Suffering With Certainty

All Good Things Must Come to an End

In the commentary on 1st Peter, entitled 1 Peter: We Are Refugees, John D. Barry writes, “We are all a type of refugee on this earth—following after Jesus, as vagabonds. We wander the earth as people meant for something more—heaven—where our spirits will be completely restored to peace, wholeness before God. And it is with the beggar, the refugee, the impoverished, and the hurting that we sympathize and love—for we are all the same in Jesus, our Lord. We sympathize even with those who hurt us, for we too have hurt others and God, yet grace has been given to us in the form of Jesus, the suffering servant.” (Barry, J. D. (2014). 1 Peter: We are Refugees (p. 62). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.)

The Big Truth:

Walking in obedience to Christ is not a shield from suffering, nor is it a magnet for it. Suffering exists in the world, and it is not to be denied. Instead, we submit to God by trusting that, when suffering comes into our lives, God is still faithful to keep us from falling into despair as we cling to the certainty of His love for us, a love that was expressed in and by the sufferings of Christ for us. This is the encouragement that Peter offers us in this passage.

We are all a type of refugee on this earth—following after Jesus, as vagabonds. We wander the earth as people meant for something more—heaven—where our spirits will be completely restored to peace, wholeness before God. And it is with the beggar, the refugee, the impoverished, and the hurting that we sympathize and love—for we are all the same in Jesus, our Lord. We sympathize even with those who hurt us, for we too have hurt others and God, yet grace has been given to us in the form of Jesus, the suffering servant.

1 Peter 4:12–13 ESV

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

God is a Good Father - He does not spoil His children

God

1 Peter 4:16–18 ESV

Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 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? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

Scripture therefore instructs us, first of all, that the cross, even though by it our sins are judged, does not manifest God’s wrath against us, but rather reveals God’s love toward us. It marks us as God’s children. Scripture assures us that “whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth” (), and that “when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world” (). Scripture further instructs us that when we suffer because of our confession of Christ by word and deed, the cross is for us a testimony of the Holy Spirit that we are not of the world, but belong to Christ, for we then experience the same treatment which Christ and all witnesses of Christ experienced. “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you” (). “For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (). Scripture explicitly informs us that the sufferings of this time, by which we become like Christ, are for us a pledge of the eternal glory awaiting us. “Heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together” (; ; ).

Tell somebody, “God will take care of you.”

Barry, J. D. (2014). 1 Peter: We are Refugees (p. 62). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

1 Peter 5:6–7 ESV

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

We struggle and spend, attempting to avoid suffering by any means necessary. In a way, we think that we know better than God.

God is working some things out, and some things in.

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.

Green, M. P. (Ed.). (1989). Illustrations for Biblical Preaching: Over 1500 sermon illustrations arranged by topic and indexed exhaustively (Revised edition of: The expositor’s illustration file). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

1 Peter 5:8–11 ESV

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.