How to Suffer Well 1 Peter 5:6-11 April 5Th, 2020 Big Idea: When You Suffer, Humble Yourself and Cast Your Anxiety on God in New Dependence

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How to Suffer Well 1 Peter 5:6-11 April 5th, 2020 Big idea: When you suffer, humble yourself and cast your anxiety on God in new dependence. Intro – Suffering is hard when we can’t see the finish line. Running is much more difficult when there isn’t an end in sight. Hiked up to a yurt in the mountains with some dads and young men this winter. The hardest part was when we couldn’t tell where exactly we were going or how much farther there was to go as we slogged through snow up to our knees. Part of the challenge right now is we don’t know when the finish line will come. How long will the need to stay home last? When will life return to normal? What will that “new normal” be like? When can I go back to school? Play with my friends? We don’t really know. What do we need if we are to suffer well? What should we stock up on? We might think of the answer in terms of physical comfort – fast internet, toilet paper, puzzles, board games, snacks as we work on our quarantine 15 But what do we need spiritually in order to suffer well? What mindset should we have? What practices should we put into place? That’s what I want to talk about today. How then should we respond? What can we do to suffer well? 4 points on how to suffer well from 1 Peter 5:6-11 1 Peter is a book that equips us to suffer well. The type of suffering the author addresses is primarily persecution because that’s what his audience was experiencing. But the principles go beyond persecution and hit our present experience. Listen to the way suffering is discussed: 1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials… 1 Peter 4:12-13 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. 1 Peter 4:19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right. Let’s read our passage now and we’ll see 4 points on how to suffer well. 1. Be humbled (5:6) a. The world is humbled right now and not for the first time. Great, global tragedy has a way of humbling us. The same thing happened in the first half of the 20th century. In 1900 intellectuals were optimistic that progress was going to eradicate war and disease. i. And then came The Great War ii. And then the Spanish Flu iii. And then the Great depression iv. And then it couldn’t be called the Great War anymore. It had to be called WWI because there was now a WWII. b. We have again seen our sources of stability and strength crumble, or at least grind to a halt. c. But will we be truly humbled in our hearts? i. Will we see that there is marvelous ability in humanity because we are image bearers of God, but we are dependent and frail creatures? ii. Will we as Christians lead the way in repentance and self-humbling? 1. 1 Peter 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 2. This massive disruption brings tremendous opportunity for us to confront our personal idols of wealth, comfort, and control. d. We are to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God i. In the OT God’s hand symbolizes discipline and deliverance. 1. Psalm 32:4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah. 2. Exod. 18:10 So Jethro said, "Blessed be the LORD who delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 3. Deuteronomy 9:26 "I prayed to the LORD and said, 'O Lord GOD, do not destroy Your people, even Your inheritance, whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. e. At the proper time God will exalt us – i. Randy Alcorn – Everything in God’s plan has a proper time; the gap between the present and that proper time tests and cultivates our faith. ii. That “proper time” may be when we go to be with Him or Christ returns. f. Part of humbling ourselves is taking our anxieties, cares, worries to God. 2. Cast your cares upon the Lord (5:7) a. There are many other ways we handle our anxieties i. Holding on to them, fretting about them, ignoring them, feeding them junk food, pretending they aren’t real, catastrophizing them, lashing out because of them. ii. We are urged to take a different approach. b. The language of “casting” was used of casting a blanket on a horse. i. It is intentional. It’s an act of the will. c. We are to cast our anxieties on Him because He cares for us. i. When we suffer God is not unaware or unconcerned about us. ii. That’s a lie we can be tempted to believe, but God reassures us over and over in the word that He sees our suffering and cares about us. 1. Example in Exodus with the Israelites. Notice the verbs that explain God’s response: 2. Exodus 2:24-25 So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them. iii. So, because He cares, I’m invited to cast my cares on Him. d. How do I “cast my cares on Him?” i. Pray to Him specifically. 1. Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread. 2. Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 3. Name the things your anxious about if you can. Don’t let them remain vague and mysterious. a. “I’m worried about making payroll at my office, I’m worried about my high risk grandmother, I’m worried about teaching my kids” ii. Pray to Him regularly. 1. Luke 18:1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, a. Goes on to tell the parable of the persistent widow who brought her case daily to the judge. 2. Colossians 4:2a Devote yourselves to prayer 3. Build a pattern of persistent prayer into your life. iii. Lament to Him honestly. 1. Psalm 13:1 How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? a. It’s not true but it feels true b. 1/3 of the psalms are laments, crying out to God in pain and suffering. c. See sermon on Psalm 13 from last March on our website 2. Lord, I can’t see how you’re working right now. I can’t see how you’re conforming me to the image of Christ. I don’t understand why sickness is allowed to wreck your world. I don’t understand why some families seem to carry more of the load and bear more suffering. iv. Speak to yourself theologically. 1. That’s where almost all of the laments go. 2. Psalm 11:1, 3-4 In the LORD I take refuge; How can you say to my soul, "Flee as a bird to your mountain; . . . 3 If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?" 4 The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD'S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. 3. Psalm 42:5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. a. Three times this refrain is repeated in Psalms 42-43 (really one unit) 4. Remind yourself of what is really real. 3. Be alert for ways Satan may tempt you during suffering (5:8-9) a. David Helm points out that Peter’s own rich personal history behind this urging to be alert. i. On the night that Jesus was betrayed and arrested, Peter had gone with him into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. On that fateful night, with all the world hanging in the balance, Peter slept. His mind wasn’t ready for battle. His body wasn’t prepared to be watchful. And as a result, he was ill-equipped to resist temptation when it came to him. ii. In the words of Jesus’ tender rebuke, Peter first heard the commands he now passes along to us: “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:37, 38). Desiring better for us than he was able to achieve for himself, Peter calls upon the night of his failure to commend sober-mindedness, watchfulness, and spiritual resistance. b. How might the enemy try to use this situation for bad? i. Our tempers are short, are quarters are close, we may be tempted to let bitterness build in the background of our hearts. 1. Ephesians 4:26-27 BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity. a. An opportunity for what? Temptation to bitterness or further conflict and division? ii. We may be tempted to doubt God’s goodness, provision, sovereignty, or care. 1. It may be like in the garden when Satan tempted Eve to doubt God’s heart toward her. c. We are to resist Him by being firm in our faith, going back to casting our cares upon the Lord. d. We also are to recognize that we aren’t alone in our suffering. i. Remember, the original context was of persecution. They were reminded that believers worldwide are suffering for Christ. ii. But how appropriate is it for us to remember that our suffering right now is global. it cuts across every financial strata, every border, every language. Some certainly will fare worse. The global poor will not be able to hunker down in their homes for 2 months. iii. The lie of suffering is that we suffer alone. No one gets it. No one understands. But that isn’t true. It certainly isn’t true in this suffering we are experiencing. 1. Not only here but around the world – Lebanon, Thailand, China. 2. Reading up on the BBC about how this is unfolding in India as millions of poor day laborers were without work in a matter of hours and have been walking to their home villages. iv. Locally, it shows the importance of personal contact with others in our body. 1. Overlapping network of contact 4. Trust in God’s future grace (5:10-11) a. But our suffering will not go on forever. (v. 10a) i. After a little while – a few weeks, a few months, a lifetime – all is “a little while” ii. There will always be some suffering that we experience in this life. There will always be the potential for increased suffering in this life. But it will still be “a little while” in the long run of eternity. iii. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. b. The God of all grace i. What a great title for God! c. Will Himself i. He will not delegate. He will not forget. He will not drop the ball. d. Four future promises of divine help i. Perfect – mend, make complete, put in order 1. Of a surgeon setting a broken bone or a fisherman repairing a net 2. Peter had known the restoring power of the God of all grace. Peter, who had denied that he even knew Jesus with cursing, was forgiven and restored. ii. Confirm and strengthen 1. Related terms – strengthen so we can stand fast iii. Establish 1. Building term for a strong foundation e. His rule will indeed go on forever i. It would have seemed that to Rome belonging dominion. Their iron-fisted power tolerated not even the suspicion of a threat to its glory. (Jobes) 5. Conclusion - Who are these steps for? a. 1 Peter 1:8-9 though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. i. The audience is those who have believed in Him, believed in Him in a saving way so that as the outcome of their faith they are saved. ii. Not merely believe that God is real but believed in the message of Jesus, the work of Jesus. b. 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; i. We recognize that He is just – righteous, holy, good, perfect ii. We are not just – we are sinners, we have disobeyed, we have a death sentence over us that we deserve. iii. But He died in our place iv. He died to bring us to God – salvation as a bridge to get us to God 4/5/2020

1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials…

1 Peter 4:12‐13 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, 1 Peter 4:19 Therefore, those which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were also who suffer according to happening to you; 13 but to the degree the will of God shall entrust that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the their souls to a faithful revelation of His glory you may rejoice Creator in doing what is right. with exultation.

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1 Peter 4:17a For it is time for 1. Be humbled (5:6) judgment to begin with the household of God

Deuteronomy 9:26 "I prayed to the Psalm 32:4 For day and night LORD and said, 'O Lord GOD, do not Your hand was heavy upon destroy Your people, even Your me; My vitality was drained inheritance, whom You have away as with the fever heat of redeemed through Your greatness, summer. Selah. whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

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Exodus 2:24‐25 So God heard their groaning; and God remembered 2. Cast your cares His covenant with Abraham, 25 (5:7) Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the upon the Lord sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.

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How do I “cast my a.Pray to Him cares on Him?” specifically.

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Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for Matthew 6:11 Give nothing, but in everything by us this day our daily prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests bread. be made known to God.

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Luke 18:1 Now He was b. Pray to Him telling them a parable to show that at all times they regularly. ought to pray and not to lose heart,

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Colossians 4:2a Devote c.Lament to Him yourselves to prayer honestly.

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Psalm 13:1 How long, O LORD? Will You forget me d. Speak to yourself forever? How long will You theologically. hide Your face from me?

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Psalm 11:1, 3‐4 In the LORD I take refuge; Psalm 42:5 Why are you in How can you say to my soul, "Flee as a bird to your mountain; . . . 3 If the despair, O my soul? And why foundations are destroyed, What can the have you become disturbed righteous do?" 4 The LORD is in His holy within me? Hope in God, for I temple; the LORD'S throne is in heaven; shall again praise Him For the His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. help of His presence.

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Ephesians 4:26‐27 BE ANGRY, AND 3.Be alert for ways yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the Satan may tempt you sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an during suffering (5:8‐9) opportunity.

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1 Peter 1:8‐9 though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though 4. Trust in God’s you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy future grace (5:10‐11) inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

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1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;