Our topic this morning is how to thrive while suffering. Our sense of having suffered can be comically relative to our age, geography, ethnicity, and circumstances. For example, consider the tens of thousands of people in the Philippines devastated by the typhoon. They've lost their homes, haven't had food and water for nearly a week, and they are terrified at the thought of it raining. They are worried about robbers or desperate mobs attacking. Some moms had their babies snatched out of their grip by high winds. Many felt that it was the end of the world. Would you say that they are suffering?
In Iran, Christians have faced extreme persecution, even death, for expressing their Christian faith. As we speak, diplomats are trying to put pressure on Iran to free an Idaho pastor, Saeed Abiding, who went to Iran to start an orphanage. He was arrested, has been tortured, beaten, and transferred to one of the most notorious, severely overcrowded prisons in Iran. He has been denied crucial medication and basic necessities.
His father traveled to Iran to see him, taking personal belongings, blankets, and medications prescribed by Abedini's doctor last July to treat internal bleeding he sustained while locked up in prison. But he was denied entry and told that his son could not have access to any of the items. Human rights groups report that prisoners there do not have access to fresh air or adequate nutrition, and that disease is widespread. Would you say that this pastor is suffering?
Yet how many times do we say, "I'm starving to death. I'm freezing. I'm so sick I could die. My life stinks. There is nothing to live for." We make a whole host of statements like these. Some of the worst off people in our culture are infinitely better off than some of the best in other places. A little perspective can help us in times of suffering. We're a "suffering adverse" culture.
In 1 Peter 4:12-19 (ESV) we're exposed to some common attitudes regarding suffering. Let me read our passage and then give you a few examples.
"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."
Sometimes we feel surprised when we're suffering. How many times, when something's come about in your life, have you questioned God's love for you? Or you've asked, "Why me? What have I done to deserve this?" In the Bible we're told that the apostle John was Jesus' most beloved disciple. Yet what did Jesus say to all of the disciples in John 16:33? "In the world you wil have tribuation..." John was exiled to the island of Patmos. He was dipped in pot of boiling oil. Yet reading Revelation, the gospel of John, or the epistles of 1 John, 2 John, or 3 John, you don't get the impression that he was surprised, nor doubted God's love in the face of his suffering.
Sometimes we feel depressed when we're suffering. We become distraught and overwhelmed with anxiety. We convince ourselves that there is absolutely no way things are going to work out. We say things like, "Can things get any worse?" In our passage, Peter is reflecting on the sufferings of Christ. Walking with Jesus was incredibly amazing, but that final week of Christ's life was no picnic. Peter remembered the confrontations, the threats, Jesus' eventual arrest, the beatings, the humiliation, the trial, the horrific crucifixion, the groaning of Jesus, the hysterical weeping of Jesus' mother, and the sharp spear thrust into Jesus' side. How could things get any worse? How could they ever get better?
Sometimes we feel ashamed when we suffer. It's bad enough that we're suffering, but then we have to endure the ridicule and insults of our haters and naysayers. "How's that faith working out for you now? Where is your God now? Where is your healer, your sustainer, your savior, and your ever present help? Call out to him and let him send his angels." It's hard to endure the ridicule of others.
Sometimes we feel self-righteous when we suffer. Perhaps at a low point, in a flash of anger, the thought enters our head, "Well at least I'm not like them. At least I'm not going to endure God's wrath or the pit of hell. At least I'm saved." This attitude precludes our responsibility to seek, to save, and to serve those who are far from God. In his moment of death with his final breath Jesus uttered in Luke 23:34 (ESV), "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." In the face of extreme suffering and death, Christ submitted himself to will of the Father, and for the good of man.
Sometimes we feel cynical when we suffer. We say, "What's the point? Why continue doing good if it's only going to lead to suffering?" We kind of give up on ourselves, on other people, and on God. We resign ourselves to fate, becoming victims, and not believing that God can have purpose in our suffering.
Think about a time where you've had one of these attitudes. If you're wrestling with one, or more, or all of these attitudes you aren't a one-eyed monster. God is not angry with you, nor will he up the ante and try to teach you an even harder lesson! No, you are a pilgrim, a sojourner, a fellow struggler. You are just like the believers to whom Peter is writing. And what can help alleviate your pain, doubt, and insecurities is a little perspective.
So let's switch gears. How can I begin to thrive in the midst of suffering?
At the top of our passage, Peter reminds us that we are beloved. Our circumstances and our suffering should never be used to gauge God's love for us. "Everything is okay, no pain, no hardships, therefore, God must love me. Oh wait, I just lost my job and I found out I have cancer, therefore, God must not love me." For many, the love of God is like a roller coaster, up and down with twists and turns. You never know what to expect. Being assured of God's love, there are five choices Peter asks us to make in midst of suffering.
Choice number one: Resolve to Pass the Test
1 Peter 4:12, "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."
One thing we need to know about suffering is that it is a trial, or a test to be passed. The idea of a fiery trial is that God is purifying your character. He is using whatever pain you experience to fashion you into the image and likeness of Christ. Trials are hard, but in the end, you look back and realize how God used adversity to transform your life, change a relationship or an attitude, or to build character and personality. I like what one commentator said, "Trials don't destroy us, they save us."
Choice number two: Resolve to Rejoice and be Glad
1 Peter 4:13 (ESV) tells us, "But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed."
I wonder how many of you heard about this? After the typhoon in the Philippines had passed over, a giant Jesus statue could be seen standing amid the ruins, with its arms outstretched over town's damaged lands. Some are pointing to the statue as a sign of hope and proof that God's hand is present, despite immense tragedy in the Philippines last week. This is Peter's point too. Peter tells us that in the midst of storms, we can rejoice and be glad, for in a short time God's glory, power, and presence will be revealed.
Choice number three: Resolve to Honor God's Name
1 Peter 4:14-16 (ESV) says, "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."
Peter encourages us to always carry ourselves with dignity. It doesn't matter what other people say about us. What matters is that we don't dishonor God's name. We know what a murderer or thief is like. An evildoer is one who exacts revenge. A meddler is one who is a gossip or busybody, a troublemaker or a noisemaker. Evildoers and meddlers have a way of bringing punishment on themselves. God doesn't need our sin to defend his name.
Choice number four: Resolve to Soberly and Humbly Obey
1 Peter 4:17-18 (ESV) says, "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?"
In everything that happens, good and bad, Peter encourages us to keep a sober and humble perspective on our salvation, and on the salvation of those around us. He is not asking us to doubt the certainty of our salvation. He's not saying that a scarce number of the righteous are saved. He is saying that we are scarcely saved. He is saying that there are critical steps of obedience we have taken to in order to be saved, like pledging to live with a clear conscience before God in baptism. He is saying that we should be concerned that others might obey the gospel just like we have. If others don't obey the gospel, what will the outcome be? We should be sober minded in knowing that eternities are at stake when others observe how we respond to suffering. Our obedience lights the way for others to follow and obey.
Choice number five: Resolve to Continue Doing Good
1 Peter 4:19 (ESV) says, "Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good."
The word entrust in this passage means to make a deposit. In New Testament times, they didn't have banks, vaults, armored cars, or alarm systems. If you were leaving your home or going on a journey, you would never take your wealth with you because you could get robbed. Instead, you would commit, or entrust, your entire inheritance to a faithful, trustworthy friend who could guard it, and keep it safe, or even invest it.
Peter is telling us that when we suffer, our soul is secure and safe with God. We can continue doing good and doing God's will, even if it costs us our life. When Christ suffered and died while doing good for us, Jesus entrusted himself to the Father. And the Father didn't disappoint Jesus, and he won't disappoint us either.
Why endure suffering for God's just cause? Because nothing is more precious to God than our soul, including even the souls of God's enemies. If you want to know God's will or wish in suffering, it's this. 2 Peter 3:9 (ESV) says, "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."