1 Peter chapter one. We have just begun, if you're new here, we've just begun our series in 1 Peter. You can get online or get the CD or tape downstairs if you wanna follow along and you've missed a week. This is an exciting epistle and it really has to do with suffering. Would you stand with me for the reading of God's word? 1 Peter chapter one, we're gonna be looking at verses six through nine. 1 Peter 1, verse 6, this is God's word. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you've been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found a result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. And though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Please pray with me. Father, we thank you so much for the fact that we can gather together, like-minded family, brothers and sisters as you've called us, and we can hear from you and hear your words. Lord, we look forward, as that song was sung, we look forward to your coming. We say in our hearts, Maranatha, Lord, come quickly. But Lord, in the meantime, while we're on this earth, between two worlds, so to speak, help us as we endure trials and tribulations, as we suffer, and we do, Lord, give us your perspective, we pray. In Jesus' name, amen. I want to get right into this. Just to recap, Peter is giving reasons here why Christians cannot just, cannot only endure trials, but they can even rejoice in the midst of their trials. I honestly didn't know whether to title this passage or this message, Great Joy or Great Suffering. And then I realized as I was going through it that really both are taught, ironically enough. Peter describes how these believers can be suffering and yet joyful simultaneously. And unless you're immune to pain and trials and suffering, unless you're on another planet, This will be a relevant word for you. This will be, I trust, good news for you, for all of us. Let's look at point one, and I realize in your bulletins it might be kind of faint to see, or it looks like our printer ran dry. We can rejoice because of our new birth. Verse 6a, he says, in this you rejoice. And when he says this, he's referring to the last three verses, three, four, and five, in this. He's looking back, you can rejoice. You can rejoice in the fact that you've been born again. You can rejoice in the new birth. You can rejoice because God has been rich in mercy towards you. You can rejoice in that, that's good news. You can rejoice because of the historical fact that Jesus has been raised from the dead. He's consequently given you a living hope based on facts, historical facts, something that's happened. Based on that, you can have this hope. You can rejoice because of what your new birth results in, which is a phenomenal inheritance, which is prepared right now, presently, for you. It's ready. That's what Peter says last week. It's ready for you right now. And it's unfading. It's undefiled. It's imperishable. Different than the inheritance that we may or may not receive on this earth. Peter is saying you have intelligent reasons to rejoice. In this, you rejoice. It's not just a, hey everybody, rejoice. No, you have intelligent reasons to rejoice. The word means to be extremely glad, extremely happy, and it's a happiness and a gladness that's not contingent on external circumstances. It's based on facts, resurrection, permanent inheritance, et cetera. And the natural outflow from salvation, from the new birth, when it's properly understood, just naturally. It isn't like it's coerced or forced. It's just quite naturally joy. Remember the angel? They come to the shepherds. We bring you good news of great joy. It's for all the people. It's a message of joy. It's good news. I remember So as I was preparing this, I was thinking about years ago, it must have been 11 or 12 years ago, I was in Kenya, Africa, and I was with another brother, Kenyan brother, and we were preaching at a crusade, or what we'd call a festival, preaching the gospel. There was a few hundred people there. I remember after we had preached the gospel and just tried to explain the gospel in simple terms, we had an invitation for people to come forward, and there was one elderly gentleman, I'll never forget it, even though it was over a decade ago, it's just etched in my mind like it was yesterday. He had his hands up in the air, it was probably in his 70s, maybe even his 80s. He had tears just rolling off his cheeks, and a little Gideon's Bible in his hand that I'd just given him. And he had his hands up in the air, and the only thing that sticks in my mind just is that in that vision, that memory of him is just the immense joy he had. I had hardly even talked to him. He had heard the message. He was touched and moved with joy. That's really an analogy of what happens to the Christian. Now, it's not just joy, as we'll see. Life is full of suffering, but there is this joy. The Christian life is marked by joy. The Christian has learned something that has made him joyful. The Christian has been made aware of something, that something has happened to his or her life, and now there is reason, and there is reason to be joyful. There's reason to be joyful. It's not just pie in the sky. It's not just theory. There's a reason to be joyful, and as a result of this truth, the gospel, there is this deep, lasting joy based on facts. And Peter's gonna expound on this. He calls it inexpressible joy in just a few verses, but we'll get there in a minute. The second point is that we can rejoice because our trials are temporary, verse 6b. He says, though now for a little while, if necessary, you've been grieved by various trials. So here, Peter is not in left field, he's not crazy, just assuming life is just joy, joy, joy. He acknowledges there is suffering and they are going through trials and difficulties. And he says, though now for a little while. And so he basically is saying the Christian life isn't all rejoicing or only rejoicing. Here he acknowledges their grief, he acknowledges tears, he acknowledges their agony. He says, though for a little while. He puts it into perspective. Peter isn't suggesting that the Christian life is just one long, horrible, long succession of horrible experiences after another. He's saying there are times of intermittent suffering. Or maybe he's saying that this time of suffering is brief in compared with the eternal weight of glory. In that sense, it's a little while. He says in chapter five, after you've suffered a little while, the God of all grace who's called you to his eternal glory will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, establish you. It's suffering that's for a little while, but here's what he's doing, and I want you to note it. He's saying, he's making the very important point that joy and suffering can be temporary. Simultaneous, oftentimes are simultaneous. Think of Hebrews chapter 12, verse two. Looking to Jesus, the founder, perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. Joy and cross, same verse. Despising the shame and seated at the right hand of the throne of God. So here's Jesus on this earth. He's a man of sorrows, right? and yet for the joy set before him. So there's this dichotomy in the Christian of joy and suffering. I think of my sister-in-law yesterday had just gave birth to a little baby boy, and I was just thinking of how just for a mother there is this unique dichotomy between suffering and joy. That's what Peter is saying here. He goes on to say, if necessary, In other words, God has a purpose for their suffering. We'll see this more in the next statement, but suffering, it's important to note that suffering is under the sovereign hand of God. It's not outside of sovereignty. It's not accidental meaninglessness. It's not arbitrary. Okay, God uses suffering for good. One of my favorite stories, it's one of my favorite stories in the Bible. I don't know how it can't be someone's favorite story. It's the story of Joseph. Incredible. In this story where Joseph, you know, there's jealousy, there's sin, even in the beginning, but Joseph is hated by his brothers, and he is thrown into a pit. Right after that, sold to this caravan, basically into slavery, and he heads off to Egypt. And his life, I mean, from a earthly perspective, is just marked by one bad thing after another. Potiphar's wife tries to sleep with him, come to bed with me. No, I cannot do this thing and sin against God. And she lies about it, he gets thrown into prison, what? And God is with him this whole time we see, but God gives him a dream, and long story short, he interprets it, becomes basically the vice president of Egypt. And then his brothers come to find this out in a most remarkable way, and they're scared to death. And at the end of Genesis, in chapter 50, his brothers came to him and fell down before him and said, Behold, we are your servants. But Joseph said to them, Do not fear, for mine the place of God. And then he says one of the most remarkable theological statements in all the Bible. He says, As for you, you meant evil against me. but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive as they are to this day. How is it possible that the same event that one person means for evil, that same event God purposes for good? I mean, there's a sense in which it's a mystery, but it's amazing. What man means for evil against you, God purposes for good. So Joseph has a different spin on his life. They're thinking, we're going to die. He has the power. We're all dead. We're goners. But Joseph says, no, you don't understand. God did this so that the nation of Israel, or this little family at the time, Jacob and his brothers, would be saved. There's a famine going on. People are dying. But God brings it about that he would be raised up, have the information, do the right thing, save the grain, so that people would be saved. What man meant for evil, God purposed for good. There's a quote I heard years ago by F.B. Myers. It's always been dear to me. Speaking, and I think he was actually preaching on the life of Joseph when he said this, but he said, it is very sweet as life passes by, to be able to look back on dark and mysterious events and to trace the hand of God where once we saw only malice and the cruelty of men. What a, what a, I just love that. It is a privilege as a Christian, only Christians can do this, to look back and there are things that happened in your childhood, there are things that happened in your adolescence, you don't really, how do you, you don't even, to this day you don't really understand why that happened or how that happened, but now you have maybe a little bit more of a glimpse, you can trace the hand of God where once you saw only malice and the cruelty of men. such as the sovereignty of God. So suffering, Peter is saying, isn't meaningless. It's not pointless. It's not arbitrary. What the world intends is harm. God is actually doing for good. It's incredible. It's encouraging. He says, you have been grieved by various trials is the next statement. Now, We need to just understand this phrase, various trials. It's important. Was it at least it's important for me. It's where we get the word manifold or many colored or multifaceted. So here, Peter is broadening the scope of suffering. See, in my mind, to be honest, as I was studying this, I'm thinking first Peter shirts for suffering. But it's really for people who are enduring persecution. Let's be honest. These people were going through persecution, whether it be physical persecution. We know Nero was lighting up Christians on poles in his garden. I mean, people were suffering, no doubt, maybe at the least verbal persecution. But it's not talking about other kinds of trials, right? Well, no, that's not what Peter says. Various trials, all kinds of grief and suffering. So he broadens the application of this. James 1, 2 says really the same thing. Count it all joy. Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet trials of various kinds. What? This is crazy talk to the world. You've gotta be kidding me. Count it joy when I encounter trials of various kinds? Manifold trials, financial trials, relational trials? The list goes on, trials, yeah, all of those count it joy. Wow, wow. I've heard it said that suffering is anything that causes you to doubt the goodness of God. That may be a good way to put it. Trials can be attributed to various reasons, but behind all the reasons is God. I mean, it could be because of the fallen world we live in, could be because of our own foolishness, you know, get a speeding ticket. It's not because I'm suffering for being a Christian, it's just because I was speeding. You know, a flat tire is caused by a sharp object and a thin tire, not because we're being persecuted. It could also be because of what someone has done to us, evil in the world done to you, Could be suffering for that. It could be because of sickness and death. You know, we're in this, what theologians call already not yet. The kingdom of God is here, it's already, but at the same time, it's not yet. We're waiting for him to come back. And so we're still, we're between two worlds. We don't yet, Hebrews 2, see all things in subjection to him. We're waiting for it. We're living in a world where Satan is the prince of the power of the air. Power of the world is still active, even attractive to us. We have an inner battle. So this is a cause for a number of different reasons for suffering, but all the while, God is sovereign over it all. Romans 8, 28. He works all things for the good of those who love him. John Stott put it well when he said, the cross does not solve the problem of suffering, but it supplies the essential perspective from which to look at it. He says, sometimes we picture God lounging, perhaps dozing in some celestial deck chair while the hungry millions starve to death. It is this terrible caricature of God which the cross smashes to smithereens. See, Jesus acknowledges evil and he deals with evil and suffering by suffering. In fact, the very means of the resurrection was through evil. There we have it again. What one person means for evil, God means for good. And so the cross becomes our boasting and our victory. Such is the genius of our faith, let me remind you. No other religion has this or can offer this. But this is the genius of Christianity is that we can endure suffering but at the same time experience legitimate, authentic joy. The next point, we can rejoice because our trials are purposeful. Again, this may be a little redundant, but in verse 7a, it's so that the tested genuineness of your faith, in other words, there's a so that to the suffering. The so that, the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes though it's tested by fire. And so here, Peter says, our faith actually needs to be tested in the furnace, just like gold is, it needs to be refined. And you look at the Old Testament, the Israelites were tested in the wilderness, Hebrews 3. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as on the day of testing in the wilderness. They wandered, they were tested. They lacked provision, they were tested. They lacked protection, they were tested. They lacked security, they were tested. And most of them did not pass the test. Jesus says in Luke 8, the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy, but these have no root, for they believe for a while, and in the time of testing, fall away. So testing has a way of refining or a way of purifying, a way of sifting legitimate believers from illegitimate believers. So let me just remind you there's a purpose to the suffering. There's a purpose to the suffering. In The Case for Faith, Lee Strobel records this dialogue between himself and author, philosopher Peter Kreeft, Christian philosopher. And Kreeft asks the question, how can a mere finite human be sure that infinite wisdom would not tolerate certain short-range evils in order for more long-range good that we cannot foresee? And, Strobel was asking for some kind of an illustration, and Kreeft gives him this illustration off the cuff. He says, look at it this way. Imagine a bear in a trap and a hunter who, out of sympathy, wants to liberate him. He tries to win the bear's confidence, but he can't do it, so he has to shoot the bear full of drugs. The bear, however, thinks this is an attack and that the hunter's trying to kill him. He doesn't realize this is being done out of compassion. Then in order to get the bear out of the trap, the hunter has to push him further into the trap to release the tension of the spring. If the bear were semi-conscious at that point, he would be even more convinced that the hunter was his enemy, out to cause him suffering and pain. But the bear would be wrong because his understanding is too limited. And Kreef said, Now, how can anyone be certain that's not an analogy between us and God? I believe God does the same to us sometimes, and we can't comprehend why he does it any more than a bear can understand the motivations of the hunter, as the bear could have trusted the hunter so we can trust God. And he's right. Tim Keller gives another illustration, and I think it fits in well to suffering. He says, do you remember when your mother used to say, don't eat candy before meals? Why did she say that? Because she knew it would ruin your next meal. The trouble with eating candy is that it gives you a sugar buzz and then you don't feel hungry. Candy masks the fact that your body needs proteins and nutrients. The sugar buzz from candy masks your hunger for the real nutrients that you don't have but you know you need. You don't know you need. It says things like sex, power, money, success. as well as just favorable circumstances. Act like spiritual sugar. Christians who have these spiritual candies may say, sure, I believe in God, I know I'm going to heaven. But they're actually basing their day-to-day joy on favorable circumstances. And when the circumstances change, it drives us to God. Because when the sugar disappears, the candy gets taken away, we're forced to pursue the feast that our souls really crave. We'll hunger for the spiritual nutrients we really need. and we know that suffering has a way of taking off the mask. How many people here could say, I know I could, that the greatest moments of joy in my life have been at the deepest moments of pain? This is the paradox of the Christian. In our most vulnerable moments, we can experience a communion with the Lord, a fresh presence with the Lord that is deep, wonderful, rich, joyful. Suffering has a way of leading us to trust God. It really leads us to do one of two things. We draw near to God or we despair, we abandon God. What are some other purposes for our testing? Let me just mention a few. Again, in the Old Testament, trials humble us. Maybe we need to be humbled. Deuteronomy 8.3, and he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna. He let you hunger. The goodness of God led him, in his wisdom, to make you hunger. Trials teach us to look forward to heaven. Think of John 16, 33. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace, in the world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I've overcome the world. There it is again. You will have tribulation, but take heart. Take heart. May there be much taking heart this morning. Trials train us to value God. Trials train us to value God, 1 Peter 4, Romans 8. Trials enable us to minister and have compassion on others. Here's a major one. Our trials enable us to actually have compassion on other people so that the marriage problems you've had are not in vain. The problems you've experienced with your children are not in vain. The problems you've experienced with your boss at work, that's not in vain. The health issues that you have endured is not in vain. You say, where do you get this? It could not be more clear. 2 Corinthians 1. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, the God of all comfort. Listen closely. Who comforts us in our afflictions so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort. So you have a story to tell. You can be a minister of encouragement. This is because of trials. Trials also can be a means of God disciplining us. There are too many scriptures to mention. I'll just mention a few. Psalm 119, 71, it is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. Job 5, 17, behold, blessed is the one whom the Lord reproves. Therefore, despise not the discipline of the Almighty. This is a radically different way of looking at our trials and our suffering than we're, in our flesh, normally have to do. I know it is for me. I don't naturally go there. Luke 15, 16, Hebrews 12, five. Don't regard lightly the discipline of the Lord. The Lord, for the Lord disciplines the one he loves. We could go on and on. Trials also aid in developing our character. Alexander Solzhenitsyn in his Gulag archipelago, I forget how many years he was in prison, 30 years I wanna say, suffering in a Russian gulag, bless you prison for ever having been in my life. Bless you prison for ever having been in my life. James 1, count it all joy. Why? Because it produces character. Romans 5, rejoice in your sufferings. Why? Because it produces endurance, character, hope, on and on. Trials also teach us that God's grace is sufficient because we might be living off the joy of favorable circumstances, right? Things are going pretty well. What if that's taken away? Think of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12. We don't know what the thorn in the flesh was, I presume some kind of physical ailment, but here he is, Lord, I mean, here's Paul, he's prayed for people, people have been healed, right? And yet here he is, suffering with some, let's say, physical ailment, could have been something else. Lord, would you take this away? Three times, Lord, would you take this away? Lord, would you take this away? And the Lord said no. And then Paul learns the lesson. The Lord says to him, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power's made perfect in weakness. Then Paul says, therefore, I will boast in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me. I'm content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, calamities, for when I'm weak, then I'm strong. This is where God's going with us. All that being said, getting back to 1 Peter, one of the purposes we see according to Peter is for the strengthening of our faith. God doesn't test us to learn if we'll be faithful or not, as if he didn't know. God tests us for our benefit. So Peter's making the argument that God is behind our suffering. and that our suffering isn't meaningless, it's not arbitrary, it's not without cause. This is meant to be a consolation. They keep us dependent, they keep us trusting, they dissolve self-confidence. Our trials are good. He says our faith is more precious than gold that perishes, though it's tested by fire. Your faith, this is not an overstatement in any way, is extremely, precious. In fact, it could be said your faith is the most important thing about you, what you believe and what you hang on to, the content of your faith. It's more precious than gold. Gold perishes. Even though it's an incredibly unique metal, it has incredible resilience, it still perishes. But our faith won't. You and your confidence and the quality of your confidence in God is really important to God. And he may do things to refine that confidence and trust in him, that joy in him. He may wean you off of other things. Tested by fire. You know, fire doesn't destroy gold, it purifies it. John Ripon, who was the predecessor, of Charles Spurgeon at the London Tabernacle Church in London wrote that hymn, which you may have heard, many of you have, when through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie. My grace all sufficient shall be thy supply. The flame shall not hurt thee, I only design thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine. So the anvil of suffering isn't pleasant, but God has a purpose. It's a brilliant illustration. Think of Isaiah 48.10. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver. I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. And that's where it happens. The furnace of affliction. On the wall of his bedroom, Charles Spurgeon had a plaque with that verse on it, Isaiah 48.10. And he said this, it is no mean thing to be chosen of God. God's choice makes chosen men choice men. We are chosen not in the palace, but in the furnace. In the furnace, beauty is marred, fashion is destroyed, strength is melted, glory is consumed. Yet here, eternal love reveals its secrets and declares its choice. Think of the most of the Psalms, they were born in difficulty. Most of the epistles were written in prisons. Most of the greatest thoughts thinkers have ever thought of all time have been through the fire. Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress from jail. And sometimes it seems, Tim Hansel says, that when God is about to make preeminent use of a man, he puts him through the fire. So we can all say trials are painful, but here's the deal, That's the point. They're meant to be painful. Say, wait a minute, I don't like where you're going with this. Growth happens because of pain. Like the euphemism, no pain, no gain. Malcolm Muggeridge was a journalist and I think a philosopher and he came to Christ late in his life, sometime in his 70s. And he wrote this famous statement, he says, contrary to what might be expected, I look back on experiences that at that time seemed especially desolating and painful. And I now look back upon them with particular satisfaction. Indeed, I can say with complete truthfulness that everything I've learned in my 75 years in this world, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my existence has been through affliction and not through happiness. whether pursued or attained. In other words, I say this, if it were possible to eliminate affliction from our earthly existence by means of some drug or other medical mumbo-jumbo, the results would not be to make life delectable, but to make it too banal and trivial to be endurable. This, of course, is what the cross signifies, and it is the cross, more than anything else, that has called me inexorably to Christ. Maybe you've heard C.S. Lewis say, God whispers to us in our pleasures, he speaks to us in our conscience, but he shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world. So God speaks to you through pain. Pain is a good thing, not a bad thing. And again, the list could go on, it could be your health, could be your kid's health, could be money, could be work, could be evil done to you, but God is at work. Next point Peter makes is we can rejoice because our faith results in reward. Verse 7b, that it may be found a result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now, at first we may think that the result of our salvation is that we praise, honor, glorify God, which is true, no doubt. But Peter's actually making the case that we are the ones who are praised, we are the ones who are glorified, and we are the ones who are honored. Now, it is certainly true. that at the end of the day, all glory, all praise, all honor goes to God, but Peter's making the point in this passage that we share in his triumph, and if you're a Christian, you will receive these things. Your faith will result in praise. Well done, thy good and faithful servant. Romans 2.29, his praise is not from man, but from God. There is a praise from God that a Christian can get. Our faith results in glory. We will share in his glory. John 1.3, Romans 8, Colossians 3. Our faith results in honor. This is rewards that believers will get. Not to get salvation, mind you. We're not saved by our works done in righteousness, but once we have been saved by the righteous work of Christ on our behalf, we do works. Well, after we've been regenerated, after we become a Christian, those works we do, we will have a reward. or not a reward will be saved, no doubt, but there will be reward in heaven. 1 Corinthians 3, now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become manifest for the day will disclose it because it will be revealed by fire and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. I wanna just mention this, our sufferings also do not go unnoticed. I find this Psalm 56a to be a comfort. You have kept count of my tossings, put my tears in your bottle, are not they in your book? The Lord takes note and there will be reward. But it's at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Peter is saying that we will not, most likely, be able to understand the purpose of our suffering here. And hopefully, like F.B. Meyer said, we can look back and trace the hand of God. That's a privilege. But Peter is saying that God's purposes and reasons won't be fully revealed until the revelation of Jesus Christ. We won't understand it next week, or in a month, or in a decade, or maybe not even in a lifetime. But at the revelation of Jesus Christ, it will become clear his purposes. Albert Einstein, in his early days as a physicist, with other scientists, had scratched their heads, really for some 50 years up to that time, over the inexplainable orbit of the planet Mercury. Newton, And his theories had really carried scientists for centuries and really helped explain the orbits of all the other planets. But Mercury was a mystery for many scientists, including Einstein. They wondered why this planet, when it would orbit, would make this irregular movement while it was orbiting. And they suspected that there might be some planet, which is actually nicknamed Vulcan, no joke, that maybe there was some planet that was pulling it, and the gravitational force would move it, and then it would get back. They finally discovered that Vulcan never existed. But when Einstein formulated his general theory of relativity, and he applied this formula to this eccentric orbit of Mercury, he had one of the most breathtaking moments of his career. The numbers fit. It made sense. Mercury wasn't a mystery anymore. Problem solved. Craig Brian Larson says, my life will on occasion have an orbit like Mercury, for a time which simply defies my best efforts to explain it. But nonetheless, as surely as there is order in the universe, there is a heavenly reason for my circumstances utterly consistent with God's Word and character. I just don't understand it yet. So Peter calls them to trust despite not knowing and oh, we could go through the list of people in our own assembly here who've undergone enormous suffering, catastrophic suffering and pain. The tears have filled the bottle, as the psalmist would say. You've got people like Mitch Lauer and Sue Boney, others in our assembly. But such faith, when it's placed in God, even in the midst of suffering, is precious. It's precious. There will be reward for such faith in light of such suffering. And the furnace only serves to refine. Last point, we can rejoice because we know Jesus and will eventually be with Jesus. He says, though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not see him now, you believe in him. Rejoice with joy that is inexpressible, filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. In these two verses, Peter gives really the most basic definition of a Christian. We believe in him, we love him, we rejoice in him. Peter saw him and he was with Jesus, but these other believers didn't. Doubting Thomas, you know, comes to Jesus. Jesus says to him, have you believed because you've seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen me yet believe. But Christians believe. We've been given the gift of faith and so we read the word of God and we say, this is truth. Even though we don't understand everything, there's still some fog, we don't see, we believe. It's a mark of a Christian. We also love Him. There's a continual, regular affection of the Lord Jesus. That's love. It's a personal relationship. Really one of the simplest definitions of a Christian is, do you love Jesus Christ? Furthermore, we rejoice with joy inexpressible. Higher than speech, literally means higher than speech. I can't even express it. Speaking of Joseph and Jacob, imagine Jacob, who was told that his son Joseph was killed by a lion or wild animals, here he is mourning for 15 years. And he mourned for a long time, probably too long. And then his sons come back and say, yeah, Joseph's alive. He says, I don't believe it. I need to see it. And he goes and he sees Joseph. Imagine what that would be like. Someone you thought was dead for over a decade, and there he is. Joy inexpressible. Hard to describe. Full of glory, doxa, doxology, where we get the word doxology. Praise and thanksgiving. So one way to express it is really through doxa, singing. We sing to express. The outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. C.S. Lewis again said, you don't have a soul, you are a soul, you have a body. You don't have a soul, you are a soul, but you have a body. The salvation of our souls. I just want to apply this as we close here. The application really is a question, how do we suffer well? How do we suffer well? There's a number of ways that distinguish us as Christians. How we raise our kids, how we treat our spouse, how we love the world, how we love each other. I mean, Jesus says they'll know you by your love, right? All these things may cause believers to inquire and ask questions why we believe, but there's another way that causes unbelievers to question and inquire, and that's how you and I handle suffering and death. They're watching how we respond. The Apostle Paul sees both as gain. He counts suffering as a privilege and he sees death as gain. So how do we suffer well? We suffer well when we ask ourself the question, God, how can I make you look good in this situation? Not that I need to put makeup on you to make you look good, but how can I reveal your goodness to the world? How can I bring glory to you in my trial? How do I do that, Lord? Grumbling and complaining usually doesn't do it, because it pretends that God is small and unkind and aloof. But joy in the midst of suffering has a calm confidence, as Mark Twain said, a calm confidence of a Christian with four aces. Causes the world to be amazed. We suffer well when we trust God, the goodness of God, his intentions and his methods. I just want to tell you a story about David. He's a two year old with leukemia. was taken by his mother, Deborah, to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to see Dr. Truman, who specializes in treating children with cancer and various blood diseases. Dr. Truman's prognosis was bad news. 50-50 chance he would live. Nonetheless, there would be countless visits, blood tests, intravenous drugs, fear, pain. Mother's enduring all this, as her child is enduring all this. One day, David had to have a spinal tap, painful at any age. It was explained to him that because he was sick, Dr. Truman had to do something to make him better. He said, if it hurts, remember it's because he loves you, his mother said. Well, the procedure was horrendous. Took three nurses to hold David still, while he yelled and sobbed and struggled. When it was almost over, the tiny little boy, soaked in sweat, and tears, looked up at the doctor and gasped, thank you, Dr. Tuman, for my hurting. Let me just close. We suffer well when we see the furnace as what it is. I declared to you this morning that God is good and trustworthy. Trust Him, believe Him. I declare to you this morning that your faith is the most precious thing you have. And when God purifies that faith, it's a good thing, not a bad thing. I declare to you this morning that God the Father is the Father of compassion and the God of mercies. He takes pity on your suffering. I declare to you this morning that God has a purpose for your suffering. It's not in vain. And I declare to you this morning that when what men mean as evil against you, God purposes for good. That's the message of 1 Peter 1, verses six through nine. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for the good news of the gospel and for the faith it procures and produces in us. And Lord, my prayer right now is for Christians here who are doubting, who are in despair. Help them, Lord, to cope. Give them these words. I pray for encouragement for their souls in their darkest hour. And Lord, for those who are unbelievers, who are unregenerate, who really are under condemnation, I pray, Lord, that you would give them the gift of faith and repentance, that they would trust in you this hour for the salvation of their souls. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.