Our Ambition

1 Peter 4:1-19

Preached by Dan Brown on November 12, 2006, at Stony Brook Community Church

So far in our study of 1 Peter, we have been avoiding one of the major themes of the book. To get to this theme, let’s briefly tour through 1 Peter. (See 1:6,7; 2:18-21; 3:13,14; 17,18; 4:14-17; 4:1)

Suffering is a dominant theme. Peter goes so far as to identify suffering as a calling. So after the service this morning, I intend to go home to construct a bed of nails for myself. (The good news: I won’t make my wife use it because I believe suffering should be voluntary.) I’m also working on a collection of whips for self-flagellation. If suffering is a calling, why not? If suffering is a calling, then treat it that way. Some people are called to be accountants. They study and work hard to past the CPA exam. Some are called to be moms, and they put aside many things they would like to do in order to place all their energy into taking care of their family. If it’s your calling to suffer, then go for it?

1 Peter 4:1 seems to reinforce this. So, why not? Should we not take this call to suffering seriously? Some Christians do. Consider some of the monastic orders. They take scripture very seriously.

Well, let us take scripture seriously and take a look at it more closely. What is Peter actually saying when he says, “He who has suffered in his body is done with sin.” This is just a bit confusing. If this means that suffering leads to sinlessness, it makes no sense. Suffering manifestly does not produce sinlessness. For most, suffering leads to bitterness and cruelty. So, this is probably not what he means.

What does he mean? What Peter seems to be calling us to is to have the same thought as Christ did with regard to suffering. Think the way Christ did when it comes to suffering. How did Christ think about suffering? 1 Peter 2:21-24 tells us. When Christ had a choice of sin or suffering, he chose suffering. Obedience to God led him to suffer. If you face suffering with this same attitude, Peter says, then you will be, in some sense, done with sin. But how? Let’s say someone with two guns came in here, pointed one at my head, handed me the other, and said, “Shoot the rest of the congregation or I’m going to shoot you.” I think you would agree that the better choice would be to suffer death rather than to kill you all.

But such clear-cut situations don’t happen very often, so does this have any relevance to us? Let’s take a more ordinary case. I Peter 4:8 calls us to a deep love for each other and it shows the results of this deep love: “Love covers a multitude of sins.” What does Peter mean here? Let’s say that I say something that hurts your feelings, or I betray your trust. I have sinned against you in this situation. In what way does love cover a multitude of sins? Naturally, you may want to retaliate against me -- unless you love me deeply. If so, then you will be willing to absorb the pain of my sin and will disarm the sin of retaliation. If you do this you are saying, “I am willing to bear the pain of the suffering caused by you rather than to give way to sin and strike back.” You’ve made a choice between sin and suffering. To respond to suffering as Christ did turns out to be an everyday opportunity. Will I absorb the pain of other people’s sin? Or will I sin back? When we love we will be hurt. When we choose pain over sin, then we choose to be done with sin. Not sinless, but done with the pattern of sin, and done with the cycle of sin. We’ve chosen to throw the blanket of love over a multitude of sins.

So we can put away the bed of nails and the whips. God does not call us to seek pain. But pain does have its place in our lives. He does not ask us to seek pain, but if we seek a life of love, then pain will find us. He does not call us to seek pain, but he does call us to arm ourselves with Christ’s attitude. And that is a calling. And a calling is something we take seriously. Choosing suffering over sin is our calling. Peter says that this is something to train ourselves for--an ambition to pursue.

How do we train ourselves to choose suffering over sin? Go into everyday expecting to be tested. You will face this choice everyday between suffering and sin. Recognize and pray for God’s help everyday. In 1 Peter 2:19, Peter links this attitude of being willing to suffer with consciousness of God. Finally, recognize your areas of weakness. What situations are likely to lead you to sin? Anticipate them. These areas are the ones you need to ask for God’s help. Throughout it all, keep these words of encouragement that Peter gives in chapter 2:19 in mind; be consciousness of God, because this is your calling, to suffer like Christ. He suffered for you, willingly bearing the sins that you imposed on him, in order that you might have life and might do the same for others.