“Knowing that pain is coming can help you brace for the pain.”
Ben Stuart continues through the book of 1 Peter by guiding us through Peter’s warning that difficult times will come. Suffering is inevitable, but we can rejoice in the pain because of the hope we have in Jesus.
Key Takeaway
There's a promise through pain that is worth it, but the only way to it is through it. Peter's warning should be seen as a comfort. Sometimes the worst thing about pain is the shock that it's unexpected, so he warns them: fiery trials are coming, don't be surprised, instead rejoice.
When you are uncompromised in your morality as a believer, you will not go unrecognized by the culture.
The suffering that Peter is referring to are insults and reviling for association with Jesus. Some of us fear verbal assaults more than physical ones. But also pay attention, if you are coming under no fire, no mocking, no slander in any way, are you really living for Jesus?
Why should we not be surprised?
The word "surprised" is also connected to "stranger" and "hospitality", so the thought is "don't think it weird when the fiery trial comes to stay at your house, don't think of it as a stranger, anticipate its arrival."
We live on this planet, suffering is coming for all of us. Pain is the most common human experience. Karen Jobes refers to our suffering as "an echo of remembrance of the Garden of Eden." We live between the Garden and Eternity, we live in a world of pain.
Jesus told us it would happen. See John 15:20. If it happened to Him, it's going to happen to us. Do not be surprised.
Why Rejoice?
1. Pain now becomes praise later. 1 Peter 4:13.
I can rejoice now because I know more joy is coming later. Deferred gratification. Sometimes people suffer and there is no benefit, it's just suffering. That is never the case when it comes to suffering for Jesus. Suffering is not a bad thing when you suffer for the right thing. Jesus suffered and was rejected, but was vindicated when He rose. So, we'll suffer and be rejected, but where He goes, we go. See Luke 6:22-23. As with this entire series, this argument only works if you believe there is a God in Heaven and life beyond the grave. "Revealed" in verse 13 is made up of two words, "apo" meaning "from" and "kalypsis" meaning "to cover", so it's where we get apocalyptic from and means "to remove the cover." Peter is saying that the end is coming, Jesus will be revealed and we'll be glad that we rode with the King. When we are loyal in pain, there is greater honor in the end.
2. We get His Presence in the present. 1 Peter 4:14.
The Spirit of God rests on us now. He references Isiah 11, the same Spirit of power, wisdom, and might that rested on Jesus will rest on us. We get a very unique and intimate union with the Spirit now. He is with us. A crisis can forge a deep and satisfying union. See Mark 13:7-11. What grabs the culture's attention is when believers suffer well. What would be terrifying to them doesn't shake the believer because we know that no matter what happens, we are with Him.
1 Peter 4:15. Some of us aren't suffering because of martyrdom, some of us just have done some very stupid things. A meddler is someone who looks at others' lives and pokes at them, acting like the morality police. So if we are poking around and they hit back, we're not martyrs. This happens all the time on Twitter, Instagram, social media, and the news. There is a gleefully vindictive spirit in the political sphere, it's a constant search for someone's failures. When the meddler sees it, they poke it and they love it. Peter is saying if you're a Christian and pick fights and get hit back, you're not a martyr- so stop doing that. That doesn't mean we don't disagree with people. We're called to speak the truth in love and grace, but we don't celebrate their shortcomings. We want the lost to be rescued, not fall. If you are hoping for someone's failure, pray for your own heart towards them. Just like Jesus suffered to procure our salvation, we suffer to be able to proclaim His salvation to our enemies.
1 Peter 4:16. If you truly are suffering because of Jesus, don't be ashamed. Our culture is full of name-calling to shame and silence us. Psalm 25:3, Romans 10:11, and Isaiah 49:23 all remind us that those of us who wait on Him will not be put to shame. So if someone is trying to make you feel ashamed, don't own it. Don't be arrogant, but don't be ashamed. See Acts 5. Scars become our glory.
3. There's preservation in the end. 1 Peter 4:17-19.
There is a time of judgment and it starts in the House of God. It's all throughout the Bible. In God's economy, judgment always starts with His people. For his people, the judgment is a purifying fire, but for everyone else, it is a condemning fire. It's justice without the barrier of mercy.
We understand this. When growing up, if you got into trouble with your friends, your parents didn't punish your friends first, they punished you! This happens in the Church all the time today. We are all sinners and you have two options when you are God's Children. You can either confess, repent, and forsake or you can persist in your disobedience and He will expose you.
Scarcely saved does not mean we strive for salvation. The NIV says, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" Peter is reminding us that it is not a time for arrogance, it's an opportunity for compassion.
Application
We don't shrink back in fear; we step out in love. The fiery trial is to test our faith. Will we put our souls into the hands of God? He's been a faithful creator, He's made everything and has the right to judge it all. I will put my soul in His hands and then turn to do good.
What's good?
When reviled, we don't revile? For our enemies, we serve, we care, and we pray so that they may come to know Jesus. Believers don't shrink back in a difficult day, we move forward in it, pushing back the darkness because we know our vindication is coming. We don't get to control the outcomes, but we do get to control the inputs.
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"Thank you God that this suffering I'm in is the closest to Hell I'll ever get."
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Jonathan Edwards, paraphrase
Discussion Questions
What is the purpose of our pain?
Why should we not be surprised by suffering and trial?
What does Jesus say about suffering in John 15:20?
What are the 3 reasons Pastor Ben gave for why we can rejoice?
What does God have to say in 1 Peter 4:15 about suffering because of our own foolish meddling?
Given the culture that we live in, is it easier to meddle or to fight for someone?
In 1 Peter 4:16, what does Peter tell the believer about truly suffering for Jesus?
Why does God start His judgment in His own House with His own Children?
When Peter talks about doing good, what does he define as good?
Have you placed your soul into God's hands and trust Him? How do you need to lean in versus shrink back?
Scripture References
12.Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13.But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14.If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15.If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16.However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17.For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18.And,“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”4:18 Prov. 11:31 (see Septuagint)19.So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
20.Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’15:20 John 13:16If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
22.Blessed are you when people hate you,when they exclude you and insult youand reject your name as evil,because of the Son of Man.23.“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
The Branch From Jesse1.A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.2.The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,the Spirit of counsel and of might,the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—3.and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,or decide by what he hears with his ears;4.but with righteousness he will judge the needy,with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.5.Righteousness will be his beltand faithfulness the sash around his waist.6.The wolf will live with the lamb,the leopard will lie down with the goat,the calf and the lion and the yearling11:6 Hebrew; Septuagint lion will feed together;and a little child will lead them.7.The cow will feed with the bear,their young will lie down together,and the lion will eat straw like the ox.8.The infant will play near the cobra’s den,and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.9.They will neither harm nor destroyon all my holy mountain,for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lordas the waters cover the sea.10.In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. 11.In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush,11:11 That is, the upper Nile region from Elam, from Babylonia,11:11 Hebrew Shinar from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean.12.He will raise a banner for the nationsand gather the exiles of Israel;he will assemble the scattered people of Judahfrom the four quarters of the earth.13.Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish,and Judah’s enemies11:13 Or hostility will be destroyed;Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.14.They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west;together they will plunder the people to the east.They will subdue Edom and Moab,and the Ammonites will be subject to them.15.The Lord will dry upthe gulf of the Egyptian sea;with a scorching wind he will sweep his handover the Euphrates River.He will break it up into seven streamsso that anyone can cross over in sandals.16.There will be a highway for the remnant of his peoplethat is left from Assyria,as there was for Israelwhen they came up from Egypt.
7.When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.8.Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.9.“You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.10.And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.11.Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
Judgment on the Idolaters1.Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, “Bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand.” 2.And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar.3.Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side 4.and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”5.As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. 6.Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the old men who were in front of the temple.7.Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city. 8.While they were killing and I was left alone, I fell facedown, crying out, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”9.He answered me, “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord does not see.’ 10.So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.”11.Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded.”
