Series Title: “Better things are coming”
Scripture Readings
- 2Chronicles 12:1-12
- 1 Peter 5:5-11
Introduction
My dear fellow believers in Christ Jesus,
Like all children I always wondered why the dessert is served last. Why the need to eat the cabbage, broccoli, spinach and the pumpkin first, while the ice cream and custard have to wait till last? Does a child have to suffer through “bad” stuff to get to the “good” stuff. And Mom was adamant about it, if there was still veggies on your plate, forget about the dessert – even if it took hours, with Mom knitting a full part of a jumper sitting across the table. In the end one learns too swallow the veggies as soon as possible because it means that you will have the ice cream still frozen, not having to drink it.
What seems “bad” for any child is usually good. And the same applies to Christian life. Our “bad” times are for our good. The believers whom Peter addressed in his letter experienced the same: they suffered under the hands of godless people, and if they had the choice, they would rather go straight to heaven and cut out the suffering part. Peter instructed them that, like gold and silver, they needed to be cleansed.
Humility under the mighty hand of God
Submission
We’ve come across the idea of submission in our study of this letter, haven’t we? Peter returns to it.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. (1 Peter 5:6, NIV)
All of us know this old song:
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble
when you’re perfect in every way.
I can’t wait to look in the mirror
cause I get better looking each day.
To know me is to love me
I must be a hell of a man.
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble
but I’m doing the best that I can.
The reality of a life of suffering is that one can upset with God. When things are not going to what we mapped out for ourselves we start pointing the finger at God and accuse Him of not being loving and kind. “Why, Lord! Why do I need to go through this? How can You say You love me and then take me through this suffering and unhappiness?”
How can Mom say she loves me and then withhold the ice cream from me, having me eat cabbage?
When this form of bitterness springs up in my heart I better learn from the words of Peter. “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Humility
Someone writes that humility is that to the Christian which holiness is to God. He says
“humility is the coil in the Christian’s loom; all other graces, whether of a lively or sombre hue, are the yarn, by which the piece is transformed. But from beginning to end, humility permeates it all.”
Rehoboam and his people resisted God and became proud. The Lord sent the enemy against them, which plundered the temple of the Lord and took all the treasurers of gold which Solomon in this splendour put there. It was a complete disaster. What happened then? The prophet Shemaiah took the message of God to them: “You have abandoned God, now He is abandoning you.” And then this verse:
The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is just.” (2 Chronicles 12:6, NIV)
What follows speaks of the grace of God: When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah:
“Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. (2 Chronicles 12:7, NIV)
We remember the parable of our Lord. There was the Pharisee and the tax collector. Both of them prayed. the Pharisee rattled off all his good deeds.
The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ (Luke 18:11–12, NIV)
It was a different story with the tax collector; he had only one line in his prayer:
He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ (Luke 18:13, NIV)
How does our Saviour look at these two people?
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14, NIV)
Suffering
Suffering is temporary. A friend of mine visited a lady of his congregation in hospital. She was terribly ill and suffered a lot of pain. He ministered to her and prayed for her. He thanked God for the pain and the suffering He has sent the way of that lady. When he finished his prayer, she was visibly angry with him. How dare he thank God for her illness and suffering. He paged through the bible to Philippians 4:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4–7, NIV)
He cares for you
Suffering serves a purpose in the great plan of God. The good advise of the Word of God is this: when we are perplexed and filled with anxiety – like Rehoboam and his officials in the face of the Egyptian king Shishak – when we can’t see the purpose of the suffering, and when we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, then:
Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7, NIV)
What!? I am suffering! Just be calm, sober-minded and self-controlled. Focus upon the fact that He who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light, He who says if you put your trust in the precious Cornerstone you will never be put to shame, his Word stands forever. Yes, He cares for you, trust Him; believe Him, entrust your life to Him.
The devouring lion
If you don’t and start to waver now, just keep this in mind:
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8, NIV)
He is ready to hear your groaning against the will of the Lord in your life -even if it includes suffering. He is ready to once again whisper in your ear, “Did God really say…?” When we start doubting the will of God in our lives, he stands ready to rip us to pieces. No, resist him, stand firm in your faith. Why? You’re not the first Christian, and you won’t be the last to go through suffering. Listen:
“ …because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:9, NIV)
Further:
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. (Hebrews 12:7–8, NIV)
The best for last
The God of all grace
Verse 10 takes us back to the God who called, who sustains, who made us part of his household. He is the God of all grace. Grace has no true meaning outside of the actions of God. the Old Testament uses a word chesed which encompasses all of God’s love, his long-suffering, mercy, and grace. This is what Peter has in mind in this text. We can say: all the acts of God which took us, who deserved nothing from Him, to be his own through the saving work of Jesus Christ – that is grace. It is boundless grace, from the beginning to the end.
In Christ Jesus
What God did in grace was done in Chris Jesus, his only begotten Son. By faith in Him we are joined and united with Him. What He experienced by faith becomes our experience – we don’t need to go through the same experience. The Father looks at those who are by faith united to the son as if they did what only the Son could do. He died and paid the penalty for sin because we couldn’t ; He rose in victory from the dead because we could, but in the eyes of God those who cling to Him as their only righteousness and salvation achieved what Christ achieved. And now this: Because Christ ascended into heaven to the right hand of God the Father, God the Father bestows honour and security, as well as authority, on believers. In fact, all the blessings of the Covenant of God fulfilled and sealed in the blood of Christ, now become the blessings to the people saved by Christ.
This is precisely what our verse (10) conveys:
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. (1 Peter 5:10, NIV)
God brings all things under Him
A perfect conclusion
God Himself – not by proxy or passed-on authority to angels or any other celestial being – after this temporary suffering we might go through (yes: in the big scheme of things earthly suffering is only “for a little while” – there is a definite limit to our suffering) – God himself will restore us. A better choice of word here is “to bring to conclusion”, or “bring something to the point of purpose”, or to “perfect, bring to a closing”.
What seems without purpose now will then be seen as perfect; the loose ends with so many question marks will then be tied into the the neat master piece of God where we will see exclamation marks.
Reaching maturity
I many ways we are just children in faith. Peter called us in chapter 2 to grow up from being new-born babies in faith by the Word of God. But all of us are on our way. After all of this God’s work of salvation in Christ will take us to the full stature of Christ where we will be made strong and reach maturity.
Firm and steadfast
We need to become pillars in the temple of our Lord. That requires strength and steadfastness. Here we stumble and tremble, but then, when things will be brought to fulfilment in the Christ God will make us strong, firm and steadfast so we will be able to do all things to his will and purpose.
The all-powerful God
Omnipotent
This takes us to the climax of the teaching of this letter: God and his omnipotent power. Think about it: nothing can stand against God.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38–39, NIV)
Not bound by time
“For ever and ever” – He created time and is not prisoner of time or space. No other creature his this power. And God Himself, because of what Christ did for lost sinners, will take us into this timeless glory where we will bow before Him to whom all things brings glory. And we will call Him “Father” – for ever and ever.
My dear fellow-believers, look up! Better things are coming
Conclusion
A dying member of his church called her minister to talk about her funeral. They discussed the hymns and Bible readings and the place of her grave. She then had this last request. “No flowers, please. I just ask that you put a dessert spoon on my coffin. it must be clear for every one to see. And if they ask you what that means, just tell them I looked forward to the sweetness of the dessert of being with God.
Better things are coming. Amen
Sermon preached by Rev D. Rudi Schwartz on Sunday 22 November 2015
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