Introduction

How in the world can we be glad when we are faced with trials? James 1:2 says, “² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,” In our passage today, Peter makes a similar statement. In the natural, having joy in trials seems rather foolish. If you are faced with cancer or a job loss or the foreclosure of a house, is there really anything to be joyful about? What if you were put on trial for doing the right thing?

To find out what Peter is talking about, let’s begin by looking as a scene from Peter’s life that is recorded in Acts 5.

• He was serving God and preaching the gospel and many people were healed. They were bringing people to Peter who were so sick they could not get off their mats. So they were being carried to Peter while still laying on their mat. Jesus through Peter healed their illnesses and these sick people walked away.
• People were flocking to their meetings and finding the life-changing power of the gospel.
• Acts 5:17 says that Peter’s good works caused the High priest to be filled with jealousy. So, they arrested Peter and put him in prison.

OK, so Peter was healing people and preaching about the MESSIAH. People’s lives were totally changed, God’s power is on display. People are getting saved. And for all his good works, Peter gets put in prison.

That night, an angel of the Lord opens up the doors. Peter walks out. It says that the high priest sent for Peter the next morning. They went to His cell. They found the guard outside the door and the door was locked, but when they opened the door, Peter was not inside. They started looking around for Peter. Do you think he went into hiding?

No way! He went right back to preaching. In verse 25 it says, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” He was bold! He knew they would come after him! But he wasn’t going to hide. Eternal life was at stake! He had been entrusted with sharing the news that the Messiah had come! He went right back to preaching!

They arrested him again, they severely beat Peter and released him, threatening him to stop preaching about Jesus or they would punish him again.

So Peter was put on trial and wrongfully accused and savagely beaten. At the end of the whole ordeal, in Acts chapter 5, he had every right to be upset, but instead he left the “⁴¹ …presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name (of Jesus).”

There was nothing in the situation that was joy producing, but they were rejoicing. If Peter was able to find Joy in this situation, it had to come from an outside source. Peter explains his source of Joy in suffering in our passage today. Turn in your Bibles to 1 Peter 4:12

I want to show you today that the teaching of God’s Word goes far beyond the power of positive thinking. God is the source of infinite value and infinite worth and total satisfaction. In our relationship with God, we have unspeakable joy, even in terrible circumstances.   Let me give you 6 reasons from 1 Peter 4 to be filled with joy during difficult trials.

#1 God’s not surprised by your trials… He has a plan (Verse 12, 17, 19)

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.

God declared war on Satan after the fall of man and Satan has been attacking God’s people ever since. Previously in our study of 1 Peter, we read that we are “sojourners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11) and Peter instructs us as strangers to this world to “to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”

Satan is the prince of this world. This is his domain. If you are a follower of Christ, Satan has waged a war against you. The things that glorify God make Satan angry. He’s not going to put up with it. He’s at war with you. He will go to extreme measures to derail your good works. He will make every attempt to keep you from bringing glory to Jesus with your life.

For believers, persecution should not come as a surprise. In fact, knowing the spiritual climate that exists for the believer, it would be strange if they did not face some level of persecution.

Jesus made it very clear to his disciples that they should expect opposition and persecution from the world. AND THEN, He gave them this incredible promise, “…In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

God has a new word for your trials: PURPOSEFUL. Where do I get that? Skip down and take a look at verse 19: “¹⁹ Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” Trials are according to God’s will. Did you see that in the text? He has a purpose for them. In fact, He custom fits your trials perfectly to bring you to your next stage of spiritual maturity.

The image of “fire” is often applied to trials in God’s Word. Throughout the Bible, fire was a symbol of the holiness of God and is often connected with a refining process. IN metallurgy, in the process of refining, the metal is carefully heated up so that the impurities in the metal can rise to the top and be removed. Metal that is refined is stronger and more valuable. Just like that, faith that is refined is stronger and more valuable. Remember back to 1 Peter 1:6-7, Peter was talking about the living hope we have in Jesus and then said this incredible statement about trials:

“⁶ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ 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.

Believers pass through the fire of God’s testing not because He hates us, but because He loves as and our purification and our sanctification are part of His perfect will for our lives.   So you are telling me that God heats up and refines the Church? God is behind our trials?

Take a look at verse 17:

¹⁷ For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God;

God’s testing begins with us, the church. He tests us. He refines us. He squeezes us. When we are under pressure – when we are put to the test – what’s inside our hearts is exactly what comes out. Does the fruit of the Spirit flow when we are squeezed? If so, then it is an evidence of God at work in your life. If not, then we have to evaluate whether or not we are really saved

If the trials prove that we’re saved, then we have assurance of salvation and hope of an eternity with Jesus in heaven. If the trial exposes rotten fruit, then it is God’s gracious way of showing us that we are either not saved or living in total rebellion toward the Holy Spirit.

Either way, the trial is a measure of God’s kindness that leads to repentance. Here’s what I mean: It is far better to suffer here, realize our need for salvation now and receive Jesus than to never suffer here and later on find that we were never saved. Romans 2:4 says, “…God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.”

So the first reason why we can rejoice in suffering is that it is planned. It is part of the will of God. It tests and then purifies our faith. It proves whether or not faith is real. Trials consume and expose superficial faith while they make real faith even stronger. When we suffer for being righteous, there is this multiplied blessing, because we are now connected to Jesus’ suffering.

#2 Suffering Righteously Connects Us to Jesus (Verse 13a)

¹³ But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings,

We’ll stop there. When we suffer, we share in Christ’s suffering. In other words, our suffering is not just our own, but it is part of suffering for the sake of the Gospel. This letter was written to Christians enduring tremendous physical persecution, but I think it has a wider application and so it would be right to apply that passage to any degree of suffering we face for the sake of the gospel.

• If we lose an hour of sleep so that we can spend time in Bible study and prayer, then that is part of suffering with Christ.
• If we are passed over for a promotion at work because of our refusal to succumb to the world’s tactics to get ahead, then we are suffering with Christ.
• Whether we suffer inconvenience or we suffer the loss of our lives, it all is part of suffering for the sake of the gospel

Illustration: I worked in sales for an organization that asked me to ignore federal guidelines and to use deceptive figures in order to push our products to a wider audience. I struggled when I was placed in that position and I did not act perfectly. However, the times when I insisted on being honest, I lost some sales and ultimately I did not get promoted, but in a small way, I was sharing in Christ’s suffering.

TURN IN YOUR BIBLES TO PHILIPPIANS 3:8 When we suffer for good. Then we are suffering for Christ and we can rejoice because in that suffering we are united with Jesus. We come closer to the proclamation Paul made when he said:

⁸ Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:8-11

What is the benefit of being united with Christ in his suffering?

1. ASSURANCE OF SALVATION: If we are suffering with Christ is it proof that we can look forward to an eternity with Christ in heaven.   Paul said at the end of the passage we just read Philippians that he is willing to attain by any means possible the resurrection from the dead. (Even if that means suffering) Jesus said it this way in the beatitudes “¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 5:10
2. FUTURE REWARDS: To the degree we suffer in the suffering of Christ, we will share in His glory as the time of His coming. Let’s take a look at the rest of Verse 13. Peter will explain the there is Joy realize in the midst of the storms

#3 Joy Comes Through the Storms (Verse 13b)

¹³ But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

The world looks at the absence of suffering to be glorious. The disciple of Jesus looks at suffering totally differently. For Christians, God doesn’t replace suffering with glory. God transforms suffering into glory. God authorizes or allows trials to come into your life for your good and for His glory. The Bible gives 2 illustrations of this process

1. In John 16:21-22, Jesus uses the illustration of a woman giving birth. He says, “²¹ When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. ²² So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” The same baby that gave considerable pain to its mother also gives her incredible joy. Pain was transformed into joy by the birth of the baby. Our trials are transformed into joy as Christ’ glory is revealed in our lives. God authorizes or allows trials to come into your life for your good and for His glory.
2. Paul gives the example of the thorn in his flesh. In 2 Cor 12, Pauls says, “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. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ 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.” The same thorn that haunted Paul and gave him great difficulty also revealed to him the power and glory that can only be found in Christ.   God authorizes or allows trials to come into your life for your good and for His glory.

Illustration: People who are accomplished in their fields understand the concept of “postponed pleasure:”

• Athletes understand the idea of a “postponed pleasure.” There has to be a price paid today in exercise and skill development in order to win the game
• Musicians also understand the concept of a “postponed pleasure.” They know that they will need the tedious repetition of their scales and fundamentals in order to be able to play beautiful music one day.
• Mature people know that life includes some “postponed pleasures.” We pay a price today in order to have some enjoyment in the future.

Christians have something for better to look forward to than winning a game or the applause at the end of a concert. One day their suffering will be transformed into glory. Romans (8:17) says that if we “we suffer with him (Jesus)” we will also be “be glorified with him.” If we glorify Jesus now in the midst of our trials, we are stockpiling eternal rewards that we’ll get to enjoy later.

The next encouragement in our trials is that God doesn’t leave us alone in our suffering, but He is right there with us. Our suffering brings about a special ministry of – a special connection with – the Holy Spirit.

#4 The Holy Spirit Refreshes Those in Trials (Verse 14)

¹⁴ If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

Isn’t the Holy Spirit always with us? What does it mean that he rests upon us during trials? The word for “rests” in the Greek (anapauō) means

• to cause someone to cease from movement.
• To give rest, refresh
• To keep quiet in patient expectation

Here we have the promise that the Holy Spirit will give us strength and endurance in our trials beyond what is capable in the natural or in the physical. The Holy Spirit gives us supernatural strength during our trials and even provides rest in the midst of the storms.

We have a Biblical example of this supernatural peace when we take a look at Steven. TURN IN your BIBLES TO ACTS 7:54 Steven was a man who was full of the Spirit and who God was using to display His power. Some men from the synagogue called him in to give an account for the miraculous things he was doing in the name of Jesus. Acts tells us that the Spirit spoke through Steven and they could not refute his wisdom. So they trumped up some false charges and put him on trial.

Steven stands up before the assembly and gives a formal defense of his faith. He proves from their scripture that Jesus is the promised Messiah. IN doing so, he calls out their unbelief and resistance to the Holy Spirit. Acts 7:54 it says:

⁵⁴ Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷ But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. ⁵⁸ Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

When Steven was stoned, he saw Jesus in heaven. He saw the glory of God. He was granted strength to endure the trial. He had so much clarity and peace and hope in Christ that he was able to forgive his captors even as they were throwing the stones at him.

When the Holy Spirit rests on the righteous, and they are being comforted by God and they are displaying the fruit that only God can produce, God is glorified.

#5 Righteous Suffering Glorifies God (Verse 16)

¹⁶ Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

The word “Christian” is found only 3 times in the New Testament. The term was originally given to disciples of Jesus by the enemies of the church as an insult. It was the ancient equivalent of being called a “Jesus Freak” or a “Bible Thumper.”

In time, Christians accepted this derogatory term as a compliment. In its context, Peter is saying, don’t let their looking down on you as a Christian bother you, but glorify God in that situation. Remember, God authorizes or allows trials to come into your life for your good and for His glory. One example of God using a trial for His glory was the martyrdom of Polycard

Illustration: Polycarp lived in in the mid 2^nd century. He was the Bishop of Smyrna. According to church history, he was a direct disciple of the Apostle John. He was arrested for his faith and he was threatened with death unless he denied Christ. He said “Eighty and six years have I served Him and He never did me any injury. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior? Bring forth what thou wilt”

In Polycarp’s day, Caesar was considered a god and he demanded to be worshipped as a god. People in Polycarp’s time worshipped Ceasar by burning incense tp him. Polycarp refused to burn incense for Caesar. Polycarp would only worship the true God and no other. At his trial, Polycarp turned to the crowd of Roman pagans who had gathered, and told them they that when they worshipping Caesar, they were worshipping the wrong god. At that, he was burned at the stake and his death brought Glory to God.

His purity of faith was a testimony to the glory of the one true God. By as early as 150ad, heretics were already trying to misconstrue Jesus’ teaching. Ireneas (another early church father) said that Polycarp was “a man who was of much greater weight, and a more steadfast witness of truth, than …