Sermon – 1 Peter 1:3-9 - Rejoice in the Midst of Suffering

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – 1 Peter 1:3-9

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

March 30, 2008

This morning I am beginning as series of sermons on the implications of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. As we saw last week Jesus’ resurrection was an historical event which gives us a glimpse of a glorious future reality when all of God people will be resurrected into God’s recreation of the world. Today we will look at one of the implications of the resurrection for the followers of Jesus, now that we have new life in Christ.

Will you pray with me? Lord Jesus, we know that you now sit on the right hand of God ready to rule this earth. We come to you as your people and pray that you will transform us into God’s children. Mold us into the lives that you would have us live. And we pray this in your strong name, amen.

1 Peter 1:3-9 ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, ⁷ so that the genuineness of your faith-- being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire-- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Although I grew up going to church with my parents I stopped almost as soon as I went to college. This is common as many people find this transition difficult. There are many people in their 20s and 30s who have stopped going to church. Many of these will return when life events occur: a parent dies, a marriage starts, a child is born. I went back to church after my mother died because I needed something that was old and familiar. Church seemed like the right thing. And I assumed that if I went back to church many of my problems would be solved. My business would grow. I would have more friends and find a wife. I would be happier. Although I came closer to God as I attended worship the problems I had experienced continued. Christianity, I found was not something that solves all your problems like a good luck charm. And when we find that our problems remain we are tempted to conclude that church is worthless and it is time to leave. It was to a group of people in a similar situation, who believed in Christ but their problems continued, to whom Peter wrote his letter.

The Apostle Peter wrote what we now call First Peter from Rome near the end of his long and important career. Originally he was known as Cephas, a fisherman on the Lake of Galilee. He lived in Capernaum, a city on the shore of the lake and on the main highway leading from Egypt to Damascus. So he grew up meeting people from different ethnic groups, cultures and languages. One day he was asked by a rabbi from Nazareth to follow him as a disciple, which he did. And his life was never the same after that.

Cephas knew better that anyone else what it means to follow Jesus. He knew that it is not easy. He knew that following Jesus might not turn out as you expected. But he also knew of Jesus’ love, grace and forgiveness. Jesus knew that Cephas, though not perfect, was stable and strong so he renamed him “Petros” or Peter, which means “rock”. Jesus used Peter as the bedrock upon which he would build his church.

In the first thirty years after the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead the church experienced spectacular growth. Peter was partially responsible as an evangelist who went out from the Jerusalem to other communities. His activities are not as well known as Paul’s because they are not covered as well in the Book of Acts and the only writings we have from Peter are two short letters in the New Testament.

In the Book of 1Peter we have a circular letter that was sent to a group of churches in Asia Minor. A messenger would arrive at one church, read the letter to the congregation and then move on to the next church. The people in these churches were experiencing the cost of following Jesus and needed encouragement. So Peter was encouraging them to maintain their faith even in the midst of their hardships.

The Christians in these churches had experienced difficulty in their lives. Many of them, before accepting Christ, participated in the debauchery of the popular culture. They would get drunk; have sex outside of marriage and so forth. But once they encountered Jesus they stopped drinking and were faithful to their spouses. This strained the relationships they had with friends who continued in their old type of behavior. Christians were considered asocial.

These Christians also had problems politically. By following Christ they would necessarily stop worshiping the pagan god of their city. Now the city leaders had no problem with Christians worshiping their own god because in pagan culture there were many gods to worship. But by not worshiping the god or goddess of the city they were risking the displeasure of that god. And if misfortune happened to the city, then the Christians would be blamed. Christians who did not worship the god of the city were called atheists. Another problem was that by calling Jesus Christ “Lord” Christians were denying the lordship of Caesar thus opening themselves up to charges of treason. So Christians were considered asocial, atheistic, and treasonous and thus were ostracized by their culture.

In this letter Peter begins by assuring them that the new life they have experienced in Jesus Christ is not their choice but an act of God. Just as God raised Jesus from the dead to new life so too does God raise us, through the waters of baptism, into our new lives. In our new lives we have a new way of looking at our problems. The world we live in suggests that we despair over these problems. But Peter wants us to focus not on the problems of today but on our present new lives in Christ and our future hope of resurrection through faith in Jesus Christ. Just as the Israelites were promised land by God centuries ago so too does God promise us an inheritance of forgiveness of sin and eternal life. And God also promises protection in this life though our faith and the promised salvation.

Peter points out that Christian faith is not permanent. He should know. When Jesus needed him most Peter denied ever knowing him. Three times Peter denied him as Jesus was on trial for his life. This memory must have haunted Peter his entire life. And it was a story the church new well. Peter eventually realized that the faith he now has is far stronger because of this experience, just as gold is refined in a fire so too was his faith refined by sin and suffering. So Peter is urging the congregation to persevere in the faith even in the midst of their suffering because the faith that survives suffering is much stronger.

So if you are wondering where the money will come from to make your next mortgage payment, or if you worrying if it is time to go into a retirement home, or if you are having trouble finding a job, or if a loved one is suffering with a disease remember to maintain your faith in Jesus Christ and God will sustain you and comfort you. And in the end your faith will be even stronger than it is now.

Of course it is difficult keeping faith when troubles befall us. When the world looks bleak it is hard to see Jesus at work. When a loved one dies, or a home is lost to foreclosure, it is tempting to wonder where Jesus is. But if we keep faith through these times the promise of scripture is that Jesus will be revealed to us. When we see Jesus in the midst of our pain, our response turns from gloom to joy, praise, glory, and honor because we experience the great love of Jesus in our lives. And this allows us to love Jesus even though we have never seen him in person.

So rejoice in the Lord because of all the benefits you have received. Rejoice for the steadfast love that God has given you. Rejoice for the salvation of your life from sin and death. Rejoice for your hope in a future resurrection. And rejoice in the new life that has been given to you through your faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Father in heaven, we thank you for the wonderful gifts of salvation and eternal life that you have provided us. Help us to deal with the difficulties of our lives. And help us to keep our faith by revealing to us Jesus Christ in the world around us. In this we rejoice and offer praise, glory and honor to you, amen.