When Thru Fiery Trials …

And in a sense, perhaps there’s some
sigh there, some sigh of relief. It seems like Peter has been
on this subject that we’ve been considering for pages and pages. And in a sense, you’re right. But the new section is not altogether
out of line with the entire rest of the book, indeed the theme
of the book. It’s a new section, as I’ve said. The previous section
closed, as we saw, with a doxology of praise to God. And the new
section begins marked by Beloved. He carves out a new approach
to the saints. His dear friends in Christ. But
the subject, the theme here is essentially the same that we’ve
been considering all along. From the earliest pages of Peter’s
epistle, we have seen that suffering is in view. How saints are faring
in the world is Peter’s focus from the earliest pages of the
book, as we’ll see in a moment. Peter takes up this subject again
of suffering, but he takes it from a new and fresh perspective. He wants to get another angle
on what he’s already discussed. And in that sense, it behooves
us to pay even closer attention to what Peter is saying here,
because it’s so crucial to him that he has repeated it over
and over and over. I think the image is essentially
this. These first century Christians,
the first of their kind, had come to Christ and they expected
nothing but good and blessing. And they even expected initially
an earthly Messiah that was going to take over politically and
make things easy in their physical life. And so when things began
to go more difficult, when Christ was crucified, when the apostles
were chased out of Jerusalem, when persecutions began to break
out across the lands, they began to be surprised. You might even
say that they were astonished, to use a stronger word, that
this suffering was taking place, that they were the focus of these
persecutions. Perhaps they were even ultimately
overwhelmed and concluded, because of that, that God did not love
them. That God had abandoned them and there was really nothing
to this faith, this Christ, this Christianity. Peter wants to remind them that
these things ought not, should not, catch them off guard. They
are to be expected. It’s part and parcel of the Christian
life, Peter says. An advanced warning of suffering
helps Christians. It helps you and I. And I don’t
mean to cause you distress, but it’s coming. Suffering of various
kinds is coming. It’s coming to your life and
it’s coming to mine. It’s part of the Christian life. to endure suffering. And so,
we ought to be prepared for it. If we’re prepared, then our faith
is not going to suffer when it comes. That’s essentially Peter’s
outline. Walk with me through the book.
Would you go back to 1 Peter 1. In 1 Peter 1, almost at the outset
of the book, he calls them aliens. Now, that’s a word that’s rich
even in our own culture in this day when we call people that
sneak across borders aliens, those that are here illegally. But Peter, using it in this opening
verse of Peter’s epistle, points to Christians and says that in
a very real sense, you are spiritual aliens. You don’t belong here
in this world. You don’t fit in. In fact, you
shouldn’t. You have different interests.
You have different priorities. You have different methods about
how you go about life. You have different loyalties,
different loves, different comforts, different goals. We can’t settle in here. We can’t
settle in and begin to feel comfortable. That’s what Peter said from the
very outset. There’s a hatred of Christian people because of
our allegiance to Christ. If we love Christ truly, we won’t
ever fit in. Christians are, in a very real
sense, aliens. And a sure sign of danger is
when we begin to fit in. When we begin to seek our comfort
here this world. Peter goes on, and I want you
to look at verses 6 and 7 with this theme that he keeps coming
back and touching upon. This theme of suffering and trials. In verses 6 and 7, Peter points
out that trials, they’re temporary. They’re fleeting. They’re not
going to be around forever. And he even goes on to say that
they’re necessary. And he’ll touch more upon that
in a moment as the passage develops. He doesn’t discount that they
are truly distressing. He says you have been distressed
by various trials. And by that, he means great pressure. They are stressful. They are
hurtful. They are taxing. He doesn’t doubt
that. And he says they come in all
kinds of shapes and sizes, they’re varied. All kinds of different
trials come our way. But he says in the very end that
they are purposeful. They serve a purpose. Peter calls us there. It isn’t
even suffering that’s in focus in that passage, remember? It’s
faith that’s in focus. Peter wants us to buoy our faith.
Peter wants us to build up our faith in Christ Because our Christian
faith is what is going to carry us through those trials to glory. He goes on from there. He mentions
again in chapter 2, verses 11 and 12, that we are aliens and
strangers. The world doesn’t recognize us
as being of them. The world doesn’t want them as
part of their family. The world wants us apart from
them. They don’t want to welcome us
in as Christians. What they do want to do is conform
us to their own life and lifestyle. Chapter 2, verse 18, turn there
if you haven’t already. Because in chapter two, verse
18, Peter begins a very lengthy section here in great depth. We considered it where we are
called to follow Christ’s pattern of dealing with suffering. Look,
if you would, at verse 19 of chapter two. In chapter 2, verse
19, Peter says, For this finds favor if, for the sake of conscience
toward God, a person bears up under sorrows when suffering
unjustly. Well, who suffered the most unjust
death of all? But Christ. Peter goes on. For what credit is there if when
you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience?
But if when you do what is right and you suffer for it, you patiently
endure it, this finds favor with God. Suffering is in view in
this entire book. Turn, if you would, to chapter
3. And in chapter 3, he begins what is absolutely the most detailed
account of suffering. If you would, the whole section
begins in verse 13 of chapter 3, where he gave us instructions
to the oppressed, as we called it. When we are called to be
reasonable, to remember who it is that we serve. We’re called
to be assured that ultimately the smile of God waits. We’re
called to be composed, fearless in the face of opposition. We’re
called to be devoted to a submission that issues forth in proclamation
that the more we are rooted and grounded in Christ is going to
well up in us a testimony to the lost world. Finally, Peter
told us there to be clean, to be innocent in the thing in which
we are accused. All this just points to the reminder
that suffering is part of the Christian life And what a more
absurd position than to be caught off guard by it. Peter says, don’t be surprised. Don’t be caught off guard. Suffering
is part of the Christian life. frequency of his repetitions
about this theme. And it doesn’t even stop there.
And it doesn’t even stop at the end of the verse that we consider
this morning. He’ll take it up again to close out the book.
But the frequent repetition of this advice, this counsel or
encouragement to Christian in their suffering in every chapter
of this book shows that really the greatest danger that not
only these new converts in first century of history, but even
to us to this day, the greatest danger arose not from the persecutions, but from the fact that people
are surprised by them and they were caught off guard by them
and their faith suffered because of that. One said it this way, the good
behavior of Christians under sufferings is the most difficult
part of their duty. But it’s necessary both for the
honor of Christ in their own comfort, and therefore, the apostle,
having exhorted them in the former part of this chapter to the great
duty of mortification, in other words, the killing of sin, he
comes here to direct them to the necessity of duty of patience
under sufferings. And he does this all over again. Repeatedly he has come to them
and appealed to them not to be surprised, to expect suffering. You might even call this book
a how-to directory for Christian suffering. Now, there’s a delightful
little title. Is that a book that you would
rush to in the Christian bookstore? I don’t think so. What 1 Peter
is, is a repair manual for saints in distress. One Puritan said it this way.
He said, Christians who are under a cross stand in need of frequent
directions and encouragements because they are in hazard to
take some sinful course for their ease or else to suffer heartlessly
and in a way which does not glorify their master. The last thing
that Peter is calling us to is to just tough it out, to clench
our teeth and just get through it. That’s not what Peter’s calling
us to. We’ll see exactly what in a moment. But the worst thing is, as he concludes, the worst thing
that we could do is to begin to think that we are forgotten
by God or that we are slighted by others without God’s knowledge
or even without God’s design. I entitled this portion of our
message this morning, When Through Fiery Trials, perhaps hopefully
bringing an echo to mind of the great hymn that I’ll even have
opportunity to quote here in a moment. What Peter wants to
look at is how do we tiptoe through the coals of persecution? How
do we face the difficulties that certainly come our way? First
of all, Peter says that a sound Christian, a healthy Christian,
a Christian who is focused on Christ and fully aware that these
things are coming, fully aware that this is part of the Christian
life, fully committed to walk with Christ through anything,
a sound Christian in great trial should cultivate, first of all,
an expectant mind. an expectant mind. Look again
at v. 12. And if you would, I want to read
the passage in its entirety, so if you would bear with me.
1 Peter 4 Look at v. 12. Beloved, do not be surprised
at the fiery ordeal among you which comes upon you for your
testing as though some strange thing were happening to you.
But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep
on rejoicing so that also at the revelation of his glory,
you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name
of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God
rests upon you. By no means, let any of you suffer
as a murderer or a thief or evildoer or a troublesome meddler. But
if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed. But
in that name, let him glorify God, for it is time for judgment
to begin with the household of God. And if it begins with us
first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the
gospel of God? And if it is with difficulty
that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless
man and the sinner? Therefore, let those also who
suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to
a faithful creator in doing what is right. First of all, the sound Christian
in great trial should cultivate an expectant mind. These shouldn’t
catch us off guard. Look again at verse 12. Beloved,
do not be surprised. Do not be surprised. Don’t be
caught off guard. Don’t be offended or troubled
at persecution when it comes. Don’t be surprised at the eye
rolls of the office workers when you speak of things that are
precious to you in Christ. It’s not unusual. It’s not unheard
of. It’s not outside of the pale
of history. He says, don’t be surprised and
caught off guard, it literally means to feel like people in
a strange country lost and bewildered, don’t don’t take this as something
that you didn’t know was coming. Take it patiently and graciously. These Christians felt that at
this point in time, that what was happening was out of place
and out of God’s design. It bothered them and it caused
their faith distress. He says, don’t be surprised at
the fiery ordeal among you. Now, I have told you from the
earliest pages that these Christians were already in the midst of
great persecution. And many commentators took this
to mean that what they were already facing was the dreaded and horrific
martyrdom of burning at the stake. At least at this juncture, we
don’t know of any, or at least not with any great certainty,
any great martyrdoms by that method. This fiery ordeal, Peter
is saying, isn’t a literal thing. We don’t take that to mean a
literal burning. But just that the ordeal that
they were undergoing was a great and burdensome trial. Like fire. You have this imagery really
throughout Scripture, and I believe that’s what Peter is drawing
on. Proverbs 27 says the crucible is for silver and the furnace
is for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives. That’s
the imagery. We’re not literally being placed
in the fire. What the proverb says there is,
does praise go to your head and damage you? That’s the crucible
that the writer of the proverb mentions. Malachi 3. Malachi 3, verses
1 through 3. is recorded there. See, I will
send my messenger who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly
the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple. The messenger
of the covenant who you will desire will come, says the Lord
Almighty. But who can endure the day of
his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s
fire. Or like a launderer’s soap. That’s the imagery that Peter
is using. And in verse 3 of that, it says, He will sit as a refiner
and a purifier of silver. He will purify the Levites, refine
them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who
will bring offerings in righteousness. God was concerned there to have
a pure priesthood. He’s concerned in our lives to
have a pure, sanctified people. And to these first century Christians,
he says that God desires to purify us. Don’t be surprised at this
fiery ordeal. Don’t be surprised at the furnace.
It has a God-given purpose. And Peter lays it out for us
here momentarily. These great afflictions that
are so often compared to fire, are painful. They are grievous.
Peter never denies that they hurt. And in fact, that’s why
he uses this terminology of fire. If you literally stuck your hand
in fire, it would hurt. The children of the Lord, of
the living God, they have trials. Not only trials, but fiery trials
for which to prepare. And they are those, as one said,
which do deprive them of the sweetest of earthly comforts.
This isn’t just something that Peter is saying, tough it out,
get over it, it’s not that bad. Peter is telling them to expect
even the greatest suffering that humans can know. But he says it has a purpose.
Look again at verse 12. Do not be surprised at the fiery
ordeal among you which comes upon you for your testing. There’s
a purpose to it. That’s the purpose of the fiery
furnace. What he wants to do is put their
Christian character to the test for the sake of improving it
and sanctifying it. It is our sanctification that
is in view. It is the sanctification of these
first century saints that is in view and us by proxy. Peter
is saying that persecution is the Lord’s refining of his people. One pastor said it this way.
Not expecting to be so hatefully persecuted, the believers to
whom Peter wrote were understandably surprised, troubled, even confused
by their suffering. But it tells us to not be surprised.
And thereby informs believers to expect that the gospel of
Christ will be offensive to many and will produce persecution.
But this burning has a purpose. The exposure to fire has a purpose. And it is to purify us and to
conform us to Christ. It’s not just to bring difficulty
into our lives. These trials sent by God, not
for our destruction, not for the dismantling of our faith, but for the building us up in
Christ by grace Even though these trials are sharp and fiery, as
one said, they are designed not only to try nor to ruin them,
but to try their sincerity, their strength, their patience and
their trust in God. That’s what God is testing. The main purpose of these trials
is that they might prove the strength and the grace that we
have in Christ. the discovery, the revelation
to us of our own weaknesses so that we can cry out to God for
more grace, just as we do each Lord’s Day in prayer. Do not be surprised at the fiery
ordeal among you which comes upon you for your testing as
though some strange thing were happening to you. I love the
way Peter writes. He communicates so clearly. And
when things happen, don’t we think exactly like this? That,
well, this is odd for God to do this to me. I can remember
as a young seminary student traveling all the way across the country,
getting out there and getting set up, and no sooner do I get
going, God gives me car troubles? This is a strange thing, God.
Here I am, Your servant. I have things to do. I mean to
advance your kingdom with all of my gifts and graces and skills,
and you give me car trouble?” That’s exactly how we look at
it, don’t we? The mistreatment that comes upon
believers is for our testing and proving the genuineness of
our faith. But so often we look at it as
a strange thing. is an unwelcome thing. The bottom
line, Christians, is that hardship goes hand in hand with faith,
as Peter has said. There’s no reason for Christians
to think it strange or to wonder at the unkindnesses and persecutions
of the world Because we’re forewarned. We’re told about them. Christ
Himself endured them. Christ forsaking all, denying
ourselves. Those are the terms which Christ
placed upon us in order to be His disciples. So, the bottom line is these
sufferings, when they come, they can’t be a strange thing to us.
They must be a welcome thing. are not a sign of God’s absence,
but a sign of God’s purifying presence. Jesus said, John 16, 33, I’ve
told you these things so that you may have peace in this world.
You will have trouble. But take heart. I’ve overcome
the world. These are not strange things
to us. Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, When we were with you, I kept
telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out
that way, as you well know. Peter tells us not to be surprised. Paul told his readers not to
be surprised. Paul, writing to young Timothy,
told Timothy not to be surprised. He told Timothy, endure hardship
with us like a good soldier of Christ. I mean, do we need to
be reminded that we’re in a battle? A battle over souls, a battle
over sanctification. And I love even the way God’s
word characterizes it. Do not be surprised that the
fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing
as though some strange thing were happening. As if stuff just
floats around and just happens. You just happen to be in the
way and this bad thing hit you. There’s no reason to think it’s
strange. There’s no reason not to expect it. There’s no reason
to think that things just happen. Or to wonder why the world is
unkind and persecuting of the church. were forewarned, were
told about them. Christ himself went through them
as we saw. Things don’t happen to fall by
chance. As we said earlier, we serve
a sovereign God and what Peter does here is call for Christians
to understand that these experiences that we face, this unjust suffering
for Christ is not an accident. It’s not an accident, but it’s
inevitable. Because the message of sin and salvation and judgment
offends people. So, the eye rolls, the cat calls,
and that’s just the mild version. That’s just the beginning, really,
of persecution. Those all occur by God’s design. And they reveal, ultimately,
whether professing believers’ faith is true or not. Instead of these things happening
to us as if it’s just by chance, we need to begin to look at it
as taking place by the gracious design of God sifted through
his fingers, that everything that comes our way is not persecution
that God has lost control of, suffering that God didn’t know
of. In fact, Job said it, recorded
in Job, said it this way. Blessed is the man whom God corrects. So do not despise the discipline
of the Lord. We should welcome it. It’s a
good and a wholesome thing. Proverbs 3.11 My son, do not
despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke.
When these things come upon us, know that they are designed to
purify us. That’s exactly what is laid out
for us in Hebrews chapter 12. Turn over to Hebrews 12 just
quickly. There you have the classic passage
on discipline in the Lord, and it presents God as that loving
Father who disciplines the Son that He loves. We’ve already learned that we’re
not perfect. Peter has said it clearly for
us. We’re called to holiness, but we’re not there yet. There
is this process of sanctification through which we’re walking.
We must constantly acknowledge and mortify sin and call out
to God for more grace. Verse 5 of Hebrews 12. And you have forgotten that the
word of encouragement that addresses you as sons, my son, do not make
light the Lord’s discipline. And do not lose heart when he
rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves. He
punishes everyone he accepts as a son. That’s why Peter says,
don’t think it is a strange thing. Don’t think that it’s just something
happening to you. As if you just happen to be in
the way of it and catch it like flu. A Christian, a sound Christian
should cultivate an expectant mind. Secondly, the sound Christian
in the midst of a great trial should not only cultivate an
expectant mind, he should maintain an attitude of exultation. We
are called in the midst of these things to praise God. I don’t know that John planned
it this way, but he said essentially the same thing through the course
of the hymns that he selected, through the course of even his
prayer. In the midst of difficulty, we
rejoice. Go back to chapter 1 Peter chapter
4. And again in verse 12, Beloved,
do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you which comes
upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were
happening to you, but keep on rejoicing. That’s essentially
the flow of the text. Don’t be surprised, but rejoice. Don’t be caught off guard, but
praise God. So far from being offended or
caught off guard or surprised at the sufferings, we’re supposed
to, on the other hand, and at the opposite end of the spectrum,
greatly rejoice. It’s not enough, said one Puritan,
for the Lord’s people to have their hearts free of discouragements
at the cross. And what he means there is by
the cross is all of the difficulties that we experience in life It’s
not enough that our heart be kept free from discouragements.
I mean, we could tough it out through almost anything, couldn’t
we? That’s not what he’s saying. He’s not calling us just to tough
it out coldly. It’s not enough for the Lord’s
people to have their hearts free of discouragements under the
cross or amazement at it as a strange thing. But they ought also to
rejoice in their sufferings for Christ as a matter of great honor
and happiness. What? An honor to suffer? An honor to go through what we’re
going through? A means of great happiness? That’s what he says. Christians aren’t called just
to be patient. They’re called to be joyful in
the midst of these things. You know the passage well. James
1. Consider it all joy, my brethren,
when you encounter various trials. There’s an echo there. There’s
an echo to what Peter is saying right here. That even in the
midst of this great heaviness that comes on us because of these
trials, there is a kind of joy that can be sustained by God’s
grace. There’s a kind of joy that we
can embrace and exhibit. by God’s grace. One said that
this oil of gladness still swims above and it cannot be drowned
by all the floods of affliction such as this grace. What we’re called to is to count
it a matter of great joy, to be honored, to suffer for Christ, Because these sufferings are,
as it were, tokens of divine honor. It is as if God is bestowing
these privileges upon us. And without the grace to look
at this passage, you’d think this kind of language, this line
of reasoning is just absurd. But Peter will detail it for
us. He’ll explain it for us. He essentially says that these
things ultimately promote the gospel. and they prepare us for glory.
Those who rejoice in their sufferings for Christ, ultimately and eternally,
will triumph. And they will rejoice with God
in glory. And so, we’re called to count
it a matter of great joy. Consider it all joy, as James
said. That little word consider, James
means to esteem or to evaluate, to think it through. To think
correctly of those things, make a conscious mental effort. And
to embrace those things as being of God. Look again at verse 13, if you
would. Peter says, keep rejoicing. But there’s that little clause
that precedes it. To the degree that you share
the sufferings of Christ. Because he’ll go on to say, and
he essentially forecasts, that there is a kind of suffering
that we bring upon ourselves that has nothing to do with what
he’s talking about. There is a kind of suffering that we bring
upon ourselves because of sin and sinfulness, sinful living,
sinful habits, that has nothing to do with what he’s talking
about. That kind of suffering we’re just going to have to embrace
as our own. And it brings no joy And it has
no purpose. It gives no benefit. It merely
is the consequence of our sinful choices and actions, our lifestyle.
But to the degree that you share in the sufferings of Christ,
and I believe that he means here for every Christian, there is
a measure of this. Every Christian is going to experience
this in at least a degree. To the degree that you share
the sufferings of Christ, we are partakers in the sufferings
of Christ. I mean, this is an astounding
thought, people. We suffer like Christ did. For
confessing the truth, for professing the truth of Christ as being
members of Christ, we suffer those evils that are laid out
in the world for those that follow him and belong to Christ. The
more that we are conformed to Christ, the more that we follow
after Him, the more that we embrace the standards of Christ and the
Gospel, the greater the persecution, the more we’re going to experience
those sufferings. If Christ were here, they’d crucify
Him all over again by tomorrow afternoon. Right? We know that. Christ is in heaven. And so,
we are easy targets. If Christ was here, they’d persecute
Him. But it’s really Him that they’re
after anyway. And so, we are convenient targets
for their wrath. And as such, partakers in Christ’s
sufferings. The sufferings of Christ refer
to those that come because of our allegiance to Christ. Not
because of our own obnoxiousness. Not because of our own sinfulness.
Not just because of the difficulties common to man. We came home to
ants in our home. It’s not because we’re under
persecution, great persecution from the world. It’s because
there’s ants. Because of the fall. We need
ant bait like everyone else, right? 2 Corinthians 4 speaks in depth
about those things. There is in Christ, for those
that are in Christ, a commensurate suffering with Him, a participation
in the sufferings that He endured. And to the degree that we share
in those sufferings, we are to rejoice. We experience Christ’s
sufferings through reproach, through persecution, through
All of the difficulties that we experience because of naming
the name of Christ and we’re supposed to arm ourselves and
prepare ourselves with the same meekness, the same patience as
Christ met with. When we share in the sufferings
of Christ, Certainly, Peter doesn’t mean this in any way, shape or
form in any kind of redemptive sense. We don’t add to our salvation. We don’t earn our salvation.
Our salvation was fully paid for by Christ on the cross. We
don’t, through our suffering, add to it. We don’t make ourselves
better Christians or earn ourselves a bigger room in heaven in the
mansion at all. It refers to believers that are
experiencing the same kind of sufferings that he endured, suffering
for what is right. One pastor said it this way,
the Christians may properly be called Christ’s sufferings. They are of the same kind. They
are for the same cause that Christ suffered. They make us conformable
to Him. He suffers in them and feels
in our infirmities. And if we are partakers of his
sufferings, we shall also be made partakers of his glory and
shall meet with him with exceeding joy at his great appearing to
judge his enemies and crown his faithful servants. What a great promise. A great
promise for Christians. to know that we’re called to
joy in the midst of our sufferings now and that one day we will
rejoice exceedingly. Look at the end of the passage.
But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep
on rejoicing so that also at the revelation of his glory,
when he comes back in his second coming, you may rejoice with
exultation. The rejoicing that we will have
in heaven will be without any kind of degree of pain or grief
or suffering. It will be exceedingly great
joy, as Luke records of the angels in Luke 2. The rejoicing of the
saints now. We come into worship service
today. We all are distracted by various
things. Distracted by the pain in our
back. Distracted by the absence of
money in our bank account. Distracted by the troubles that
we face in life. Our worship is just tainted.
But in heaven and glory, we will worship and we will joy
with exaltation. There will be nothing to mar
or diminish our worship in heaven. One Puritan said it this way,
as Christ’s second coming will be a glad day to all that believe
in Him, so there is a special measure of joy and gladness reserved
for them who get grace to go cheerfully through a sad suffering
and a lot in this world for His sake. When we get to heaven,
we’re going to remember those difficulties and we’re going
to remember the grace that we had to endure them and we’re
going to rejoice all the more. So it led one to say this as
I conclude. Believers should rejoice even
now in suffering so that they may be overjoyed in the future. Rejoicing in their present suffering
is mandated precisely so that believers will have joy in God’s
presence in the day of judgment. Can you imagine coming face to
face with God having gone sullenly and morosely through all of the
difficulties that life had to dish out. And to get there and
to suddenly have to shift gears and rejoice before God for eternity. I mean, it’s almost too much
to conceive of. And that’s what led some to conclude
that what Peter is saying here is that if you’re not rejoicing
now, there may be good reason for it. You may not truly be
in Christ. I don’t know that I’m prepared
to go that far with it. There are people, I know that
there are true saints of God who suffer and who just struggle
to embrace it with joy. But what Peter is absolutely
saying here is what a better way to go. What a better way
to live in the here and now. To embrace the difficulties that
come our way. To cry out to God to embrace
them with joy. So that by the time we get to
heaven, it’s an easy transition. We rejoiced here and now in the
midst of our difficulties with joy. And now we can let go. He goes on, he said, how believers
respond to suffering is an indication of whether they truly belong
to God at all. Those who do not rejoice in their
sufferings do not truly belong to Jesus Christ. If they groan
about sufferings now, they presumably will be disappointed on the future
day. The promise of future joy energizes the joy that will be
theirs in the future. Peter exhorted the readers to
rejoice in their present sufferings so that they will be able to
rejoice and exult forever when Christ returns. He’s preparing
us the way. He’s got grace for us to lay
hold of. And get this, that we rejoice now in the midst of our
trials so that in the future we will rejoice fully in glory,
in eternity with Christ. It’s purely by God’s grace that
we can greet these difficulties, these things with joy and dignity. Do not be surprised. Keep on
rejoicing. Let’s pray. Our merciful God, we pause and
bow before you and thank you. Lord, we know that many times
when we suffer, it has not been because of the cause of Christ,
but because of our own obnoxiousness, our own bad habits, Our own personality
that got in your way. The Lord, we know, too, as Christians,
that if we are truly in Christ and if we truly seek to follow
and honor Christ, there will be difficulties. We will face
persecution. We will have broken friendships
and lost relationships because of it. Lord, certainly the history
of humanity has certainly shown that there have been greater
persecutions and still could be. Lord, none can face these
with joy without your grace. And so we cry out to you that
to the degree that we share in the sufferings of Christ, grant
us the grace to face them with joy, not with shock. Be honored, we pray, and glorified. It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.