May 1, 2022 Preaching | Ptr. Jay Jackson
Many of God’s people are troubled by suffering. There are things that happen to us that bring us to question “If God loves me, then why is this happening to me?” This brings us to doubt whether God truly loves us or if this is happening as a punishment. However, the question in itself is wrong because of the finished work of Jesus, who already took our punishment for us. The right question to ask is, “do I trust God?”
Earlier in the chapter, Peter wrote to the “chosen, sanctified, obedient” who were scattered as exiles. How do we reconcile that? Is it possible that God is asking us to trust Him with our eternal destiny even though it seems that we cannot trust Him with our present reality? Since God has protected us from eternal judgment, why could He not protect us from something simpler now? This is the built-in contradiction in our lives.
According to Peter, when trials invade our lives, we should respond with joy because trials strengthen our faith. When trials come our way, we should be filled with inexpressible and glorious joy because of something we know. But this joyous response does not come naturally. To be able to respond with joy, we need to change the way we think of trials. According to Proverbs 4:23, our life is shaped by our thoughts. So the first thing to do is THINK. There is a difference between reacting and responding. A reaction is visceral, instinctive and primal. A response is considered, careful, measured and thoughtful. When faced with suffering, first we instinctively react then we thoughtfully respond.
So what is the thought that we should think? That we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ – this is the thought that should be lodged at very core of our being, this is the thought that should become the basis of every other thought we think. When this is established in our minds, we then think differently, we also live differently. As children of God and followers of Jesus, how can and how should we react and respond to pain and suffering? Peter tells us how to think. That we should stop and think “You are not the only one who face suffering. Jesus suffered too.”
Our salvation is so amazing and incredibly puzzling that even prophets and angels could not figure us out. We are trophies of God’s grace. We are caught between 2 worlds. We are both mortal and immortal. We walk the earth but we are already seated in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. We are living contradictions – forgiven and made holy but still experience pain and suffering. Who exactly are we? In the first three chapters of Ephesians, Paul writes about us and tells us who we are. One commentary captures it perfectly “God, who sees all things as they truly are, has said this about you”. There are 60 phrases that describe us in those 3 chapters. We are all that. Since we have trusted in Christ’s finished work, since we are followers of Jesus by faith in His finished work, we can claim for ourselves all those results of Christ’s finished work, described in Ephesians.
Because of who we are literally and presently, we are able to live a life worthy of the calling. Peter in his letter encourages us to see ourselves exactly as how God sees us. We are His children. We have been set free therefore we have a choice in the dilemma of suffering. We can choose to be overwhelmed by pain, or choose to be overwhelmed by the love, grace and mercy of our Father. We can choose joy in the midst of sorrow, peace in the midst of pain, trust in the midst of uncertainty, and praise in the midst of complaints. Because these are God’s choices for us. His choices for us are infinitely better, even if He chooses to send us pain.
When we go through a difficult situations that cause us pain, we are not to mindlessly grab for illegitimate things that will distract us from the pain. Instead, Peter tells us not to mindlessly reach out for a spiritual pain killer but with minds that are alert, set our hope on the grace that will revealed in Jesus’ coming. He encourages us to stop and think, and to remind ourselves the truth of the difficult situation we are in and then make choices that will lead to holiness. God thinks that we are worth the life of His only Son. He wants you to consider the price He paid for you, the precious blood of Christ, whenever you are in a difficult and even a deadly situation.