The Joy of Sufferings

            But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you
( I Peter 5:10 ).

 

Let us notice our text closely.  I like the part about the God of all grace.  I get excited when I think about the wonderful grace of God.

I like the part about Christ’s eternal glory.  The eternal glory of God, is what I am striving for.  I want to stand one day, in His eternal glory.

If you will notice the rest of the text, it seems to get worse.  It talks about us suffering for awhile.  I wonder why Peter put this in there?  I personally like the grace and eternal glory of Christ.  Why is there a need to suffer awhile?

The rest of our text, tells us the reason for this suffering.  That we may be perfected, established, strengthened, and settled.

Notice the verse of Scripture in Hebrews 12:2, which says, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Did you know that Jesus Christ endured the cross with joy?  Even Jesus, who created the Heaven and earth, suffered for awhile.  We count His suffering all joy, because He is sitting at the right hand of God.

Of course, we know that God does not have a right hand, but this is an Eastern idiom, meaning “The right hand of power.”  Jesus Christ is exalted above all the power in Heaven.

Peter mentions in our text, that we are to suffer.  I believe there is joy in suffering.  If we never suffered, we would never be perfected, established, strengthened, and settled.

Have you ever thought about this?

Many people think that living for Jesus Christ, is supposed to be like candy land, and a bed of roses.  Cheer up saints, you are in for a real shock treatment.

The Bible declares that those who live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution  ( II Timothy 3:12 ).

We are going to have trials          .

We are going to have persecutions.

We are going to have testings.

We are going to have problems.

We may suffer for the Name of Jesus.

All these things that come our way, helps us to grow in Christ.

 

When we read the Scripture in Ephesians 4:11-15, we will see that God placed the 5-fold ministry in the church to perfect us.  Some people think they were born perfect.  We are not born perfect, but we are made perfect.  Making, is a process, and we are to be made perfect by the 5-fold ministry.

Our text says, that after we have suffered awhile, it makes us perfect.

God perfects us by His Word, His Spirit,  and  His  5-fold  ministry  He  set  in  the church.  No one is perfected overnight.  We all make mistakes.  Don’t anyone look at me, and say I am perfect, as I will disappoint you every time.  I’m still striving toward perfection.  God is still working on this vessel.

The 5-fold ministry is given to perfect us, that we may grow up in Christ, and not be children anymore  ( Ephesians 4:12-15 ).

Some people never get out of their spiritual diapers.  They are still little children, sucking the milk bottle.  Are you a milk bottle Christian?

To grow up, you need food for your body.

To grow up in Christ, you need food for your soul.

This spiritual food is given in the House of God, by the 5-fold ministry.  If you never go to church and get fed, you are still walking around in diapers.  The worst thing in the world to me, is to see a grown person walking around sucking a milk bottle.  This should be for babies, not grown people.

The reason we need to grow up in Christ, and not be children anymore, is that we may be established in God’s Word of truth.

When we are established in the Word of God, we won’t be carried away with every wind of doctrine.  There are many false doctrines in the world today, and you need to know the pure doctrine of God’s Word.

When we are grown up in Christ, we can stand on God’s Word, and fight the devil.  No one ever sends babies to fight a war, they send grown people who know how to fight.

Peter  also  said  in   our   text,    that   we   are   to   be   established.    The   word establish means, to bring about, or prove.  We need to bring about in our life, the fruits of the Spirit.

The Scripture in II Thessalonians 2:16-17 says, that God will establish us in every good word and work.

God wants us to be established in His Word.

God wants us to be established in our walk with Him.

God wants us to have good words, and good works.

God wants our conversation to be where it should be.

God wants us to clean up our act.

God wants us to clean up our life.

God wants us to clean up our tongue.

Let our works be pleasing to God.

Peter also said in our text, that we are to be strengthened.  Strength means power.  When you have muscles, you have strength and power.

Paul said, in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ, which strengthened me.”  Where did Paul get his power to do all things?  He received it from Christ.  This is where we will get our strength to do all things, also.

Look at what Paul said in II Corinthians 12:10, “Therefore; I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake:  for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Paul said, he took pleasure.  This means, he was happy and glad.  What was Paul happy and glad about?  He was happy about suffering for Christ.

I used to be a weight lifter.  You suffer when you lift weights.  You subject your body to lifting, straining, and growing, in pain.  When you develop muscles, then you have power.  The same principle is applied to the spiritual.

When God wants to bring more power into your life, He brings more pressure.  Pressure produces power.  This was why Paul was happy in his sufferings.  Are you happy in your sufferings?

Peter also said in our text, that God wants to settle us.  Settle means to be at rest, to secure you.  Something that is settled, is planted.

We need to be settled and planted in Jesus Christ.  The Bible says, that those who trust in the Lord, shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit  (Jeremiah 17:7-8).
When we are planted and settled in Christ, we will not be affected by the heat ( sufferings ).  Paul was not affected by the sufferings  ( heat ).  Our leaf shall remain green, and will yield fruit.  Our soul and spirit will remain alive, and we will still produce the fruit of the Spirit.

When we are planted and settled in Christ, neither heat nor drought will hinder us from living for Him.

The Lord knows the way of the righteous, and He will not put upon us more that we can bear.

I have experienced trials and testings in my life, but I overcome them by the grace of God, and now I am a stronger Christian in the Lord.

I want to be perfected, established, strengthened, and settled in Christ.  To be all of these things, I must suffer awhile, by God’s grace, and enter into His eternal glory.
           

I count it joy to suffer for God.

I count it joy to suffer for His Word.

I count it joy to suffer for His Name.

I count it joy to suffer for His gospel.

I thank God today, for the joy of sufferings.