Title: God's Will - Suffering
Contents
In Chapter 2 of this book, Peter describes various sufferings. It is said that there are hardships that are ambiguous, but it is gracious if you endure it by thinking of God. There are hardships of being beaten because of sin, but it is not something that can be expected of praise. But the principle of patience remains the same. He also said that suffering from doing good is gracious if you endure it by thinking of God.
Of course, the reason that believers can endure when they suffer for doing good is because Jesus has already shown the example of perseverance while suffering. Therefore, good should always be thought centered on God. If you work centered on God, you will usually face difficulties. This is strange, but principled, and biblical. If you do it right, you should prosper, but on the contrary, many difficulties will come. But because it is God's will to suffer, we are only going forward boldly. Today, in this time, I would like to meditate on the Word of suffering in the midst of God's will.
1. Suffering while doing good is the joy of a believer's life.
Verse 17 says, “It is better to suffer for doing good than to suffer for doing evil, if it is the will of God.” Christianity is a middle school of suffering and a religion that enjoys the blessing of resurrection through suffering. Jesus carried the cross and went on the path of suffering to practice Golgotha. You must go this way to be crucified, you must be crucified to accomplish God's will, and only after you have been crucified can you experience the resurrection.
When is the church most beautiful? When suffering and persecution came, it was a time when the fragrance was revealed. Church is never a beautiful place. There is pain, there are hardships, there are hardships, and there are things that are frustrating. However, it is a beautiful place because it emits the fragrance of faith amidst such difficulties. Zechariah 11:1 says, “Open your door, O Lebanon, and let the fire consume your cedar.” The most important property of Lebanon is cedar. However, if there is a fire in Lebanon, the gates must be closed quickly to prevent the cedar from burning. But the Bible commands the exact opposite. Rather, it commands ‘open the door and let it burn’. This means boldly accepting the fire of suffering. It is God's command to confront and deal with unavoidable hardships.
In verse 14 we read, “But blessed are those who suffer for the sake of righteousness. Our fear is death. Don't be afraid of death, and don't make a fuss as if something big has happened. Verse 15 says, “Sanctify in your hearts the Lord Jesus Christ, always being ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with gentleness and fear.” You must not suffer without confession. You should always be able to answer what the hope is within you. It means that there must be a reason why you are bravely accepting suffering. Only those who carry the cross and ascend to Golgotha can be martyred. There is no case of martyrdom who does not go through suffering with joy. Because we are serving Christ as Lord, we should be honored to suffer like Christ. This is the joy of the saints.
2. Those who suffer for doing good must know what God's will is.
1) It is the will of God that allows suffering to the saints.
The devil tempts us to ruin, but God's purpose is to try. 1 Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that comes to try you, as if something strange happened to you.” And 1 Peter 1:6-7 says, “Therefore, while you were now forced to be grieved for a while because of various trials, on the contrary, we rejoice greatly. so that when he appears, he may find praise and glory and honor.” He teaches that the test of the saints is a trial, but in the end, it is to gain praise and honor.
2) God's will for allowing believers to suffer is for them to participate in the sufferings of Christ.
1 Peter 4:13 says, “Rejoice in your sharing in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may rejoice and rejoice in the manifestation of his glory.” Paul also wrote to the church members in Colossae, “I fill the rest of the sufferings of Christ in my flesh for the sake of his body, the church.” The sufferings left by Christ are the sufferings necessary to build the church that Christ bought with His blood. When the saints suffer like Christ in this way, the church can be established and the work of expanding the kingdom of God can be accomplished. Suffering is what is needed for this work.
3) God's will for allowing the saints to suffer is for them to participate in the later glory.
Paul says that it is natural for the children of God to suffer because it is the way to receive glory later. Romans 8:18 says, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.”
Think about it. If the suffering I am experiencing now is God's will to build myself and the church, how can I not rejoice in the midst of tribulation? Therefore, I hope that you will surely believe in the saying that tribulation achieves patience, patience produces refinement, and refinement brings hope.
Those who suffer for doing good must endure while continuing to do good. If Stephen, the martyr of the early church, had no good fruit, why would the scattered people preach the gospel at the risk of martyrdom? Because they had hope when thinking of Stephen, they too did not avoid suffering by doing good. If what I suffer is truly suffering for the church and the kingdom of God, I can rejoice in my heart and rejoice because I am able to do something for the altar that is the body of the Lord while being thankful for being sealed as the people of God. And we must endure hardships so that we can glorify God whenever we act in the name of Jesus Christ. It is difficult, but this is faith. If the road is easy and wide, why don't many people go this way? Because the road is narrow and rough, isn't it that few people go there? But believe that there is a goal and that God's blessings are waiting for you.