Learning to Suffer Well

This evening we are going to wrap up 1 Peter by working our way through chapter 5.

Throughout the last several weeks, we have gone chapter by chapter while taking a good deep look at the content of this book.

As we get ready to dive into the text, I want us to remember who it was the epistle was addressed to. 1 Peter 1:1 tells us the intended recipient were the people of God or “God’s elect” who were exiles… who were scattered throughout the various provinces.

They were out of place… The NIV uses the word exiles. The KJV says strangers. They were out of place and scattered… aliens in the land they found themselves in.

As we have seen… suffering is a major theme within this epistle… suffering for Jesus that is. Last week, we completed chapter 4 and dealt with a section of Scripture where Peter addressed the elephant in the room - suffering.

Although many of us do not like the idea of suffering… we can never forget the words Jesus spoke regarding the cost of being His disciples… Luke 9:22-24

Luke 9:22–24 NIV

22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” 23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.

Jesus knew suffering. He experienced it at the highest level. Jesus spoke of His suffering and made clear that those who follow Him will join with Him in suffering. Consider this...

At salvation - we join in Him with death. The old life is DONE. Our sins are forgiven

We also join with Him in His resurrection. He pours in new life in place of the old.

In our walk… we follow Christ DAILY even if that walk takes us through times of suffering.

Suffering will be a part of our walk of faith in Christ Jesus. The question is: will we follow Christ even in times of exile… of being scattered… and being out of place?

I hope the answer today is a resounding YES! Why? Because JESUS IS WORTH IT! OUR FREEDOM IS WORTH IT!

Let’s keep things in perspective today… If you are saved… YOU HAVE JESUS. Truly you have come out from under the suffering of this world.

Those who do not have Christ still live in that suffering of sin and brokenness daily. THE GREATEST SUFFERING A PERSON CAN EXPERIENCE IS THE RESULT OF BEING ALIENATED FROM JESUS! Sin is what separates us from God and leads us deeper into suffering.

As 1 Peter comes to a close, Peter gives 3 points regarding what it means to suffer well if you will. He hits on three key reminders that this exiled community needed to hear. Yes… you might be in a place of suffering BUT the mission remains.

SUFFERING Well means SHEPHERDING Well

1 Peter 5:1–4 NIV

1 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

Peter calls out the elders. Peter sends out a strong reminder to those in leadership within the church. And I feel this message is very timely for us today as well. Peter calls the elders out and reminds them to LEAD ACCORDING TO THE CALL - to shepherd God’s flock by caring for them and watching over them.

Peter begins this section by building a bridge with His audience first.

He identifies himself as a fellow elder - as one who is also in the trenches. He is writing to encourage. He knows the struggle. He knows the difficulty… BUT HE ALSO KNOWS THE POWER OF GOD!

Peter witnessed the sufferings of Jesus - he was a devout follower of Christ AND… Jesus Himself had given Peter a similar command in John 21. Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. And three times Jesus instructed Peter to do what? FEED MY SHEEP! Be the Shepherd! Care and watch over His disciples!

Peter is bringing this reminder to his fellow elders and as one who has been commanded by Christ Himself to shepherd and care for God people!

Peter reminds elders to Shepherd God’s flock.

This is a command of compassion. This is a command of care and of love. This is a command to watch over.

This command means that elders and overseers need to make the people of God a high priority. It means we get in the trenches. It means we take on burdens. It means we answer the phone at 2 AM, it means we sit in the hospital with someone who is sick or has had surgery. It means that we allow for the love of Christ to flow through us as we love on HIS people.

It also means… WE GIVE THEM THE WORD. Elders and overseers listen to me: Do what you can to give the Word of God to the people He has placed in your care. There is no other thing greater that you can give them!

Secondly, the Word says to shepherd by serving. This service is not for personal gain but for the glory of God.

The Scripture is very clear here: our service to God is NOT to be out of obligation. Chapter 5 says serve because you are willing, not because you must.

This kind of service is not interested in position or title. This kind of serving is not so much interested in paychecks and career steps. This kind of serving is not interested in lording over or having authority.

This kind of serving is interested in FOLLOWING THE CALL God has placed upon your life! This kind of serving considers convenience after the call. This kind of serving places comfort after the call.

I get it… sometimes the things the Lord calls us to do is inconvenient. Sometimes the work is uncomfortable. But I cannot imagine that the journey to Calvary was comfortable as the Lord carried His cross and I’m sure it was very inconvenient to have nails driven through his hands!

Pastors… I know its been hard. I know this last season has stretched us and discouraged many. I realize things are not the way they used to be.

But are you willing? I’ll be honest… I found myself getting complacent. I found myself… to a degree… becoming angry with my circumstance. “I didn’t sign up for this” I thought… but then God reminded me, “No you didn’t… I CALLED you to serve for such a time as this.”

Leaders… our level of service should NOT depend on our surrounding circumstances but WILL BE DETERMINED BY OUR WILLINGNESS TO LIVE OUT THE CALL GOD HAS PLACED UPON OUR LIVES.

Thirdly, Peter said to look to Christ as our example.

There is no greater shepherd than Jesus - our chief shepherd! Jesus is the ULTIMATE example of what it means to shepherd and serve.

Consider the moment when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. He took on the very appearance of a servant as He did one of the most lowly things a servant could do. He was willing to go the distance… how far are we willing to go?

No servant is greater than his/her master. Church… if we ever find ourselves in a place where we begin to think “this is below us” or “I’ve got better and bigger things to do instead of this” then we better get our eyes back on our example who is Jesus.

My mentor taught me a very good and memorable lesson when it came to serving.

It started with a toilet brush.

It moved on to a sign.

After CBC… it graduated into youth ministry and you know what I did the first Sunday we were at Garden City? I plunged a clogged toilet and mopped up a big mess in the men’s restroom during morning service while several guys stood outside the door who didn’t want to get their shoes dirty.

If Jesus was willing… then so should those who follow them be willing. If Jesus took up MY cross… then I will take up the cross daily and follow Him.

SUFFERING Well means SUBMITTING Well

1 Peter 5:5–7 NIV

5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Peter began with the elder but then moves to the younger… and he gives clear instruction that the younger needs to submit to the elder.

This is a strong word and sometimes a hard concept for us to grab a hold of. But I will say this statement of observation: we are struggling with this within the church today and the results are NOT good.

People do not view pastors and elders in the same way they used to. Where such individuals used to be looked upon as spiritual authorities, such is not the same today.

Instead, we see somewhat of a canceling situation going on here. If the pastor says something I don’t like, I’ll go find a teacher/preacher that will. If a leader in the church tries to holds me accountable I’ll go somewhere where they mind their own business.

Submission to the elder is not a position of dominance one over another but is a show of respect to the God-given call and anointing that is upon that person. And this form of submission is something that ALL of us need in our lives.

Locally the pastor is the shepherd of the church. He/she oversees the spiritual duties there. But even as a pastor, I submit myself to our district pastor who helps oversee the churches here in state of Kansas. God has placed within our lives a person of spiritual significance that we need to be in submission to.

This is ultimately a call to be a disciple. This is a call to learn… a call to glean from those who might be older or more spiritually mature. We have an amazing opportunity to learn from the experiences of those who were in the trenches before us. DO NOT NEGATE THE IMPORTANCE of this submission!

How we submit ourselves is through humbleness.

Look at verse 6 again. “ 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

There is no better place to be than under the loving and caring hand of God. I fear there might be some that would view the phrase “under God’s mighty hand” as a place of abuse or mistreatment. Nothing could be further from the truth.

To be under His hand is to be under His care… to be under His hand is to be aligned with His will. To be under His hand is to be a member of His flock.

God’s hand is a guiding hand. God’s hand is a comforting and protecting hand. God’s hand is not one of oppression but is one of provision! Watch this: As we humble ourselves under His hand… we position ourselves to be lifted up Him!

Let’s not mistaken God’s hand with the hand of man. Let’s not make the assumption that being under the hand of God is like being under the hand of anyone else. THERE IS NO PLACE THAT I WOULD RATHER BE! When we humble ourselves by submitting to our elder… we position ourselves within a God-given order within His church.

This is a position of discipleship and growth.

And it’s here that we find the ability to do something rather amazing! Verse 7 says to cast your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

To cast is to throw off.

My oldest son loves to fish. Doesn’t matter the day or the time of year. If there is a remote possibility that he can throw a line in the water at hopes of catching a fish you better believe he will be there.

We have a little lake in Agra that he does shore fishing from. Mason will cast that line and bait out to where he believes the fish are… he throws that line out away from where he is to exact point that he wants it to be.

I realize today there is a lot to be anxious about. Remember the theme of the epistle is suffering… I can get anxious when I think about suffering!

Whether it be personal situations or just watching the news… there is a lot that can make a person anxious today. The “what ifs” can just about drive a person crazy!

This verse says to cast your anxiety to God.

Throw it off… send it out… not aimlessly but to the One who can take care of it. GOD CARES FOR YOU.

If all we try to do is shrug it off… anxiety has a tendency to return. But when we FULLY give it to God or cast it to God… we can truly breathe a sigh of relief because we know God will take care of it.

Anxiety is often the result of being overwhelmed and under-resourced.

And at the center of the situation is often the person feeling this within. I have this big problem and these small resources… what can I do with this?

When we throw off or cast our anxiety to God… we give control to Him. We take “I” out of the picture and give it to the One who is unlimited in His resources and power! GOD IS ABLE… but we must be willing to cast our anxiety to Him!

SUFFERING Well means RESISTING Well

1 Peter 5:8–11 NIV

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

The devil is looking to take advantage of any suffering you might encounter. The enemy is looking for the right moment to strike… the right moment to pounce… the right moment to bring destruction to your life.

The Word tells us to resist… to take a stand. The Word tells us NOT TO GIVE THE DEVIL AN INCH.

Here’s the deal… when we find ourselves in a place of suffering for Christ, we can respond in one of two ways.

One, we keep our eyes on Jesus by continuing to serve well and to submit OR we get into a pattern of the flesh… a pattern that opens the door for the enemy to come in and attack.

Again, we can see three points regarding our resisting the enemy. One is to stand ready.

We need to be alert. We need to be sober minded. We need not be intoxicated with anything that we distract us or lead us from God’s truth.

We need to be mindful that the enemy is real and he is out there waiting… We need to be aware of his tactics and we need to be aware of our readiness.

When the pressure is on…

Stand Firm in the Faith.

Don’t lose sight of God’s truth. HOLD ON

Set your foundations on Jesus - His truth and His way.

And take note of this… YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY PERSON OF FAITH THAT MIGHT BE SUFFERING.

I see this as a “we are all in this together” kind of statement. It is a call for brotherhood within the family of God. We are the body… we rejoice together and we suffer together.

Look to one another for encouragement and look to one another for help. If the enemy is attacking… DO NOT ISOLATE YOURSELF but reach out to those who will lift you up, pray for you, and stand with you in your sufferings. Chances are… you know someone who has been there and done that. We need to stand firm in the faith… TOGETHER!

Stand Fast.

Refuse to be moved.

Do not give in. Even though it might seem as everything is falling apart… take heart… because the victory is coming!

Look at verse 10 again. “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

Watch this: God’s grace is WITH YOU in your suffering and God’s grace will RESTORE YOU AND MAKE YOU STRONG!!! And pay close attention… it says the suffering will be for “a little while” In other words… IT IS A SEASON. THIS TOO WILL PASS. And for those who remain strong in their faith they will receive their eternal reward!

DO NOT BE MOVED! Stand fast in His grace and His strength and He will help you overcome. If God be for you… who can be against you? That enemy who is looking to destroy you today HAS ALREADY BEEN DEFEATED! YOUR VICTORY IS NOT DEPENDENT ON YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES! Your victory is secured in substitutionary work of Christ on the cross. The enemy is defeated! Say that with me this evening… the enemy IS DEFEATED!

Closing

1 Peter 5:12–13 NIV

12 With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark.

Church… as we are living in these last days… we know there is a lot on the horizon. We know that hardships will increase… but we also know that in these last days, God said He would pour out His Spirit on ALL people.

This is NOT a day of retreat for the church but a day of advancement. Yes… suffering will come. But we are to remain faithful as shepherds. We are to remain as disciples through submission. We are to resist the enemy through the grace of God.

The best is yet to come. God is on the move.

Are you ready to move with Him… no matter what?

We are working hard to see the lost of the heartland saved by the name of Jesus. We are believing for God to do amazing things. With that belief must come the resolve to follow Him no matter what.

Following Him will mean doing what He leads us to do. Right now… God is setting us up for a season unlike anything we have seen before. And I believe it is a season that will prepare us for a move of His Spirit like we have never seen before.

Our responsibility is to follow and stay faithful to God. We don’t know exactly what that will look like… but we know so long as God is leading, great things are ahead.

So where is our level of resolve? How far are we willing to go? How willing are we to shepherd well, submit well, and resist well?

Prayer - Lord, Strengthen our faith to stand for you no matter our circumstance.