Finding Hope and Growth Through Life's Trials

Peter who was an apostle of suffering a theologian of suffering himself says this to the Christians who were dispersed in various places he says this he's talking about in the first chapter there's this salvation we have in Jesus Christ his abundant mercy we're in his begotten us into a Living Hope so he sets before them their salvation and then he says in verse 6 envious that is in this salvation you greatly rejoice though oh oh you know you hear some good news and the person has but so you know something a little different coming though male 4 season now for a little while if need be you are in heaviness or you have been grieved by various trials why lord why oh god is this happening and happening to me as your child 47 inches it that the genuineness of your faith being much more precious than gold that perishes though it that is your faith is tested by fire may be found to praise honor and glory at the revelation or the appearing of Jesus Christ [00:03:21]

beloved do not think it's strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing is happening to you but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings and when his glory is revealed you may also be glad with exceeding joy I had planned several weeks ago after speaking on the importance of singing and I knew I was coming to today and next Lord say I was assigned the task of preaching I don't decide when I preach I just breached when I'm told these guys kind of decide that so they decided this sunday next to me so weeks ago I said I think I'm going to preach on the importance and the value of trials and suffering and next Sunday God willing if I live I'll preach on death how to view death facing death grappling with death and so today fiery trials Christian suffering why are we surprised by it Peter says don't be but we always are we're never ready for it we want good news no one wants to suffer right Christian's don't want to suffer unbelievers don't want to suffer no one welcomes hard times [00:02:14]

let me define a trial I'm not talking about illegal trial a courtroom trial trial suffering hardship trial think about this definition because it's really true a trial is an event or an experience that's what a troll is the matter what kind it is a trial that you go through as an event or an experience that comes to you that brings suffering what kind of how can we define suffering pain sorrow sadness grief hurt that kind of sums it up doesn't it a trial is an event or an experience that brings into your life without expectation without warning without notice you don't get an email or text message it says you know have you ever opened a Chinese cookie fortune cookie and it says hard times are on the way soon no we never we never are told that these things are coming but when they come it brings suffering to our lives what kind of suffering pain sorrow sadness heaviness of spirit tears grief hurt inside and nobody wants that but you know what the reality is suffering in trials are mankind's lot in this life suffering and pain comes with being born [00:04:16]

Peter's admonition and teaching on this subject was real to him because after he wrote first Peter he wrote a second epistle in certain after that second epistle Peter and his wife together were martyred by crucifixion they suffered they knew what suffering was Peter had suffered he would suffer and so he's not just speaking theory here and he knew and he wrote this first epistle he knew that they were believers scattered because of persecution and suffering who were hurting who were damaged emotionally who were needy who were struggling who had lost much because of their faith in Christ he knew that and so he wrote this epistle especially to those who are suffering now go back to verses 6 and 7 in chapter one and we're just going to see in chapter one what he says about this and in chapter 4 we're going to see a couple of quick applications at the end what were to do how were to respond so in these two verses 6 and 7 and chapter 1 there are several important truths [00:09:23]

trials very there are many kinds they come in many shapes colors if you will experiences the word the picture of the here is multifaceted all kinds of situations in life every single kind of different situation and trial can come to us all different kinds physical suffering mental suffering where physically you're okay but mentally you're going through great hardship financial suffering emotional suffering spiritual suffering domestic trials and think about the all the different kinds if there are just let me name a few even though this won't even begin to touch them all anxiety depression discouragement disappointment losses of different kinds like the neelys are facing you know death has touched this church in a big way in the last two weeks some of us knew well Claude McKnight and we were at his in his memorial Erica's grandfather recently passed away and she couldn't she couldn't be there Jeff's grandfather Jeff price Jeff spoke at his grandfather's funeral yesterday in Emeril and they were very close Krista's mother this week Phillips mother this week and a friend of some of us in Sanger who died tragically all kinds of deep experiences in various kinds of suffering rejection betrayal various types of persecution from family rejecting you or being hateful toward you because you're a Christian and because you're different and because you make them feel uncomfortable just by living christmas all the way to what peter and his wife suffered after his second epistle mistreatment sickness chronic pain that you can't escape growing old and all that comes with that the changes the pains the difficulty to sleep the pressures moms with young children the pressures of constant responsibility brings stress and stress is a hardship family needs family problems demonic attack and spiritual battles exhaustion the pressure pressing down on you with many responsibilities that you have to bear [00:11:00]

trials are temporary praise God I like that temporary what you're going through you're not always going to go through the hardest things you can go through and less or for a season they will in for some Elvis school is hard man it's tough you just got to discipline yourself and work at it and put up with grease and in the academia and because you have a goal I'm going to graduate it's going to be over and then guess what the real testings of life come welcome to the real world trials are temporary not for the unbeliever death brings eternal suffering the trials are for a little while esv says for a little while for a season there are short seasons when trawls affect us maybe sickness many Elvis's have been ravaged by some admirers flew in the last two weeks maybe years lasted a day maybe years less than five days but there are seasons sometimes they're short sometimes they're longer but no trial for the Christian is permanent or eternal and we should rejoice in that we should take hoping that we should thank God for the great reality that you know trials and suffering are very much like the seasons of the year [00:20:58]

trials are needed we don't believe it we don't think so we don't want it we don't welcome them we don't like them but Peter said if need be you are in heaviness through manifold trials various kinds of suffering trials are necessary for God's ultimate purpose in our lives everything any of us have been going through in recent days the Lord says it's necessary for us it is needful and you you calculate a death in then you calculate in this past year we've heard of a young father who whose wife passed in her 30s and left him six children a young mother whose husband passed in his 30s and left her two children a young father who drowned in Austin several weeks ago and left his wife young wife with eight or nine children we can't calculate in our minds that that's needed and it's certainly not wanted but God sees that it's best and he says it's needed all that comes to the Christian from the greatest suffering to the least little inconvenience that irritates us is needed trials are temporary but they're needed [00:24:32]

trials are not only multifaceted in temporary and needed the Bible tells us that they put us into grief you will not feel joy when a trial comes you feel grief we we grieve Peter says you have been grieved through various trials coming every time a trial or a heartache or suffering comes you feel this this feeling of shock woundedness pain sorrow in your heart heaviness of spirit sadness cast down and you can rightly say I'm so sad because they're going through this I'm so sad they're having to face this and then I can't do more it's great it's a grievous process to go through some things and grieving is right it's the way God made us and you cannot snap your fingers and it's gone you cannot tell someone you shouldn't go through that or you shouldn't feel that way they'll never be so foolish to say that to someone that's hurting at least job three fins friends were wise enough to be quiet for a week before they said something trials hurt they bring grief in our souls in sadness [00:27:37]

trials come to you and me that are so hard and sad and difficult some of them you don't you don't think you're going to make it through them you don't find any reserves within you to rise up and be strong all you feel the heat in the hardship because these trials when Peter says they're the fiery trials he's picturing the refinement and the purification that God is doing in us through the trial it's refinement its purification it's eliminating the dross the fire re trial is pictured this way in the Bible the root word is an experiment I wasn't very good in science class in high school but we had to do some experiments in class we do this to try to get this resolved through this this experiment fiery trials are God's experiment to bring us into an experience that turns up the heat to do what destroy you know refine you purify you to burn off the dross to burn off the carnality and to test our what faith the lord jesus said Simon Simon Satan has desired to have you he's asked permission for you and he might sift you as wheat but I have prayed for you that your faith fail not sorry trials are to purify your faith [00:35:13]

God does not give a witness to the world by taking his people out of suffering but rather by demonstrating his grace through us in the midst of pain now a couple of applications turn to chapter 4 in chapter 4 and verses 12 and 13 Peter tells the Christians to do two things verse 12 he tells them the morn don't think this strange when you go through trials it's the first thing we do but we have to renew our minds don't think this is strange don't be surprised learn to not be surprised don't go into mental confusion well I thought if God loved me well I thought this will I thought that don't go into mental confusion don't think it's strange don't be confused see it clearly see it rightly see it biblically read first Peter every week if you have to but do not think it's strange when fiery trials come to test you as though some weird strange unique things happening don't think it's strange that's our first response we got to get there right and secondly he says in verse 13 here's the right response rejoice rejoice to the extent that you are becoming a protector of Christ's sufferings [00:33:32]

trials can bring us to know Christ more deeply and there's the joy trials can turn to gold trials can bring joy trials can be used to allow you to find joy in the Lord in spite of the trials let me read some of the Spurgeon cities being very honest CH Spurgeon he said this you know he was very sick in the last few years of his life he was very very sick chronically sick and he said this I am trying to find joy in my sickness but I'm not there yet I find joy with it when it's over and I do bless God for any good result that may come from it but when the pain is on me it is difficult to be joyous about it and so this means my sanctification is very incomplete you don't need to turn there but Romans 5 3 through 5 speaks to this Romans 5 3 through 5 Paul says this we also glory rejoice in tribulation why how knowing that tribulation or trials or testing produces perseverance you got to just go through it you're going to make it through it the neelys are going to make it through this this week barring to moms their children grandchildren are going to be helped by it they're facing the reality of life and they're going to be deepened and their family relationship and Phillip and Krista will be comforted with a comfort that God gives to be able to comfort others tribulation produces perseverance [00:35:13]