“The Exceeding Joy of Fiery Trials”
(1 Peter 4:12-19)
Series: Strength Through Adversity
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson
- Take your Bibles and join me in 1 Peter, chapter 4 (page 816; YouVersion).
Peter is drawing his short letter to a close, this letter about living as Christians in a non-Christian world, a hostile world. Most recently, Peter has been writing about suffering. In fact, he’s been talking about suffering, non-stop, since chapter 3 and verse 13, with only a brief pause in the verses we looked at last time. So if you’re keeping score, then you will note that this is now the fifth time that Peter writes about suffering and trials.
The Bible teaches that suffering and trials of affliction are the norm for Christians. Live for Christ, take a stand for Christ, and you will suffer in some measure. But did you know there are blessings that accrue to the Christian who suffers for Jesus? Listen for some of those blessings as I read this passage, the end of chapter 4, beginning at verse 12.
- Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.
16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 Now
“If the righteous one is scarcely saved,
Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.
- Pray: “Father, what we know not, teach us, what we have not, give us, what we are not, make us, through Christ Jesus our Lord, in whose name we pray.”
Introduction:
Someone sent me this recently, I want to share it with you. I don’t know the source for these statistics, but they’re probably accurate. Statistics tell us:
1. Do not ride in automobiles: they cause 20% of all fatal accidents.
2. Do not travel by airplane, train, or boat: 16% of all accidents happen in these.
3. Do not walk on the streets or sidewalks: 14% of all accidents happen to pedestrians.
4. Do not stay home: 17% of all accidents occur in the home.
- However, only .1% (1 in a thousand, .1%) of all deaths occur in worship services, and these are related to previous physical disorders.
So what’s the conclusion? The safest place for you to be at any time is right here! So spend more time in public worship, it could save your life!
We do feel safe here. The very word “sanctuary” connotes peace, quiet, safety. Yet the reality is, once the worship service is over, we’re going to enter into our nearest mission field, and get right back into the danger of this world.
We live in an imperfect world. The world is messed up because of the first sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve. Ever since Genesis 3 we’ve been living in a post-Genesis 3 world. And so, until Christ returns we’re going to have difficulties, trials, and tribulations. Peter has been teaching us that if we are a Christian, then we should prepare to suffer simply for our faith in Christ.
Peter knew about that suffering himself. In fact, Jesus told Peter in John 21:18-19 that Peter would die in a way that would glorify God and the church historian Eusebius tells us that Peter was crucified in AD 64 by the evil Roman Emperor Nero. Eusebius also records that, while Peter was on the cross, he watched as soldiers took away his wife to also kill her for her faith in Christ. Eusebius records that as Peter watched them take away his wife, that he called out to encourage her. Peter called out her name and encouraged her by saying, “Remember the Lord.” Eusebius adds, “Such was the blessed bond of marriage among the saints of God.” So in writing this letter Peter was himself prepared to suffer for his faith.
We often pray for God’s perfect will in our lives. This letter reminds us that it may be that God’s will for us includes specific periods of suffering. Part of having a good “theology of suffering” includes knowing it’s not unusual for Christians to suffer, to suffer for their faith in Christ. The good news is that there are some benefits that attach to Christians who suffer for their faith. There are five benefits. Let’s study them together from this passage. First, suffering for our faith means:
- Greater Intimacy with Christ (12-13)
We were created to have relationship with God. Suffering as a Christian gives us the opportunity to be drawn closer to our Lord. Look at verse 12:
12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
Peter reminds us that suffering for our faith is the norm. Suffering is the norm. Say that with me, “Suffering is the norm.” If you are a Christian and you suffer, that’s normal. Peter says, “Do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though it were abnormal,” as though, “some strange thing happened to you.” It’s not strange, it’s normal. It’s what you can expect living in a world opposed to the things of Christ. Suffering is the norm.
Peter is so pastoral here. The first word there in verse 12 is, “Beloved.” Isn’t that beautiful? Ever been called, “Beloved?” Ever been called anything other than, “Beloved?!” I’m sure you have. But Peter addresses Christians as, “Beloved,” beloved of God. When you suffer for Christ, don’t question God’s love for you. That’s one of the reasons Peter began his letter as he did. He gives theology before telling us how to live. In the New Testament, doctrine precedes duty.
Remember back in 1 Peter chapter 1, beginning at verse 3:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
God loves you, Christian. According to His abundant mercy He has given you spiritual life and a home in heaven. You are beloved of God.
So Peter says in verse 12, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened to you.” It’s not strange. It’s normal. Suffering is the norm. Persecution was on the horizon. Many Christians would die under the reign of Emperor Nero, an emperor so evil, not only did he burn Rome, but blamed the fire on the Christians, and burned many of them to death, using their flaming bodies to serve as torches to illumine his gardens in the evening.
Peter says, “Don’t think any suffering for Christ is abnormal, but rather, note what Christians are to do in response to the suffering, verse 13:
13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
The last phrase there, “that when His glory is revealed,” is a reference to Christ’s return, the second coming. When Christ returns, Christians “may also be glad with exceeding joy.”
But look again at the first part of verse 13. Peter says rather than thinking our suffering for Christ is abnormal, Peter says, “Rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings.” Rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings.
The word “partake” there means to “share” or, “have fellowship with.” To “partake of Christ’s sufferings” is to share something with our Lord. It means, then, to know Him more intimately as a result of that which we share with Him, what we have in common with Him.
It’s a bit like Paul’s expressed desire in Philippians 3:10 where he says, “(I want to) know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.” Suffering for Christ means greater intimacy with Christ.
Don’t you really want to know Christ, to experience the power of His presence? That intimacy you seek with Christ may come as a result of suffering for Christ. Intimacy we seek with Christ may come when suffer for Christ.
Suffering for our faith means greater intimacy with Christ. Number two: suffering for our faith means:
2) God’s Spirit Rests upon Us (14)
14 If you are reproached (insulted or reviled) for the name of Christ, blessed are you, [why?] for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
God’s Spirit rests upon you. Those of you reading from the King James and the New King James Versions, that last phrase is not in the older Greek manuscripts, that last phrase in verse 14: “On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.” It’s a true statement, of course, but it’s not in the oldest manuscripts and that’s why the modern translations omit it.
Peter says when you suffer for your faith, God’s Spirit rests upon you. Again, verse 14, “If you are reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, blessed are you–why?–for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
In His Holy Spirit, God rests upon the Christian the way He rested upon the tabernacle in the Old Testament. Remember that? The Holy Spirit rested upon the tabernacle. It was an encouraging sign of His presence, present to bless His people.
Similarly, in the New Testament, do you remember Jesus’ baptism? Remember what happened when Jesus came up from the water?
“When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him (Matthew 3:16).”
Think about this: The same God who rests upon Christ rests upon His followers. When you and I came to know Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, God took up residence within us. His Spirit fills us and guides us.
When you and I suffer for our faith, remember that God’s Spirit rests upon us. He is with us. He will always be with us. He means to encourage us and to bless us forever with His presence.
So the implication seems to be, “When you suffer, rather than wrongly concluding that God has left you, remember God is with you.” He will never leave you. He will never forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).
Suffering for our faith means greater intimacy with Christ, God’s Spirit rests upon us, and thirdly:
3) We have occasion to Witness (15-16)
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.
16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.
Suffering as a Christian is an occasion to witness to a watching world. Suffering for Christ gives us the opportunity to glorify God, to point people to God. The last phrase there, “Glorify God in this matter,” is probably better translated, “glorify God in that name, the name of Christ.” Christians suffer for Christ, we suffer for that name.
So the point is, suffering for our faith is a means by which we point people to Christ. We show the world that we do not live for the passing pleasures of this world, but that we live for God and His Son Jesus Christ. We glorify God, pointing people to Him, through our suffering. It’s an occasion to witness.
Every one of us is a witness, either a good witness or a bad witness. Verse 15 talks about being a bad witness. Peter says, “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.”
You can almost see the Christians to whom Peter was writing doing the same thing many of you did just now. Murderer? Not I, check! Thief, nope! Evildoer, nope, good there, too! So then, busybody? The word means “to meddle,” to stick one’s nose in the business of others, to gossip, to spread rumors. Guilty? That’s a bad witness and you will suffer for that, especially when you’re found out.
So Peter says in verse 16, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed.” Peter again speaks from experience. He himself had once been ashamed of following Christ, right (Mark 14:68)? Yes, the rooster’s crow in the Gospels was a stark reminder to Peter of his having forsaken his Master. I wonder whether when Peter, years later, heard the crow of a rooster, whether it caused him to shudder.
Peter learned from his experience. Never again would he be ashamed of following Christ. Jesus says in:
Mark 8:38, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Don’t be ashamed of Christ. And don’t be ashamed to suffer for His name. You’ll have the opportunity this week to take a stand for Christ. Something at your workplace, or at school, or in your family, or as you talk about the news and world events, you will have an opportunity to bear witness to that name, the name of Christ. When you bear witness to His name, you often face suffering. So Peter says in verse 16, “If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God.”
Your suffering for Christ is an occasion to witness, to point people to the Lord. Two more benefits that attach to the Christian who suffers for his faith. Number four, suffering for Christ means:
4) We are made Strong (17-18)
Verses 17 and 18 present a recurring theme about Christian suffering: through our suffering, God grows us and makes us strong. Look at verse 17:
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
Peter says that God’s judgment begins “at the house of God.” That is, judgment begins with God’s people, with Christians. Now, what is this judgment? Well, it certainly doesn’t mean the “final judgment” or “judgment about whether our sins are forgiven.” Peter mentioned in the opening of his letter that the Christian has been saved “according to God’s abundant mercy” and that Christians are, “kept by the power of God through faith for salvation,” a salvation ultimately, “revealed in the last time (1Peter 1:3-5).”
Peter doesn’t mean the final judgment, a judgment upon us concerning salvation, but rather the periodic judgment of God concerning our sanctification. God periodically disciplines His children, just as a loving father disciplines his children (Hebrews 12:7).
Periodically, God allows Christian suffering to discipline us, or to grow us, and to make us strong. For example, if I fail to remember that I’m just a temporary resident in this world, and I forget that I am a–as Peter says back in chapter 1, verse 1–a “pilgrim,” or a sojourner, a temporary resident, if I fail to remember this world is not my home, God will execute His loving judgment upon me in a way to draw me back to Himself. Why? Because He loves me. So if I’m going down the wrong path, God will work in such a way to pull me back.
We’ve seen this before back in chapter 1, verses 6 and 7:
6 In this (salvation) you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
7 that the genuineness of your faith, being more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1Peter 1:6-7).
God allows suffering in our lives to make our faith strong, the way a craftsman makes precious silver or Gold stronger by purifying it through the fire. God does the same in our lives through the fire of suffering and persecution. We are made stronger by it.
So God’s judgment upon Christians is a periodic judgment that is not a punitive judgment, but a purifying judgment to make us strong.
The idea is similar to the request of Robert Murray McCheyne. I was reading him this past week. In his journal, McCheyne prays to God, he says, “If anything else will do to sever me from my sins, Lord send me such sore and trying calamities as shall awake me from earthly slumber.”
That’s a manly prayer, isn’t it? Hear it again. Would you pray this prayer? “If anything else will do to sever me from my sins, Lord send me such sore and trying calamities as shall awake me from earthly slumber.”
McCheyne is saying, “I recognize my tendency to fall in love with the world. I don’t want to be in love with the world, Lord, so do whatever it takes to draw me back to you.”
And that’s what God does through His periodic judgment of Christians. It’s not punitive, it’s purifying. Now if God’s children need regular purifying, what will be the end of those who have never experienced any cleansing, at all?
That’s the question Peter asks in verse 17, “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Then Peter quotes from the Proverbs in verse 18, “Now ‘If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?’”
Again, the question is, “If God’s children–those declared righteous by their faith in Christ–if they need regular and periodic purifying, what will be the end of those who have never experienced any cleansing, at all? What will be the end of those who don’t know Christ?”
It’s a rhetorical question, of course. Peter knows what will happen to those who do not obey the gospel of God. He’s trying to encourage the Christians by reminding them that suffering is normal, even for God’s children. And it’s like he’s saying, “Thank God you’re not still lost. Your suffering may seem rough, at times, but it’s nothing to be compared to the eternal suffering of the unbeliever.”
If God’s children need regularl purifying, my word, what will be the end of those who have never experienced any cleansing, at all? That is, God’s judgment upon the Christian is purifying, but God’s judgment to come upon the unbeliever, is punitive. God will judge all who “do not obey the gospel of God.” There’s a similar verse in Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians. Listen to this passage from 2 Thessalonians where Paul says what Christ will do when He comes again:
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, “in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”
That is the ultimate end of all who refuse to follow Jesus Christ. Some of you have put off Christ. If you fail to repent and turn to the Lord, you remain separated from God because of your sins. He will punish you for your sins and you will be face “everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”
We can’t help but note, Christian, that verse 18 says the righteous one is, “scarcely saved.” There was nothing in you worth saving. You weren’t a special somebody God could use. You were a spiritually dead sinner God graciously and mercifully saved.
Yet the phrase, “scarcely saved,” actually means, “saved with great difficulty,” and has to do with the fact that being a Christian is not easy; suffering is involved. There is pain in the discipline of God. But in the end we are stronger, purer, more faithful.
There’s one more benefit that comes to the Christian as a result of his suffering for the faith. We have said suffering for the faith means greater intimacy with Christ, God’s Spirit rests upon us, we have occasion to witness, and we are made strong. Fifthly, suffering for Christ means:
5) We are in God’s Hands (19)
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.
Listen to this note from the English Standard Version Study Bible:
“This verse (verse 19) encapsulates the message of 1 Peter: Believers suffer in accord with the will of God, for He rules over everything that happens to them. As the sovereign Creator, God is also loving and faithful, therefore (Christians) should entrust their lives entirely to Him, just as Jesus did when he suffered (1 Peter 2:23).”
That’s a good word, isn’t it? When you suffer, remember you are in God’s hands. This is true for all suffering we may experience. He is your “faithful Creator.” He rules over everything and He is in control of your suffering. He sets limits to it. Therefore, you can–and should–commit your soul entirely to Him.
As the hymn-writer teaches, “The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose, He never, no never deserts to its foes.”
God loves you. He always does what is right. Rest in His hands.
- Stand for prayer.
Conclusion:
Peter had heard Jesus teach about suffering. He had heard his Master say, “Not even a sparrow dies apart from the knowledge of your Heavenly Father. So fear not, you are worth far more than many sparrows (Matthew 10:27-31).” So…
Why should we feel discouraged
Why should the shadows come
Why should our hearts feel lonely
And long for heaven and home
When Jesus is our portion
A constant friend is He
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know he watches me.
- Let’s pray
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