The Mighty Hand of God
1 Peter 4:12-19, 5:6-11
Seventh Sunday of Easter
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen. The sermon text for the seventh Sunday of Easter is the epistle reading 1 Peter 4 and 5. As a Christian your life is going to be easy. You will be wealthy and successful. Everyone will admire you and think you’re great. You will never have any troubles in your life. Things will always go the way you think they should. Your life will be one of ease and comfort and you will never have to struggle. Notice that Peter in his description of the Christian life does not use any of those words that I just said. As a matter of fact what Peter describes when he speaks about the Christian life is the opposite of what I just said.
In our reading for today Peter instead talks about Christians facing trials and troubles. Recall what he said. “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s suffering, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed”. Peter does not mention anything about worldly wealth and successes in our text. Instead he talks about facing trials and rejoicing in our suffering.
The message about fiery trials and rejoicing in our suffering is not a message that you will hear from the world but it is a message that is repeated often in God’s Word. Peter tells us very clearly that as Christians we will indeed face trouble in this world. Of course it is important to understand what Peter means when he talks about trials and troubles that we will face. Peter is not talking about troubles that come as a result of our own sins. Let me read verse 15. “But let none of you suffer as a murderer or thief or an evildoer or as a meddler”. If one is arrested because he is a criminal, this is to be seen as shameful and the punishment just. Peter does talk about suffering in our text but he is not referring to the suffering people face because of doing the wrong thing. He is not talking about suffering that we will experience because of our bad choices.
Peter is talking about the trials and troubles that we will face in this world because we are a Christian. In the time of the apostles Christians faced persecution because they confessed the name of Christ. In Peter’s day it was not uncommon for Christians to be beaten, imprisoned or even be put to death because they confessed the Name of Christ. Christians face persecution all around the world for confessing their faith.
In our own country we do not face the same kinds of persecution that others do around the world, but we still do face trials. We might face trials for doing the right thing according to God’s Word. A Christian might lose their job or get skipped over for promotion because they refused to engage in dishonest business practices. A Christian might face an angry family member or friend when they confront them in love about a sin and call them to repentance. A Christian might get shut down by others when they speak about Christ. The fiery trials and troubles that Peter is talking about in our text is the kind of suffering that we will experience for confessing the Name of Christ and living according to the will of God.
Peter tells us that we will face trouble in this world. It is a message that is repeated throughout the Bible. But what is interesting is that we are often surprised when it happens. We are surprised when trials come our way. We think that we should be immune to troubles because we are a Christian. When trials happen, we think that God is punishing us. We wonder why we are facing troubles when we are trying to live according to God’s will.
What Peter tells us is that we should not be surprised by troubles in this life. We live in a sinful world. Satan is prowling around like a lion. It should not surprise us one bit that we will face trials from the world and from Satan. As Christians we will face suffering but this suffering does not mean that God has abandoned us. It means that God works through the suffering to bring about a greater good.
Peter tells us that we should not be surprised when trials come our way nor should we be afraid. Let’s face it we don’t necessary like hearing about trials because we are afraid of them. We are afraid of the troubles we might face living as a Christian in this world. But Peter tells us that we do not have reason to be afraid. He tells us that we can rejoice in our suffering because the mighty hand of God is with us. Peter’s message to us is this. Christ cares for His people during times of trouble. Recall what He says. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.”
In our Gospel reading John records for us a prayer that Jesus spoke to His Father in heaven in front of His disciples. In that prayer He asks the Father to glorify the Son so that the Father may be glorified. The glory that Jesus is speaking about is His death on the cross. Nowhere is the Father’s glory more evident than when He gives His beloved Son to die for sinful people. This is where we see the Father’s perfect, glorious, eternal plan to bring about our salvation. Through Jesus and His perfect life, death and resurrection, we are given eternal life. Jesus was also glorified when He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God. Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
As we face the fiery trials of this life, we know that we can look to Jesus and trust in Him. It is especially during times of fiery trial that we call upon His name and cling to His promises. It is the Lord who cares for us. He carries our burdens. He forgives our sins. He preserves us now and forever. It is the mighty hand of God who will sustain us. The main message that Peter is given to us in this reading is this. Christ cares for His people in times of trouble.
The Lord works through fiery trial to draw us closer to Him. He also uses it for the benefit of others. It is often in fiery trials that the people around us see the fruit of faith being worked in us. It is in those times that the glory of the Lord is revealed. Peter then goes on to remind us that any suffering that we might face will only last for a little while because the God of all grace will deliver us from this valley of tears to be with Him for all eternity.
Peter talks about trials in this life. We should not be surprised when they happen. We should not be surprised nor should we be afraid of them because the Lord is with us. It is our Lord’s love that has overcome all the troubles in this world. It is the glory of the Lord that has overcome all the trials we might face. Let me conclude this sermon with the words of Peter. “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.