Thank you for joining us at Key Life Fellowship for our Pulpit
Ministry, podcast. Each sermon on this podcast is
from our 11 a.m. Sunday service.
We are glad that you have joined us digitally, but would love to
see you in person on Sunday mornings at either 9 a.m. or 11
a.m. Now, let's open God's word and
ask him to reveal his truths for our lives.
If you would turn your Bibles to First Peter chapter 4, I will be
looking today at a message entitled suffering.
What? No one wants and everyone needs
And as you're turning. And I want I want to kind of set
the set the tone for us today and set our minds in the right
place in our world today. Is it true that the greatest
commodity seems to be comfort? You don't like your shirt, so
you go, buy a comfort color shirt.
You, you don't like your chairs, it's not comfortable enough.
So you go get a different share. Some of you just came from
enrich next door and you're thankful to be in more
comfortable chairs. But all we wants Comfort, right?
And will do whatever it takes to be comfortable.
We want a different pair of shoes because our old, pair of
shoes aren't comfortable enough. And at every point we seem to
strive for Comfort, we think that comfortable and easy means
best. If it's easy, I like it, it's
comfortable. I'm for it yet.
This Idea doesn't really fit the New Testament Church.
We, we so often in error, we want to get to heaven with no
scars. We want to get to heaven with no
suffering here on this earth and the easiest road we can to get
to heaven and then I'll be good. We want as you've heard, it said
we want a crown with no cross. This couldn't be the farthest
thing from the New Testament Church.
Paul the Apostle writes in 2nd Corinthians, chapter 4 verse 8.
He said that Persecuted perplexed, we're struck down and
we're bearing in our body. The death of Christ later in the
same book, he writes in chapter 11 of second Corinthians.
In verse 24, he says five times I received from the Jews to 40
Lashes. Minus one, three times.
I was beaten with rods. Once I was pelted with stones
three times. I was Shipwrecked, I spent a
night and a day in the open sea. I've been constantly on the
Move, have been in danger from rivers, and danger from bandits
in danger, from my fellow Jews in danger, from Gentiles and
danger in the city. Danger in the country in danger
at Sea. And in danger from false
Believers, I have labored and toiled and have often Gone
without sleep. I've known hunger and thirst,
and have often Gone without food.
I've been cold and naked, he says to Timothy.
And second Timothy 3:12 that if anyone wants to live a Godly
life in Christ Jesus, they will be persecuted.
This sound comfortable? It sound like an easy life.
Oh, Paul is not enough for us and Peter.
It is the moment, the Lord Jesus himself in.
John 16:33 said, in this world, you will have trouble.
And so we must ask. Why has the church bought the
LIE of living a comfortable, life living the High Life
chasing Comfort at all. Cause why is this crept into the
church? Because suffering is going to
look at it. Is truly what?
No one wants and truly what everyone needs.
Let's look at First Peter for together and just to give you a
little background on the book of First Peter, he is writing to
scattered Believers and a common theme is persecution and
suffering. In this book, in fact, in the
Five Short chapters in this book, Peter uses the word suffer
17 times and uses it for in the few verses, we're going to look
at Okay, so the theme in First Peter is very clear, there's a
lot about suffering. What's it mean?
Let's look at it. Verse 12, the First Peter
chapter 4 if you will He says dear friends do not be surprised
at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you as
though something strange were happening to you.
But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of
Christ. So that you may be overjoyed.
When his glory is revealed, if you are insulted because of the
name of Christ, you are blessed for the spirit of glory and of
God, rests on you. Verse 15.
If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief, or any
other kind of criminal or even as a meddler.
However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed.
But praise God, that you bear that name for it is time for
judgment to begin with God's household.
And if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those
who do not obey the gospel of God?
And if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will
become of the ungodly and The Sinner?
So then those who suffer according to God's will should
commit It themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to
do good. And so, there's a few things we
want to look at here and verse from this text, we see that
suffering is certain. We see that suffering is certain
looking verse 12, He begins verse 12 by saying dear friends
and this is the same word as we get another plate beloved.
It's the exact same word that God.
The Father speaks about Jesus Christ at his baptism, is this
is my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased, you have a loving
reminder right off the bat from Peter right here.
He wants his people to not be surprised at the fiery ordeal
that's coming on you and he's going to tell them the truth in
perfect love. And I want you to think about
this and our day and time, no one wants to hear the truth
because they don't think it's very loving.
The most loving thing you can do for someone is tell them the
truth. Peter gives them a loving or
minor dear friends. I love you so much to not let
you be ill-informed to not let you be caught off guard at
what's coming to not be unbeknown of the suffering.
That's about to come upon all of you and he calls it, his fiery
ordeal. This is true.
Pastoral love. You know when someone loves you,
if they tell you the truth, if they're not afraid to maybe
scare you. If there are not afraid to make
me hurt your feelings, but he cared for them deeply and he
wants them to not be surprised. He calls them beloved, he calls
them, dear friends, Your friends suffering a certain suffering a
certain so, so be ready. There is a test coming.
He says don't be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come
to test. You don't be, don't be shocked
by, it's coming. It's guaranteed.
We know it's certain There is this fiery ordeal, he calls it a
test. Now, the test is not for God to
know if their faith is real. So when you go through a test of
faith, it's not for God to know him.
And I wonder if they're going to actually trust me, is that
foolish? Because God knows all things,
right? It's not that God is going to
sit back there and say, man, I really hope they passed this
test. The test is for you.
The test is for you to be refined in your faith to grow as
we sing in your faith. And to really for you to know
for certain is my faith genuine, because when it's tested, and
you'll know said, is the refining by Fire.
This guaranteed test is not an odd test, it's not a strange
test but it's a it's a certain test suffering is certain.
If you're in Christ, suffering is part of your Christian Duty.
It's what you do. Now this debunks just as one
verse the whole Prosperity Gospel, doesn't it?
They god with the blessed with health wealth and prosperity on
this life. All you need to do is just name
it and claim it in Jesus name. Amen.
And it's yours. That's not.
That is not at all. What Paul taught.
That's not at all. What?
Jesus taught. That's not at all.
What? Peter taught that's not at all
what the Bible teaches. If you're following someone like
that or if you're like to listen to someone like that, stop their
leading, you and others to hell. And so Peter.
Guys don't think that you're just going to live a
comfortable. Easy life will be surprised.
Although so far in the history of the church, the church has
been somewhat tolerated. There's been scattered
persecution here and there but there has been no widespread
from the emperor. We're killing the Christians
were persecuting. The Christians Christianity has
not been officially. Outlawed said, you guys have
been tolerated living somewhat comfortable for a little bit of
time? Don't be shocked. when it comes
when we can be shocked, when your world flips upside down,
And persecution was coming on them.
Persecuted persecution is coming on us.
Suffering is coming for us. American Church, don't be
shocked. When persecution comes don't but
don't be surprised when the fiery fiery ordeal comes as
there. Something strange were happening
to you know this it's nothing random.
It is not a random happening is not God.
Sitting back looking and man. Oh man, I can't control this.
I have no control over the situation helpless.
This is not a random situation. This test is for you is test is
not happening. Going by any chance or any
Randomness instead? God is Sovereign over all that,
we believe that God is Sovereign period.
You had any clause or any extra stuff to the end of that phrase,
God is no longer Sovereign. God is Sovereign over all this
includes suffering, this includes persecution.
He's a man that's kind of harsh. I would love some chapter.
Maybe some verses to prove that to me.
I'll give you a whole book, 42 chapters job.
Go read it. Look at that.
Guy was God's Sovereign over job suffering.
Was he not only Sovereign over suffering.
He was Sovereign over Satan himself.
Sane only does what God allows him to do.
He answers to God, everything in creation, answers to the
Creator. Your suffering.
Is not random your suffering is purposeful and we can rest in
the fact that God is Sovereign over our suffering.
And even our persecution can't we if you can't rest in that
menu to check your heart. So we see suffering a certain
very clear, verse 12 or 13 and 14.
We see the suffering brings christlikeness.
Look at that. But rejoice in as much as you
participate in the sufferings of Christ, you bring it brings
christlikeness because you joined with Christ and
suffering. Did Christ that did Christ
suffer unjustly. Yes, the only perfect one.
The righteous Son of God. Died at the hands of sinful men.
He died. A brutal death, a criminal's
death, a murder is death and revolutionaries death.
He died. A death.
That should not have been his. He was led like a sheep to the
slaughter. Yet, he did not even open his
mouth. Unjust suffering.
But we join with Christ and suffering.
We are participating in that and we rejoice in that because we
could to be like Christ Jesus. Hebrews 12 verse 2, it says it
for the joy set before him endured the cross.
For the joy. He was joyous.
Is obedience to the father's will in being crushed for our
sins. What do they ask about your own
life? James 1:2, says to count it all
or consider it pure joy. When You Face Trials of many
kinds do that Do you do you count it?
Joy, when the worst thing imaginable happens to your life,
when everything falls through. Can you count that Joy because
you're actually joining with Christ and suffering.
Oh, so often man, oui oui mon. We complain.
We don't as Paul says in Philippians, 4:4 it to rejoice
in the lord always. And just in case you missed it
the first time he says, again, I say rejoice, you know where he
wrote that In a prison, he wrote that in a prison.
So if suffering he was counting it all joy in the trial that he
was going through. But here's the thing, if you
love The World's comfort, You're not going to rejoice in the
suffering for Christ. You're going to be upset.
You're going to complain. The, you didn't get your way you
to complain that your life is falling apart.
You don't know what to do. Because you love the things of
this world. And not Christ.
First John says, you're not love the world or anything of the
world, you love the world, the love of the father is truly not
in you love Christ, are you love the world?
If you love Christ, you'll Rejoice.
But now you're wondering, why do I rejoice in suffering?
It seems all bad, doesn't it? Everything is crashing down, but
life is falling apart. You rejoice and suffering number
one, because you're participating in Christ.
As we've already said you share in his suffering.
Any Christians want to be like Jesus?
We're Christians right? Where we are Christ's ones.
You want to be like Jesus, be willing to suffer.
Jesus said John 15 20 It's the world hates you keep in mind it
hated me. First, we were to be like
Christ. We are to suffer like Christ the
beginning of this chapter in First Peter, chapter 4 verse 1.
He says therefore since Christ suffered in his body arm
yourselves with the same attitude Because whoever suffers
in the body is done with sin as a result as a result of your
same attitude of suffering with Christ, you do not live the rest
of your Earthly lives for human desires.
But rather for the will of God, you want to just break your own
will realize this, that, hey, when I suffer, I'm living God's
will. And I don't want my well, I want
God's will because his will is always good.
Even in the midst of the most trying times of life God's will
is better than yours and mine. UE rejoice in suffering because
as you participate in Christ's suffering, and you also will be
greatly rewarded. Look at the end of verse 13
there in First Peter He says you participate in the sufferings of
Christ so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is
revealed. Romans 8 says it like this verse
18, our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the
glory that will be revealed with us.
Second Corinthians 4:17, another verse just to stick with the
theme of suffering that is so clear and all the scripture, he
says, our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an
eternal glory that far, outweighs them all.
It's so easy in the trying times to think, man, this is as bad as
it gets and I'm focused on this and man.
Oh, this is awful and whine and complain and bellyache, but we
need to rejoice in suffering. Because we know that it's light
and it's momentary, and it's achieving for us an eternal
glory. That will far outweigh the mall.
And let me tell you this, your sufferings are not meaningless,
they're not for nothing. They are purposeful and they are
for an eternal reward that you will have if you rejoice in your
suffering here on this Earth. Suffering is what we need.
It makes us long for heaven as well, doesn't it?
He's ever had an ailment sickness.
Maybe a family member passes away.
Anything that goes wrong in our life, should make us long for
heaven. The place where suffering is
done away with the price of, There's No More Tears.
There is no more pain. There's no more suffering.
We look forward to that and when that day does come we are
Overjoyed when the Lord's glory is revealed or we won't be able
to contain our jewelry when we meet the Lord, because we
suffered on this earth. And the glory that is revealed
in heaven, far outweighs the bad that we Face here on the in this
world. Suffering brings Christ's
likeness and joining with Christ, brings christlikeness
and growing in Christ. So I wanted to be very clear.
That suffering is necessary for Christian growth.
You've never suffered You're probably not a mature Christian.
First Peter chapter 1 verse 6, it builds on.
Again this this whole topic verse 6 and all this you greatly
Rejoice, there it is again though.
Now, for a little while, you may have had to suffer grief and all
kinds of Trials. These have come so that the
proven genuineness of your faith of Greater worth than gold,
which perishes, even though refined by fire may result in
Praise Glory and Honor. When Jesus Christ is revealed,
when the suffering in the Trials, come in your life.
It is to grow you and to strengthen your faith as with
fire, just as his fiery ordeal was about to come on.
The early church, the fiery ordeal that comes in your life
is to refine you and so you can grow in Christ, perseverance
come, Comes from suffering and perseverance is necessary.
And a true sign of a child of God, a child of God, will
persevere all the way until the end y because suffering has
brought forth perseverance. Listen to this and James 1:2, we
know, consider it pure joy. Whenever you face Trials of many
kinds after this, he says because you know, that the
testing of your faith produces perseverance, let perseverance
finish its work. So that you may be mature and
complete not lacking anything. Why?
Because trials have come tend to the trial.
You've learned perseverance and to the perseverance you have
gained maturity and completeness.
In Christ, you want to be a mature.
Christian going to be a complete Christian be willing to suffer
for Christ. No other way around it again.
Paul says, in Romans five verse 3, we also glory in our
sufferings because we know that suffering, produces
perseverance, perseverance character and character.
Hope you show me a beat and Christian you show me a marred
Christian, you show me a brought down Christian, I will show you
a mature Christian. When you show me a Christian who
is high and mighty and never suffered anything in their life,
and I'll show you someone whose faith is weak.
And I'll show you someone who does not have the privilege of
participating in the sufferings of suffering of Christ.
You grow in Christ in the hard times.
The easy times, it's easy to love God, it's easy to
persevere. You're not persevering for
anything, just walking through life in the hard times, you
strength in the Lord grows. Just like a bodybuilder or a
workout person. I don't see any gains by just
doing 5 push-ups everyday. A magnet five, push-ups.
Anyway, there's something easy, not test their self, not push
their selves, but a person who seems true gains, is someone who
brings their body to the point of breaking so that it builds up
stronger, that's what trials are for the Christian, that's what
suffering does. We grow in Christ and suffering?
And finally we are being blessed by Christ in suffering.
Now, wait a minute a blessing of Christ.
If I were to survey the church and I would have you all write
down one thing that God has blessed you with.
I can guarantee you not one of you would write suffering
because we don't think like that but God does.
This is the mind of God. Look at verse 14.
He says, if you are insulted because of the name of Christ
you are blessed. The spirit of glory and of God
rests on you, God calls. You blessed when you suffer, you
say o. Woe is me, ma'am.
My life is falling apart. God calls, you blessed.
Jesus said this in Matthew 5, verse 10 blessed, are those, who
are persecuted because of righteousness for theirs is the
kingdom 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.
You're blessed by Christ and suffer.
You are blessed so much the word blessed here you see in all
Beatitude blessed are blessed are blessed our if it's even
there blessed are those who are persecuted Peter uses the same
exact word and it means ultimate.
Spiritual fulfillment. It could mean happiness for even
the deeper meaning is to be spiritually fulfilled.
Blessed are the persecuted spiritually fulfilled.
Are you when people insult, you and say all kinds of things
about you, this is opposite. I don't feel blessed.
I feel like everything is not going very blessed.
Well say to you let God be true and every man a liar because
that's the truth, I call you blessed, see the high honor of
suffering that it truly is. When you suffer you have God's
approval in favor on your life. It's what suffering is so being
blessed, is it possible said it like this accept her father?
They were beginning to be persecuted.
They were thrown in jail, they were beaten and they were left
free. And this, they said next 541,
they rejoiced because they were counted worthy to suffer for the
name. That is a backwards thinking
today, isn't it? They rejoiced because they were
counted worthy for suffering for the name.
They got to be persecuted, they got to be beaten for Christ.
Don't want to do anything for Christ, what's left.
If it harms us. Rodger Raymer said it right
about this topic. He said that suffering is not a
punishment, but it's a privilege.
It's a great privilege. I pray that we would share in
the privilege, I probably would share in the blessings of Christ
to suffer one side. Alongside one another one day,
It's a high honor to suffer for Christ.
He didn't just leave his hopeless.
If we receive help in the trial, he says, the spirit of Glory
rests, on you, the spirit of Glory, he's borrowing from the
Old Testament, he's but he's talking about the Shekinah
Glory, that would have filled the temple or filled the
Tabernacle of God's presence. And the Glorious thing about
that is we don't have to go to the temple or Tabernacle.
We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit and God's glory resides
in us through his Holy Spirit. And so, his Spirit rests on us,
we receive help in the midst of a trial from what Jesus calls in
John, 14:16, The Advocate or the counselor, or the comforter, the
Blessed Holy Spirit, who is now in us, giving us his help and it
rests on us and it never leaves it never goes away.
That's why you can stand firm in a trial.
That's why you can receive help and the trial because the helper
is in you and working in you You receive help in the trial you
receive rest in the trowel, don't you remember last week
John? 14:27.
Jesus said do not let your hearts be troubled.
My peace I give you. And I'll give us the world
gifts. You can have the peace of God in
a trial. And suffering and persecution.
What does this look like? Practically?
I'll tell you this. If you do any study on the early
church and any Martyrs all throughout the history of the
church. You see the most the time doing
one thing. When they're either tied to the
stake when they're crucified being nailed to the cross.
They would sing praises Psalms and hymns to God you talk about
rejoicing in the midst of trial. They are being burned alive and
they are praising God for his goodness and his blessing upon
their life that they get to suffer for him.
Oh Peter, didn't he didn't he really live this out.
Oh, you're not going to crucify Me by like my Lord you crucify
me upside down and I'll rejoice in my sufferings.
I'll Rejoice at this fiery trial that's coming on me.
He addressed in the trial you have rest in the trial. finally,
even receive Insurance in the trial you receive and Assurance
in the trial because of Christ, because of what he's working in
your life, how when you get to the end of the suffering,
Whatever you're going through and you say Christ brought me
through, aren't you? Sure of him.
You can note because your faith has grown sure and certain not
in you. Not in how you handled the
situation, but how God just brought me through it.
And God showed himself faithful and true and good through all of
this. And so, I can be sure of the
fact that I'm his, because if I wasn't his, there's no way I'd
make it through this. Try that, at the end of your
life, there's no way I can be standing before you clean Lord
other than Christ, you brought me through the suffering of this
life. In my insurance is only in you
man, we learned that on this side of heaven, we will be
Blessed. Suffering brings christlikeness.
I pray, we even pray for suffering.
We could be more christ-like, thirdly.
Suffering will convict. And I wanted to take the next
few verses I want us to ask for questions and this is a good
principle to ask when you're going through a suffering and
trying time has these four questions?
The first, why am I suffering verse 15?
He says this if you suffer it should not be as a murderer or
thief or any other kind of criminal or even a meddler.
You're suffering for sin and suffering for wrongdoing.
A meddler. This was a someone who probably
sparked a revolution or spoke against the evil regime of the
government. The government had the right to
bear the sword, didn't they? And then suffered just lie
because they spoke or did something against the
government. He says, are you suffering?
Because you're doing these simple things?
If you're suffering because of sin, that's deserve it.
You do the crime, you deserve you deserve the time and the
punishment. So, why are you suffering
suffering as a Christian is not just a cop-out or a trump card
to behave? However, you want and say
whatever you want, whatever you want to whoever you want.
However you want to say it because if they speak against
me, they're really speaking to me, it's Christ.
Yeah, but you were, you were so rude.
You were hateful. You were mean, downright mean.
That's, that's sinful Behavior. You're suffering because of that
are speaking ill against you because of something you did
sinful, that's not true biblical suffering.
Don't get it twisted here, just because any wrong comes on.
You, it's not persecution or suffering because of Christ, it
could be real suffering. The cop that pulled you over for
going 75 and a 55 and wrote you a ticket is not persecuting you.
For being a Christian. He's giving you a ticket for
speeding. There's a difference.
So why am I suffering the reason for my suffering?
Secondly, how am I suffering? It says in verse 16, however, if
you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed.
But praise God, that you bear that name, praise God, that I
bear the name of Christ and get to suffer for him.
And what's wonderful is the word for praise here?
The same root word there is that the same route where we get the
word doxology here. The first song We Sing every
Sunday is praise God, from whom all blessings flow, the
doxology. And so when you go through
trials, Praise. Doxology, the god.
How do I praise God in a trial? That seems so hard and backwards
Calvin said it, right? He said this talking about this
very idea. But one that Praises God, they
feel their guilt is blotted out and abolished before.
God, and on this behalf, then they have reason to praise God.
He speaks of nothing of circumstance.
He speaks his only of the fact that our sins are blotted out
there. For we have reason to praise
God, you've got reason to praise God, even if it's the worst time
of your life, because why? Because Jesus died for me and my
sins are taken away my biggest. Problem is gone, my sins are
gone. My guilt is taken away.
I have eternal life in Christ therefore why should I moan and
gripe and complain? I'm gonna praise God.
That's the big picture here. The big picture is your sins are
gone and that's never going to be taken away.
So therefore I'm going to praise God, no matter what, no matter
what he takes away. Job said it Lord gives or takes
away. Nevertheless blessed be the name
of the Lord. What an attitude I pray, we'd
have that the psalmist had this attitude in suffering.
So I'm 1 1967. He says, before I was afflicted,
I went astray but now I obey your word after being Afflicted
verse 71. He said it was good for me to be
afflicted, so that I might learn your decrees you ever said, it's
good to be inflicted. That's what the psalmist said.
So my learn the decrees, the word of God.
You don't do that without suffering.
How are you suffering? Do you see it as a badge of high
honor? The God has given you that you
get to suffer for Christ? You see, like the apostles, an
ax. Rejoice, because they were found
worthy to suffer for the name. Also, Paul in Philippians 1:29,
he said it has been granted to you.
It's been given a gift of God that you behalf of Christ.
Not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him.
Oh, will agree with a man faith in God is a gift.
We can only have faith in God as if he gives it to us.
Oh, Paul says, you believe in God because God has granted you
the faith to believe. He's also granted you.
The gift of suffering for him. See the gift that it is, how are
you suffering? You're suffering with that in
mind. Are you suffering ashamedly?
Don't be ashamed. When Peter uses the term
Christian. This was a derogatory term of
the day, they were the lowest, they were the scum of the earth.
Those Christians that Jewish sect Christians, you suffer for
the name of Christ, don't be ashamed where the name of Christ
proudly and boldly Never Back Down.
Never be ashamed. Even in the suffering.
Oh when the world comes in, the enemy comes, why are you even
hope? Why are you holding on in the
storm? When Jobs wife says Curse God
and die. Don't be ashamed.
Wear the badge With Honor. Third question, will I suffer
eternally? Is this going to be what's going
to happen to me forever or 17? Says, for it's time for judgment
and he says, judgment here. It's not talking about
condemnation, but to refine the church as he's talking about
first time for judgment to begin with God's household.
And if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those
who do not obey the gospel of God?
He's using an argument from the Lesser to the greater here,
saying, if even the children of God suffer, how much more will
the ungodly? He says, in verse 18, if it's
hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the
ungodly in the center? If he Even us who are in Christ
suffer in this life, man. How bad will it be for eternity
for the ungodly who those who do not obey the gospel of Christ.
The answer is very bad worse than we could ever imagine.
Will you suffer for eternity? He's going to happen to me, I'll
tell you this. Jesus teaches the parable of the
soils, Matthew Chapter 13. And there was four four types of
soils, one of those types of soils, when trouble or
persecution came because of the word, they quickly fell away.
If you give up during trials and persecution when tough get
things, get tough, you're not, you're not saved.
And persecution is such a blessing because this, you know,
who's on your team, you want to separate the unbelievers from
the non-believers you want to have judgment begin with the
house of God persecution comes and the false believers.
They fall away and they leave because they were never truly
Believers at all. The real Believers know they
persevere to the end because they see trials.
I counted as Joy. My suffering is joy that this
that my present suffering is not worth comparing with the glory.
That is to be revealed. This is good.
Good. I get to do this for Christ, the
non-believer says no, I'm worried about me.
Worry about my job or about my status and worried about my
family. The believer says Kill them all.
You can't take Christ kill me. You can't take Christ.
Take everything I have. You can't take Christ.
So willing to suffer for Christ. If you're not, you're going to
suffer for all eternity. If that's you, if you're not in
Christ, you will, you will suffer and pay the penalty for
your sins. For all eternity, a debt that
you will never be able to pay off a debt that you will spend.
All eternity forever and ever suffering, the just punishment
for what you've done sinning against the holy God.
And there will be no getting out.
Jesus said, it's the place where the fire never quenches in the
worm Never Dies, it will be an eternal death forever.
Separated from the love and goodness of God, the faithful
Creator, the one that you might have even claimed to know.
And so in suffering happens you need to ask, Will I suffer
eternally If you come to the collusion.
Yeah, never trusted in Christ. I've never truly placed my faith
in Christ. I've never repented of my sin
come to Christ today. The one who suffered once for
all sins and join him in the suffering.
Fourth question. And suffering.
Comes my reaching others. Oh, and suffering happens.
Do you think about this man? There are people.
If they don't know Christ, they will suffer forever.
They will find themselves in Hell unless they believe the
gospel of Jesus Christ. And I have the message of hope.
So, therefore, I need to reach them with a message of
Salvation. Is that how you look at
suffering? Oh, when bad things happen,
don't run away, run towards the fight.
Run towards the fight of reaching others.
Because they don't hear the message.
How can they believe? They don't believe how can they
be saved? We've got the answer of Hope,
bring that message of Hope suffering will convict on it.
Fourth suffering, develops confidence.
From suffering, develops confidence first, and God's
sovereignty. Anybody by show of hands, say I
want God's will for my life. Yeah, we want, his will, his
will is to suffer. And I also join they'll still
with their hands in the air. You really want God's will in
your life? Oh, we know God Sovereign Over
All. What he says in verse 19.
So then those who suffer according to God's, will you
that according to God's will, God is not in active, God's
active, God's will will happen. Well, who can thwart the will of
God? When we suffer develops
confidence in his Sovereign hand in his Sovereign, infinite mind,
this is somehow good. I'll remind you of a passage of
scripture that some of, you know, by heart, you have quoted
and plaster, maybe in your house, or in your office, Romans
8. We're gonna do something odd and
we're gonna read more than 28 verse 27.
In the context of suffering. Paul writes, the spirit
intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God,
the spirit prays for you in accordance with God's will in
your suffering because you're going to pray, God, get me out
of here, the spirits going to pray Lord, grow them, Lord
matures him. Lord Show Yourself faithful in
Sovereign in their life. Verse 28, we know we know
without a doubt that in all things, God works for the good
of those who love him who have been called according to his
purpose for those God foreknew. He also predestined to be
conformed, to the image of his son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
What that teaches is before anything began.
God had chosen you Christian to be conformed to the image of
Christ and he accomplishes that too.
The day-to-day lives of us by bringing us through suffering to
make us more like Christ refining Us by fire that is the
Hope and God Sovereign hand that we have amidst trials that will
develop confidence and you know what God will do, he will work
his purpose, your suffering is not meaningless, your suffering
is to make you more like Christ and oh The Sovereign Mind Of
God. Because would we do it like
that? We go, the easy route and
they'll Staples commercials hit the easy button, it would smack
the Easy Button. We God says, I my way is better
and we know that he works all things for the good of those who
love him and are called according to his purpose
suffering. Also, develops confidence in
God's faithfulness, there's no doubt We've all been through
trials suffering or persecution, no matter how intense it may be.
Has God ever under delivered in the time of trying?
How he's always shown himself. Faithful, will he ever
under-deliver? Be confident in that?
Be confident in God's faithfulness.
His name is faithful and true. And the one who's faithful.
Peter says, we can commit themselves and ourselves to our
faithful Creator and continue to do good, we commit ourselves.
We entrust ourselves, it's a banking term that, you know
what? It means you go and entrust your
funds for someone. We entrust our life.
To our faithful Creator. He's our only hope.
He is our hope and live, he is our hope and death.
He is our Hope For Eternity. He is our Eternal hope and we
can commit Our Lives to him. We can take him to the bank on
his faithfulness. Jesus Christ.
He said this, he was on the cross.
He said, father into your hands. I commit my spirit.
Oh, what ultimate Trust. What commitment he had in his
father's faithfulness. We develop confidence in that
suffering. We develop confidence to press
on because of God's sovereignty because of his faithfulness.
We continue to do good, no matter the Flames.
All when the world comes out us to to try to knock us off the
narrow path. We continue to do good, because
we haven't trusted ourselves to the one who is faithful and true
and Sovereign and good. No matter what comes we
continue. To do good.
We don't say, man, this really isn't worth it. man, I've
trusted Christ my whole life and I've got is a tough life.
Or the early Martyrs polycarp. He said when they nailing him to
the stake, he said for 82 years, have I served him and he's never
let me down. He lived a tough life of
suffering persecution because of the name of Christ. now this
letter, that Peter wrote, he wrote in the year 64 ad and
something happened in that same exact year, the emperor Nero of
Rome, he was the emperor of really all the known world.
At the time, he said the city of Rome on fire.
And proceeded to he was a Madman proceeded to blame the
Christians for it, something that he did, he blamed the
Christian and then boom persecution erupts from there.
And in the same year that Peter writes this to the church, he
wrote does this, he had some Christians sewn in skins of wild
beasts and then mauled by dogs until they died.
He had others dressed in shirts made stiff with wax.
Fix them to trees and set them on fire in his Gardens to
illuminate. His garden parties talk about a
fiery ordeal that's not about that's about to come on them
right? Oh that hit home.
Oh the first Christian, that was lit into flames.
Probably recall the words of Peter.
He told us, don't be surprised, he told us, this is coming.
We're going to rejoice in them and so you Christian don't be
shocked. At the fire World, fiery ordeal
that has come on you to test you.
You said there's been I don't know about persecution coming in
the Good Ol us of a. How can that happen?
Why can that happen? Wait, when we have the First
Amendment, we got rights Wanted are you triple dog?
Dare you even stand firm on God's truth and watch
persecutions hand fall fast stand.
Firm on the truth of the Gospel will be persecuted, you'll be
insulted. Some of us may even find
ourselves in prison or even killed for our very faith.
I pray that God would give us the blessing of being martyred
along side of one another. I would want nothing else on
this Earth to go out in a blaze of glory with one of you.
What a privilege, what a blessing.
That would be. You stand firm on biblical
truth. You'll be persecuted stand firm
on sanctity of life. You're called a woman hater.
You stand firm on the sanctity of marriage.
One man, one woman for life you're a hater.
You stand firm on the true fact that God created mankind male
and female he created them. And they have no right to
choose. That's what God Made You.
You're a hater. You say that Jesus is the only
way to Salvation and all other religions lead to hell.
You are the biggest bigoted that has ever been seen in this world
and you are the scum of the earth.
You know what you're doing, you're bearing the name of
Christ and bear the name of Christ, unashamedly.
You hold to any biblical worldview.
You're a dummy. You're illiterate you don't
trust the science. Are you a barbarian?
What are you? I'm a Christian.
You become the outcasts, you get insulted, you get cancelled, you
get persecuted. Don't be shocked when it comes
on you. It is coming fast.
You see the pattern that's being laid here.
What suffering does come Suffer? Well.
Christian. You have no reason to worry the
face of suffering. You have no reason to worry.
You have peace, you have rest, you have the blessing of God.
Continue to do good. Trust God in your suffering.
He is our faithful Creator and you can commit your life to him.
And to his cause you can bear the scars that he is ordained
that you have on this Earth. What a joy.
I get to walk in the will of God in suffering, and persecution
and trials of many kinds. And in that I will rejoice.
I give a warning to some of you who think you're following
Christ and comfort. You live in the easy life and
you think everything's good with you in the man upstairs.
Some of you will say remind you of the words of Jesus in Luke
9:23. He said this whoever wants to be
my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and
follow me you've got to carry around death with you everywhere
you go if you want to be his disciple.
Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses
their life, for my sake will save it.
Puritan Thomas Watson Road of Trials.
He said the test of a pilot is seen in a storm.
So the test of a Christian is seen in Affliction.
You want to know if your faith is real.
Walk through the storm broke through the trials.
Oh, you'll know very quickly if your faith is real or
counterfeit, Do you have faith? Do you have true faith in Saving
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Will you be counted worthy to
suffer for your for him? You have the Blessed hand of God
upon your life to get to do that.
You either suffer for him now. And experience is blessing or
you will suffer at the hands of an Angry God for all eternity.
If you are in that camp, your faith has never been placed in
Christ. If he is not your hope, if he is
not your salvation, I beg you and plead.
You come to Christ today, repent, and commit your very
life to Jesus Christ. The faithful Savior.
He will save you to the uttermost.
You say I don't know how he can save me, check, you don't know
what I've done. The Lord does the Lord will
forgive you? He will cleanse your sin, he
will bless you with his eternal blessing and he will even bring
you into a place where you can rejoice in the midst of
suffering, that is only brought by the hand of God.
If you don't know Jesus today is the day of salvation.
If, you know him For Joyce. Rejoice in him.
Let's thank him. God, we thank you so much for
the privilege. It is just walk.
With you. To walk in the peace that comes
from knowing you. Lord to Bear the name of Christ
that we are. So, Unworthy of I pray that you
would give us a heart of joy and praise emits, no matter what
comes Lord that we may be fixed on you.
That our eyes will be. Fixed on you, there are life
would be about you that our words would speak of you.
Oh, that I praise would go to you.
And Lord, we thank you for your word.
We thank you, that it is true. We pray that it would convict.
We prayed, it would draw centers and do the work or that you have
for it to do. For the, you would cultivate
hearts. You would work, but most of all
you would be made known and all glory.
And honor would be to you. Jesus, we ask this in your name.
Amen. Thank you for listening to the
key Life Fellowship, Pulpit Ministry podcast.
If you would like to talk with one of our pastors, please email
us at info at Key Life Fellowship, dot org or call us
at 28 1689 1604. We can also visit our web site
at www.ttil.tv. Cam, we hope and pray.
You have a blessed week, and remember you are lying in the We
can also visit our web site at www.ttil.tv.
Cam, we hope and pray. You have a blessed week, and
remember you are lying in the