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“The Root of Idolatry” Exodus 32:1-6

“Second Alters”

A Sermon Series on Idolatry

“The Root of Idolatry”

Exodus 32:1-6

Introduction

In the early chapters of Exodus, the Hebrew people move from being slaves to God’s chosen people. Moses was called at the burning bush and his brother Aaron were commanded to go and talk to Pharoah. These brothers saw God devastate the mightiest power on the earth; mighty Egypt fell at the hand of the Lord. They gather at Mt. Sinai starting in chapter 19 and up to this point they have seen how God has provided freedom, seeing the Red Sea split open, where they had crossed on dry ground, bitter water turned to sweet water, bread from heaven called manna, water from a rock, they defeated another major enemy (Amalek), and now have gathered at the foot of Mt. Sinai.

They are given instructions from God that they need to consecrate themselves, they are told not to touch the mountain, they have stay a certain distance away because God is holy and if they come too close they would be wiped out. There were dark clouds and lightening and God descends in fire – the people are terrified. They tell Moses, “you go.”

Exodus 19:20 “The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.”

In chapter 20 Moses receives the 10 commandments. Then in the following chapters outline how they are to live and specifically to worship the God who has done all these mighty things before them. There are laws about Sabbaths and festivals, laws about restitutions like if a man accidentally kills another man’s oxen, laws about social justice, etc.

In chapter 24:3 “Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” He wrote it all down and read it to the people. 24:9-11 “Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.” This group of elders (including Aaron) saw God in a way no one ever has in the biblical story.

In Ex. 20:18 Moses goes back to talk with God specifically about the tabernacle (and was there forty days and forty nights). Chapters 25-31 tells us the additional laws that he received from God, things like the building of the ark of the covenant, the tabernacle, the pieces of the tabernacle (the bronze basin, the lampstands, etc., how the priest’s garments were to be made, etc. These writings were focused on how God would be with His people. All of which God wrote in in His own hand onto two tablets of stone (front and back).

If you were a leader in this group, how would you feel? What would you be thinking about? You have seen and experienced all these wonders of God, you have beheld God, you among all the peoples of the earth were chosen to experience these wonderous events.

The People Reveal Their Hearts (v. 1)

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, and then told Moses to return to Egypt, it was Moses that (in the eyes of the people) brought a God to the people. Exodus 3:16 “Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17 and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ They wanted a new leader who could also give them a new god.

Why didn’t they send Aaron to go see if Moses was still alive?

What was wrong with the God they already had, who had done so much for them?

They wanted a new leader and a god that new leader would bring. The presence of God would have still been there – they could just glance up and see the dark clouds, the claps of thunder, and that sense of powerlessness, smallness, – weakness.

When you stand next to your god, are you big or are you small?

(v. 1) “the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him,” This statement is false in that God brought them out of Egypt, not Moses (a man cannot save them), so replacing the leader and expecting him to do something miraculous is poor understanding of what has happened to them. Also, they know exactly where Moses is – he is up on the mountain talking with God.

“This Moses” is dismissive and disrespectful. They don’t like Moses because God chose him, not them. They didn’t trust God and his plan – what they didn’t know was the plan that was being given to Moses would bring them closer together – but they didn’t trust God because they couldn’t control him, they didn’t trust His leader because he didn’t give them what they wanted, and they didn’t trust God’s timing (forty days was too long).

Aaron Reveals His Heart (vv. 2-6)

2 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” 6 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.

Aaron instinctively knew what kind of god would make them happy, so he crafts that kind of god for them. He gives them the god they want, and he fashioned worship of that god in such a way that would please the people.

Beware of leaders who always give you what you want.

Aaron and the people take it upon themselves to pick who will lead the people; they are looking to him to stand before them to their god. But the god that Aaron is the mouthpiece for is nothing in comparison to God of Moses. Aaron’s god is made by his own hands – he literally made it up.

The one true God commands an offering. In the law they would have to give animals to have their sins atoned for, and eventual coins would be placed in the temple as an act of worship. Aaron’s false god also demands an offering, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” All gods require an offering – the difference is that the One True God gives you what you need to worship Him.

Where do escaped slaves, living in the wilderness, get gold rings and earrings? Exodus 12:35-36 “The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. 36 And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.”

God had given them this gold so that they would have something to offer in the building of the tabernacle (like the kid whose parents given him a dollar to put in the offering plate), but instead they used the gold in their possession to craft their own god. The One True God was making a way for Him to be brought close to His people – He was setting up the way for them to be together (through the law).

The things you possess are to be used for the glory of God.

(v. 4) “And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf,” The process would have begun as a wooden carving of the calf, then it would have been overlayed with gold and for the final details a graving tool would be used to push and move the gold into the details carved into the wood. Aaron was an artist, and woodworker, a carver and goldsmith – all these skills and talents were used to support an idol instead of being used for the glory of God. Aaron perverted his gift.

The gifts we possess are to be used for the glory of God.

Then Aaron says “And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” This is a direct violation of the first and second commandments, which was just given to them. He had just made this chunk of metal with his hands – and this is the God that made him tremble before Him?

Psalm 106:19-20 is talking about how we should give thanks to God for all that he has done for us, and the psalmist references Exodos 32, “They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image. 20 They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass.” The people were commanded by Aaron to give him gold rings and ear rings – an ox is controlled by a ring in its’ nose – Powerful but controllable. They wanted a god that was powerful enough to give them what they want, but is also controllable.

(v. 5) Aaron then established “a feast to the Lord,” – Aaron then uses the name that was given to the people by the One True God, “Lord,” He is saying that this golden calf is for the glory of the Lord. He is using God’s name to endorse his agenda. Quoting a Bible verse, being emotional, and adding Jesus to an agenda does not make a person’s worship true or glorifying to God.

The feast led to “offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings,” – They are using the name Lord for their golden calf worship, they are going through the motions of a worship service, offering burnt offerings, and having peace offerings. All false worship will lead to immorality (true worship will lead you to repentance) – “and rose up to play,” in the original language it carries the idea of sexual immorality. This wasn’t for God’s glory at all, it was for their own sinful pleasure. They wanted a god that would let them live as they wanted.

After making a phony attempt to worship their god, they then “indulge in revelry.” This is how it is when we want to worship the god that we make with our own hands. We make God in the image that we would like, we can control this god, we can give our fake reverence towards this god. We can choose to worship it however we please – but the worship will be focused on how it makes us feel, not true worship where God actually receives the worship of His people by the repentance of sin by His people.

Remember God devotes 15 chapters of Exodus and the whole book of Leviticus to how He is to be worshipped. Now man should chooses to worship however they see fit. The cow was blind, deaf, and powerless – “The cow gave no law and demanded no obedience. . . it could not intrude on their fun and call them to judgement.”[1]

Why did they worship a cow? “Because they had never entirely forsaken the gods of Egypt.[2] They had promised to serve the Lord, but in their hearts, they still cherished their old idolatries.” Acts 7:39 says, “. . . in their hearts they turned to Egypt,” When Moses went away, it gave the people an opportunity to openly worship what they had been quietly worshipping in their hearts.

Could they really fool themselves into believing this lie? Yes, many people do fool themselves or choose to believe a lie that the god they follow is the one true God. Why? Because the alternative is that if it is not, then God still has to be followed His way. Idolatry is all about us, and our wanting to do what we desire (our depraved hearts desires to sin). The Israelites cast off restraint that is found in the law, and indulged in sexual immorality. In the supposed restriction of true worship there is life, if one casts off restraint in a worldly false worship, there is only death.

Another reason they worshipped the golden cow is because they did not trust God. “The Israelites had every reason to believe that God knew what he was doing. He had brought them out of Egypt. He had saved them in the desert. He had given them the law. Every day he provided bread from Heaven. And if they needed any further reassurance that he was there for them, all they had to do was look up and see his glory on the mountain. God was not absent; he was right there with them in their situation.” Yet they doubted, . . .

But even if this god of gold was visible, and present, and controllable; where would it take them? Was this the God of deliverance from Egypt, the God who separated the Red Sea, the God who appeared on the mountain? This false god would take them nowhere! This god would provide no water, no manna from heaven, there were over a million people in the wilderness, what would they eat or drink? Who would protect them from invaders? To follow a false god will eventually lead to death. They are blind to see how this decision leads to destruction.

Idolatry can overpower the ability to predict consequences.

So what is the root of idolatry? How do we define idolatry in our lives? In the next few verses God call them a “stiff-necked people,” – To be a stiff-necked person is:

to ignore all that God has done in your life (slavery, defeating the Egyptian army),
to not be thankful for all that He has done and given (manna from heaven, water, the Word of God),
to reject God’s desire to be in your life (they didn’t want a big God, they wanted one they could control),
to resist submitting to His ways and teachings (broke the first and second commandments),
to use their gifts in way that perverts them (being an artist and making a false god),
and to even substitute known truth and to say you believe crafted lies (the false calf god).

God wants to have a relationship with, but it has to be on His terms.

An Indian folktale tells of Four royal brothers who decided each to master a special ability. Time went by, and the brothers met to reveal what they had learned.

“I have mastered a science,” said the first, “by which I can take but a bone of some creature and create the flesh that goes with it.” “I,” said the second, “know how to grow that creature’s skin and hair if there is flesh on its bones.” The third said, “I am able to create its limbs if I have flesh, the skin, and the hair.” “And I,” concluded the fourth, “know how to give life to that creature if its form is complete.” Thereupon the brothers went into the jungle to find a bone so they could demonstrate their specialties. As fate would have it, the bone they found was a lion’s. One added flesh to the bone, the second grew hide and hair, the third completed it with matching limbs, and the fourth gave the lion life. Shaking its mane, the ferocious beast arose and jumped on his creators. He killed them all and vanished contentedly into the jungle.

We too have the capacity to create what can devour us. Goals and dreams can consume us. Possessions and property can turn and destroy us–unless we first seek God’s kingdom and righteousness, and allow Him to breathe into what we make of life.[3]

___________________

[1] Ryken, 925.

[2] Philip Graham Ryken, Preaching the Word, Exodus (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2015) 922.

[3] https://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/i/idolatry.htm

“Servants Be Subject to Your Masters” 1 Peter 2:18-25

Drew Boswell Ministries

“Servants Be Subject to Your Masters” 1 Peter 2:18-25

00:00 / 00:34:29

“The Fiery Ordeal” 1 Peter 4:12-19

Drew Boswell Ministries

“The Fiery Ordeal” 1 Peter 4:12-19

00:00 / 00:42:19

“The Fiery Ordeal” 1 Peter 4:12-19

“Living Hope”

A Sermon Series Through 1 Peter

“The Fiery Ordeal”

1 Peter 4:12-19

Introduction

There was a time in Jesus’ ministry when “great crowds accompanied him,” he turns to the crowd told them this parable in Luke 14:28-32 “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.” Jesus encourages those crowds around to consider the cost of being His disciple.

As we begin toward the end of our study of 1 Peter, Peter has made it clear that suffering will be apart of your walking with Jesus – he has spent a lot of time on how we should respond that unjust suffering. There are other places in the Bible that warns of this, Jesus said, “if the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). But why must the Christian suffer?

Don’t Be Surprised At The Ordeal (vv. 12)

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

Peter begins this new portion of the letter with the word, Beloved. It may be tempting during times of severe suffering to think that God has rejected you, or doesn’t love you, or that he has forgotten you, – but you will always be God’s precious child, His beloved. And among other believers, you are loved. Why then, since God is all powerful, do you have to endure this suffering? Why is there pain and suffering under the watchful eye of God?

(v. 12) “do not be surprised,” – the gospel will always be offensive; to inform a person that they are a sinner, that their sin is not accepted by a holy God, and that if they do not accept the only means of grace from God, His Son Jesus, they will forever be separated from Him in hell. Should we be shocked that people would reject the gospel?

If you are regularly sharing the gospel, it is no surprise that there will be people out there who won’t like you. If you are seeking to follow Jesus’ teachings of righteousness, holiness, justice, and seeking to do good – then those who do not do these things won’t like you.

Christians Suffer Because the Gospel is Offensive to the World.

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 describes this “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” Hardship goes along with being a Christian because Jesus splits the world into two camps – the sheep and goats.

We are not to be surprised, “at the fiery trial,” – It is the picture of a fiery furnace, melting down impurities in metal.[1] The temperature in your life warms up, because of your doing good.

“. . . when it comes upon you to test you . . .” It is a test – the purpose of suffering is to purify your faith. “Suffering for righteousness’ sake not only refines, but, even before that, reveals whether people are truly believers.”[2] In Jesus’ parable of the sower, the Word of God described as seed, was sewn and it fell on different types of soil (which Jesus explains is a person’s heart).

Matthew 13:20-21 “As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.” Suffering reveals if we are truly believers in Jesus or not. The rocky soil person revealed that their response to the gospel to be nothing but a superficial, false profession. There are people among the flock who are not true believers, tribulation (because of the name of Jesus) makes them apparent.

Christians Suffer Because It Reveals The Genuineness of Their Faith.

“as though something strange were happening to you.” It is not strange, it is inevitable. If you preach the gospel, if you share the offensiveness of the gospel, if you seek to follow the teachings of Christ, then it is not surprising, but inevitable that you will suffer because of the fallen world we live in.

Rejoice In the Sufferings of Christ (v. 13)

13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

“(v. 13a) But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings ,. . .” Is a time to Rejoice – because it means that we are being used by God, . . . Luke 6:22-23 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.” Jesus suffered for what is right, and now the believer also suffers for doing what is right. They struck Jesus, now the believer is struck because of their faith in Jesus, in that we share in Christ’s sufferings.

“(v. 13b) . . . that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” Greater joy When Christ Returns

Christians Suffer Because God Uses It As A Means To Bless Them.

Suffering in the Name of Christ (vv. 14-18)

14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

(v. 14a) “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed,” “We believe in his name or revelation, are baptized in His name, confess his name, . . . Christians are reproached “in connection with” this holy, blessed name or revelation of Christ, i.e. the gospel of Christ which they believe and follow in their lives. Our enemies hate this name (revelation) and us because we cling to it.”[3]

(v. 14b) “because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” Is Evidence of the Spirit’s Presence – There is a promise of future blessings because of their suffering for Christ’s name, but there is also a present reward in that the Spirit of God “rests upon you.” The Holy Spirit is already present in the life of a believer (since the moment of their faith being placed in Christ), so this is a relief given to them during their time of suffering. To rest means, “to give relief, refreshment, intermission from toil.” God gives them an extra measure of grace.

Christians Suffer Because God Desires To Be With His People (to rest upon them).

Nebuchadnezzar’s Golden Image, Daniel 3; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Daniel 3:23-25 “And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” The fourth was God standing with those who are suffering because of His name, and seeking to follow His ways.

(v. 15) “But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.” But just because you suffer doesn’t mean that the Holy Spirit will give you grace, nor does it mean that you will be rewarded simply because you are suffering. Your suffering must not be for unlawful behavior. If you have to suffer, make sure it for something good, not evil.

Peter also throws in “meddler” (troublemaker) which is considerably different than murderer – don’t cause yourself to suffer for any sin (big or small). 1 Thessalonians 4:10-11 says, “But we urge you, brothers, . . . to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”

(v. 16a) “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed.” Should Not Bring Shame

(v. 16b) “but let him glorify God in that name.” Should Result in Glorifying God

(v. 17) “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; Is Evidence that God’s judgement has begun (v. 17)

For believer’s first (v. 17b) “and if it begins with us,”

For unbeliever’s (v. 17c) “what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” “The answer is plain: judgement concludes with Christ’s final condemnation of the ungodly at the Great White Throne judgement of the lost will be infinitely more devastating.”[4] It is infinitely better to endure suffering as believers for a period if time (that God uses in us to make us more like Christ), than to bear eternal torment as unbelievers.

(v. 18) is a quote from Psalm 11:31 that Peter uses to make his point, “18 And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” The scarcely is pointing to God’s discipline of the believer, their enduring the suffering for His name sake, fires of divine purging, etc. All that God has done in the believer’s life to make Him a better person, more like Christ. Think of all that God has done to get you to this point – none of that has been done in the life of a non-believer.

Christians Suffer Because It Is A Sign That God’s Judgement Has Begun.

Summary Statement About a Christian’s Suffering (v. 19)

19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”

Entrust is a banking term, referring to deposit for safe keeping – the believer is to deposit their soul to God, trusting that all happens is part of God’s plan. Peter calls God Creator – there is a master plan to all of it. That designer, that has included your suffering in the plan, is faithful. Trust the faithful God, there is a purpose in all of it, and keep on doing good. “According to God’s will does not mean that God wants us to suffer; it means that Christians suffer because they do God’s will (see 4:2).[5]

Christians Suffer Because It Is God’s Plan (trust Him)

There is a phrase that has caused many people to turn from theism (the belief in God) to atheism – It goes something like this, “If God is omnipotent (able to do anything), then why is there pain and suffering in the world? Either He is wicked (allowing it, even causing it, but certainly not stopping it), or He is incapable of stopping it (therefore, not all powerful). The presence of suffering and pain points to God’s poor character, and His ineptitude.” He cannot be both all-loving and good, and at the same time be omnipotent.

You could look over the history of the world and see great pain and suffering (the holocaust of WWII under Hitler’s Jewish prison camps, Stalin’s systematically killing of millions of Russians during the Great Purge, there is no end to man’s ability to hurt other human beings – there is no bounds to race, geographic area, or period in time. To answer this we need two pieces of information – The character of God and the seriousness of sin.

This is why the Bible is so important, it is God’s revelation to us of His character, and His goodness and it tells us about our character. The Bible tells us that mankind is fallen, it is we who are wicked and depraved (not Him.) We have the ability to come up new ways of doing evil every day – the question is not why is there suffering – but why is there not more suffering than there is?

Jesus asked a question that deals with this in Luke 13:1-4 “There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

The theology of the Jewish people was that if something bad happened then that person was especially sinful. The truth is that all people are guilty and deserving of death, and everyone living is on borrowed time. God withholds judgement for a time because He is patient and merciful. His patience towards those who reject Him will eventually come to an end. God’s patience provides an opportunity for salvation by giving people time to repent. Also, Christians, are not sitting around waiting for Jesus to return, staring up into the sky – we are at work “doing good,” sharing the gospel, doing the will of God.

In light of all the blasphemous hostility toward God (His name is used as a curse word countless times a day), why are we still here? Why has mankind not been wiped off the map? It is only by God’s grace, His long-suffering. His heart is that more would be saved. A good God would not want evil to go unpunished – but instead pouring all that anger (that he has toward sin) at us (who deserves it), He poured all that hate and anger out on His own Son, Jesus (so that we may be forgiven). As Jesus said, “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

We suffer because He suffered and has invited us to join Him in that suffering – so that others may come to know God.

Christians Suffer Because God Is At Work Saving the World

Conclusion

At the Nicene Council, an important church meeting in the 4th century A.D., of the 318 delegates attending, fewer than 12 had not lost an eye or lost a hand or did not limp on a leg lamed by torture for their Christian faith.

_________________

[1] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 1 Peter (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Publishers, 2004) 249.

[2] McArthur, 250.

[3] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of I and II Epistles of Peter, and three Epistles of John, and the Epistle of Jude (Minneapolis, Minnesota; Augsburg Publishing House, 1966) 205.

[4] MacArthur, 256. See also Dan. 12:2; Matt. 13:41-42, 49-50; 22:11-14; 25:41; Mark 9:44-49; Luke 13:23-28; 16:23-24; Rev. 14:10-11).

[5] Dennis Edwards, The Story of God Bible Commentary, 1 Peter (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 2017) 194.

“The Suffering Christian and His Future Vindication” 1 Peter 3:20-4:11

“Living Hope”

A Sermon Series Through 1 Peter

“The Suffering Christian and His Future Vindication”

1 Peter 3:20-4:11

Introduction

You are blessed, blessed because you may suffer for doing good. To explain this blessing, Peter discusses Jesus making a proclamation to a group in a spiritual “prison” (1 Pet. 3:19) and he connects it with baptism. God as far as the disobedient in hell, “the disobedient in hell all enemies of Christ are under his feet. For the believer, since baptism, there is salvation through him who rose again and sits at God’s right hand. You are blessed in such a way will not fear men or be shaken, you will sanctify Christ in your heart (by doing good), and will be ready to answer men at any time regarding your hope, always keeping a good conscience.”[1]

The emphasis of the text is not what Jesus said (what He proclaimed we don’t know), but the fact that He went to captured spirits (demons, hell, those who rebelled in the days of Noah) and made a proclamation.

“Baptism is a symbolic picture of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”[2] By faith only eight people got into the ark and were saved from the flood. By faith a person follows Jesus’ teaching to be baptized – not because baptism saves you, it is by faith you take action. Water baptism is an outward expression of the believer’s inward faith. They already have faith in Jesus, that is what saved them – baptism is an expression of that faith.

“Water was a means of judgement (in the case of those outside the ark), and it was water that lifted the ark and was the salvation of those inside the ark. The same water that judged the unrighteous saved the righteous. Jesus also has the same affect upon men (Luke 2:34); the Christ who the damned saw in terror in hell is the same Christ who is our hope on heaven.”[3]

In Luke 2:34 Simeon is at the temple and had been waiting for the Messiah to arrive, Mary and Joseph present Jesus to him and he says, “this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel,” – Jesus would preach and people would fall in repentance and bow down before God because of their sin, then they would rise up in praise, excitement, because of their pardon from sin, their being justified before God, and adopted as His children.

In another sense, “the fall” “was to happen to the worldly, proud, self-righteous – like the Scribes and Pharisees. While those who were lowly, prayerful, those who sought God, Jesus would rise them up to true dignity, happiness, and glory.

“The falling of some and the rising of others is what is meant. He will be a stumbling block to some who love darkness more than light, he will cause the rising of others.”[4] Judas despairs, Peter repents: one robber blasphemes, the other confesses.” (Plummer). Like a magnet Jesus attracts and repels.

“The righteousness of God that banishes forever from His presence those who reject it because they refuse to place their faith in the Savior, saves and keeps saved forever those who accept it at the hands of God who perfectly satisfied His just law which we broke, by stepping down from His judgement throne to take upon himself our sin and penalty, this satisfying His justice and making possible the righteous bestowal of His mercy.”[5]

Baptism is a Testimony of Your Faith (3:21-22)

21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Peter says that baptism corresponds with those on the ark who were saved. Water, in both cases, is an agent of salvation. It does not remove sin, “filth from the flesh,” but it is an appeal to God for a good conscience. In Jewish traditions their ceremonial washings only washed the dirt off the outside, it did nothing for the soul on the inside (they were symbolic).

Obedience resulting from faith leads to a clear conscience before God. Baptism is a public declaration of what God has done (in the believer’s heart). It does not provide the elimination of immorality; that is something that is part of the Christian’s daily living. Peter is tying a person’s baptism to the flood. Peter says baptism saves you, and the water of the flood saved those in the ark. But it is faith in God that saves you, resulting in obedient actions.

So why does Peter bring together the eight souls saved on the ark, our baptism, and the new life, Christ’s decent into hell to proclaim a message, and His resurrection and being seated in heaven? It all has to do with our being blessed and Christians undergoing persecution and suffering (for doing good).

Peter is wanting to fortify the churches he is writing to, to encourage them – the eight souls on the ark were few compared the world around them. The local church may feel small compared to the lost world that surrounds it. Even churches that stand for the authority and inerrancy of the Bible may feel greatly outnumbered.

Because you have placed your belief in Christ you will not be imprisoned in hell, but will be with Jesus in heaven (where He sits as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords). And when we see Him there will be no fear, only love.

Living the Christian Life Among Unbelievers (4:1-6)

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.

In previous verses (1 Peter 3:18-22) Peter spoke of Jesus’ sufferings and His example of patience and submission to the Father while undergoing unjust treatment. Now he is saying that believers should “arm themselves” with the same way of thinking toward unjust suffering. Earlier, Peter said, “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. (3:17)”

(v. 1) “arm yourselves,” This a military word for putting on armor – and there are two words that reference armor (heavy armor, and light armor).[6] Peter uses the word for a heavily armored foot soldier who carried a pike and a large shield.[7] To have the same understanding and attitude toward unjust suffering as Jesus had, will cause us to react toward the suffering has He did.

For “whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,” – God has saved the sinner and broken the chains of sin from them – they no longer have to sin, they have been freed from sin. Literally, the Christian “has got release” from sin. So, our reaction to unjust suffering should be that of a person broken free from sin, not a sinner reacting in the flesh.

Once you have been saved, you can choose not to sin – you can be victorious over your sin. Historians say that when the Allies landed in Normandy in June 1944, it marked the beginning of the end of WWII. Yet still to come was the Battle of the Bulge, one the bloodiest battles of WWII, when the forces of the third Reich made their last stand. When we come to Christ, that is like D-day, the outcome is sure, but Satan and His forces (even though defeated) still have their last stand, their Battle of the Bulge.[8]

(v. 2) “so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” Verse 2 tells us why God has broken the chains of our sin; so that they can no longer live the rest of their time in sinful cravings (passions), but to pursue and keep the will of God.

(v. 3) “For the time that is past suffices,” – Peter uses a word for time that means a period of time that is now complete. When a Christian looks back on the time before he was a Christian it is as a completed period of time – that time of your life is done. Romans 6:4 “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” There was plenty of time devoted to sinful activities (that time suffices), now spend your new time, and new life in pursuit of bring God glory and doing His will.

The Christian must constantly choose to use his/her time (that is left) for the glory of God,

instead of sinful pursuits.

“For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do,” Peter then reminds the churches what the Gentiles want to do, and gives a list that should cause the Christian to say, “yeah, that’s pretty bad.” You are not bringing God glory, or following His will by wasting your time pursuing sinful activities (sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry).

4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

(v.4) “they are surprised when you do not join (run with) them,” – notice it’s not the level of sinfulness that surprises them, but that you don’t join in with them anymore. “in the same flood of debauchery,” it is a picture of a crowd or mob all moving as a riot. “The character of an abandoned man.”[9] Another way of saying it is, “they are estranged because you no longer join in.”[10]

Because you don’t do the sinful things you did before, they “malign you.” Why aren’t you running as a mob with us in debauchery? But the word malign is stronger than “speak evil of,” it is more of a cursing Christianity because it turns people into the opposite of who they used to be.

“The problem for Christians consisted in the fact that their new way of life no longer allowed them the kind of full participation in the religio-cultural activities that was expected of all people within the Roman-Empire, a participation they had enjoyed prior to their conversion.”[11] Most of the festivals and social gatherings revolved around worshipping a false god, emperor, and festivals that involved sinful activities – so the Christians did not participate.

(v. 5) “they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” – God’s judgement upon anyone could happen at any moment, because God is ready to judge. Those who reject Christ will stand before Jesus (either because he returns before they die, or after the are dead), who will have to give an account of their blasphemy. “Why did you reject Jesus, why did you make His followers suffer?”

Believers will also have to stand before Jesus (who judges the living and the dead); so as we proclaim him through baptism, seek to live a holy life, suffer for His name, we will stand as His, free from sin and there will be no condemnation and those that stood against God will face His judgement. Jesus will say, “well done my good and faithful servant,” to the believer, and to the disobedient and those that rejected His name he will say, “depart from me, for I never knew you” (Matt. 7:23).

When believers stand before God at the day of judgement – for them it will be vindication. Lies were told about them, their business destroyed or went under because of the injustice of others, because of their walk with Jesus they suffered, etc. – but on judgement day their names will be called and their reputations made right. God will make the world right again.

(v. 6) “For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.” Another way to arm ourselves for the suffering for seeking to live as Christ, is to have a genuine hope of the reality of eternal life. There were Christians who were killed “judged in the flesh” and were martyrs. Some may have even wondered what happens to them – before Christ’s return? Will they miss it? They may experience physical death, but their spirits remain alive.

Living the Christian Life Among Believers (vv. 4:7-11)

7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

(v. 7) “The end of all things is at hand;” Peter is saying that we need to be ready for Christ’s return, as Jesus did in Mark 14:38 when His earthly ministry was drawing to close, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” A lack of self-control and a lack of being sober-minded can lead you into sin which affects your prayer life. Your prayer life is essential to being ready for Christ’s return, and to keep God’s will for your life. Peter tells us that to be ready we need to love each other, to offer hospitality, and to use our gifts.

(v. 8) “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” The word for earnestly means “stretched out, put to full strain, exerted to the limit of its strength.” When you love one another, do it with a great amount of effort. Other people’s sins make it hard to love them, it strains the relationship. If you hate someone you are prone to highlight their sin, and gloat over it. But for the believer, it is not that we hide their sin (we are called to hold each other accountable for our sin), but we don’t allow it to dimmish our love for them, and we don’t bring their sin into the public to ridicule them with.

James 5:19-20 “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”[12] Love others in spite of their sins.

“Peter is not referring to sins that are committed against each other so that hiding means forgiving.”[13] You are not pretending that someone isn’t sinning (you hold them accountable), and you are not forgiving by ignoring – just pretend that it never happened (you go to them and talk about how they have hurt you or how what they are doing is harmful), and your love for them extends to remaining to love them through all those relationship straining things – we know our own failings.

Closing

Many of us struggle to know exactly what to pack when we go on our various travels. The Pilgrims in their voyage to the new world were no different. As Bill Bryson describes in his book Made in America:

“It would be difficult to imagine a group of people more ill-suited to a life in the wilderness. They packed as if they had misunderstood the purpose of the trip, They found room for sundials and candle snuffers, a drum, a trumpet, and a complete history of Turkey. One William Mullins packed 126 pairs of shoes and thirteen pairs of boots. Yet they failed to bring a single cow or horse, plow or fishing line.”

Among the professions represented on the Mayflower’s manifest were two tailors, a printer, several merchants, a silk worker, a shopkeeper, and a hatter—occupations whose indispensability is not immediately evident when one thinks of surviving in a hostile environment.

Their military commander, Miles Standish, Was so diminutive of stature that he was known to all as “Captain Shrimpe”—hardly a figure to inspire awe in the savage natives, whom they confidently expected to encounter. With the uncertain exception of the little captain, probably none in the party had ever tried to bring down a wild animal. Hunting in seventeenth-century Europe was a sport reserved for the aristocracy.

Even those who labeled themselves farmers generally had scant practical knowledge of husbandry, since farmer in the 1600s, and for some time afterward, signified an owner of land rather than one who worked it.

They were, in short, dangerously unprepared for the rigors ahead, and they demonstrated their incompetence in the most dramatic possible way: by dying in droves. Six expired in the first two weeks, eight the next month, seventeen more in February, a further thirteen in March. By April, when the Mayflower set sail back to England, just fifty-four people, nearly half of them children, were left to begin the long work of turning this tenuous toehold into a self-sustaining colony.[14]

Are you prepared for Christ’s return? Are you doing practical things that keep you where you need to be spiritually? Are you loving fellow believers, showing hospitality, and using your gifts for His service? Know that if you are suffering God will set all things right, and until then know that you are saved and a child of the King.

_______________

[1] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of The Epistle of St. Peter, St. John, and St. Jude (Minneapolis, Minnesota; Augsburg Publishing House, 1966) 168.

[2] Robertson, 120.

[3] Lenski, 169.

[4] Robertson, 29. Isa. 8:14; Matt. 21:42,44; Romans 9:33; 1 Pet. 2:16; John 3:19; Rom. 6:4, 9; Eph. 2:6.

[5] Wuest, 108.

[6] See also Ephesians 6:13-17, the armor of God. Paul uses a similar picture.

[7] Kenneth S. Wuest, First Peter in the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan; WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1960) 110.

[8] R.C. Sproul, 1-2 Peter: An Expositional Commentary (Sanford, Florida; Ligonier Ministries, 2019) 124.

[9] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume VI (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1933) 123.

[10] Leonhard Goppelt, A Commentary on 1 Peter (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdsmans Publishing Company, 1993) 286.

[11] Dennis Edwards, The Story of God Bible Commentary, 1 Peter (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 2017) 175.

[12] See also Proverbs 10:12b.

[13] Lenski, 195.

[14] https://thepastorsworkshop.com/sermon-illustrations/bill-bryson-packing-for-passage-on-the-mayflower-id_3600