Gospel Gladness in the Midst of Grief
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In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 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.
Behold Your God 17:25 - 19:53
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Why should I be surprised at the plow that makes such deeps furrow in my soul.
Whether God comes with a rod or a crown He comes with himself. Samuel Rutherford
Do we think about suffering, trials, and affliction this way. Peter is about to encourage and exhort the elect exiles to rejoice or to be glad in the midst of their grief. However, the way Peter lays out these next couple verses he does not start with our grief, he starts by calling us to remember the Gospel of God, the good news of our salvation in Christ.
Here is what I believe is the MIT : When we start with the gospel we begin with gladness, so that when we come to times of grief, we walk through them with a view of the glory to come!
What We Rejoice In
What We Rejoice In
In this you rejoice,
How would you define rejoicing?
to be exceedingly joyful, exult, be glad, overjoyed
ἀγαλλιάω (new formation in H. Gk. from ἀγάλλω, found only in Bibl. and eccl. wr.) seldom act. (B-D-F §101; Mlt-H. 225f): ἀγαλλιᾶτε 1 Pt 1:8 v.l. (for ἀγαλλιᾶσθε); Rv 19:7 ἀγαλλιῶμεν (v.l. ἀγαλλιώμεθα); ἀγαλλιῶντα GJs 17:2; ἀγαλλιῶντες ApcPt Rainer. 1 aor. (as POxy 1592, 4 [IV A.D.]) ἠγαλλίασεν Lk 1:47 (ἐπὶ τ. θεῷ, cp. Hab 3:18 v.l.); usu. dep. ἀγαλλιάομαι (Syntipas p. 75, 28); fut. ἀγαλλιάσομαι (LXX); 1 aor. mid. ἠγαλλιασάμην or pass. ἠγαλλιάθην (v.l. ἠγαλλιάσθην; B-D-F §78; Mlt-H. 225) to be exceedingly joyful, exult, be glad, overjoyed
It is used in the sense of feeling extreme happiness or elation.
This leads to the second question what do you find joy in? What brings you happiness and elation?
Do we find this kind of happiness in:
Our Families (grandchildren)
Our Football teams.
Our Jobs
Our Hobbies
Even Our ministry?
All of these things may bring us happiness, but none of them is able to bring us everlasting, eternal joy! They will all fail us, all of these things will pass away.
Peter explains as elect exiles, sojourners, and pilgrims,
In this? In what?
In this? In what?
We rejoice in the eschatological truth that God, has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Peter has just spent the first 5 verses of this letter unpacking the work of God in our salvation.
He has elected or chosen those whom he saves according to His foreknowledge.
He has and is sanctifying those whom he saves by His Spirit.
He has saved a people for obedience to and by the blood of Jesus Christ.
He multiplies grace and peace to his people.
That is all just in verse 1 and 2! Then Peter comes to verse 3 and bursts out in praise for His work in salvation proclaiming,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading kept in heaven for you who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you rejoice!
“Mere happiness comes from positive external events, but salvation joy results from the deep-rooted confidence that one possesses eternal life from the living God through the crucified and risen Christ, which joy will be fully realized in the glory of heaven.” John MacArthur
Rejoice in God’s great mercy.
Rejoice in your regeneration.
Rejoice in your living hope.
Rejoice in Christ’s resurrection from the dead.
Rejoice in your inheritance.
Rejoice in God’s preserving power.
Rejoice in God’s gift of faith!
Rejoice in the second coming of Christ, the coming consummation of God’s kingdom.
IN THIS YOU REJOICE!
“Mere happiness comes from positive external events, but salvation joy results from the deep-rooted confidence that one possesses eternal life from the living God through the crucified and risen Christ, which joy will be fully realized in the glory of heaven.” John MacArthur
The realities of our salvation which provides for us a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ should enable and empower us to overcome sadness and spiritual depression brought on by the world, the flesh, and the devil. Understanding that the inheritance God has for us in heaven should cause us to keep our eyes on him and not on what we may think we are lacking in this world.
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
The doctrines of our regeneration, Christ’s Resurrection and return when truly understood and believed will bring us exceeding joy. But there is more, our joy doesn’t just depend on our right understanding.
This eternal happiness and elation is supernaturally generated in us by the Holy Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
If we have been brought from death to life by the power of the Holy Spirit and he has illuminated the truth of God’s love, grace, and mercy to us joy is a natural outflow of this new birth, the Spirit it is a fruit produced by the Spirit.
What then does this say about us if we refuse to rejoice in our living hope and in our eternal inheritance?
Could it reveal lack of conversion?
Could it reveal lack of understanding of the benefits of our salvation?
Could it reveal a lack of knowledge of God and His will?
Could it reveal a faulty faith?
If we refuse to rejoice how do we overcome this sinful attitude?
Repent, Trust, and Obey!
We see first of all what we rejoice in, Our living hope.
Notice next,
When We Rejoice
When We Rejoice
though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
Peter exhorts the pilgrims to be presently rejoicing, while they look forward to the parousia.
Peter encourages the elect exiles to be elated in the temporal while they long for the eternal.
Peter calls the Christian to rejoice currently, in view of Christ second coming.
Remember, Peter is writing to those,
English Standard Version Chapter 1
5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials
5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials.
Scot McKnight explains,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
These verses depict the heart of Peter: He began theologically with praising God for his great benefits of salvation, but then he pauses pastorally to show that the Christians in Asia Minor can be exceedingly glad about the final day of salvation even though they are presently enduring various kinds of trials. They can be glad because they will survive this trial and find themselves in the glorious situation of salvation.
No matter what we are currently experiencing we have an eschatological hope that we ought to be rejoicing in!
Consider the context of the believers Peter is writing to. We must recognize the suffering they faced was vastly different than the suffering we face. But we also, can be certain that because of our differing cultures Peter’s letter somehow becomes irrelevant to us or the meaning changes.
The believers in Peter’s day faced a different persecution than we do. We very seldom hear of someone persecuted or put to death for their faith. In America we seldom hear of someone being exiled from their family for their faith. The cases of someone losing their job and struggling to provide for their family are few and far between. These were all common place in the time this letter was written. Now, just because we don’t experience these things in the “Bible Belt” currently doesn’t mean they are not going on in the world around us.
We all experience various trials, but what Peter is talking about here are those trials that result out of obedient living. Trials that come about because we are living as exiles, strangers, and pilgrims. Trials and grief that come about because we are sold out to the gospel. Now I don’t want to discount the other trials we walk through, the sickness, the loss of loved ones, the loss of jobs.
For example, when my Mom died it was time of great grief, but her death was not a result of persecution. However, even in her death because she was a believer we could rejoice and grieve at the same time.
An example of what Peter is addressing is the recent death of John Allen Chau. His death has reminded us that believers who take their faith and great commission seriously can and and do still face trials, experience suffering, and sacrifice.
However, the death of John Allen Chau has recently reminded us that believers who take their faith and great commission seriously can and and do still face trials, experience suffering, and sacrifice.
I appreciate what Tim Challies wrote regarding Chau,
Whatever else is true of Chau, it’s clear that he was zealous. He believed strongly in our God-given mission to take the gospel into all the world and believed he was particularly called to take it to these unreached people. He acknowledged the possibility that the mission could cost his life, but even then he was willing to go. His zeal is admirable, especially when so many of us struggle with apathy.
He goes on to say,
We ought to admire Chau’s zeal, to repent of our lack of zeal, and to be willing to pay any price to carry out the Great Commission.
Chau is not the only one who experiences these trials,
Christian’s in Muslim countries are often exiled, beaten, and even murdered for their faith.
I met a student from Buffalo years ago at Southeastern who was basically exiled from his family when he denounced catholicism and turned to Christ.
Emilee experienced a trial before we left Florida, because of her faith (and fear) that was an example of what can happen when we live as we are called.
Here is a question I put before us today, is our lack of suffering and persecution a result of a culture that is less hostile to Christianity or is it a result of our lack of resolve, commitment, and faithfulness to the gospel?
I am willing to bet, Bobby, Steven, Josh, and others who have stood and preached in areas where people are hostile toward the gospel have experienced a different level ridicule, rejection, hostility, and persecution than many of us.
What do you think about the following statement by Scot McKnight?
The NIV Application Commentary: 1 Peter Bridging Contexts
But even if we bracket out our Western civility, the contrast between the Christian community’s belief in the gospel as well as its commitment to holy living and our culture’s unbelief in the gospel and its permissiveness ought to generate more sparks than it does. I contend that one of the reasons there are so few sparks is because the fires of commitment and unswerving confession of the truth of the gospel are too frequently set on low flame, as if the church grows best if it only simmers rather than boils.
How high is our heat set?
How often do we stand firm in our confession of the gospel when contention comes?
Is one of the reasons we experience so little suffering because we are not living in light of Christ’s return?
If we truly believe Christ is coming back and we have family members, friends, and coworkers who are unbelievers who at Christ return will recieved judgment and will not be rejoicing should we not be bolder in our witness, burn brighter in order to shine the light of Jesus Christ into the world?
Remember, In this you rejoice, though now for a little while,
We don’t have a long time to rejoice, to be faithful witness to the grace and glory of God. It may seem like a long time, but compared to eternity the Scriptures tell us this life is but a vapor. Therefore, we rejoice now.
I love what Peter says next, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials.
Have you ever thought about your trials in that way. The reason we experience these trials is because the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ finds it necessary.
Spurgeon explains it this way,
Spurgeon Commentary: 1 Peter Exposition
If we were not distressed during our troubles we would not be like our Covenant Head—Christ Jesus. It is a rule of the kingdom that all the members must be like the Head.
Consider the trials Christ experienced.
He was born in obscurity and poverty.
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
He was rejected and hated by His own people.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
He was cursed, spit upon, scourged, and sacrificed.
Matthew 27:27-31
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
He su
If God found it necessary for His own Son to be grieved by these various trials what makes us think we should be exempt from these trials.
Peter is tells us in,
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
1 Peter 2:
As Christians we have been called to follow Christ in His suffering. He has left us an example that we might follow. He walked in a life of sinlessness, submissiveness to the Father, and ultimately suffering as the once for all sacrifice for the sake of you and me!
McKnight, S. (1996). 1 Peter (p. 72). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
Here is the question as we close.
Will we follow in His steps?
Will we mortify sin in our lives and strive for sinlessness?
Will we submit to the will of the Father trust in his grace in the midst of our grief?
Will we be willing to suffer as Christ did by sacrificing our lives so that others might see Him as the Sovereign, Savior, of their soul?
Why We Rejoice In the Midst of Grief
Why We Rejoice In the Midst of Grief
so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to the praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
It is important to understand first that the purposes of trials are for the strengthening of our faith. God allows these trials in the life of the believer so that the preciousness of our faith is revealed. God wants us to know the great value of our faith. God has given us the gift of faith that we might believe in His Son and repent of our sins and be saved from judgment to come. Therefore as we consider how we might react in times of trial and suffering we have to recognize the reason for these trials.
If is for the testing of our faith to help us understand the preciousness of this gift. As we consider this we can see in verse 7 Peter explains why we can rejoice in the midst of these various trials.
This morning I want us to consider three purposes for trials in the life of believers.
The first is,
a. Trials Prove our Faith.
a. Trials Prove our Faith.
At work it seems like at least monthly we have a Foreman who tries to cheat the system. For whatever reason they decided they will try and dig shallow holes, skip poles and call them complete, or even enter hours they did not work. We try all kinds of ways to pick these folks out before they cheat or try and get over on us but it is often times it is the ones you don’t expect that do it.
My boss asked me one time, why can’t we pick out these liars and cheaters during the interview process? Can we call their previous employers and try and find out if they have a history. The short answer I told him was not really. The reason I think most of these men do this is one because of a theological problem, but the primary reason they end up doing it is because of some kind of trial. Our job pushes many people physically and mentally farther than they have ever had to go. So when it is 110 in the shade and all of the sudden at 3 O’clock they come to a line in the swamp they have to make a decision am I going to wade out through there and do what I am supposed to or am I going to complete these poles from the road. What happens is an obstacle, or a trial is put before them and proves are they going to be an honest employee and suffer through it and do what they have been called to do or will they tuck tail and run.
The trial or difficulty tests if they are truly committed to Osmose, to following our processes and procedures. Or are they committed to comfort, ease, and looking out for themselves first.
In a similar way Peter explains spiritually,
When trials come they test our faith for the purpose of revealing or proving the genuineness of our faith. Do we believe what we say we believe. Will we keep trusting in our Sovereign Savior even when times get tough.
When trials come they test our faith for the purpose of revealing or proving the genuineness of our faith. Do we believe what we say we believe. Will we keep trusting in our Sovereign Savior even when times get tough.
When the pain of persecution comes will we find peace with God.
When the pain comes will we rest in
When the mocking comes will we continue to make much of Jesus?
When we lose our job will we trust in Jesus to care for us?
When our family rejects us will we remain steadfast in our faith?
The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.
Proverbs
We are grieved by various trials so that the genuineness, realness, and sureness of our faith is revealed.
When trials come, counterfeit or fake faith will fill. But if your faith is proven to you will persevere!
What we must remember this testing is not a testing of our manhood or womanhood, not a test of our knowledge or IQ, but a testing of our faith and trust in the LORD Jesus Christ. We may not have all the right answers, we may be mentally, physically, and emotionally broken during these times of grief, but not matter what we will continue to trust in the sovereign care of our Savior. We will continue to long for the day we see him again. We will continue to rejoice in the goodness of his grace!
James writes,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
So as we pass through one testing we becoming stronger for the next. As we recognize God’s sustaining grace in one trial we become more steadfast in our faith. That is why we can count it all joy brothers and sisters as we experience various trials.
Spurgeon Commentary: 1 Peter Exposition
Wherever faith is found, it is the sure mark of eternal election, the sign of a blessed condition, and the forecast of a heavenly destiny. It is the eye of the renewed soul, the hand of the regenerated mind, the mouth of the new-born spirit. It is the evidence of spiritual life, the mainspring of holiness, the foundation of delight, the prophecy of glory, and the dawn of endless knowledge. If you have faith, you have infinitely more than he who has all the world and yet is destitute of faith.
There is the first purpose of trials, they prove our faith.
The second purpose,
b. Trials Purify Our Faith.
b. Trials Purify Our Faith.
Notice, the analogy Peter uses in verse 7, he compares the genuineness of our faith to the gold. In Peter’s day and in ours for that matter gold is the most precious metal there is.
Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
In
But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
If anyone has ever been tested by fire as gold it was Job. The brother had it all, lost it all, and recieved terrible counsel from his wife and his friends in the midst of the trial, in the midst of immense physical suffering.
Wayne Grudem explains,
1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary 2. Joy in Spite of Suffering (1:6–7)
The trials burn away any impurities in the believer’s faith. What is left when the trials have ended is purified, genuine faith, analogous to the pure gold or silver that emerges from the refiner’s fire.
Gold is not only the most precious metal is also one of the most durable metals. It withstands being tested by fire. The fire doesn’t just separate the impurities is burns them out. You are left with a beautiful, precious metal that will last longer than you and I will, unless you are like me and keep losing the one piece of gold that I have....
But, Peter say’s our faith is more precious. The believer’s faith is better, the Christians faith will continue when even pure gold ceases to exist. Gold is temporal our faith is eternal.
But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
What then is more precious? A piece of precious metal or the protection of a powerful Savior?
I love what Weirsbe wrote concerning Peter’s illustration of gold. He made the point that the goldsmith was in complete control of the refining process. He would never leave the ore in furnace to long. He would watch the gold as it was being purified as the impurities were being melted away. He would keep his eye on it as the gold increased in purity. Weirsbe made the note “that the Eastern goldsmith kept the metal in the furnace of suffering until he could see his face reflected in it. So our Lord keeps us in the furnace of suffering until we reflect the glory and beauty of Jesus Christ”
A couple weeks ago I went down to a galvanizing plant in Louisiana to check some work they did for us. This plant was only two years old and has a state of the art galvanizing bath. This vat keep thousands of gallons of zinc at 850 degrees 24 hours a day for the purpose of galvanizing and protecting metal. I know this is different that using a furnace to purify gold, but for those of us who had never been in a steel mill or seen a goldsmith we can get an idea of the how the temporary exposure to the furnace can provide a life time of purity and protection.
When you look at this furnace you can feel the heat coming off of it but you can’t really tell how hot it is. However, when you drop that piece of “black steel” in there. It begins to pop, zinc begins to bubble and splatter all over the walls next to the vat, and flames burst out around the metal. But then as they slowly lift the metal out of the zinc it is this beautiful silver color that is coated with a protective coat that can weather years of outdoor elements. It can withstand rain, sleet, snow, heat, hail, and humidity because of the temporary exposure to this extreme heat.
This is what Peter is trying to explain to us. The various trials we experience can be painful, they can be excruciating, but they prove our faith and purify our faith.
Do you see now how trials prove our faith to be true?
Do you see how trials purify our faith?
The last thing I want us to see this morning is,
C. Trials Produce Praise.
C. Trials Produce Praise.
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 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.
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 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.
a. Trials Produce Praise at Jesus’ return
Here is the point, let’s be really honest for a moment it can be really hard to express praise right in the midst of suffering, right in the middle of pain, and when a trial is at it’s peak. But, if we look forward, if we look ahead and believe Jesus is coming back and will be fully revealed to us as he gathers us up, snatches us up, and brings us into His presence we will be able to offer him praise for the “eternal weight of glory” that we will experience.
We not only look forward as we will be able to offer Him praise, but Peter is explaining here that those who are elect, born again, believers in Jesus will also receive praise and commendation from God. When Christ returns the servants of God will receive affirmation from God of their faith through trials.
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Matthew
But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
Romans
This is hard for us to imagine. We always think of us offering pure praise to God for His work of salvation and sanctification, but one day he will praise us because of our steadfastness through suffering. Even in this we offer thanks to God because the mercy, grace, and repentance that we receive that make suffering rightly possible is a gift from Him!
Because of God’s gift,
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:
b. Trials also produce future glory.
Again to understand glory it is used in the sense of — the manifest presentation of God’s infinite and majestic nature; normally conveyed to humanity as superlative brightness.
Not only will we see God’s glory manifested in Christ as he returns we will receive glory. This is when the believers glorification will be made complete!
He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;
but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.
How often do we consider this? How often in the midst of trials do we dwell on the glory that is to come?
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
1 John
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
1 Corinthians 13:
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;
At the revelation of Christ we are going to be partakers in the glory that is going to be revealed. We will see and share in the glory of Christ! Can you imagine the beauty and majesty of that day that will never end! How does that help you and I as we are suffering. As we come together as the body of Christ we have got to remember,
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
We follow in the sufferings of Christ now, so that we might share in his glory when he returns!
This is not all,
c. Trials produce honor.
Peter explains here that these trials produce honor for Christ and for the believer. We are not taking honor from Christ, but sharing in the honor, respect, and reverence we have in Him!
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
The believer will receive and inheritance, a reward, and honor from the LORD at his return. But we will also, fall at His feet in worship and praise with a desire to show him glory and honor for the blessed gift of salvation He has given us.