Preparing for Suffering
October 16, 2016

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-19

I. You should rejoice in your suffering.

A. In vs. 12 -19 the words sufferings, suffer and suffers are used four times. But in vs. 13 the word rejoice is used twice and the command to be glad is used once. Then in vs. 14 Peter uses the word blessed. Many translators of the Bible say that one of the basic meanings of the word blessed is to be happy. So four times Peter tells Christians that they will suffer. And four times Peter tells the Christians how to respond to their suffering: rejoice. Be glad. Be happy.

B. Peter says that Christians should not respond to suffering in three ways. First, Peter says that Christians should not be surprised by suffering in vs. 12. Second, Peter says we should not respond to suffering by thinking it is strange (vs. 12). We should not ask the question, “Where is God?” when we suffer. Third, Peter says in vs. 16 that you should not respond to suffering by being ashamed. Now, if you suffered for being a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or a meddler (vs. 15), feel free to be ashamed Peter says. But if you are suffering because you love Jesus you should feel honored to receive the same kind of treatment that Jesus received. And you should feel joy.

C. Here’s the question Peter answers in vs. 13: if you share in the sufferings of Jesus on this earth, what will you also share with Jesus in the future? You will share with Jesus in His glory. Peter remembered the Sermon on the Mount that he heard Jesus preach when he wrote verse 14. Matthew 5:11-12: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Peter also says in vs. 14 that you can rejoice because receiving insults for Jesus is a sign of who lives in you. If you would rather suffer with Jesus than sin or compromise your faith, your suffering indicates that the Holy Spirit is living in you and transforming your life.

II. You should recognize God’s judgment in your suffering.

A. Peter begins to write about God’s judgment in vs. 17. Up until this point in his letter the suffering of Christians has always been at the hands of ungodly people. But who is responsible for the Christians’ suffering in vs. 17? God is. God is judging something in the Christians’ behavior in order to get them to turn away from sin and turn back to God. God fully and finally judge our sins at the cross. 1 Peter 3:18: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” But we Christians still have another judgment from God that we have to face: the judgment of our works.

B. Peter summarizes the attitude that we are to have when we go through suffering in vs. 19. “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” Whether we suffer for doing good or for sins we have committed, we are called to do one thing: trust God.

Application:
Don’t waste your suffering. Allow God to use it to bring you greater joy and greater love for Him.

Sources:
The letter of 1 Peter
Commentaries on 1 Peter by David Helm, Karen Jobes and I.H. Marshall