Who has never been through suffering and hardship?At some point in life, sooner or later, we are affected by suffering, to a degree more or less. Pastor Gilson Santos wrote in an article:
“The Word of God reveals to us that suffering is a reality resulting from the fall of man, that is, the sin that affects us (?) Therefore, we must expect suffering as a natural fact of this life.
- On another occasion.
- Speaking of John Bunyan’s suffering.
- I turned to this: “The suffering of following and bearing witness to Christ has affected the lives of Christ’s disciples at all times and in all places.
- Suffering is part of life and is compatible with the New Testament.
- “Renda1] In the Old Testament.
- Joseph and Job were for us examples and models of perseverance in the face of suffering.
- The text read was extremely conflicting and at the same time.
- He spoke forcefully to my heart.
There are brothers among us who have already lost their loved ones, there are brothers who are struggling with health problems or diseases of their loved ones, there are brothers who go through many struggles in their ministry and there are probably brothers who struggle with the difficulties imposed on them by the missionary field. There are brethren who have been and/or are persecuted for their beliefs in the doctrines of grace. I also shared on the list of fights a few months ago. The important thing is that the church is not ready to suffer. is unwilling to suffer preaching. We live in a culture that escapes pain, so churches that preach the theology of prosperity are full of people.
On the other hand, it is obvious that because of our human frailty, we do not endure suffering and we must not do so through the stoic pedagogical philosophy that the individual must endure suffering being indifferent and impassive morality. But we are dominated by epicureism. , as we are taught to do everything for our peace and well-being, happiness and pain are what we must seek and avoid respectively [2]. The gospel calls us to balance. We are affected by suffering, but we suffer for the glory of God. We are affected by suffering, but we know that God has a purpose in our suffering. The title of the message is: Glorify God in the trial: do not waste his suffering The main lesson of the text is that:
We must glorify God in the midst of trial by not wasting our suffering; we must use suffering to glorify the Lord.
While the main point of the text is the suffering that comes from the persecution of Christians, the principles highlighted by the text can be used and applied in any situation of suffering.
This letter was written by the Apostle Peter, who after walking three years with the Lord Jesus Christ, is now the leader of the early church. At that time, widespread persecution was about to occur on the orders of Emperor Nero. The tradition of the church indicates that in this persecution the martyrdom of Peter and Paul, the first crucified face down, occurred, for he argued that he was not worthy to die as his master, and the second because he was a Roman citizen, suffered a less painful death, that is, probably beheading his head in the guillotine.
By writing to God’s chosen in dispersal, to the Greek-speaking Jews of the diaspora scattered outside Palestine, settled in Asia Minor, Peter intends to encourage persecuted Christians who suffered for their faith. Peter uses the scattered term as a metaphor to emphasize that God’s people are foreigners and pilgrims to the heavenly homeland, as well as to the Christian trajectory in The Pilgrim, written by John Bunyan, who was in prison for preaching the gospel. the letter is to encourage Christians to seize opportunity in the face of persecution and suffering and to manifest a life of holiness to the Lord.
After addressing sanctification applied to various areas, Peter shows in the transition between chapters 4 and 5 the glorious privilege of suffering by Christ. We will extract the principles of the specifically read text:
The verse tells persecuted Christians not to be surprised by the fiery fire that rose among them because they were surprised by the persecution that was taking place. The metaphor of fire is used because it purifies gold. Gold must be burned to be purer. Therefore, the fiery fire of persecution would be to purify the lives of believers. The English Puritan evangelist George Whitefield, in preaching in this verse, recounts that while visiting a glass factory in the north of England, he can observe that the worker passes the glass three times through the oven to become more transparent. He said: “Almighty God knows that we are often more purified, at any given time, by a healthy test than by thousands of manifestations of his love. “[3]
The Apostle says that fiery fire should not be strange as something extraordinary; Jesus Christ suffered. Your disciples will suffer too. The world as a system is our enemy. Speaking of fighting war with this hostile world, Joel Beeke in his book Winning the World recently published by Faithful Publishing, will say that this is an arduous war, because the world is not fighting with justice and clarity, does not accept the ceasefire and does not agree to sign a peace treaty?[4]. Even in the war against worldlyness, he writes that the way of blessing is the way of pain; pain is an essential ingredient for growth. Is this why we talk about growth pain and repeat the phrase: no pain, no gain?(No pain, no gain) ?. [5]
In addition to this statement, I wrote on my old blog
“A maximum of bodybuilding practitioners say there is no painless gain (no pain, no gain). As the athlete or gym client gains muscle strength, their series increases. Depending on the personal goal, the more weight the individual lifts, the more pain he feels, the more pain he feels, the more muscle mass will grow in his body. To maintain an athletic body, you must train, train and therefore feel pain every time you gain weight, meaning that more muscle mass is developed.
This same logic can be used in the spiritual pilgrimage of the believer. It is not claimed that pain is the only way to make a Christian grow in intimacy with God, but this is one of the best, if not the best. The texts quoted above affirm that suffering produces faith and perseverance, making the believer more mature and complete; suffering also allows the Christian to identify with Christ (participating in his suffering on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins), for the glory of God, and learning in the exercise of his joy and satisfaction in God. Pain and suffering can lead the Christian to grow in Christ and mature his character by better developing his intimacy with God.
Therefore, beloved, we must glorify God through trial, without wasting suffering, following the exhortation of James’ letter, chapter 1 verse 2, as we go through the trial with joy. That’s the next point.
Now comes the other side of the coin (the paradox: suffering x joy / joy). In the previous verse, the Apostle Peter exhorts us not to be surprised by the fiery fire (negative aspect) and here to partake of Christ’s sufferings with joy (positive aspect) when we read. at the beginning of the verse.
Joy came when we share Christ’s sufferings. The word participate in the original Greek means koinoenite, which has the same root of communion (koinonia), that is, something in common. When we suffer, we partake of Christ’s sufferings in communion with Him, in our kinship, and in our mystical union with him.
Christian participation in Christ’s suffering is not in his atoning work, replacing the criminal and sufficient nature of God’s chosen people, but in identifying with what He has experienced and suffered for us.
This theme is also addressed by the Apostle Paul in his letters: arrested, whipped, mistreated by the preaching of the Gospel, Paul is convinced that his life is in full communion with Christ in his sufferings, let us see what he says in Colossars 1:24:
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill what is left of Christ’s afflictions in my flesh, in the name of his body, who is the Church?
To the believers of Philips, in their most affectionate letter, encourages them to rejoice in the Lord in the face of persecution. “Rejoice in the Lord, I repeat, rejoice? (Phil 4:4) is the key to reading all of the Also in chapter 4, verses 11 and 12, it will explain the circumstances that led him to learn to be satisfied in all situations. The central theme of this letter is joy and contentment in the Lord in the face of adversity.
Christ is formed in us (as body/church and as individuals) when we are in communion with him in his sufferings.
If joy came when we partake of Christ’s sufferings in the present, it will be even greater and complete in the revelation of his glory. In John 17, the Lord Jesus Christ says that he is glorified with the Father (verses 1. 5, 10, 22 24) This glory is celebrated with joy and joy even in suffering.
To interpret this point we have the help of puritanical Jonathan Edwards, who will say that there is no contradiction between the glory of God and the well-being of his creatures (there is a text on the subject on faithful’s blog). His sermon The purpose for which God created the world emphasizes that:
“the emanation or communication of divine fulness, which consists of the knowledge of God, love for him and joy in him, is in fact linked to both God and the creature, but is linked to God as his source (?). the water from the stream comes from the spring and the sun’s rays. (?) Both are linked to God as their object, for the knowledge transmitted is the knowledge of God; and transmitted love is god’s love; and the happiness that is transmitted is joy in God. When the creature knows, esteems, loves, rejoices in God and praises Him, the glory of God is at the same time demonstrated and recognized; its fullness is welcomed and reflected.
Analyzing this sermon, one of his biographers shows that “The greatest and last end of the Supreme Being, in the works of creation and providence, is the manifestation of his glory in the greatest happiness of his creatures. “Where did John Piper, who had in this sermon, take the model of his devotion and ministry, the phrase, the motto that governs life when he says that “God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him?”concluding that we were created to seek our own joy and please us in God’s glory or to glorify God by seeking our joy and happiness in Him.
One figure in the history of the Church that experienced this tension is Augustine of Hippo in the 4th century. After a period of inner emptiness by promiscuity and Manicheanism, then neoplatonism, he finds joy in God in the face of his own misery and A world dominated by sin full of wickedness and suffering. In his confessions, book 10 chapter 1, when he writes about the purpose of writing the book, he says:
Oh God, you know me, let me know you the way I know you. O virtue of my soul, penetrate my soul, do it like you, that you may possess it. and in this hope I rejoice when I feel a healthy joy. Everything else in this life, the more you cry, the less you deserve to be cried and the more you cry, the less you’ll cry.
Therefore, as we partake of Christ’s sufferings, we must do so with joy and joy, knowing that there is no contradiction between God’s glory and the pursuit of our joy in Him. John Piper, in his book The Suffering and Sovereignty of God writes that: “The death of Christ in supreme suffering is the highest, clearest and most perfect demonstration of the glory of God’s grace” and continues. suffering is an essential part of the created universe in which the greatness of God’s glory grace can be perfectly revealed.
Going back to the beginning, stoic philosophy teaches you to go through suffering for morality as a duty; obedience as a duty without pleasure and joy is legalism; let us enjoy, my beloved brothers and sisters, that when we go through suffering, with joy and joy, because it is God’s blessing to us. That’s the next point.
As it is said at the beginning of the message, those who belong to the Lord are at war with this wicked world, which leads in one way or another to persecution, to opposition.
Suffering for Christ’s sake is God’s blessing: Paradoxically, if the name of Christ offends him, he is blessed, happy, and blessed.
The Lord Jesus Christ said in the sermon on the mountain in Matthew 5 verses 10-12:
Blessed are those persecuted because of righteousness, for of them is the kingdom of heaven; Blessed are you when you insult them for me, persecute you and, lying, say everything wrong against you. great in heaven; why did you persecute the prophets who lived before you. ?
The apostle Paul follows the same path when he writes, in Philippians 1. 29?
Suffering for Christ means that the Spirit of God is with us. Like the glory of God, the presence of God filled the tabernacle as it is said in Exodus 40:34-35, so that the believer persecuted and insulted by the name of Christ shows that he is filled and inflamed by the glory of God, the next point.
Even the redundant point! In these two verses, we have two poles: shame against the glorification of God.
For verse 15, shame would be to go against society and the common good. Even if a disciple of Christ is called to suffer, he must not suffer for having acted or wrong. It is one thing to suffer by the name of Christ and another by the idols of the heart who manifest themselves by murdering, stealing, harming someone, or damaging the affairs of others. Shame occurred over the theft of God’s glory by unleashing idols. Sin, my beloved brothers and sisters, causes guilt and shame.
I remember a sad occasion in Rio de Janeiro when I was a kid and I can see it wasn’t that long ago.
There is a renowned university that has a very strict discipline, a young man was caught cheating on the teacher’s exam, had to publicly confess the feat to the whole school and was even expelled, so he committed suicide. Of course, everything requires deeper analysis because it is about showing the consequence, shame and guilt that error brings to the individual.
Shame does not exist when we seek to glorify God in all. 1Cor 10:31 says, “Do you eat or drink, do everything for the glory of God?” Romans 11:36?For him, and for him, and for him are all things; that is why, for him, eternal glory. Amen!? and if we suffer by the name of Jesus Christ, there will be no shame, we will glorify God.
An example of who lived on both sides was the missionary among the Indians, David Brainerd. Your calendar is for sale here. It’s worth buying. I really like this book. Pastor Franklin said it was my face. With all the nuances of what he meant by that, he blessed me greatly in pointing the book at me. David was expelled from college for misrepresenting the principal specifically about his prayer. He said the prayer. The director looked like a chair because of his coldness. Another student saw and contacted the principal. He had to retract in public and was deported. I was embarrassed.
On the other hand, God had a plan. The young man dedicated his life to the evangelization of the Indians, went through hunger, cold, health, loneliness and difficulties in evangelizing the countryside, God honored him greatly by using it with grace and power to earn these lives for Christ by seeing his life go by. Die at 29, my age. An example of a life that glorified God in trial and did not waste his suffering. We need Brainerds among us.
There is a difference when Christians suffer; we know what is coming. Today we live in anticipation of tomorrow, the shadow of Christ’s return; we know that he died for us on the cross, in our place; we know that he rose again and ascended to heaven and promised to return physically to glory and majesty to judge everyone. either as a lamb or as a lion from the tribe of Judah. and the ‘not yet’. Christ has already been crucified, the atonement is sufficient. We have already been justified, the Kingdom has already been opened. But we still await the Kingdom in its fullness.
Psalm 1 emphasizes that the wicked will be like the ball that the scattered wind (verse 4) God’s promise makes the believer see suffering differently, the villain sympathies with himself, and thinks he is good and innocent not to suffer Verses 17 and 18. bring us the apocalyptic-scatological meaning of suffering.
Verse 18 is a quotation from Proverbs 11. 31 in the version of the Seventy, the Old Testament in Greek but correctly interpreted by Peter in its original context. The text reads: “If the righteous are punished on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner!? The Christian cannot demand improvements to his piety. As I said at the beginning, suffering is part of life and affects everyone. The theology of prosperity is a false gospel because it promises that believers will be unattainable by suffering.
Is that date worth saying? If it is difficult for the righteous to be saved, this does not go against the work of God’s grace and does not raise the possibility of salvation by works. What the verse means is that once the individual has been justified by faith by God’s grace, he will go through difficulties on his journey. It can be compared to Matthew 7. 14 when he says the door is narrow. Salvation is by grace, but discipline and follow-up are costly, see Luke 9:23.
God is not surprised when we feel pain. The verse says “according to God’s will. “Not only is he not surprised, but he himself decrees suffering (see the book of Job) to achieve his purposes (Rom. 8:28). God? Open theism, a chain that renounces God’s sovereignty to solve the problem of evil, is not powerful and does not please our lives. It’s an idolatry of the heart. The God of the Bible, sovereign, supreme, majestic and creator, who does bring joy, joy, satisfaction and joy in grace to those who go through suffering because we know that it is by his decree.
Suffering does not exempt the Christian from his ethical vocation: he is called to do good by entrusting his soul to the faithful Creator (he who believes, sustains and is faithful in his promise to the people of the covenant). To endure suffering patiently is a great way to testify: “If God wants us to suffer to do good, we will suffer. “
1. For all my present brothers and sisters who have already suffered intense suffering, are living or will live: “Does suffering deepen faith and holiness?[15] it is a means of fostering compassion in the lives of God’s servants. It makes us more dependent on God and humbler in heart. Christ is formed in our character when we suffer for him: do not waste your suffering, glorify God in everything.
2. La suffering when she is patiently received and pierced makes us live more of God’s glory here and in heaven. The more we suffer for Christ, the more glory we will enjoy. Take advantage of the desert to enjoy God’s presence as we wait for the Heaven Finish!Here’s our treasure. There will be no more pain, no more crying, suffering makes us love heaven more. We endure suffering patiently in the Lord.
3. Those who are persecuted for their beliefs, especially in the doctrines of grace or reformed faith, which scandalizes many people by antagonism to the libertarian vision of the human being so misguided in Brazilian evangelism: stand firm!, behaving humbly. Our conviction today is transmitted much more by our character than by our discourse.
4. To the other shepherds. The rest of the text, 1 Pet 5, emphasizes that the elders also participate in Christ’s suffering in their ministries. When faithful shepherds patiently take and endure the injustices and unjust actions of the faithful by loving the flock, Christ is formed in his character. Let’s stand firm, my brothers and colleagues. We only have a few Sundays left and we will be there with Him. Our price is in paradise! God will honor any fatigue in battle.
5. Who campaigns missions. Whatever your struggle, the difficulty of evangelizing the countryside, demonic opposition, family and personal distress, sickness and sickness, difficulty living, etc. , God watches over you. He’ll honor you, he won’t leave you! Know, of course, that the more you suffer for Him, the higher your price. Stay strong, keep going, don’t give up.
6. To you my brother and sister who are crossing today, now in intense and very exhausted suffering: do not let Satan fly, it ails the joy of your heart. Hold on to this text and fight Dieu. I will support you.
Beloved brothers and sisters, my prayer is that these powerful teachings of the text will take you through the wilderness of suffering with patience and perseverance in the Lord, rejoicing in their glory and establishing themselves in their sovereignty. a much-suffering Christian named William Cowper.
“God moves mysteriously to perform his wonders, prints his footprints at sea, and rides the storm.
Deeply, in immeasurable mines of a skill that never fails, he appreciates his brilliant designs and works his sovereign will.
You frightened saints renew your courage! The clouds you fear so much are great in mercy, and they will burst into blessings upon your heads.
Do not judge the Lord with little intelligence, trust In Him by your grace. Behind a sullen providence, he hides a smiling face.
Your goals will mature quickly, starting hour by hour; The cocoon may taste bitter, but the flower will be sweet.
Blind unbelief will surely go astray and search his work in vain: God is his own interpreter and will make it clear.
God bless you all! Amen!
[2] JAPIASSU. Hilton. MARCONDES, Danilo. Dictionary of Basic Philosophy. Rio de Janeiro: Jorge Zahar Ed. 1996. Pp. 83-84; 91-92.
[5] Ibid. 13.
[6] EDWARDS, Jonathan. La the purpose for which God created the world. In. PIPER, John. La God’s passion for his glory: living Jonathan Edwards’ vision. Translation by Susana Klassen. ? Sao Paulo: Christian culture, 2008. P.
[7] Ibid. Q. 25
[8] AGUSTÍN, saint, bishop of Hipona. Aveux, translation by Maria Luiza Jardim Amarante, Sao Paulo: Paulus, 1997, p. 269.
[11] PIPER, op. Cit. 2008. S. 21.
[12] Ibid. 75
[13] PIPER, Johh. La hidden smile of God: the fruit of affliction in the lives of John Bunyan, William Cowper, and David Brainerd. Translation: Augustus Nicodemus. Sao Paulo: Shedd Publications, 2002. P. 95-96.