Trusting God in Suffering 1 Peter 4v12-19

Good morning. So it's 1 Peter chapter 4 verses 12 to 19 page 1220.

1 Peter 4:12–19

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though

some strange thing happened to you, but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's

sufferings, that when his glory is revealed you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If

you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the spirit of glory and

of God rests upon you. On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified.

But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other

people's matters. Yet, if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let

him glorify God in this matter. For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house

of God. And if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the

gospel of God? Now, if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and

the sinner appear? Therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their

souls to him in doing good as to a faithful creator. Amen.

Amen.

Thanks very much, Mary. Well, let's pray.

Father, we thank you for this letter written thousands of years ago, written to a people

to encourage them as they seek to live as your people in the world. And Father, we need

to be encouraged today, for we also are seeking to live as your people in the world. Father,

you know the needs of each one of us, the particular struggles that we face. And so we pray that

by your Holy Spirit, you would speak into our lives individually and corporately so that we keep on going

as a Christian, that we do not turn from you, but keep our gaze fixed upon you.

So build us up and encourage us today. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

But Jesus had just shared a meal with his disciples and during the conversation spoke these words

to them. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. Applying what Jesus had said to his

disciples, the Apostle Paul reminded Timothy to teach the church. Everyone who wants to live a godly life

in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Now those two references summarise the message of 1 Peter. If you are a Christian, if you're a follower

of Jesus, you must prepare to suffer. Either you have suffered, you are suffering, or you will suffer.

There's no escaping the hard reality that living for Christ in the world will mean you face hard

and tough times. In fact, suffering is a normal experience. Look at verse 12.

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange

were happening to you. The Christian life is a painful trial. It's the normal experience of life.

Yes, Christians will suffer like everyone else. We get sick. We develop cancers. We're not immune

from car accidents. Christians get caught up in hurricanes and wars. But on top of that, there is another

layer of suffering that is unique to the Christian. And that suffering is, if you look at verse 14,

are things like where we are insulted because of the name of Christ. Or verse 16, where we suffer

as a Christian. So if you are a Christian, you will experience that people will push you out because you

follow Christ and they will shut you up because you believe the truth of the Bible. So don't be surprised

when your work colleagues ignore you because you obey what the Bible says about same-sex marriage

or abortion. Don't be surprised when your college or schoolmates give you a hard time because you won't

enter into a sexual relationship until you are married. Don't be surprised when your unbelieving spouse or

family member thinks you're weird or odd because you say Jesus is more important than anyone else

or anything else. And don't be surprised that should you move and live and serve in another country

where it's illegal to be a Christian that you could be kicked out or worse, imprisoned or violently killed.

Suffering as a Christian is not strange. It's the normal experience of life. Now if we don't get this,

when the suffering does come, you will be surprised. You will be taken off guard. You won't be prepared

for it and you will want to give up. You will become confused and wonder where is God in all of this

and why is he letting this happen. You will turn your back on Christ and his church. So, verse 12,

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange

were happening to you. So, rather than be surprised, we should take comfort that our suffering

is under God's sovereignty. Look at verse 12 again. Dear friends, he says, do not be surprised at the

painful trial or the fiery ordeal that has come upon you. So, the trial that's come upon you is not by

mistake. It's not some random experience that we just have to put up with.

No, all our trials are all under God's sovereignty. That means when people malign you, when friends

leave you because you identify with Jesus, it doesn't just happen. It's all under God's control

and all under his authority. Have a look down at verse 19. Do you see what it says there?

So, then, those who suffer according to God's will or those who suffer according to God's plan.

So, the trials that we face have been allowed by God and designed by God for our good.

I'm going to say that again because that's something hard for us to take on board.

The trials we face have been allowed by God, used and designed by God for our good.

Now, we may find that hard to take in, but just think about it the other way around. If God is not

sovereign over suffering. If God is not in control of these things, then what we're left with is with a

God who is impotent, a God who is not powerful, who's there scratching his head wondering what to do

with all these trials and struggles these people are facing. But if God is sovereign,

He not only permits these trials, He has a purpose for these trials in our life. He not only permits them,

but He has a purpose for them. And here's the first purpose. Suffering is the path to joy.

Suffering is the path to joy. Look at verse 12. Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial

you are suffering. Verse 13, but rejoice. Now, how on earth are we meant to rejoice when you're spoken

against for standing for Christian truth? How am I meant to rejoice when I'm being treated unjustly for doing

what is good and right? Where's the joy in being hit? Well, read the rest of verse 13. But rejoice that you

participate in the sufferings of Christ. We are to rejoice not in the trials themselves. We're not

jumping up and down and going, yippee, I'm getting opposed and I'm being insulted. We are to rejoice

not in the trials themselves, but that we participate in, that we share in the sufferings of Christ.

In other words, we're to rejoice in the fact that what happened to Christ will happen to us. What

happened to Christ is going to happen to us. Have a look back at chapter 1, verse 11. I think this will

help us understand a bit more. Chapter 1, verse 11. It's a difficult verse, but it's talking about the

authors, the writers of the authors, the authors, the authors who were writing about Jesus who was to come.

And this is what it says in verse 11 of chapter 1, the authors who were writing about Jesus who was to

come. They were trying, verse 11, to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ

Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would

follow. So everything they wrote about was all pointing towards Jesus Christ who was going to come,

who would suffer, and after his sufferings, glories would follow. So there we have it. There we have a

picture that the path of Christ, the journey of Christ, would go from suffering to glory. So as we suffer like

Christ, as we follow on this path, on this journey of following Christ, we will go on a path that will

involve suffering. But we can rejoice as we go along that path because there is a glory that will follow. So go back to

chapter 4 and verse 13. Let's read verse 13 again. Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ so that you

may be overjoyed. There would be an exuberance of joy when his glory is revealed. So that means when you go through a

painful trial this week as a Christian, you can be filled with joy today because you know that you will be

overjoyed when Christ comes again. You know that the suffering we face today, the trials and the struggles we

experience today are all going to be replaced with an inexpressible and glorious joy, an exuberance, an overjoy

when Christ comes again. So you see, we do not need to fear the trials and the struggles we face.

We do not need to fear the trials and the struggles we face. We do not need to fear the trials and the

suffering we face. We do not need to fear the trials and the struggles we face. We do not need to

respond with anger to other people because as I participate in the sufferings of Christ, as I walk the path of

suffering, I know that my sovereign God is keeping me and is working through all of that to bring me to

glory. So I can rejoice in my struggles today because God is with me and God is keeping me for what is to come.

So, suffering is the path to joy. The second purpose, suffering is a sign that you belong to Christ.

First, look at verse 14. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ. You see, when we trust in Christ, when we commit our life to Christ, where we turn in repentance and trust completely in him,

we are given, we are given, do you see what it says there in verse 14, the name of Christ. That means we now belong to the family of God. We're his special people. We inherit that name.

We have Christ's name. We have Christ's name. That's our identity. Now, there are many blessings with that, but it comes at a cost. If you bear the name of Christ, that means you will be treated like Christ. Just as Christ suffered opposition, you will suffer opposition.

But we're not to see that as a negative. Look at verse 14. It is a blessing. Verse 14, if you're insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed.

Now, how is suffering meant to be a blessing? Well, look at the rest of verse 14. You are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

So, when you experience insult, when somebody laughs down at you because you believe the Bible to be God's word, the spirit of glory, that is the spirit that was at work in Christ, that same spirit that rose Christ from the dead, is the same spirit that is now resting on you.

So, the spirit that brought Christ through his sufferings, from his death to the grave and through the grave to glory, that same spirit affirms and reassures and is working in your life to testify with you that, in fact, you are God's children.

You bear the name of Christ. You are my people.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

of true discipleship.

Suffering is the badge of true discipleship.

In other words, when you suffer for Christ, it's a blessing because it's evidence that you bear the name of Christ.

Of course, we must make sure that our suffering is for the name of Christ and not for our sinful behaviours.

Let's look at verse 15.

If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any kind of criminal or even as a meddler.

Or as Mary read in her translation, a busy body.

What a great, great term, busy body.

Sometimes we suffer because we deserve to suffer.

Okay, it might not be a murderer or a high profile criminal.

But we can all be busy bodies.

We can all put our nose in where it oughtn't to be.

We can all speak down at others with a sense of superiority.

And if we come across as a holier than thou, well then you deserve insults.

You deserve to be slagged.

If your behaviour doesn't match what you're preaching and claiming to be, well then you deserve to be ignored.

Sometimes we deserve to suffer.

And if we do something wrong according to the law, we deserve to be punished for it.

However, verse 16,

If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

You see, the world may shame you.

The world may laugh at you and mock you.

Family may think you're silly for being here this morning.

But in the trial and in the hardship of those times,

we can praise God that, yes, I bear the name of Christ.

Because your suffering is a sign.

It's evidence.

That we belong to Christ.

Suffering, as Bonhoeffer said,

is the badge of true discipleship.

So, the purpose under God's sovereignty

is that suffering is the path that brings us to joy.

And suffering is a sign that you belong to Christ.

And a third purpose,

that suffering is God's means to purify the church.

Look at verse 17.

For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God.

Now, we know from what we've read earlier that there is a judgment to come.

Have a look back at chapter 4, verse 5.

There is a judgment to come.

Chapter 4, verse 5.

You see, at the final judgment, when Christ comes again,

he will sort out who is for Christ

and who is against Christ.

Those who've placed their confidence in Christ will enjoy glory

and those who've rejected Christ will suffer hell.

The judgment to come, that future judgment,

will sort out who are God's people

and who are not God's people.

But, look what it's saying here in verse 17.

It is time for judgment to begin

with the family of God.

So, the judgment that is to come

starts now

and it starts

with God's family,

God's people.

This judgment is unique to Christians

and it's like a testing

from God.

That's what the judgment means in this context.

It's a testing

from God.

So, God allows

and uses the trials

and the sufferings that we go through

to test us

to see

who are the true believers

and who are the false believers.

It purifies

the church.

Now, let me illustrate this

from two other passages of Scripture

to try and grasp

and understand

what's being said here.

The first one

is Mark's Gospel,

chapter 4.

So, keep your finger in 1 Peter

and go back to Mark's Gospel,

chapter 4.

Mark, chapter 4.

Mark 4 · chapter mention

Mark's Gospel,

written by Mark,

is actually

an eyewitness account of Peter.

So, Peter was the eyewitness

of Jesus

and saw and heard

all that he did

and he recounted his story

to Mark

and Mark wrote it down.

So, that's the connection

between Peter and Mark.

But here we have

in Mark, chapter 4,

Mark 4 · chapter mention

a well-known parable,

the parable of the sower.

The seed being planted

is like the good news of Christ

being spread

and taught

to different people.

Now, let's pick it up

in verse 16.

So, the seed,

the good news

of Jesus

is being spread around

and he explains it like this,

verse 16.

Others,

like seeds

sown on rocky places,

hear the words

and at once

receive it with joy.

So, it's like

people hear

the good news of Jesus

and it appears

that they respond to it,

they receive it,

they listen.

They may even

start meeting

with other believers.

They might even

be baptized.

But,

verse 17,

But since they have

no root,

they last

only a short time.

When trouble

or persecution

comes because

of the word,

they quickly

fall away.

You see,

a time will come

in their lives

where they will face

some kind of opposition

and they opt

for comfort

and safety

rather than

going the path

of Christ.

So, you see,

God allows

and uses

the trials

we go through

to test

who are the true

believers

and who are

the false

believers.

The second

reference

that I want us

to go to

is in 1 Peter.

So, go back

to 1 Peter

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1.

1 Peter

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

and verse 7.

So, it's a similar

theme to what

we've been looking at.

Let's pick it up

actually in verse 6.

He's been talking

about the trials

and the struggles.

He says,

verse 6,

In this you greatly

rejoice,

though now

for a little while

you've had to

suffer grief

in all kinds

of trials.

Now, why have

these trials

come?

Verse 7.

These have come

so that your

faith of

greater worth

than gold,

which perishes

even though

refined by fire,

may be proved

genuine

and may result

in praise,

glory,

and honour

when Jesus

Christ is revealed.

So, our faith

will be refined.

Our faith

would be proved

genuine

through the trials.

You see,

our response

to suffering

proves the

genuineness of our

faith.

If we keep

going,

we're of Christ.

If we turn away,

we're not of Christ.

So, the

sufferings

that we face,

the trials

we go through

as God's

people,

is God's

way of

purifying

His church.

Now, why

does God

work in

this way?

Go back

to chapter

4,

verse 17.

Chapter

4,

verse 17.

For it is

time for

judgment

to begin

with the

family of

God.

And if

it begins

with us,

what will

the outcome

be for

those who

do not

obey the

gospel of

God?

In other

words,

he's saying

this,

it is better

to suffer

now for a

while as a

Christian

and prove

that your

faith is

genuine

than to

suffer

eternally

as one

who is

opposed

to Christ.

that's

what he

begins to

unpack in

verse 18.

Let's read

verse 18.

It is

hard

for the

righteous

to be

saved.

Now,

salvation is

not hard

for God.

God can

save anyone.

It doesn't

matter what

we've done

in our

past,

what our

sin might

be.

There is

no sin

so great

that God

cannot deal

with.

salvation

is not

hard for

God.

But for

the Christian,

it will

be hard

to face

the trials

of life.

He's never

saying it's

easy.

The opposition

we endure

makes following

Jesus

hard.

That's what it

means there

when it talks

about it is

hard for the

righteous to

be saved.

It's going

to be hard

to follow

in the

path of

Christ.

Christ.

So,

if it's

difficult

now,

look at

the rest

of 18,

what will

become of

the ungodly

and the

sinner?

So,

let me put

it to us

this way.

If you're

here this

morning,

and you

have not

yet repented

and committed

your life

to Christ,

and you're

not yet

willing to

suffer for

the name

of Christ,

the reason

might be,

the reason

why you have

not yet

committed to

Christ,

is that you

want to save

yourself a lot

of trouble.

By not

committing to

Christ,

you will

escape

suffering.

You will

keep your

friends.

You may get

that promotion

at work.

You may have

a more

comfortable

life.

You will

avoid being

pushed out

and shut

out.

But,

look at

the end

of verse

18,

what will

become of

the ungodly

and the

sinner?

You see,

you may

escape

suffering

now by

not turning

to Christ,

but you

will not

escape the

eternal

suffering that

awaits those

who refuse

Christ

today.

it is

better to

suffer now

for a

while as

a Christian

and prove

that your

faith is

genuine

than to

suffer

eternally

in hell

as one

who is

opposed to

Christ.

So,

you see,

God uses

the trials

and the

struggles

to purify

his church,

to show

up those

who belong

to him,

to those

who are

his true

children.

So,

God's purpose

through our

suffering

is to

bring us

to joy,

to assure

us we belong

to Christ,

to purify

us so that

we will

meet with

God

forever.

how should

we respond

to this?

Well,

suffering

Christians

should commit

themselves to

God.

Look at

verse 19.

So then,

in light of

all of

these things,

the response

is this.

Those who

suffer

according to

God's will

should commit

themselves to

their faithful

creator

and continue

to do

good.

I'm sure

like you,

as I think,

if I were

God,

I would do

things differently.

If I were

God,

I would not

allow Christians

or anybody

else for that

matter,

to suffer.

I would

make things

easier

in life

if I

were God.

But in

case you

didn't

know,

I'm

not

God.

And

neither

are you.

I didn't

create

this world.

I didn't

speak this

universe

into existence.

God

didn't

consult

me or

ask me

for advice

about how

life should

work.

I'm a

fragile human

being who

lives but

just a

moment,

dependent on

God for

life and

breath.

so,

verse 19,

I will

entrust my

life to

my faithful

creator,

God.

The God

who created

me,

the God

who saved

me,

the God

who sustains

me and

will keep

me for

glory.

I will

commit my

life to

my faithful

creator.

I will

place my

life into

his sovereign

hands,

yes,

I've got

questions,

yes,

there is

so much

I don't

understand,

but I

will place

my life

into my

faithful

creator

because he

is working

good for

me through

the suffering.

He brings

a joy to

my life.

He brings

an assurance

that I

belong to

him.

He purifies

me so that

I am ready

to meet

God.

so I

no longer

have to

fight

against

the

suffering.

I can

now,

as a

follower of

Christ,

embrace

the

suffering

that may

come

into my

life.

I can,

look at the

end of

verse 19,

continue

to do

good.

When I'm

insulted,

I can

bless in

return.

When you

suffer

injustice,

you can

love in

response.

When you're

shut out,

you can

bring good

into their

life.

Why?

Because God

is sovereign

over my

suffering and

over your

suffering.

He is my

faithful creator.

He is your

faithful creator

who will

keep you

for glory.

So,

dear friends,

my beloved,

do not be

surprised at

the painful

trial you

are suffering,

as though

something strange

were happening

to you.

But rejoice.

Rejoice that

you participate

in Christ's

sufferings.

Praise God

that you

bear his

name today

and commit

your life

to your

faithful creator

and keep

doing

good.

Let's

pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Our Father,

we have so

many questions.

So many

questions about

suffering and

hardship and

trials, the

general day-to-day

sufferings we

face, but also

the suffering we

face as a

Christian.

God's

salvation.

And yet we

turn to you,

our faithful

creator,

and we

commit our

lives to you,

trusting that you

have our life in

our hands from

beginning to end

and for the

duration of our

life on this

earth.

trusting that you

are bringing us

on a journey

where we can be

filled with joy

and one day

we'll be

overjoyed

when Christ

comes again.

We walk the

journey knowing

that we are

your children,

that we bear the

name of Christ.

we are your

special people.

And we walk

the path knowing

that through the

difficult and hard

times, you are

purifying us,

chipping off the

bits and the

pieces that need

to be taken off,

making us more

like Christ

every day.

Father, thank you

for the way in

which you work.

thank you that you

are bringing us

to your eternal

home and we

entrust our lives

to you afresh.

Amen.

We're going to

sing.

It's a good old

hymn.

I like old hymns

because they speak

good truth.

Not that the new

ones don't, but

here we go.

When peace like a

river,

attendeth my

way when

sorrows like

sea billows

roll, whatever

my lot,

thou hast

taught me to

say it is

well, it is

well with my

soul.

Whatever the

struggle we

may be in,

because he is

sovereign over

everything, we

can say it is

well.

May this be a

cry of our

trust in our

faithful creator

God.

let's stand

together as

we sing.

Let's stand

together as we

sing.