1st Peter 5:7-10 " Suffering, the Real life of a Believer " (2)

1 Peter 1:6–7 (KJV 1900)

6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

1 Peter 5:7–10 (CSB)

7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

8 Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

9 Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.

10 The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while.

“ Suffering, the Real life of a Believer “

“ What drove me behind the mask “

As someone who has first hand experience with mental health

Who has experience as a Pastor

Seeing a Therapist and a Psychiatric doctor at the same time

Not because I was crazy

But because I was so overwhelm with the issue of ministry and life

I forgot about

The Warnings AND Promises of God

So many BELIEVERS

Have walked away

From God

From their Church

And from their Faith

Because of what they thought

This life was REALLY ABOUT

But also walked away

Because of unbiblical preaching

From Pastors

And Unbiblical encouragement

From the body of Christ

And Pastors

Have made so many christians

Believe that

God OWE them a COME-UP

Note: God don’t owe us a come up / some of these christians in 1st Peter NEVER seen or experience a come-up.

And in our text today

Peter is giving

These believers some TRUTH

About the Christian life

THIS LIFE IS ABOUT SUFFERING for Christ

But even in our Suffering

With our Christian Mask on we have to see

Our PURPOSE in our PAIN

The GOSPEL in our GARBAGE

The SAVIOR in our SUFFERING

The TREASURE in our TRIBULATION

Big Mamma said

“ God will never put more on you than you can bear “

2 Corinthians 1:8–9 (ESV)

8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.

9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

Our Affliction — an oppressive state of physical, mental, social or economic adversity.

We were Pressed out of measure — to be grieved, to be or become distress with extreme sorrow; conceived of as bearing a burden too heavy.

Above Strength — beyond ability to endure.

That we Despaired even of life — to lose one's emotional or mental composure.

Depression

Moses — Numbers Chapter 11

David — Psalm chapter 13

Jeremiah — Chapter 20

Elijah — 1st Kings Chapter 19

Big Mamma said

“ If you do good, good will come to you “

John 16:33 (KJV 1900) 33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have (tribulation): but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

The greek word for tribulation ( thlipsis )

Peter is writing

To some believers

That’s suffering

And trying to make sense

Out of their suffering

Peter is writing

To some believers

That’s catching HELL

And Peter is encouraging them

That even though

They are suffering

It’s going to last a little while

But stay faithful in their suffering

Note: Peter knows like most of us we are struggling just to keep it together

Peter uses two words

To remind these believers

That their trouble

Is not going to aways last in chapter 1 and chapter 5

1 Peter 1:6 (KJV 1900) 6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

1 Peter 5:10 (KJV 1900) 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

In Chapter One

1st. Your suffering is Seasonal

2nd. Your suffering is Strengthening

3rd. Your suffering is Survivable

“ What drove me behind the Mask “

1st: I didn’t realize my suffering is Seasonal ( V. 6 )

1 Peter 1:6 (KJV 1900)

6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

Yes we have to suffer but it’s seasonal

Verse 6—Peter says regardless of what we are going through in life as a child of God we always have a reason to rejoice.

Verse 6—Peter says we have a reason to “greatly rejoice”

Define Rejoice—Rejoice in the Greek gives us an English definition of a person showing enthusiasm by jumping & leaping .

Note: It connotes the thought of a person being so excited that they literally start jumping up & down & dancing with joy.

A.) The Season will Be Difficult

B.) The Season will Be Diversity

C.) The Season will be Directed by God

A.) The Season will Be Difficult—“ye are in heaviness”

Somebody today is going through a difficult season in there life

Everyday you have to fight back tears because it’s a difficult season

Everyday you have to stick a smile on you face because it’s a difficult season

Everyday you got to write yourself sticky notes reminding you to praise God because it’s a difficult season.

A.) The Season will Be Difficult—“ye are in heaviness”

B.) The Season will Be Diversity—“manifold Temptations”

Define manifold—Suggest multiple

Peter says

it’s bad enough

dealing with adversity

but it’s worst

when you’re dealing with

the diversity of adversity

Peter says

it’s bad enough

dealing with one thing

but it’s multiple things at the same time.

A.) The Season will Be Difficult—“ye are in heaviness”

B.) The Season will Be Diversity—“manifold Temptations”

C.) The Season will be Directed by God

Scrip: Daniel 2:21

21  And he changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise,

Note: The reason why this verse doesn’t move you is because you don’t understand how God operates in time.

There’s two words that describe time

1st: Chronos

2nd: Kairos

Chronos—gives us the word chronological

Chronological—mean one thing after another

Chronological suggest that Tuesday come after Monday

Chronos suggest things have to go in an orderly fashion

But God doesn’t operate on Chronos time

God operates on Kairos time

Kairos time is this

Example: The doctor says you got 6 months to live But God gives you 16 years.

Example: Chronos says you’re facing 20 years in prison but Kairos says I’m giving you probation.

It’s just a season

When I was growing up

they used to tell me

that if you talk to yourself

you’re crazy

but I found out

that if you don’t talk to yourself

you will go crazy

Every now and then you have to remind YOURSELF by TALKING to yourself it’s just a season

“ What drove me behind the Mask “

1st: I didn’t realize my suffering is Seasonal ( V. 6 )

2nd. I didn’t realize my Suffering is Strengthening ( V. 7A )

1 Peter 1:7 (KJV 1900)

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

If you’re going to be encourage in your suffering you got to remember suffering is strengthening.

Peter shifts gears in verse 7 & he stop talking about the season of suffering.

And he starts talking about strengthening while suffering

Peter want these suffering saints to realize that

God was not going to allow them to go through what they’re going through.

And not come out empty handed.

God was not going to allow their life to be filled with derision.

And not let that derision give birth to development.

God was not going to allow them to go through.

A period of pain, perils & persecution

And not allow that period of pain, perils & persecution to produce something positive.

God is saying yes you got to suffer.

But when the suffering is over, you’re going to be stronger.

Verse 7

Peter says their lives was being tried by fire.

That phrase “ tried by fire “ gives the imagery or thought.

Of a potter working with clay

It is a pottery phrase

When Peter talks about their lives being tried by fire

He’s liken their lives to what a potter does to the clay

There’s a process that the potter has to use to move the clay from the shop to the show room

The potter is not investing all of his time, talent & treasure & resources to allow the pottery to stay in the shop

But the potter is trying to move the clay from the shop to the show room

But in order for the clay to make that process

There’s several things that the potter has to do to the clay

1st. The potter has to FIND the clay

2nd. He has FORM the clay

3rd. He has to FRAME the clay

4th. He has to FORTIFY the clay

5th. Then he FINISHES the clay

1st. FIND the clay — clay has to be found, look for outside in the dirt

2nd. FORM the clay — He has to have an image in his mind how he wants the clay to

look like. ( vase — ashtray — Bowl )

3rd. FRAME the clay — He puts his hand on the clay & start framing

4th. FORTIFY the clay — the clay is frail so the clay has to be strengthen to be able to be used

Now after the potter has FOUND — FORM — FRAME — FORTIFY the clay.

Now the potter has to use something & the only thing at his disposal that can make the clay fortified is a furnace.

And now the potter turns on his furnace to 660 degrees - 1500 degrees

Because the only way the clay is going to get fortified is by some fire

The good news is before the potter puts the clay into the furnace

He put a glaze all over the clay.

Because the potter don't want the clay to look like what it's going INTO

The same thing that the potter does to the clay is the same thing God does to you and I .

God ( Found us — Formed us — Framed us — We was Fragile Fortified us ) —

Put us in the Furnace — God put something on us GRACE )

Note: The only reason we don’t look like what we’ve been through is because God got a glaze on us. ( GRACE )

Note: you don’t look like —-> Divorce — Cancer — Layoff — buried mother — buried child — bankruptcy — foreclosure — bad relationship — transplant — depression — etc.

“ What drove me behind the Mask “

1st: I didn’t realize my suffering is Seasonal ( V. 6 )

2nd. I didn’t realize my Suffering is Strengthening ( V. 7A )

3rd. I didn’t realize my Suffering is Survivable ( V. 7B )

1 Peter 1:7 (KJV 1900)

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Realize that you can survive this season of suffering in your life

Realize that this is not going to take you out

Realize that this is not the ending of your STORY

It can’t END like this ( TO BE CONTINUE )

If the Devil had the power to take you out he would have by now

If the Devil had the power to make you lose your mind you would have lost it by now

1st: Peter 1:7 ( NLT )

7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

In Chapter Five

“ What drove me behind the Mask “

1st. Anxiety

1 Peter 5:7 (KJV 1900) 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Define: Care — mean Anxiety

Define: Care -- it is a concern or a care

“ Casting “ — means to throw

A. Throw it AWAY --- To come from behind the Mask

“ What drove me behind the Mask “

1st. Anxiety

2nd. Attacks

1 Peter 5:8 (KJV 1900) 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Devil— to engagement in slander, slanderous

Roaring— to cry with a full loud continued sound

Note: That roaring in the greek is to make things bigger in the mind & to the eyes than what they actually are.

Note: Lions attack sick, young, or straggling animals; they choose victims who are alone or not alert. Peter warns us to watch out for Satan when we are suffering or being persecuted. If you are feeling alone, weak, helpless, and cut off from other believers, or if you are so focused on your troubles that you forget to watch for danger, those are the times when you are especially vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. During times of suffering, seek other Christians for support. Keep your eyes on Christ, and resist the devil. Then, says James, “he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

A. Throw it AWAY — To come from behind the Mask

B. Be ALERT— To come from behind the Mask

“ What drove me behind the Mask “

1st. Anxiety

2nd. Attacks

3rd. Affliction

1 Peter 5:9 (KJV 1900) 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Define: Affliction — this affliction is not just affliction but it’s GREAT affliction

A. Throw it AWAY — To come from behind the Mask

B. Be ALERT — To come from behind the Mask

C. Look AROUND — To come from behind the Mask

“ How I come from under the Mask is by realizing the “

1st. Anxiety

2nd. Attacks

3rd. Affliction

4th. Assurance

1 Peter 5:10 (KJV 1900) 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you

1 Peter 5:10 (LABN): 5:10

When we are suffering,

we often feel as though

our pain will never end

Peter gave

these faithful Christians

a broader perspective

In comparison with eternity

their suffering

would last only

“a little while.”

Some of Peter’s readers

would be strengthened

and delivered

in their own lifetimes

Others

would be released

from their suffering

through death

All of God’s faithful followers

are assured

of an eternal life

with Christ

where there will be no more suffering (Revelation 21:4)

John Wesley of United Methodist Church describes God’s Grace 3 ways

Prevenient grace

Justifying grace

Sanctifying grace

Sufficient Grace

Amazing Grace

1 Peter 5:10 (KJV 1900) 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Perfect — means to Repair you

Stablish — means to Reset you

Strengthen — means to Reconstruct you

Settle — means to Rest you

A. Throw it AWAY — To come from behind theMask

B. Be ALERT — To come from behind theMask

C. Look AROUND — To come from behind theMask

D. Rest in the AUTHORITY of God — To come from behind theMask