Glory Through Fire and Faith

1 Peter 1:6-7 “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.”

Exegetical Outline

In this your 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

P.O.P.

Though suffering will be grievous for Christians, we rejoice so our faith will be established and glory will be given to God.

Kids

God provides a way to have joy in suffering.

Suffering is to be expected

What rejoicing is to be had?

1 Peter 1:6 “In this you rejoice...”

There is an ambiguous sense of “rejoice”. Is Peter using “rejoice” as an imperative? The people are suffering and Peter is commanding them to rejoice. Is Peter using “rejoice” as an indicative? The people are suffering and he is acknowledging their rejoicing amidst suffering. I believe Peter is leaving this ambiguous to fit each of the situations the Christians may be suffering.

God is not commanding us to rejoice because we get to suffer. We rejoice in the Gospel hope that our suffering does not compare to our eternity. The goal of God’s will is not for us to suffer but for us to be in His glory.

What is there to rejoice about? 1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Peter is instructing them that their hope is not a future tense but a present tense. Even as suffering is present, hope in Jesus Christ is just as present and greater than our suffering.

Suffering will not be forever

1 Peter 1:6 “...though now for a little while...”

“though now for a little while” (1 Peter 1:6)

“an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:4-5)

Suffering will take place

1 Peter 1:6 “...if necessary...”

There is a reality we must face, and Peter is establishing, that suffering is not just possible but inevitable.

Our suffering is not outside the will of God according to Peter. Suffering will take place for as we see in this passage suffering is the testing of genuine faith. Further, Peter explicitly states suffering to be in the will of God:

1 Peter 4:19 “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”

Suffering is not merely bad karma or fate but within the will of God.

Lamentations 3:37-39 “Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?”

Matthew 10

Suffering hurts

1 Peter 1:6 “...you have been grieved by various trials...”

Our rejoicing in suffering is not eliminating the reality of the pain. Suffering will hurt. It will be painful. We must feel the effects for life. Believers rejoice despite suffering not because of suffering.

How might we suffer?

Our own sin:

We may suffer from our sinful choices.

We may suffer from self-denial.

Others sins:

We may suffer from direct sins against us.

Sinful world:

We may suffer from the effects of a fallen world

Natural Disaster

Death

Brokenness

We may suffer from the effects of being citizens of another kingdom.

Faith is to be tested

Faith is tested

1 Peter 1:7 “so that the tested...”

“God’s sovereignty is not an invitation to make perfect sense of how his power and love coexist with every detail of our suffering. Instead, his sovereignty reminds us to approach him as children who trust their Father and his love.”

Ed Welch “Closeness Comes Through Fire” CCEF

We need to understand and commit to killing the flesh even when it doesn’t feel good.

We need to understand we have hope even though we will be exiles when it comes to lacking power, position, or politics.

The eschatological hope is not that this life will get better but that glory will be better.

We need to understand and commit to being a city on a hill that shines the light of gospel hope even if the government, culture, and society are crashing all around us.

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in God's excellent Word! What more can be said than to you God hath said, to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

"Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed, for I am thy God, and will still give thee aid; I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

John Rippon, “How Firm a Foundation”

Faith is genuine

1 Peter 1:7 “...genuineness of your faith...”

Here we find the purpose of suffering. We suffer that our faith would be shown as genuine, real, and authentic.

With every power for good to stay and guide me, comforted and inspired beyond all fear, I’ll live these days with you in thought beside me, and pass, with you, into the coming year.

While all the powers of Good aid and attend us, boldly we’ll face the future, be it what may. At even, and at morn, God will befriend us, and oh, most surely on each new year’s day

The old year still torments our hearts, unhastening: the long days of our sorrow still endure. Father, grant to the soul thou hast been chastening that Thou hast promised—the healing and the cure.

Should it be ours to drain the cup of grieving even to the dregs of pain, at thy command, we will not falter, thankfully receiving all that is given by thy loving hand.

But, should it be thy will once more to release us to life’s enjoyment and its good sunshine, that we’ve learned from sorrow shall increase us and all our life be dedicate as thine.

To-day, let candles shed their radiant greeting: lo, on our darkness are they not thy light, leading us haply to our longed-for meeting? Thou canst illumine e’en our darkest night.

When now the silence deepens for our harkening, grant we may hear thy children’s voices raise from all the unseen world around us darkening their universal paean, in thy praise.

While all the powers of Good aid and attend us, boldy we’ll face the future, be it what way. At even, and at morn, God will befriend us, And oh, most surely on each new year’s day!

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “New Year 1945” (3 months and 9 days later died)

James 1:2-4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Suffering can cause us to doubt or it can cause us to trust. There was a church sign we passed numerous times that had the message “God is in control”, however, the word control had started to fall over time and all that was left was “con...” with letter that were caught on the way down. Driving home from the news that we had a miscarriage this sign broke the ice. We laughed in a time of severe pain. How can you laugh in situation like that? We did not know when our pain would stop but we knew God was in control.

Faith is lasting

1 Peter 1:7 “...more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire...”

A few things are communicated here in reference to the refining of gold:

Gold is made pure from the refining fires in which all impurities will be removed.

Fake Gold will be quickly determined through refining fires.

Gold will perish one day but the hope of the believer will never perish.

"When through the deep waters I call thee to go, the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow; for I will be near thee, thy troubles to bless, and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

"When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply; the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

John Rippon, “How Firm a Foundation”

Jesus explains the parable of the soils:

Luke 8:13 “And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.”

Faith that quickly loses its joy in trials proves to not be genuine faith. This is not to say those who feel pain, who struggle, who feel weak, but those who lose their faith because of trials.

"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, I will not, I will not desert to its foes; that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never, no, never, no, never forsake."

John Rippon, “How Firm A Foundation”

Praise and glory are to be given

Our reward for genuine faith

1 Peter 1:7 “...may be found to result in praise and glory and honor...”

There is a great eschatological reward for our suffering. We will attain the end goal of glorification through the work of God to save us.

2 Corinthians 4:17 “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,”

The object of our reward

1 Peter 1:7 “...may be found to result in praise and glory and honor...”

Our suffering is not for our end but for God’s glory. Our greatest reward will be in the presence of God even though we lived through the fiery trials. While this suffering hurts here and now it pails in comparison to the glory of God before us in glory.

Revelation4:10 “the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,”

The revelation of our reward

1 Peter 1:7 “...at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Romans 8:18-39

Though we will suffer, and this suffering will be so painful sometimes, the will of God is for the salvation of His children and His mission will be accomplished.