As We Suffer
1 Peter 4:12-19 (March 22, 2020)
Greetings,
I hope today finds everyone rested and in a positive state of mind. It has been a challenging week for some, a period of uncertainty for others and a time of self-reflection and communion with God for all of us who are believers. We can never be sure of what lies ahead in the days to come here on earth. But we can live with confidence that God is our Sovereign and He will only allow upon us that which we are able to withstand through his guidance and direction.
Prayer is a term that is thrown about these days, sometimes without much thought as to the seriousness of carrying through with action. I believe that if people were praying as much as they claimed to be, the world would be a different place from what it is today. Please take the opportunity today and the rest of this week to pray for God’s will to be done and for those who have been negatively impacted by the past week’s developments. Whether through sickness or other difficulties, many are struggling right now and could use purposed prayers as well as physical or financial assistance. As followers of Christ striving to be like Him, we should be sensitive to meeting the needs of others and realize the urgency of leading lost people into the Kingdom of God before it is too late.
Today’s sermon comes from 1 Peter 4:12–19 (NASB95):
Share the Sufferings of Christ
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;
13 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.
14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;
16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.
17 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?
18 And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?
19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.
A letter from Smyrna described the martyrdom of Polycarp (I’m glad his parents didn’t name me!), bishop of Smyrna in the second century. He was brought to the arena before Caesar to be burned at the stake. The proconsul liked Polycarp and did not want to see him martyred, so he urged Polycarp to burn incense to Caesar and take an oath of subjection to him. Rather than do so, Polycarp replied, “Eighty-six years I have served him and he never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my king who saved me?” As Polycarp was tied to the stake, he prayed to God to accept him as a “rich and acceptable sacrifice”.[1]
Human suffering is not God’s will for us. We inherited our plight of suffering from freewill choices to sin against God, whereby death and suffering entered the world. Why then, if suffering is against the will of God, does Peter propose it is a joyous blessing to suffer as indicated in verses 12-16?
While human suffering may be against God’s will, the key to understanding the idea of joyous suffering is to understand that Jesus suffered so that we might be reconciled to God. It is God’s will for us to be redeemed. Blood sacrifice was necessary for our redemption according to God’s will, thus our suffering as believers is a freewill choice because we chose to accept the redemptive power of Christ’s blood as payment for our sins. Jesus laid down his life freely for us so that we might be saved. When it becomes necessary, we suffer temporally rather than rejecting Christ and suffering eternally.
In verse 13, Peter pointed out that in our suffering for the cause of Christ we are participating in communion with Christ’s life as He suffered for us. By doing so, Peter acknowledged that we should experience the same joy and satisfaction that Christ expressed when He said, “It is finished”, looking forward to the day when we will experience the same joy in Christ’s presence at his exultation.
It is reasonable to ask how it is even possible to experience joy in suffering. We look around us today and see suffering in every level of society from the wealthiest to the poorest. People living without hope, others in the throes of physical suffering. Verse 14 relays the source of potential joy in suffering: The Spirit of Glory and of God rests on you. I’ll return to this thought momentarily.
Suffering for the consequences of sin should not be joyful. As Adam, Eve and every other person has experienced, the consequences of sin usually involve suffering to some degree whether mentally or physically. There is no joy in this type of suffering because its source is against God’s will. Christ died for our sins so that we might have righteous standing before God and avoid suffering in eternity. Christ’s death did not provide a mechanism whereby we may avoid suffering the consequences of sin in the present.
Though we may suffer the consequences for our sins in the present, it is not God’s will that we promote our own suffering. Sometimes believers allow Satan to convince them that their sins have caused them to once again be hopelessly separated from God. While living in unrepented sin may cause us to fall out of fellowship with God for a season, the power of Jesus’ redemptive death on the cross allows us to ask God for forgiveness and restore our fellowship with Him. It is not God’s will for us to be unproductive and guilt-ridden because of our past sins. Jesus died for all our sins and we live in that grace every day that we are believers. Embrace your position as a child of God, forgiven and redeemed, and let go of past sins which may impede the work for which God has prepared you.
Suffering for the glory of God is to suffer for our belief in Christ. Most of us have not suffered to any great extent for our faith. But some certainly have in the past and others are currently being persecuted for promoting faith in Jesus Christ and the Word of God. At any given time, numerous countries are hostile toward missionaries. Some are taken captive, treated poorly and suffer atrocities ranging from starvation to death. While followers of Christ believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven, we find these types of tortuous behaviors reprehensible and do not condone persecuting anyone for their religious beliefs. It comes as no surprise when believers are persecuted, however, because the Word of God teaches us that we will suffer for our faith!
Suffering for the cause of God’s kingdom is described in vv. 17-18 as a type of judgment for sin in which we participate with Christ symbolically as He suffered for our sins. Our suffering serves no purpose for obtaining atonement for sin. Only the perfect sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God, is worthy to atone for the world’s sins. But, much like we symbolically participate in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ in water baptism, we participate in Christ’s suffering both symbolically and positionally when we suffer for the Kingdom. We are righteous before God through the death of Christ. Therefore, we are justified in suffering for our faith just as Christ suffered despite his perfectly righteous position before God.
Our earthly suffering will be the only suffering we will ever experience as believers. As indicated in vv. 17-18, the suffering will continue into eternity for those who do not accept Christ as their Savior. It is one thing to suffer physically and mentally in this life. But what suffering is even possible for us now is but a trifle compared to the suffering which will be experienced for all eternity by those who reject the Gospel.
The privilege of trusting God in our suffering (v. 19)
Most of us will never experience the type of suffering experienced by the Apostles and martyrs of the first few centuries A.D. In my opinion, most of our “suffering” will involve sacrifice more than pain or mental anguish. We will offer time to work for our godly purposes. We will invest financially, sometimes sacrificially. We may even be victimized by slander or bullying because of our faith. But, again in my opinion, few of us will be openly martyred for our beliefs. I cannot make this statement with 100% certainty because of the current situations going on. But things would have to change drastically in a brief period for martyrdom to become commonplace in the United States.
Whatever the level of suffering in which we may find ourselves, let us be found considering it a privilege to suffer for Christ because He suffered unimaginably for us. We cannot repay the debt for our sin. We cannot repay Christ for dying in our place on Calvary. But we can offer gratitude and service which is consistent with the Spirit which lives within us. Here’s where I come back to the previous ideas from verse 14!
We cannot find it within ourselves to be joyous in our sufferings. Some people have a higher tolerance for suffering than others. What we can do is become more yielded to the Holy Spirit and his promptings which guide our paths. Tolerance for suffering requires patience and self-control. Forgiveness for those who may cause our suffering can only manifest from love, peace and righteousness. Where do these traits come from? They are all reflections of the Fruit of the Spirit which inhabits our hearts when we are saved.
We understand that following Christ involves faith, love, generosity, patience and other attributes which reflect the behaviors of our Lord and Savior. To effectively reflect the life of Christ in our own lives we must “entrust our souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” (v. 19). Otherwise, we would assume the responsibility for our own goodness. You see, God loves us so much and wants to see us redeemed to him so that we may live our best lives and carry out the good purposes He has for us. God provided Jesus so that we may be saved. And He also provided the Holy Spirit so that we have every tool we need to carry out his purposes for creating us. And that, my friends, is why we should trust Him, and Him alone for our provisions.
Thank you so much for your time taken to read this transcript. Other than the cited materials, I wrote this from my heart as best as I can understand the verses considered in this sermon. I don’t claim to be a better person than any of you who may be reading this. I don’t claim to be anything more than a sinner saved by God’s grace and Jesus’ death on the cross. I consider my ministry to be my greatest blessing and I am grateful for people like you who reflect upon messages from the Word and act in obedience toward God. If you have a spiritual need, you think you need to get saved or you don’t understand part of what I have tried to convey to you today, please call me (502) 507-4369. I will assist you in any way that I am able. If you need something done for you, an errand, food, medicine or anything else with which I could help you, please call me and I will do my best to get what you need. I love you all and I hope we can be together again soon.
Our Heavenly Father, we lift your name today by acknowledging that you are our everything. We exist because of you and we have everything we need because of your magnificent grace and mercy. Thank you, Father, for loving us, caring for us and providing for us. We continually feel your presence and are comforted. We believe that you are the Great Physician and that you can heal us physically and spiritually. We know that you love us and we live with confidence and hope because of your Spirit which lives within us.
We pray for our leaders to seek your guidance. We pray for the strength and safety needed by those who are serving selflessly at this time to provide for the needs of people through food, utilities and medical services. We ask you to protect those who serve us to keep us healthy, safe and free.
Lord, we trust you and we love you. We know that nothing will happen to us apart from what you allow. And we know that you will always protect your children with Heaven in your glorious presence as our ultimate destination. Thank you for your continuous guidance and we ask that you keep us safe during these challenging times. It’s in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we pray…Amen.
[1] Cyril C. Richardson, ed., Early Christian Fathers (Westminster, 1953) pp. 152, 154.
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