“Rejoicing In Your Suffering” 1 Peter 4:12-19

TRANSCRIPT

Date: October 13, 2024 Author: Wayne J. Edwards

As we witness the aftermath of the recent hurricanes, we are confronted with the age-old question: Why does God allow suffering? While God uses these natural disasters to remind us of our vulnerability and the inevitability of death, it’s important to remember that God is not the cause of suffering. As James 1:13 states , ‘With evil things, God cannot be tried, nor does He try anyone.’ A much more profound question is: Why does God allow Christians to suffer physical persecution? The Apostles Paul and Peter said it is to help the Christian understand the suffering Jesus Christ endured for our eternal salvation. In Philippians 3:8-11, the Apostle Paul said he had suffered “ the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.” Paul said, if there were things about Jesus Christ that could only be learned through physical suffering, so be it! Spurgeon wrote: “God is too good to be unkind, and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart. When you are so weak that you cannot do much more than cry, you coin diamonds with both your eyes. The sweetest prayers God ever hears are the groans and sighs of those who have no hope in anything but his love.” This Sunday, we will continue our sermons from 1 Peter. The title of this sermon is: “A Living Hope – Rejoicing in Your Suffering.” This sermon is a timely message that resonates with the challenges many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are facing today. It reminds us of our hope in Christ and the importance of standing firm in our faith, even in adversity. We want to express our deep gratitude for your participation in sharing these sermon study guides with those you believe might be interested. Your involvement is not just appreciated, but it is vital to our Live Stream Ministry. We genuinely appreciate your help and value your contributions. We also enjoy reading the comments!!

As we witness the aftermath of the recent hurricanes, we are confronted with the age-old question: Why does God allow suffering? While God uses these natural disasters to remind us of our vulnerability and the inevitability of death, it’s important to remember that God is not the cause of suffering. As James 1:13 states , ‘With evil things, God cannot be tried, nor does He try anyone.’

A much more profound question is: Why does God allow Christians to suffer physical persecution? The Apostles Paul and Peter said it is to help the Christian understand the suffering Jesus Christ endured for our eternal salvation. In Philippians 3:8-11, the Apostle Paul said he had suffered “ the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.” Paul said, if there were things about Jesus Christ that could only be learned through physical suffering, so be it!

Spurgeon wrote: “God is too good to be unkind, and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart. When you are so weak that you cannot do much more than cry, you coin diamonds with both your eyes. The sweetest prayers God ever hears are the groans and sighs of those who have no hope in anything but his love.”

This Sunday, we will continue our sermons from 1 Peter. The title of this sermon is: “A Living Hope – Rejoicing in Your Suffering.” This sermon is a timely message that resonates with the challenges many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are facing today. It reminds us of our hope in Christ and the importance of standing firm in our faith, even in adversity.

We want to express our deep gratitude for your participation in sharing these sermon study guides with those you believe might be interested. Your involvement is not just appreciated, but it is vital to our Live Stream Ministry. We genuinely appreciate your help and value your contributions. We also enjoy reading the comments!!

Download the following translated Sermon guides:

Old Testament: Psalm 66:1-20 New Testament: 2 Corinthians 4:1-18

One of the most neglected principles of the Christian life is how God uses “suffering” to conform our lives to the image of Jesus Christ.

Peter wrote this epistle to those Christians in the 1 st century who were the first to suffer persecution for their expressed faith in Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah.

Peter identified four qualities that should describe a Christians’ attitude and actions when faced with persecution.

The general theme of Peter’s 1 st Epistle is that Christians are called to suffer persecution.

Regardless of what the world brings against us, Christians must keep rejoicing, because persecution is the evidence that God is at work in us and through us. (See Matthew 5:10-12)

When suffering comes, we are to discern its source to see if it is of our doing, as a result of our sin or if it is of God’s “doing”, to prepare us to meet the Savior.

Now that we know that the persecution we are called to endure is not just the evil intentions and hatred of man but according to the will of God for our lives, our only response should be to “endure it by faith” by entrusting our souls unto God.

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