Holy Living in times of Suffering
Notes
Transcript
Mic
Prayer
Why would God make us go through suffering?
One person put it this way.…
Suffering can do several things in the life of a believer. First, it can
“burn out the dross,” or
purify us and lead us to greater holiness of life.
But it can also “burn in the promises,” or
lead us to a closer dependence on God and his faithful promises to us.
Burn it will—but look also at what the burning is for.”
The Scottish pastor - Samuel Rutherford put it this way.
“If God had told me some time ago that he was about to make me as happy as I could be in this world, and then
had told me that he would begin by breaking my arm or leg, and then remove me from all my usual sources of enjoyment,
I should have thought it a very strange way to accomplish his purpose. And yet, how is his wisdom manifest even in this!
For if you should see a man shut up in a closed room, idolizing a set of lamps and rejoicing in their light, and you wished to make him truly happy, you would begin by blowing out all his lamps, and then throwing open the shutter to let in the light of heaven” (Samuel Rutherford, Letters of Samuel Rutherford).1343
Or you could go with some good ol mountain humor
A Christian is like a tea bag—not much good until he has gone through some hot water.
Today, Peter reminds us again that the Christian walk will involve suffering. The challenge to you and to me is..… how then .… if we are to be holy in all our behavior.… how then should we live? what does holiness in the midst of suffering look like?
Turn with me to .… p 1215 in your pew Bible
1 Pet 5.8-11
4 Slides (ending vs 11)
8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
11 To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.
We have talked about how we need to be on the Alert. We have an enemy that is seeking to devour us.
We have mentioned that our first line of defense - besides being on the alert-
is to resist him and ways that we can resist Satan.
Now Peter warns us that when we go through times of suffering, we need to stand firm in our faith. We can let our light shine brightly for Jesus or we can fail. These are opportunities to let our light shine brightly. and when we face persecution.. when we face various trials… we are not alone....
Our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ (who are in the world) are facing these same experiences of suffering. Jesus faced them. Jesus faced hardships just like you and me. He faced persecution of the worst kind.
We do not have it near so bad as our brothers and sisters in Nigeria or China.
More than 7,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria during the first 7 1/2 months of 2025.
This is an average of 35 killings a day, according to the recent report published by the Nigeria-based human-rights NGO International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law.
The Chinese government is increasingly cracking down on state-sanctioned churches as well as underground churches, leaving no "safe place" for Christians, according to International Christian Concern.
North Korea ranks as the most dangerous country for practicing Christianity where practicing Christianity can lead to imprisonment and even execution. Hey they will just kill you.
Somalia also ranks high FOR VIOLENCE against Christians and threats to your life.
Then there is Yemen, Libya, and Sudan, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan.
and they are all ranked as worse than Nigeria.
Our fellow Christians remind us to stand tall for Jesus.
That is what Charlie Kirk was doing when he was shot. He was speaking out for conservative values and faith in Jesus on college campuses here in America. His example encourages us to speak out for Jesus.
as we move to verse 10, we are reminded that our suffering will only last a little while.
Jesus said
3 Slides
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
The message of Peter is that, we should not expect to avoid suffering, to the contrary we should expect it. This is contrary to the message a lot of pastors are preaching today… but I am going with Jesus, and Peter, and Matthew, and John and I am going to preach to you the hard truth.
Today I have heard many pastors preach on the church in Philadelphia in
2 Slides
9 ‘Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews, and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them to come and bow down at your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
10 ‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth.
They love to emphasize how God will keep us from the hour of testing. They don’t seem so excited to preach about the church of Smyrna just one chapter earlier.
2 Slides
9 ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
10 ‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
No doubt some Christians will be kept from the hour of testing.. but millions of Christians down through the ages have been persecuted, have suffered, have been imprisoned and even died for their faith.
The truth of the matter is … there have been more Christians killed for their faith in recent years, even while these pastors are preaching that God will keep us from that hour testing,.… than in the past and we should not expect to escape persecution. We need to be prepared for it. It will only last a little while… so stand strong .… and in the end
The God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
All of my commentaries say that these words - perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you are essentially saying the same thing.
Perfect means “to complete.” Ruth Graham used to say “Please be patient with me, I’m still under construction.” After she passed, her grave stone now bears the words… “Construction complete.”
If we endure, if we stand strong… God will bring us through to completion. Then, when He welcomes us into His arms and says “Well done thou good and faithful servant!” … He will be confirming that we are his children.
The scripture describes the new bodies we will receive in the resurrection at Christ’s return.
In 1 Cor 15.42-43.
2 Slides
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;
43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
God will strengthen us in the resurrection, and give us our rewards. We will be established.
This is one of many passages encouraging us to be strong, even in the face of persecution because our God is faithful and He will reward us if we stay strong and endure to the end.
Slide
22 “And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.
and
Slide
13 “But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved.
Or Mark
Slide
13 “And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved.
One of the first creeds of the early church is found in 2 Timothy chapter 2.
2 Slides
11 It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him;
12 If we endure, we shall also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
The early Christians knew that becoming a Christian not only meant that they needed to die to their old way of life. That is what our baptism is a picture of. Baptism is a picture of our death to our old way of life.
When we are dunked in the water… we are cut off from the world (and oxygen) it is like we are be buried with Him.
and then when we are raised up out of the water we are raised to our new way of life. a life of following Jesus. - a life of joy - a life of peace - a life where we have died to our old selfish desires and taken up our cross and follow Jesus.
But these early Christians also knew that serving Jesus could cost them their physical lives. Some were fed to the lions, others used as human torches, others fed to wild dogs, given to the gladiators.
But if we die with Him.… He (Jesus) will raise us up and so we will live with him forever!
If we endure, Jesus has promised that we will reign with Him! How exciting will that be?
but if we deny Him, He also will deny us.
This is a quote from Jesus.
Slide
33 “But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
Jesus continually warned the churches of Revelation to be faithful to the end. He emphasized this point by saying “He who overcomes will have a part...”
Speaking to the church at Ephesus…
Slide
7 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.’
or to the church at Smyrna.…
2 Slides
10 ‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
11 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.’
or to the church at Sardis
2 Slides
5 ‘He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.
6 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.‘
Jesus was constantly emphasizing the need for us to be faithful to the end.
In this passage, in the conclusion of 1 Peter,..… Peter is encouraging these Christians,
who have been scattered throughout what we would identify as western Turkey,
to be strong, to be faithful to the the end.
Peter is reminding us we can gain strength to endure by looking at the example of those who are also going through the same suffering and standing tall.
Holiness is being faithful to the very end.
To Him be the dominion forever and ever!
God is the one who is Sovereign over all the earth. It may not seem like that at times, but God is the one who is in control.
This is my Father's world:
Oh, let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world,
The battle is not done:
Jesus who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and Heav'n be one.
Peter concludes 1 Peter with
3 Slides
12 Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!
13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark.
14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ.
Peter was sending this letter to recipients who were scattered throughout Turkey by giving it to Silvanus - our faithful brother. Silvanus is another name for Silas - who traveled with Paul and sometimes appeared in his letters. Like Paul, Silas was also a Roman citizen.
Slide
37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us in public without trial, men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they sending us away secretly? No indeed! But let them come themselves and bring us out.”
Therefore, it made sense that he would send the letter to these Christians through Silas who was also a Roman citizen. He could probably pass through the various regions easily.
Again he repeats, God’s choosing us and electing us is a reflection of His true grace. We have been chosen as His ambassadors. But He ends with an imperative. “Stand firm in it!”
In the midst of our suffering, in the midst of persecution, we need to stand firm for Christ.
The reference to “She who is in Babylon” is probably a reference to the Christians who are in Rome. He did not want to mention them directly because of the persecution going on. He did not want to bring any undo attention to the church in Rome. But again He makes reference that we are God’s chosen people. “She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings.
Mark also sends them greetings. This would be John Mark. He was Barnabas’s cousin. In his early life as a Christian, he went with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, but then turned back. He later proved himself a faithful servant of the Lord. Peter refers to Mark as his son, reflecting how he had sweet feelings of affection toward him. Mark was a disciple of Peter also the author of the gospel know by his name. Many feel that much of what Mark wrote in his gospel was actually the teachings of Peter.
Peter encourages them to greet one another with a kiss of love. Men would kiss men on the cheek and women would kiss women on the cheek. This greeting of a holy kiss was a custom in the early church. We give more of a holy hug.
He concludes by wishing them “Peace to all who are in Christ.” There can be no true peace for those who do not know Christ.
By way of review: Let’s pick up some of the main points we have covered on our journey through 1 Peter.
In the midst of their persecution and suffering - These Christians had been scattered throughout northern turkey because of their persecution. This was probably caused by the persecution by Nero, or as things were building up just before that around 65 AD.
Yet these are a chosen people.
We have been born again to a living hope. Our hope is not in a dead savior, but a living savior. Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and so we have a living hope.
and he has given us a promise:
Slide
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies,
We have an inheritance laid up for us in heaven
Our inheritance is protected by the power of God and so it is safe.
Because we are God’s children, we are called to be Holy even as He is Holy.
We therefore are to be obedient children and turn our backs on our old way of life and our former lusts.
We are to put away all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and slander. but like newborn babes ..… desire earnestly the Word of God.
Like a baby, our hearts desire is to be always in the word of God. We cannot get enough of it. and why would that be relevant to a people who are facing persecution?
Isaiah put it this way
Slide
3 “The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in Thee.
We are to abstain from fleshly lusts that wage war against the soul and be holy in all of our behavior. No excuses… we are to be holy in all of our behavior. That has been our theme for this past year.
Then we looked at how this plays out in real life.
We are to be in subjection to all the governing authorities, whether governmental or in the church. They may be our boss at work, or teachers and principles at school.
That includes the police (and today, i may need to add ICE. )
We are to submit to their authority even if they are mean or unfair. As long as they are not telling us to do something contrary to the word of God, we are to submit and do it with a willing obedient heart.
Christ set the example for us. He was obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross. ...
even when it was so wrong… He entrusted himself to God. and while going through this… Jesus did not utter any threats… He did not act unbecomingly… He kept his mouth shut and was silent because He was entrusting himself to God the Father.
We are to display the same attitude, even when we are being mistreated or unfairly treated.
Wives are told to be in subjection to their husbands.
Husbands are told to love their wives and grant them honor so that our prayers will not be hindered.
We were told to watch our tongues.
Slide
10 For, “Let him who means to love life and see good days Refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile.
In short
Slide
8 To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit;
God has given each of us a special gift. We are to use it in service to one another.
When we face times of suffering, it is easy to strike out at those who are hurting us or to defend ourselves. Satan wants you to do just that.
or as we are told in Star Wars.
Satan wants you to give into the dark side. Don’t do it.
Be strong.. Stand firm in your faith… entrusting yourself to God who is in control of all things.
Paul put it this way in
Slide
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
3 Slides
8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
As Wesleyans, we are known for being a people of holiness. Let us be holy in all of our behavior, just as He is holy.
Let’s pray
