REJOICING NOW – REJOICING EXCEEDINGLY LATER

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on February 20, 2019 under AM Bible Study |

AM Bible Study Group: February 20, 2019 from 1 Peter 4:12-13

Theme: If we learn to rejoice in suffering for Jesus’ sake now, we will rejoice exceedingly when He comes in glory.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

Suffering for Jesus—that is, experiencing persecution or pressure from this world because of our devotion to Him—has been a major theme of Peter’s letter. The very first thing, in fact, that Peter addressed in this letter is the whole idea of suffering faithfully now with a hope-filled outlook to the glory that will follow (see 1:3-9). And when it comes to standing faithfully for the Lord Jesus, attitude is key.

We have to discipline ourselves to have the right mindset; and to make sure that we view those times of suffering in the proper way. And so; Peter exhorts us to a right attitude in our suffering for Jesus in 4:12-13;

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy (1 Peter 4:12-13).

The Holy Spirit is encouraging us, through these words, to rejoice—even in the midst of our times of suffering for Christ; because our Father is using those times to form us and shape us and strengthen our faith in Him. And if we rejoice in our suffering for Him as we should now, we will one day—at the return of the Lord—rejoice even more at being found to praise and honor and glory on the day of His revelation.

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The first thing we’re told about having a proper attitude of mind is …

1. DON’T BE SURPRISED WHEN YOU SUFFER FOR JESUS IN THIS WORLD.

Peter writes, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you …” (v. 12).

Notice that we’re not to ‘think it strange’ when we suffer for the sake of the Lord Jesus. One of the greatest reasons we fail to have joy in times of suffering for Christ is, most likely, because we think that such suffering is ‘strange’ or unusual or outside-the-norm. We have the mistaken belief that if we are sincere and faithful followers of the Lord Jesus, everything should go happily and we should never have to suffer at all. But in reality, it would be rather strange if we didn’t suffer persecution for following Jesus in this dark and fallen world. In John 15, the Lord Jesus already told us that this kind of suffering would be the case. Just before He was arrested and taken to the cross, He told His disciples;

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause’” (John 15:18-25).

As the apostle Paul once put it, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). So; one way we need to adjust our attitude is to not to be surprised when we suffer in this world for being associated with Jesus Christ. When it comes to following Jesus, suffering for that faithfulness is what is to be expected.

But another thing we should adjust is how we think of those times of suffering themselves—and to learn to see them as experiences that are allowed by our sovereign God to test us, and try us, and refine us, and strengthen our faith in Him. We shouldn’t be surprised at this either. Peter calls those experiences “fiery trials”. It’s a fit name; because they burn and hurt. But the single Greek word that is translated by the phrase “fiery trials” was also a word that was used to describe the fire that was used to refine precious metals. We should remember what Peter said in Chapter 1—that “you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ …” (1 Peter 1:6-7)? That’s what those “fiery trials” really are. They are parts of the process of refinement that God is taking us through.

Far from being a ‘strange’ thing, then, those ‘fiery trials’ are strategic to the strengthening of our faith. We need to learn to see our ‘suffering for Christ’ as God’s way of burning away the impurities and imperfections in our faith—making that faith pure, and strong, and worthy of praise and honor and glory at Jesus’ coming. If we keep this in mind, we’ll be having the right attitude about those ‘fiery trials’—and will no longer be surprised or made to stumble when they come.

Peter goes to tell us another attitude we should have; and that is to …

2. REJOICE TO THE DEGREE THAT YOU SHARE IN CHRIST’S SUFFERINGS.

In verse 13, he writes, “but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings …” It’s important to notice that Peter used that strong word “but”. It’s a word that draws our attention to a contrast. In verse 12, we’re not to count our suffering for Christ as something “strange”. “But”, in verse 13, we’re instead to “rejoice”. Rather than being shocked and dismayed as if we encountered something we never expected, we’re to rejoice when it comes.

It’s also important, though, to notice that we aren’t to rejoice in just any type of suffering. Peter says specifically that we are to rejoice “to the extent” or “according to the proportion” that we share in the sufferings of the Lord Jesus. In verses 14-16, he wrote;

If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part, He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter (1 Peter 4:14-16).

There’s no reason for us to rejoice if we suffer for doing wrong—unless it helps us to learn not to do wrong again! And it would certainly be true to say that we are blessed if we undergo any kind of suffering in a faithful manner before our Lord. But if we specifically suffer shame and reproach from unbelieving people for being identified with the Lord Jesus, then we have the greatest possible reason to rejoice and to give glory to God. Jesus Himself said,

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12).

It’s a great honor to share in the suffering of our Lord Jesus. In Acts 5:41, the apostles were said to be “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” That’s how it should be with us. So; a second way that we should adjust our attitude is by learning to rejoice to the extent that we truly do share in our beloved Lord’s sufferings in this world.

And finally, we should adjust our attitude by keeping our eyes on the future. Consider the importance of the word “that” in the middle of verse 13. It points our attention to the purpose for Peter’s command to ‘rejoice’ during those temporal times of suffering for Jesus’ sake:

3. DO THIS SO THAT YOU CAN REJOICE EXCEEDINGLY AT HIS COMING.

Peter writes; “but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy” (v. 13).

Peter is talking about two kinds of ‘rejoicing’ in verse 13. The first kind that he speaks of is the kind that we are to discipline ourselves to engage in now—whenever we are called upon to suffer for the sake of our Lord Jesus. Whenever other people ridicule us, or shun us, or even openly attack us and persecute us for our faith in Jesus, we should think rightly about that suffering and ‘rejoice to the extent that we partake of Christ’s sufferings’. But the second kind of rejoicing is the kind that we will experience when the Lord Jesus returns to this earth in power and glory. Peter describes it as a ‘super’ kind of rejoicing—a rejoicing that exceeds our present powers of expression—a state in which we will be “glad with exceeding joy”. And he specifically says that we are to discipline ourselves to engage in the first kind of rejoicing now, so that we may experience the second kind of rejoicing then.

The Lord Jesus Himself has said;

“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants” (Luke 12:35-38).

Who are the ones whose waist will be girded and whose lamps will be burning—waiting for our Lord’s return? There may be many factors involved; but one characteristic that we can be sure if is that it’ll be those who have learned to rejoice whenever they are called upon to share in His sufferings in this world for His name’s sake. They will have learned—by experience—to rejoice in present times of suffering for Jesus, so that they will rejoice exceedingly on the future day of His return.

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Have you ever listened to the radio personality and popular Christian financial counselor Dave Ramsey? He often gives an interesting piece of advice. He encourages his listeners, “Live like no one else now, and you can live like no one else later.” What he means by this is that if we learn to not do what everyone else around us is doing—that is, living only for today, and spending what we have on our current wants and pleasures—then we will have the resources to live comfortably and prosperously in our later years.

Similarly (but much more significantly), the apostle Peter is saying that if we will learn to cultivate the right attitude about our times of suffering for the Lord Jesus in the present—if we will set our hearts rightly to rejoice now when we are called upon to share in the Lord’s sufferings—then we will rejoice exceedingly on the day of Jesus’ return in glory!

May God help us to adopt this attitude. In times of suffering for Jesus, may we learn to pray;

Dear Father in heaven; thank You that Your Son experienced times of suffering like this when He walked upon this earth. And thank You that He Himself has told us that such times would also come upon us because of Him. I will not think of this something “strange” or “unusual”. Rather, I will welcome it as proof that I truly belong to Him.

Thank You, Father, for the great honor and privilege You have given me of allowing me to suffering shame for Jesus’ sake. I affirm that—as Jesus Himself has said—great is my reward in heaven! I ask that You use this experience to refine my faith; and to make it stronger and more in accord with Your pleasure.

And I pray all of this so that on the day of Jesus’ return—on that day when His glory is fully revealed—I will be able to rejoice with exceedingly great joy along with Him! Help me to rejoice now, so that I will rejoice exceedingly then!

In Jesus’ wonderful name, Amen!

EA