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The Gift of Suffering Part 2

Sermon Transcript

The following is a lightly edited transcript generated from the audio; it may contain small errors.

Philippians 1:29–30

In chapter 1. While you’re doing that, I do again want to acknowledge Glenda, Pastor Smith’s wife, for being with us today. Can we give her another round of applause? She’s going to be with us for a few weeks, so please take the opportunity to go say hey, get to know her. She’s a very sweet, awesome woman of God. I also want to acknowledge one couple that’s here with us as well that were former guests from quite a few years ago. Dallas and Betty Piper are here with us. So can we give it up for Dallas and Betty? They have since moved to Texas, and then within the past year or so have moved to Florida. But we are privileged to have you all here with us today.

All right, we’re in the book of Philippians. We’re looking at the end of chapter 1. We’re in verse 29, let’s pick it up there. It says:

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

(Philippians 1:29–30)

Opening Prayer

Let’s pray. Father, we thank you for the different work that’s going on in our midst. We got Ethan going off to college. Lord, we have former members back to visit us and worship with us. We have Glenda here all the way from Belize worshiping as well, God. And we pray, Lord, all of them have different paths that you have them on, just like you have us on paths. We pray that you’d bless their paths, Lord, and the different things [audio unclear] and we have a commonality that far exceeds any age and skin color, Lord, intellect or anything like that, God, that if we have you we have something in common, and that is the key thing, Lord. We thank you that you blessed us with a commonality in Christ, that the foot of the cross is level ground. We are blessed, Lord, to worship you, the almighty God. We want to hear from you today, Lord. Thank you for your Word. So we pray that it would go forth in power and might and touch our hearts, Lord. We pray a blessing upon our children, Lord. We have new babies in our midst and new babies on the way. So we pray that you would bless all those pregnant ladies. We pray especially for Joy, who’s in the hospital with the twins, getting ready for the birth of their babies. Lord, be with her, and be with Max. God, let that time go well and smoothly, Lord. Be with them. Father, we pray that for the other pregnant ladies as well. God, let each of those kids come to know you in a real, in a powerful way, that they would serve you all their days, they love you all their days, God, that you would use them mightily to do great things for your kingdom. By the way, thank you for blessing us, for giving us generation upon generation upon generation that can come before you and worship you, Lord. We pray that you would continue that work in our midst for your glory. Amen.

It Has Been Granted

Okay, last time I spoke, we touched on suffering a little bit. I want to kind of pick it up today and talk about suffering again. Philippians is primarily a book about joy. Over and over again, it’ll say joy or rejoice, [audio unclear] a little bit. At least for this week and possibly next week. Some truths in the Scripture we can receive pretty easily. Other truths in the Scripture, they can kind of grate us the wrong way. That’s not the Scripture’s fault, that’s our fault, right? But so we want to be at a place where whatever God’s Word says, we receive it, we believe it. We hear it, we take it, we put it into action. So this might grate a little bit against you today. We believe a lot of challenging things at this church because the Bible says them, and in our culture today, they don’t. I think this is going to be challenging for some of you in a way you might not have thought beforehand.

Let’s get into it a little bit. One, I want you to notice, and we’re going to focus for just a little bit on the first little phrase here in verse 29, where it says, “it has been granted.” It has been granted. It literally means it’s been graced to you. That would be like a little translation. That’s where we get the word grace, the noun form. This is the verb form. We get that word. So the idea is to give freely or to give graciously. Notice first what’s been granted or given freely. What is it? Believe. Believe: “that you should, for the sake of Christ, not only believe”—so that’s the first thing. What does that mean, that it’s been granted or graced? It’s a gift. It’s a gift. God gives us the gift of believing, which is something we see throughout the Scriptures in other places like Ephesians 2 verse 8, right? “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is the gift of God.” I mean, it’s really the same idea, right? That God has given us a faith. He’s given us the gift of believing, right? He pours out his grace upon us. The challenge with the modern English word “believe” is it doesn’t always fully encapsulate what the Scriptures talk about when they say the word “believe,” because in English it can communicate almost like a cognitive orientation. It doesn’t always include the idea of a commitment. But in the New Testament when it talks about belief, the idea is a commitment. So maybe a word might be the word “trust.” It expresses the nuance of active, committed confidence and reliance on Christ. That’s the idea when we talk about belief in the New Testament. That word, pistis, in the Greek, it really encapsulates maybe what we would translate as trust. It’s an active commitment to Christ and a reliance on Christ. So this believing, well, that’s a gift that God gives us. But notice that’s actually not Paul’s focus right here in Philippians. Look at what he says. It’s been granted to you for the sake of Jesus Christ that you should not only believe in him. Okay, so that’s the first thing that’s been granted. But also, what does your version say? Suffer. Suffer for his sake.

Suffering Is a Gift

Suffering is a gift. Suffering is a gift. I mean, that’s what it’s saying. So when we think about suffering, we need to realize a couple of things. Suffering is not accidental, and suffering is not incidental. It’s a gift from God. This is what we don’t want to hear. This goes against the prosperity gospel big time. So does the whole book of Job, by the way. But sometimes we’re like, I just want to get to the point where I accept the inevitability of suffering. I just need to get to the point where I just accept it. If I can get there, I’m doing pretty well. Well, here’s the thing. It’s more than that. And I think if you guys can start to understand a little bit today why suffering is a gift and that it is actually a gift, it will actually aid you in your suffering. Afflictions. Here’s the thing. Afflictions are not merely inevitable, but rather they’re a manifestation of God’s kind and generous dealings with you. That’s a hard pill to swallow, but it’s true. Afflictions are not merely inevitable, but rather a manifestation of God’s kind and generous dealings with you. Listen, God doesn’t give bad gifts to his children. True? True? [audio unclear] drawn out a little bit. Hold your place in Philippians, we’ll come back. But look at 1 Thessalonians chapter 3. Here’s what it says starting in verse 1:

Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions.

(1 Thessalonians 3:1–3)

All right, so there’s afflictions going on. There’s afflictions going on in Philippians, there’s afflictions going on in Thessalonians. Like both churches are dealing with it, right? So what do they do? Well, they see the affliction going on, they send Timothy, right, to do what? Verse 2: establish and exhort them in their faith, to help, to help them. [audio unclear] There’s tribulations. So the Thessalonians are at a place where apparently it was challenging enough that they got to send Timothy to help them out and encourage them. What did they need? [audio unclear] God’s people. So verse 3, “we are destined for this.” This is part of Christianity. This is part of being a believer. This is part of being a child of God. Affliction. It’s not incidental or accidental. It’s intentional. God’s plan is for affliction to accompany his children.

We Are Destined for This

Look at Acts 14. We’re going to see something similar. Verse 19, Acts 14:

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

(Acts 14:19–22)

Through many tribulations. That’s how they’re going to enter. Listen, the way to [audio unclear] last will be, that doesn’t make sense from a human point of view. But [audio unclear] Verse 33, the very last verse, John 16. “I have said these things to you”—this is Jesus—“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” [audio unclear] uses when it talks about suffering, affliction, trials, temptations, tribulations, persecutions, but that range of words, there’s a lot of overlap. There’s a lot of overlap in those words. Don’t use that because people start thinking the Great Tribulation. Well, that’s not in mind back at the time. It’s just a synonym for afflictions and trials or something like that. Sometimes we use that, oh, the Great Tribulation at the end. No, it’s a normal daily life where you have afflictions going on. That’s what it’s saying. You’re going to have them. You will have tribulation. But there’s a promise there. Right? “Take heart; I have overcome the world.” Jesus has this, right? Regardless of what you’re going through, regardless of what you’re dealing with, he will see you to the end.

We see it similarly in Romans 8. Look there. Here we go. Romans 8 verse 16:

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

(Romans 8:16–17)

Notice what it says there. Provided we’re heirs, but there’s like a little clause there. “Provided we suffer with him.” I mean, that’s what it says, right? And if children, verse 17, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him. And what’s the purpose of that? “In order that we may also be glorified with him.” You want to be glorified one day with Jesus? You want to get that glorified body? Yeah, well, guess what? Guess what the path is there? It’s not some glorious, fame-filled, power-filled, money-filled path. We suffer with him. And then it goes on, verse 18: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time”—I mean, Paul talking like everyone that is trusting in Christ is going through suffering, they’re going through afflictions, why? Because that’s what happens—“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

The Path of the Savior

Brothers and sisters, the way of the Savior is suffering. If you are dealing with afflictions or suffering, well, guess what? You’re in good company. You want to talk about suffering? Someone who walked the path of suffering. Not just at the suffering, but through his entire life, suffering. This is the same path Jesus took: before the glory, there was suffering. What’s characteristic of his life? Pomp and circumstance, rose petals, fine clothing? No. What’s he say? “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” He’s like, oh, foxes, they got a place to live; the Son of Man, no place to lay his head. So Paul links these ideas later in Philippians, when he talks about—and we’re going, once we get there—but in Philippians 3, what does he say? This idea of suffering, as we’re going to see, it’s a description talking about sanctification. But all of this, go back to Philippians. All of this, he says, it’s been granted to you for the sake of Christ. The suffering you experience is not a sign that God is ignoring [audio unclear]

Standing for Christian Truth

[audio unclear] your Christian positions, that the affliction can come. Christ alone saves. I mean, you start saying that in different forms and in different ways, you’re going to get some serious pushback. All perish apart from Christ. Anyone who doesn’t trust in Christ goes to hell for eternity. Those aren’t popular. And you’ll get pushback. Christianity is the one true religion. Marriage is only between one man and one woman. You’re going to get pushback. Gay marriage is wrong. You’re going to get pushback. All sex outside of marriage is wrong. You’re going to get pushback. There’s only two genders. You’re going to get pushback. Abortion is wrong. You’re going to get pushback. God calls men to lead their families. You’re going to get pushback. That’s what the Bible teaches. I mean, being a Christian means believing Christian things, right? And it means standing for Christian truth. Listen, we’ve got to make a decision. We’ve got to make a decision. The Bible says that if we are ashamed of Christ now, then he’s going to be ashamed of us one day. If we don’t identify and aren’t willing to identify with him, then why would we expect one day for him to identify with us? If you want to make sure you’re in the faith, you need to make sure you’re walking in the faith, believing faith things, and willing to stand for them. Don’t be some little wave tossed by the wind, easily tossed about. There’s a time to stand. And that’s when it comes to biblical, first-order truths. You’ve got to stand on those. You can’t. I told you, you know, my oldest son just graduated—Logan just graduated from college. If you’re not willing to take a stand at your first job, you’re not going to be willing to take a stand at your second and third and fourth job. [audio unclear] to someone, that we, the body, would rally around that family and make sure they’re provided for, and taken care of. Yes, right? Someone’s taking a stand for Christ and loses their job. We would rally around that family and come together.

So all these different words of affliction, suffering, tribulation, like I said, there’s a lot of overlap there. Let’s look at the beginning of verse 30 there. He says, “engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.” Well, what’s he acknowledging here? He’s acknowledging that there’s a battle that all believers are in. [audio unclear] of Philippi, but in the broader sense, yes, they’re engaged in the same conflict. Suffering follows trusting in Christ. So the Scriptures show us suffering is not abnormal. It’s not a reason to panic. When we suffer, we show solidarity with our suffering Savior. Who suffered more than Jesus? I mean, no one, right?

Saints Who Suffered

So some of the greatest saints dealt with a lot of suffering. Amy Carmichael, great missionary. She had a chronic nerve condition that caused severe [audio unclear] China Inland Mission, she was initially rejected because of her [audio unclear] This left her largely bedridden for the last 20 years of her life. But she kept ministering. She kept being a missionary where God has placed her. What about Charles Spurgeon, known as the Prince of Preachers? He battled lifelong depression, anemia, gout, his physical and mental [audio unclear] often had him seek relief through different periods of his life. He died relatively young, in part because of these health issues, at the age of 55. Did he let that slow him down? No. Did he work and work through it in spite of the suffering? Yes. And I’d say because of the suffering. Those things made those people who they were. John Calvin suffered from numerous physical ailments, including chronic migraines, gout, kidney stones. People God still used to accomplish great things. If you’re afflicted, if you’re suffering, if you have some health issue, understandably that might affect how much you can accomplish, but don’t let it affect that you can accomplish something. These men and women accomplished great things. God was gracious to them, in the midst of their suffering.

Job

What about in Scripture? I mean, you have the key figure, right, Job. Did God hate Job? I mean, did he hate Job? Did God want bad things for Job? No. Did God love Job? Clearly. Did he care about Job? Yeah. So why give Satan permission to sift Job? I mean, why give him permission? I mean, ultimately we don’t know, but what we can say is that whatever God does is for his own glory. And if our heart is to glorify the Lord—the chief end of man, right? Enjoy our relationship with him and glorify him always. If our heart is to glorify the Lord with our life, we can walk in confidence, knowing that whatever God is doing in our lives, he’s doing it for his glory. We want him to get the glory. So if we have to go through suffering or affliction for him to get greater glory, then we should submit to that. God’s doing a thousand different things at a thousand different times in different people’s lives, but he reminds us in Romans 8, he works all things for the good of those who love him. Whatever he’s doing, he’s working it for the good of those who love him. The key part, a lot of people leave it out, is for the good of those who love him. You’ve got to love him. He’s working all things for the good of those who love him. A lot of times people just stop, “he’s working all things for good.” Well, for the good of those who love him, right? His children. He’s got this amazing plan and we’re seeing the tapestry woven. Sometimes we only get a little piece of that tapestry, but there’s this beautiful tapestry that he’s weaving, and he’s getting the glory through it all. Here’s what one theologian said regarding Job. He said, talking about Job’s response, he’s like, this is why Job’s answer is so appropriate. Remember what Job says at the end? He says, I repent. So this is why Job’s answer is so appropriate. He does not say, “Ah, at last I understand,” but rather, “I repent.” He does not repent of sins allegedly brought on the suffering. [audio unclear] He repents of whereby he simply demands—I mean, what’s the whole, like, I deserve to know, tell me what’s going on—and what’s God like: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” He humbles them. Those who insist on being God, this outcome will never suffice. Those who do not know God come in time to recognize that it is better to know God and to trust God than to claim the rights of God. Listen, we don’t have an information problem, we have an illumination problem. We don’t have a shortage of information, we need illumination, we need enlightened hearts on an issue even like this, suffering.

Peter and the Sifting

What about Peter? Look with me in Luke 22. We’ll look at Peter. Luke 22 verse 31, again Jesus speaking:

Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.

(Luke 22:31–32)

Notice what the text doesn’t say: “and I said no to him.” No. Could Jesus have done that? Yes. But it’s interesting here, even though he’s addressing Simon Peter, when it says the word “you” there, “Satan demanded to have you,” it’s actually the plural. He’s talking about the disciples, and by way of extension, the church, right? All believers. That’s the experience. So the sifter comes. He’s not just after Simon, he’s after all of God’s children. The sifter comes. It’s not pleasant. It’s not enjoyable. But it’s part of being a child of God. Satan has his sights on you. If you’re one of God’s, Satan has his sights on you, and he’s looking for an opportune time. Just like it says with Judas, right? Look for that opportune time. So for each one of you, he’s looking for that opportune time. If you’re not sifted, you’re not one of his. I mean, it’s kind of like discipline, right? I mean, Hebrews talks about it, the Lord disciplines those what? Whom he loves. And it says like if you’re not disciplined, you’re not one of his, right? You discipline your children because you love them. Think about the Apostle John, he’s exiled on Patmos, he’s suffering. What happens? The Lord gives him a revelation that we call the Book of Revelation. What about Paul? Listen in Galatians. What’s he say? “For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me.” And then in some of his letters at the end, he’s like, he would actually write the last part himself and he’d be like, see what big letters I write to you. Well, some people think, and with good reason, I would agree, that Paul’s vision was not that great, thus the large letters. So, because that’s how large he had to write to see what he was writing. Thus saying to the Galatians, you loved me so much, you know me so intimately, you know about my poor eyesight, you’d give me your eyes if you could. And then he had the thorn in the flesh. Look at 2 Corinthians 12. So Paul gets this revelation he talks about in chapter 12.

Paul’s Thorn

It says verse 7:

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

(2 Corinthians 12:7–10)

We’re not going to talk about what the thorn is today. That’s a different sermon. “For the sake of Christ”—there’s that, kind of what he says in Philippians, for the sake of Christ, right? What did that thorn do? I mean, it humbled him. What did he do when he got the thorn? He actually did the right thing. He went to the Lord, and it’s okay for us to ask the Lord to remove certain things, and sometimes, brothers and sisters, the Lord says no. We don’t like that. We want to hear from the Lord as long as he’s saying what we want to hear. But sometimes when he says what we don’t want to hear, we don’t like that. He told Paul, no. Why? Because it was for Paul’s greater good and ultimately God’s greater glory. But look what he says, right? “My power is made perfect in weakness.” Like, Paul, I’m doing a work in you. I need you to be weak so I can do the work. I need to humble you so I can do the work. We want a work of sanctification in us, right? Well, he needs us at a place where we can receive it. And so yeah, there’s going to be humility. Suffering should drive us to the Father every single time. What happens if we’re not thinking properly? What happens if we’re not walking faithfully? We let suffering drive us away from the Father. No, it should drive us to the Father. He’s the only one that can help us and deal with it and help us walk through it. But man, I mean, you want to see your weakness. I mean, when you’re in the midst of suffering, I mean, you’re weak. Well, what does it say? “When I am weak, then I am strong.” Why? Because God manifests his power. Not some power we manifest on our own. God manifests his power in us. So it should drive us to the Father. Over and over again, we see suffering is a sign of God’s gracious dealings with us.

Look at 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. He starts out verse 4:

Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

(2 Thessalonians 1:4)

Here he breaks out persecutions and afflictions. There are two different things right now. Whenever you hear the word persecution, that clearly is talking about receiving something ill because of standing for Christ. Sometimes when he uses words like afflictions, tribulations, suffering, it’s not always clear if it’s just like the normal woes of life or if it’s specifically because of standing for Christ. You kind of have to look at context to see what’s going on. So there is a suffering because you’re a Christian. There’s also just a suffering for going through the daily woes of life. So he says, “in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.” Look at what he says: “This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering.” This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God. Right? What’s going on, these persecutions and afflictions, right? That you may be considered worthy. Why are you going through that stuff? That you’re considered worthy for the kingdom. God’s preparing you for the kingdom. “Considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering.” And then I’m going to put a real interesting verse right after that: “since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.” Over and over again we see this. Over and over again, suffering goes with being a believer. Consider this, one theologian said: If our requests to God, which so often arise from our afflictions—you know, so we’re praying—are to be brought with thanksgiving. I mean, so many passages, right? When we’re praying, we’re supposed to be coming to the Lord with thanksgiving, correct? If our requests to God, which so often arise from our afflictions, are to be brought with thanksgiving, then clearly the believer is being taught to view sufferings in a positive light. Therefore, when Paul in Philippians 1:29 sets up affliction as a correlative of faith, a necessity and a gift, he is giving vivid expression to a recurring, though underlying, biblical theme, indeed to a fundamental truth of Christian citizenship. What’s that truth? That of suffering. And suffering is shared by all of God’s people. The Philippians, the same conflict, Paul says. It’s nothing new. It was going on for 2,000 years. It’s going on today. It’s going to be going on until Jesus comes back. God’s children don’t escape it. But what about suffering? Listen, God uses it and he redeems it. And think about David, King David. You know, they do the census and he sinfully chooses to have the census done. And the Lord sends a prophet, and the prophet’s like, you can pick your punishment. I mean, this is what he says. Here’s the three things that are going to happen, right? And the last one is, or you can be smitten by the Lord. And David’s like, I’ll take the smitten by the Lord, because even in his wrath might there be mercy. I mean, so we see it with the saints, they’re going through different things, right? But God, in the midst of the suffering, he’s there, very much present in it. If I ask the question, who wants to be conformed to the image of Christ? I mean, every person’s hand is going to go up. I mean, you have to raise it, even if you don’t think so. But here’s the problem. Like we’ll say we want to be conformed to the image of Christ, but we don’t want to go through the process to get there. I mean, sanctification, it’s not some smooth, easy process if we’re supposed to be doing it. No, it’s challenging. It’s hard. There’s a lot of pain. There is suffering. And if we talk about, oh, I want to be conformed to the image of Christ, and we’re like, well, suffering is a major dose of that, you’re like, eh, I don’t know. We say that, but we have to believe and trust.

What Suffering Produces

Like the way for sanctification is the trials, the tribulations, the afflictions. You talk to the great saints, even people today, and some of the greatest times they’ve had with the Lord, some of the greatest growth they’ve had, is in the midst of some of the most challenging and worst times of their life. Why? Because God ministered to them and they received it. They continued to press on. They continued to persevere. They continued, you know, it talks about intimacy. 2 Timothy, if we endure, we’ll receive the crown. We will receive the glory, but we have to endure. We have to endure. But the work of suffering in our lives, what does it produce? Well, one, it produces trust. Yes, we’re just like Job. Yes, we want to say, why is this happening to me? And guess what? Very rarely are you going to get an answer, at least not one that is satisfactory to you. You have to trust. You have to trust. It also produces in you compassion. Now, young—I’m just going to broad brush, but young people as a whole, they’re not very compassionate. Part of the reason is because they don’t know what it means to suffer. They’ve not gone through the hard times or the challenging times. You’ve gone through those hard times and challenging times, and then you see someone else going through it and you’re like, I can totally relate, and it was horrible and it stunk. Let me come along and put my arm around you and love you and help you and encourage you. Well, I mean, young people, they just don’t know that, they haven’t experienced it. So it produces compassion. It also produces, I would say, like a forbearance or patience. I mean, the word patience in the King James is literally “long-suffering.” Long-suffering. It’s probably a really great word for us to bring back. These patients are outpatients, right? No, long-suffering. So yeah, it produces patience in us. It produces a forbearance. It also produces a humility. It reminds us that we can’t do it on our own, that we are mortal. Nothing like being in a hospital bed, you know, wearing some gown where people can see your backside to humble you a little bit, right? You’re laying there and all sorts of doctors coming in the room and different things, that’s humbling. But that’s good for us. And it produces sanctification. God wants to see his people. He wants to see his people growing in Christ.

Our Attitude in Suffering

So what should our attitude be? We’ve seen what it produces, but the attitude, we’re going to just check a couple of verses. What’s our attitude? Look at 1 Peter. 1 Peter 1, verse 3:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

(1 Peter 1:3–7)

When I first read this, when I first got saved, verse 7, when it says, like, “more precious than gold,” I was like, yeah, man, my faith, it’s like more precious than gold. It’s so good, my faith, like, God’s giving me this amazing faith. That’s not what the verse is talking about. I was really bummed out when I found that out. Now, what is more precious than gold? It’s actually the testing of your faith. That’s the only way you can read it in the Greek. Some of our versions maybe don’t do the greatest job of bringing it out. Some others do. But the preciousness, more precious than gold, it’s the testing of our faith that Peter’s saying, that’s the gold. You’re like, no, you can keep that gold. Keep that gold, Peter. No, that’s the gold. It’s gold to have our faith tested. Why? Because look at what the result is: “it may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” That’s what we want, right? So if us going through trials or tribulations or afflictions or sufferings results in this, then our attitude in a humble sense should be, bring it on. Because that’s what we want to happen. We want at the revelation of Jesus Christ there to be praise and glory and honor from what we did and how we walked. That’s going to happen. That’s what the verse is saying. So we rejoice.

Earlier we see something similar. Romans 5, turn there. Verse 1, therefore, Romans 5: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,” [audio unclear]

we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

(Romans 5:3–5)

So I mean, you get to see God makes it very clear what the path of suffering is right here. We rejoice in the sufferings. Why? Because it produces endurance, the endurance produces character. That’s the sanctification. The character produces hope. The more you become conformed to the image of his Son, the more you become closer to God, like the greater the hope grows inside of you. Of Christ coming back, of the bride being claimed by the groom, the marriage supper of the Lamb, right, becomes much, much, much more of a reality and something that you look forward to. So we rejoice in our sufferings.

Again, Peter says—we probably should have just stayed there, but turn back to 1 Peter. 1 Peter 4. He says a similar thing. Verse 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. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings.” I mean, that’s what we’re going to look at when we get to Philippians 3:10, right? “That I may share his sufferings.” “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” I mean, so there’s this idea of rejoice. Rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings. I mean, if you’re sharing it, it means you’re one of his. What does James talk about? “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” We’re supposed to count it all joy, or we’re rejoicing. And what happens? We see the apostles. They put this into practice immediately in the book of Acts. It says in Acts chapter 5. You can just listen: “When they had called in the apostles,” it says they beat them and “charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” For Jesus, right? It’s for Jesus. That’s who we’re supposed to be living for, for Jesus.

When does the relief come? When does the relief—I mean, we’re suffering, there’s afflictions, there’s tribulations—when does the relief come? I mean, it’s heaven, right? We already read it. 2 Thessalonians 1: “and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.” Now, that might seem like a long way away. But it is coming. And it’s a guarantee to come. And relief is on the way. And it will be the best relief ever. All right, we got to keep pressing on, brothers and sisters. We got to keep pressing on. Giving up, it’s not an option. It’s not an option. We’re running a race. We’re running a race, all right? So we’ve picked up the baton, and we’re running, let’s continue to run. Everyone has a race to run. We’re really in the same race together, but we’re at different points in the race, right? And some people are close to the finish line. Some people are just starting. That’s okay. All of us have to finish. We have to finish. Or we want to be able to say like Paul, right? I’ve run the race. I’ve fought the good fight. You want to be able to say that towards the end? Look, if you haven’t been a believer for very long, I mean, you’re going to see many people start well and then fizzle out. I don’t want to be that. I don’t want you to be that. And some of this is having a proper understanding of what the Word says. But again, the issue isn’t always knowledge, it’s illumination. We need the Lord to illuminate our hearts on some of these issues. So instead of being tempted or even shaking our fist at him, when we’re going through the suffering or affliction, right, having a heart change on that. And if you’re going through that, you should be camped in the book of Job, right? I mean, he should be your right-hand man. But the attitude should be the same that Job has at the end of repenting of the bad attitude that he had. Did he do anything to deserve it? No. Much of the afflictions, tribulations we go through, the trials of suffering, sometimes it’s self-inflicted on us. You make poor choices, poor choices result in poor consequences, right? You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. Okay? So, I mean, sometimes that’s true, but other times, look, we’ve got frail bodies ravaged by sin, so our bodies are going to break down and some of us are going to have different sufferings because of it. Probably all of us at some point will. Enjoy it while you don’t, okay? I mean, we’re on a path. Our bodies are breaking down. That should remind us of a glorified body that awaits us. It’s going to be good, gracious, kind, that comes from our Savior. We got to make it to the end though, brothers and sisters. We got to press on over and over again, even in Ephesians 6, right? Stand firm, stand firm, stand firm. You know, he says it over and over in the same passage. We got to stand firm, continue fighting. Whatever might come our way, whether it’s just the natural courses of life, whether it’s the enemy throwing his fiery darts, walk according to the Word. Stay steadfast. The Lord is doing and wants to do a good work in each one of us, and he uses the gift of suffering to accomplish that. Let’s trust him. Let’s trust him and walk in that way. Let’s pray.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank you for the gift of faith. We also thank you for the gift of suffering. Lord, I pray we would receive this word. We’d hear it. We’d see it in your Word. We’d realize the truth of it. Help us in the midst of our suffering. I pray, Lord, for anyone that is in the midst of affliction, suffering, persecution, trials, tribulations. Let them be like that seed planted on the good soil. Let them stay steadfast. Minister to them where they’re at, Father. Be gracious to them. Show them your goodness. Show them your hesed love. Show them how much you care for them, be gracious unto them. Minister your truth to them. Fill them with your Holy Spirit. We thank you that you are a good and gracious God. That you love us beyond what we can fully understand or imagine. An infinite love, an agape love. Continue, Lord, to do your work. Help us to receive it from you. Continue to sanctify us and conform us to the image of your Son. We do want that. We truly want it. Help us to receive it, Lord, and may it all be for your glory. Amen.