WHY DO I HAVE TO SUFFER?

Intro

In 1982, at just 19 years old, Joni Eareckson Tada had her life completely upended by a tragic accident that left her a quadriplegic. One moment she was an active, vibrant teenager The next moment, she was immobilized and facing a lifetime of paralysis and profound suffering.

In the aftermath of her accident, Joni went through some tremendously dark days of depression, anger at God, and feeling utterly hopeless about her future.

Why did this happen? How could she go on living like this?

In those initial years, just getting through each day was an immense struggle.

But over time, Joni began to cling to the truths of Scripture and She realized that God wanted to use her suffering for good if she entrusted herself to Him..

She started writing books, speaking around the world, and launching an international disability ministry called Joni & Friends.

Rather than becoming bitter, resentful, or giving up on life and God, Joni has suffered with Christ-like perseverance and had found joy in her midst of her trial

She has modeled how to entrust yourself to God's purposes, find His strength in weakness, and use your suffering to glorify Him and serve others.

Friends,How well do you do When God choses suffering for your life?

It is hard to welcome sufferign into our lives isn’t it?

When we go through hard times, it always feels unexpected, its always overwhelming, and it is always contrary to what we think should happen to us as Christians. Right?

I mean we should be living the Blessed life.

Our life should feel amazing because We are the children of the living God.

We are the ones whom God says he pours out his love upon.

So Why do we have to go through such hard times in our lives even when we are faithful to our Lord?

Peter in our text today is going to remind the church That suffering is not an option for the Christian life, Its part of God’s Plan for your life.

Turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 4 and listen as I read our text this morning starting in verse 12

1 Peter 4:12–19 (ESV)

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

This morning as we delve into this passage I want to encourage you to look at these truths about suffering throught he lens of your own life and and ask yourself- How am I doing when Suffering comes my way?

Peter begins in verse 12 by giving Christians

Four Realities about Our Suffering

that we must grasp in order to suffer well,

look at the verse again

1 Peter 4:12 (ESV)

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

1 Suffering comes when we least expect it.

Look how Peter begins “ Don’t be Surprised”

I dont know about you But I really dont like suprises in my life- I love to plan everything out.

My wife and kids always joke about how I plan every detail of our trips out months in advance, and How I usually have my bags packed at least a week in advance just incase there is something I am missing.

I really dont like surprises.

Peter says "do not be surprised when trials come upon you."

Friends The reality is that suffering never seems to come gradually into our lives.

it often strikes at unpredictable times - when we least expect it. in the moments when everything around us seems really good.

Like the phone call saying your child was just killed in a car accident

OR a doctors appointment where they inform you that you have terminal cancer

Or a boss that unexpectedly lays you off from the job you have held for 20 years right before the Holidays

The first reality about suffering is this: Just because Your are Christian doesn’t mean you will not suffer

Suffering is going to come into your life. and its going to come when you least expect it.

did you notice how Peter describes these unexpected visitors?

he calls them “Fiery trials”

Our second reality is this .

2 Suffering is Hard to Go through

Peter uses the metaphor of fire to describe the intense pain suffering brings with it into our lives.

Have you ever accidentally brushed your arm against a hot oven rack or had a campfire ember land on your skin?

That brief, searing pain is intense enough to make even the toughest person pull back in pain.

Now try to fathom having that same burning sensation, covering your entire life. lasting not just a few seconds, but going on for hours, days, and even weeks without relief.

Friends this is what Peter is describing when he compares the pain of fire to some of our suffering.

Like intense fire, suffering burns, it hurts deeply, it is excruciating to endure. Its something that everyone of us longs o escape.

Peter doesn't gloss over this harsh reality that suffering is an immensely hard experience to go through.

Friends if it did not hurt deeply it wouldn’t be suffering It would just be a discomfort, an inconvenience a bump in the road.

The 2nd reality is that Suffering is going to be hard and God does not expect us to pretend it is easy.

Peter goes on in verse 12

and He says the reason God allows us to suffer is ’To test you”

The 3rd realty about suffering is that God uses suffering to purify our faith and trust in Him

3. Suffering Purifies our Faith

Why do trials come upon us? Peter says they "come to test you." to see how deep your faith in God truly is.

James 1:2–4 (ESV)

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

When a gold smith wants the purest gold He puts the gold through the refiners furnace. and its only in that intense moment of fire that all of the imperfects hidden inside that gold come out and can be removed leaving only the purest gold behind,

Suffering is what God uses in our lives to strip away our self-reliance and superficiality.

Suffering is what reveals what we truly believe about God and where our hope lies.

Friends if our hope is in the things of this world, that iswhere we will run in time of need

But if our hope is in Christ alone -it is in our suffering that we will run to him.

Though unpleasant, The 3rd realty about suffering is that suffering is how God purifies our faith and removes the idols in our life and grows us in our dependency on Him.

the 3rd reality can be summed up like this- without suffering the impurities of your heart may never come to the surface,

Finally Peter says the 4th Reality about suffering is

that

4 Suffering is not unique to you

“as though something strange were happening to you”

Peter reminds us that when hard trials come our way, we should not act as if this is strange or unusual.

Suffering is part of the Christian experience that we all go through in this fallen, broken world.

Sometimes we can fall into the mindset that our particular suffering is so difficult or unfair that no one else could possibly understand what we're going through.

We like to cry out to God and say ”Why is this happening to me?"

But Peter is simply reminding the church that your suffering is not unique to you.

From the beginning of time -believers have endured great affliction especially those who followed God.

In fact, some of the most difficult suffering we have seen has been endured by many of the heroes of our faith like Job who lost everything because Satan wanted to test his faith. Or Joseph who was thrown into slavery by his jealous brothers because he obeyed his father, Our Paul who was beaten and stoned multiple times as he proclaimed the gospel message to the lost.

The 4th reality can be summed up like this:

None of us are unique in our suffering, and none of us are exempt when it comes to facing fiery trials.

church Remember these four realities:

Suffering will come expectedly,

suffering is immensely hard,

suffering is what purifies our faith,

suffering is not unique to you

Peter moves on in our text and now gives us 3 reasons we can rejoice in the midst of our suffering

Three Reasons to Rejoice From Our Suffering

1 Peter 4:13–14 (ESV)

13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

Suffering is never enjoyable. In fact, it's something we naturally try to avoid at all costs.

The pain, disappointment, and difficulties of trials can make us question God and want to give up.

I’ve been there- Trials are something we naturally want to avoid.

However, Peter gives us three reasons why we can actually rejoice When God sovereignly choses to send us into a time of suffering.

The first reason Peter says we can rejoice is that

Our Suffering means we have fellowship with Christ v 13a

Look at verse 13 Peter says we should "rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings."

The 1st reason we can rejoice in suffering is that it allows us to experience intimate fellowship and unity with Jesus himself.

Peter is saying that When we go through fiery trials, we are given the opportunity to walk in the very footsteps of our Savior who suffered unjustly, yet persevered in His obedience to God the father.

The author of Hebrews says in

Hebrews 5:8 (ESV)

8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.

Jesus went through trials as a man in his life . He was tested just like you and me through great suffering. and He was ‘triumphant over the temptations that came in those trials because in his suffering as a man He learned obedience. He chose to do the will of God the father and depend fully on His Soverignty over all things

Friends our afflictions teach us to depend fully on God's strength, not our own. Suffering strips away our self-sufficiency and drives us to cling to Christ's power and presence like never before.

Brothers and sister we can rejoice in our trials because through them we are united with Christ in a profound way through the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.

Peter gives us a 2nd reason to rejoice in trials in the 2nd part of verse 13

1 Peter 4:13 (ESV)

13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

Peter says Suffering will lead to us rejoicing and being glad "when Christ’s glory is revealed."

Friends we can rejoice because

Our Suffering Brings Future Glory like Christ’s v13b

In other words, our temporary suffering now means that we will share in Christ's eternal glory later when He returns and makes all things new.

Think about it….The world’s view of glory is the absence of suffering, right??

But for the Christian it’s the trial of our faith… its our suffering that brings about an assurance of the glory that will be ours when Christ returns,

i beleiver peter is saying that to whatever degree you suffer WELL on this earth you will have that same degree of glory in eternity. The key phrase is to suffer WELL - the glory in eternity is not about the suffering its about the How you suffer.

think about it this way

There are many postponed pleasures in this life. We work hard today for pleasure tomorrow,

for instance. the athlete may not like all of the hard conditioning he must put his body through, But he can look forward to the pleasure of winning the game because he endured.

The worker works hard to day so that He can enjoy a retirement tomorrow,

The point is this..The more we embrace the cross of suffering now and suffer well for the glory of God , the more we will experience the crown of glory in eternity.

Listen to what 2 Corinthians 4:17

2 Corinthians 4:17 (ESV)

17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

Friends we can rejoice in our moments of suffering even when they are so hard because we know that if we are faithful and suffer well it will produce an eternal glory that will one day be ours - a glory that Paul says is beyond all comparison.

Number 3 Peter says we can rejoice in our suffering Because….

Our Suffering Brings Blessings From Christ v 14a

1 Peter 4:14 (ESV)

14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

This one is pretty clear- Peter is reiterating the words that Jesus Promised him in the sermon on the mount.

If you suffer for standing up for what is right- God promises to bless your life.

On Wednesday we walked through the Beatitudes and the blessings we are promised when we chose to walk like Jesus walked- when we chose to suffer well.

listen to what Jesus told Peter and the other discipels about our persecution.

Jesus says

Matthew 5:10–12 (ESV)

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven,…

friends we can rejoice in our trials because when we endure faithfully - When we look like Jesus in the midst of our persecution, We know that in our faithfulness God will pour out His Blessings toward us.

Peter tells us that one of these blessings that is ours in our suffering is the Holy Spirit- The great comforter- resting upon your life. meaning that when you are faithful in your suffering The Holy Spirit will fill you in an especially powerful way. giving you peace and strength in the midst of the storm.

So while suffering is hard, Friends you have a chose to make!!

You can either suffer like the world and grow angry and resentful in your heart or You can suffer like jesus and chose to rejoice in your suffering knowing that through the pain you are

fellowshipping with Christ,

You are investing in a future glory l

and you are receiving the blessing of the Holy Spirit resting upon your life

Friends our suffering is not meant for Mourning but is meant for our rejoicing

Peter goes on in verse 15-18 and describes the suffering that Comes from God

1 Peter 4:15–18 (ESV)

15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

Peter is telling the church that When suffering enters our lives, it's crucial that we examine ourselves and ask two piercing questions:

Why am I suffering?, and Am I using my suffering for the glory of God?

Two Questions to Ask about our suffering

the first Question we should ask ourselves is

“Why am I suffering?”

In verse 14 Peter says we should make sure we are not suffering as a result of our own sinfulness. He says let none of you suffer as an evildoer.

The reality is though, that Much of the hardships we endure in this life is not because of a result of doing what is right but its the consequences of our sinful actions .

Think about it.

If a student doesn't study well they will fail the class.

If a person choses to not work hard they can end up in financial struggles

If a husband is unfaithful to his wife- He ends up with a broken marriage

When we chose to not control our habits we end up in deep addictions

The point is simple These are not the trials God is using to grow your faith, these are the consequences of a life lived outside of Gods law.

Christian dont get your consequences for your sin mixed up with the fiery trials God sends you into to grow your faith

If our suffering is self-inflicted due to wickedness, the thing we need most is to repent. 1 John 1:9

1 John 1:9 (ESV)

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If you suffer because of our sin- Use it as a learning experience, as a teachable moment of what sin does in our lives. use it as memory to never want to go there again.

In other words, What peter is saying is “dont get your consequences mixed up with the trials God sends you through to grow your faith.”

the 1st Question We need to ask ourselves is “Is my suffering because of my own sinn?

If our suffering is not a consequence of sin The second question we should ask is

Question 2: Am I using my suffering to glorify God?

1 Peter 4:16 (ESV)

16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

How do you respond when others ridicule you for your faith?

Peter challenges the church ” Dont BE ASHAMED OF WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST!!!-

It's so easy to be like the world and become resentful, bitter, and angry and even doubt our faith.

Our human nature just wants to lash out, we want to complain, and we are tempted to scream out in anger at God for putting these hard things into our lives especially when we have been faithful to him.

Christian, I beg you this morning Dont Waste your trials and miss an opportunity to suffer well.

Peter says, "if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed."

But let him use his suffering as a gospel witness in this world

Listen again to Peter’s words in verses 17 and 18 says

1 Peter 4:17–18 (ESV)

17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; meaning its time for the church to stand up and do what is right and not be ashamed! and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

His point is simple: The way you go through your trials matter because The world is watching how you suffer.

and its through your suffering that you have the ability to either point people to the gospel of your loving savior or turn them away.

Peter is challenging the church to look at their suffering as a gospel voice in this world.

use it to show People What a relationship with a loving God looks like even when everything in your life is disrupted.

And this brings us to our final point..

Even in our darkest suffering we have one unfailing assurance

Listen to verse 19

1 Peter 4:19 (ESV)

19 Therefore

Because you will suffer,

Because its going to be hard

Because the world is watching

let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Brothers and sisters we have a great assurance in our suffering

One Assurance we have in Our Suffering

We can be sure that the GOD who saved us will be faithful.

Romans 8:28 (ESV)

28 And we know that for those who love God all things all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Brothers and sister- YOUR SUFFERING IS NOT OUTSIDE OF GODS SOVEREIGN PLAN IN FACT ITS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.

As God’s Loved church, we can put our assurance in the one who says I will do all things including your suffering, including your consequences, including your hardships, for your spiritual good

This means that we can handover the hurt,

We can hand over the confusion,

we can hand over the pain,

& we can hand over the injustice

to our Heavenly Father who is utterly trustworthy and faithful in all things.

and we can, Like Jesus, glorify God by saying, "Not my will but yours be done- even when it hurts."

The challenge Peter is giving the church is to keep obeying God’s Word, keep serving Gods church, Keep preaching Gods Gospel, and keep trusting in God’s perfect plan no matter how difficult the suffering may become.

Because we can be sure that Our Faithful Creator God is actively doing all things for our good and for his own glory,

Bring it Home

Friends Dont waste your suffering

Understand that this time of hardship is what your faithful God has deemed best for your life

it is through your suffering that you identify with Christ’s suffering

it is through your suffering that you can now grow deeper in your faith

it is through your suffering that you can now learn to cast all your cares on Him

it is through your suffering that God wants to give you eternal blessings

and it is through your suffering that the world will see a clear picture of the gospel of jesus Christ lived out in your life.

Brothers and sisters Dont waste your suffering Use for the glory of God!