. They could be four here. But
here's the three reasons. Back up in verse 12. We saw this
last time. Beloved, think it not strange
concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some
strange thing happened unto you. We looked last time how that
Peter is talking here about reproach. He's talking about reproach for
the name of Christ. I think we'll see that as we
look here in this lesson. Beloved, think it not strange
concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some
strange thing happen unto you. But rejoice. Here's the first
reason. See, he says rejoice. Here's
the first reason. Inasmuch as. For. Inasmuch as this. For. You're
partakers of Christ's sufferings. This is why Christ suffered.
Because he came and declared the truth. And he is the truth.
And he was rejected. And suffered because of who he
is. Christ's sufferings. That. This is the second reason
we saw. That, rejoice for this reason,
because when His glory shall be revealed, when He comes back,
we're going to be glad with exceeding joy. This affliction is going
to be very light, but a moment. We're going to know that. Here's
the third reason, but if you be reproached for the name of
Christ, happy are you, for See this? 4. The spirit of glory
and of God resteth upon you. This is the only way we would
suffer this reproach. And if we're born of the spirit
of God and been made His, and the spirit of glory and of God,
the spirit of the God of glory, the Holy Spirit rests upon the
believer. On their part, He's evil spoken
of. But on your part, He's glorified.
But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or
as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. But,
yet, I'm sorry, yet, if any man suffer as a Christian, see this
is the opposite of those things, if any man suffer as a Christian,
let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf. Now here's, here it is again,
for, The time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God.
He said now rejoice in these things. Rejoice. The judgment
of God is reason to be rejoicing. It's reason for consolation.
Judgment must begin at the house of God. Everything God does in
this world is for His house. Everything God does in this world
is for the Lord's house. It's for His people. Everything
He does in this world. Judgment must begin with His
house. It's His house. Those chosen
of God in Christ. Those redeemed by Christ's blood.
Those born of His Spirit. This is great reason for the
house of God to rejoice. Now, when Israel was delivered
into captivity, we've looked at this throughout Isaiah, everybody
in Israel suffered. Everybody there suffered. It was a great suffering to everybody
involved, believer and unbeliever. But it was well to the righteous. It was well to the wicked, but
it was well for the righteous. Whenever Jerusalem was destroyed
in 70 A.D., which Peter is very close to that time when he is
writing this, everybody there suffered, believer and unbeliever,
both. But it was great joy. It was great reason to rejoice
for the believer. Great reason to rejoice. Sometimes
I'll see my children, and they'll be with other children, and I'll
call them over to me, and I'll correct them about something.
And they'll say, but why are you correcting me and not them?
Because you're mine. That's why. They're not mine.
You're mine. And that's what God tells us. When we're judged, we are chastened
of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world.
That's the Word of God. Don't forget this when we bear
suffering and there's a trial, a reproach for His name is what
we're talking about here. When that comes, Rejoice because
God chastens those He loves. Don't faint under it. He chastens
those He loves and He corrects His children for this reason,
for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness. Now, I want to show you today
a couple of more reasons why this judgment is reason to rejoice. He says there in verse 17, for
the time has come. For the time has come. The time
came when the Son of God came in human flesh. Look at John
9, 39. That's when this time came. And
this is why this is such a rejoicing for us, brethren. John 9, 39. Jesus said, for judgment I've come into the
world. That's why it came. That they
which see not might see, and they which see might be made
blind. Now, the first reason we have that this judgment, this
trial, this reproach, this chastening of the Lord is not a reason for
us to fear but to rejoice is because Christ has brought forth
judgment satisfied the judgment of condemnation for his people.
You see there in verse 18 it says, if the righteous scarcely
be saved, It's not to create fear or doubt in us, to make
us doubt whether or not we're going to be saved. You know what
the joy and glory and consolation of the everlasting covenant is
that God makes in the hearts of His people? It's everlasting. It can't be altered, it can't
be changed, it can't be corrupted by anything. It's ordered in
all things insure. Isaiah said, Israel shall be
saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation. You shall not be ashamed
or confounded world without end. Now this word scarcely, what
does that mean then? It means that this righteous,
the righteous, the believer, those of his house are saved
with a precious salvation. A precious salvation. We're saved
with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without spot, without
blemish. We're saved in a way that only
Christ could accomplish and that Christ has accomplished for His
people. By Christ coming forth, He put
away the judgment of God toward His people because He bore it
Himself. Look at Romans chapter 8 and verse 1. Romans 8 verse
1. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus. They're not going to be condemned. They're not going to suffer the
judgment of wrath. There's no condemnation for them
which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit, who were born of Him. For the law of the Spirit
of life in Christ Jesus, that's how I walk after Him. I've been
given the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. The Spirit of life has
made me free from the law of sin and death for what the law
couldn't do, in that it was weak through the flesh. We couldn't
do this. God sending His own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh and for sin. condemned sin in the
flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled
in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Look over at Jeremiah 50. Jeremiah 50. Peter said, the
time has come. Look at Jeremiah 50 in verse
20. Christ bore that awful wrath
in His body on a tree. If you want to see what something,
enter into something of what the judgment of condemnation
will be, just with the carnal eye you see the horrendous nature
of it in what Christ endured on the cross, not to mention
what He endured in the forsaking of God and what God God did in
pouring out His wrath upon him. But when he did that, and he
satisfied that, the judgment was accomplished. The satisfaction
was made. He's the propitiation. Now look
at this. Peter said, and the time has
come. Jeremiah 50, look at verse 20. In those days, and in that
time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for,
and there shall be none. The sins of Judah, and they shall
not be found, for I will pardon them whom I reserve." See that? So this is great reason because
Christ has come forth. He said, I am He that blotted
out thy sins. For my own sake I blotted them
out, and I won't remember them anymore. As far as the East is
from the West, He says, I put them away. So there's great reason
that this is not judgment of condemnation. The time has come
and Christ came and he's satisfied that. So we rejoice when we're
reproached because we know that this is not a trial of condemnation. It's a correction, a correcting
hand, a loving hand of the Father. He's put away the wrath. Now
here's the second thing I want you to see. Peter encourages
us with this word judgment, telling us that Christ is risen and He
stands ready to judge. He stands ready and the word
means, and it means this, and He's placed. It carries the meaning
avenge. Avenge. That's what God did on
Christ when He poured out His wrath. He avenged His own justice.
And this is what He says to us in verse 4. First Peter 4.4,
wherein, he's talking about the idolatries of this world, the
will of this world, and it includes the irreligious and the religious.
He says, wherein they think it strange that you run not with
them to the same excess of right, speaking evil of you. But he
says, who shall give account to him that is ready to judge
the quick and the dead. Christ is risen. He's risen and
He's ready. He's risen. The time has come
and He's ready to avenge those that are quickened by His Spirit
and who are alive right now in this earth and are surrounded
by enemies and persecuted by enemies. He's the one who's going
to save them. And He's ready to avenge them
who die because of this persecution, this reproach, for His namesake,
He avenges them in death. He stands ready to do so. I want
you to look at Revelation 6 and verse 9. We looked at this on... He's worthy to open the book.
We looked at this Thursday night. Look at Revelation 6 and 9. When he had opened the fifth
seal, I saw under the altar, that's where we are, that's where
the believers were, under the altar, under Christ, our altar. I saw under the altar the souls
of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony
which they held. And they cried with a loud voice,
saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge
and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? and
white robes were given unto every one of them and it was said unto
them that they should rest yet for a little season until their
fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed
as they were should be fulfilled. You see, Christ, this reproach
comes, this fiery trial we're talking about, it comes because
we're born of the Spirit and it's through the very gospel
that we've been born through. that we hold to, that's our strength
in our life, for which men think we're strange. The world thinks
we're strange. This world thinks the manners
of the believer are strange. We saw our manners in verses
8 through 9. We have fervent charity among
ourselves. Love covers the most assertive
sin. We're not uncovering one another's
faults and frailties. We use hospitality to one another
without grudging. As every man's received a gift,
we minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold
grace of God. It's like a pipe. Water runs
through it. The grace is just meant to run
through us. That's what Spurgeon said. And
then our method is strange to this world. Look at verse 11.
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. We're
just looking at the word of God. I'm not telling you what Clay's
opinion on something. I'm telling you what God says.
Speak as the oracles of God. If any man minister, let him
do it as the ability which God giveth." You know what this ability
God giveth is? To His witnesses. You know what
it is? It's to speak boldly as we ought to speak. It's to speak
the truth in love. That's what it is. And our motive
is strange to this world. Verse 11 is our motive. It says,
that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ,
to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen. That's our manner, that's our
method, and that's our motive. That's it. And this world says,
y'all an odd bunch of characters. And reproaches, and reproaches.
But it's for this cause. Listen now, it's for this cause. This is the fruit of the gospel
being preached unto the believer. Now, Peter uses the saints of
old to show us that this judgment came to men, faithful men of
old, for the very same reason. But this is why it came. Look
at verse 6. For this cause was the gospel
preached also to them that are dead. the saints of old which
have been persecuted." He's teaching us here not to think that this
is a strange thing that's happening to us in our day. It's happened
from the blood of Abel all the way through the prophets. And
all of the witnesses of God have been, all the righteous blood
of God's servants has been spilled. And he's saying, but this is
why the gospel was preached to them, that they might be judged
according to men and the flesh. by men. They were misunderstood,
not discerned any more than the world discerns a believer in
our day. Judged of men. That's what Paul said. We're
discerned of no man. We judge all things. We understand
the scripture. We understand what God's freely
given to us by His Spirit. But we're judged of no man. We're
understood. Discerned of no man. They think
it's strange. The world thinks it's strange.
But this is the second, that they might live according to
God in the Spirit. They were men in the flesh, those
early saints that went before us, they were subject to life
passions as we are, they were chastened of God as we are, they
were hated and misunderstood by men as the saints in our day
are, but they lived then. by this gospel. This was the
fruit of this gospel and the cause why this gospel was preached
to them. There's not a single person on the face of this planet
who believes the gospel who will not be reproached if he stands
for the absolute and complete salvation of God by his grace
alone in Christ Jesus alone through faith in him alone apart from
any works we've done. This world will say no. No. Something else no, and if this
world was allowed to do so and they may be again Before it's
over with they'll kill us They have in the past and they will
kill the believer today. Just just as it's done in the
heart But Peter says rejoice because the Spirit of God rests
on you. That's what he said here the
Spirit of The Spirit, they lived according to God in the Spirit.
They lived then and they still live. Hadn't changed. God avenged
their blood. They're with Him. They're those
we just read about that John saw in the Revelation. That's what Paul, when Paul said
we have the mind of Christ, this is why Christ suffered. This
is why Christ suffered. We have the mind of Christ. We
have that very thing This is what's given to the believer,
the very mind, the very truth of God that Christ is, for which
Christ Himself suffered. And look at what Peter said in
1 Peter 4, verse 1. For as much then as Christ has
suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with
the same mind, with the same mind. Be of the same mind. Our Lord said if they've done
these things in a green tree, what will they do in a dry? He's
the green fir tree. And if this world, there was
nothing wrong in Him, no sin in Him, He did nothing but good,
said nothing but good, did nothing but that which was good, and
everything He did. He healed everything He did. was good, it was holy, it was
right, and it was just, he's the green fir tree. And if this
world persecuted him, what's it gonna do to those who have
the dryness of this flesh mixed with everything we do? What's
it gonna do, what's it gonna do to his people? when He's gone. Well, here's the third thing.
This is a reason to rejoice too. The first is that this is not
judgment. This is condemnation. He's put
that away and remembers our sin no more. This is fatherly correction
of our Lord, keeping us. The second reason is He avenges. He stands ready. to protect those
He's quickened in this life and when we die. He's our consolation. He's our protection, our shield
and our defender. And here's the third thing. This
is a word of warning to those who touch God's anointed. Verse
17. He said, If it first began at
us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel
of God? And if the righteous scarcely
be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? You remember,
let's look at Isaiah 10, 12. You remember whenever we saw
the judgment of God come upon the house of Israel in the days
of Isaiah, in Ahaz's day? It was for the
good of God's elect. You remember that? And Isaiah,
look at Isaiah 10. But shall the wicked who God
used to bring about that purging, and to winnow His floor, and
to purge His floor, and to bring this persecution about, shall
they be excused? Now watch this, Isaiah 10, 12.
Wherefore it shall come to pass that when the Lord hath performed
his whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem. This is his
church and his city, brethren. It begins at the house of God.
This is what everything that's been done is done for. It's for
his chosen elect people, his Zion, his Jerusalem. That's where
it begins. He used the king of Assyria to
do this, but he said, But when I'm finished doing that, I will
punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria
and the glory of his high lords." When he's finished using wicked
hands to bring about his purpose, those wicked hands are going
to be brought down. They're going to be brought down.
He said, if I begin to bring evil upon a city which is called
by my name, my name, Zion, Jerusalem, my city, if I begin to bring
judgment upon my city, to purge my church, my city, my house,
should ye be utterly unpunished? He says, you shall not be unpunished,
for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth,
saith the Lord of hosts. God says, not going to touch
mine anointing. Oh man, nobody, not Satan nor
all his hellish host is going to get away with touching anyone
of God's anointing. God's Christ or His people. If
God spared not His only Son, delivered Him up, do you think
and did that to satisfy His own judgment for His people? Is there
any doubt? Anybody have any doubt that He's
going to spare judging those who come to Him with wicked hands,
persecuting and rejecting His Son and rejecting His people?
Absolutely no way. No way. So what we see Thursday
night, be wise then therefore. Kiss the Son. Kiss the Son. Worship Him in fear and trembling. He's present. Paul said, I preach
the gospel to you with fear and much trembling. Work out your
own salvation with fear and trembling. Why? Because the King's standing
in your midst. He's working in you, both the
will and the do of His good pleasure. Whatever we say, whatever we
do, we need to remember we're right in the presence of the
King. Where two or three are gathered,
He's gathered them. And He said, I'm there in the
midst of them. I'm there in the midst of it. Kiss the son lest
he be angry and you perish when his wrath is kindled but a little.
So here's the application now, back to 1 Peter 4. 1 Peter 4. So the believer, we don't think,
don't let it enter into our thoughts, don't let it enter into our minds
that God's dealing more kindly with the wicked than He is with
the believer. even though we suffer, even though
we suffer. But instead, seeing that Christ
has fulfilled, satisfied, condemned the condemnation, seeing He's
done that by His blood and His righteousness, seeing that He
stands ready to avenge, to judge the quick and the dead, seeing
that all these trials are for our good, And that the wicked
shall in no wise escape the judgment of God. Here's what Peter says,
verse 19. Wherefore, wherefore, let them
that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping
of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful creator. Amen.