Tested and Genuine

Good morning.

My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church,

and it's my joy to bring God's Word to you today.

If you're new or visiting with us, welcome.

We're glad that you're here.

And we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats,

but because we're following Jesus together as one community.

And as we follow Jesus together, we've become convinced that there's no one so good

that they don't need God's grace, and no one's so bad that they can't have it,

which means that God has something to say to every one of us in His Word,

which is why we keep coming back week after week.

If you've been with us, you know that we're in the book of 1 Peter,

and the book of 1 Peter is a letter.

It's a letter written by a man named Peter,

and he writes it in the first century to churches that are in modern-day Turkey,

and he writes it to do two things.

He writes it to encourage them and also to instruct them.

He wants to encourage them that Jesus is worth it,

Jesus is worth living for, He's worth loving for,

and that Jesus is worth suffering for, and He's worth dying for.

And he doesn't just write them to encourage them,

but he also writes them to instruct them,

that they would know how they should live as Christians in the world,

and that they would also know how to respond when they face opposition from the world.

That's the situation that they're in.

They're feeling out of place in the world,

facing opposition from the world,

and so that's why Peter writes to them,

to encourage them and instruct them in that situation.

Now, the last couple weeks, we've been heavy on encouragement.

Peter tells them in verses 1 and 2 that they're exiles,

but they're also chosen.

He helps them understand their identity.

They've been chosen by God, and they belong to God,

which means they also feel out of place in this world.

And then we looked last week at what it means that God is their Father.

It means that they have an inheritance,

and it also means that God is coming back for them.

And so all this is great encouragement,

and still, Peter's readers are in the situation of feeling out of place,

and facing what Peter's going to refer to as trials.

And so despite all this encouragement,

they're still in the same place they've been left in.

They're still facing these struggles.

And Peter's not unaware of that,

and so he's going to continue his encouragement this week,

and he's going to address how to find hope in suffering.

And so part of our question this morning is going to be,

how do we find hope in and through suffering?

And as we come to this,

it's important to give some clarity,

some definitions for suffering,

because when we talk about suffering as Christians,

we're often talking about all sorts of different things

that fall into different categories.

And I'm going to give you at least three different categories

for suffering that we find in the Bible.

First of all, category number one,

there's just general suffering.

This is suffering that we face

because we live in a world where sin and evil are present.

If you lose someone that you love dearly,

it's not necessarily your fault.

That's just the result of evil and destruction in this world.

If you face a debilitating illness,

that's general suffering.

Not necessarily your fault.

It's not necessarily something that you did,

but it's the result of sin in this world.

Second kind of suffering is suffering

that happens because of foolishness or sin on your part.

So if you go to Cripple Creek

and you put it all in black

and then you walk away

and you're $25,000 in debt,

that is a type of suffering.

That's suffering because of your foolishness.

That's suffering type number two.

And all of us experience at various times

and in various degrees

suffering of types one and type two,

whether we're Christians or not Christians,

because we live in this world

where people who make foolish decisions

and we're people who face the consequences of sin.

And then there's category number three,

the third and final category of suffering.

And this is suffering that happens

because we follow Jesus Christ.

And so this is not suffering that happens to all people,

both those inside the church and outside of the church,

but this is specifically suffering

that happens to people who love Jesus

and follow Jesus.

As we come to this passage this morning,

we are going to be talking about type number three.

And I don't mean to minimize one in two types of suffering,

but I want us to be clear

about what the Bible is talking about

in specific passages.

And so I don't want to make the right point to you

from the wrong passage.

And so just from the front,

we're talking about the kind of suffering that comes

because we love the name of Jesus Christ

and we follow him.

This is the kind of suffering

that the receivers of Peter's letter are facing.

They're facing social ostracization, probably.

People are talking bad about them.

They're slandering them,

Peter tells them at one point.

They're saying that they believe things,

perhaps, that they don't believe.

They're saying things about them that are not true.

Maybe they have the loss of job opportunities

or employment because of their faith in Christ.

That is the kind of suffering

that these believers are facing.

And so we're going to talk about

how do we find joy in suffering,

suffering specifically for the name of Jesus Christ.

The second thing we have to clear up

right from the front

is we talk about suffering

when American Christians,

Christians in North America,

think about suffering.

Often we think of

the place that we live

as a place of great struggle for Christians.

Now there's an organization called Open Doors

and they make a ranking

of the most difficult, challenging countries

where it is to be a Christian,

the places where Christians face

the most difficult persecution.

And they only rank the top 50 countries.

What number do you think the USA is

on the top 50 countries

of places where it's difficult to be a Christian?

We don't make the list.

We live in one of the easiest places

and times to be a Christian.

And so it's helpful and important

to keep that in mind

as we come to this passage.

We're not people with a victim complex

who are constantly talking about

how difficult and hard it is

for us to be Christians on the one hand.

On the other hand,

we're aware of the difficulty

of being a Christian around the world.

One in nine Christians right now

face intense persecution.

And we're also aware

that just because we live in a country

where it's very easy to be a Christian,

there are still times

where, like the readers of 1 Peter,

we feel out of place in this world.

And so on the one hand,

I don't want to minimize

what it is that we experience as Christians.

On the other hand,

I don't want to exaggerate it.

We face real struggle and suffering

in this world because we're Christians.

And if we lived in another country,

it would be a lot worse.

With that,

how do we find joy in suffering?

That's our question.

We're going to be in 1 Peter 1,

starting at verse 6.

And as we come to verse 6,

you can find it to read along

in your worship guide

or on your phone or in your Bible.

And remember that this is God's word.

And God tells us that his word

is more precious than gold,

even the finest gold.

And it's sweeter than honey,

even honey that comes

straight from the honeycomb.

And so that's why we're so intent

to learn from God in his word.

And so we're going to read now,

starting in verse 6.

In this you rejoice,

though now for a little while,

if necessary,

you have been grieved by various trials,

so that the tested genuineness of your faith,

more precious than gold that perishes,

though it is tested by fire,

may be found to result in praise

and glory and honor

at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Verse 8.

Though you have not seen him,

you love him.

Though you do not now see him,

you believe in him

and rejoice with joy

that is inexpressible

and filled with glory,

obtaining the outcome of your faith,

the salvation of your souls.

I invite you to pray with me

as we come to this portion of God's word.

Father in heaven,

we thank you,

as we do every week,

for your word.

We have not seen Jesus,

but we love him.

And we don't see him,

but we believe in him.

And so we want to rejoice

with joy that's inexpressible.

We thank you that even though

we haven't seen Jesus,

you have given us your word.

And so we ask that you would use it

this morning to help us.

You'd use it to help us understand

how we can rejoice in our suffering,

how we can rejoice in you,

and ultimately that we would understand

your love for us

and that we would respond to it.

We ask these things

not because we have earned them from you

or we deserve them,

but because Jesus has earned them

and he deserves them.

And so we ask them in his name.

Amen.

Some of you know,

I recently purchased a home

really close to this church.

And of course I'm going through,

the house is about as old

as this church is,

almost 25 years.

And so there's all kinds

of deferred maintenance

and things going on.

And I've inherited a sprinkler system,

which I've never owned before.

And I went out one day

and I noticed that I was doing

an excellent job of watering

the sidewalk and the street.

And so I asked my neighbor,

I said,

is that my sprinkler head

or your sprinkler head?

And she said,

oh, that's absolutely

your sprinkler head.

So I turned off all the water

of those sprinklers

and I turned down the system

and I went out

and I bought one of those sprinklers

that you hook up to a hose,

you know,

the ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch.

So I'm out there in my front yard,

I'm setting up the sprinkler

and I'm trying to figure out

the right angle to get

so that I'm watering

as much grass as I can

and as little sidewalk as I can.

And of course,

I don't know what I'm doing,

so I'm just running around

trying all these different angles

and I'm imagining

it's kind of like high noon,

you know,

all the windows are flipping open

around the neighborhood

so that everyone can watch this kid

who doesn't know what he's doing.

And my neighbor Dan comes out

and Dan's helping me.

He says,

you know,

I'm sure, Matthew,

you know all these things.

I said,

Dan,

I don't.

So you just tell me

whatever wisdom you have.

So he helps me position

the sprinkler in the right place

and we figure it out

and probably the whole neighborhood

is still watching.

And as Dan and I finish,

Dan says,

Matthew,

I just,

one final question.

Do you like,

do you like football?

Do you watch football?

Is that something you follow?

Dan,

not,

I mean,

not really,

not really a sports guy.

I don't,

I don't really follow football

and I'm feeling bad,

right?

Because he's kind of asking me

if I want to be his friend.

And so Dan says,

well,

you know,

we like to watch the Broncos

and we're not,

we're not super into it

but what we really like to do

on a Sunday

is we,

we like to make some wings

and we like to make various dips

and put them out

and we just like to sit

and eat those things

and watch football.

And I said,

Dan,

I love football.

It is actually

my favorite sport.

Dan said,

that's great.

Sue and I will have you

over sometime.

The point is this.

Some people are just there

for the snacks,

right?

I'm just there

for the snacks.

If you invite me over

to watch the Super Bowl,

yeah,

I'm really about it.

I'm really concerned

about which team wins.

I won't be there

to watch the game

but I'm really concerned

about which team wins.

Because I'm just there

for the snacks.

And if you're there

for the snacks,

when the snacks disappear,

so will you.

In the church,

the same is true.

Some people are just there

for the snacks.

People come to church

for all sorts of reasons.

Some people come to church

because they know

it's a wonderful place

to find community

and fellowship

and friendship.

Maybe they feel isolated

and they think

this is going to be

the place

where I'm going

to get connected.

Some people come

to the church thinking

this will be the wonderful

place for me

to find a spouse.

Some people come

to the church thinking

I'm a good conservative person,

whatever that means,

and I think people in church

are good conservative people.

They care about

the same family values

that I do

so I want to hang out

with those types of people.

And then there are

other people who think

those people in the church,

they're good liberal people.

They care about the poor

in the way that I care

about the poor

and I want to go hang out

with them

and I want to be

with those kinds of people.

And then there are people

who come to the church

and they're in the church

because this is what

they've always done

and this is their tradition.

This is how

they've always operated,

this is how they're going

to continue to operate

and they just come to church

because they come to church.

But for whatever reason,

they're there,

they're there for the snacks.

Now some of those things

aren't necessarily bad,

it's not wrong

to come to church

for community, right?

That's part of what we believe,

that we're the body of Christ

and we're here to support each other

and love each other.

Not necessarily a bad reason

to come

because you've always done it.

Hopefully you're doing it

for more than that.

But we as a church,

we are not here

for the snacks.

We are here

because we live

in a world

that's filled with evil

because of our sin

and God has offered us

a way of redemption

through the judgment

of his son

who he poured out

the judgment

that we deserved

so that we could

experience salvation

and he's called us

to be a people

who witnesses that

to the world.

That is why

we are here.

And I am not here

for the snacks.

I did not move

from the East Coast

because I get really jazzed

about paying off mortgages

or because I get really jazzed

about what type of coffee

we have.

That is too small

a thing.

Now those things

aren't bad things,

they're not wrong things,

right?

But I'm here

because God longs

for his people

to know his word

and because God

has called a people

to himself

and he's given them

a mission.

He has commanded us

to be a light

to the nation

so that when people

look around

they could see

what it is

that happens

when God's people

walk in God's ways

and he's given us

a mission

that we would go

and make disciples

of all nations

baptizing them

in the name

of the Father

and the Son

and the Holy Spirit

teaching them

everything that Jesus

commanded

and that we would

live out

what Jesus called

so that we would

be in a world

that's filled

with God's love

and his mercy

and his goodness

and his justice.

We are not here

for the snacks.

We are here

because God

is calling a people

to himself

redeemed

through the blood

of his Son

who suffered

in our place.

You might be wondering

what does any of that

have to do

with joy

in suffering?

People come to church

and are part of the community

for many reasons.

Sometimes it's for God

and his mission

and sometimes it's not.

Peter writes to encourage

these people

in verses 6 and 7

In other words

when you suffer

for the name

of Jesus Christ

it demonstrates

and shows

to you

and to the world

that you are not here

for the snacks

because the snacks

have disappeared.

There is nothing

comfortable

or convenient

about being a Christian

for the recipients

of this letter

in modern day Turkey

in the first century.

They are facing

many trials

and yet

they have remained

faithful

to God.

He is telling them

your faith

it is genuine

and tested.

It has been proven

to be real faith.

Verse 7

You can now know

more than you've

ever known before

how much

God is your Father

and you belong to Him.

This is the proof

in the pudding

of your faith.

If you had any doubts

about it before

you can now know

how much

you belong to God.

How much

as we saw last week

that His power

is working through

your faith.

So why is it

that these people

find joy

in their sufferings?

It's because

Peter is telling them

you are suffering

because God

is your Father

and you can now

know more

than you did before

how much

you belong to Him.

You can now

know with more

confidence

than you had

in the past

that you

belong to God.

And so even

as you face

trials and sufferings

you can find joy

because it shows

how much

and how secure

your faith is.

Not that it rests

on your faith

but this confirms

your faith.

It shows to you

and everyone else.

It shows to the world

that you're not here

you're not a Christian

you're not in the church

because of the things

that you can get

or gain

but you're here

because of Jesus.

And so that's

what fills

Peter with joy

and it's what fills

these people

with joy

as well.

They can have confidence

that they belong

to God

more confidence

than they've had

in the past.

He tells them

that there

he gives his own

illustration here

in verse 7

so that the tested

genuineness of your faith

more precious than gold

that perishes

though it is tested

by fire.

He's using an image

here of gold.

Gold is something

you're being tested

right?

You're facing

opposition

for your faith.

Gold is also tested.

Gold is really valuable.

Guess what?

Your faith

is even more valuable.

Gold

can be tested

tested by fire

but gold

can also be destroyed

by fire

as well.

Think about

Frodo's ring

for example.

On the one hand

incredibly resilient

on the other hand

it can be destroyed.

Your faith

cannot

be destroyed.

You think about

gold being tested?

How much more

does this show

the value

of your faith?

How much

more hope

and confidence

and trust

can you have

since your faith

is even more

resilient

and valuable

than gold?

Even gold

that perishes

your faith

will not.

Instead

your faith

is going to be

found to result

in praise

and glory

and honor

at the revelation

of Jesus Christ.

And this image

here is probably

something like

you've been separated

from someone

for a long time

and both of you

have been on adventures

doing things

and you come together

and you're able

to share

and praise each other

for the things

that you've done well.

There's a sense

in which we hear

in Matthew 25

that God's going

to tell those

who are faithful

to him

well done

good and faithful servant.

That's the language

of verse 7 here.

It may be found

to result in

praise and glory

and honor

in other words

found to result

in God saying

to you

well done

good and faithful servant.

when?

At the coming

at the revelation

of Jesus Christ

in other words

at Jesus'

second coming.

These people

can find joy

in suffering

because it's suffering

that proves

that they belong

to God

and it's suffering

that proves

that their faith

in God

is real.

It doesn't make

their faith real.

We don't need

to be seeking

out suffering.

We don't need

to try to

find persecution

but when we face it

God uses it

to confirm

that we belong

to him.

He uses it

to assure us

and reassure us

that we are his

and so that's why

these people

in this letter

are able to find

joy in their suffering.

Peter by the way

found the same kind

of joy in his suffering.

We're told a story

in Acts chapter 5.

Acts 5 · chapter mention

Peter after Jesus

has left

he's going around

and preaching

and teaching

he's in Jerusalem

healing people

and the high priests

arrest him

because they're not

thrilled with him

going and telling

people about Jesus

and healing in his name

and if you know

the story

Peter gets out

of prison

there's an angel

who lets them out

and they find him

again and they beat him.

This is in Acts chapter 5

Acts 5 · chapter mention

and after they beat Peter

do you remember

what he does

and what they do

when they leave?

Peter and his friends

leave rejoicing.

Peter and his friends

because they were

counted worthy

to suffer

for the name

of Jesus Christ.

And so as I've been

emphasizing in the other

portions of Peter

Peter writes here

to people about

what he has

personally experienced

and knows.

Peter knows

what it's like

to find joy

in suffering.

He knows

what it's like

to understand

and see

how real

his faith is

to have it

confirmed to him

because of what he faces

for the name

of Jesus.

And so sufferings

in the present

bring joy

because they confirm

everything that we've seen

in the previous verses.

They confirm

what we have

in the future.

That the glory

of the future

belongs to us.

Praise and glory

and honor

at the revelation

of Jesus Christ

verse 7.

And so what Peter

has to tell us here

it's not

there's nothing

really complicated

about it

or sophisticated

about it.

It's really

that simple.

You're going to

suffer in this world.

You're going to suffer

because you've been

chosen by God

and because you've

been chosen by God

you're in exile.

You're going to be

out of place

in this world

and its customs

and its ways

and its traditions

and its beliefs.

And that's going

to lead to trials.

When you face

those trials

you're going to stand

and continue

to face them.

You're not going

to leave

because you weren't

there for the snacks.

You were there

for Jesus.

And as you walk

through them

it's going to confirm

your hope

and your trust

and your faith

in him

and you're going

to find joy

because you're

going to know

more than ever

before how much

he's your father

and how much

you belong to him.

And then Peter

piles on another

piece of encouragement.

Remember Peter's

encouraging and instructing

and his goal

here at the beginning

is just to lay

on encouragement

for these people

who are facing

suffering for Jesus.

Verse 8

Though you have not

seen him

you love him.

Though you do not

now see him

you believe in him

and rejoice with joy

that is inexpressible

and filled with glory

obtaining the outcome

of your faith

the salvation

of your souls.

And as Peter's

writing this

of course he's aware

of the story

of Thomas.

You remember

at the very end

of the Gospel of John

we have Thomas

who's a follower

of Jesus

and he hears

the word

that Jesus

has risen

from the dead

and he doesn't

want to believe it.

And I'm going to

read it to you

just a little bit

from John

John 20:24

chapter 20

verse 24

it says

Now Thomas

one of the twelve

was not with them

when Jesus came

so the other disciples

told him

we have seen the Lord

but he said to them

unless I see in his hands

the mark of the nails

and place my finger

into the mark of the nails

and place my hand

into his side

I will never believe.

Eight days later

his disciples

were inside again

and Thomas was with them

although the doors

were locked

Jesus came

and stood among them

and said

peace be with you.

Then he said to Thomas

put your finger here

and see my hands

and put out your hand

and place it in my side

do not disbelieve

but believe.

Thomas answered him

my Lord and my God

and Jesus said to him

have you believed

because you have seen me?

Blessed are those

who have not seen

and yet have believed.

Blessed are those

who have not seen

and yet have believed.

Peter knows

that unlike him

who walked with Jesus

and lived with Jesus

these people did not.

and yet their faithfulness

in suffering

proves that even though

they haven't seen Jesus

they love him.

The same faith

that's proved

by their suffering

is the faith

that they experience.

You believe in him

that's a faith word

and you rejoice

with joy

that is inexpressible

and filled with glory

obtaining the outcome

of your faith

the salvation

of your souls.

In other words

these people have joy

not just because

their faith is confirmed

but because of

what it confirms.

Not just that it confirms

that they belong to Jesus

but everything that comes to them

the inheritance

that we talked about

last week

that it's looking to that

in the future

as it's confirmed

in the present

that allows them

to rejoice

in their sufferings

rejoicing for their sufferings

for the name

of Jesus Christ.

If you follow the news

you know there was

an article that came out

in May

of this year

about a man named

Jordan Hubber

and

Jordan

did not know

who his father was

but he knew

an English aristocrat

who he suspected

was his father

and he tried

to prove this

for a long time

unsuccessfully

until this man died

and he decided

he was going to be able

to do a DNA test.

Now Jordan was working class

he was struggling

to make things work

from week to week

financially

he wasn't doing well

and this was his last shot

to be able to do

this DNA test

to figure out

whether or not

this man

who had just died

was his father

and it came back

and there was

100% positive proof

that this man

he believed

was his father

and so Jordan

got to move in

to this 1500 acre

estate in London

which was worth

over 50 million pounds

and then on top

of that

received an allowance

of I believe

1000 pounds a week.

Jordan

because this man

was his father

received the full

inheritance

and it was the DNA

test that he went

through that proved

that he was the son

who belonged

to this man.

Brothers and sisters

Peter is telling us

that when we suffer

for the name

of Jesus Christ

it is the DNA test

that proves

definitively

that we belong

to God

and so we rejoice

first

that we belong

to him

and then second

because that's true

the full

inheritance

is ours

and so that's why

we find joy

in our suffering

for the name

of Christ

because we experience

that salvation

now in part

and we will experience

it in full

verse 8

though you have not

seen him

you love him

though you do not

now see him

you believe in him

and rejoice

with joy

that is inexpressible

and filled with glory

obtaining the outcome

of your faith

the salvation

of your souls

please pray with me

Father in heaven

we thank you

that you've chosen us

and we belong to you

we thank you

that you have

a mission

for your church

and you want us

to be a part of it

and we confess

that that mission

involves trials

in this life

for your name

and we thank you

that you use that

to bring us joy

we ask that that

would become more

and more real

in our lives

that as we face

opposition

because of our faith

in you

that it would cause us

to rejoice

knowing even more

how much we belong

to you

and looking forward

to the inheritance

that is ours

we ask these things

not because

we have earned them

but because Jesus

is our older brother

and it's his inheritance

that comes to us

and so we ask it

in his name

amen