This Is Life Under Our Ascended Lord!

7th Sunday of Easter, 6/5/11
1 Peter 4:12:17; 5:6-11


This Is Life Under Our Ascended Lord!
I. Persecuted by the world
II. Attacked by the devil


Many are the times in life when our expectations are unrealistic. A young man and woman become engaged and, with hearts full of love for each other, eagerly anticipate their wedding day. The day finally arrives and their wedding is everything they hoped it would be—a joy-filled day with family and friends. But in the weeks and months immediately following their wedding, the adjustments they both need to make don’t come easy. At times the tension in the air is so thick you could cut it with a knife. But with the help of family and friends, they get through it and yet they both have to admit that this isn’t what they were expecting.

The middle-aged woman lands a new job. Her hopes are high as she arrives at work her first day with the new company. Behind her now are years of frustration with her former place of employment. The negative attitudes and uncooperative fellow employees had made her work life miserable. She was so looking forward to this new start. And, in the first few weeks at her new job, that’s what she experienced. But it wasn’t long after that before she realized that it might be a new job, but the same problems existed here as well. It wasn’t what she expected.

We’re at the end now of the glorious Easter season of the church year. In each of this season’s Sundays so far, we’ve focused on the victory that is ours through Christ. Christ has conquered sin, death and hell for us. We are victors with him. We will live with him. We will reign forever with him. He is now ascended in glory to rule over all things for our good.

But don’t let that cause you to think that everything is going to go right in your life with him right now. Don’t expect that, because you are a Christian, all your problems in this life will easily be solved.

The Apostle Peter gives us a dose of reality regarding our Christian life in this section of his letter before us this morning. Yes, life with Jesus now is full of blessings—saving, eternal blessings. But the problems and the tragedies of living in a sinful world still exist. And we shouldn’t expect anything different. So this is life under our ascended Lord. Let’s study what Peter has to say about it here in God’s word.

Part I.

I have some questions for you. Are you ready to give them some thought? What would you do if your fellow citizens here in the United States considered you to be unpatriotic because of your Christian faith? Imagine being despised by the masses of people because you wouldn’t participate with them in national rites and rituals of patriotism. Consider what it would be like to be ostracized from the mainstream of society and to have certain citizen privileges and business opportunities unavailable to you simply because of your Christian faith.

Now let’s take that a little deeper. What would you do if our government outlawed the practice of our Christian faith? Would you still openly worship our God, or would you take it underground? Or, would you cease to worship him at all? What would happen to your Bible reading and your prayer life? What would you do with all the Christian books and decorations that you possess? Would you still celebrate Christmas and Easter the same way you do now?

And now let’s take it right down to the worst possible scenario. What if your government threatened you with death because of your Christian faith? What if you were shackled and thrown into an arena filled with spectators who watched while you were martyred by other people or wild animals? Those questions are so far beyond what we consider could happen to us, that it’s difficult to say what we would do.

But that was life under our ascended Lord for the original readers of Peter’s letter. Peter wrote these words about 64 AD. That’s the year that the infamous persecutions of Christians under Roman Emperor Nero broke out. It’s likely that Peter died in those persecutions.

And that’s what Peter’s readers were facing. But instead of telling them to hide their faith or tell them that their situation is hopeless, we hear him say, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ.” He tells them to rejoice. Why? Because Jesus told his followers that’s what would happen to them and these sufferings were evidence that their faith in him was genuine. What’s more, it’s one of the ways that we share in the life of our Savior. He suffered at the hands of his persecutors and so do we. So rejoice!

It’s also God’s way of refining our faith. A little later Peter speaks about God’s judgment beginning with us. You’ve heard the expression, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Every difficulty that comes our way ought to lead us to ask, “What’s my faith worth to me? What does Jesus mean to me?” He calls on us to suffer all—even death itself—rather than forsake him. Persecution from the world refines our faith. That’s life under our ascended Lord.

Finally, Peter reminds us what awaits us. He speaks about being overjoyed when the glory of Christ is revealed. He’s speaking about Christ’s glorious return to this earth on the Last Day. Jesus has promised that we will share in his glory on that day because he will raise our bodies, glorify them, proclaim us to be his children forever, and take us to live with him in eternal glory. It doesn’t get any better than that! It can’t get any better than that! But first we must deal with suffering at the hands of those who despise our Savior and his children.

I know that’s not what we want to hear, but that’s the way it is. This is life under our ascended Lord. We’re persecuted by the world.

Are you tired of the way the media portray Christians as simple minded and foolish? Does it anger you that all sorts of other events crowd Christian observances right out of the weekly schedule? Are you annoyed when the Bible gets trashed as an ancient, irrelevant book or placed on par with the great books of other religions? Do you slowly burn while your tax dollars are used for sinful purposes? Are you concerned that American seems to be biblically illiterate? My last question is, “What do you expect?” Look what was happening in Peter’s day. At least our government protects our right to worship as we please and allows us to proclaim the gospel. At least your life and property are protected. And if we still suffer lesser persecutions, that’s life under our ascended Lord. Every difficulty ought to drive us closer to our Savior, remembering his death for our sins and his resurrection to guarantee us life with him and assuring us of his power over all these forces of evil. Every persecution begs us to ask the question, “What does Christ mean to me?” Christians will be persecuted. If you’re not, then there’s reason to question how dedicated to Christ you are. This is life under our ascended Lord.

Part II.

More than once I’ve seen the quote, “We’ve seen the enemy, and it’s us.” Another way of saying that is, “We’re our own worst enemy.” If only that were true! If only we only had to fight against our own sinful impulses and godless ways.

But there’s a far more powerful enemy facing us. Peter explains who it is, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” The devil is not some mythical creature with horns and a long tail, dressed in red long underwear. He’s not simply a make-believe character that sits on our shoulders and advises us against doing what is good and right.

He’s real, as real as God himself. But he’s the opposite of God. While our God is the embodiment of all that is holy, the devil is the embodiment of all that is evil. There is nothing good or loving in him. That’s something we can’t possibly fathom. His only goal is to bring every soul into eternal punishment with him. We can’t possibly fit such a thought into our minds.

And he uses his power to attempt to accomplish that goal. Peter pictures him as a roaring lion. Without a weapon, no human being is a match for a lion that’s intent on killing you. That lion will overpower and kill you within seconds. Satan has power far superior to ours. He also possesses knowledge far beyond our own, even of future events.

But he’s not all powerful or all-knowing like our Savior is. And there’s our hope. Our hope is in Christ alone. Peter writes, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.” The power and the glory don’t belong to the devil forever; they belong to Christ forever. As evil as things get, as beaten as the Church may seem, Christ still wins. Satan has no power over him. And by faith in Jesus, Satan has no power over us as well.

But his attacks on us will continue. That’s life under our ascended Lord.

If you’re going through a painful situation but you know that it will turn out for the better, you’re able to persevere. That’s exactly the promise Jesus gives us—people who are attacked every day by the devil himself. At the end of it all, Jesus wins and so do we. I can’t tell you that things will get better in this life, not with the devil prowling around and the world persecuting our faith. But that doesn’t matter, because we still belong to Christ and we still come out as the victors. That’s life under our ascended Lord. Amen.