1Peter 4:12-13
What Can I Get for My Trials?
The theme of the book of 1 Peter is Victory In Suffering, not Victory
Over Suffering. Victory Over Suffering seems to imply that you defeat
or stop the suffering. While that is a good victory, it is not always
the victory God gives. I need a victory even if the suffering doesn’t
stop.
\\#1:7\\ These people’s faith was still being tried.
\\#3:9\\ These people were still being dealt with in an evil fashion.
\\#3:9\\ These people were still being railed at.
\\#3:14\\ These people were still suffering for righteousness sake.
\\#4:16\\ These people were still suffering as a Christian.
Peter tells us important truths about trials.
1. It is not a strange or unique thing for trials to come. That
means trials are a normal part of life—to the saved and
lost.
2. While in the middle of these trails, I am to be able to
rejoice.
3. That by entering into the trials, I enter—albeit in a small
way—into Christ’s sufferings.
What are trials? Years ago, I said trials are anything that I don’t
like. That is true but pretty broad. A trial is a difficulty that God
takes us through to grow our character.
Everyone needs trials! You grow different ways in the trials that you
could never grow in without them. Every Christian needs them. Every
child needs them. Every human being needs them. Thankfully, most
will have more than enough to grow into a fine Christian if they will
not waste their trials.
What are some lessons we might learn from our trials?
I. In trials, we might learn God’s priorities.
A. Everyone has priorities. You probably have a list of things
that you want or plan on doing, either written or in your
head.
B. The question is not, "Do you have priorities, but do you have
God’s priorities?"
1. I have noticed that most of our priorities focus on five
areas.
a. possessions
b. career
c. hobbies
d. wealth
e. personal beauty or strength (abilities)
2. I am not going to tell you that these things are utter
wickedness. I do not believe they are. They are apart
of life and to some extent all require some attention.
3. I would ask, "Where is God? Where is the spiritual?"
C. \\#Luke 12:16-21\\ Was there anything wrong with what this
man was doing? No.
1. The only thing that was wrong was it did not take into
account eternity and eternity was much closer than the
man realized.
2. Eternity is closer than most everyone realizes!
3. God send trials to get our attention off the barn.
II. In trails, we might learn how to wait for God’s timing.
A. Sometimes the reason we are having trails is because we have
not learned to wait on God’s timing.
1. If God is in your heart and mind at all, you are way ahead
of most people. However, you can be in the same book as
God but on the wrong page. You might be a few chapters
ahead or a few behind.
a. Sometimes we are impatient for things God wants to
give us in the future. The person that comes to my
mind when I think of that is Moses. He wanted to be
God’s deliverer but he was about 40 years too early!
b. Sometimes we started late and we feel like we need to
hurry things along. \\#Acts 8:9-24\\ Simon the
sorcerer wanted to purchase the power of the Holy
Spirit.
2. The secret to having the peace of God is learning to get
in sync with God’s timing.
B. It is an aggravation. Why should we have to wait for an
omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God?
1. That attitude reveals the whole problem.
2. We think the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God is
there for our benefit.
3. The truth is that we are there for His.
III. In trails, we might learn how to endure for God’s joy.
A. I worded this carefully—endure for God’s joy.
1. Sometimes to get to the joy God wants us to have, we have
to endure some things we don’t want.
Ps 30:5 …weeping may endure for a night, but
joy cometh in the morning.
B. Joy is sometimes hard to come by.
1. Before a new born brings her mother joy, she first brings
her pain.
2. Before a parent experiences the joy of seeing the toddler
walk, he must first see him fall.
3. Before a child has the joy of riding a bicycle, he usually
knows the pain of wrecking on it.
4. Before most of us got the joy of our mate, we experienced
a few that we now glad got away!
C. Even those known for the greatest accomplishments have most
often experienced their share of failure. Abraham Lincoln
Age 22 - failed in business
Age 23 - ran for legislature and was defeated
Age 24 - failed again in Buenos
Age 26 - sweetheart died
Age 27 - had a nervous breakdown
Age 29 - defeated for Speaker of House of Illinois
Age 34 - defeated for Congress
Age 37 - elected to Congress
Age 39 - Did not even win the nomination to run for Congress
Age 40 - Rejected as a land officer
Age 46 - defeated for Senate
Age 47 - defeated for vice president
Age 49 - defeated for Senate
Age 51 - elected president of the United States
http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/education/failures.htm
D. Many of Jesus’ disciples understood the endurance for joy.
1. Mary out of whom seven devils was cast out - Before she
could know the joy of deliverance, she had to first know
the joy of bondage.
2. John tells us the story of the blind man who had to know
the sadness of being blind from birth to know the joy of
being given his sight.
3. The man who begged at the Gate Beautiful had to know the
pain of being paralyzed for more than 40 years before
he could know the joy of running and leaping.
4. Lazarus had to know the pain of death before he could know
the joy of the resurrection.
5. The disciples had to know the loss of a crucifixion before
they could know the power of the resurrection.
IV. In trials, we might learn how to seek for God.
A. There are three ways to know a thing.
1. It can be given to you.
2. It can be found out, discovered without much effort, as by
accident.
3. It can be sought out.
B. Most spiritual truths cannot be given or found out, they must
be sought for.
1. Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are this way.
Pro 2:3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and
liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest
for her as for hid treasures;
5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the
LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
2. I think many spiritual attributes are that way.
1. God’s power
2. Answered prayer
3. Salvation
V. We might learn how to rest in God’s promises.
Ps 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for
him: fret not thyself because of him who
prospereth in his way, because of the man who
bringeth wicked devices to pass.
A. Nothing teaches you how to rest better than exhaustion.
1. One things trials do, they teach us what won’t work.
2. Trials will teach you that intellect, effort, planning,
friendships, experts, working, wealth, and anything and
everything you might try will not work.
3. Typically, it is not until you run out of everything else
that you come to trust in Jesus.
Mark 5:25 And a certain woman, which had an issue
of blood twelve years,
26 And had suffered many things of many
physicians, and had spent all that she had, and
was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the
press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes,
I shall be whole.
B. Someone said that trails will show you want you are made
out of.
1. We are all made out of dirt.
2. Trails come to show you what Jesus is made of.
<OutlineIndex> <Close Window>
