Good Morning Beloved,
Thank you for joining us today
Heavenly Father,
We could pray and ask that You would bring us suffering,
but You know, we do not ask that, instead we ask for You to remove our suffering
So Lord, today we just pray that You would give us endurance for the suffering that is to come,
we can live godly lives when we exalt You at school, when we exalt You on the job, when we exalt Jesus Christ to our unsaved family, when we exalt the name of Christ in our communities, when we lift up Your Holy name and we live pure lives and preach Christ munificently, unhesitatingly, unequivocally, affirming the good news of gospel, when we confront sin and when we speak of righteousness and when we call men and women to repentance. Lord, we know and understand that with all of that will come abuse. Give us the patience and endurance that only Your Spirit can provide, that in that endurance we may know that greater weight of glory that will someday be our joy. O heavenly Father
we thank You for this great hope
in the precious name of Jesus , Who suffered for us
Amen.
"For it brings favor if, mindful of God’s will, someone endures grief from suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if you sin and are punished, and you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer, if you endure it, this brings favor with God. For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example,
so that you should follow in His steps. He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth; when He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He was suffering, He did not threaten
but entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree,
so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness;you have been healed by His wounds. For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls."
I Peter 2:19-20
Today's Message: Finding Glory In Suffering
As we continue to examine I Peter chapter 2, we will be studying verses 19 through 20. Turn with me if you will, to I Peter 2:19, we have here a section in Scripture that we could well call "The Suffering Christ." Before we are through, we'll have looked deeply into these rich truths, found in this great section of Scripture.
Beloved, I believe, this incredibly great, magnificent portion of Scripture will command our attention at the very least, on several occasions throughout our study.
The theme of this far-reaching text is the suffering of Christ. We will look, as I said, deeply into this text, as we study this tremendous portion of Scripture, we'll just have to see how long of a study it will be, as I believe, you cannot rush, the teaching of the Word of God. But if you will allow me, I'll see if I can't set it into a very personal context for us as we study this text.
Peter, in this great epistle is rather effusive in reciting two categories of truth. First one that strikes you as you read this 1st epistle of Peter is the obvious long list of blessings, which Peter records. In other words, as he speaks about the identity of a Christian and what it is to know Christ and what it is to possess Christ and all that we have in Him, he goes from one great privilege to another, from one great blessing to another, from one great gift of God to another. Those of us who are Christians possess the following blessings, and I'm going to give you a very quick run down through I Peter. Pay close attention to all of the privileges that belong to us, as Christians. Peter says we are blessed with great mercy. We are blessed with the new birth. We are given a living hope.
As Peter continues, he tells us that we are given an imperishable, undefiled, unfading inheritance in heaven. We are given a purified soul. We are introduced into a brotherhood of love. We receive constant spiritual nourishment for growth from the Word. We have the honor of being identified as living stones, a spiritual house, a holy and royal priesthood, a chosen race, a holy nation and a people for God's own possession. And, furthermore, Peter tells us, that we have received a spiritual gift by which we can minister with divine power to the body of Christ. He says we have a stewardship of God's manifold grace. We are the recipients of the promise of eternal glory. We have been given hope of God's comfort, God's strength and God's perfecting work in our lives. And finally, we are the beneficiaries of God's eternal peace in Christ.
All of these spiritual privileges, an incredible part of the legacy we have inherited through Christ. And as you might recall, we have been working our way through I Peter and so, we have already highlighted a number of those privileges, the richness of being a Christian.
Now, it's entirely possible, that some of you might assume, based upon all of that, based upon all of our blessings and all of our privileges and all of the promises that God has given to us and based upon our identity in Christ, that we should be loved and we should be respected. In fact, we should be honored and we might even say we should be adored. We should perhaps even be exalted. We should be lifted up to a high position. We should be recognized as transcending the normal people who live in the world because of such privilege. But the fact of the matter is just the opposite is true. And so you have a very strange kind of duality. Because running directly parallel along side of this extensive list of privileges is the catalog of suffering. Those of us who are most eminently identified and are most greatly privileged are told that we will also, suffer immensely.
Peter, then writes about various trials, into which we will likely fall. He speaks about tests of fire, in which every believer will endure. He writes about our being alienated. He says we will be abused under unreasonable masters, whom we must serve faithfully, regardless of how badly they will treat us. He says we will receive harsh treatment by hostile Christ haters and rejecters. He says we will, suffer greatly, simply for doing what is right. He says we will receive harm and we will receive evil at the hands of men. We will suffer insults being hurled at us.. We will be intimidated. We will be continually troubled. We will have to defend ourselves. He says we will be slandered, terribly slandered. We will be abused with speech. He says we will be mistreated, all for doing what is right. We will endure fiery ordeals which come for testing. He says we will share the sufferings of Christ.
Peter, then reminds us, that we will suffer according to the will of God, for God has a purpose in it. He says we will endure anxiety and care. He says we will be under the immanent and constant attack of the devil, who goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. And he says we will suffer alongside all other Christians, all of which, whom are suffering.
And quite frankly, it's not very inviting, but that's the facts, the truth. That is the inherent nature of the Christian life: On the one hand, we are blessed with immense privileges, and yet, on the other hand, continual suffering. So, allow me to sum it all up, for you, as simply as I can: The Christian life is a call to glory through the path of suffering. The Christian life is a call to glory through the path of suffering. Those are the inevitable two sides of our Christian experience. What's the reason? Because of who we are in Christ, we are set at odds with the environment, the society, the world in which we live. We are a significant problem, a thorn in the side, if you will, in our culture. We are a problem in our fellow man. We are strangers in a hostile environment. And since the environment in which we are strangers is run by Satan, who is the prince of this world, since it is a Satan-energized system and a demon-activated system, we are at odds with it. That's why John says you can't love God and love the world. That's why James says if you're a friend of the world, you're the enemy of God. The two are mutually exclusive.
And so here we are, these children of God with privileges that are far beyond our comprehension. And rather than being exalted, honored and treated with at least some respect because of who we are in Christ and because of our elevated identity in Him, it's just the opposite, our presence is antagonistic in our culture, we are considered to be the problem in the society, society has instead, set itself against us. And the more faithfully we live out our Christian life, the more hostility we can expect. The world is, frankly, is filled with hatred and injustice. It is filled with cruelty. It is filled with wickedness. It is filled with abuse. It is filled with sin. And no single group has felt it more of that than Christians down through the centuries. We have been hated, mistreated, abused, treated with cruelty, wickedness, even death. And Peter's readers are up to their ears in this very thing.
When Peter writes to these Christians scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen by God for salvation, he realizes their very, difficult circumstances, that they are going through some very severe trials. So on the one hand he reminds them of their privilege, and on the other hand he tells them to expect suffering.
So how are we to handle this animosity? How are we to handle that hostility? How are we to cope with it? What is to be our attitude? Now, as we think about that, we are drawn deeply into this passage. Why? Because Jesus Christ is presented here as the model of the proper attitude and conduct in the midst of a suffering that is unfair and unjust. And at the end of verse 20, we're told that suffering should be endured with patience because it finds favor with God.
And that brings us to verse 21, verse 21, "For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps" Do you remember what I previously told you? Allow me to remind you, that calling refers to the calling to salvation. You were saved to suffer. Does that surprise you? Well, it shouldn't. You were saved to suffer. But why? Because you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God's own possession. You are proclaiming the excellencies of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light and consequently the world will resent you. The system will resent you. Now obviously it is more hostile at some times than at other times and more hostile in some places than others. But the world as a whole, resents those who represent the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And so Peter tells us, by the virtue of your salvation you will suffer. You've been called to that. What does he mean? He means that you have been called to glory but as long as you're living in this world, the path to glory is the path of suffering. And that pleases God. Why does it please God? Why does it please God that we suffer? For the answer, let's take a look at chapter 5 verse 10. In 5:10, we find the answer, " Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little. The dominion belongs to Him forever. Amen."
In other words, what Peter is saying there is suffering is all part of the process of perfecting, confirming, strengthening and establishing you, in Christ. It's part of your spiritual growth process. And, further, it's part of God's eternal plan, and I'll get into more detail of what I mean and show you some really exhilarating, astonishing truth. But the point is right now is this: God is pleased when you patiently suffer . You are to suffer patiently because God has called you to that, because the path to glory is through suffering. And it has to be that way from the viewpoint of earth because a godless, Satan-inspired world has an ever increasing animosity toward Christians. But this not only from the world's side but from God's side. God has a purpose in your suffering. It ultimately has beneficial effects. It is all part of your final perfection and final glory. It is part of the perfecting process, preparing us for final glory.
Beloved, this is not foreign to us, it shouldn't be shocking either. If you'll turn with me back to chapter 1, verses 6 and 7, allow me to show you one of the benefits of suffering, and we could talk about a number of them, however, for this illustration, we'll just look at this one. He says in verse 6, "If... You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials so that the genuineness of your faith—more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
The point of the implication is this, that if you are suffering here obviously because the world resents you and the world hates you, but God allows that because it is the validation of your faith. And it will result in greater praise, greater glory and greater honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now stick with me on this thought, this is a profound thought as we work our way sort of into this passage. When you suffer you are not just enduring here to learn patience, because you don't need to know patience for eternity because you won't have to be patient in eternity. You are suffering here to learn something, to accomplish something that is going to enhance your capacity to praise, glorify, and honor God. This then that you suffer in this life is directly related to your eternal capacity to glorify God. That is a great truth. It is directly related to your eternal capacity to glorify God.
In James chapter 1, James says you should count it all joy when you encounter various trials because the testing of your faith produces endurance and endurance has a perfect result that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. There is a sense in which going through trials causes you to become strong as a Christian, you become more mature, more perfected, more like Christ. That's James' point. However, Peter's point is that what you endure of suffering here is going to have a profound effect on your function in glory, on your function in glory.
II Corinthians chapter 4, verse 17, Paul essentially makes this same point. He says in verse 17, "For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory." Did you understand? This is a very important blessing, extremely important. Not only is suffering in this life teaching you to be more patient and thus spiritually stronger and thus more like Christ, not only does it have an effect on you here, but it produces an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. That's an incredible blessing beloved. Think about that.
The suffering endure here is affecting your function in eternity, not just in time. Let's be honest, it does affect you here. It makes you stronger when you endure it with patience, it teaches you to trust God and it teaches you to be growing in your faith, making it stronger. It throws you on the Word of God. It makes you more dependent on Christ. It makes you more like Him as you are strengthened by trials. But that's here and now. But that's not really the point we're looking at. What I want you to understand is that the suffering in this life that we go through for the cause of Christ will bring about a change that will impact our eternal function. And what is our eternal function? You tell me. What are we going to do forever? We're going to glorify God, we're going to honor God, we're going to praise God, we're going to adore God. And so the capacity to do that is affected as you endure patiently the suffering here. And that's what he means in verse 18. So he says, II Corinthians 4:18, while we're going through these trials, we're looking for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. So he says, "So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" So what is he saying? As you go through a trial, focus on its eternal impact, its eternal consequence.
II Timothy chapter 2, let's fill up our understanding. II Timothy chapter 2 verse 12, just a very simple statement, the first part of the verse, "If we endure, we shall also reign with Him." Are you getting it? We shall reign with Him if we endure with Him. What's the point? The point is simply this, beloved, the greater the endurance through suffering in this life, the greater the eternal reward. And I am convinced that eternal reward is primarily a capacity to glorify God. Did you follow that? The greater the endurance in this life, the greater the eternal reward. And eternal reward is nothing more than a greater capacity to glorify God. So thereby increasing your eternal capacity, capability to glorify God is directly related to that which you endure in this life.
Now, you likely recall an earlier illustration of this, or I'm sure that you will once I point it out to you because it is such a familiar one. In Matthew chapter 20, James and John and their mother came to see Jesus. And He said to the mother of James and John in Matthew 20:21, "Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached Him with her sons. She knelt down to ask Him for something. “What do you want?” He asked her. “Promise,” she said to Him, “that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and the other on Your left, in Your kingdom.” But Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” “We are able,” they said to Him. He told them, “You will indeed drink My cup. But to sit at My right and left is not Mine to give; instead, it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” When the 10 disciples heard this, they became indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and the men of high position exercise power over them. It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many."
So what is she saying? She recognizes a couple of things. One, she recognizes that there is a ranking or a hierarchy within the kingdom of God and that is accurate and, if you'll notice, that Jesus does not correct that. He does not say woman, you are wrong. Why? Because that isn't wrong. There is definitely that. There are definitely greater and lesser rewards, am I right? We can remember from the words in the epistle of John that we are to look to ourselves that we lose not the things we have wrought but that we receive a full reward. And there are some things that are wood, hay, stubble; some that are gold, silver, precious stones. So there are varying rewards. So there are varying rankings. She was right in assessing that in the kingdom there would be some who would have achieved a very high level of prominence, a very great capacity to glorify God.
What was Jesus saying, when He said, "Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?"
He was talking about suffering, His suffering. Jesus was saying, are you able to drink this same cup of suffering that I'm about to drink?" What's the implication here? That elevation in the kingdom is related to what? Suffering. Elevation is directly tied to suffering. Just think about this, Who is most elevated in the kingdom? Christ. Jesus Christ, is at the right hand of the Father. Do you see it? There is a direct correlation between the two. So what Jesus is saying is if you want to sit on My right and left hand, then you must understand the path in which you must get there is suffering. And the higher the elevation, the greater the suffering.
Now beloved, think about this: You may say, isn't it great we don't live in a society where we must endure torture and suffering for being a Christian, as is the case in may other parts of the world, where they are literally beaten and murdered for their faith. But, are you ready for it? OK, here it comes, sure, it is nice for now but when it comes time for the eternal capacity to be expressed and it comes time for all eternity to be filled up with our offering praise, honor and glory to Christ, there will be plenty of others, who will have a far greater capacity for that because they have known greater suffering here and like the apostle Paul, forever and ever and ever and ever they will praise God for the pleasure of having a momentary affliction in order to have an eternal weight of glory. Don't sell yourself short, and suffering we endure here, this is brief, a flash in time.
But every time you avoid righteousness in order to save suffering, you effect, in a sense, your life in such a way that will impact your eternal capacity. Now I'm not saying that you're going to sin in heaven, not at all, because there will not be any of that. I'm not going to say you'll be disappointed, because there will be no disappointment there. I'm not going to say you'll be terribly sad, because you won't. But the fact is, the greater the suffering in this life, the greater the glory will be in the next life, the greater the capacity to honor god.
So you see, it was that kind of thinking that spurred the apostle Paul on. It was that same kind of thinking that made Peter want to be crucified upside down, because Peter understood that suffering was the path to glory. So don't be too overly excited about your being privileged in this life because those of us who most escape the hostility of the world will be limited in the capacity we have for eternal glory. I don't believe at that point that we will feel cheated at all, I think we'll be too busy rejoicing and glorifying God with all that we have to care about that, but I don't know about you, I want to be able to have as much capacity as I am able to have. So suffering plays a very important role in not only during the time here in a believer's life but in eternity of a believer's life.
Luke chapter 24, Jesus says, in speaking to His disciples, "He said to them, “How unwise and slow you are to believe in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken! Didn’t the Messiah have to suffer these things and enter into His glory?" The point here is, Christ had to suffer to enter His glory. We should expect no less to enter our glory. And the greater the suffering, the greater the glory. That's the whole principle.
And, if you need more, here it is, Hebrew 2:10, "For in bringing many sons to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God—all things exist for Him and through Him—should make the source of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers." And that's what Peter is talking about back in I Peter 2:21, "For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps." If the path to glory for Christ was through suffering, the path to glory for you and I is also through suffering.
In Closing...
We all know that Christ suffered. He learned obedience from the things which He suffered and having been made perfect He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation. He suffered. He learned obedience. And He gained eternal glory through His suffering.
"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will even rise up against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of My name. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered. When they persecute you in one town, escape to another. For I assure you: You will not have covered the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. A disciple is not above his teacher, or a slave above his master. It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master. If they called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more the members of his household!" So, in other words, I suffered and you're no better than Me, so expect to be persecuted, expect to suffer, because you're suffering for righteousness sake.
Beloved, let's be honest, most Christians today, do not give this a thought when coming to Christ, all they're concerned with is what Christ can do for them, how He will remove their suffering, health issues, financial troubles, they consider the blessings in Christ, the privileges. They give not a thought to the suffering, and if they should have to endure any, they complain. Whining like a baby, "poor me, look what I'm going through." All of know its the truth. We are so privileged, that when we are called to endure suffering, regardless how slight, we complain, rather than rejoice at what it will bring in glory.
We must always remember, Christ was not just our example, Jesus Christ was also our substitute.
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Brian Monzon Ministries