I Peter 3:13-14
(A Bible Study Led
by Dr. Larry Reynolds)
September 19, 2013
1. An
anonymous writer penned this words:
God
hath not promised Skies ever
blue, Flower-strewn pathways always for you. God hath not
promised Sun without rain, Joy without
sorrow, Peace without pain
2. Most
of you know from personal experience the truth of those words... As we struggle
to make sense out of the difficult times which invariably invade our lives,
there are two extremes in thinking which we must avoid...on one hand, we must
avoid the extreme which says--
--God
sends suffering our way because it is good for us ...some people seem
to think that everything which happens in this world is the direct result of
God’s will and that if we suffer it is because God wills us to suffer...but
that view of suffering fails to take into account that we live in a fallen
world...because humanity has rebelled against God, the world in which we now
live is not the ideal place God intended at creation...and I believe that some
things happen in this world which break God’s heart just as they break our
hearts...so must avoid the extreme of saying that God sends suffering to our
lives...on other hand, must avoid the extreme that says...
--God’s
people are immune from suffering ...some people seem to think if a
person is really spiritual, faithful to God, living in God’s will, that person
will never suffer...Billy Graham once said, “Nowhere does the Bible teach
that Christians are exempt from the tribulations and natural disasters that
come upon the world.” [Illustrations A-Z]
3. The
book of I Peter has a lot to say to us about dealing with suffering...as I’ve
told you, the letter was written to Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor
who were on the verge of experiencing tremendously brutal government sponsored
persecution...one of the reasons Peter wrote this letter (and many scholars
believe it was Peter’s the primary reason for writing) was to instruct those
Christians on how to deal with suffering...the words “suffer” and
“suffering” are used 16 times in the 5 chapters of I Peter...in
this session we are going to begin looking at a part of 1 Peter that has much
to teach us about making sense out of suffering...look at I Peter
3:13-18...(text)
T.S. - There are two broad categories of
suffering which God’s people experience in this world...
·
Suffering which comes as a result of living in a
natural, fallen world...illnesses, accidents, pains, death are just parts of
this natural world order...those who live in this world will invariably be
impacted by those things...
·
Suffering which comes as a result of our identification
with Christ... at certain points in history, and even today in some parts of
our world, Christians are physically and emotionally persecuted...
I Peter focuses primarily on this second
kind of suffering--suffering as a result of being identified with
Christ..however, the advice for dealing with suffering given to us in this book
is applicable to all types of suffering...want you to see some things this part
of God’s Word tells us about making sense out of suffering...
I.
Viewing
suffering in the perspective of all of life helps us to make sense out of it
1. One
of the great dangers that times of suffering brings to God’s people is that
such times can cause us to have a distorted view of life...such times can cause
us to lose sight of the big picture of life as we focus only on one piece of
life...we must never forget, especially in time of trial and suffering, that
there is more to our existence that what we experiencing at any particular
point in life and there is more to our existence than what we experience in
this world...
2. Think
that is basic point Peter was trying to make in vv.13-14... reminds us in those
verses of two precious truths which will help us keep the sufferings of life in
proper perspective...
--v.13 reminds
us that if we are truly God’s people (that is what is meant by the phrase “zealous
for what is good”), then no-one and nothing can permanently harm
us...doesn’t mean there aren’t things in life which can cause us great pain and
heartache on a temporary basis...but does mean that in the over-all scheme of
things, we have the assurance that in the end everything will work out alright
for the true people of God...that’s because no matter what happens in this
world, we have the assurance that our ultimate destiny is to spend eternity with
God...
--v.14 reminds
us that it’s possible to experience blessing in the midst of suffering...what a
great statement!...”...even if you should suffer ... you are blessed.”...it’s
an amazing, comforting thought that things which would crush and defeat us, God
can use to build us up, to bless us...if we really understand that, it can
cause us to view suffering from a whole new perspective...instead of crying out
in bitterness and anger, “God, why did you let this happen?” we
can say in times of suffering, “Father, how can you use this to bless my
life and to bless the lives of others?”
1. Ancient
story about one of the early church fathers named Eusebius...brought before
Roman authority and threatened because he was openly professing to be a
Christian...the authority threatened to------Eusebius replied “He needs
not fear....”
--confiscate
his property (“...fear confiscation who has nothing to lose.”)
--banish
him from Rome (“...fear banishment to whom heaven is his country.”)
--torture
him (“...fear torments when his body can be destroyed at one blow.”)
--to
kill him (“...death which is the only way to set one at liberty from sin
and sorrow.”) [Illustrations A-Z]
2. Remembering
to view suffering from the perspective of all of life helps us to better handle
it and make sense out of it...
II. Keeping our attention fixed on Christ in
times of suffering helps us to make sense of it
1. Of
course, Christians should keep their attention focused on Christ at all times,
but it is especially important to do so in times of suffering...the last part
of v.14 and first part of v.15 tells us that when suffering comes we should “...not
be troubled...” ...instead, at such times we are to “...sanctify [set
apart or acknowledge or look to] Christ as Lord in your hearts...”
2. Now
there is good reason for us to do that in times of suffering... the first part
of v.18 begins with the phrase “Christ also died...” ...in other
words Peter is saying, “Even if the worst happens and your very life is
taken from you, you won’t be experiencing anything Christ hasn’t already
experienced.”
3. In
the book of Isaiah Jesus is described as “a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief”...in Him who have a Savior who is acquainted with the human
experience....He has been to our world...He has walked where we walk...He has
experienced life as we experience it...He knows what it’s like to suffer...He
has experienced—
--the
profound sadness of the death of a loved one...
--the
pressing sorrow of being abandoned by all his friends...
--the
sting of excruciating physical pain...
--the
loneliness and terror of His own death...
4. And
because He’s experienced those things, He knows what it’s like for us in times
such as that...and when we turn to Him, He is uniquely qualified to help...He
stands beside us...He encourages us...He builds us up..
5. We
must not forget that we have, in Jesus, a Savior who knows all about what we
experience in this world...as the song says: “His heart is touched with
your feelings, when it seems your heart will would break in two. Just remember when He prayed alone in the garden,
His heart was broken for you.” No-one
understands like Jesus, He really cares for you. He knows when your heart has been broken, He
really cares for you.” And the best thing we can do in the midst of
suffering is to keep our attention fixed on Him...then, Peter tells us another
thing we can do to make sense out of suffering...
III. Allowing Christ to use our suffering for
good helps us make sense of it
1.Suffering
always brings with it opportunity...in v.15, at which we’re going to look in
greater detail in a future study, Peter instructs his readers to be ready to
take advantage of the opportunity suffering invariably brings...look at what
the verse says: “...always be ready to make a defense to everyone who
asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you...”...in others
words, Peter is saying that as a result of the way Christians endure suffering
with an spirit of hope in God and trust in God, others will naturally want to
know about the God we serve...
2.How
a person reacts to suffering says a lot about that person’s Christian
commitment...now don’t want you to misunderstand what I’m saying, so listen
closely...Christians need not be stoic, unfeeling in the face of suffering...it
is not wrong or unspiritual for a Christian to grieve and hurt...that’s
natural...it’s healthy...it is necessary for our emotional well-being...
3.However,
there is a vast difference between those who grieve as though they have no hope
and those who grieve with a spirit of hope, confidence, trust, faith in
Christ...and all you have to do to see the difference is to spend some time
around Christians in the midst of suffering and non-Christians in the midst of
suffering... there is all the difference in the world...
4.And
one of the strongest arguments for the validity of faith in Christ is how God’s
people are able to be victorious in the face of suffering...and Peter reminds
us in these verses that one way to make sense out of suffering is to allow
Christ to use our experiences of suffering to point others to Him...
CONCLUSION
1. Began
this session by quoting first part of poem written by anonymous author:
God
hath not promised Skies ever
blue, Flower-strewn pathways always for you. God hath not
promised Sun without rain, Joy without
sorrow, Peace without pain.
But
that’s not all of the poem...the last four lines say this:
But
He hath promised Strength from
above, Unfailing sympathy, undying love.
2. How
do we find that strength for times of suffering?...I think by following the
instructions in this part of God’s Word--
--view
suffering within the larger context of life...
--keep
our attention fixed on Christ...
--allow
God to use your suffering as a witness to Him...
3. Doing
those things will help us make sense out of suffering...
