Suffering For Goodness Sake - 1 Peter 3:13-17, 4

Comfort promises a quick fix; the gospel promises a deeper hope. Pastor Spencer Sowers leads us this week as we open 1 Peter and wrestle with a hard truth: followers of Jesus should expect suffering, not as random cruelty but as part of God’s refining work and a surprising platform for witness. If blessing isn’t measured by ease, then what does faithful endurance look like in a world obsessed with instant gratification and outrage?

We start by redefining identity as exiles—people who don’t quite fit here—and show how that lens changes expectations about comfort, status, and purpose. From there, we unpack how suffering can make Jesus visible: gentleness over anger, respect over ridicule, and a ready answer for the hope that holds when life shakes. Real stories illustrate how calm in grief and joy in injustice provoke honest questions that open doors to the gospel.

Trials also reshape devotion and ambition. We talk about arming our minds with Christ’s mindset, leaving old patterns behind, and entrusting judgment to God so bitterness doesn’t claim us. Then we get practical: self-control that fuels clear prayer, love that stretches under pressure, hospitality that opens doors when others close, and service that turns inward pain outward for God’s glory. Finally, we face fiery trials without surprise, remembering they refine rather than ruin. The Spirit meets us in the heat, discipline purifies our hearts, and future glory outlasts every grief.

Transcript

Instant Gratification Versus Biblical Suffering

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This morning we need to deal with the fun word of suffering, a word that us as believers are not very excited about hearing in life. And in this scripture, though, Peter's letter gives us a theology of suffering as Christians, right? That every believer we have to kind of grasp in order for us to endure faithfully the world now that we live in. I would say if you look at in this world today, it's pretty easy to say that we live in a world that is about instant gratification.

unknown 0:30

Right?

Created For God’s Glory, Not Comfort

SPEAKER_00 0:31

It's not pretty hard. I don't know about you, but how many times you go on Amazon to purchase something, and if it takes more than a day or two days, you're like, okay, it's not even worth it. Right? We live in a world that is all about instant gratification. We want success without sacrifice. We want growth without grit, and we want heaven but without holiness. You see, the world is telling us that comfort and convenience is the highest goal for us. That at the max, the best thing you can have in life and to be blessed is the comfort and convenience to have everything at your hand. But the fact is that mindset runs directly in opposition to what Scripture has for us. You see, following Jesus is not about avoiding difficulty, it's about walking daily with him, even when obedience is going to cost you something. And so this brings us today to the word that makes most of us uncomfortable, which is suffering. Nobody is eager to suffer in their life. Nobody wakes up in the morning praying, God, if you could only allow me to suffer today, that would be great. But yet, all throughout scripture, this word is repeatedly used. Scripture talks about suffering roughly 160 times. In the Old Testament, it uses it to describe affliction, persecution, oppression, and even divine testing. The New Testament applies it to Christ, his apostles, and those who follow Jesus. From Genesis to Revelation, suffering is woven into the story of redemption for us. And here's what we need to accept as believers. Those who walk into obedience, those who walk in obedience to God will suffer. In this room today, if you proclaim to be a believer and you are walking in obedience to God, not only will you suffer, but scripture says you should expect to suffer. Now that message doesn't sell well in most churches today and in Christian culture in general. I mean, I don't know how many of you have ever, the last time you went to a Christian conference, and on the sign it said, come and suffer. Right? Or modern Christianity often markets us to a God who exists to enhance your life, not demand from it. We've traded this kind of biblical faith, which is centered on God's glory, for a consumer faith which is centered on personal fulfillment. I mean, how many times have you seen a Christian book lately that says, live your best life? Find your purpose. And oftentimes that doesn't sound like a bad thing. Like I want to know my purpose in life, I want to live my best life. But the fact is, it's trying to pull you away from really what obedience looks like to more what honoring yourself looks like. You see, when we make happiness the purpose of our life, God is no longer at the center. And this is crystal clear in scripture. Isaiah 43, 7 says, Everyone who called on my name, whom I created for my glory. 1 Corinthians 10, 31 says, So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. Romans 11, 36, for from him and through him and to him are all things to be glory, to him be glory forever. You see, the purpose of your life as a believer is not about you. The moment you enter in redemption, it no longer becomes about you, which is a good truth that's good for you. But in that the purpose of your life now becomes, which, as created, is always a purpose of our life, is to glorify God above all else. And in doing that, you will suffer. Jesus Himself said, If they persecute me, they will also persecute you. His suffering was unjust, unjust, yet purposeful, and a means of salvation. Likewise, when we suffer for righteousness' sake, our pain becomes a platform for proclaiming his worth. There was a lot of peas there, so I'm gonna say it one more time. When we suffer for righteousness' sake, our pain becomes a platform for proclaiming his truth. What that means is when you suffer through your suffering, people actually see Jesus more. When you suffer as a believer, people actually get to see Jesus in a greater way than when life is just good for you. Now it doesn't mean that you should go through life looking for every means of way to suffer on your own accord and own account. But it means that God uses things in your life that allow people to see Jesus in a greater way. So let's look at 1 Peter here and let's look at Peter's letter and see four dimensions of suffering for goodness' sake. That's today's scripture title is suffering for goodness' sake. The first thing we see is suffering and your witness for Christ. Suffering and your witness for Christ is the first point. 1 Peter 3, 13 through 16 says, Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ as Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do it with gentleness and respect. You see, Peter's writing to exiles that are across scattered across the empire. Right? This letter is mostly for Jewish believers that are sitting back and they are suffering, and they say, Peter, what are we to do in the midst of all this suffering? When the government, when the government is opposition of us, when our wives and husbands are in opposition of us, when our workplace seems to be in opposition of us, when life just seems horrible, what are we to do? And if you jump all the way back to 1 Peter, the word that he uses to describe them automatically should change the way that you think about your life as a believer. See, what is that word that he describes to believers here in this? It's in it's literally the the main word in all of our sermon. What is that word? This is this is not rhetorical. You can answer. What is what is that main big word right there? Is what? We can work together on this, guys. I know it's been a while and we are a smaller church, so back and forth sometimes like it's it gets awkward. But exiles, everybody say exiles. Exiles. So there's a reason that Peter uses the word exiles, right? He wants them to automatically know the mindset of who they are as believers. Listen, if you're sitting in this room and you're a proclaimer in Christ, you are in exile. That is a statement that should be proclaimed upon yourself. When you wake up in the morning, you go, I am an exile. Now, I'm sure none of you wake up in the morning, and that's the first thing, again, you say in the morning. God, I'm an exile who's ready to suffer. But the truth is, is us as believers, we are exiles. We should look at this world from the lens of exiles. I like the other word he uses here in aliens, right? He calls us aliens. Not the weird green guys, but he calls us aliens, meaning people who are in a place that we don't belong in. You see, before we can even go through any of this and you can understand the suffering as a Christian, you must first hold on to that word exile. You as a believer are in a foreign land that you don't belong to. All throughout this scripture, Peter's gonna tell them, he's gonna go off of that. That's the basis for all the groundwork. Is you are in exile. As a believer, you are in a place you don't belong. So you shouldn't expect to feel comfortable in a place you don't belong.

unknown 8:07

Right?

Suffering Displays Jesus To The World

Exiles: A Mindset For Faithful Living

Witness Under Fire: Gentleness And Respect

Joy In Pain: Be Ready To Answer

Devotion Deepened Through Trials

SPEAKER_00 8:08

Have you ever stayed in an Airbnb or stayed at a hotel where it's taking you a little while to kind of get used to where everything is? Like you can't find the light switches, especially like nowadays when we have modern Airbnbs where it's like technology controls everything and I don't know how to turn the house on, you know. That's how it is, is you should be in a world where you don't feel comfortable. In the same way, Peter's trying to make them think of this mindset that's like, hey, also you and you are in a place where you shouldn't put all your stock in. Like this world should not be where you hope to receive everything you've ever wanted. And this world shouldn't be where you hope to gain all the things you wanted. You see, we are exiles living in a place we don't belong. I always like to use this analogy, right? I love taking my kids to hotels. For some reason, they think hotels are like the coolest things. Have you ever been stuck in a small hotel room with five kids? Like it's crazy. But to them, this is like this is the coolest thing ever, right? We have beds right next to each other. We have a mini fridge. I'm like, we have a real fridge at home. How's the mini fridge? But they think it's the coolest thing ever. But you know what we don't do when we go to hotels? I don't walk in there and I go, you know what? I'm staying here a week. We're gonna do some renovations. We're gonna go buy paint, we're gonna buy new furniture, we're gonna do all this. Why? Because I'm leaving this place in a week. I know all my focus and attention is not gonna be on this place because I don't belong here. In the same way, Peter's trying to give us this mindset that all your focus and attention shouldn't be on the things of this world because they're pointless. They're gonna fade away, they're gonna fall, and most of the time they're gonna disappoint. And so the first thing you have to grasp before we even continue on about being and knowing what suffering is, is you have to understand that this world is not your home. Like this is not where you take your stake, this is not where your investment is. That's all eternity. That's the thing we long for. You should long to be with Jesus more than you long to be on earth. Paul says that a lot all throughout his writings. And so Peter wants them to know first and foremost, you are exiled in a world that you don't belong. So, suffering, you should know that it's gonna happen. So, the first thing we see, the first point, Brandon, if you could put that up for me or Calvin, the first point back here is that your suffering proclaims your witness for Christ. What is your first thing that suffering does for you? Your suffering actually proclaims your witness for Christ. He says, here, have no fear of them, those who are gonna make you suffer, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Peter is writing to exiles, they're scattered across here. In fact, this letter, he's gonna guide them for how exiles, meaning us as believers, are to act in light of the world we live in. And he tells them that if they suffer for doing good, they're actually blessed. If you suffer for doing good, you're blessed. That's kind of upside-down logic in a world that equates blessing with ease, right? But in the kingdom of God, blessing is not measured by comfort, but by conformity to Christ. Meaning, your blessing is not how great your life is, your blessing is more how much you look like Christ. It means enduring mistreatment because you obey God. It's not random pain, it's not consequences of sin in your life. That's not the suffering we talking about, we're talking about here, is that you're you have sin in your life, and so you're suffering because of this. This suffering is all because of obedience to Christ. Jesus suffered for righteousness' sake. He was a sinless one, accused as a sinner, and when you walk in his steps, you should expect to similarly to expect similar misunderstanding. And so Peter gives us three ways as we can honor Christ as holy when we suffer for witness in this. The first one, and these points aren't up here, so you might want to need to write them down. The first way that your suffering proclaims your witness for Christ is this, in the way that you are gentle with people. Here in the scripture, right, it tells us to be gentle, not angry. When the world attacks your beliefs, which we know it's going to, when people come in opposition to you and they question you or they condemn you or even persecute you for the things that you believe in, gentleness is not cowardness, but it's strength under control. The Greek word here, proatas, means controlled power. Means like, I know I have power or can come against here, but I'm going to control it. Think about it this way: Jesus showed that same control power before Pilate when he was falsely accused. You see, Jesus could have said, Hey, you've got it wrong. Like, I'm not who you think or say I am. But he had that same way that we're called here, that same word. It was a silent and trusting himself to the Father. You see, your anger may win an argument, but it's rarely going to win a heart. But out of gentleness reflects the Lamb who was slain. You see, we live in a day where like outrage is like a currency. If you go on social media, some of the most trending stuff is people angry about something. People are just angry all the time. And to voice that seems like such a big deal, whether it's a non-believer or a believer, to voice your opinion. Man, that's what gets views. That's what gets people to watch. And every social media seems to reward those who shout the loudest, have the most to say about out of anger, and who belittle others in their search from proving their point. But the Christian witness shines brightest, not in fury, but in quiet conviction. You see, we actually do worse for the gospel when we attack those verbally who are against the gospel. As believers, we're not called to be angry with everybody and lash out in anger, but actually to be gentle. But as we're gonna see in a bit, being gentle doesn't mean that also voicing the gospel. It just means, man, don't be angry all the time about everything. I always tell people who come and complain about me to about who come to me to complain about a broken world, I always say, I remind them, yeah, we live in a broken world. Right? There's gonna be rough things in life. This is not the perfect world. And so, yeah, when things are rough and things aren't always the best in life, and and they complain about what's going on in the world, I'm like, what do you expect from a broken world? I don't mean that in a mean way, but it's like we have to have the mindset that, man, we are not living in heaven now. Like, not everything is going to be great in life now. And so when we suffer, we should expect. And our response to that should be one of gentleness, not of anger. The second we see here is that we're to be respectful, not rude. Respect doesn't mean agreement. I'm gonna say that again. Respect doesn't mean agreement. It means recognizing your opponent as the image bearer of God. We are not called to humiliate unbelievers, but to humbly represent our Savior. And 2 Timothy, Paul told Timothy, the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, correcting opponents with gentleness. I'm gonna say that again because this is good. What Paul says to Timothy and 2 Timothy, the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, but correcting opponents with gentleness. So in our defense or in our suffering or representation of us as believers, we're not to be angry and we're not to be rude. But with gentleness and respectfulness to those. You can hold conviction without hostility. Our goal in our suffering is not to belittle the other person. Imagine if before the conversation we asked God to help us view that person as his creation instead of our ultimate enemy. So be respectful, not rude. The third thing he says here is be ready to give a defense. The word apologia here means a well-reasoned response. Peter assumes that faithful living is going to provoke questions, meaning that when others see you suffering, but yet suffering in peace, and suffering in peace in light of your pain, and joy amidst of your injustice, meaning like when you were going through something difficult or there's a there's a hard moment in life, maybe somebody in your family's passed away, maybe something in your job, maybe something in your life in general. In the midst of that pain, there's still a joy or a peace, or in the midst of maybe some injustice that has been done to you, there is store still joy. When people see that, they're gonna ask why. Like you actually have a greater representation or a greater opportunity to represent Christ in the joy of your pain and the peace in your injustice than if you were to get angry about it. Because the world is gonna assume you're gonna get angry about it, right? When somebody wrongs you, they assume you're gonna get mad and angry about it. But man, when you are going through a trial, when you're going through difficult times, and there is a peace and joy in those moments, there is a greater opportunity for the gospel to be presented in those moments. Because people are gonna ask why. Man, I had a brother at my other church that we came from in Wesley Chapel, had stage four colon cancer. Like that's that's rough. And he his life expectancy was basically there wasn't really one on it. And so he would go and get his treatments. Uh, like every other week he would go to get his treatments, and he would look rough from his treatments, and it would wear him down for a long time. And man, every time I knew when he was going to his treatments, because we meet on a weekly basis, and I'd say, brother, how can I pray for you this week? Like, I know you're going, man. I just want to just pray for you. Man, he I knew the outcome of every time he went to his treatments, like just the he was older, so man, his body would break down every time, and it was rough. So every time when I knew he was gonna go, I if I couldn't see him in person, I'll call and say, Brother, how can I just pray for you, man? I know this has got to be rough. He said, This is how I want you to pray for me. Man, pray for me that God puts other people in the room so I can share the joy of Christ in these moments. He never asked for me to pray for him. He says, Never man, can you just make my suffering not as bad? Can you just make the pain go away? No, his prayer was like, hey, every moment that I'm in that room, I'm with people who don't know when their last breath is gonna be. And so, in that, can you just give me a peace so I can make sure that I'm sharing the gospel with everybody else in that room? His focus wasn't on himself, but yet unbelievers in the room who he could have, they see the joy in him through his suffering and they ask how and why. Man, what a great opportunity. And the same thing, same thing, Peter's saying this for us as believers. Man, be ready to give a defense. When people in your life see that you can have joy in the midst of pain and they ask why, man, be ready to tell them it is only because of the joy and the peace that comes from Christ that I can have this. It's not because, man, I've got saving, so I'm all good. I can, you know, I have inheritance given to my family. It's not because it's like, man, I have all this other stuff that I have. No, the reason that I have peace and joy in the midst of this suffering is only because of Jesus. See, you don't need to master every apologetic argument. You just need to know the gospel deeply enough to explain why you have hope when the world doesn't. This is on us. If someone was to notice your pain in the midst of your suffering, would you direct them to the gospel? Be ready to give account. I think we trend has said this story here before, but I've always used it in this kind of illustration. Uh, if you know Jim and Elizabeth Elliot, uh in 1956, they were Jim was a part of five missionaries who were speared to death by the Haroni people of Ecuador. They went to go share the gospel. Uh, they were hoping to get it to work out there, but because of an altercation, him and four other men were speared to death in sharing the gospel. Jim had already written, he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. Years later, his wife, Elizabeth Elliot, and the other widows returned to the same tribe. Through their gentleness and forgiveness, the very killers became followers of Christ. You see, she could have been angry with God in the midst of those. She could have been, man, my husband got sent off to share the gospel, and before he could even really get a word in, he was murdered. And she could have hardened her heart in those moments and said, you know what, I'm done with this. I'm not gonna share the gospel if that's how God's gonna treat people. I'm not gonna do this. But instead, she doubled down and she said, No, my God is a good God. And so what I saw my husband start, I'm gonna see complete it. And she could probably went in there. I mean, in honesty, man, if you I'm probably walking in that same tribe thinking, yeah, I'm probably not gonna last very long either, but at least I can get a word, hopefully get a word out. And the same people who killed her husband, she was able to bring to Christ. You see, that's the power of a witness that honors Christ as holy. Your suffering may not look like martyrdom, it might be ridicule at work, rejection from family, or loss of opportunity because you won't compromise your conviction. But every moment you endure faithfully preaches a sermon, Christ is enough. When you refuse bitterness and respond with grace, you make Jesus visible. Remember, your suffering for righteous is not God's neglect of you, it is his strategy to actually reveal himself through you. The second thing we see as believers is about our suffering and our devotion to Christ. Your suffering deepens your devotion to Christ. Let's look at this at 1 Peter chapter 4, verses 1 through 6. Just looking at verse 1 and 2. This is what it says Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking. So it says, Live for the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for human passions, but for with the will of God. Peter said, If Christ suffered, prepare yourself mentally to suffer too. Arm yourselves with his same mindset. This verb is kind of like a military language, to equip yourself for battle, like to prepare yourself. Suffering is not accidental, it's part of the war against sin and unbelief. It's kind of this mindset that every moment we walk out the door, like, hey, we're prepared for suffering today, and we're prepared in the way that we are going to account for it. So, how is us as believers, how can we live this out, suffering in our devotion to Christ? The first and the most important is to leave your past behind. Verse 3 says this, for the time that is past suffices for doing what Gentiles do. And Peter's gonna list the sins of that culture: drunkenness, sensuality, idolatry. He's saying, You spent enough time there. Suffering often helps us to sever us from that sin. Pain kind of clarifies our priorities. How many times have you been in the midst of maybe uh not being in control of situation and the things that are really important in your life are made much more clear? My brother, who is in stage four cancer, I don't think he's worried about the little things of life. He's much more focused on the mission of God in the midst of his pain. I don't think he's worried about, man, if McDonald's forgot my fries today. Right? He is focused on the serious things of life. In the same myths, Peter's saying, you've got to leave all those things you did away, all from behind. Right? That the pain actually is gonna help to clarify the priorities of your life. Your obedience to God not only blesses you, but allows the world to be confused by desire to not be like it. When in college that you say you're not going to drink, or you aren't going to sleep around, or you aren't gonna be a part of things that God has clearly called sin, this should be a surprise to unbelievers. And should open up opportunity for you to share the reason you don't do those things. I mean, how often in life have you told somebody, sorry, I don't do that, or sorry, that's just something I'm not a part of? And people ask why. I used to work at Panair Bread for a long time, and it was mostly a culture of young single people, and so a lot of the stuff was uh was even our Christmas parties was going out and and partying and things like that, and a lot of the culture outside of it. And so a lot of times when I was like, Yeah, I just I'm I'm not gonna be a part of that. I don't want to give opportunity to this, I don't want to do this, like they'd always just be why. In the same way, Paul says, Don't do the stuff that you used to do anymore and cling to Christ, because actually, in the opportunity of you not sending him anymore, which we're already called not to do, but actually in the opportunity of you being obedient and then suffering in your obedience, in the same way, people are gonna ask, why? Why don't you do those things anymore? And so, in the same thing, Peter's saying, leave your past behind, no longer do those foolish things, not only because God has called you not to, not only because he's called you to obedience to him, but because in not doing those things, the world again is going to question why. And in that you give opportunity for Jesus to be seen in a greater way. Many believers rediscover holiness in the hardship. So not only because that give opportunity for why, but actually gives opportunity for suffering in your life to reveal maybe some of the sin in your life. Not saying that you're suffering because of your sin, but in the midst of suffering, it can actually reveal sin that you're holding to in your life, he says here. You see, we are called to leave the past ways that we live before knowing Christ. But even as believers, our past ways can sometimes become appealing again. As believers, we are called to leave those. You're called to cling to Christ, and suffering can actually help in doing that. Our suffering helps us to see the bigger picture of the gospel and desire less to do those past sins. The second thing is in trust opposition to God. When believers mock your faith, you don't need to retaliate. Peter actually says, they will give an account to him who judges the living and the dead. That's freedom. You can forgive because judgment belongs to God, not to you. The per Puritan John Favelle wrote this He that shall suffer according to the will of God must I God in the suffering as well as in the deliverance. See, if you see the sovereign hand of God behind your hardship, you can rest even when you're wronged. If you understand the gospel to the full uh capacity that it is, and you understand the sovereignty of God, then even in the midst of your very wrong, you can forgive. Because you know it's not on me to have that judgment, it's on God to have that judgment. It may be difficult to understand why God would allow people to come against us as believers, but those who wrong you will have to give an account to God. Let us trust God to take care of them and to press on. Listen, when you are wronged in this world, don't take it into your own hands to judge those. Don't hold on to anger against those. Forgive and trust that it's God's job to judge, not us. So we see the second thing about our sin, about some hearing the suffering and how it equates to devotion to Christ. The third thing we see here is suffering and your ambition in life. 1 Peter 4, 7 says, The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. So Peter is now gonna turn to a suffering focus that was more on theology, so holding to Christ, holding to the knowledge of God, and holding to your faith to more of a practical way in this, and more of practice. And he's gonna hold this with the mindset that eternity is near. So, how should we live now? 1 Peter 4 70 says, the end of all things that is at hand. Therefore, be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. So he wants to put them into perspective that, hey, eternity is really what we're focused on above all else. So, how are we supposed to live in our ambition of life in the midst of suffering? Well, the first is to have self-control. He says, be self-controlled and sober-minded. You see, a distracted believer is an unprepared believer. When you are distracted because you don't have self-control on the things in life, you become a distracted believer. When your mind is filled with fear or entertainment, your prayer becomes powerless, he says. Self-control keeps our heart anchored. The Greek in here means to be calm and collected in spirit. Peter's saying, don't let suffering make you frantic. Clear-minded prayer is lifeline of endurance. I don't know about you, but there's oftentimes I have suffered in life in some kind of way, and man, I just, I'm just like, man, I don't have hold of my life anymore. I don't know what's going on. And maybe you know other people who have suffered in life, and maybe believers that instead of holding to Christ, they just like, it seems like their world is falling apart. What Peter's saying here is in the midst of your suffering, stay self-controlled and sober-minded. Remember who is in control of your life. Hold to that. Do not become a distracted person by the things happening around you. But actually, in the midst of your suffering, hold on to Christ. Focus on your Father. The second thing he says throughout this is be compassionate. Above all else, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Suffering ought to be. Oftentimes makes us self-absorbed. Let's just be honest. As people in this world, suffering oftentimes makes us self-absorbed. We become worried about the things that we are going through. I mean, that's just like a common thing that happens when we're suffering.

unknown 30:17

Right?

Leave The Past, Trust God’s Justice

Ambition Reframed: Self-Control And Love

SPEAKER_00 30:17

It's kind of like the woe is me moment. Man, look at all the stuff that I'm going through. Nobody understands the things that I'm dealing with. I'm going through the worst things ever. And maybe you've said those words before. But actually, Peter's answer to that is to be compassionate in the midst of your suffering. One of my phrases to my wife that we always say is like, man, when we're going through something, and we don't mean this in a belittling way, but I'll always say, man, somebody in this world has it worse than us. Like, what if we always had the mindset in the midst of our suffering? Someone in this world has it worse than us. Like somebody is going through some kind of suffering that is bigger than ours. Somebody's going through some issue that is bigger than ours. So if you are suffering and you're so focused on yourself, what is the best answer to no longer focusing on yourself? It's being compassionate towards other people. Actually focusing on other people. How can you help out other people in the midst of your suffering, Peter says? He says, keep on loving one another earnestly. Since love is going to cover a multitude of sins. Suffering can make us self-absorb, but Peter says, love harder actually in the midst of your suffering. Earnestry, stretch your love to its limits. The church's unity is tested most when times are painful. Forgiveness within the body becomes a testimony to the grace of God. So the first thing is have self-control. The second thing, be compassionate. The third thing is actually be hospitable in the midst of your suffering. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. The early believers opened their homes because persecution closed the doors everywhere else. Remember, we're talking to Peter's writing to people who were Jewish believers to mean that they proclaimed Christ meant that oftentimes they were rejected from their families, they were rejected from the homes that they lived in, they were rejected from their workplaces, and they were rejected from the friend groups and environment that they always found family with before. And so where did they cling? If they had nowhere else to go, they clinged to one another. And they showed hospitality to one another. Man, in the midst of your suffering or someone else's suffering, man, be hospitable. Open your doors to people. He's saying, show hospitality to one another without grumbling. Hospitality is holiness that can be expressed through our open hands. When you welcome others in Jesus' name, you make tangible the care of God for every weary saint. From people who are just, maybe they're just going through rough times. Man, be hospitable to open the doors. And the last thing he says here is be serving. Use your gifts for God's glory. As each of you have received the gift, use it to serve one another. In order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. Every talent, every resource, and every opportunity you have is stewardship. We serve so that God gets glory, not us. When suffering narrows your world and your eyes and your vision, serving others actually widens it again. Pain that could turn inward becomes purposeful when it's poured out for others. Man, in the midst of your suffering and your pain, serve other people. Serve other people. There are other people who are going through suffering in life. Man, stay in the woe is me moment and focusing on the things that I'm going through. Man, if you actually got out of your home and went to other places where people are also suffering and served them, it actually helps you to pull out of that, Peter's saying. What drives your ambitions? Career advancement, financial comfort, reputation, Peter says that the end of all things is near. That's not this despair moment, but it's a direction. He's saying, live for what actually lasts. Ambition centered on God's glory will never waste your life. And the last big thing that we see here in verse 4, 12 through 19 is looking at the suffering in your soul after death. 1 Peter 4, 12 through 13 says, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you, but rejoice insofar as you share Christ's suffering. Peter moves from the external conduct to internal confidence. He says, suffering will test your soul. And here he's going to give three theological anchors. The first thing we see is it is normal to suffer as a Christian. We already said this at the beginning, but is it normal to suffer as a Christian? Peter says, do not be surprised. You should expect hardship. Jesus promised, in the world you will have tribulation. Suffering is not some glitch in your discipleship. It's part of God's refining design. Fire doesn't destroy gold, it proves it to be genuine. He's already, Peter's already said this at the beginning. When trials come, don't ask why me. Ask what is God actually making me? What is He's molding me into? Faith tested by fire actually becomes radiant. As believers, we should not be surprised when we suffer. We should actually expect suffering. And on another note, and on this side of that, if you're not finding suffering in any kind of capacity, maybe you need to reevaluate how am I actually living out for Christ. If you're like, man, nobody's ever kind of questioning my lifestyle as a believer. Am I actually living for Jesus? Or have I given up on some of my convictions and my lifestyle and the way I live? We should not be surprised as believers when we suffer. We are in a world that is broken in opposition to God. And so, in that, we are in a broken world that's going to be in opposition to many things that we believe in. It's not hard to turn on the news, to go on Instagram or Facebook or TikTok or whatever and see that many things the world is pushing is totally contrary to what we believe in. So we shouldn't be surprised when we suffer. But also, it is a blessing to suffer because we get to suffer just as Christ suffered. Verse 14 says, if you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. The same spirit that rested on Jesus and his baptism rests on us as believers. That should be staggering to us. The same spirit, Holy Spirit that was with Jesus, is with us. And it seemed the heavier the suffering, the nearer the spirit was. Charles Spurgeon once told his students, I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the rock of ages. Spurgeon knew suffering. He had physical pain. He dealt with a severe depression and false accusations. Yet he testified that those storms actually drove him closer to Christ more than anything else in his life could. And the last thing we see here is it is part of the will of God for us to suffer as Christ. Verse 17, for it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. This is not condemnation, but actually purification. God disciplines his children for their good to make them share his holiness. The fire that destroys the wicked refines the righteousness. For those who have kids in the room, right? If I never disciplined my kids and I just said, hey, don't do that, hey, that's bad, right? They're probably not going to turn out to be such good kids. Right? Hey, you shouldn't eat candy all the time. It's not good for you, right? They're probably going to rot their teeth out and be sick. If they're rude to people, I'm like, hey, you shouldn't do that. That's not good. Right? No. So when my kids do something that is not either God honoring or respectful to other people, they're going to be disciplined. And it's not that I'm like super excited to like, man, I cannot wait to go yell at my and beat my kids, right? Hopefully nobody's saying that, right? It's not, it's not exciting to do that. It actually is like saddening to see them upset when I have to discipline my kids. But I know if I did not discipline my kids, they would not turn out to be good people in this world. In the same way, God is disciplining us so that we are look more like Christ and in a greater way serve Him, recognize Him as God, and worship Him. Discipline in suffering is actually good for our lives. Have you ever been through met somebody who's like never gone through any hardship in life and like just had it easy their whole life? Like the things that they go through, like a lot of times we all we had a friend who like just had the easiness of life growing up in high school. And it's like they knew nothing of the world. Like they didn't know how to order food at a restaurant. Like they didn't know the simplicities of life because they had never had to gone through some of the disciplines of knowing things in the world. And so that, you know, we'd go to restaurants and we're like, man, do you not have any street smarts in you at all? Do you know how to recognize like the simplest things in the world of like talking to people and how to act around people and how to just be a good person in the world? Because he didn't have to go through these disciplines in life. He's like, no, I was just, you know, food was always there and these things were always there, and I always had these things. In the same way, but in a greater way, the disciplines that God sends us through help us to continue to see this world in a greater way from Christ's lens. And so Peter here ends with a summary command. Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good. Entrust, meaning to place in the safekeeping of another. Hand your soul to the one who made it and to the one who redeemed it. So how do we rejoice in suffering? Recognize that it's temporary. It's a light momentary affliction in preparing us for eternal way to glory. Remember, the first thing we start off with is they were exiles. Peter wants to remind them that this is not the end-all-be-all. You should be focused on heaven and being with God greater than anything else. And so what does that mean if that's what you're focused on? The afflictions here you understand are temporary. Like, hey, I'm just living in the moment of now only for the glory of God. The second is remember that it's purposeful. All things work together for the good of those who love God. Everything that God is doing in your life is not pointless. Every suffering, every pain you're going through is not pointless, but God is actually working it for a greater purpose. And the last thing, rest knowing it will be rewarded. 1 Peter 5 10 says, After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. You are not suffering for meaningless. It will be rewarded when you are reunited with God in heaven. Man, we should long for that. Listen, suffering will end, but glory will not. So, how should we live in the light of our suffering for goodness' sake? Man, when you're ridiculed, be gentle. When you're tempted to comprise, be devoted to God. When the world tempts you to chase its comforts, be ambitious for God's glory. When you're walking through trials, entrust your soul to the faithful Creator. And then Peter ends this entire section with one of the most hope-filled lines of scripture. Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will and trust their souls. This verse is the heartbeat of 1 Peter. It gives us the key to endurance. Trust the character of God and trust in God. Man, as a believer today, know that suffering will come upon you. But man, the things that God can do through your suffering, not only for you, but for those around you, are greater than things that you can imagine. Trust in him in the midst of your suffering. Hold tight to him in the midst of your suffering. But know in the midst of your suffering, God can be seen bigger than many other ways. Let us pray. Father, we are just so thankful today. We are thankful for Christ who has redeemed us. We're thankful for a Savior that we can hold tight to in the midst of our suffering. Just as Christ died for us and our sins and went through pain and agony on that, God, we now get to trust in you in the midst of that. So I pray today for the believers in this room, man, in the midst of our suffering, that we hold tight to you. That we know that you are working it in a greater way for our purpose and for your glory. God, for non-believers, for people who don't haven't put their faith and trust in you today. God, I pray that maybe in the midst of knowing and seeing the suffering of Christ for their sin. God, that they can be redeemed in the midst of that. We are so thankful that you love us. We're so thankful that you allow us to be used for your glory. And it's in your name we pray. Amen.