It has been over a year and a half since I have updated
my blog and am a little bit rusty. Through
this intense period, the Lord has taken me through three Leukemia relapses, a
bone marrow transplant, and living in three different cities with four
different hospitals (Boise, ID; Salt Lake City, UT; and now Forest, VA). The Lord has taught me many lessons and I
have learned a lot, especially in regards to suffering.
Opening Illustration
It has been said that John Wesley was riding along a road
one day when it dawned on him that three whole days had passed in which he had
suffered no persecution. Not a brick or
an egg had been thrown at him for three days. Alarmed, he stopped his horse, and exclaimed,
“Can it be that I have sinned, and am backslidden?” Slipping from his horse, Wesley went down on
his knees and began interceding with God to show him where, if any, there had
been a fault. A rough fellow, on the
other side of the hedge, hearing the prayer, looked across and recognized the
preacher. “I’ll fix that Methodist preacher,” he said, picking up a brick and
tossing it over at him. It missed its
mark, and fell harmlessly beside John. Whereupon Wesley leaped to his feet
joyfully exclaiming, “Thank God, it’s all right. I still have His presence.”[1]
1 Peter 4:12-19 ESV
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. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share
Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory
is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of
Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon
you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a
thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if
anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify
God in that name. 17 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? 18 And
“If the righteous is scarcely saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
19 Therefore let those who suffer according
to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
Four mindsets:
1.
Expect it- 1 Peter 4:12
First of all, God
allows pain and designed it for the believer’s testing, purging, and cleansing.[2] If Jesus did not shy away from difficulties,
than why should we? “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this
hour” (John 12:27). Thus, in a
sense suffering is an indication of our identification with Christ and will
come to all of us, some more than others.
2.
Rejoice in it- 1 Peter
4:13-14
Second, sharing in the sufferings of Christ results in (a) joy
with Christ (also see 1 Peter 1:6-7), (b) fellowship with Him (Phil.
3:10 Sharing in His sufferings we are becoming like Him in death), (c) being
glorified with Him (Rom. 8:17 Suffer with Him in order to be glorified with Him),
and (d) reigning with Him (2 Tim. 2:12 If we endure, we will also reign with
Him).[3] Therefore, suffering is a norm for us believers
and not a surprising exception for a select few. To suffer as a believer is a call to rejoice
as a disciple of Christ and such joy is the prelude to the joy that is to come
at the return of Christ.
3.
Evaluate its cause/
Examine yourself- 1 Peter 4:15-18
Third, faithfulness to Christ
will produce suffering and persecution. The reverse also seems to be true: a lack of
persecution or trials in a believer’s life may suggest a less-than-faithful
lifestyle and testimony.[4] Now in verse 15, the list refers to breaking
the laws of society and suffering the consequences of those actions. When that happens, the believer is not to say,
“I am suffering for Jesus’ sake or for the sake of righteousness.” You are not. You are suffering because you broke the law or
are meddling in someone else’s business.
If we are suffering because of our own self doings, than we should not
expect strength and refreshment from the Holy Spirit, but if it is a refining
trial than the Spirit will be with us (Ephesians 3:16-20 and Acts 3:20).
4.
Entrust it to God- 1
Peter 4:19
Finally, The combination of
“faithful” and “Creator” reminds us of God’s love and power, even in the midst
of suffering and pain. God created the
world, and He has faithfully ordered it and sustained it since creation. Because we know that He is faithful, we can
count on Him to fulfill His promises to us. If He can oversee the forces of nature,
certainly He can see us through the trials we face.[5] Amen!
[1] Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia
of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible
Communications, Inc., 1996).
[2] John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville,
TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), 1 Pe 4:12.
[3] Roger M. Raymer, “1 Peter,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures,
ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985),
854.
[4] David Walls and Max Anders, I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude, vol. 11, Holman New
Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999),
76.
[5] Ibid., 77.
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