Riverside Church

Can a Christian truly rejoice while grieving?In this exegetical sermon from 1 Peter 1:6–9, we explore the tension every believer feels but rarely knows how to explain—joy and sorrow existing at the same time. Peter writes to suffering saints and reminds them that present trials do not cancel salvation; they confirm it.Building on the future hope of 1 Peter 1:3–5, this passage turns our attention to present-day adversity: grief that is real, trials that are necessary, and a faith that is being tested like gold in a refining fire. These trials are not random, nor cruel—they are purposeful, measured, and governed by a Refiner who knows exactly when to pull the silver from the flame.This message walks verse by verse through how:Christians can rejoice and grieve without contradictionTrials test faith, not to destroy it, but to prove it genuineFaith is more precious than gold, because everything else perishesTrusting God in suffering brings Him pleasure and leads to future gloryBelieving without seeing produces an