Title: When Difficulties Come into My Life
Contents
1 Peter 4:12-19
The Fallacy of Triumphalism
Because the Bible does not emphasize it in the teachings of some Christian leaders.
There is an idea that I do not agree with, it is called ‘victoryism’. Triumphalism is in this land
It is not tolerating suffering. Why do saints have to be in trouble? our Lord
He overcame the power of death and was resurrected and triumphed.
It's a lesson on how to do well. If you believe in Jesus, you will be protected from diseases and accidents.
If you believe in Jesus, your body will be healthy, if you pray even if you are sick, you will be healed immediately, and your business will prosper!
This is triumphalism.
This is a very popular teaching. But the reason I disagree is that I believe in Jesus.
The idea of preventing diseases and accidents by doing so, although it sounds very good, has no biblical basis.
There is not. The Bible speaks of victory, but it does not promise victory over all diseases and accidents.
not. Rather, the Bible speaks a lot about suffering, calamity, and persecution, and
We promise victory over temptation and despair when we are persecuted.
Today we are talking about suffering. In conclusion, the saints are very familiar with suffering.
It has to be people. They should be people who are used to dealing with hardships. No one likes suffering and enjoys it. It's kind of a disease. Enjoying suffering and enjoying sorrow are signs of asceticism or addiction. However, the subject of suffering should not be foreign to the saints. Because in the Word of God we believe, the Bible has a lot of
because you are talking Our Lord is well aware of suffering.
There is no other chapter that describes our Lord as well as Isaiah 53, and there
When it comes to his appearance, he said, 'He has suffered a lot and knows suffering'. Paraphrasing, he is a man of affliction, a man of sorrow, and a person who is familiar with suffering a lot
Meaning. The figure of our Lord in the movie is wonderful and kind, but
In fact, the face of the Lord, as prophesied by Isaiah, is bruised here and there so that people hate it.
It's rough.
There are problems that came because of my lies, my laziness, or my anger. According to the Bible, Jacob had a rough time of his life. Joseph is also going through hard times. However, Jacob's difficult years and Joseph's difficult years are different. If Jacob ran away from his brother because of his schemes, lies, and deceit, Joseph suffered through God's training, even though it was not his fault.
If my students get caught cheating and get punished at school, if I fall into college because I didn't study, be lazy and play, I shouldn't say that I'm suffering with this. In some cases, the crime of taking a bribe illegally is found and leads to prison. It's strange to say that you are suffering after committing a sin.
The problem we are going to focus on today is even though it is not clearly my fault in life.
When suffering comes to me. It is in the form of disaster and in the form of persecution
comes to us with What is a disaster? It's not that I did something wrong, it's a structural problem
These are the things that caused them to suffer. But in my life, this happens countless times
come into our lives.
disaster problem
Disasters come as natural and social structural problems. This has to do with our direct fault
do not have. Either the policy is wrong, or the result of someone making a wrong decision. But the damage
We will see it all. African countries are plagued by war and famine.
Indonesia and Pakistan have been hit by tsunamis and earthquakes. Then suddenly my family
get hurt or die
Currently, unemployment and bankruptcy are frequent in Korea due to structural problems.
These are the results of the chaebol policies of the 3 republics called development dictatorship and the real estate policies of the 5 republics.
On the other hand, there are cases where, after giving a guarantee of the property, the entire property is blown away. Disasters suddenly come upon us and become a reality. The most common disaster in Korea is a traffic accident. We don't take life and safety very seriously. That is why there are many drunk driving and speeding driving. Someone is driving drunk. But disaster strikes us. This cannot be avoided. In an accident, you lose a family member or become disabled.
As Gerald Sitcher says, suffering is 'a break in the routine!' or any disaster
When we get sick, our precious daily life stops.
problem of persecution
Disasters are hardships, but persecution is never easy.
The suffering that Apostle Peter speaks of today mainly refers to the persecution experienced by the saints.
Verse 12 says that it is a fire test. Oddly enough, those who do not have faith
I hate having. While I dislike Buddhism and Hinduism less,
The Christian gospel is hated by people.
What I hate about churches in Korea these days is
I think the church is also at fault. The church ignores common sense,
When they commit a crime and show themselves chasing secular power, society will look at them with a cynical and cold gaze.
you will see But when we think about the time of the early church in Peter's day, the church did nothing ethically wrong in that era or society. I hate it though. especially like ours
There are many churches and many believers, but there are unbelievers who have seen the wrong church or believers.
That cynical criticism is often directed at us.
I thought of two kinds of hardships, but when I suffered a disaster, when I was persecuted, when I
teach twice. Verses 12 and 16.
Read verse 12. When trouble comes, don't think it's a strange thing!
Shall we read verse 16? If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed!
First, don't treat yourself like a strange guest when trouble comes
In verse 12, when the Apostle Peter said, “The fire trial that comes to try you,” how much
If it was difficult to bear, would it be expressed as the ordeal through fire? There are trials that cannot be avoided in life. Being the object of someone's hatred and anger, and the experience of being surrounded by people who hate me, all these things are hardships.
But when faced with such trials, most of us first react, why me? is.
Why does this have to happen to me? This is an idea.
For example, suddenly a friend I was not close with came to visit me, and I rang the doorbell to leave.
A friend I didn't get close to because of his weird personality, and there are always friends like that around us. That friend is here. Then you'll be surprised! And thoughts do not cross. ‘Why are you here!’ And you ask.
What's going on? Then I thought to myself, 'I really don't understand why you came to my house!'
I wish I could go sooner, yes.
But what is Peter's explanation now? When hardships like fiery trials come upon us
It is not to be treated with the attitude you have when a strange friend or a strange guest suddenly comes to visit you. That is what it means not to be surprised when you encounter a fire test. Here, the word strange is the easiest English to say strangely, or when a strange guest, but when hardships come, when scary and painful things like a fire test come true, when a stranger comes and sits in the living room Why don't you go quickly? ! Don't have this attitude.
The Pain of C.S. Lewis and Gerald Sitzer
The most difficult of all your disasters is the loss of a loved one. The famous British author C.S. Lewis married a very intelligent and communicative wife of an old age. Shortly after marriage, his wife, Helen, died of cancer. After Lewis left his wife
The indescribable pain was published as a book. It's a book called 'Counting Sorrows'.
In the first chapter, it is written like this: ‘No one said that sadness feels like fear.
didn't tell me It's not scary, but the feeling is similar to when you're scared.
The same is true of stomach churning, restlessness, and mouths open. I think I had a concussion.’
Gerald Sitcher suffers a more terrifying catastrophe than Lewis. He also publishes a book about the disasters and sorrows that suddenly struck him. Its title is 'Weep before God'.
It collided with an oncoming car on the highway, killing mother-in-law, wife Linda, and third daughter Jane.
I lose. It was a pity that the disaster could not be reversed like an incurable disease to him.
But in the midst of his sorrow, he realizes one thing. Now he has a disease of the soul
It is the fact that we are suffering together