Introduction
Are you willing to let God reshape your definition of a “good week”, even if it includes hardship, so that your joy is rooted in Christ and not in comfort? The central truth I want to press into your heart is this: biblical joy is not the absence of suffering, but the presence of Christ and the certainty of His coming glory, which transforms how we endure trials.
As we move through Advent (a season of waiting with expectation) and continue in 1 Peter 4:12–19, we’re not asking, “Should Christians be joyful?” Scripture is clear that we should. The deeper question is: How do we actually have joy, real joy, not pretend joy, in the middle of imperfect days, difficult relationships, hard news, and painful seasons? Peter gives us lenses for suffering that produce a joy the world cannot manufacture.
Main Points
Are you willing to let God reshape your definition of a “good week”, even if it includes hardship, so that your joy is rooted in Christ and not in comfort? The central truth I want to press into your heart is this: biblical joy is not the absence of suffering, but the presence of Christ and the certainty of His coming glory, which transforms how we endure trials.
As we move through Advent (a season of waiting with expectation) and continue in 1 Peter 4:12–19, we’re not asking, “Should Christians be joyful?” Scripture is clear that we should. The deeper question is: How do we actually have joy, real joy, not pretend joy, in the middle of imperfect days, difficult relationships, hard news, and painful seasons? Peter gives us lenses for suffering that produce a joy the world cannot manufacture.
Righteous Expectations For The Christian Life
Peter begins with a loving but bracing command: “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you…” (1 Peter 4:12). I need you to hear this plainly: when you follow Jesus, hard things are not abnormal, they’re expected.
So many of us measure God’s favor by how smoothly life goes. We assume a “good week” is a challenge-free week. But Peter says, “Don’t be shocked.” The world is fallen. Plans break. Bodies fail. People disappoint. You will face trials that feel like fire.
And notice the purpose: the trial is “to try you” (v.12). God uses difficulty as a test, not to destroy you, but to reveal and refine what’s actually in your heart. Just like an exam shows what a student has learned, trials expose what we truly believe about God. They shake the tree to reveal the fruit.
If you want discipleship that stays theoretical, you’ll resent this. But if you want discipleship that becomes real, you’ll begin to say, “Lord, teach me through this. Show me what’s in me.”
Expect Glory To Outweigh Your Suffering
Peter doesn’t just say, “Expect trials.” He also says, “Rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:13).
Here’s the second expectation I want you to carry into your week: God’s glory will outweigh it all. Peter places suffering on one side of the scale and the revealed glory of Christ on the other, and he’s telling you the glory wins, every time.
That’s how humans endure suffering at all: we endure when we believe there’s a meaningful outcome on the horizon. Scripture gives us the ultimate horizon: the coming revelation of Christ’s glory and our inheritance with Him.
This fits Advent perfectly. Advent trains our posture of waiting, not with gritted teeth, but with expectation. Even now, we “taste the coming joy” while the world is dark. Your pain is real, but it is not final. Your story is not finished where it hurts.
Rejoice When You Share Christ’s Reproach
Peter gets specific: “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Peter 4:14).
Some suffering is uniquely Christian: the pain of being misunderstood, excluded, or spoken against because you belong to Jesus. If your obedience makes you look strange in your workplace, your family system, or your friend group, Peter says, “You are blessed.”
This isn’t new. Jesus taught the same thing: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you…for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:11–12). Keep your eye on the horizon line: reward is coming. And you’re in good company, prophets before you, and ultimately Christ Himself.
And remember one of the great summaries of this whole letter: “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). Following Jesus is not a promise of ease; it is a call to walk in His footsteps, even when that path includes suffering.
Examine What Your Suffering Is For
Peter then gives a sober correction: not all suffering is the kind that produces godly joy. He says, “Let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters” (1 Peter 4:15).
I need to disciple you here with honesty: some pain is simply the harvest of sin, folly, or meddling. Peter is calling us to examine our lives and ask:
- Am I suffering because I’m faithful, or because I’m reckless?
- Is this trial refining me, or is it exposing patterns I need to repent of?
- Am I experiencing consequences that God is using to wake me up?
This is not condemnation; it’s clarity. Godly joy is not found in excusing sin. Joy grows where repentance and faith grow.
Don’t Be Ashamed, Glorify God In It
Peter continues: “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter” (1 Peter 4:16).
Shame is one of the enemy’s sharpest tools in suffering. It whispers, “If you were really loved by God, this wouldn’t be happening.” Peter replaces that lie with courage: don’t be ashamed. This is not proof of God’s absence. For the believer, suffering can become a platform for worship.
So I want you to practice something very concrete: when you feel the pressure to hide your faith or to interpret hardship as rejection, deliberately pray, “Father, help me glorify You in this.” Not just after it passes, in it.
God Is With You In The Fire
One of the most tender promises in this passage is in verse 14: “the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” When you’re reproached for Christ, you are not abandoned. God draws near with a particular help, comfort, peace, strength, and presence.
This is where Advent becomes more than sentiment. Christmas is not merely tradition; it is theology. “They shall call His name Immanuel…God with us” (Matthew 1:23). We don’t worship a distant God who waits at the top of the mountain for sufferers to climb up. We worship the God who came down, into poverty, darkness, weakness, and human pain, and who suffers with and for His people.
So when you’re tempted to say, “God must be far away,” I want you to answer with Scripture: Immanuel. God with us. The Spirit of glory rests upon you.
Conclusion
Peter trains our perspective so that joy becomes possible, even in fiery trials. He gives us righteous expectations (hardship will come; glory will outweigh it), a needed examination (what kind of suffering is this?), and a steady confidence (no shame, God’s presence, and a future joy that will exceed the pain).
As you walk into this Advent season and into whatever your week holds, don’t chase a Hallmark version of life where everything resolves quickly. Chase the deeper gift: joy rooted in Christ, strengthened in trials, and anchored in the coming revelation of His glory.
Father, thank You for Your Word that tells the truth about suffering and the greater truth about Your glory. Forgive me for the times I’ve expected a pain-free life and interpreted trials as Your absence. Teach me not to be surprised by fiery tests, but to receive them as Your refining work. Give me discernment to examine my life honestly, so I don’t suffer for sin, but for faithfulness. When I’m reproached for the name of Jesus, help me not to be ashamed, and let me glorify You in that moment. Thank You for Immanuel, God with us, thank You that Your Spirit rests on Your people. Fill me with real joy as I wait for Christ’s glory to be revealed. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Conclusion
Peter trains our perspective so that joy becomes possible, even in fiery trials. He gives us righteous expectations (hardship will come; glory will outweigh it), a needed examination (what kind of suffering is this?), and a steady confidence (no shame, God’s presence, and a future joy that will exceed the pain).
As you walk into this Advent season and into whatever your week holds, don’t chase a Hallmark version of life where everything resolves quickly. Chase the deeper gift: joy rooted in Christ, strengthened in trials, and anchored in the coming revelation of His glory.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for Your Word that tells the truth about suffering and the greater truth about Your glory. Forgive me for the times I’ve expected a pain-free life and interpreted trials as Your absence. Teach me not to be surprised by fiery tests, but to receive them as Your refining work. Give me discernment to examine my life honestly, so I don’t suffer for sin, but for faithfulness. When I’m reproached for the name of Jesus, help me not to be ashamed, and let me glorify You in that moment. Thank You for Immanuel, God with us, thank You that Your Spirit rests on Your people. Fill me with real joy as I wait for Christ’s glory to be revealed. In Jesus’ name, amen.