Ep. 138 - Suffering - 1 Peter 4:12-19

[00:00:00] Hello hello welcome back to the Adorned Podcast this is episode 138 and we're continuing our series on 1st Peter

[00:00:08] Hi friends and welcome to the Adorned Podcast. We're your hosts Erin and Kacie

[00:00:15] We would love for you to come join us each week as we discuss what it means to be made beautiful by God's Word

[00:00:21] Whether you are a college student walking to class, a mom folding laundry during nap time or a boss babe sitting in rush hour traffic

[00:00:28] We hope that we can encourage and inspire you to pursue a deeper understanding of the Bible

[00:00:34] Okay, so today's episode is going to be all about suffering

[00:00:41] Woohoo

[00:00:42] So we thought since it's gonna be a little bit of a heavier episode

[00:00:46] We might start with something more light-hearted and something funny

[00:00:50] So Erin do you have something funny to tell us about?

[00:00:54] I

[00:00:55] Think toddlers are funny

[00:00:58] Larry is read is like especially for maybe that's biased because he's my own kid

[00:01:02] But he's just always been like does things to like make people laugh like you can tell he's thinking about like when people ask him

[00:01:08] What's your name? He'll always go Abby hopper and like he knows he's being funny because then he'll actually say we yeah

[00:01:14] And then another funny thing he does is he goes up to just like any I think he thinks dad is the same word as man

[00:01:20] Or I don't know because he goes up to like random guys when we're on a walk or something

[00:01:24] He goes dad dad dad the way people like I was like nope. No not not your dad

[00:01:30] So, I don't know

[00:01:33] Toddlers are so funny

[00:01:35] Maybe it's a third kid thing. Oh, maybe that's exactly how Juliana was at that age

[00:01:41] Like she did everything she could to make people laugh. Maybe I wonder maybe it's like attention-seeking a little bit

[00:01:47] They need their place. Yeah

[00:01:50] Yeah, so mine is about one of my children I'm not gonna say who in

[00:01:55] Order to not embarrass her but she comes into our room yesterday morning

[00:01:59] And she was up before Jonathan and I were and she comes in and it's like barely daylight

[00:02:04] And she just has this concerned look on her face and she says okay

[00:02:08] Either it's starting to get light later or there's something wrong with the Sun

[00:02:13] And we both just start cracking up because she was so serious like she thought they're

[00:02:22] Legitimately might be something wrong with the Sun and if it had been two years ago that she said that I'd be like

[00:02:27] What are you thinking?

[00:02:28] But I'm like this poor child like she she's lived through COVID

[00:02:32] Yeah, I've lived through a snowpocalypse in Texas like she just did nothing is out of the realm of possibilities

[00:02:39] For her and she was actually talking this morning about Laura Ingalls Ingalls Wilders long winter book

[00:02:47] And she was like mommy

[00:02:48] I'm a little bit concerned because the weather and the weather patterns before that blizzard seem awfully similar to what we're

[00:03:00] About a blizzard in Texas, she's right the Sun isn't working

[00:03:05] So we did is the chance to you know God controls all things, you know the Sun comes up the Sun goes down

[00:03:11] God makes that happen like but yeah, it was just it was hilarious

[00:03:16] We were cracking up because she's either it's getting lighter later or there's only options

[00:03:22] Those are the two options, you know, it was a little bit cloudy

[00:03:25] It could have been clouds or the fact that we are getting into fall. So it is getting lighter later

[00:03:31] Kids are so funny they are they are

[00:03:34] Okay, so moving in to

[00:03:37] Chapter 4 verse 12. So let's talk about where we where we picked up where we're picking up from last week

[00:03:43] You want to kind of lead us into that?

[00:03:44] So Peter was continuing telling us how to live in light of being redeemed by Jesus and he was talking about

[00:03:53] Just how to live this out being self-controlled being sober-minded he said to put on

[00:03:58] To arm yourselves with the same thinking of Christ

[00:04:02] So he's just continuing to show us and to tell us how to live a Christ-like life, right? Yeah, that's good

[00:04:08] Anything you want to add to that?

[00:04:11] Nope, okay. Okay. So that's kind of where we're picking up. So we're gonna see a shift

[00:04:17] He ends with whoever speaks as one who speaks oracles of God

[00:04:21] Whoever serves as one who serves by the strength that God supplies in order that everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ

[00:04:27] To him be glory and dominion forever and ever amen

[00:04:30] So he's just reminded us who God is and then we're gonna shift a little bit

[00:04:34] So verses 12 and 13 say beloved do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though

[00:04:43] Something strange were happening to you but rejoice in so far as you share Christ's suffering

[00:04:48] That you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed

[00:04:53] Yeah, I think this is a good kind of just like place for us to check check your heart

[00:04:58] Because we there tends to be kind of three different types of reactions when we face suffering

[00:05:04] One is to just like pretend like it's not happening like gonna like stuff it down or like be stoic about it

[00:05:09] The other is kind of the opposite to be like so surprised by it that you go off and kind of like

[00:05:15] Emotional land and emotional land could be anger could be sadness. Yeah fear

[00:05:19] But you kind of just are led by your emotions. So one is like I don't want to feel any emotions

[00:05:23] The other is like I all that's driving me as emotion

[00:05:27] But really Jesus offers us a third way and when he's telling us that we are to trust in God's sovereignty and trust in God's

[00:05:36] Kindness that through these sufferings. He's making us more like Christ and we'll talk about that more

[00:05:40] But I think just kind of being aware of your own personal tendencies like I'm very much a stuffer

[00:05:46] I'm like, I don't want any emotions. I love like helps me

[00:05:51] Helps me to just recognize okay, this is not what God's calling me to God is not calling me to shove away

[00:05:56] God's not calling me to be overcome with emotions. He's calling me to trust him and submit my

[00:06:02] Suffering to him so that I can come out more like Christ on the other side of it. Yeah, no, that's good. It's really good

[00:06:07] I think we tend to question the goodness of God because of the suffering in our world

[00:06:12] Like how can God be a good God? The Bible says he's good

[00:06:17] We know that that's part of his character, but how can he be good when

[00:06:22] There's so much suffering and

[00:06:24] We think that if we're good people that if we follow ABC if we do all of these things that Peter has laid out for us

[00:06:31] We don't deserve to suffer

[00:06:34] Or I think a lot of times we also see people that we feel like aren't following these things or are quote-unquote

[00:06:41] More immoral than us and they seem to not have it as bad as we do. So we're like, well, that doesn't seem fair

[00:06:47] So I think it's important to remember that we're all sinners

[00:06:52] And at our very core we deserve ultimate death actually had a friend the other day tell me

[00:06:56] But at your heart like in your heart like you're you're just a good person and you just you're one of the sweetest people

[00:07:03] I know and I was like

[00:07:06] Debating I was like do I say something do I not?

[00:07:08] Told her moment and I did and this is a good friend

[00:07:13] And so if you're listening, you know who you are and you're one of my best friends

[00:07:17] But I did I wrote her back

[00:07:20] And I was like you were so kind to say that and that means so much to me, but I am not good like at my core

[00:07:27] I'm totally and completely deprived and

[00:07:30] Luckily, you know God not luckily, but you know praise the Lord he saved me and he's

[00:07:36] Transforming me one degree of glory to the next and I'm being sanctified every day to look more like Jesus. Yes

[00:07:42] But at my core, I'm I'm a sinner

[00:07:45] And so when we think about that we all deserve ultimate death

[00:07:50] And any good gift that's in our lives is more than we deserve

[00:07:54] So the fact that God sent Jesus to pay for those sins is is way way way more than we deserve

[00:08:00] So there will be suffering on earth, but

[00:08:04] We we have so much to look forward to in eternity and it's not going to last forever

[00:08:08] And we can remember that in the way that Christ suffered we're we're sharing that suffering with him

[00:08:15] And I think this is especially relevant for right now. I know I found myself so many days like longing

[00:08:22] For eternity like longing for heaven

[00:08:25] And I think Peter is reminding us here that like yes, that is what we should ultimately long for but we can also rejoice now

[00:08:33] Because there are good things now and because we know that we are united to Christ in our suffering

[00:08:40] Mm-hmm. That makes sense. Yeah. Yeah, I heard a quote that was similar to that

[00:08:44] John Piper he said we were to keep rejoicing because your suffering as a Christian is evidence of your union with Christ

[00:08:51] Yes, right if we looked at Christ, he didn't avoid suffering

[00:08:54] Why would we think that we would avoid suffering either and I think kind of like going off of what you're saying is

[00:08:59] What he's saying here is like do not be surprised

[00:09:02] so he's not even just saying you're gonna face them, but he's saying like do not be surprised by it because

[00:09:08] if we're actively

[00:09:10] Prepared for suffering in trials like if we're spending time in the word and we're

[00:09:15] Centered in a local church under healthy leadership and we have Christ-centered community and we're preaching the gospel to each other

[00:09:21] Then when those trials come we're gonna be like Psalms one says right like a tree that is painted by streams of water

[00:09:27] And so I think that's kind of a kind of a call to action is you're gonna be surprised by suffering if you're not

[00:09:35] Consistently seeking out God's word and God's character and in Christ-centered community

[00:09:40] So do those things so that when it comes your faith is not shaken. Yeah. Yeah, I think when we have true joy

[00:09:49] While we're suffering it's one of the biggest ways we can display the glory of God

[00:09:54] Mm-hmm, and I think one thing to think about especially like when you're not

[00:09:59] Going through a trial is to think about how can I do this like when this comes when a trial comes when?

[00:10:07] Suffering comes

[00:10:08] What does rejoicing through that look like and you don't know exactly how you're going to respond in those moments?

[00:10:16] But just kind of thinking about that there's been times in my life where I've

[00:10:24] Thought through certain situations and then when they came I felt very prepared

[00:10:30] For my response to that

[00:10:33] And so I think just kind of praying through that and also I've talked about this on here before but recognizing people in your life

[00:10:39] That do that well. Yeah, and praying like Lord give me that same

[00:10:44] Attitude or spirit or or reaction as that person has to these trials in their life should something like that happen to me

[00:10:51] Or when trials come my way, yeah

[00:10:53] We have a perfect example of that going on right now our pastor from our church back in California his dad has

[00:11:00] really bad cancer and

[00:11:01] He just got decided that he wanted to be baptized

[00:11:05] And so he was he said I'm just gonna quote it from him because he's been writing it in like a journal

[00:11:09] He said I embraced my suffering because it makes me closer to Jesus because he suffered for me

[00:11:14] That's what a comfort right like what a comfort that we don't have to walk through suffering alone

[00:11:20] Like Jesus also suffered, you know, we have a high priest who can relate to us

[00:11:27] Because he also suffered for us which that matters, right?

[00:11:30] Like when you're going through something if the other person that you're kind of sharing with has also walked through it

[00:11:35] There's just like a natural bond there. Yeah, and so we have that same with Jesus

[00:11:40] Yeah, so so when someone has gone through it's like there's this I've heard this term before of like

[00:11:45] Ministry of presence so even whether you haven't gone through it or not

[00:11:49] But just like being there with you

[00:11:51] So like if Casey if you're struggling with something just like me being here sitting here not fixing your problems

[00:11:56] Not taking away the pain

[00:11:57] Yeah, like being with you like this ministry of presence and and we get that with Jesus

[00:12:02] I was listening to some teaching on this from sprawl and I loved what he said and he was talking through Psalms

[00:12:09] 23

[00:12:10] And he tells us that God hasn't promised that his children won't go into the valley of the shadow of death

[00:12:15] But what he promises is that we will never go alone

[00:12:18] So he he was saying just like on a very practical level

[00:12:21] Like what it you know, how do we rejoice in these times? Like how do we rejoice in the fact that we have a headache?

[00:12:26] He's like don't you're not rejoicing that you have a headache

[00:12:28] You're rejoicing that God is with you in your pain

[00:12:31] And so I think that's kind of a helpful way to think about it because it is sometimes it's like what do I say like?

[00:12:36] Hey guys, this is so great. I have a headache and it's like that's not that's not what we're rejoicing in

[00:12:41] We're rejoicing in God's presence with us that we're never alone that we have the ministry of presence with the creator of the whole world

[00:12:48] Yeah, that reminds me

[00:12:49] I got a text from a friend yesterday and she's going through some what feels like impossible decisions at work

[00:12:55] Like it just it feels impossible and I had texted her a little bit of a response

[00:13:01] And I was being a little bit sassy and sarcastic about it

[00:13:04] her sister

[00:13:06] responded in a much better way than I did and

[00:13:09] So she forwarded that to me because it was just really good and her sister reminded her

[00:13:13] She said I'm going to tell you what to do in these situations that I always wish I did myself like on the other side of it

[00:13:21] You need to have a posture of thankfulness right now

[00:13:24] Thank the Lord that he's allowing you to go through this because you know you're gonna come out on the other side stronger and closer to him

[00:13:31] And he's allowing you to

[00:13:34] Join him in this in this suffering and like just all of these things having that spirit of

[00:13:39] Thankfulness, so I think we hear the word rejoice

[00:13:42] We hear the word joy and that puts one thought in our head

[00:13:46] Hear the word thankfulness like that kind of changes it a little bit and that gives it more of like a practical

[00:13:52] Okay, I can thank God for these things

[00:13:55] Yeah, that's really good because if you look on your own life and you're reflecting of like

[00:13:59] When did I feel the closest to God and when when did I learn the most?

[00:14:03] When did God reveal the most about his character to me?

[00:14:05] And yeah, when was there big seasons of growth my walk and it's almost always in seasons of suffering

[00:14:10] So there is yeah hindsight is is helpful

[00:14:13] Yeah, looking at God's past faithfulness is helpful to trust his faithfulness in new seasons of suffering

[00:14:19] Which is a very biblical thing to do right, right?

[00:14:21] Okay

[00:14:23] Versus 14 through 16 if you are insulted for the name of Christ

[00:14:26] You are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you

[00:14:30] But let know what let none of you suffer as a murderer or thief or an evil doer or as a meddler

[00:14:36] Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name

[00:14:43] Meddler is fun. It's not fun, but like it's not a word you hear very often

[00:14:47] Uh-uh, I might have shared this on here before but the first example that came to my mind when I read this was

[00:14:52] One time in like third grade

[00:14:54] I wrote a kid like a cross for me and note that said Jesus loves you and somehow that note was intercepted by another friend and she

[00:15:03] like

[00:15:04] tore me to pieces for it like made fun of me and

[00:15:08] Made me feel so bad about myself and obviously it stands out my mind because like I still remember

[00:15:14] I remember where I was sitting in the classroom

[00:15:16] I remember the people involved like it just affected me so much and

[00:15:21] That seems like a little thing to think about but as a third grader

[00:15:25] It felt like suffering for for Jesus for Christ and so

[00:15:32] It made me I was thinking about okay, what was the

[00:15:36] Reaction to that like what did it make me do and it made me not want to tell people about Jesus it

[00:15:43] It made me ashamed and I shouldn't have been ashamed

[00:15:48] But it did at that time and so I think that that's what Peter is saying here like

[00:15:52] Don't not say something because you're afraid of being made fun of or afraid of being insulted

[00:15:57] like we shouldn't be ashamed of our names as Christians and

[00:16:02] I

[00:16:03] Feel a little bit of that right now because and we mentioned it

[00:16:06] I think last week on the podcast too, but there are a lot of things being said right now

[00:16:11] That aren't great about Christians and it's there's a lot of things that aren't true

[00:16:15] And there are a lot of things that

[00:16:18] Christians have done to give us a bad name and so I have found myself sometimes afraid to speak up about things because

[00:16:27] Of what I'm seeing being said about Christians

[00:16:30] And I don't want to be associated with that thing because

[00:16:33] These Christians over here being really mean about that thing and I'm not mean in my heart's in the right place

[00:16:38] But I'm afraid to say it because I don't want to be made fun of so this to me was just encouragement

[00:16:43] That we need to stand up for Christ

[00:16:46] You know, we need to stand up for the things of God even when it's not easy

[00:16:50] Even if we're going to be ridiculed for it. That's what we're supposed to do as believers

[00:16:56] Yeah

[00:16:56] I think we're seeing the same theme that we've seen throughout this whole letter of like

[00:17:01] You're gonna don't suffer because you're murdered. That's like a natural consequence like live a holy life, right? And if you still

[00:17:10] Endure suffering whether or you know shame or insults or whatever that is like

[00:17:16] That is for your good and ultimately to make you more like Christ

[00:17:20] But if you get if you get arrested for murdering someone like that's not what we're talking about here. Yeah

[00:17:26] You should get arrested. Yeah, don't be that person. Yeah, exactly exactly. Yeah

[00:17:33] Verses 17 through 19 for it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God

[00:17:38] And if it begins with us what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God

[00:17:43] And if the righteous is scarcely saved what will become of the ungodly in the center

[00:17:47] Therefore they'll let those who suffer according to God's will and trust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good

[00:17:54] This is reminding us of the sovereignty of God that he's the final judge and his will will be done

[00:18:00] Yeah, I think it's important

[00:18:02] We say it on here often to just remember and recognize like anytime the divinity meets humanity

[00:18:07] There is mystery and so this these couple verses are kind of can be kind of hard

[00:18:11] Right like says therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator

[00:18:16] There's such attention there and there's so much beauty in that verse

[00:18:20] But if we get stuck on the part where it says that if it's God's will if all we can then think about is well

[00:18:26] Does God will suffering and go down this rabbit hole about that?

[00:18:29] We're gonna miss more of what Peter's saying and it's good when things stand out to you in scripture

[00:18:34] And you have questions about them

[00:18:35] It is good to find other passages that talk about this and to seek out wisdom and godly wisdom

[00:18:41] And so don't hear a saying like don't ignore it. Yeah, that's not what we're saying

[00:18:46] But I think there is a balance here of okay

[00:18:49] But let's remember in the context that we're talking about and what is what is Peter really trying to communicate here?

[00:18:55] And and people will land in different places on this all within still biblical orthodoxy of you know is

[00:19:02] Is suffering just kind of going through God's hands or is it directly?

[00:19:07] Is he directly sending it and and at the end of the day?

[00:19:11] I

[00:19:12] Don't want to say it doesn't matter. That's not what I'm trying to say

[00:19:14] But at the end of the day we if God is good we can trust him whether it's passing through his hands or whether it's

[00:19:21] More of a direct movement from him either way

[00:19:24] We can we know God is good and it's for our good as Peter has been saying over and over here

[00:19:29] So we need to just trust in in that. That's good. I mean I even I kind of started down that rabbit hole this week

[00:19:37] Because I don't necessarily have a firm

[00:19:39] stance on all of this

[00:19:42] And I was just like okay. I can't right now like it just wasn't the time for me to like spend a lot of time digging into that

[00:19:51] So yeah, yeah, I think this was kind of helpful to me

[00:19:55] This is a Piper quote, but he says I'm talking about these verses that believers pass through the testing fire of God's judgment

[00:20:02] Not because he hates us, but because he loves us and wills for our purity, which is what Peter talked about earlier

[00:20:08] He says God hates sin so much and loves his children so much that he will spare us no pain to rid us of what he hates

[00:20:16] So to rid us of

[00:20:18] Whatever it is that suffering's gonna put you know suffering

[00:20:22] Usually produces more Christlikeness, right?

[00:20:25] And so he's he's willing to allow those things to happen to us so that we become more Christlike like him

[00:20:32] Yeah, yeah, I love how at the end is bringing us back to faithful creator

[00:20:38] Just reminding us of who God is he's a faithful creator. Yeah, I think that sounds

[00:20:44] It's just sounds so beautiful like it's like very literally

[00:20:48] pleasing

[00:20:50] but

[00:20:52] Intrust your souls to the faithful creator like it looks like it sounds like it would be really pretty on a painting or a mug or something

[00:20:58] You know and trust your souls to a faithful creator because each of those words has so much weight, right?

[00:21:04] Like and trust in your soul like not just your mind or just your heart

[00:21:08] But like your whole your whole self your soul to a faithful creator

[00:21:12] He could have just said to the creator of the world exactly

[00:21:15] Reminding us of his faithfulness, which is really ultimately gonna be what allows us to walk through

[00:21:21] Suffering is recalling on the fact that he is the creator of the whole world and he's also very

[00:21:28] He's always faithful. Yeah, and it's like you said looking at his

[00:21:32] Immutability looking at the fact that he's always been faithful. He's faithful now

[00:21:36] And he always will be faithful and there's so much peace in that yeah

[00:21:39] I'm interested in that and we see speaking of other attributes of God that we see

[00:21:43] I mean we see the fact that he's he's infinite and creator

[00:21:46] But we also see the fact that he's intimate right? We love drawing that tension in text like he's infinite

[00:21:51] We're talking about that he's creator, but then he's also intimate because it says we he cares for our souls

[00:21:55] Yeah on a very personal level

[00:21:58] Which is beautiful and I think like thinking about this okay, I haven't run this idea past you but I

[00:22:04] Feel like this is a decent analogy

[00:22:07] so

[00:22:08] He's in order for us to actually endure suffering we have to have

[00:22:14] Secure faith right so we have to have faith that are and keep our eyes on eternity because we know that

[00:22:21] Eternity is what we're looking for so we can face this suffering now that it's temporary in light of eternity

[00:22:26] And so I was thinking about like being pregnant like you endure a lot of pain in pregnancy and in delivery

[00:22:33] And all of that that comes along with that because your hope is what's on the other side of it

[00:22:38] And so I think sometimes just like having analogies somewhat helpful

[00:22:42] Because when you're in the middle of real life suffering

[00:22:45] It's sometimes hard to remember your hope is in eternity

[00:22:49] But then like bringing it to an example of like a real-life suffering that you may have experienced

[00:22:54] Yeah, that's really good and I remember during I've had

[00:22:59] Four babies and each one the delivery was a little bit different

[00:23:03] And I remember thinking especially during this last one with Juliana

[00:23:08] It was very very very intense and just thinking like okay like this will end. I will hold her in my arms

[00:23:16] It's it's worth it. You know, and so I think that's a great example

[00:23:20] I think that's a really good example because it helps you helps you push through and it reminds you what your what your hope is truly in

[00:23:26] Yeah, and I think this this last verse this verse 19 is kind of a summary of this whole section that we've been in

[00:23:33] Right it talks about suffering

[00:23:34] We're gonna suffer but entrust yourself to God and then I love that last little phrase is while doing good

[00:23:39] So it's not like just sit in your suffering and trust God. It's like but also keep doing moving

[00:23:45] Yes, it's a call to action. Yes said earlier. It takes us using our hands

[00:23:50] It makes me think of that verse that the Lord just put on my heart so much

[00:23:53] It says live a quiet life and work with your hands

[00:23:57] Yeah, like you're supposed to be moving God made us to work even before the fall we were supposed to work

[00:24:04] It's good jinx

[00:24:06] Jinx, okay

[00:24:08] Next week we're going to finish up first Peter

[00:24:12] If you've enjoyed this episode, please feel free to subscribe and leave a review on iTunes and most importantly share with a friend

[00:24:23] The beautiful music that you've heard on this episode today is by the incredibly talented Katie cops