"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5:3-5
Hope in the midst of... you fill in the blank. It could be
destruction, difficulties, discouragement, suffering, failure or any number of things.
We started a new series last week, ‘the storms of life’ - we talked about the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, that was timely - dealing w/ Rita locally just days later.
We dont look alike, we dont act alike, we dont dress alike. We have different tastes in the food we eat, the books we read, cars we drive, music we enjoy. You like hip-hop, I like rock. We have different goals, priorities, and motivations. We work different jobs, enjoy different hobbies. You like Nascar, I like the Dallas Cowboys. Our weights vary, heights vary.
So does the color of our skin - But there is 1 thing we all have in common:
We all know what it means to hurt.
Suffering is a universal language - our tears are the same.
When life hurts and our dreams fade, we may express our
anguish in different ways, but each one of us knows the sting of pain and heartache, disease and disaster, trials and sufferings.
Suffering is a common thread.
Peter, a disciple of Jesus, an apostle of the 1st church
addresses suffering and pain in his 1st letter. He encouraged those in pain, those hurting to look upward so they could see beyond their circumstances to One who has everything under control.
This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.
"I am writing to God's chosen people who are living as foreigners in the lands of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia, and Bithynia. God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed
Jesus Christ and are cleansed by his blood.
May you have more and more of God's special favor and
wonderful peace." 1 Peter 1:1-2
The 1st bit of good news Peter gives us is that we are
“chosen by God”. What a helpful reminder! We aren’t just thrown on this earth like dice tossed across a table. We have been placed here for a purpose. God has given us a purpose for our existence, a reason to go on, even though that existence
includes some tough times.
Hope in the midst of... Hope is as important to us as water is to a fish, as vital as electricity is to a light-bulb, as air is to a bird.
Hope is like an anchor.
As we continue to read Peter’s 1st letter we find 6 reasons why we can rejoice through hard times & experience hope beyond
suffering.
We Have a Living Hope
"All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation
because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead." 1 Peter 1:3
As difficult as some pages of our lives may be, nothing that
occurs to us on this earth falls into the category of “the final chapter”. That chapter comes the day we arrive in heaven.
How can we concern ourselves that much over what happens on this temp. planet when we know that it’s all leading us to our eternal destination? Peter calls that our ‘living hope’ - Now we live with a wonderful expectation.
it’s the living hope based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If Christ went through some of the most difficult trials and
enormous pain physically and emotionally - died a horrific death and came through it all back to life again. Certainly He can bring us through whatever we face in this world, no matter how deep that pit may seem to be at the time.
Do you realize how scarce hope is to those w/out Christ?
To those w/out Christ - those not putting their faith and lives in His control, hope is nothing more than mental fantasy, like
wishing upon a star - it’s Disneyland kind of hope.
“I sure hope I win the lotto” - “ I hope everything works out OK”
That’s not a ‘living hope’, that’s wishful thinking.
But those who are ‘born again’ in Christ Jesus have been
promised a living hope through His resurrection.
When times are tough, we can remind ourselves this isn’t the end of the story... it’s simply the rough journey that leads to the right destination!
If hope is like an anchor, then our hope in Christ stabilizes us in the storms of life, but unlike an anchor, it does not hold us back.
We Have a Divine Protection
And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. 1 Peter 1:5
you think ADT got your back when it comes to security? We are protected by the most efficient security system available - the Power of God! There is nothing, no suffering, no disorder, no disease, not even death itself can weaken or threaten God’s
ultimate protection over our lives. Nothing. We are divinely
protected.
Our world is filled w/ warfare, terrorism, natural disasters, and all kinds of evil - think of the innocence lost in the 1995 OKC
bombing, the 1989 Bay area earthquake, 9/11, car bombs in
Israel, these devastating hurricanes, nothing can separate us
from God’s hand.
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" Romans 8:38-39
2 words will help you cope when you run low on hope:
accept and trust.
Accept the mystery of hardship, suffering, misfortune, ect... Don’t try to understand it or explain it. Accept it.
Then deliberately trust God to protect you by His power from this very moment into eternity.
We Have a Developing Faith
"So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.
These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." 1 Peter 1:6-7
Peter tells us to be glad, to be extremely joyful ‘even though’
‘even though’ indicates that joy is unconditional - it does not
depend on the circumstances surrounding us.
These 2 vs. 6-7 also reveal 3 significant things about trials:
1st ‘trial are often necessary’, proving the authenticity of our faith and at the same time teaching us humility. they reveal our own helplessness, they put our face before God.
2nd,’trials are distressing’, teaching us compassion so that we never make light of another’s difficulty - how unfair to trivialize another persons trial by comparing what he or she is going through w/ what someone else has endured.
Comparison doesn’t comfort - it doesnt help the person who has lost a child to hear about someone else who endured the loss of 2 - Teresa lost both of hers.
Feel what they feeling, walk quietly & compassionately in their shoes.
3rd, ‘trials come in various forms’ - they come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. They are different just as we are different.
Something that hardly affects you may knock the feet out of
another - but God offers special grace to match every shade of sorrow.
We Have an Unseen Savior
"You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him, you trust him; and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy." 1 Peter 1:8
Peter is telling us here that our Savior is standing alongside us no matter the circumstance or situation. He is there even though we cannot see Him. (God is there, just like air)
You don’t have to see someone to love them - a blind mother has never seen her children, but she loves them - we have not visibly seen Him walking among us - he is there nonetheless.
‘Footprints in the sand’
We Have a Permanent Inheritance
"For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay." 1 Peter 1:4
We can rejoice b/c we have a secure home in heaven, our place there is reserved under safekeeping, under the constant
surveillance of Almighty God.
Have you ever experienced that feeling of someone else sitting in your reserved seats at a ball-game or on an airplane. At best it’s awkward; at worst it leads to an embarrassing confrontation.
That’s not happenin’ w God - if you have connected to Him it’s a done deal. He’s not gonna look at you and ask, “You’re
supposed to be here? He will welcome you w/ open arms - your name will be on the door - that’s reason to rejoice!
We Have a Guaranteed Deliverance
"Your reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:9
How can we rejoice through our pain? How can we have hope beyond our suffering? B/c we have a living hope, we have divine protection, we have a developing faith, we have an unseen
savior, we have a permanent inheritance, and a guaranteed
deliverance.
This isn’t the kind of delivery airlines promise you when you check your bags - It’s even better than George Zimmer’s
“I guarantee it”
When it comes to spiritual delivery, we never have to worry.
God guarantees deliverance! That’s what Christ did on the cross - that’s what it was all about.
When we are down and out, only Christ’s perspective can
replace resentment w/ rejoicing.
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