God's Sovereignty in Suffering

Introduction

At the end of 1 Peter 4:11 Peter calls us to glorify God in everything we do. In that whole passage we saw that this involved using that which God has already given us: prayer, the Bible, and our gifts - in service to the Church. This week we’re going to take these and see how they relate to our persevering and enduring the trials and suffering within the context of life.

Throughout First Peter he has been attempting to help Believers to understand Christian suffering. When we are allied to Christ we are by necessity at odds with the world, with the result being hostility toward us because we belong to Christ. This hostility may be very low key, a little jibe here and there, but it may be larger than life, being ousted from society at some level all the way to beatings and the like. Peter has given us a few reasons why we suffer in this world. We go through trials because we are sinners and live in a fallen world. We go through trials because we live at odds with the world’s ideals. And in chapter 5 we will see the penultimate reason we go through trials is because of the great adversary, the Devil, is seeking to devour us. The ultimate reason why we suffer in this life, however, is because God wills it. God purposes suffering in our lives to cause us to rely on Him for all of our living and faith, in humbleness.

God has also given us to the Bible to help us understand how we are to respond when trials and suffering cross our path. In this passage we see Peter encouraging Believers as they go through fiery trials, which should in no way surprise us.

If you open your bible to 1 Peter 4, we will begin from verse 12.

Fiery Trials

1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you. The word beloved tells us that a new thought has begun. But it should also reminds us that we are the beloved of God. He has not taken us into the deep dark woods and left us there all alone. If you are a Christian, and yet are suffering in this world, then you have the assurance that God is still looking after you.

The fiery trial relates back to 1 Peter 1:6-7, In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. The image of testing through fire is seen in a number of places throughout the Scriptures. God brings us into fiery trials as Psalm 66:10 tells us, For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance. Tried or tested refers to the purifying process or the precious metal. You place the ore into a furnace and as the metal becomes liquid you have to spoon off the rubbish material until their is little to nothing left to remove.

This is elsewhere termed as refining. Again in Zechariah 13:9, And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. How do can we be sure our faith is the real deal? God shows us through the fiery trials we go through.

What is the purpose and result of this refining process? Malachi 3:3 gives us the answer: He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. This is the picture of sanctification. The Supernatural work of the Holy Spirit within each Believer. The purpose of going through fiery trials is so that our sins may be purged from us. That everything that is not pure and holy and righteous may be scooped off the top and thrown away. The Holy Spirit does the work, but we are called to work at removing sin in our lives too. This is done in such a way that the glory of the battle still belongs to God, and not us. This happens that we grow and become more like the image of Christ.

Going through fiery trials and suffering at the hands of the world, should never come as a surprise to Believers. We should not think it strange concerning the fiery trial, as though some strange thing happened to you. When we are surprised at some sudden bad news in our lives, we can quickly become overwhelmed. We begin to think either God doesn’t love us, like He used to when things were going well. Or we may question what we have done wrong to deserve this PUNISHMENT. In doing this, though, despair sets in quickly. We become daisy Christians. God loves me, He loves me not, He loves me, He loves me not. But Peter guides us away from that kind of thinking, reminding us that trials are part and parcel of being God’s children. If you remember the picture of the deep dark woods, from earlier. The trials and suffering we go through are not strange, nor does God leave us, but the complete opposite. It is a sign of God’s love and care, of His cleansing us from our sin.

Blessed in Suffering

We are not to think it strange that we suffer fiery trials, 1 Peter 4:13, but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. The old adage, what is good for the goose is good for the gander is more than true here. We go through suffering and trials because it first happened to God’s Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. The servant is not above His master (John13:16). Calvin writes, “that though Christ was the ‘well-beloved Son’ (Matt. 3:17; 17:5) yet he was not delivered from death until he had endured the punishment which we deserved, for that was the price by which our salvation was purchased.” Jesus, the Son of God, suffered terribly on the cross, though He died as He lived, perfectly. And at the other end He received His just reward, the crown of Heaven. Jesus was able to endure the fiery trials set before Him because He knew whom He served, and believed in His promises of life.

At the beginning of this letter, Peter had already placed our trials and suffering in the light of the One who suffered in our place. Who suffered as the price of our salvation. In 1 Peter 1:2 he says very succinctly, elect according to....sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. This can refer to nothing other than the suffering Jesus went through on the Cross. A knife cut across Jesus hand was never going to cut it. He had to suffer the condemnation for our sins. The suffering of the full wrath of God was upon Him. Christ endured it all, knowing whom God is and trusting in His promises of glorious resurrection and exultation. And at the end of the suffering, of enduring it all in the power of the Spirit, he was able to say, “it is finished.”

It is in this confidence, then, that we are able to rejoice in Christ, the Rock of our salvation. Just as Christ trusted in God’s Sovereignty and promises that were to await Him on the other side of the cross, so too can we trust in God’s Sovereignty and promises. Peter gives us the promises in 1 Peter 1:3-5, new birth, new hope, an incorruptible, undefiled and unfading inheritance, kept by the infinite power of almighty God. If we focus on what Christ has done, in addition to the blessings that will be given to us when Christ is revealed at His second coming, then we will be in a better position, better equipped, to rejoice and be glad with exceeding joy.

The Great Protector

1 Peter 4:14, If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. In the verse 13 we told to rejoice in our sufferings and in this verse we a given a tremendous benefit while we suffer for the name of Christ. That benefit, of course, is the protection, comfort, and blessings God gives to us through the “resting” of the Holy Spirit upon us. This again takes us back to the beatitudes in Matthew 5. In verse 11 Jesus says, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.” The word revile in Matthew and the word reproached in 1 Peter are the same Greek word. We are blessed if we hold up under pressure when the world is reviling and mistreating us for holding onto our affection of Christ.

There is another promise that is given to us in verse 14. Notice how it says the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. Peter is reassuring the Believers that the promise of future glory is a present reality. The promise of future glory is a present reality. Sometimes when Christians speak of glory it it is often in reference to going to glory. In this way glory is attributed to the completion of redemptive history, the perfected state of the new creation. We find this in Romans 8:30, Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. Notice how in this verse our future state is also shown to be a present reality. If you are predestined, you are called, and justified, and glorified. All in the past tense. This is a great promise from God. If you are the object of the worlds wrath toward God, God is with you, His Spirit rests upon you. Rejoice for you blessed by God. Though you may suffer now, Glory awaits. This is exactly why, in Acts 5:40-41, Peter and John were able to leave the Sanhedrin, after a beating, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for Christ’s name. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you too can rejoice in the knowledge of suffering shame for His name.

Suffer for Righteousness

1 Peter 4:15, But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. First Peter gives four examples of sinful behavior that results in people suffering. These things don’t need any explanation, so we will continue to verse 16.

1 Peter 4:16, Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. The word Christian here is very appropriate. These Believers suffered persecution for their local communities because they didn’t follow the religion of their neighbors and friends. In the Roman Empire of the first century, each city and town had their own gods which they held in higher stead than others. Throughout the year there would be festivals and feasts set aside for the purpose of paying homage to these gods. No problems were to be found until a family or two became believers in Christ. No longer could they even pretend to pay homage to a false god, or to go to the feasts in their honor. The immediate effect was hostility, and persecution. This verse is assuring us that if we stay true to our Savior’s calling, true in word and action, particularly when those outside the church accuse us of being unloving bigots, and haters, then we are giving glory to God. He is pleased with us. Jesus said in Luke 9:26, For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. If we are ashamed of Christ and His salvation in this life, we can expect Him to be ashamed of us when He returns at the end of the age. Let me encourage you to rejoice and be glad when you suffer for Christ’s name. Rejoice and be glad that you are on the side of the victor. If you are reproached, you are blessed.

The call upon every one of us here is to live holy lives before our God. Both in season and out. Whether the world thinks highly of your moral stance, or whether it persecutes you for it. God is always watching and is guarding you for that great and glorious Day of the Lord.

Let us pray.