Bearing Witness Through Suffering

In one paragraph

The pastor worked through 1 Peter 3:13-22, a passage about suffering for doing right, and explained how Christ's own suffering and vindication sets the pattern for every believer who faces opposition. The hardest stretch of the text, nine Greek words in verse 19 about Christ making proclamation to spirits in prison, drew honest acknowledgment that this is the most disputed sentence in the New...

Read together

1. 1 Peter 3:13-22 the main passage preached through in order
2. Matthew 10:26-33 quoted at length as background for 'do not fear their intimidation', including sparrows, hairs numbered, confessing Christ before men
3. Acts 3-4 Peter and John healed a man, were beaten and imprisoned, told not to speak in Jesus's name, and chose to fear God rather than men
4. 1 John 1:9 cited as the mechanism for keeping a good conscience, confessing sins and being cleansed of all unrighteousness
5. Luke 16 referenced for the great chasm fixed between hell and heaven, passable only through Christ
6. Philippians 2:6-9 Christ did not grasp equality with God, made himself a servant, obedient to death on a cross, therefore God exalted him
7. Hebrews 9:27 it is appointed once for a man to die and then judgment, used to refute postmortem conversion
8. Luke 24 Jesus led them to Bethany, lifted his hands, blessed them and was carried up into heaven
9. Mark 16:19-20 the Lord was received into heaven, sat at the right hand of God, disciples preached everywhere while the Lord worked with them
10. 1 Peter 4:1 read aloud as the next verse: since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same purpose
11. Philippians 2:12-13 used as the closing benediction, God at work in you giving both the desire and the strength to do what pleases him

Talk about it

1. The pastor described the United States as representing roughly 5% of history and 5% of the world's population living in relative religious comfort. How does recognizing that comfort shape the way you think about standing up for your faith when it costs something?
2. Peter tells his readers to always be ready to give a defense for the hope that is in them, with gentleness and reverence. When did you last think through your own personal account of why you believe and what Jesus has done in your life? What would you say if someone asked you today?
3. The sermon drew a contrast between fearing men and fearing God, pointing to how Peter and John answered the authorities in Acts. Where in your own life do you feel the pull to go along to get along rather than hold to what you know is right?
4. The pastor talked about keeping a good conscience by confessing sin quickly to God and going to make things right with people we have wronged. Is there a relationship or situation where you know your conscience is not clear, and what is keeping you from addressing it?
5. The overarching point of the passage was that since Christ bore witness through His suffering and was vindicated, we too can bear witness through suffering and trust God to vindicate us. Where does that promise feel most difficult to hold onto in what you are facing right now?