HOPE IN SUFFERING
Pastor Bill Young
bill@trc.life
Four reasons to have
I. Because your suffering is
1Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
A. Our suffering will come to an
1 Peter 5:10 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.
II. Because your faith will be
1Peter 1:7 These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
A. Suffering is God’s tool to
Heb 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
1 Cor 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
B. Suffering is God’s pathway to
James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
III. Because your salvation is
A. Faith and salvation bring inexpressible
1Peter 1:8-9 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
IV. Because Jesus suffered for
A. Jesus’ death purchased salvation for you. That’s called
1Peter 1:10-11 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
1Peter 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
V. Summary:
We can have have
But, HOPE must have the foundation of
Discussion Questions:
1. Peter tells us that our suffering is temporary. Explain why you feel this is true, or describe why this concept is hard for you to understand.
2. Describe a time in your life when you were motivated by the “reward” of something you were really excited about receiving (vacation, present, job, relationship, etc.) Why is heaven such a great motivator? How can it motivate you even more?
3. Do you believe that your salvation is secure and can’t be taken away or lost? Why or why not? Share verses that apply (See John 10:29, Jude 24, Ephesians 4:30, Romans 8:38-39.)
4. GRACE can be defined as, “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” Talk about a time someone gave you “grace” or mercy. How did that make you feel?