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Our Savior has been lifted up at
this conference in the songs and

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and everything, the prayer, just
the emphasis. 

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I hope you understand that this 
conference isn't about me. 

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It's not about Brother Armonza. 
It's not about Brother Shiplet. 

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We're just ministers of His 
word. 

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We're privileged to be so, but 
we're upholding the Lord Jesus 

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Christ and we want to bring 
honor and glory to his name. 

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I want to look this evening at 
the fellowship of his suffering,

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the fellowship of his suffering.
And I feel compelled to preach 

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on this subject tonight. 
It has much to do with our walk 

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with God. 
And I'd like you to turn the 

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Philippians Chapter 3, 
Philippians Chapter 3. 

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We like to be victorious and we 
marvel at gaining potentially a 

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crown. 
But we don't often want the 

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cross. 
But that is just as much a part 

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of our sonship of God as the 
crown. 

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You want the crown, you've got 
to be willing to take the cross.

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And we are in Christ. 
Therefore, if any man be in 

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Christ, if you're saved, you're 
in him. 

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And what did he do? 
He suffered. 

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And so if you're in him, then 
we're invited to embrace that 

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fellowship of his suffering. 
Philippians chapter 3. 

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I'm going to pray 1st and then 
direct you to the text. 

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Let's pray. 
Heavenly Father, I do ask for 

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Your power and your strength to 
preach Your word, and I pray 

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that you would work in all of 
our hearts that good thing that 

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you want to accomplish. 
Lord, I just ask that Your Word 

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would have free course and that 
you'll breakthrough any 

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barriers, and that you'll help 
us and our walk with You and 

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fellowshipping with your dear 
Son even in suffering. 

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I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.
Philippians chapter 3 If you'll 

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stand with me just for the 
reading of the text. 

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Philippians chapter 3 verse #10 
Scripture that I may know him, 

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and the power of his 
resurrection and the fellowship 

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of his sufferings being made 
conformable unto his death, you 

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may be seated. 
Some of the greatest times of 

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fellowship man has ever 
experienced with God has been 

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times when suffering is present.
There's something about 

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suffering, even though it's 
difficult, that it brings you 

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into conformity to his death and
draws you closer to the Savior 

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in a way you never could have 
known without that suffering, a 

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closer identification being 
brought in. 

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I think about, I mentioned when 
I went to the airport to come 

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here, there were a bunch of 
sailors and they were all 

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dressed in their, their sailor 
uniforms and, and sharp and, and

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all of that. 
They had their hats on. 

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And I noticed something, all of 
their conversation, all of their

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fellowship, they're, they're 
laughing. 

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Their, their discussion was 
amongst themselves. 

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They found a camaraderie amongst
themselves that could not be 

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matched outside of that 
brotherhood, if you will. 

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And there's something about 
being brought in to the Lord 

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Jesus Christ and being able to 
take part in everything that he 

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has for us and everything that 
he went through, even his 

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suffering. 
When my mother died and I was 17

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years old, people from all over 
the country tried to console me.

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And honestly, they didn't know 
how I felt. 

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And I, I, I thought that to 
myself, when the average person 

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would come up to me, just 
friends of mine, people that I 

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was acquainted with and, and, 
and, and say, I'm sorry, they 

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didn't know how I felt. 
But when someone that I knew had

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lost a close loved one came up 
to me, all they had to do was 

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look at me and, and, and there 
was a fellowship there based on 

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our mutual suffering. 
No one likes to suffer. 

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There are dear widows in our 
churches. 

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Our heart goes out to them. 
But I would say this suffering 

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has a way of placing you closer 
to the ultimate sufferer and and

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bringing you near to his 
precious wounded side in a way 

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that you never could have 
without suffering. 

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And when you're brought as a 
sufferer into closer fellowship 

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with the ultimate sufferer, you 
find more rest for your weary 

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soul. 
Our carnal flesh hates any form 

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of suffering. 
No one here tonight would 

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volunteer to go through a a bout
of suffering. 

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But it's typically in these 
times, I know it from 

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experience, that we enjoy the 
sweetest fellowship with the 

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Lord and the most willingness to
surrender to Him. 

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We see this in Job. 
His great suffering yielded both

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great fellowship with God and 
great surrender to God. 

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We see this even with our Lord 
suffering his agony in the 

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garden. 
Great fellowship with God, as it

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were drops of blood, but also 
great surrender nevertheless. 

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Not my will, but thine be done. 
There's something about 

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suffering, friend, that brings 
us closer to our God. 

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Now why and how does suffering 
bring forth sweetness? 

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Please bear with me. 
A little bit of turning and then

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we'll get to some major points. 
But first of all, suffering is 

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the prerequisite of our 
glorification with Him. 

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Turn with me to Romans chapter 
8. 

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Romans chapter 8 doctrine in the
Bible that we will be glorified 

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with him. 
That doesn't happen without 

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sufferings. 
We want the glory but not always

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the guts. 
Look at Romans chapter 8. 

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Romans chapter 8 verse #17 The 
Bible says and if children then 

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heirs, heirs of God and joint 
heirs with Christ, that sounds 

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glorious. 
But look at the rest of the 

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verse. 
If so be that we suffer with him

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that we may be also glorified 
together. 

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We we want the inheritance, we 
want the glory, but we want it 

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without the suffering. 
But as far as God is concerned, 

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it's a package deal, the glory 
with the suffering. 

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It's the package of sonship. 
Secondly, suffering is the means

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of our comfort from Christ. 
Go with me to 2nd Corinthians, 

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Second Corinthians chapter 1. 
Suffering is the means of our 

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comfort from Christ. 
In other words, how would you 

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experience the comfort of the 
Lamb of God if you never 

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suffered anything? 
And what would that do to your 

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Christian experience if you 
never experienced consolation 

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from God? 
Look at 2nd Corinthians chapter 

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one verse #5 Scripture. 
For as the sufferings of Christ 

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abound in us, so our consolation
also abounded by Christ. 

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The verse is clear. 
More suffering, more 

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consolation. 
Consolation from God equal to 

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our suffering. 
Paul had all kinds of suffering,

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if you know the Bible. 
Yet he knew, look at that verse,

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that those sufferings were the 
sufferings of Christ. 

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The hotter the day, the more due
at night, The hotter you're 

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suffering, the more due of 
consolation that He grants to 

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you next. 
Suffering is the means of a real

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new life. 
We know that Galatians 220 

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declares I am crucified with 
Christ. 

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Nevertheless, I live suffering A
crucifixion, as it were, with 

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Christ, but that being the 
gateway to a new life, a new 

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direction, a New Hope. 
Dead to religion, dead to works,

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dead to the bondage of sin 
through being crucified. 

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Suffering go with me To 
Colossians. 

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Colossians, suffering is the 
means of edifying the church. 

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Think about that. 
Suffering builds up the body. 

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I don't know that I would have 
believed that without reading it

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in God's word. 
Look at Colossians chapter 1 

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verse #24 Colossians 124 
Scripture who now rejoice in my 

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sufferings. 
Don't miss this for you, for 

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you. 
Paul said his suffering was for 

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the church. 
When someone in our church goes 

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through great suffering, there's
an element of that that is for 

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the church. 
And let's go back to the 

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Scripture and fill up that which
is behind of the afflictions of 

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Christ in my flesh. 
For his body's sake. 

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What's his body? 
The local church. 

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For his body's sake, which is 
the church. 

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He's writing this from jail. 
He says that my sufferings fill 

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up that which is behind of the 
afflictions of Christ. 

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He's not talking about sin 
atoning suffering, but 

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ministerial suffering which 
ministers to God's God's people.

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And so Saul, who became Paul 
suffered, but it wasn't just his

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sufferings. 
It literally built up the 

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churches. 
There's an edifying element to 

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suffering. 
So when Brother Shifflett was 

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talking about Paul and his his 
call and Ananias, what great 

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things he must, Paul must suffer
for my sake. 

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There's all kinds of dimensions 
of this suffering and it points 

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to our edification. 
Suffering is also proof that we 

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will reign with him. 
The Bible says in Second Timothy

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211. 
It is a faithful saying, For if 

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we be dead with Him, we shall 
also live with Him. 

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If we suffer. 
If we suffer, we shall also 

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reign with Him. 
If we deny Him, He also will 

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deny us. 
The reward of suffering is 

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greater than the cheap thing 
that you'll get from quitting. 

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Reigning with Christ through 
suffering. 

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Go with me to first Peter 
chapter 4. 

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Suffering is also proof of our 
future joy. 

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Suffering is proof of our future
joy. 

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I don't know all who in our 
assembly tonight is suffering or

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has suffered, but I know that 
I'm not alone in that. 

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We have suffered in our lives. 
What's for? 

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It's proof of our future joy. 
Look at First Peter, chapter 4, 

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verse #13 I used to think it was
just suffering so many 

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dimensions. 
First Peter 413 But rejoice in 

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as much as you are partakers of 
Christ's sufferings, that when 

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his glory shall be revealed, you
may be glad also with exceeding 

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joy. 
Proof of our future joy. 14 If 

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you be reproached for the name 
of Christ, happy are ye, for the

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spirit of glory and of God 
resteth upon you. 

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On their part He is evil spoken 
of, but on your part He is 

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glorified. 
He took part of our humanity and

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he suffered. 
Why can't we do the same? 

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Should not we be considering 
ourselves privileged to share 

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anything with the Lord Jesus 
Christ, anything, even His 

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suffering? 
In Philippians chapter 3 verse 

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#10 where we started, the word 
is in plural. 

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His sufferings, His sufferings. 
And so as we look through the 

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Word of God to try to see what 
His sufferings are, there are 

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some lessons there that I 
believe we need to take with us 

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to the grave. 
First of all, the animosity of 

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family. 
Second, the alienation of 

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followers. 
Third, the abandonment of 

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friends. 
And then finally, the accusation

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of foes. 
How can his sufferings, plural, 

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benefit our lives? 
First of all, there's the 

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animosity of family. 
For a few moments. 

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Let's enter the shark infested 
waters of what it's like when 

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you decide to live for the king 
and you've got family that's 

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otherwise minded. 
I have a brother, I have cousins

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and in in in large degree. 
They have gone towards the 

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world. 
And as they get into their 40s 

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and 50s and early 60s, they are 
reaping the consequences of 

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everything that they pushed 
aside when it comes to the 

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things of God. 
Turn with me to Mark chapter 3 

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The animosity of family. 
Mark chapter 3 we see that 

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Christ's brothers did not 
believe on him at the beginning,

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and on one occasion they tried 
to restrain him by force. 

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They thought he was crazy. 
Mark chapter 3. 

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Look with me at verse #20 The 
Bible says in the multitude 

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cometh together again, so that 
they could not so much as eat 

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bread. 
And when his friends heard of 

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it, they went out to lay hold on
him, for they said He is beside 

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himself. 
So as friends. 

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00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:14,640
Now in context we know what type
of friends it's talking about. 

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Look at verse #31 There came 
then his brethren and his 

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mother, and standing without 
sent unto him, calling him. 

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They said that Jesus was beside 
himself. 

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00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:32,280
That was a nice way of saying 
that he had lost his mind. 

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The huge crowds so pressed upon 
the Lord that the Bible says 

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that there there wasn't time for
regular meals. 

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Again, this refers to his family
and his close friends. 

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Since Jesus grew up in the 
Galilee, people knew of him, and

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they knew him before his time of
popularity. 

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The carpenter's son or the 
Carpenter? 

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That Carpenter is out of his 
mind. 

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00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:10,760
He left a prosperous business to
become an itinerant preacher. 

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He's out of his mind. 
He's been threatened to be 

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killed and he hasn't backed 
down. 

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He's out of his mind. 
Our relative Jesus, our cousin, 

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our brother, he's out of his 
mind. 

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Huge crowds are following him. 
It's probably going to his head 

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00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:36,440
and making him out of his mind. 
The unlikely disciples that he 

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picked shows that he doesn't 
have much discernment. 

229
00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:44,200
He's out of his mind. 
And then the last straw, the 

230
00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:50,440
pressures of of ministry are so 
great that he doesn't have time 

231
00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:52,520
to sit down and take regular 
meals. 

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You've got to understand how 
important that is to the Jewish 

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00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:57,480
way of thinking, to sit down and
break bread. 

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00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:03,680
And he was declared out of his 
mind. 

235
00:18:05,120 --> 00:18:09,720
I was told that I was out of my 
mind for going to a white 

236
00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:13,240
church. 
I was told I was out of my mind 

237
00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:17,760
for wearing a shirt and tie and 
waiting on the street corner for

238
00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:20,280
my bus captain to come pick me 
up for church. 

239
00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:24,720
I was told I was out of my mind 
for giving up that rap music and

240
00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:28,360
not carousing with the rest of 
my cousins and my brother. 

241
00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:30,120
But I want to tell you 
something. 

242
00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:33,680
There's a fellowship of His 
sufferings, and when you follow 

243
00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:42,600
him, you're not out of your mind
to the alienation of followers, 

244
00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:48,720
the alienation of followers. 
After Christ's teaching on the 

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00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:54,800
bread of life, many of His 
disciples left him. 

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00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:58,960
Turn with me to John chapter 6. 
John chapter 6. 

247
00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:04,920
Often you will suffer at the 
hands of the fringe crowd. 

248
00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:16,360
The fringe crowd in John chapter
6 verse #66 the Bible says from 

249
00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:23,320
that time many of his disciples 
went back and walked no more 

250
00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:27,240
with him. 
As the pressure began to build, 

251
00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:32,960
more and more turned away. 
It says in verse #66 many left 

252
00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:36,040
him, many decided not to stay 
with him. 

253
00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:39,520
The vast majority of the crowd 
didn't stick it out. 

254
00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:42,720
It's always been that way. 
Wasn't it that way in the days 

255
00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:45,360
of Noah? 
The vast majority of the crowd 

256
00:19:45,360 --> 00:19:49,080
was on the outside of the ark, 
not on the inside. 

257
00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:53,680
The majority is not with Christ.
It has never been so. 

258
00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:58,480
And when the final count was 
here in this passage, there only

259
00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:01,760
the 12 remain, and one of them 
was a traitor. 

260
00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:06,360
And if the truth be known, a lot
of churches are no different. 

261
00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:11,320
There is a fringe crowd and 
though they boast of thousands 

262
00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:15,160
of decisions, it can easily just
be a sham. 

263
00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:21,040
And like Christ crowd, the way 
you can tell the fringe is their

264
00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:26,400
lack of devotion to the Word of 
God, the teaching and preaching 

265
00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:30,080
of the word of God. 
You know the fringe will come 

266
00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:34,080
out for a potluck dinner, but 
they might not make it through a

267
00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:37,480
week of meetings like this. 
There's a fringe crowd. 

268
00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:44,080
And before you and I have ever 
known the the heart wrenching 

269
00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:48,520
feeling of the fringe crowd 
walking away, Jesus tasted it 

270
00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:52,520
first. 
And those defectors were called 

271
00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:54,920
disciples. 
They were actually called 

272
00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:58,680
disciples. 
More than just the 12 were 

273
00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:02,200
called disciples. 
The word disciple in its broader

274
00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:08,080
meaning is anyone that would 
claim to know Christ and follow 

275
00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:10,480
him. 
But they were only following 

276
00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:16,280
Christ outwardly. 
These were not bums or or vile 

277
00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:20,360
worldlings. 
These were not people who did 

278
00:21:20,360 --> 00:21:24,760
not profess faith in Christ. 
They were, if you will, the 

279
00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:28,440
religious crowd. 
We have no problem saying that 

280
00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:31,680
the crowd on the outside of the 
church is going to hell. 

281
00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:36,720
But it's hard to accept the fact
that many inside the church who 

282
00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:39,880
claim to be Christians are going
to hell. 

283
00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:44,600
But the Bible says that there 
were many disciples who 

284
00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:47,840
defected. 
That should cause us all to 

285
00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:53,600
examine ourselves like the Bible
says, whether or not we be in 

286
00:21:53,600 --> 00:21:57,160
the faith. 
John 666 says many of his 

287
00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:02,200
disciples went back, went back 
tells us the movement of these 

288
00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:07,120
fringe when they stop following 
him, they went back. 

289
00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:11,040
When people are in the fringe 
crowd today and they leave a 

290
00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:14,960
church like this, they say we're
going to a more progressive 

291
00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:17,320
church, that they're going 
forward. 

292
00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:21,320
But the Bible tells me when you 
leave Christ, you're not going 

293
00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:22,720
forward. 
There's nothing progressive 

294
00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:24,960
about it. 
You're going back. 

295
00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:31,040
The crowd leaving Christ was as 
a dog returning back to its own 

296
00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:34,000
vomit. 
There's nothing progressive 

297
00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:38,120
about that. 
Now how did they prove they're 

298
00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:39,800
leaving? 
How did they prove that? 

299
00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:43,920
Verse 66 tells us they walk no 
more with Him. 

300
00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:47,280
The manner of leaving was to 
leave permanently. 

301
00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:51,320
They never returned. 
There is a crowd that will come 

302
00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:56,560
to a church like this, excuse 
me, pose as disciples and then 

303
00:22:56,560 --> 00:23:00,320
one day walk out the door, never
to return again. 

304
00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:03,480
My friend, don't. 
Don't let that discourage you. 

305
00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:07,440
Because the Savior tasted that 
suffering himself. 

306
00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:11,200
And by the way, Jesus can 
replace them with real 

307
00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:16,120
disciples. 
Third, we see the abandonment of

308
00:23:16,120 --> 00:23:21,840
friends gets thicker, the 
abandonment of friends. 

309
00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:29,800
Go with me to Mark chapter 14, 
if you will, the abandonment of 

310
00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:40,920
friends, Mark chapter 14. 
This now, these now are the real

311
00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:45,440
disciples, the real disciples, 
the real Mccoys. 

312
00:23:46,120 --> 00:23:52,040
Look at Mark chapter 14, verse 
#50 the Bible says, and they all

313
00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:58,440
forsook him and fled. 
One of the most moving places to

314
00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:01,080
visit in Israel is the Garden of
Gethsemane. 

315
00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:07,440
And to picture this scene, it's 
not a complimentary scene for 

316
00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:12,280
the disciples because the Bible 
says that they forsook Him. 

317
00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:17,800
They all forsook him and fled. 
Now let's not get on our Holy 

318
00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:21,960
Horse and say that we would not 
have done the same thing. 

319
00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:25,200
We don't know how we would have 
reacted in that garden. 

320
00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:31,080
The tree that can stand such a 
blast truly has deep roots. 

321
00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:38,200
But the real disciples left 
Christ at the worst possible 

322
00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:44,320
time, at the time when Jesus 
needed His intimates the most 

323
00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:48,440
for support and encouragement. 
If there was any a time, it was 

324
00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:51,280
now. 
And the Bible tells us how many 

325
00:24:51,280 --> 00:24:56,400
of the real disciples fled in 
verse #50 all of them. 

326
00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:02,760
Peter was not the only one who 
denied his Lord. 

327
00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:05,440
Now, true. 
Peter did it in a more 

328
00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:09,320
pronounced way. 
Granted, but the Bible tells us 

329
00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:14,640
that all of the disciples should
be put in the same boat as 

330
00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:18,160
deniers. 
Peter had boasted that he would 

331
00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:21,600
not deny the Lord. 
But if you don't read careful, 

332
00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:23,920
if you don't read careful, 
you'll miss the fact that they 

333
00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:26,960
all said the same thing. 
Go with me to Matthew chapter 

334
00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:29,960
26. 
This will surprise many Bible 

335
00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:35,560
students. 
Matthew chapter 26. 

336
00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:44,320
Yes, Peter, but all of them. 
Matthew chapter 26, verse #35 

337
00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:51,520
Matthew 2635. 
The Bible says Peter said unto 

338
00:25:51,520 --> 00:25:58,200
him, Though I should die with 
thee, yet will I not deny thee. 

339
00:25:58,200 --> 00:25:59,760
Don't miss the rest of the 
verse. 

340
00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:06,960
Likewise also said all the 
disciples, all the disciples 

341
00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:11,800
said they would not flee, and 
all of them fled. 

342
00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:19,000
Let not those that suffer for 
Christ think it's strange when 

343
00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:24,720
even some of the real disciples 
depart from you at your time of 

344
00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:27,480
need. 
Paul experienced this same 

345
00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:30,600
forsaking, he said at my first 
answer. 

346
00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:37,760
No man stood with me, but all 
men forsook me, forsook him. 

347
00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:41,440
What's going on, Paul? 
I'm just experiencing the same 

348
00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:46,640
thing that my Lord experienced. 
Paul had friends that weren't 

349
00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:51,480
there in his critical hour. 
Now, in the context of these 

350
00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:55,600
words, the forsaking of Christ 
was a treasonous thing. 

351
00:26:56,720 --> 00:27:00,680
It was a betrayal. 
It was disloyal. 

352
00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:02,920
There's nothing commendable 
about it. 

353
00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:09,320
It's especially treacherous when
we bear in mind that Jesus was 

354
00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:14,360
there security in that garden. 
The authorities wanted to arrest

355
00:27:14,360 --> 00:27:16,240
them all and take them away. 
Do you remember? 

356
00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:18,480
Jesus spoke up and said you 
wanted me. 

357
00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:22,440
You've got me. 
They forsook the one who had 

358
00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:27,160
stood for them. 
A pastor can surely understand 

359
00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:32,000
that you stand for your people 
and they're forsake you. 

360
00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:37,200
Parents know this experience. 
Spouses know this experience. 

361
00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:43,280
What is it that really save? 
What's wrong with them, my 

362
00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:44,880
friend? 
It's part of the fellowship of 

363
00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:49,520
his sufferings. 
And then forth, The accusation 

364
00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:52,920
of foes. 
The accusation of foes. 

365
00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:57,960
We expect this from our foes. 
They slandered his birth. 

366
00:27:59,120 --> 00:28:03,080
There were a number of attempts 
to take the life of the Lord 

367
00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:07,480
Jesus Christ before Calvary, 
starting with the slaughter of 

368
00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:11,520
the innocents at Bethlehem. 
All of the attempts to kill 

369
00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:16,000
Christ were inspired by the 
devil who would keep him from 

370
00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:20,520
Calvary. 
For Satan knew that the prophecy

371
00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:25,040
of the seed of the woman that 
would bruise the head of Satan, 

372
00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:29,600
and Satan did not want Calvary 
because it was his doom. 

373
00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:35,640
But all of the attempts to kill 
the Lord Jesus Christ fail. 

374
00:28:36,360 --> 00:28:42,080
Some think that Satan took the 
Lord's life on that cross, but I

375
00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:45,720
want to say that it's not so. 
For Christ gave up his own life 

376
00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:49,760
on that cross, and when they 
came to break his legs, they saw

377
00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:53,520
that he was dead already. 
He said, I lay down my life, 

378
00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:59,000
that I might take it again. 
No man taketh it from me, but I 

379
00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:03,880
lay it down of myself. 
I have power to lay it down, and

380
00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:09,400
I have power to take it again. 
But his foes charged him with 

381
00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:13,360
being in league with Satan. 
They said, you're doing this, as

382
00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:17,600
we heard this week by Beelzebub.
They twisted his words. 

383
00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:20,400
They hired false witnesses 
against him. 

384
00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:22,840
They could not pin anything on 
him. 

385
00:29:23,080 --> 00:29:24,320
What? 
What was the problem? 

386
00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:28,640
They didn't like his rebuke. 
When you rebuke a person, they 

387
00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:31,480
will either love you or hate 
you, depending on what they do 

388
00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:35,840
with your rebuke. 
If they take your rebuke, and 

389
00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:38,400
they're better for it because 
it's the right rebuke, they 

390
00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:42,480
repent, they will love you. 
But if they reject your rebuke, 

391
00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:46,360
understand you will have a foe 
that will hate you. 

392
00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:50,560
When Christ rebuked the scorners
in Nazareth, the Bible says they

393
00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:54,120
were filled with wrath. 
They wanted to destroy Him. 

394
00:29:54,440 --> 00:30:00,680
The message of Christ's rebuking
evil produces wrath in people, 

395
00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:05,200
and it's not holy indignation, 
it's the unrighteous anger of 

396
00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:09,160
man. 
We see how they reacted to the 

397
00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:13,960
words of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
If you speak the same thing, 

398
00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:17,400
you're going to have some foes. 
You're going to make some 

399
00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:20,880
enemies. 
Any preacher or Christian who 

400
00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:25,680
dares to expose sin can expect 
the same reaction. 

401
00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:29,920
You will make enemies. 
Beware when all men speak well 

402
00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:34,960
of you, friend, and when they 
don't speak well of you and you 

403
00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:36,800
know you're standing for what's 
right. 

404
00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:40,360
You're just entering into the 
fellowship of his sufferings, 

405
00:30:41,800 --> 00:30:44,200
and that's the way to peace and 
joy. 

406
00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:51,880
If thou be the Son of God, come 
down from the cross and we'll 

407
00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:53,720
believe you. 
That's a lie. 

408
00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:57,560
If he would have jumped down 
from the cross onto them, they 

409
00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:00,600
would not have believed. 
Their problem is that they did 

410
00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:05,240
not want truth. 
They would have come up with 

411
00:31:05,240 --> 00:31:08,120
some other excuse as to why they
didn't believe. 

412
00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:13,800
We've had foes in Chicago, 
people that have told us you 

413
00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:18,320
cannot worship. 
You must close the doors, get 

414
00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:21,960
out of the building. 
And I tell you what, you preach 

415
00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:23,680
the truth. 
You stand for truth. 

416
00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:26,960
You'll have foes. 
The church across the street 

417
00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:29,720
from us doesn't have any foes. 
You want to know why? 

418
00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:31,720
I think they closed for six 
months. 

419
00:31:32,480 --> 00:31:34,720
They don't have foes during 
COVID. 

420
00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:38,960
The government can easily be a 
foe. 

421
00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:44,400
There's all kinds of foes. 
I just want to be a part of the 

422
00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:53,520
fellowship of His suffering. 
Isaiah chapter 53 tells us that 

423
00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:57,960
our Lord was despised and 
rejected of men. 

424
00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:05,680
Am I any better A man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief? 

425
00:32:06,520 --> 00:32:09,040
And we hid, as it were, our 
faces from him. 

426
00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:13,320
He was despised and we esteemed 
Him not. 

427
00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:19,600
My Lord was hated, hated. 
There's something inside of me 

428
00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:23,040
that would say I want to enter 
into that fellowship with my 

429
00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:25,600
Lord. 
And again, I don't. 

430
00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:29,320
My flesh doesn't like suffering,
but there's something about 

431
00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:33,720
loving Jesus that says I want to
embrace, I want to, I want that 

432
00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:36,520
camaraderie. 
If sailors can get together and 

433
00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:40,280
cuss and have a camaraderie with
their friends, surely I can 

434
00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:45,320
enter into the fellowship of his
sufferings in his rejected 

435
00:32:45,320 --> 00:32:49,080
position. 
We can share in that if we 

436
00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:55,840
identify with him. 
Oysters suffer affliction when 

437
00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:59,320
they get a grain of sand lodged 
inside of their shells. 

438
00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:05,040
And no matter what they do, they
can't get rid of that grain of 

439
00:33:05,040 --> 00:33:08,000
sand. 
And so that oyster does 

440
00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:12,280
something peculiar, that thorn 
in their side, driving them 

441
00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:14,360
crazy. 
They say I've got to get some 

442
00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:18,440
comfort in my anguish. 
And so they began to coat that 

443
00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:23,160
grain of sand over and over and 
over again. 

444
00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:28,440
It doesn't remove the grain of 
sand, but it gives a little bit 

445
00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:33,480
more comfort to the oyster. 
And over time, the coating of 

446
00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:38,040
that grain over and over and 
over again produces something 

447
00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:43,440
that costs a mint, a Pearl. 
Do you know what a Pearl is? 

448
00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:46,760
It's the result of an irritated 
oyster. 

449
00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:50,480
Yet it's something that's held 
dear. 

450
00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:55,000
Yes, by, by, by our ladies, 
those pearls, something of great

451
00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:57,600
value. 
Listen, when, when, when God 

452
00:33:57,600 --> 00:34:02,080
allows you to suffer, He's 
producing something beautiful 

453
00:34:02,080 --> 00:34:07,000
for His glory, something of 
great value for His Kingdom. 

454
00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:13,639
Don't be afraid or ashamed or 
throw a pity party for yourself 

455
00:34:14,239 --> 00:34:18,080
when you have to enter into the 
fellowship of his sufferings. 

456
00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:24,920
Pastor. 
Amen. 

457
00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:26,840
Let's stand in our seats with 
our heads bowed and our eyes 

458
00:34:26,840 --> 00:34:29,120
closed. 
What a what a powerful reminder.

459
00:34:29,719 --> 00:34:32,199
And I think that's what that is,
just a reminder that if you are 

460
00:34:32,199 --> 00:34:34,920
going to really sell out for 
Christ, what he talked about 

461
00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:38,159
last night was preached about 
last night, do you really want 

462
00:34:38,159 --> 00:34:39,920
to be right with God? 
Do you really want to have God's

463
00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:41,760
power? 
Do you really want to be used of

464
00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:43,320
God? 
Then you're going to have to 

465
00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:46,440
enter into the fellowship of his
sufferings being made 

466
00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:49,480
conformable unto His death. 
What is the first part of that 

467
00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:53,719
verse says that I may know him. 
That's how you truly know Him. 

468
00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:56,880
Well, I tell you what, the 
thoughts been going through my 

469
00:34:56,880 --> 00:35:00,400
mind the last few days. 
Can you, can you ask God to 

470
00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:06,920
break you? 
Can you ask God to break you so 

471
00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:10,920
that you can be used and molded 
into what He wants to use you 

472
00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:15,160
for and mold you into? 
It's not fun to be broken. 

473
00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:18,000
That's the fellowship of His 
suffering. 

474
00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:21,160
That's how you get to know him. 
That's how you're made 

475
00:35:21,160 --> 00:35:26,040
conformable into his death. 
That's a difficult thing to 

476
00:35:26,040 --> 00:35:30,720
pray. 
God break me so that I can be 

477
00:35:30,720 --> 00:35:33,600
molded into what you want. 
But that's what He wants us to 

478
00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:34,960
pray. 
That's what the fellowship of 

479
00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:38,960
his suffering is all about. 
God spoke to your heart tonight.

480
00:35:38,960 --> 00:35:40,800
That has the piano plays, you 
come.