Title: Participate in Christ's Suffering
Contents
♡♥♡ Share in the sufferings of Christ. / 1 Peter 4:12-19
*** Introduction
Today, this place commemorates the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. All worship is to please and glorify God, but this worship is a special worship that should only be filled with thanksgiving. Because Jesus took the place of the despised, suffering, and cursed death that I deserved. From God's point of view, it is a work of indescribable pain, curses, sorrow, and pain, but from the point of view of our lives, it is something to be thankful for and to be thankful for.
What should we do with this great grace?
This is what we need to think about tonight. Let's start with the conclusion and think about why we should do it. What we, who have received this great grace, must do is to “participate in the sufferings of Christ.” You may be asking, ‘Why do I have to jump into trouble?’ Participating in suffering does not mean “I deliberately seek out suffering.” If I live with sincere faith as a disciple of Jesus Christ, things of suffering will come. In John 15:18-19, Jesus says: “If the world hates you, know that it hated me before you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own, but the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.” To participate in the sufferings of Christ is not to flee for my own ease and desire when these sufferings come.
Then, why do we have to share in suffering like this?
But no matter how good this glory is, it has not yet appeared or seen. So people ignore this path of glory. They do not have the heart to endure the painful and difficult life that is given to them right now for the sake of unseen glory. How are you? All of us who are here now are people who long for this glory. Without this hope, I would not have come here. So, are you gladly accepting the difficulties and pains that are approaching your life right now? Clearly, the text says, “Rejoice that ye share in the sufferings of Christ.” I told them not to just endure it, but to participate with joy.
Neither me nor you are humanly able to do this. You may be able to do that for a while, but you won't be able to live like that forever. That's why verse 19 says, "Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God also entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing good." In other words, it means “rely on the faithful God and ask for help.”
Let's sing hymn 441 together.
This hymn was written by Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. The motivation for composing this hymn is,
One day, I was resting with the window of the study open wide. Somewhere, a small bird was chased by a hawk and hurriedly flew into the study. The bird groaned a few laps around the room, then slipped into the hem of Charles' robe. Charles sat still, so as not to startle the bird, and let the bird do its thing. The little bird that had been chirping seemed to be at peace after a while. Charles took the little bird out of his bosom, petted it, and let it out of the window.
As I was thinking about that small incident that happened in an instant, an emotion suddenly came to my mind. These lyrics are the poem that touched that emotion.
As in these verses, when the storm and storm of suffering blow and the waves of suffering rise high, the only place we can turn to is Jesus. The safe haven is in the arms of the Lord so that the winds and waves of hardship pass. God protects, helps and guides those who depend on Him. 1 Peter 1:5-7 says, “For you are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation which is prepared to be revealed in the last days, so that you will no longer be grieved for a little while because of various trials. There wasn't, but on the contrary, I rejoiced greatly. That the trial of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes even though it is tried by fire, may be found to be praise, glory, and honor at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”
The Lord, who went on the path of suffering first, says, 'Do not be afraid of suffering, but go forward with courage.' This is John 16:33. “I give this name to you, that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have conquered the world. do.” Sometimes suffering brings us a lot of pain, but it draws us closer to the Lord. Suffering puts us on our knees before God, turns us around, and makes us obey God's will. So, in Psalm 119:71, the psalmist says, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted. By this I have learned Your statutes.” The benefit is that we may rejoice with praise and glory and honor at the Second Coming of the Lord.
However, there is one thing to note.
When trouble comes to me, I have to pay attention to why it happens. There are three reasons for the suffering mentioned in the text. These are the words in verses 14-16 of the text. The first is suffering for the sake of the name of Christ, that is, suffering as a Christian. The second is suffering because of our own sins. That is, suffering as a punishment for sin. The third is suffering from meddling in other people's affairs.
Of these sufferings, sharing in the sufferings of Christ is one of the first. That is why, in verse 19, “those who suffer according to the will of God” are attached as a clue. A person who suffers such suffering is a happy person. For the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God, is upon him. Verse 14. “Blessed are you when you are reviled in the name of Christ. For the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God, rests upon you.” However, if the reason for suffering is the second and third, you must examine yourself deeply.
In a monastery, an old monk was picking soil in a garden. Then, a slightly proud young monk, who had just entered the monastery, approaches him. The older monk holds a lump of clay and tells the younger monk,
“Would you mind pouring some water over this lump of dirt?”
requested. The young monk poured water. The water fell on the dirt and ran all the way to the side. Then the old monk began to break through the lumps of dirt with the hammer next to him. Then, he collected the broken soil and told the young monk,
“Would you mind pouring the water again?”
requested. This time the water penetrated the soil well, and the old monk spread the soil evenly to make a flower bed. therefore,
“Now the water seeps in. If a seed is sown here, it will blossom and bear fruit. We must also be broken so that God can water it, and when that happens, the seeds can fall, flowers can bloom, and fruit can be produced. Our monks call this ‘the spirituality of awakening’.”
God cannot work in a proud heart, a heart full of sin. So sometimes God breaks us through suffering. It is painful and painful when it is broken and broken, but when it is broken, the peace of the Lord rests and you can bear beautiful fruits of life.
A man named ‘Howard Rutledge’ was imprisoned for 7 years in a North Vietnamese prison while preaching the gospel. After he returned, he wrote:
“We have to accept what God is doing in our lives as it is. In other words, pain is God’s megaphone to get our attention.”
That's right. The things of suffering that come to us are God's secret to draw us closer to God. God is making a crown of glory for me through these sufferings. At this time when we think of the sufferings of the Lord, let us also make a decision to share in the sufferings of the Lord for the rest of our lives. I pray that we may receive praise, glory, and honor on the day we stand before the Lord, and enjoy eternal life.