Suffering is Shared, Part 2

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Rejoicing in the face of suffering really seems counterintuitive. We might expect surprise, worry, fear, or anger in the face of hardship. But 1 Peter 4-13 calls us to rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.

But how do we do that? Today, Rich shares the confident expectation we can have that will lead to settled satisfaction in the midst of deep pain. Let's listen to this message titled, Suffering is Shared. This is part 2 of a sermon first preached January 22, 2023. And in the presence and power of God's Spirit, what is that?

That's grace. You engage it with grace, the lens of Scripture, the presence and power of God's Spirit. You engage, you perceive and engage that suffering, regardless of what kind of suffering it is. In that way, you identify with Christ, even if it's the natural brokenness of the creation. But it also means very specifically in this sense, and I think it's specifically the context that Peter is addressing here, is that you're treated by the world the same way it treated Him. Jesus promised that.

We as Americans are not really used to that. But you have brothers and sisters all around the world that have lived all of their lives by the world treating them the same way it treated Christ. How does the world treat Christ in the world? By that I mean the system that does not acknowledge God, that refuses to acknowledge God.

It treated Him with ridicule, it treated Him with disdain, it treated Him with harm, with wanting to just get rid of Him. So we should not be surprised or think it's strange that the world and those who represent a system that does not acknowledge God, that they would want to get rid of what represents God. And that is a redeemed life. What we have is, and what we must understand it, there are kingdoms in conflict.

Because remember what Paul says in Colossians 1 13? You have been rescued from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of the Son of His love. So those two kingdoms are in conflict. And you're a part, listen, you're a part of both of them. Because you still, you're not a part of the domain of darkness, but you're still surrounded by it and impacted by it. But you don't belong to it. You don't operate according to its principles. You're not in bondage to it. You've been transferred into the kingdom of the Son of His love. But the darkness is threatened by the light. And when you may feel the blunt end of that, don't be surprised by it. But you share in Christ's sufferings.

Here's a good example of it. Acts chapter 5 verse 41. When the apostles, he says, so they departed from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.

Counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. In other words, there was no question that these men were followers of Jesus Christ. They were identified with Jesus Christ. There's no doubt about that at all.

And they considered that an honor. Edmund Clowney says, we as we suffer for Christ, we are linked to Him, our sufferings witness to His and pledge to us the reality of our belonging to Christ. When we are willing to suffer for Him. Paul said this very clearly.

He says in 2 Corinthians 4 10, always carrying in the body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. You know, let me lump all of this together again, right? Because I think Peter is specifically talking about those who are suffering because of their faith. But let me just broaden that a little bit here this because I don't think there's very many people among us here this morning that are actually suffering for our faith.

Now you may be, maybe you've felt pushback, maybe you have felt ridiculed at work, at college, or in your neighborhood, or maybe even in your family. Okay, I get that. So this is for you this morning. But also, there are a great many of us who are suffering because of the brokenness of creation. And the two examples this morning, the MAF pilot, suffering for faith, the remains, that physical suffering because of a broken cosmos. All of it is suffering.

How do we approach it? Do we react against it naturally? Or do we perceive it and engage it by grace through the lens of scripture and in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit? When we do, the life of Jesus is manifested in our bodies.

Think about that. So we share in the sufferings of Christ, first of all by identification, secondly by demonstration. It's a demonstration of our faith that we indeed trust. When I suffer and I perceive and engage that suffering with grace. And remember, by grace I don't mean just having a positive attitude about it. What do I mean by grace? I perceive it and I engage it through the lens of scripture and in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Grace, that's what God provides. As I entrust myself, I demonstrate that faith when I engage my sufferings with grace. Meaning, it demonstrates that I have entrusted myself to his promise and his purpose.

It's a demonstration. I trust in the power of his sufferings and in the judgment, the righteous judgment of God that he has promised. I trust in that, recognizing that what I am experiencing here is now, here and now, is fleeting. This too shall pass. So we share in Christ's sufferings, number one by identification, number two by demonstration, number three by presence.

Presence. Here's some verses you may know well. Isaiah 41, 10, fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. And then, Isaiah 43, 2, when you pass through the waters I will be with you and through the rivers they shall not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire you shall not be burned and the flames shall not consume you. Do you think maybe Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew this verse? I think they did. Now be careful what you do with that, okay? Because they were willing to go into the fire knowing that it was utterly God's prerogative to save them or not.

Are you with me? They did not go in there expecting that God would save them. They went into the fire knowing that God could save them. And he did. It doesn't necessarily mean he's going to do it for you. He might get more glory in other ways.

Be careful what you do with that. Understand the context. Acts 23, 11, the Apostle Paul, following the following night the Lord stood by him and said take courage for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem you must testify also in Rome. Look at the beginning of that verse. The Lord stood by him in his and Paul experienced colossal amounts of suffering. You want to know how much suffering he endured? Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 11. Look at that chapter. He endured all of that because remember when he was converted when when he first encountered Christ and it was told him I will show him the things that he must suffer for my name and he did suffer more than you and I will ever be aware of. But he said the Lord stood by me. 2 Timothy 4 verses 16 to 18 at my first defense no one came to stand by me but all deserted me may it not be charged against him but the Lord stood by me and strengthened me so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it so I was rescued from the lion's mouth the Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom to him be the glory forever and ever amen that's perspective folks that is engaging suffering with grace that's what that is now you know the rest of the story you know that Paul was martyred right so how could he say the Lord has rescued me from the lion's mouth the Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom how can he say that and yet experience martyrdom be executed because of his faith isn't that contradictory no it's not not if you perceive and engage suffering with grace through the lens of Scripture and with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit not it's not contradictory when you understand that your life is not represented by the dot but by the line are you living for the line or are you preoccupied with the dot Paul was living for the line I want you to think of something too where we we share in Christ sufferings by presence think about this now Christ suffers through our suffering we're so glad you've joined us for delight in grace the teaching ministry of Rich Powell pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem you can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website www.delightingrace.com you can also check out pastor Rich's book seven words that can change your life where he unpacks from God's Word the very purpose for which you were designed seven words that can change your life is available wherever books are sold as always tune in to delight in grace weekdays at 10 a.m.