Have you ever noticed that sometimes trouble comes in batches? Life can go on smoothly for a while and then all of sudden Bang! – things go wrong – not just one thing, but several things at once. And you wonder what hit you.
Somebody once had three flat tires in two weeks. He never gets flat tires. But suddenly he had three in two weeks. And two of them happened at the same time!
A flat tire is really no big deal. Having two at the same time was a real annoyance, but nothing more. But what if those flat tires were real crises and three of them all of a sudden came all at once in life?
Do you remember Charlie Brown of cartoon fame? Charlie Brown once said, “It always looks darkest just before it gets totally black!” Things don’t always go as planned. The truth is, no one sails through life without storms.Trouble is something we all have to deal with.
A military chaplain has a sign on his door. It says, “If you HAVE troubles, come and tell me about them. If you DON’T, come in and tell me how you do it!” Good point!
Now listen to 1 Peter 1:6 (nlt): “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.”
I want you to notice the phrase “you have to endure many trials.” What kind of hardship was Peter talking about?
Peter is writing to believers who were going through very hard times. And those hard times were caused in large part because they were Christians. Peter is writing from Rome probably only a few months before the emperor Nero burned Rome to the ground and blamed the Christians. Paul was martyred during the aftermath of Rome’s burning. Followers of Jesus already were beginning to be singled for persecution. Persecution was not universal and it was not that every Christian got thrown to the lions. But some were, and at increasing frequency.
Such were the times at which Peter was writing.
But it really doesn’t matter what kinds of trials make life tough. No matter where our tough times come from, Peter’s message offers insights to all who are facing hardship.
I mean, what do you do when you are faced with cancer? How do you respond when your spouse walks out on you after he or she has betrayed you for so long? How do you handle the reversal of nature and you go through the excruciating time of losing a child? How do you deal with a habit that is messing up your life, but you can’t break its grip on your life?
And so, when Peter begins his letter he does not express how sorry he is that life can be so hard for them. Instead, he gives praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then he adds, “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.”
Notice how Peter talks about being truly glad and about wonderful joy in the midst of serious hardship!
And so, the question I want to answer today is what reasons does Peter give to back up such gladness and joy? Why can Christ-followers still find reason for joy when times are tough?
Peter writes to encourage you and me. And his encouragement is based on this premise: Folks, we are only passing through. This world is not our home.
Notice verse 1, “To God’s chosen people who are temporary residents in the world.” Folks, when the heat is on, we need to have a long view of life.
