“FACING THE TWISTS AND TURNS ON THE ROAD OF LIFE …



“FACING THE TWISTS AND TURNS ON THE ROAD OF LIFE-THREE VIEWS OF SUFFERING”

1 PETER 1:6-9

INTRO: As we face the twists and turns on the road of life we will inevitably

come to this conclusion: LIFE HURTS! Each of us could share our

own accounts of pain, confusion, disappointment, and discourage-

ment. During these times where can we turn to find something to

anchor our souls in, stop the spin and gain our perspective? Some

times it seems as if life explodes and we find ourselves confused,

hurt and disoriented. Pain steals our perspective and we find that

we don’t even know which way to turn. It is during those times that

we need someone to grab our arm, slow us down, and give us some

perspective that will help us get a grasp on our lives. Peter does

exactly that in his letter. Writing to suffering, persecuted, and

dispersed believers—“sojourners”—strung out through Asia Minor,

Peter pulls them up and points them back to the bedrock of their faith

when life seems like bedlam!

Peter does not deny our hurts. Denial never works. He doesn’t

attempt to mask it with clichés. He merely steps back and grabs us

with eternal truth for troublesome times. Truth that we will come

back to over and over in the course of our lives. Truth that the Lord

has preserved in His Word for us to tuck into our hearts today. Peter

sets before us a divine perspective for our disturbing and disorienting

days. Peter gives in our text Three Views of Suffering—“The Short

View” of what is going on, “The Long View” so that we might gain

perspective and “The Now View” for this very moment that we might

get a grip and live. Let us look at these as we explore “Three Views of

Suffering.” Note with me:

(1) THE PARADOX—THE SHORT VIEW OF SUFFERING

1 PETER 1:6—“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a

season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold

temptations.”

*The word paradox means “a statement seemingly absurd or

contradictory, yet in fact true.” (Funk & Wagnalls Standard Desk

Dictionary, Volume 2). V6 is a paradox, “…greatly rejoice…though now for

a season…ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.” As we

consider this paradox, let us consider two things:

A. THE PERSPECTIVE IN OUR SUFFERINGS. As Peter gives us the

“Short View” of suffering, he reminds us of what has previously written

in vv. 3-5. The word “wherein” at the beginning of v6 refers us back to

what preceded it. WE have been born again to a Living Hope! WE are

destined to a glorious future! WE are protected by the Mighty Power of

God all along the way! In this we can greatly rejoice! Peter wrote these

words to comfort and encourage those who were going through

suffering that they might not lose the perspective of what awaited them

in glory! The prospect which they had of the future inheritance was to

them a source of the highest joy, even in the midst of their many

sufferings and trials…The particular meaning here is, that the hope

which they had of their future inheritance enabled them to rejoice even

in the midst of persecutions and trials. It not only sustained them, but

it made them happy (Albert Barnes’ Notes on The Bible).

Though the road we travel from the Cross to Heaven may have many

twists and turns and so often is scarred by suffering and marked by

pain, we must keep our perspective of what awaits us in glory! If each

of us allowed one another to see our past we would all see we’re all

covered with scars! In the “Short View” we must realize that even

though suffering, pain, confusion, and disorientation may be often

intense, they are not eternal. We need a Christian Perspective to

confront life so that when life “explodes” we see the “Short View” and

regain our perspective. We must keep a proper perspective, a proper

focus in our suffering or else we will lose sight of the glorious future

which awaits all who believe!

ILLUS: "Living is death; dying is life. On this side of the grave we are

exiles; on that, citizens; on this side, orphans; on that,

children; on this side, captives; on that, free men; on this,

disguised, unknown; on that, disclosed and proclaimed as the

sons of God."--Henry Ward Beecher

B. THE PRAISE IN OUR SUFFERINGS. “Wherein ye greatly rejoice…”

The words “greatly rejoice” are translated from one word in the Greek.

The Greek word means “to jump for joy, to exult, to be exceeding glad.”

A Living Hope results in a present joy. Peter stressed that a

Christian’s joy is independent of his circumstances. Though trials

may cause temporary grief, they cannot diminish that deep, abiding

joy which is rooted in one’s living hope in Christ Jesus (1). Because

we are “kept by the power of God” (v5), we must realize that in the

“Short View” our lives are always in God’s great hand. A hand that

spans eternity! Because of that we can praise God even in the midst

of intense suffering!

ILLUS: When Rutherford was imprisoned at Aberdeen, he wrote to a

friend, "The Lord is with me; I care not what man can do. No

person is better provided for than I am. My chains are even

gilded with gold. No pen, no words -- nothing can express the

beauty of Christ."

When in prison in Vincennes, Madame Guyon wrote, "The joy

of my heart gave a brightness to the objects around me. The

stones in my prison looked in my eyes like rubies." -- C. S.

UTTING.--William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."

ILLUS: How many of us have truly dwelt on these verses:

"Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them

shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very

hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye

are of more value than many sparrows." (Mat 10:29-31)

When troubles and sickness come our way, we usually turn to

worry and fretting about our situation. Civilla Martin (1869-

1948)…had a friend who had learned to rely on this verse and

when in 1904, sickness made her bedridden she continued to

trust in God. Seeing the testimony of her friend cause Civilla

Martin to pen the words to our hymn, "His Eye is On The

Sparrow."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come,

Why should my heart be lonely and long for Heav'n and home,

When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me,

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

"Let not your heart be troubled," His tender word I hear,

And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;

Tho' by the path He leadeth but one step I may see;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,

When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,

I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He cares for me;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He cares for me.

I sing because I'm happy,

I sing because I'm free,

For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

()

Whatever is happening today is only for “a little while.” We can rejoice,

even in the midst of intense suffering, for we know that WE have been

born again to Living Hope! WE are destined for a glorious future! WE

are protected by the power of a Loving God all the way! That’s the

“Short View,” but also note with me:

(2) THE PURPOSE—THE LONG VIEW OF SUFFERING

1 PETER 1:7—“That the trial of your faith, being much more

precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with

fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the

appearing of Jesus Christ.”

*The “Long View” must also be part of our Christian perspective. God has

a purpose for suffering in our lives. Peter, in v7, tells us that God allows

suffering to come to our lives for two main purposes:

A. REFINEMENT (V7a). Suffering always displays the nature or quality of

a person. Here Peter calls this refinement process—“The trial of your

faith.” The putting of your religion to the test, and showing what is its

real nature (Albert Barnes’ Notes on The Bible). In the “Long View”

suffering declares “the proof of your faith” with a great future outcome!

The words “trial of faith” speak to us of what is “approved and genuine.”

The “genuineness” of your faith is Peter’s concern here. When he

speaks of trials, he is not talking about natural disasters or God’s

punishments, but the response of an unbelieving world to people of

faith. All believers face such trials when they let their light shine into

the darkness. We must accept trials as a part of the refining process

that burns away impurities, preparing us to meet Christ. Trials teach

us patience (Romans 5:3,4; James 1:2,3) and help us grow to be the

kind of people God wants us to be (2). This letter is written to believers

so they can live what they believe! Peter speaks of these trials of faith

“being much more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried

with fire.” As gold is heated, impurities float to the top and can be

skimmed off. Steel is tempered or strengthened by heating it in fire.

Likewise, our trials, struggles, and persecutions strengthen our faith

and make us useful to God (3).

ILLUS: During the Great Depression, a good man lost his job,

exhausted his savings and forfeited his home. His grief was

multiplied by the sudden death of his precious wife. The only

thing he had left was his faith-and it was weakening. One day

he was combing the neighborhood looking for work. He

stopped to watch some men who were doing the stonework on

a church building. One of these men was skillfully chiseling a

triangular piece of rock. Not seeing a spot where it would fit, he

asked, "Where are you going to put that?" The man pointed

toward the top of the building and said, "See that little opening

up near the spire? That is where it goes. I am shaping it down

here so it will fit in up there." Tears filled his eyes as he

walked away, for it seemed that God had through the workman

to explain his ordeal through which he was passing, "I'm

shaping you down here so you'll fit up there."

Some of you are going through terrible troublesome times. You

may be experiencing some heartbreaking sorrow. Or perhaps

you are enduring some painful physical illness. Or it may be

something else-maybe even too excruciating to talk to anyone

about. The blows of the hammer and chisel hurt. But hold on

to your faith. These difficulties will not get you down. They are

only temporary. Glory is coming. It is the harsh blows to the

outward man that often bring the greatest strength to the

inner man. Keep praying. Keep believing. The Master has to do

some shaping of us down here so we will fit in up there.

B. REFLECTION (V7b). Peter writes, “That the trial of your faith…might be

found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”

Have you ever wondered what “genuineness” of faith looks like? It looks

like how we live when we hurt…like patience in the paralysis of pain;

diligence in honoring God even when disoriented; calmness even in the

midst of chaos and confusion. We are “kept by the power of God

through faith” and when we display our faith we display God’s greatness,

faithfulness, power and sufficiency through our lives! And we know that

God will not fail us even when life explodes and we are face to face with

suffering. When gold is purified, it doesn’t destroy it. It refines it and

brings out even more of its worth, beauty and durability! And Even

though gold perishes, our faith endures forever and promises even a

greater reward ahead! There is coming a day when all that we have ever

faced for the cause of Christ will be rewarded. It will be worth it all!

In that day truth will be eternally displayed, wrongs will be judged,

and “praise and glory and honour” will be bestowed on those who have

demonstrated the “genuineness” of their faith.

Knowing this lies ahead, how much “glory and honour” are we displaying

in our lives? Are we being reflections Jesus or are we just complaining?

When we are weak in our faith, we begin to compare ourselves with

others, evaluate life by the world’s standards, and place our faith in the

wrong things. But as we understand the “Short View” and the “Long

View” of suffering, we realize that God is refining our faith so that it is

even more valuable, more durable and more beautiful than it has ever

been before! As we realize the “Short View” and the “Long View” of

suffering, we see that we are actually sharing the life of Jesus and even

now displaying our faith in God’s great Salvation! William Barclay said,

“It is when men see that we are prepared to suffer something for the

faith which we say we hold, that they will begin to believe that we really

do hold it. If a thing costs us nothing men will value it as nothing” (4).

Peter did not say we are to like suffering! Peter didn’t say we seek

suffering, or enjoy suffering, or pray for suffering. But because of our

Great Salvation we can endure suffering for the glory of God now and

on to the glory of God “at the appearing of Jesus Christ”.

The reason we can have joy in the midst of suffering is:

• We know it is only for “for a season”

• We realize God is refining us here and forever.

• We are displaying God’s Great Salvation—Its value, its durability, its beauty in the hardness of hurt.

• We know whatever we face, GOD IS GREATER!

That’s THE PARDOX—THE SHORT VIEW OF SUFFERING and THE PURPOSE—THE LONG VIEW OF SUFFERING, but also let us see…

(3) THE PRESENCE—THE NOW VIEW OF SUFFERING

1 PETER 1:8-9—“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom,

though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with

joy unspeakable and full of glory. Receiving the end of

your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”

A. WE HAVE JOY BECAUSE OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH A GREAT

SAVIOR (v8). Peter does not only leave “sojourners” with a new

perspective, but also with a comforting presence. When we face

trials and hurts, we must remember the presence of the Lord is

with us. The Lord promises in Isaiah 43:2—“When thou passest

through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they

shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou

shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” These

believers to whom Peter was writing were facing some fiery trials.

Why were these Christians the target of persecution?:

• They refused to worship the emperor as a god and thus were viewed as traitors.

• They refused to worship at pagan temples, so business for these money-making enterprises dropped whenever Christianity took hold.

• They didn’t support the Roman ideals of self, power, and conquest; and the Romans scorned the Christian ideal of self-sacrificing service.

• They exposed and rejected the horrible morality of the pagan culture. (5).

Peter wrote this Epistle to remind and encourage them that because

they possessed a Living Hope because of a Living Savior, the Savior’s

presence was with them even in the midst of the fiery trials they were

going through! The Lord has promised in Hebrews 13:5b-6—“I will

never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The

Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” When

we suffer sometimes we find it hard to go on! We lose our perspective

and we lose our grip. But we MUST remember that the Savior’s love

and presence is always with us! That is what sustains us! The very

core of our strength in suffering lies in our relationship with the Lord

Jesus Christ! As David Livingstone said, “Without Christ, not one step;

with Him, anywhere!” (6) But notice with me Peter’s words, “Whom

having not seen, ye love; in whom, though you seen him not, yet

believing…” We are not sustained because we have seen Jesus

physically, but spiritually by Faith! Though not having seen Christ,

they knew him by faith (The People’s New Testament Commentary).

This relationship we enjoy in Christ comes through FAITH and LOVE.

When you “love” you make a choice. When you “believe” you trust in,

and rely on someone or something. Christians are those who have

chosen to love and place their faith in Jesus Christ! That brings JOY—

“Ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

ILLUS: Many people have heard that JOY means Jesus first, Others

next, and Yourself last. But in a Christmas sermon in 1998,

Pastor Phil Toole of Mountain Valley Community Church in

Scottsdale, Arizona, put it different:

Jesus

O

You

“The ‘J’ stands for Jesus,” said Pastor Toole. “The ‘Y’ stands

for you. Do you know what the ‘O’ stands for? It stands for

zero. Just what it says—nothing. What I am saying here is

the way to stay close to Jesus and keep joy in your heart is let

nothing come between Jesus and you” (7).

Many today gauge their “joy” by circumstances. To them the only way

you can have “joy” is for your circumstances to change. Suffering has

to end or else I cannot have “joy”. Things have to get better. But the

Christian’s view of life is very different. We see “joy” as a word of

relationship which is unconnected to our circumstances. I have JOY

because I have a relationship with Christ Jesus—I am His, and He is

mine! I have JOY because I am a part of what God is doing through

Christ Jesus in my life! Right here and right now, HE is GREATER

than all I face! I am born again to a Living Hope, destined to a glorious

future, protected by God’s great POWER. And because of that I can

glorify God with “joy unspeakable and full of glory” even in the most

difficult places of life!

B. WE HAVE JOY BECAUSE OF OUR RELATIONSHIP TO A GREAT

SALVATION (v9). At this very moment, God is delivering us! Right

in the midst of the explosions of life, God is holding us, giving us

perspective and strengthening us as we face the twists and turns on

the road of life! Because of this we can rejoice! John Gill in his

exposition of 1 Peter wrote, "Salvation" intends spiritual and eternal salvation; that which God appointed his people to from all eternity, which is obtained by Christ, applied by the Spirit, and will be fully enjoyed in heaven: this is the salvation "of souls": which are of more worth than a world; and the redemption of which is precious, and requires a great price, and for which a great price is paid, as in 1Pe_1:18. (John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible). As the writer of

Hebrews affirms, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to

the things we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For

if the word spoken by the angels were steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” (Hebrews 2:1-4).

Oliver B. Greene in his commentary on Hebrews writes, “It is true that we are saved by grace through faith. Salvation is the gift of God, and we are born into God’s family simply by receiving the finished work of His Son. Salvation becomes ours when we receive the finished work of

Jesus Christ. Salvation is free—the gift of God; but it is also the most costly thing known to God or man, in heaven or in earth. It cost God His only Son. It cost heaven the most precious jewel there. It cost Him

heartache, sadness, sorrow, tears, and suffering such as mortal has never known—the just suffering for the unjust, the righteous suffering for the unrighteous, the Pure suffering for the defiled. It cost Him his blood. Our salvation is the miracle of God’s grace, God’s love, God’s wisdom and power—the sum total of all the riches of glory. Our salvation is great because of the dignity of the One who proclaimed it—God’s only begotten Son. It is great in the face that God the Father in the Person of God the Son, suffered for our sins. Not only is our salvation great in its cost, but it is great is its SCOPE. It includes everyone and excludes no one. For God so loved THE WORLD—not just a segment of the world, but the whole wide world; no one race, but ALL races. Our salvation is great in its CLIMAX. The Lord Jesus Christ not only died to save us from the penalty of sin, but He lives in us in the Person of the Holy Spirit to deliver us from the power of sin and guide us daily around its pitfalls. We are more than conquerors through Him (Rom. 8:31-39). We are overcomers because greater is He who dwells in us that he who dwells in the world (1 John 4:4). Whosoever is born of God overcomes the world, ‘and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith’ (1 John 5:4). I repeat; Jesus died not only to save us from the penalty of sin, but He LIVES to keep us from the POWER of sin. Because HE lives, WE live also; and the Spirit that raised up Christ from the dead will also quicken our mortal bodies. Indeed, our

salvation is great! (8)

Not only is God delivering us RIGHT NOW, God will ultimately save us from the sinful and wicked world and take us home to be with Him forever! In this we can “rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory”!

CLOSING: As we face the twists and turns on the road of life and face

suffering, let be reminded of THE PARADOX—THE SHORT VIEW

OF SUFFERING. We can rejoice because suffering is not eternal

and we are destined for a glorious future. As Paul wrote in 2

Corinthians 4:17—“For our light affliction, which is but for a

moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of

glory.” Let us also remember THE PURPOSE—THE LONG VIEW OF

SUFFERING. God is refining us, removing the impurities so that

We might be reflections of our Lord Jesus Christ in all things. And

finally never let us forget THE PRESENCE—THE NOW VIEW OF

SUFFERING. We have JOY because of our relationship with a

GREAT SAVIOR. We have JOY because of our relationship with a

GREAT SALVATION.

None of us are ever prepared for the “explosions” of life. We often

fail to see any purpose in these times of suffering. These “trials”

none of us want but there is a far greater tragedy, that is, to lose

the opportunity to know Jesus in an intimate way. He is always

with us for things as simple as our comfort, but even more, He is

with us to bring His life alive in ours!

NOTES: 1. John F. Walvoord & Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge

Commentary on the New Testament. p. 841.

2. Living Letters From the Life Application Bible. p. 243.

3. Living Letters. p. 243.

4. Albert M. Wells, Jr. Inspiring Quotations-Contemporary &

Classical. p. 34.

5. Living Letters. p. 243.

6. Wells. p. 68.

7. Robert J. Morgan. Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations

& Quotes. p. 497.

8. Oliver B. Greene. The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews.

pp. 53-56.

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