1 Peter 1:3-9
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3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 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. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Introduction
Introduction
There are very few guarantees in life - but one that we can all count on is that we will all endure suffering in various forms.
Suffering and the fear of suffering is part of life - everyone is either enduring the pain of loss, disease and death, or living in fear of losing everything.
Of course we all know about the suffering of poverty. The World Bank considers anyone who lives on less than $2.15 (R34) every day as living below the poverty line.
Globally, the number of people living on less than that is estimated at over 700 million.
In South Africa, 1 in 5 people live below the poverty line.
But suffering is not restricted to money problems. 2020 and Covid19 rocked our boats and we all learned that no matter how stable we think we are, in just a matter of days the whole world can be turned upside down.
Apart from job insecurity and financial losses, we all had to come to terms with death in our familes and among our friends. Some of us even had to face the threat of losing our own lives.
Then there is the pain of sorrow. Whether rich or poor, we will all endure the suffering of people we love turning their backs on us, hurting us, or choosing destructive paths.
In spite of what the prosperity preacher on TV might tell you, all of this kind of suffering affects both Christian and non-Christian alike.
We all live in this world, and therefore the suffering that is in the world affects us all.
In fact, Peter who here says:
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
…is addressing Christians - the elect exiles of the Dispersion - who are suffering one of the harshest sufferings of all - that of persecution for their faith.
So the Bible is not silent on suffering, and in fact has a prescription for it.
Because James and Paul also speak to suffering when they say:
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
Peter, James and Paul are all saying the same thing: it’s not a question of if, but when you will endure suffering; and in all circumstances they say that what we ought to do is rejoice.
Rejoice while you suffer.
It seems a little counter-intuitive - being told to be happy when I’m suffering.
In my younger days we had a question for people who made statements like this that didn’t seem to make sense and it was “Are you smoking pips?”
But this is one of those things that makes the Church stand out as different in the world - we ALL suffer, and yet Christians still have joy
The rest of the world can’t make sense of this; are we in denial? Are we sadists? How can Christians be joyful when they are suffering?
There must be something the Church has that the world doesn’t.
Peter’s letter calls it “a living hope”
And in the passage we are studying this morning, Peter tells us that:
Jesus is glorified in a suffering world through a joyful Church
1. The Church Has a Living Hope
1. The Church Has a Living Hope
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!”
To a persecuted and suffering church, Peter opens his letter with praise
Praise our God
He is praiseworthy
Why?
“According to His great mercy”, he has:
caused us to be born again
given us a living hope
given us an inheritance
is guarding us through his power for salvation
A) He has caused us to be born again (regenerated)…
A) He has caused us to be born again (regenerated)…
He has caused us to be reborn, recreated - made a new creature. The theological term is regenerated
We have been changed supernaturally by God’s power into a new being.
This is more than just a change of mind, or turning over a new leaf, making a resolution to be a better person
This is something that God has caused to happen - the source of the change, of the rebirth, is God
It is supernatural and comes from God
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
This supernatural rebirth takes us from being people with no faith - who hate God and rebel against Him...
… to being people who have faith - faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, and people who desire to live in obedience to God who they now love
Sometimes this needs to be made especially clear in contexts where people have grown up in churched families
This is not talking about skolies who have straightened out their lives and become morally good and respectable church goers who dress appropriately and don’t have tattoos, drink alcohol or smoke cigars
This is talking about people who were born sinners and hell-bound - which was ALL of us (Rom 3:23)…
and Peter is saying that by God’s mercy alone, even though each of us were born hell-deserving sinners and rebels, we are now hell-deserving but heaven-bound saints
We have been made to be new people - not just externally with new resolutions, but people with new hearts, new desires, new love for God that was not there before
And God get’s all the praise and all the credit - it is not by our effort that we have been made new, but according to His mercy
B) … to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus
B) … to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus
God has mercifully given us the gift of rebirth AND of hope
A living hope - a hope that is rooted in and given to us through the resurrection of Jesus
The resurrection of Jesus is proof that all of God’s promises are true, and that Jesus is the Saviour of the world
As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:14, if Jesus was not raised then we have no hope
But since we know that Jesus was raised, we also know that we will be raised
We have a fixed and living hope
Its not wishful thinking. Its not at all like buying a lotto ticket and hoping you win
It is a confident expectation of future blessings based on facts and promises
Where once we had no hope and only the certainty of death, we now have a living hope and the certain expectation of eternal life
C) … to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, kept in heaven
C) … to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, kept in heaven
Peter’s use of the word “inheritance” was significant to the Christians of Jewish roots that Peter is writing to
In the Old Testament, in Deut 15:4, the Jews were told they would be richly blessed “in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance”
Same word for inheritance is used here
Many of the believers Peter is addressing are Israelites - and they are dispersed - they have lost the land they were meant to possess as their inheritance
Now they are persecuted - possessions have been taken from them or destroyed - and worse - the land that they were meant to possess - their holy land - is now defiled by Gentile pagans and idol worshippers
All possessions in this world are temporary. Possessions - even property - can be destroyed, deteriorate, lose value, get taken away from you. Even the fear of losing these things is a cause of much suffering
But every Christian’s inheritance - the inheritance Peter is talking about here - by contrast, is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, and being guarded for us
The land as an inheritance was never the real deal - it was always just a symbol, a shadow that pointed to our real inheritance in Heaven.
The true inheritance of every believer is Jesus Christ and salvation through his death and resurrection
By God’s mercy we have been born again to a living hope and expectation that our inheritance of eternal life is secure
D) … we are being guarded by God’s power through faith for salvation
D) … we are being guarded by God’s power through faith for salvation
Not only is our inheritance guarded, but believers themselves are guarded by God’s power
A military term - we are being kept safe inside a garrison, a protected fort.
That doesn’t mean we are protected from experiencing suffering - it doesn’t say we are guarded from all mishap
We are being guarded through faith for salvation which is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Our salvation is guarded - our future is secure. God is guarding us by His power from losing our inheritance, from ceasing to be believers and heirs
A true believer will never be able to lose his / her salvation - because we are being guarded by God’s power.
God’s power not only saves us but keeps us saved.
So all praise to God!
So all praise to God!
According to His mercy, He has saved hell-deserving and hell-bound sinners, given us the certain expectation of eternal life, an inhertance that never perishes, and is guarding us for that inheritance.
2. The Church Rejoices While Suffering
2. The Church Rejoices While Suffering
“In this we rejoice…” (verse 6)
Rejoice in what? In the suffering?
in God’s mercy and our salvation
Now because trials and suffering are mentioned doesn’t mean we rejoice in the suffering
When someone is suffering, we don’t rejoice in their suffering
If someone says they have been diagnosed with some illness, it is not appropriate to respond and say “Praise God”
Because Peter is not saying that we rejoice in suffering itself
Peter is saying that we rejoice in God’s mercy and our salvation, and that God’s mercy and our salvation allows us to experience joy in spite of suffering
“In this we rejoice, (even) though now we are grieved by trials
In Phil 4:4 Paul says “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
Always and in every circumstance - rejoice in the Lord
And then again in Phil 4:10 he says “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me… ”
And because he rejoiced in the Lord, he was able to endure whatever circumstance he faced -
12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Notice that he is not saying he can achieve all his dreams because the Lord strengthens him
Paul is saying that he rejoices in the Lord in all circumstances, and the Lord strengthens him to endure all circumstances…
whether he is high or low
whether he has plenty or nothing
He rejoices in the Lord, and the Lord gives him strength
Even when you are suffering, rejoice in the Lord, in His mercy, in His power, in His promises, and He will give you strength
Being able to experience Joy in the middle of tears and sorrow is an exclusively Christian phenomenon
Being able to experience Joy in the middle of tears and sorrow is an exclusively Christian phenomenon
Because we are rejoicing in the Lord
And because we are the only ones who have the context in which to understand suffering in the world
Context of Redemption - looking backward
We know and understand the cause of suffering - sin
We can trace it to the Fall
We also know that the Fall not only brought about human suffering, but made each of us “causers” of human suffering
We bring about our own suffering through our own disobedience to God, doing unwise and evil things that have consequences that hurt us later
But we also bring about the suffering of others through our actions having consequences on others
There is no human suffering that is not caused by man, having its root in sin and sinful, rebellious hearts doing what God has commanded us not to do
But this is why Peter begins this letter to suffering saints with praise for God and praising God for His mercy and for salvation through Jesus Christ
He reminds suffering saints what we have been saved from - from the penalty of our sin and the Judgment of God.
That puts our suffering in context, doesn’t it?
The biggest complaint about suffering? - I don’t deserve this
anger at God
feeling we have been treated unjustly
Why do good things happen to good people?
This stems from self-righteousness - I am a good person - I deserve better
Being reminded that we are saved “according to his great mercy” and not according to our great works...
reminds us that we don’t deserve better - we deserve worse
it is only when God graciously gives any of us good things that we are getting what we don’t deserve
there has only ever been one man who didn’t deserve to suffer - and He suffered worst of all
Jesus suffered for our sins
He got what we deserved - so that we could get what only He deserves
Knowing that we have been given such great mercy...
Christians praise God in spite of whatever sufferings they might endure for the time being
knowing that whatever we endure, we deserve worse
so we make much of grace
Its why Paul says in Phil 3:7-8
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
Context of eschatology - looking forward
The praise gives proper context to the suffering in terms of time
“though now for a little while”
Suffering is part of this world; Christians aren’t exempt
But what sets Christians apart from the world is the living hope - we know we have a future
We have been saved, and we will be saved.
Paul says in Rom 8:18
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
and in 2 Cor 4:17-18
17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Knowing and waiting in anticipation and expectation of what God has promised us…
in light of what He has already done for us in Jesus…
helps us to persevere to the end and experience joy in Him in spite of our suffering.
For us, there is an end in site to our suffering
This phenomenon of joy in spite of suffering is something the world cannot know or experience or even understand
It makes no sense to the world, because the world has no context for suffering, no understanding of God’s grace in the Lord Jesus through the cross, no hope of redemption and an end to suffering.
Where we look forward and see light, they are only surrounded by darkness with no hope at all
but then they see the Church!
3. The Church Glorifies God While Suffering
3. The Church Glorifies God While Suffering
[we dont rejoice in what gain we get through suffering, but what gain the Lord gets through our joyful suffering]
Peter teaches us that our suffering - and our rejoicing in the midst of suffering - has a purpose
What is it?
1 Peter 1:7 “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.”
We rejoice in the Lord, even though we suffer, so that the tested genuineness of our faith may result in more praise and glory for Jesus
Through our joy in the midst of suffering:
the genuineness of our faith is made evident
through that, Jesus is glorified
Jesus is glorified by our faithful, joyful praise in spite of suffering
Let’s explore that for a while…
Genuine Faith Made Evident
Genuine Faith Made Evident
So Peter is saying we rejoice in the Lord even when suffering, so that the tested genuineness of our faith may result in praise and glory and honour for Jesus
Suffering, and our exercising of faith in God and rejoicing in the gospel in spite of that suffering…
plays a role in testing and polishing and making evident our faith
Fire burns away imperfections in gold and silver, and Suffering does the same thing in God’s people
Job 23:10 “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.”
Is 48:10 “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.”
Paul says in Rom 5 that God uses our suffering to strengthen our character, hope and faith in him
3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
Suffering strengthens our faith and character
Christian character is not forged overnight.
Peter’s name was Simon. Jesus changed his name to Peter, meaning “rock”
When Peter denied Jesus 3 times (John 18:17) he was not “rocklike”. But God wasn’t through with him.
The forging of Christian character and strengthening of our faith is a long process
God uses suffering to build that character and strengthen our faith
suffering exposes our own idols
sometimes we need to lose things to realise how much we rely on them or are needy of them
Take your teenager’s phone away - see how it shakes their foundations
I lost my wallet the other day just before needing to board a flight - I had to cancel my cards and go without access to money
That’s not suffering, but its amazing how uneasy and uncomfortable it made me feel, and shows how easily something we rely on can be lost
Suffering causes us to realize how easily we can lose everything
Suffering makes us trust more and rely more in God
suffering exposes false faith and makes genuine faith evident
Only those who have genuine faith in Jesus, who truly love Him and have been born again by the power of God, can rejoice in Him even when they are suffering
Those whose faith is only surface level,
or whose faith is in something other than God,
who appear to follow God but not for God Himself, but for what they think God can give them...
Are quickly exposed when the suffering hits hard they soon fall away
Such people don’t glorify God at all
They tend to be the people writing books and saying on Facebook that they tried Jesus but it didn’t work for them
The US Navy Seals are an elite group of special forces soldiers in the US military
They are used in special missions that require only the best and bravest men to complete the most critical and dangerous missions
It was a unit of US Navy Seals who captured Osama Bin Laden
Every soldier wants to be a Seal, but not everyone is cut out for it
The US Navy Seals have a very effective way of filtering out the wannabees from those who are absolutely 100% committed to being a Seal
They put all applicants through what they call BUDS training that is designed to make them quit.
Less than 10% of all applicants qualify to become US Navy Seals
One part of their training is something called Hell Week.
For 5 days, soldiers are put through
20 hours of gruelling physical training every day.
They are kept cold, hungry and thirsty and full of sea sand
They get 4 hours of sleep - not per day, for the week
They must still complete complex tasks and are expected to keep with the extremely physical training.
In the last 20 years, 17 people have died in hell week
Only 25% make it through the suffering without quitting
Because of this, only those who 100% want to be a seal stick it out, and the US Navy Seals are seen as the most elite and prestigious group of fighting soldiers in the world
Now don’t hear me wrong - I am not using this example to say that God tests you with suffering to see if you’ll quit
That is a thing that I am not saying
What I am saying is that only those who want to be SEALS more than anything in the world will endure to the end and not quit
Their resolve and refusal to quit is evidence of their commitment to being a SEAL
And only those who have genuine faith in Jesus Christ and who truly believe that He died and rose again will continue to praise and worship him in spite of whatever suffering they must endure
Their genuine faith in Jesus is made evident by their rejoicing in Him is spite of suffering
and through that…
Jesus is glorified
Jesus is glorified
Suffering is part of this world, and Christians still live in this world so we are not immune to it
Jesus is not glorified when we rejoice in him when things are good and easy
Everyone in the world is joyful when things are good
Jesus is glorified when we rejoice in Him even when things are at their worst
That truly makes the Church stand out from the rest of the world
That’s what makes the Church shine brightly in a dark and suffering world
And Jesus is glorified in it because it displays His power at work in us
Look again at verse 5
It is not through our power
not through our will power
not through our ability to endure
not through our stubborn desire not to quit
that we are being guarded through faith for salvation
- it is by God’s power
By God’s power we are guarded from falling away
By God’s power we don’t lose faith
By God’s power we don’t walk away
By God’s power we rejoice in Him even in suffering
By God’s power we can endure persecution for His sake
By God’s power, though we have not seen Him, we love Him and believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory
And therefore, by God’s power, the tested genuineness of our faith also obtains the outcome of our faith - which is the salvation of our souls
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
Jesus is glorified in a suffering world through a joyful Church
What does your response to suffering reveal about your faith?
If suffering causes you to
despair
get anxious
get angry
doubt God’s faithfulness
These reveal a faith issue
despair and anxiety may be signs of a failure to believe God and the gospel
Anger may be a sign of self-righteous pride
And doubt or falling away from God signal a belief in a different gospel or a different god
As Peter begins his message to suffering Christians with praise for God and what He has mercifully done for us in Jesus Christ, your solution is found in reminding yourself of the same truths
When we are reminded of
the holiness of God in that we deserve death for our sin,
the love and mercy of God in that He did not spare His Son but made atonement for our sin through His blood
the grace of God in including us in the eternal riches of Christ’s inheritance
Only then will we be able to see clearly:
how praiseworthy God is and,
without minimizing any suffering,
how light and momentary it is in light of the eternal glory that awaits us
What does your response to suffering communicate to the world about Jesus?
Do they see light where there is darkness?
Do they see hope?
Would they ask you what you are smoking? Why you are so weird, why you are so different?
Our joyful praise of God in spite of suffering proclaims the glory of Jesus to the world
We show them that Jesus is both Lord and Saviour
We show the world that there is hope for them
and we show them the only way it can be found
All who believe that Jesus is Lord will receive an eternal inheritance that He is both keeping safe for us, and guarding us for
We have a living hope - a certain expectation that though we suffer, though we die, we will be raised with him and receive all that He has promised.
Until then, let us glorify Him by suffering well.
By rejoicing always - again I say, rejoice
May God be glorified in us, as we rejoice in Him