Dr. Rick Mandl - January 26, 2021
Are You Surprised By Suffering?
Devotional Manuscript: Don’t Be Surprised By Suffering
Message by Dr. Rick Mandl, January 26th, 2021, Eagle Rock Baptist Church
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family, I’ve got a question for you. My question is . . . Do you expect suffering as a follower of Jesus Christ? I think it’s a fair question, because I’ve talked to a lot of people who don’t. They feel as though if they are followers of Jesus, that should mean that they get a pass when it comes to suffering.
The fact is, the New Testament has a lot to say about suffering. The Apostle Peter, wrote his letters during a time of great suffering among those who were followers of Jesus Christ. If you were a Christian living in the first century in the Roman Empire, life wasn’t easy. The governing authority in the land was a mad man named Emperor Nero Historians remember Nero for having Christians burned at the stake, and using their flaming bodies to light up his garden.
It’s difficult to imagine such hatred for God and His people – but that was what those first followers of Christ were up against. Peter, wrote a letter to these first-century Christians to let them know that God had not abandoned them in their suffering , and that suffering was part of the will of God.
Writing in 1 Peter 4:12-13, (NLT) Peter says, "Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world."
The reason that Peter could tell them “Don’t be surprised . . . and “Suffering is to be expected” was because Peter had spent three years walking with Jesus. Over and over Jesus had tried to prepare His disciples for what was ahead.
In John 15:18-19 (NLT) Jesus told them, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.”
It seems at least a little strange that in an age of increasing tolerance, people seem to be growing more and more intolerant of Christians. And yet that’s what we’re seeing. As Christ followers, how should we respond to this? Should we be shocked and outraged? Should we fight back?
The answer is no, we should expect it. This is not some strange, new phenomenon. And even in the midst of suffering God calls us to continue to love our neighbors and pray for our enemies. He also calls us to remember that if we are experiencing suffering for the sake of Christ, that is exactly what Jesus told us would happen.
Whether or not we WILL suffer is often beyond our ability to control. What we can control is how we respond to it when it happens. My prayer is that God would give us the grace to suffer well…and that in the process we would be those who point others to Jesus. . . the one who has promised us that if we are today sharing in His suffering, there is for us a day coming when we will also share in His glory. May that promise give us hope during the tough times – Amen.
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
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