7: Smiling While Suffering (1 Peter 4:12-19)

Several weeks ago we tapped the brakes on our 1 Peter Series to teach our ADVENT SERIES. We will pick up where we left off and finish this series over the next 2 weeks. But before we do, let’s do a quick fly-over of what we have covered so far.

We called this entire series: Hope for Suffering Saints as this is the focus of Simon Peter’s writing.

You can go listen to the entire series (and about 500 other teachings) on our website: at FOM.LIFE

After the intro to 1 Peter we considered whether our lives demonstrate that we appreciate the PRICE paid for us. We can never REPAY what He’s done for us, but we can OBEY because of what he’s done for us.

Then we are discovered how people who are part of the House of God should live & love.

Next we were reminded that being punished for doing what is right is exactly what happened to Jesus, and followers of Jesus better be ready to respond like Jesus did.

Then we discovered some practical ways to be faithful in REVEALING THE GOD WHO SAVES to our family, to our faith family, and to our community.

Finally, we reminded that we can best thank God for His good gifts by giving them to others.

And now we pick up where we left off in a teaching entitled Smiling While Suffering.

A Facebook post this week told how teenager recently asked a parent this question: “If there really is a God, why do bad things happen to good people that believe in HIM?”

How would YOU answer THAT?

Today we will seek an answer from a man who understood tough times. The apostle Peter, along with other 1st century Christians often suffered, persecuted for their faith in Jesus. YET...through it all, something strange occurred; they were Smiling While Suffering, because they had HOPE in the midst of the HURT. HOW is that possible, and how can WE experience that kind of hope? Today we find out.

PRAY

If Peter were writing to US today, I think the focus would be different. Rather than encouraging us in the midst of suffering, I think he would tell us to prepare for the suffering that is coming as our culture continues to drift away from Christian principles & practices. And when suffering comes, here’s how we should respond.

1 Peter 4:12–14 (NIV)

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

This is not theoretical for Peter. He and the 1st century followers of Jesus knew what it was like to be insulted because of the name of Christ. Beyond that they knew what it was like to face physical beatings and be thrown in jail.

And yet, they were able to Smile While Suffering. They didn’t ENJOY the beatings & the persecution, but they did ENDURE the fiery ordeal for 2 reasons. They understood that:

1) Christ Suffered = Christians Suffer

Based on what Jesus told His disciples, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when we are persecuted. Just before Jesus was mocked, beaten, spit on, scourged, and crucified, He reminded His disciples of a truth many of us probably don’t memorize and marinate on.

John 15:20 (NIV)

Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

WHY IS THAT? People don’t like to HEAR the TRUTH when it confronts their lifestyles.

Let’s test that claim. Just turn to the person next to them and remind them: “Sometimes you’re wrong.” You might like to SAY it, but you don’t like to HEAR it. The same is true for everybody in this room and everybody on this planet.

Christians who share the good news of Jesus - that He has come to forgive sinners, also have to share the bad news of Jesus - that people who have sinned are doing WRONG - currently GUILTY in their sins, and need to turn from sin and turn to Jesus. That message is offensive to many.

But it goes further than that. While many people don’t like HEAR the TRUTH, some people don’t like to SEE the TRUTH lived out in front of their eyes. WHY? People who DON’T live in purity are often convicted by people who DO live in purity.

Maybe you’ve seen it happen. People who cuss like a sailor around their friends who do the same, don’t think twice about it. But when a real Christian shows up the person with the potty mouth either 1) cleans up their language or 2) acts frustrated or angry that a Christian is near and wanting to cramp their style.

And as we’ve said before - if Christians can do what is right, then others can’t lean on the LIE “I can’t help myself” to really justify their actions & words.

Christ Suffered and those who follow Christ will Suffer too.

However, there is a silver lining. Look at HOW and WHY the Christian should respond.

1 Peter 4:12–14 (NIV)

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

HOW should we respond? Rejoice. WHY should we respond that way? The Spirit of God rests on you…and…because there is a future day coming when the present sufferings will fade into the past as the future glory becomes the present reality.

The apostle Paul put it like this:

Romans 8:18 (NIV)

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Peter and Paul both trusted a great truth that we must come to trust as well:

2) Future Hope > Present Suffering

[PAIN OF CHILDBIRTH, JOY OF THE CHILD]

Every mother and father who has been through birthing a baby understands this idea. The woman is struggling, hurting, & experiencing anguish - thinking it will never end. Husbands watch as their precious brides cry & hurt.

And regardless of how kind he is being - the husband holding her hand is likely having his fingers mashed in the vice grip of her contractions, or might be scolded for touching her…and told he will never touch her again....

BUT…once the baby is birthed, smiles permeate the room & the former pain is just a distant memory that fades away like an object becoming smaller and smaller in your rear view mirror.

In that moment the the glory was worth the suffering.

And the next pregnancy, the parents can keep this in mind, that although there will be more pain, the...

Future Hope > Present Suffering

Christians, we must remember that THIS is not heaven.

It’s a messed up place with messed up people. Yes, there are glimpses of joy, beauty, and grace, but there is also pain, suffering, injustice, and death.

But one day, all of that will end! No more hurts or hospitals, nor more abuse and theft, no more destruction or death.

Followers of Jesus will be in the presence of those we love who died as followers of Jesus…and… we will be in the Presence of our King - the One who died for us!

Oh that we could keep that moment on the front burner our our minds!

But until that day..

1 Peter 4:15–16 (NIV)

If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that Name.

If you deserve the punishment you are receiving God knows and God approves. BUT…if you suffer as a Christian, you can be confident that God knows and applauds your obedience to not be ashamed of bearing the name of Jesus.

This is exactly what Peter and the other apostles did. As you’ll remember, they had been told to stop teaching in the Name of Jesus. When they refused, the religious leaders in Jerusalem...

Acts 5:40–42 (NIV)

...They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

How could these men who had been hiding from these leaders just after Jesus’ death, now stand so boldly before the same leaders they were once so afraid of?

Just before Jesus was about to be arrested, Jesus warned His disciples that they would run away in fear, BUT...Jesus also encouraged them with these words.

John 16:33 (CSB)

I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

How would Jesus conquer the world? Just a few moments before these words Jesus alluded to THE EVENT (His resurrection) that would change their world, using an illustration we borrowed from earlier in this teaching.

John 16:21–22 (NIV)

A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

And sure enough, just when the apostles thought the battle was over and their hopes were dashed - including Peter - the guy who wrote this letter - Jesus appeared…RISEN from the dead - large and in charge! The world can’t conquer the One who holds the keys to life and death.

And that’s why Peter and the early Christians could Smile While Suffering. Those who had saw a resurrected King who gave them an eternal hope. This is also why Paul was willing to be shamed, willing to suffer, willing to die - because of the trustworthy hope that...

Future Hope > Present Suffering

Paul writes it this way:

2 Corinthians 4:8–12 (NIV)

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

2 Corinthians 4:13–15 (NIV)

It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to Himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (NIV)

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Finally, Peter both warns and encourages of God’s pruning process that proves those who are His and those who are not.

1 Peter 4:17 (NIV)

For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household...

What’s that about?

Sometimes God disciplines His children who aren’t walking in obedience - like any good parent would do - not to CRUSH them, but to CORRECT them and TRAIN them. If you aren’t walking in obedience, but claim Jesus as your King, don’t be surprised when He calls you back to Himself by allowing tough times or allowing the consequence of your actions to play out.

And then there are the times that we ARE walking in obedience, when God allows suffering to REFINE US, to PRUNE US, so that we are molded into the image of Jesus (Rm 8:28-29) to further the Gospel message. Like it or not, most likely - it is during our most difficult days that we seek the Lord in prayer and surrender all - every thought, action, relationship, and material possession to Him.

When you prune a fruit tree it might look like you are injuring it, but in reality, you are cutting it back so that in the future it will bear MORE FRUIT. God does the same thing in our lives, but isn’t until AFTER the fruit is born that we realize the purpose of the pruning.

If you’re a follower of Jesus going through difficult days…hang on, seek the Lord, ask brothers/sisters to walk with you through it.

1 Peter 4:17–18 (NIV)

For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

While the a follower of Jesus can lean on the promise that...

Future Hope > Present Suffering

The person who refuses to follow Jesus should be warned that...

Present Hope < Future Suffering.

There is a day of judgment coming, when God’s justice will be handed down and an eternal hell will be the place of punishment.

I PLEAD WITH YOU, stop living for TODAY and start living for ETERNITY. Turn from your sin and turn to Jesus. It won’t be an easy road, but those traveling with you and your final destination will be worth it all!

And we finish with this last passage.

1 Peter 4:19 (NIV)

So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Many people in this room have gone, are going, will be go through times of suffering - maybe through medical, relational, financial, or emotional turmoil. OR…maybe suffering persecution because of your stand for Jesus. Either way, while these difficult days might be a surprise to you and me, they are NOT A SURPRISE TO GOD, has allowed this according to His will.

After all, what option do we have?

When Tonya and I found out she had cancer, on that most wicked Thursday of my life - we had NO CLUE how things would end up. We wept, we sat in silence, and then we prayed something like this: “God we will trust that you love us. We ask that you will heal us and use this for your glory.”

Where else were we gonna go? Our life is in Jesus!

So, we committed ourselves to our faithful Creator and committed to continue to do good.

And now, over 3 years removed from that moment, we can see how God has pruned us and used even this for glory.

And THAT’S how Christians can be SMILING WHILE SUFFERING

1) We remember that Christ Suffered and His followers will suffer too. We trust that God will use our tough times for His glory.

2) And...We remember that the Future Hope > Present Suffering. This is NOT heaven and these tough times won’t last forever. We trust the One who resurrected from the dead, and we know that our future is with Him!

The Battle of Waterloo is one of the most famous battles in history. It occurred on the mainland of Europe on June 18, 1815. It pitted the French army, commanded by Napoleon, against the Anglo-German-Dutch forces led by the Duke of Wellington and the Prussian forces.

There’s a twist in the story in how the news about Waterloo reached England.

- News was carried first by a ship that sailed from Europe across the English Channel to England’s southern coast.

- The news was then relayed from the coast by signal flags to London.

- When the report was received in London at Winchester Cathedral, the flags atop the cathedral began to spell out Wellington’s defeat of Napoleon to the entire city: “Wellington defeated …” However, before the message could be completed, a good old-fashioned London fog moved in, and the rest of the message was hidden.

Based on incomplete information, the citizens of London thought Napoleon had won. That would have been a devastating defeat for England. Gloom filled the nation as the bad news quickly spread everywhere.

But when the mist began to lift, the flags high up on Winchester Cathedral completed the news. The flags spelled out this triumphant message: “Wellington defeated the enemy!”

The English fears had been unfounded. Joy immediately replaced the gloom. All over England people danced in the streets, rejoicing at this great victory over one of the most dangerous enemies the nation had ever faced.

In the same way, the resurrection and ascension of Christ gives us a certain hope that our own victory has been secured.

* David R. Helm, 1 & 2 Peter and Jude: Sharing Christ’s Sufferings, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2008), 122.

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