Suffering for Glory
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Good Morning, New Hope Community Church. It’s a joy to be back with you here again this morning. Today, we going to be continuing our walk through the letter of 1 Peter.
1 Peter, as a book, has a lot of good stuff in it. In it, we’re told that we have been born again “to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven” for us. We’re told that we’ve been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. We’re told that we are chosen and precious, a people who have been called out of darkness and into God’s marvelous light. That’s awesome. That’ll preach all day, because these are rich and amazing truths.
About a week ago, Kalie asked me what this morning’s sermon was about. When I told her we were talking about suffering, she responded, “Oh. Great. Again.” Including this one, out of the 12 sermons I’ve preached from 1 Peter, perhaps only 2 didn’t have suffering as a primary focus.
As we’ve walked through 1 Peter together, we’ve learned that this letter is mostly about the suffering we experience as the people of God, as God’s elect exiles. We experience suffering because we are exiles, away from our eternal home with God. But we know that this suffering is temporary, because we are God’s elect.
MIT
The topic of suffering may be uncomfortable for some of you. Maybe you’ve endured so much suffering that you’ve begun to question the goodness of God. Maybe you’re so afraid of suffering that you never step out in faith. Maybe suffering has left you feeling bitter and resentful. My hope is that today’s sermon would be an encouragement to you. As we walk through 1 Peter 4:12-19 together, I’m praying that we would begin to see suffering in a different light, particularly suffering that comes as a result of our faith in Christ. As we’ll see in these verses, Peter teaches us that suffering for Christ is an instrument of grace, giving us assurance of our future salvation.
Reading
Our text this morning is 1 Peter 4:12-19. Please join us for the reading of God’s Word.
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. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 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?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
Prayer
Exposition
Suffering as an Instrument of Grace (vv. 12-14)
Peter begins in 4:12, telling us not to be surprised when we experience fiery trials, as though something strange was happening to us. Ever since the Garden of Eden, suffering has been a normal part of human experience. Suffering did not exist before the fall and suffering will not exist for the believer once Christ returns. But, in the interim, we are confronted with the reality of suffering.
Peter tells us not to be surprised by suffering, but what I think he’s actually trying to tell us is that we shouldn’t let suffering shake us. We shouldn’t let suffering shake us.
Anyone who believes in God - that is, anyone who believes in a theistic being, regardless of their faith - will inevitably have to address the problem of evil. Simply stated, if God is so good and powerful, why do bad things happen?
Fortunately, as Christians, we look to the Bible, which reminds us that everything falls under God’s sovereign control. In Ephesians 1:11, Paul tells us that God “works all things according to the counsel of his will.”
Although we don’t have time to dive into the depths of theodicy - that is, the problem of evil - the Bible tells us that bad things happen because God allows them to. And if God allows these things to happen, it is because they will bring about some measure of goodness that could not have existed otherwise. Let me echo Joseph’s words in Genesis 50:20, “What is intended for evil, God intends for good, so that many people should be kept alive.”
Although it’s not God’s desire that his creation should suffer, God allows suffering. And although God allows suffering, we take comfort in the fact that God only allows suffering that brings about his redemptive purpose.
And so, Peter tells his readers, “Do not be surprised by suffering. Don’t let suffering shake you. Suffering is God’s instrument of grace toward you.” When we say that suffering is an instrument of grace, what do we mean? Peter shows us 3 ways how suffering serves as a means of grace:
How is suffering an instrument of grace? To suffer is to be tested.
1 Peter 4:12 says, “Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you.” Peter reminds us that suffering serves as a means to test the genuineness of our faith. The language used here was intended to draw our attention back to he wrote in chapter 1:
“If necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)
Remember that trials, hardship, and suffering all work to test the genuineness of our faith. Warren Wiersbe reminds us, “The trials of life test our faith to prove its sincerity. A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted.”
Remember that throughout these trials, the impurities of our faith are revealed and removed. Isaiah 48:10 reads,
Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
To refine a metal, one would have to expose it to heat - so much heat, that the metal passes from a solid state to a molten, liquid state. Throughout this process, impurities known as dross rise to the surface and are removed, so that the molten metal becomes pure.
This is what happens when we suffer. Our faith is tested and is purified. This is an instrument of grace.
How is suffering an instrument of grace? To suffer is to share in the life of Christ.
In verse 13, Peter tells us to rejoice insofar as we share in Christ’s sufferings, that we may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
Suffering is not fun. It’s not something that we look forward to. So, why does Peter say that we are to rejoice in our suffering?
First, we need to clarify. Peter doesn’t tell us to rejoice when we experience any kind of suffering. He’s not a sadist or a masochist. Instead, he tells us to rejoice when we experience suffering because of our faith Christ.
This is what we see in Acts 5:41,
Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
So long as we are suffering for Christ, we can rejoice. Why? Because anyone who shares in Christ’s suffering will also share in his glory.
This is similar to what Peter had written a few verses earlier, in 1 Peter 3:18-4:6. In these verses, Peter reminds us that those who are in Christ will share in his victory, even if they now must share in his suffering. He illustrates this point through baptism, which is not a “removal of dirt from the body of an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” In other words, because Christ died for sin, so we too die to sin. And because Christ has been raised from the dead, so too will we be raised from the dead when he returns.
Paul confirms this in Romans, writing, Romans 6:5
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
And again, Romans 8:17
and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
In 1 Peter 4:13, Peter tells us that we can rejoice as we share in Christ’s suffering because we know that if we share in his suffering, we will also share in his glory. Suffering is an instrument of grace because it reminds us that we share in the life of Christ.
How is suffering an instrument of grace? To suffer is to be sealed by the Holy Spirit.
In verse 14, Peter tells us that if we suffer, if we are insulted for the name of Christ, we are blessed. Here, Peter probably had in mind what Jesus said in Matthew 5:11-12,
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
It’s counterintuitive to say that when you are insulted, you’re actually being blessed. Like, how does that actually work? How can you at the same time be cursed at and also be blessed? Peter explains in the end of verse 14: “you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”
Peter chose his words carefully here, saying that the Spirit would rest upon them, just as the Holy Spirit was promised to rest upon the Messiah in Isaiah 11:2, and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove to rest on Christ at his baptism in Matthew 3:16.
By this, Peter means that if you are in Christ, if you share in his suffering, you will not only share in his life, but also the life he had by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Peter refers to the Spirit as both the Spirit of God and of glory. Now, this is unique in that it is the only instance in the entire Bible where the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of Glory. So, what exactly is going on here?
By referring to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of glory, Peter draws on another theme from Isaiah - that is, glory. Throughout the book of Isaiah, the glory of the LORD is often linked to the day when God’s people return from exile. When Peter says that the Spirit of glory rests upon you, he’s looking forward to the day when Christ returns to bring his people out of exile.
This understanding of the Spirit of glory is similar to what we see in Paul’s writings. In 2 Corinthians 1:22, Paul refers this resting of the Holy Spirit, saying, “God has also put his seal on us and has given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
Similarly, Paul writes in Ephesians 1:13-14,
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Suffering is an instrument of grace because it shows that we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, until Christ returns to bring us out of exile and into glory.
If you are in Christ, the suffering you experience is met by extravagant grace. The redemptive purpose in suffering is what helps us endure. We know that our suffering in this exilic state will not last forever, but that God will bring us home to the place where there are no more tears, no more pain, no more suffering. We long for that day.
Suffering and Future Judgment
As we continue in the text, Peter turns our attention to suffering, as it relates to future judgment. When we think of suffering, we often think of suffering that is out of our control. We’ll think of suffering in terms of disaster, disease, or persecution. Yet, Peter reminds us of the important distinction between suffering that is deserved and suffering for our faith. In light of our future judgment before God, Peter encourages us to remain steadfast, continuing to suffer according to God’s will, rather than suffering for evil.
In verses 15 and 16, Peter reminds us that there are two kinds of suffering we might face: suffering we deserve and suffering for our faith.
In 1 Peter 4:15, he writes, “But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.” In other words, Peter is telling us that there is a kind of suffering that we should avoid - that is, the suffering we earn for doing evil.
In Galatians, Paul warns us,
This is the only instance in which Peter explicitly tells us to avoid suffering and it is the only kind of suffering that we have any control over.
In contrast to this, Peter continues in verse 16, writing, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.”
Rather than suffering for sins committed, Peter encourages us to boldly suffer for the name of Christ. As the early believers didn’t frequently refer to themselves as “Christians,” Peter is likely referring to criminal or, at the very least, public punishment in verses 15 and 16.
He’s pleading with them, that they would not incur criminal or public punishment for any kind of sin. But if they were to suffer any kind of punishment, let it be due to them publicly bearing of the name of Christ.
Before I move any further in our text, I wanted to take a moment to address a problem that I’ve seen with Christianity in our culture.
The problem with Christianity within our culture is that many profess Christianity without ever actually knowing Christ. Many are familiar with the Jesus of television, the Jesus of politics, or the Jesus of fundamentalism, but don't actually know the Jesus of the Bible.
Do you know what's so heartbreaking about this? Many of the misrepresentations of Christ that we see throughout our culture are not simply due to a lack of Bible knowledge (that's certainly part of it - the Bible was meant for reading, not dusting). Instead, many of the misrepresentations of Christ that we see are due to reactions against Christians. They know that Christ commands us to love, but then see us and think love shouldn't look like that.
If you are in Christ, you serve as a living apologetic for all that God is and all that he wants for this world. God intended the church to be his covenant to the world, proving that he isn't finished with his redemption project yet.
Some of the greatest issues plaguing our churches today concern race, gender, and sexual abuse. What does it say about us, as Christians within an unchristian culture, if we can't get these right? What kind of Christ are we putting on display for the world to see?
If we are to endure any kind of suffering within our culture, please let it be because we are faithfully proclaiming Christ and upholding the truth in his word.
As we pick back up, in verses 17-18, Peter focuses on eschatological judgment that awaits all people. He writes, “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?
It’s odd to think that we, as Christians, will undergo judgment upon Christ’s return, or that we are even undergoing judgment now. Yet, this precisely what Peter means when he declares, “It is time for judgment to begin at the household of God.”
In Peter’s day, there was an established link between the persecution of God’s people and the eschatological (end-time) judgment. Although there’s no direct verse that Peter’s referring to here, he relies heavily on the minor prophets, who talked about persecution as a means of refining Israel and weeding out the unfaithful.
To say that judgment has begun with the house of God is not only to talk about the final judgment where individuals receive reward or punishment, but it’s also to talk about judgment as a means of separating the righteous from the unrighteous.
As we, along with Peter’s readers, experience suffering because of our faith in Christ, the sincerity of our faith is revealed and the assurance of our salvation becomes that much more clear.
Knowing that suffering helps reveal the genuineness of one’s faith, Peter surely took comfort in the fact that Christians will share in Christ’s glory upon his return. But what about non-Christians? Peter questions their fate, saying “What will be the outcome of those who do not obey the gospel of God?”
Peter quotes Proverbs 11:31, here, to help illustrate the severe judgment that awaits non-Christians upon Christ’s return. The phrase “if the righteous are scarcely saved” is a bit misleading. This isn’t to say that only some Christians will ultimately be saved, but that they will be saved through difficulty.
The point he’s trying to make is that if suffering makes it difficult for Christians to faithfully endure, remaining steadfast unto the end, how much more difficult will it be for those who reject Christ and persist in their sin?
Peter’s aim in these last few verses was to encourage his readers to remain steadfast, despite whatever suffering they might be facing. They were to endure, knowing that their endurance revealed the genuineness of their faith. Even as they reflected on the plight of non-Christians, who will face much greater judgment upon Christ’s return, they could be encouraged knowing that, as they suffered for Christ now, they had assurance of their coming salvation.
Here, we say with Paul, 2 Corinthians 4:17
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
Finally, in 1 Peter 4:19, Peter concludes,
Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
Application
In light of our text this morning, let me give you a couple points of application.
Suffering is hard, so remind yourself of God’s promises
Suffering is hard, so encourage other believers
Suffering for Christ now is better than suffering apart from Christ later.
Suffer in obedience to God’s will, not as a consequence to sin.
Prayer