09/13/26: Hand-Picked and Unwanted: "Be Different and Do Good.

Paul’s words at the Lord’s Table call God’s people to remember more than Jesus’ death. The bread remembers his body given, his sacrifice, and his resurrection. The cup remembers the new covenant in his blood, the promise that he will never leave or forsake his people, and the Holy Spirit now living within them. Christ has torn the veil so that sinful people can come before God without fear, washed clean and made one with him and with each other. Christ is also coming back to set everything right, bring healing to the nations, bring justice, and make all things new.

Peter’s letter holds together a hard paradox. God gives real promises of protection, peace, and blessing, but Christ, Paul, Peter, and James also promise that those who live godly lives will face persecution. Peter tells believers not to be surprised by the fiery ordeal as though something strange has happened. The world hates Christ first, and it resists those whom Christ has called out of it. The church is handpicked by God, yet unwanted by a culture that is being manipulated and controlled by the enemy.

Peter’s warning also makes a necessary distinction. Persecution is not the result of acting unlike Jesus, breaking reasonable rules, being careless at work, or creating barriers through prideful behavior. Biblical persecution is emotional, verbal, mental, or physical attack because a believer loves Jesus and loves others like Jesus did, especially outsiders and outcasts. The issue is devotion to Christ and his righteousness, not political arguments or bad behavior blamed on faith.

Peter gives four responses when persecution comes. Prayer recognizes that the real battle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual evil. The Holy Spirit must then search the believer’s motives: are people reacting to Jesus, or is there something selfish, harsh, or unloving that needs repentance? Rejoicing becomes possible because suffering for Christ means sharing in his sufferings, storing treasure in heaven, and resting under the Spirit of glory. Love becomes the final and hardest response. Those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their lives to the faithful Creator by doing what is good.

Peter’s “doing good” is not merely keeping a clean nose and staying out of trouble. Fresh goodness, fresh love, fresh kindness, and fresh wisdom bring Christ’s light into families, communities, and ordinary encounters. God will bring justice in the end, and God will also judge his own household through discipline and correction. The faithful response is to submit to God, resist the devil, remain steadfast, and keep loving, because such labor is not in vain.

##

Key Takeaways

• 1. Remember the whole work of Christ [37:52] The bread and cup point beyond a bare recollection of Jesus. Christ died, rose again, ascended to the Father, and poured out the Holy Spirit upon his people. His finished work opens access to God and creates a people who can live in right relationship with him and one another. [37:52]
• 2. Persecution follows devotion to Jesus [01:08:36] Persecution is not every inconvenience, disagreement, or consequence of foolish conduct. It comes when love for Christ and Christlike love for others creates resistance. The believer must keep the proper lens clear, because politics, pride, and poor behavior can easily be confused with faithfulness. [68:36]
• 3. Prayer exposes the real battle [01:12:12] Prayer refuses to treat persecutors as the ultimate enemy. Spiritual evil stirs up fear, hatred, and violence, even through human hands. Prayer also makes room for the Holy Spirit to examine whether the believer’s own motives and behavior need correction. [72:12]
• 4. Love is the kingdom’s response [01:16:19] Christ does not permit hatred, revenge, or getting even to rule his people. Those who suffer for righteousness entrust themselves to the faithful Creator and continue doing good. Grace toward persecutors displays the same undeserved mercy that God has already given. [76:19]
• 5. Doing good brings fresh goodness [01:24:24] Doing good means more than avoiding trouble or keeping rules. Christ brings fresh love, kindness, wisdom, and goodness into the places where his people live. Such faithfulness says, “I trust you,” even when suffering makes obedience costly.
  
  ## [84:24]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [37:05] - Remembering Christ at Communion
• [39:02] - The New Covenant in His Blood
• [40:10] - Christ Is Coming Back
• [44:43] - Prayer for Persecuted Pastors in India
• [46:50] - Faithfulness in the Face of Persecution
• [52:59] - Handpicked and Unwanted
• [54:01] - Be Different and Do Good
• [55:30] - This World Is Not Your Home
• [59:00] - Peter’s Fiery-Ordeal Promise
• [64:57] - What Persecution Is and Is Not
• [71:17] - Four Responses to Persecution
• [76:19] - Love Those Who Persecute You
• [80:41] - God’s Justice and God’s Discipline
• [84:09] - Entrust Your Life by Doing Good

1. “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.” [59:00]
2. “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” [01:16:19]
3. “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” [01:16:19]
4. “But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.” [01:11:17]
5. “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.”
6. “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” [01:24:09]
7. “And ‘If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?’”
8. “Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” [01:24:24]

1. “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,” [37:18]
2. “and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’” [37:27]
3. “In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’” [39:02]
4. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” [40:03]

1. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” [01:00:27]
2. “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” [01:00:33]
3. “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” [01:00:43]

1. “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” [01:01:04]

1. In 1 Peter 4:12-19, what words does Peter use to describe suffering for Christ, and what does he tell believers not to be surprised by? [59:03]
2. What kinds of behavior does Peter clearly separate from suffering “as a Christian” in verses 15-16?
3. According to John 15:18-20, what are the two reasons Jesus gives for the world’s hatred toward his followers? [01:00:27]
4. In 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, what does the bread remember, what does the cup represent, and what future event does Communion point toward? [39:18]

1. Peter says that believers can rejoice while sharing in Christ’s sufferings. What does this rejoicing mean, and what does it not mean when someone is genuinely hurt or mistreated? [01:15:38]
2. How does Peter’s warning not to suffer as an evildoer or meddler help someone tell the difference between biblical persecution and the consequences of careless, harsh, or prideful behavior? [01:08:46]
3. Jesus says his followers are chosen out of the world, while Paul says those who desire to live godly lives will be persecuted. In everyday relationships, what might faithful difference look like without becoming argumentative or unloving? [01:10:44]
4. What does it mean to entrust one’s life to “a faithful Creator while doing good”? How does that response differ from getting even, seeking attention, or withdrawing from people? [01:16:19]

1. When you take Communion, which part of Christ’s work do you most need to remember right now: his sacrifice, resurrection, forgiveness, access to God, the Holy Spirit within you, or his promised return? Why? [37:40]
2. Think of a recent conflict, criticism, or exclusion you experienced. How could you prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit whether the other person was reacting to Christ in you or to something in your own words, attitude, or actions that needs repentance? [01:13:20]
3. Is there a place at work, school, in your family, or among neighbors where doing what is right could cost you something—such as refusing dishonesty, refusing gossip, or treating an outsider with kindness? What would faithfulness look like there? [01:10:49]
4. When you feel attacked or misunderstood, what is your usual first response: defending yourself, becoming angry, staying silent, posting about it, or praying? What would it look like to make prayer your first response before, during, and after the situation? [01:11:40]
5. Is there someone who has treated you unfairly because of your faith or because you chose to do what is right? What could loving that person in a wise and genuine way look like this week? [01:18:53]
6. “Doing good” means bringing fresh goodness, love, kindness, and wisdom into ordinary places. Where is one specific place you could bring that kind of Christlike goodness this week? [01:24:32]
7. God’s correction is meant to form his people, not push them away from him. Is there an area where you sense God calling you to submit, change direction, or receive correction instead of resisting it? [01:23:46]