12 Beloved,
think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though
some strange thing happened unto you: 13 But
rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his
glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14 If ye
be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and
of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part
he is glorified. 15 But
let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a
busybody in other men's matters. 16 Yet if
any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God
on this behalf. 17 For
the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first
begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18 And if
the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
19 Wherefore
let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their
souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. (1 Peter
4:12-19)
I am very careful when crossing busy boulevards. The reason for this care began
at my first conscious learning from the lips of my mother - Do not go out in
the street! Watch for traffic when crossing the highway! etc. I was forewarned
of the dangers in love. Therefore, heeding the warning, I apply the wisdom of my
mother (passed into glory many years ago) even until now. Wisdom is never
outdated. God has warned us and foretold to us the great trials and
tribulations coming upon the world - not after some imagined prior rapture -
but to the church that shall surely pass through that tribulation according to
Holy Scripture.
The Old Testament prophets tirelessly warned us of those things to come upon
the earth, not for our discomfort, but for the opposite relief that
foreknowledge provides those who are warned prior to the event. Those who
bear the yoke of Christ will bear greater hardship than those who are of the
world. To quote the prophet, Zephaniah:
That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of
wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and
thick darkness, A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and
against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall
walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood
shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. (Zeph 1:15-17) If
there ever was a nation with secure cities (from the enemy abroad) with proud high
towers, it is the United States. But the security is illusory without the
protecting Hand of God outstretched over our alabaster cities, our fertile
plains and templed hills. Sin blinds us!
I believe this warning of Zephaniah applies more to America than any other
nation: they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the
LORD. Do we not walk today in America as blind men who have lost our way?
We have called the murder of the most innocent among us as a CHOICE. We have
given the abominable and filthy sin of homosexuality the respectability of
marriage - a union that God has condemned in the most serious and gravest of
terms. America has lost her way and deserted the Old Paths wherein her fathers
walked.
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try
you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.
Not So
Strange
Think it not strange! Because our minds and hearts
are attuned to the justice of God, we often believe it strange that the wicked
seem to always bathe in the sun of the sunny side while His favored people
suffer in persecution and the cold winds of injustice. But knowing the justice
of God and the depravity of the world, the truth begins to come into better
focus.
I. The
World Is In Revolt Against Its Creator.
The world is not our Home. Rather we are strangers and
pilgrims in the world bearing only those possessions we can carry on our
persons - and we seek after a city not made with hands. The world is at enmity
with our Sovereign, therefore, we are traveling through enemy territory. So why
strange that the belligerents of the land are at odds with the sons and
daughters of the King whom they despise?
II. Along
This Way The Master Went.
As we travel the road of righteous endeavor, we must recall
that our own King was brutally treated by the same inhabitants of the hostile
land. If they were so presumptive and disrespectful to our King, why should we
believe that those same enemies would love His people and treat them kindly?
III. This
Is The Way Home.
Suppose the enemies of our Lord were very accepting of us
and treated us with favor and deference? What would be wrong with that picture?
It must mean that the wicked can identify with us and find that they are
comfortable with our ways and language. We cannot have a soldier in a combat
situation who gives aid and comfort to the enemy. Perhaps we are really too
much like the world if we gain its favor. We make our homes with whom we feel
most comfortable. Lot, Abraham's nephew, got into trouble by choosing the verdant
meadows over against Sodom and finally became a gatesman and resident of
that filthy city.
IV. There
Is An Object In Such Suffering. If a clay jar could speak, it would
tire your ears with stories of its great suffering at the hands of the Potter
in marring and reshaping its visage into a useful vessel, and of the horror of
the fires of the kiln to harden and strengthen its walls. The gold of the
King's Crown might also complain of the seven fires of the Refiner by which it
was purified in order to make it of worth to the King. Ask poor Job if there
was a purpose and a plan by the Potter and the Refiner. All he had, including
his health, was taken from him; but it was to the glory of God that he
withstood the ill-winds of fortune and persevered with God to the end. Recall
that at Job's end, he received exactly TWICE all that was taken from him.
V. We Suffer A Like
Cross As Our Lord:
But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's
sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye;
for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil
spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. Doubt it not, we bear a yoke
that belongs to Christ, but it is Christ that does the labor of its weight. In
the old days (when I was a child), the Bible had not yet become a dangerous
Book to read in public school. One day, a teacher read to her class For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matt
11:30 (KJV) Who can tell me what a yoke is? asked the teacher. One boy said, A
yoke is something they put on the necks of animals. Then the teacher asked, What
is the yoke God puts on us? A little girl responded, It is God putting His arms
around our necks. True, it is not a burden of the Lord, but His carrying our
burdens for us.
But our sufferings must not be for unrighteousness for then is it deserved. His
suffering was completely without justice that we might be made righteous by His
imputed righteousness. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a
thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
Woe to those whose souls are not enshrined by the Grace and Mercy of God.
Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him
glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at
the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them
that obey not the gospel of God? As the great English and Continental
reformers went forth willingly to the burning stake, surely we today can
withstand the disdain and ridicule of society for our position in Christ.
Before God purifies this old world with burning fires, He will first purify His
Church for the sake of justice. If judgments are stinging at the House of the
Lord, how much more intense will the fires be without!
VI. Look
On To The End.
And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the
ungodly and the sinner appear? We already know that God will abide
no sin in His Heaven. So where will those whose sins are yet scarlet at His
coming stand? There is only one other destiny for souls - the interminable
fires of Hell. Our long home should be of greater concern to us than this
temporary sojourn on earth. Our hope in things to come should enable and
embolden us to stand up to the discordant winds of injustice and solider on to
victory.
VII. We Are
Compensated For Such Suffering By The Presence Of The Spirit Of Glory.
Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God
commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful
Creator. Do you suppose that God will allow any soul that suffers
in His Name to be accounted a defeated soul in the least? That hurt and pain
which is outwardly born by the worker of righteousness, for His sake, is
rewarded a double portion of riches in the inner man. No treasures stored in
Heaven's Vault shall perish! The Wilderness Tabernacle serves as illustration.
Without it is covered with unbecoming goat hair - truly not appealing. but
inside one finds the walls covered with beaten gold and fine curtains - a thing
of beauty. That reflects the state of the Godly sufferer. So be it with us.
