“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 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.” (1 Peter 1:3-7 – NIV)

How blessed we are to have these beautiful words of encouragement from Peter. In this short section, we are reminded of who we are, what God has done for us, the promise of a fabulous future and the means by which we are able to face trials and suffering in this world.

We are blessed. But are we blessed when face all kinds of trials?

You might recall Jesus’ words from Matthew 5:10-12. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

I believe we can all agree; trials and suffering for Jesus’ sake brings blessings upon our lives.

So what blessings do we receive through suffering when our lives are lined up with God’s Word? Let’s look at the blessings bestowed upon us as we walk through suffering or trials for Jesus’ sake.

First, we see that our inheritance is in heaven. Hope fills our lives as we think and believe and ponder heaven. We’ve all heard the beautiful descriptions of what heaven will be like. But in reality, the best part of heaven is knowing that our heavenly Father and Jesus are there. A glimpse of Jesus will cause all the pain from this world to diminish…to disappear. And in this blessed promise we find great hope and rejoicing.

Another blessing we receive through trials and suffering is the refining of our faith. As we walk through these trials, our faith is put to the test. Our faith is put through the refining process.

“Peter likens the proof or the trial of our faith to the refining of gold. Both gold and silver were refined and purified by fire. Gold and silver would be subjected to various intensities of heat until all their dross (lead or impurities) was consumed. If the silver did not release its dross, then it would be rejected as reprobate silver. Hence, the analogy of purifying gold and silver came to be used with the purification of the children of God.”[i]

Gold was the most precious thing on earth that Peter could think of. Once gold is put through the refining processes, it is even more valuable. There is nothing more valuable than gold.

At the end of the refining process, genuine gold or silver are the end products. So as it is with gold and silver, the end product of this refining process for us is faith that has been proven genuine.

When our faith has been proven genuine through suffering and trials, then we can build upon that faith. Peter shares these words in 2 Peter 1:5-8 for us to have a deeper understanding of how our faith is to continue in the growth process. “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive.”

There is so much packed into these verses and we will look at them more later in this study, but as part of our faith journey, we must “make every effort” in each of these areas. And as we do so, we will be effective and productive through this process. And think of facing a trial or suffering without these qualities. We might retaliate. Show hatred. Say or do cruel things. But with these qualities continually growing in our lives, we are able to face trials and suffering in the same way Jesus did.

You studied the steps that Jesus took this week from 1 Peter 2:22-25. Do you recall what they were?

• He committed no sin
• No deceit was found in His mouth
• He didn’t retaliate when insults were made
• He made no threats when suffering
• He entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly

Easier said than done, right? But as our faith is refined and made genuine, we will want to be more like Jesus.

And finally, in this passage we see that our refined faith will result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus returns. We may struggle with these words, but let’s take a closer look at their meaning.

We face trials and suffering. Our faith is refined and deepened and grows. And then we head on to heaven. Jesus meets us and says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21 – NIV) Well done.

Now we all know that we are going to make huge blunders, but this verse isn’t talking about those mishaps. This verse is pointing directly to our faith. Our faith. As our faith deepens and grows and produces good fruit, when Jesus returns, we will hear His words of affirmation. That is why Jesus will praise us. That is why we can share in His glory. That why He presents us to God as His faithful servants. Because of our refined faith.

When we come out on the other side of a trial or suffering, our faith must be stronger. Our faith must be deeper. Our faith must be refined. That’s what our faith walk is all about. We may not be perfect on the other of all these various trials, but we know that we can trust God to keep His promises as we are going through the test.

As you learned this week, we will face trials and sufferings. You also learned from 1 Peter 3:13-17 some important things for us to do while going through the refining process. I want to remind you of these precious words of encouragement from Peter.

• Remember, you are blessed
• Don’t fear what your persecutors fear
• Set apart Christ as Lord in your heart
• Always be prepared to give an answer
• Hold on to the hope
• Be gentle and respectful
• Keep a clear conscience
• Be on your best behavior
• Do good

As a final thought, let’s remember some of Jesus’ words of encouragement He shared with His disciples and then some encouragement from the apostle Paul.

“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 – NIV)

“…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b – NIV)

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” (John 14:16-17a – NIV)

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us…If God is for us, who can be against us?…In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:18; 31; 37 – NIV)

I pray that you will find great comfort in these words. With God in our corner, Jesus’ victory over this world and the Holy Spirit as our guide, we will be able to face our trials and sufferings with confidence. God has given us the tools. Let’s pick them up, learn how to use them and then know that our faith will be more genuine on the other side of this present suffering.

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21 – NIV)

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

[i] 1 Peter: How to Stand Firm When Tested, Precept Upon Precept, Kay Arthur, Precept Ministries International, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 2013, page 38.