57. Suffering and Glory b

Suffering and Glory with Rejoicing

Last week we saw that we are entering into a new instructional unit by Peter. In this final instructional unit he is telling us the why of persecution and how we are to respond. Verse 12 lays the foundation of this unit and in it we saw our position, preparedness and purpose. This morning we will look at rejoicing in suffering. That seems like such an oxymoron doesn’t it. It is easy to see how we rejoice when there is good news or good times. This kind if rejoicing only comes with a heart that is set on Christ and the promise of glory to come.

1Pe 4:12-19 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; (13) but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. (14) If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. (15) Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; (16) but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. (17) For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (18) AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER? (19) Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

Rejoicing In Suffering

There are 3 general observations and 1 Pt:

a. There is a degree or extent in sharing the sufferings of Christ

b. There is sharing in the sufferings of Christ.

c. There is a suffering that is unique to Christ

1. Keep on Rejoicing the command

a. There is a degree or extent in sharing the sufferings of Christ. V13.

What this means is that not all Christians suffer to the same degree. Some suffer more some suffer less. Paul said in 2Co 11:23-25  Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as if insane) I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.  (24)  Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.  (25)  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.

We have not suffered in the manner of Paul. We do not live in the middle east or in China where suffering and persecution is so intense, even to the point of death. But that does not mean that we do not suffer at all and the lack of that kind of suffering is not an indication of lack of spirituality. The who, what, when, where, and how of our suffering is all in accordance with the will of God.

b. There is sharing the sufferings of Christ.

Though not all suffer to the same degree, all suffer. Suffering is a promise found in Scriptures. Paul told Timothy that those who desire to live godly will be persecuted. This truth has been expounded from this pulpit many times over. That regardless of station or calling, if, indeed, you are in Christ, there is no avoiding it, no running from it. The fires of affliction have been stoked and we must all take our turn in it. But we rest in the peace and the comfort that Christ is present with us in all our afflictions and trials.

Mat 16:24  Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 

c. There is a kind of suffering that is unique in Christ.

Not all suffering is entering into the sufferings of Christ.

1Pe 4:15  By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;

How has Christ suffered?

He suffered for our sin. 2Co 5:21  He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

He suffered for our salvation. Rom 5:8-9  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  (9)  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

He suffered for the glory of God. Joh 17:4  "I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do.

The work which included His trial before the Jews and Pilate, the beating, the scourging, and the crown of thorns and finally the cross. In all of this He glorified God in accomplishing the work the Father sent Him to do.

We do not share in His sufferings as a means of atoning for our or others sins. That is the work of Christ and Christ alone. But we do share in Christ’s sufferings as we labor against the power of remaining sin, as we weep and ache over its presence and long for glory and its final removal.

Suffering is a tool, a means of bringing this about. Now Solomon had a fantastic team of architects who calculated every stone needed in that building and planned for each one individually. He had 80,000 stonecutters us in the mountains in the quarry, cutting and polishing every stone as it was planned. They were all brought to the building site and one day the signal was given 'Build!' And the temple was assembled. We are specifically told that there was no noise of chisel or hammer. Why does the Old Testament emphasize that? Because only then can we understand what Peter says. We, God's saints from all ages, are living stones, which one day are going to be built into a spiritual temple. What a beauty that building will be-with God inside! And as we are assembled together, there will be no noise of chisel or hammer. Why? Because the chipping off will have been done on this planet. Here God has His stonecutters, His hammers and His chisels working on us for that day when we will be perfected.

We share in Christ’s sufferings when we labor in the proclamation of the gospel, enduring the hostility of those opposed to Christ. Maybe it is enduring a dark providence that brings us into contact with those who do not know Christ and yet God has appointed that time as a time of witness for them. Or parents, seeking to bring their children up in the fear and admonition of the Lord are ridiculed.

We share in Christ’s sufferings when we stand for the glory of God in the proclamation of the truth. When the church stands, as it should, as the pillar and support of the truth of God’s word. When speaking the truth we called intolerant, homophobes, accused of being the worst or the worst.

In all these things we share in the sufferings of Christ. And, as we are His body, Christ yet really suffers with us.

Keep on rejoicing. Is an imperative command.

but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings,

How do we obey this command? Peter lays out six truths for us to focus on.

1. Not a Surprise but a Plan

But is the word of contrast indicating that rather than being surprised it should be expected. Not just expected but embraced and not just embraced but with rejoicing.

Verse 12: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you.”

It isn’t strange. It isn’t absurd. It isn’t meaningless. It is purposeful. It is for your testing. Look at verse 19: “Let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.” “According to God’s will.” Suffering is not outside the will of God. It is in God’s will. This is true even when Satan may be the immediate cause. God is sovereign over all things, including our suffering, and including Satan.

By why? For what purpose? Compare verses 12 and 17. Verse 12 your fiery ordeal comes “for your testing.” Verse 17 says, “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” The point is that God’s judgment is moving through the earth. The church does not escape. When the fire of judgment burns the church, it is a testing, proving, purifying fire. When it burns the world, it either awakens or destroys.

Verse 18: “And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?” Believers pass through the testing fire of God’s judgment — not because he hates us, but because he loves us and wills our purity. God hates sin so much and loves his children so much that he will spare us no pain to rid us of what he hates.

So reason number one is that suffering is not surprising, it is planned. It is a testing. It is purifying fire. It proves and strengthens real faith, and it consumes “performance faith.”

2. Evidence of Union with Christ

Keep on rejoicing because your suffering as a Christian is an evidence of your union with Christ.

Verse 13a: “But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing.” In other words your sufferings are not merely your own. They are also Christ’s. This is cause for rejoicing because it means you are united to Christ. Joseph Tson, a Romanian pastor who stood up to Ceausescu’s repressions of Christianity, wrote,

This union with Christ is the most beautiful subject in the Christian life. It means that I am not a lone fighter here: I am an extension of Jesus Christ. When I was beaten in Romania, He suffered in my body. It is not my suffering: I only had the honor to share His sufferings. (“A Theology of Martyrdom”)

Keep on rejoicing, because your sufferings as a Christian are not merely yours but Christ’s and they give evidence of your union with him.

3. A Means to Attaining Greater Joy in Glory

Keep on rejoicing because this joy will strengthen your assurance that when Christ comes in glory, you will rejoice forever with him. Your suffering for and in Christ now is evidence for glory to come.

Verse 13b: “[As you share the sufferings of Christ] keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of his glory, you may rejoice with exultation.” Notice: keep on rejoicing now, so that you may rejoice then. Our joy now through suffering is the means of attaining our joy then, a thousand-fold in glory.

First, there is suffering, then there is glory. First Peter 1:11, “The Spirit predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glory to follow”

1Pe 5:1  The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:

Paul said, “If we suffer with him we will be glorified with him.” First the suffering, and then the glory — both for Jesus and for those who are united to him.

If we become embittered at life and the pain it deals us, we are not preparing to rejoice at the revelation of Christ’s glory. Keep on rejoicing now in suffering in order that you might rejoice with exultation at the revelation of his glory.

4. The Spirit of Glory and of God Resting on You

Keep on rejoicing in suffering because then the Spirit of glory and of God rest upon you.

Verse 14: “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”

This means that in the hour of greatest trial there is a great consolation. In great suffering on earth there is great support from heaven. You may think now that you will not be able to bear it. But if you are Christ’s, you will be able to bear it, because he will come to you and rest upon you. As Samuel Rutherford said, the Great King keeps his finest wine in the cellar of affliction. He does not bring it out to serve with chips and on sunny afternoons. He keeps it for extremities.

If you say, “What is this?” — the Spirit of glory and of God resting on me in suffering — the answer is simply this: you will find out when you need it. The Spirit will reveal enough of glory and enough of God to satisfy your soul, and carry you through.

Seek to be holy; seek to bring truth; seek to bear witness; and do not turn aside from risk. And sooner or later you will experience the Spirit of glory and of God resting upon you in suffering. Yesterday in our daily Bible was Acts chapters 4-7. In chapter 7 was the story of Stephen. In the later part of chapter 6 he was one of the 7 deacons chosen to minister to those in need to allow the apostles to labor in the Word and in prayer. He was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.

Act 6:8-15  And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.  (9)  Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen.  (10)  And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.  (11)  Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."  (12)  And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.  (13)  They also set up false witnesses who said, "This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law;  (14)  for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us."  (15)  And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

Chapter 7 Stephen stands and gives a discourse of the history of the Jews putting to death the prophets culminating in them putting to death Christ. After which the Jews were so angry they were gnashing their teeth. In their rage the cast him outside of the city and they stoned him to death. But his final words showed the Spirit of God resting on him.

Act 7:55-56  But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,  (56)  and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"

Act 7:59-60  And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."  (60)  Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

5. Glorifying God

Keep on rejoicing in suffering because this glorifies God.

Verse 16: “If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God.”

Glorifying God means showing by your actions and attitudes that God is glorious to you — that he is valuable, precious, desirable, satisfying. And the greatest way to show that someone satisfies your heart is to keep on rejoicing in them when all other supports for your satisfaction are falling away. Consider Job. All of his wealth was taken away, He lost all of his children and his health. He lost the support of his wife who encouraged him to curse God and die. There may be times when God strips away all of the things we have a tendency to put our trust in go away. Since the economic down turn people have lost 25% of their 401K retirement plans. Will we glorify God as our chief satisfaction when everything else is taken away? When you keep rejoicing in God in the midst of suffering, it shows that God, and not other things, is the greatest source of your joy.

6. God’s Faithful Care for Your Soul

Finally, keep on rejoicing because your Creator is faithful to care for your soul.

1Pe 4:19  Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

This is a short letter. It would not have taken them long to read through the letter. Upon reading this verse what was written before would still be fresh on their minds. The saving, the keeping by the power of God, the redemption, the sacrifice of Christ for their souls. The terms used to describe God’s particular love for those in Christ. All He has done in the past in securing our souls is an assurance of His ongoing work in us. He will not leave us to falter or to fall short.

Php 1:6  being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Php 2:12-13  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;  (13)  for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

The degrees of suffering and the forms of affliction will differ for every one of us. But one thing we will all have in common unless the Lord Jesus comes: we will all die. As in Pilgrim’s Progress we will all stand on the shore of the river to be crossed to reach the celestial city. The river is the symbol of death. From Pilgrim’s Progress:

These men asked the pilgrims whence they came, and they told them; they also asked them where they had lodged, what difficulties and dangers, what comforts and pleasures they had met in the way; and they told them. Then said the men that met them, "You have but two difficulties more to meet with, and then you are in the City."

CHRISTIAN then, and his companion, asked the men to go along with them; so they told them they would. "But," said they, "you must obtain it by your own faith." So I saw in my dream that they went on together till they came in sight of the gate.

Now I further saw that betwixt them and the gate was a river; but there was no bridge to go over: the river was very deep. At the sight, therefore, of this river, the pilgrims were much astounded; but the men that went with them said, "You must go through, or you cannot come at the gate."

The pilgrims then began to inquire if there was no other way to the gate; to which they answered, "Yes, but there hath not any, save two, to wit, Enoch and Elijah, been permitted to tread that path since the foundation of the world, nor shall until the last trumpet shall sound".

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52

The pilgrims then – especially CHRISTIAN – began to despond in their minds; and looked this way and that, but no way could be found by them by which they might escape the river. Then they asked the men if the waters were all of a depth? They said, "No"; yet they could not help them in that case, for said they, "you shall find it deeper or shallower as you believe in the King of the place."

You will tremble at the unspeakable reality that in just moments you will face God. And the destiny of your soul will be irrevocable. Will you rejoice in that hour? You will if you entrust your soul to a faithful Creator. He created your soul for his glory. He is faithful to that glory and to all who love it and live for it. Now is the time to show where your treasure is — in heaven or on earth. Now is the time to shine with the glory of God. Trust him. And keep on rejoicing.