WEBVTT 00:00:00.760 --> 00:00:07.879 Amen. If you have a Bible, please turn with me to the second part of 1 Peter chapter 4. 00:00:08.820 --> 00:00:15.500 And we'll continue on. We'll continue on in our series in 1 Peter. 00:00:15.700 --> 00:00:20.940 But before we go into it, tell me if you hear the difference. 00:00:21.339 --> 00:00:22.760 I'm going to say the same statement twice. 00:00:23.500 --> 00:00:25.219 What have I done to deserve this? 00:00:26.179 --> 00:00:29.300 And what have I done to deserve this? 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:36.759 It's interesting that the same phrase, spoken in different ways, mean completely different things. 00:00:37.079 --> 00:00:40.700 It's exact wording, but the emphasis is clearly off. 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:43.039 What have I done to deserve this? 00:00:43.120 --> 00:00:50.420 You can picture somebody with a wonderful banquet or maybe, I don't know, it's like the third win in a row. 00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:51.640 They're enjoying life. 00:00:52.579 --> 00:00:54.980 But somebody's saying, what have I done to deserve this? 00:00:55.760 --> 00:00:58.000 Sorrow and heartache has gripped them. 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:04.920 Although both sentences, they share this exact wording and they are different in emphasis, 00:01:05.579 --> 00:01:08.920 they both convey the same interesting truth. 00:01:08.920 --> 00:01:32.460 Interestingly, this reveals something remarkable about the human heart. 00:01:32.459 --> 00:01:39.959 That we deep down believe that good behavior ought to be rewarded and poor behavior ought to be overlooked. 00:01:41.459 --> 00:01:45.739 We shouldn't be punished or suffer for the things that we do wrong. 00:01:45.739 --> 00:01:50.219 But not just any poor behavior, just my poor behavior. 00:01:50.719 --> 00:01:53.439 Those that wrong me, they deserve justice. 00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:55.140 Don't overlook them. 00:01:55.739 --> 00:02:01.719 Our friends, our family members, those that are closer, close to us, they get a pass too. 00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:05.799 But how about those that are on the wrong team? 00:02:06.599 --> 00:02:08.000 Are part of the wrong people? 00:02:08.459 --> 00:02:11.519 Or think the wrong way, vote the wrong way. 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:14.620 They deserve what is coming to them. 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:22.280 It's interesting that the sins of others is excusable. 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:26.160 But when we sin, when we suffer, when we do things that are wrong rather, 00:02:26.980 --> 00:02:29.580 nuance should be considered before judgment is passed. 00:02:30.540 --> 00:02:31.719 Understand the context. 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:33.200 Of course I had to do it this way. 00:02:34.260 --> 00:02:35.320 It's understandable. 00:02:35.319 --> 00:02:37.939 So why do I bring this up? 00:02:38.979 --> 00:02:41.680 Peter will once again address the topic of suffering 00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:44.859 in order to answer a very honest question 00:02:44.859 --> 00:02:48.639 that many in the congregation in Asia Minor, 00:02:49.060 --> 00:02:54.139 but really it's a perpetual question that the church asks from generation to generation. 00:02:55.060 --> 00:02:55.659 And that is, 00:02:55.879 --> 00:02:57.859 why if I am following Christ, 00:02:58.419 --> 00:03:01.680 if I am doing good according to God's will, 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:03.560 why do I have to suffer? 00:03:03.560 --> 00:03:06.319 Why should I suffer? 00:03:07.199 --> 00:03:10.840 If I am doing the greatest possible good, 00:03:10.939 --> 00:03:11.520 the New Testament, 00:03:11.740 --> 00:03:13.080 follow God's will, 00:03:13.240 --> 00:03:20.920 and it is the highest expression of good action we can do as human beings on planet Earth, 00:03:22.020 --> 00:03:24.439 why then, if it's the greatest good that I'm doing, 00:03:24.539 --> 00:03:25.180 do I suffer? 00:03:25.900 --> 00:03:28.879 Why should it not just lead to perpetual bliss 00:03:28.879 --> 00:03:33.280 and gifts and honor and blessings forever? 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:33.360 However, 00:03:34.560 --> 00:03:38.080 doing good should mean getting good. 00:03:38.919 --> 00:03:41.979 So a text like this potentially seems backwards. 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:43.840 And to be perfectly honest, 00:03:43.920 --> 00:03:45.580 it seems like a raw deal 00:03:45.580 --> 00:03:50.780 and maybe a dereliction of care by God to his children. 00:03:50.780 --> 00:03:55.419 But before we pass judgment on the eternal, 00:03:55.919 --> 00:03:56.400 perfect, 00:03:56.500 --> 00:03:57.099 and just God, 00:03:57.759 --> 00:04:02.080 let's remember that God's word is always good news for us. 00:04:03.180 --> 00:04:03.879 It is always, 00:04:04.020 --> 00:04:05.819 we put on a lens when we read the Bible, 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:08.080 and we always read the Bible thinking, 00:04:08.219 --> 00:04:09.319 this is good news. 00:04:09.719 --> 00:04:10.659 One way or the other, 00:04:10.759 --> 00:04:11.819 whether I understand it fully, 00:04:11.900 --> 00:04:12.900 this is good news. 00:04:12.900 --> 00:04:12.960 It is a good news. 00:04:14.760 --> 00:04:16.939 That if we suffer for Christ, 00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:19.300 it is not an unfortunate reality, 00:04:19.459 --> 00:04:20.480 but a joyous, 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:23.220 worthy act 00:04:23.220 --> 00:04:24.780 that we ought to rejoice in. 00:04:26.579 --> 00:04:27.220 In fact, 00:04:27.259 --> 00:04:29.180 it's what the human heart longs for. 00:04:29.180 --> 00:04:32.459 What this text doesn't do 00:04:32.459 --> 00:04:33.920 is it doesn't defang suffering. 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:34.879 It doesn't say that 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:37.579 downplay suffering as if suffering doesn't hurt. 00:04:37.740 --> 00:04:38.360 Suffering hurts. 00:04:38.920 --> 00:04:40.079 This doesn't make a kitten 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:42.280 out of your tragedies and your difficulties. 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:44.920 The pain, 00:04:45.180 --> 00:04:48.199 the difficulty of suffering, 00:04:48.340 --> 00:04:49.259 it's still real, 00:04:49.420 --> 00:04:50.980 but what it does do 00:04:50.980 --> 00:04:53.180 is it defangs it, 00:04:53.259 --> 00:04:54.819 for it puts suffering 00:04:54.819 --> 00:04:57.579 in a lower tier 00:04:57.579 --> 00:05:00.099 of control over our lives. 00:05:00.579 --> 00:05:01.860 It doesn't dictate 00:05:01.860 --> 00:05:03.360 how we ought to live 00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:05.740 nor our eternity ahead. 00:05:06.779 --> 00:05:08.259 So this text will help us 00:05:08.259 --> 00:05:09.699 to understand what suffering is 00:05:09.699 --> 00:05:12.120 and then how we ought to handle it 00:05:12.120 --> 00:05:12.860 as God's people. 00:05:14.019 --> 00:05:15.259 So let's look firstly 00:05:15.259 --> 00:05:16.779 at what is the true nature 00:05:16.779 --> 00:05:18.360 of suffering for Christ. 00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:20.100 If you have a Bible, 00:05:20.459 --> 00:05:20.860 there's still, 00:05:21.060 --> 00:05:21.659 I think, 00:05:21.740 --> 00:05:22.879 four or five Bibles back there. 00:05:22.920 --> 00:05:24.039 You can grab one at any time. 00:05:24.040 --> 00:05:25.600 If you follow along with me, 00:05:25.700 --> 00:05:27.020 that would be very helpful. 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:28.760 But look with me at verse 12. 00:05:29.840 --> 00:05:32.439 And we'll continue to verse 16. 00:05:32.540 --> 00:05:33.160 It says this, 00:05:33.960 --> 00:05:34.439 Beloved, 00:05:34.860 --> 00:05:36.260 do not be surprised 00:05:36.260 --> 00:05:37.780 at the fiery trial 00:05:37.780 --> 00:05:39.680 when it comes upon you 00:05:39.680 --> 00:05:40.520 to test you, 00:05:40.900 --> 00:05:42.259 as though something strange 00:05:42.259 --> 00:05:43.140 were happening to you. 00:05:43.520 --> 00:05:44.939 But rejoice insofar 00:05:44.939 --> 00:05:46.460 as you share Christ's sufferings, 00:05:46.920 --> 00:05:48.220 that you may also rejoice 00:05:48.220 --> 00:05:48.860 and be glad 00:05:48.860 --> 00:05:51.100 when His glory is revealed. 00:05:51.160 --> 00:05:52.280 If you are insulted 00:05:52.280 --> 00:05:53.300 for the name of Christ, 00:05:53.300 --> 00:05:55.540 you are blessed 00:05:55.540 --> 00:05:57.340 because the Spirit of glory 00:05:57.340 --> 00:05:57.860 and of God 00:05:57.860 --> 00:05:58.579 rests upon you. 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:00.240 But let none of you 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:01.520 suffer as a murderer 00:06:01.520 --> 00:06:02.620 or a thief 00:06:02.620 --> 00:06:03.540 or an evildoer 00:06:03.540 --> 00:06:04.199 or as a meddler. 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:05.319 That's like a busy body. 00:06:06.740 --> 00:06:07.900 Yet if anyone suffers 00:06:07.900 --> 00:06:08.680 as a Christian, 00:06:08.860 --> 00:06:10.100 let him not be ashamed, 00:06:10.660 --> 00:06:12.240 but let him glorify God 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:13.080 in that name. 00:06:14.500 --> 00:06:16.439 Peter quite explicitly says 00:06:16.439 --> 00:06:18.240 that suffering 00:06:18.240 --> 00:06:19.720 for Christian living 00:06:19.720 --> 00:06:21.420 and association with Christ, 00:06:21.500 --> 00:06:22.120 it's a good thing. 00:06:22.120 --> 00:06:24.600 There's no nuance at all. 00:06:24.680 --> 00:06:25.660 He says it's a good thing. 00:06:26.180 --> 00:06:27.980 Notice in verses 13 to 16, 00:06:29.060 --> 00:06:30.280 Peter makes mention 00:06:30.280 --> 00:06:31.959 of Christ three times 00:06:31.959 --> 00:06:33.500 or the name three times. 00:06:33.579 --> 00:06:34.240 We see it here. 00:06:35.939 --> 00:06:38.699 As you share Christ's suffering, 00:06:38.860 --> 00:06:39.920 he continues on. 00:06:40.199 --> 00:06:40.899 If you are insulted 00:06:40.899 --> 00:06:42.519 for the name of Christ, 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:44.699 he continues on in verse 16. 00:06:45.100 --> 00:06:46.120 Yet if anyone suffers 00:06:46.120 --> 00:06:47.280 as a Christian, 00:06:47.279 --> 00:06:49.899 he makes it very clear here 00:06:49.899 --> 00:06:52.399 that the suffering 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:53.879 that he has in view 00:06:53.879 --> 00:06:56.699 is to suffer 00:06:56.699 --> 00:06:59.579 as somebody associated with Christ 00:06:59.579 --> 00:07:00.939 or doing Christ's will. 00:07:01.819 --> 00:07:03.259 I'll say this right off the bat. 00:07:03.339 --> 00:07:04.579 That's an important observation. 00:07:05.599 --> 00:07:07.699 This isn't Peter saying 00:07:07.699 --> 00:07:08.539 that all suffering 00:07:08.539 --> 00:07:09.719 is to be rejoiced in. 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:11.400 He is not making 00:07:11.400 --> 00:07:12.260 a blanket statement 00:07:12.260 --> 00:07:13.120 about suffering 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:15.920 that somehow 00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:17.060 this is just 00:07:17.060 --> 00:07:18.420 a baptized version 00:07:18.420 --> 00:07:19.740 of some kind of 00:07:19.740 --> 00:07:20.480 stoic, 00:07:20.700 --> 00:07:21.420 stiff upper lip 00:07:21.420 --> 00:07:22.720 that Christians ought to keep. 00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:24.200 He is specifically 00:07:24.200 --> 00:07:25.320 talking about 00:07:25.320 --> 00:07:26.160 suffering 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:27.040 in light 00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:29.080 of our association 00:07:29.080 --> 00:07:30.140 with Christ. 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:31.060 And this is a really 00:07:31.060 --> 00:07:31.960 important thing. 00:07:32.760 --> 00:07:33.220 Firstly, 00:07:33.720 --> 00:07:34.560 like I said, 00:07:34.620 --> 00:07:35.960 because it doesn't approve 00:07:35.959 --> 00:07:37.239 of suffering in general, 00:07:39.019 --> 00:07:40.259 suffering is a bad thing. 00:07:40.339 --> 00:07:41.219 In the New Testament 00:07:41.219 --> 00:07:42.479 and really the entire Bible 00:07:42.479 --> 00:07:43.359 is clear that 00:07:43.359 --> 00:07:45.079 that we are 00:07:45.079 --> 00:07:46.099 as God's people 00:07:46.099 --> 00:07:46.759 to work 00:07:46.759 --> 00:07:47.759 to alleviate 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:48.799 suffering in the world, 00:07:49.359 --> 00:07:50.379 to see justice 00:07:50.379 --> 00:07:51.299 come forward, 00:07:51.979 --> 00:07:53.839 to see mercy extended, 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:54.879 to have justice 00:07:54.879 --> 00:07:56.039 and mercy 00:07:56.039 --> 00:07:57.279 and love 00:07:57.279 --> 00:07:58.799 be the calling card 00:07:58.799 --> 00:07:59.299 of the church, 00:07:59.439 --> 00:07:59.939 especially 00:07:59.939 --> 00:08:01.459 as it pertains 00:08:01.459 --> 00:08:02.839 to the suffering 00:08:02.839 --> 00:08:03.519 that we see. 00:08:03.679 --> 00:08:04.399 Suffering is bad. 00:08:04.399 --> 00:08:06.719 It's really bad. 00:08:08.099 --> 00:08:08.639 And here, 00:08:08.899 --> 00:08:10.279 it's not like 00:08:10.279 --> 00:08:12.299 Peter is again 00:08:12.299 --> 00:08:13.379 giving a green light 00:08:13.379 --> 00:08:14.099 or saying that 00:08:14.099 --> 00:08:15.560 it is okay. 00:08:15.699 --> 00:08:16.120 The second, 00:08:16.379 --> 00:08:17.000 it's important 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:18.219 to remember 00:08:18.219 --> 00:08:19.019 that this suffering 00:08:19.019 --> 00:08:19.959 is specifically 00:08:19.959 --> 00:08:21.339 linked to suffering 00:08:21.339 --> 00:08:21.959 for Christ 00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:23.679 because we can 00:08:23.679 --> 00:08:25.419 at times 00:08:25.419 --> 00:08:26.120 as Christians 00:08:26.120 --> 00:08:27.219 develop a martyrdom 00:08:27.219 --> 00:08:27.659 complex. 00:08:28.919 --> 00:08:29.659 We can see 00:08:29.659 --> 00:08:30.179 any 00:08:30.179 --> 00:08:32.539 oppression 00:08:32.539 --> 00:08:33.279 against 00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:34.279 our individual 00:08:34.279 --> 00:08:34.779 freedom 00:08:34.779 --> 00:08:35.299 as 00:08:35.299 --> 00:08:36.439 potentially 00:08:36.439 --> 00:08:36.879 Christian 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:37.339 suffering 00:08:37.339 --> 00:08:37.679 and that's 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:38.339 not the case. 00:08:39.939 --> 00:08:40.679 I'm probably 00:08:40.679 --> 00:08:41.639 wading right 00:08:41.639 --> 00:08:42.039 into 00:08:42.039 --> 00:08:42.639 mucky 00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:43.939 waters here 00:08:43.939 --> 00:08:45.220 but during 00:08:45.220 --> 00:08:46.240 the lockdowns 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:47.360 over the past 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:48.519 whatever, 00:08:48.740 --> 00:08:49.199 three years, 00:08:49.279 --> 00:08:49.839 the chronology 00:08:49.839 --> 00:08:50.500 gets kind of 00:08:50.500 --> 00:08:50.860 murky. 00:08:51.699 --> 00:08:52.079 Christians 00:08:52.079 --> 00:08:52.980 weren't targeted 00:08:52.980 --> 00:08:54.519 for being Christians 00:08:54.519 --> 00:08:55.339 when the churches 00:08:55.339 --> 00:08:55.980 were closed. 00:08:57.199 --> 00:08:58.459 It was garbage 00:08:58.459 --> 00:08:59.559 in my opinion. 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:00.379 I didn't like it. 00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:00.860 Obviously, 00:09:00.980 --> 00:09:01.600 I'm a pastor. 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:02.720 I like when the doors 00:09:02.720 --> 00:09:03.200 are open 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:03.860 and the seats 00:09:03.860 --> 00:09:04.320 are filled 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:06.100 and it was 00:09:06.100 --> 00:09:07.379 very frustrating 00:09:07.379 --> 00:09:08.420 to see churches 00:09:08.420 --> 00:09:09.360 deemed non-essential 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:11.680 but the LCBO 00:09:11.680 --> 00:09:12.500 and cannabis 00:09:12.500 --> 00:09:13.279 dispensaries 00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:14.300 open to the public. 00:09:14.420 --> 00:09:15.060 It was frustrating 00:09:15.060 --> 00:09:16.379 but it wasn't 00:09:16.379 --> 00:09:17.399 an attack 00:09:17.399 --> 00:09:18.500 on Christianity. 00:09:20.440 --> 00:09:20.740 Mosques 00:09:20.740 --> 00:09:21.700 were given 00:09:21.700 --> 00:09:22.340 the same 00:09:22.340 --> 00:09:23.820 mandate. 00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:25.340 Kingdom halls 00:09:25.340 --> 00:09:26.639 of the Jehovah's Witnesses, 00:09:26.759 --> 00:09:27.440 Hindu temples, 00:09:28.940 --> 00:09:30.040 Jewish synagogues. 00:09:30.039 --> 00:09:33.339 That wasn't 00:09:33.339 --> 00:09:34.059 an example 00:09:34.059 --> 00:09:34.959 of Christian 00:09:34.959 --> 00:09:35.519 suffering. 00:09:35.599 --> 00:09:36.120 That's not what 00:09:36.120 --> 00:09:37.319 it has in view here 00:09:37.319 --> 00:09:39.179 and Peter 00:09:39.179 --> 00:09:39.779 is making it 00:09:39.779 --> 00:09:40.360 very clear 00:09:40.360 --> 00:09:41.199 that the suffering 00:09:41.199 --> 00:09:42.439 that we should rejoice in 00:09:42.439 --> 00:09:43.939 isn't the suspension 00:09:43.939 --> 00:09:45.959 of our individual rights. 00:09:46.319 --> 00:09:46.779 By the way, 00:09:46.860 --> 00:09:47.339 that is 00:09:47.339 --> 00:09:48.919 a problem worth fighting. 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:49.319 I'm not saying 00:09:49.319 --> 00:09:50.059 it's not a worthy 00:09:50.059 --> 00:09:51.980 fight 00:09:51.980 --> 00:09:53.099 but what Peter 00:09:53.099 --> 00:09:54.019 has in view here 00:09:54.019 --> 00:09:54.819 is suffering 00:09:54.819 --> 00:09:56.399 because we are Christians 00:09:56.399 --> 00:09:57.719 specifically 00:09:57.719 --> 00:09:58.699 with our association 00:09:58.699 --> 00:09:59.279 with Christ. 00:10:00.039 --> 00:10:00.959 Another example 00:10:00.959 --> 00:10:01.459 that might help 00:10:01.459 --> 00:10:01.939 with this. 00:10:03.639 --> 00:10:04.339 Edith Stein 00:10:04.339 --> 00:10:05.039 was a German 00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:05.679 philosopher 00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:07.779 in the 20s 00:10:07.779 --> 00:10:08.399 and 30s. 00:10:09.599 --> 00:10:11.659 She was a Jewish 00:10:11.659 --> 00:10:12.480 woman who came 00:10:12.480 --> 00:10:12.980 to faith, 00:10:13.179 --> 00:10:14.299 became a Roman 00:10:14.299 --> 00:10:15.259 Catholic Carmelite 00:10:15.259 --> 00:10:15.539 nun. 00:10:16.620 --> 00:10:17.759 And in the 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:19.000 early 30s 00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:20.360 and into 00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:21.259 the mid-30s 00:10:21.259 --> 00:10:22.360 and farther on 00:10:22.360 --> 00:10:23.559 when Nazism 00:10:23.559 --> 00:10:25.500 took root, 00:10:26.039 --> 00:10:27.079 she fled 00:10:27.080 --> 00:10:27.700 to Holland. 00:10:29.500 --> 00:10:29.940 Anyways, 00:10:30.139 --> 00:10:31.060 she was 00:10:31.060 --> 00:10:31.960 arrested, 00:10:32.500 --> 00:10:33.000 she was sent 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:33.580 to Auschwitz 00:10:33.580 --> 00:10:34.320 and she was murdered 00:10:34.320 --> 00:10:36.879 beside her sister. 00:10:37.900 --> 00:10:38.780 And in the 80s, 00:10:39.480 --> 00:10:40.340 John Paul II 00:10:40.340 --> 00:10:41.360 beatified her. 00:10:41.420 --> 00:10:42.000 That's the first 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:42.780 step towards 00:10:42.780 --> 00:10:43.560 making her 00:10:43.560 --> 00:10:45.480 a saint 00:10:45.480 --> 00:10:45.940 in the Roman 00:10:45.940 --> 00:10:46.759 Catholic faith. 00:10:47.340 --> 00:10:47.879 But there's 00:10:47.879 --> 00:10:48.960 controversy around it 00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:49.680 because why? 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:51.020 Because she was sent 00:10:51.020 --> 00:10:51.500 to Auschwitz. 00:10:51.640 --> 00:10:52.280 So did she, 00:10:52.500 --> 00:10:53.100 was she murdered? 00:10:53.400 --> 00:10:54.759 Was she a Christian 00:10:54.759 --> 00:10:55.819 martyr or was she 00:10:55.819 --> 00:10:57.939 another murdered Jew? 00:10:58.939 --> 00:11:00.100 If she was just 00:11:00.100 --> 00:11:01.039 another murdered Jew, 00:11:02.019 --> 00:11:02.700 lamentable, 00:11:02.879 --> 00:11:03.819 something to 00:11:03.819 --> 00:11:05.159 mourn. 00:11:05.779 --> 00:11:07.100 But she wasn't 00:11:07.100 --> 00:11:07.720 necessarily 00:11:07.720 --> 00:11:09.480 a martyr 00:11:09.480 --> 00:11:10.200 for her Christian 00:11:10.200 --> 00:11:10.480 faith. 00:11:10.639 --> 00:11:11.120 Interestingly, 00:11:11.480 --> 00:11:12.319 and it's not 00:11:12.319 --> 00:11:13.299 for our discussion, 00:11:14.419 --> 00:11:15.000 I think there's 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:16.120 a legitimate claim 00:11:16.120 --> 00:11:17.039 for her in the 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:17.580 Roman Catholic 00:11:17.580 --> 00:11:19.519 religion to 00:11:19.519 --> 00:11:20.460 grant her 00:11:20.460 --> 00:11:20.840 sainthood. 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:22.039 But it's 00:11:22.039 --> 00:11:22.899 interesting to me 00:11:22.899 --> 00:11:24.620 that in the 00:11:24.620 --> 00:11:25.220 Roman Catholic 00:11:25.220 --> 00:11:25.699 Church, 00:11:26.379 --> 00:11:26.899 they go to 00:11:26.899 --> 00:11:27.600 great pains 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:28.579 to differentiate 00:11:28.579 --> 00:11:30.000 Christian suffering 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:31.399 from other kinds 00:11:31.399 --> 00:11:32.019 of suffering. 00:11:32.459 --> 00:11:32.819 And you see 00:11:32.819 --> 00:11:33.399 the difference 00:11:33.399 --> 00:11:33.679 here. 00:11:34.539 --> 00:11:35.259 And Peter here 00:11:35.259 --> 00:11:36.019 has in view 00:11:36.019 --> 00:11:37.539 Christian suffering. 00:11:40.519 --> 00:11:41.480 Peter is making 00:11:41.480 --> 00:11:42.039 the point that 00:11:42.039 --> 00:11:42.679 suffering for 00:11:42.679 --> 00:11:43.399 Christ's name 00:11:43.399 --> 00:11:44.959 is the suffering 00:11:44.959 --> 00:11:45.620 that we ought 00:11:45.620 --> 00:11:46.360 to embrace. 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:47.600 And he says it 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:48.279 for three main 00:11:48.279 --> 00:11:48.600 reasons. 00:11:48.679 --> 00:11:49.079 The first, 00:11:49.259 --> 00:11:50.139 very quickly as we 00:11:50.139 --> 00:11:51.360 go through this 00:11:51.360 --> 00:11:51.939 first point, 00:11:51.940 --> 00:11:53.400 the first is 00:11:53.400 --> 00:11:54.120 that it tests 00:11:54.120 --> 00:11:54.700 our faith. 00:11:55.860 --> 00:11:56.660 We have seen 00:11:56.660 --> 00:11:57.120 this before 00:11:57.120 --> 00:11:57.940 back in chapter 00:11:57.940 --> 00:11:58.300 one, 00:11:58.480 --> 00:11:58.980 Peter writes 00:11:58.980 --> 00:11:59.300 in verses 00:11:59.300 --> 00:11:59.920 six and 00:11:59.920 --> 00:12:01.000 seven of 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:01.640 chapter one 00:12:01.640 --> 00:12:02.720 when he says 00:12:02.720 --> 00:12:03.000 this, 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:03.780 in this you 00:12:03.780 --> 00:12:04.400 rejoice, 00:12:04.880 --> 00:12:05.380 though now 00:12:05.380 --> 00:12:05.880 for a little 00:12:05.880 --> 00:12:06.520 while if 00:12:06.520 --> 00:12:07.740 necessary you 00:12:07.740 --> 00:12:08.540 have been 00:12:08.540 --> 00:12:09.080 grieved by 00:12:09.080 --> 00:12:09.880 various trials, 00:12:10.260 --> 00:12:10.720 verse seven, 00:12:11.160 --> 00:12:11.620 so that the 00:12:11.620 --> 00:12:13.180 tested genuineness 00:12:13.180 --> 00:12:13.920 of your faith 00:12:13.920 --> 00:12:14.520 more precious 00:12:14.520 --> 00:12:15.040 than gold 00:12:15.040 --> 00:12:15.720 that perishes 00:12:15.720 --> 00:12:16.880 though it is 00:12:16.880 --> 00:12:17.780 tested by fire 00:12:17.780 --> 00:12:18.820 may be found 00:12:18.820 --> 00:12:19.580 to result in 00:12:19.580 --> 00:12:20.380 praise and glory 00:12:20.380 --> 00:12:20.940 and honor 00:12:20.940 --> 00:12:21.760 at the 00:12:21.760 --> 00:12:22.140 revelation 00:12:22.140 --> 00:12:22.620 of Jesus 00:12:22.620 --> 00:12:23.060 Christ. 00:12:26.720 --> 00:12:27.500 We seem 00:12:27.500 --> 00:12:27.880 comfortable 00:12:27.880 --> 00:12:28.540 with God's 00:12:28.540 --> 00:12:29.360 good and 00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:30.120 sovereign plan 00:12:30.120 --> 00:12:30.580 when we are 00:12:30.580 --> 00:12:31.100 happy and 00:12:31.100 --> 00:12:31.360 things are 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:31.800 going well. 00:12:33.320 --> 00:12:34.020 When the 00:12:34.020 --> 00:12:34.840 blessings are 00:12:34.840 --> 00:12:35.200 coming, 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:37.340 we can quickly 00:12:37.340 --> 00:12:38.240 point out a 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:38.920 God moment, 00:12:39.680 --> 00:12:40.500 and I kind of 00:12:40.500 --> 00:12:41.960 say that a bit 00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:42.500 facetiously, 00:12:42.640 --> 00:12:43.220 but I do it. 00:12:43.460 --> 00:12:44.140 This is a God 00:12:44.140 --> 00:12:44.920 moment right here, 00:12:46.040 --> 00:12:47.000 whenever things 00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:47.660 are going well. 00:12:47.659 --> 00:12:49.279 But what 00:12:49.279 --> 00:12:50.139 happens when 00:12:50.139 --> 00:12:50.719 pressures and 00:12:50.719 --> 00:12:51.219 pains come? 00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:52.939 Our false 00:12:52.939 --> 00:12:54.059 trust in 00:12:54.059 --> 00:12:54.899 God is 00:12:54.899 --> 00:12:56.579 exposed as 00:12:56.579 --> 00:12:57.339 not being a 00:12:57.339 --> 00:12:57.899 trust in 00:12:57.899 --> 00:12:58.959 him, but 00:12:58.959 --> 00:13:00.259 delighting in 00:13:00.259 --> 00:13:01.339 the blessings 00:13:01.339 --> 00:13:02.219 of this life, 00:13:02.299 --> 00:13:02.919 but not the 00:13:02.919 --> 00:13:03.659 one who gives 00:13:03.659 --> 00:13:04.219 the blessings. 00:13:05.459 --> 00:13:07.519 Do we say 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:07.959 that it's a 00:13:07.959 --> 00:13:08.419 God moment 00:13:08.419 --> 00:13:08.799 when we 00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:09.419 suffer some 00:13:09.419 --> 00:13:10.319 kind of 00:13:10.319 --> 00:13:11.039 indignity 00:13:11.039 --> 00:13:12.539 because we 00:13:12.539 --> 00:13:15.079 proclaim and 00:13:15.079 --> 00:13:15.819 bear witness to 00:13:15.819 --> 00:13:16.399 the cross of 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:16.959 Christ in 00:13:16.959 --> 00:13:18.019 our workplaces 00:13:18.019 --> 00:13:18.519 or within 00:13:18.519 --> 00:13:19.419 our homes? 00:13:19.419 --> 00:13:20.519 If we get a 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:21.079 slap on the 00:13:21.079 --> 00:13:21.459 wrist or 00:13:21.459 --> 00:13:22.259 potentially worse 00:13:22.259 --> 00:13:23.279 by HR because 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:23.740 we are a bit 00:13:23.740 --> 00:13:25.059 too forward with 00:13:25.059 --> 00:13:25.539 our Christian 00:13:25.539 --> 00:13:26.459 faith, is that 00:13:26.459 --> 00:13:27.439 a God moment? 00:13:27.500 --> 00:13:28.039 Do we see that 00:13:28.039 --> 00:13:28.439 as a God 00:13:28.439 --> 00:13:28.759 moment? 00:13:29.559 --> 00:13:30.340 I would say I 00:13:30.340 --> 00:13:31.100 probably don't. 00:13:31.199 --> 00:13:31.879 I would struggle 00:13:31.879 --> 00:13:32.419 with that. 00:13:35.519 --> 00:13:37.019 Especially in 00:13:37.019 --> 00:13:38.259 June, it rolls 00:13:38.259 --> 00:13:39.120 around a lot of 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:40.199 us, I mean I 00:13:40.199 --> 00:13:40.960 say a lot of 00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:41.799 us, I don't, 00:13:42.279 --> 00:13:43.340 but a lot of 00:13:43.340 --> 00:13:44.480 us as a 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:45.019 congregation, we 00:13:45.019 --> 00:13:45.579 work in a 00:13:45.580 --> 00:13:46.360 secular environment 00:13:46.360 --> 00:13:47.820 and we have 00:13:47.820 --> 00:13:48.700 soft, sometimes 00:13:48.700 --> 00:13:50.240 hard pressure to 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:51.460 support Pride 00:13:51.460 --> 00:13:51.680 Month. 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:53.080 What happens 00:13:53.080 --> 00:13:53.980 when we choose 00:13:53.980 --> 00:13:54.600 not to? 00:13:55.500 --> 00:13:56.700 Not that we're 00:13:56.700 --> 00:13:58.560 rallying against 00:13:58.560 --> 00:13:59.340 Pride Month, but 00:13:59.340 --> 00:13:59.960 that we just don't 00:13:59.960 --> 00:14:00.960 participate in it. 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:02.520 Is it a God 00:14:02.520 --> 00:14:04.560 moment when we 00:14:04.560 --> 00:14:06.020 suffer 00:14:06.020 --> 00:14:08.520 promotion? 00:14:10.140 --> 00:14:11.420 When we are 00:14:11.420 --> 00:14:13.340 whispered at 00:14:13.340 --> 00:14:13.940 behind our 00:14:13.940 --> 00:14:14.399 backs? 00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:16.800 When we don't 00:14:16.800 --> 00:14:17.960 include our 00:14:17.960 --> 00:14:18.940 preferred pronouns 00:14:18.940 --> 00:14:19.899 in our 00:14:19.899 --> 00:14:21.259 signature page, 00:14:21.680 --> 00:14:22.259 or our 00:14:22.259 --> 00:14:22.759 signature on 00:14:22.759 --> 00:14:23.200 our email? 00:14:24.300 --> 00:14:25.000 Is it a God 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:25.300 moment? 00:14:27.080 --> 00:14:28.120 Peter here is 00:14:28.120 --> 00:14:30.160 saying that 00:14:30.160 --> 00:14:30.660 yes, it 00:14:30.660 --> 00:14:31.360 certainly is 00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:31.759 when we 00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:32.980 suffer, and 00:14:32.980 --> 00:14:33.300 that we 00:14:33.300 --> 00:14:33.940 shouldn't be 00:14:33.940 --> 00:14:35.440 downcast and 00:14:35.440 --> 00:14:36.320 broken about 00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:36.480 it. 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:37.420 He says this 00:14:37.420 --> 00:14:38.060 in verse 00:14:38.060 --> 00:14:40.120 four, sorry, 00:14:40.120 --> 00:14:40.820 verse 13, 00:14:40.940 --> 00:14:41.860 but rejoice 00:14:41.860 --> 00:14:43.440 insofar as you 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:44.179 share Christ's 00:14:44.179 --> 00:14:45.440 sufferings, that 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:46.000 you may also 00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:46.740 rejoice and be 00:14:46.740 --> 00:14:47.340 glad when his 00:14:47.340 --> 00:14:48.460 glory is 00:14:48.460 --> 00:14:49.019 revealed. 00:14:50.879 --> 00:14:52.060 It is a 00:14:52.060 --> 00:14:52.799 tough thing to 00:14:52.799 --> 00:14:53.379 be a Christian 00:14:53.379 --> 00:14:54.480 in the secular 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:55.720 world, and I've 00:14:55.720 --> 00:14:56.799 said this in the 00:14:56.799 --> 00:14:57.440 past, I'll say it 00:14:57.440 --> 00:14:59.159 again, I have a 00:14:59.159 --> 00:15:00.480 far easier time 00:15:00.480 --> 00:15:01.639 being a Christian 00:15:01.639 --> 00:15:03.480 pastor at a 00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:04.340 coffee shop or 00:15:04.340 --> 00:15:05.139 with my neighbors 00:15:05.139 --> 00:15:05.980 or wherever it 00:15:05.980 --> 00:15:07.220 may be, because 00:15:07.220 --> 00:15:08.500 my job in some 00:15:08.500 --> 00:15:09.240 ways is not on 00:15:09.240 --> 00:15:10.060 the line, yours 00:15:10.060 --> 00:15:10.440 is. 00:15:12.019 --> 00:15:14.419 Potentially, you 00:15:14.419 --> 00:15:15.299 guys have to deal 00:15:15.299 --> 00:15:15.779 with this more 00:15:15.779 --> 00:15:16.620 than I do. 00:15:17.779 --> 00:15:18.919 Nevertheless, it 00:15:18.919 --> 00:15:19.519 says rejoice. 00:15:21.639 --> 00:15:22.120 Rejoice. 00:15:22.180 --> 00:15:22.680 And it's coming 00:15:22.680 --> 00:15:24.000 not from this 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:25.419 proud, like, 00:15:25.960 --> 00:15:26.700 beat-his-chest 00:15:26.700 --> 00:15:27.440 type of man. 00:15:27.620 --> 00:15:28.500 Peter is the 00:15:28.500 --> 00:15:30.460 same guy who 00:15:30.460 --> 00:15:32.120 had this rock-solid 00:15:32.120 --> 00:15:33.180 faith tested and 00:15:33.180 --> 00:15:35.019 failed miserably. 00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:35.720 What did he say? 00:15:37.659 --> 00:15:38.919 Those loser 00:15:38.919 --> 00:15:40.379 disciples, they 00:15:40.379 --> 00:15:41.439 will fail, they 00:15:41.439 --> 00:15:42.379 will fall away, but 00:15:42.379 --> 00:15:42.860 not me. 00:15:42.959 --> 00:15:43.699 I will follow you 00:15:43.699 --> 00:15:44.299 to the death. 00:15:46.459 --> 00:15:46.860 Bravado. 00:15:48.360 --> 00:15:49.219 And the second 00:15:49.219 --> 00:15:50.059 a bit of pressure 00:15:50.059 --> 00:15:51.839 was applied, he 00:15:51.839 --> 00:15:52.319 gave it up. 00:15:53.579 --> 00:15:54.500 I do not know 00:15:54.500 --> 00:15:54.899 the man. 00:15:55.000 --> 00:15:56.459 I swear to God, I 00:15:56.459 --> 00:15:57.099 don't know the 00:15:57.099 --> 00:15:57.339 man. 00:15:58.039 --> 00:15:59.240 Literally, calling a 00:15:59.240 --> 00:15:59.759 curse upon 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:00.139 himself. 00:16:03.599 --> 00:16:04.519 Nevertheless, verse 00:16:04.519 --> 00:16:05.799 13 still rings true. 00:16:05.799 --> 00:16:06.719 It says rejoice. 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:09.059 Like everything 00:16:09.059 --> 00:16:09.779 that claims to 00:16:09.779 --> 00:16:10.500 have integrity, 00:16:11.439 --> 00:16:12.059 testing is 00:16:12.059 --> 00:16:12.439 needed. 00:16:12.559 --> 00:16:13.039 It might seem 00:16:13.039 --> 00:16:13.899 unfair, but 00:16:13.899 --> 00:16:14.740 testing is needed 00:16:14.740 --> 00:16:15.419 for our faith. 00:16:16.199 --> 00:16:17.199 A bridge, a 00:16:17.199 --> 00:16:17.699 boat, a 00:16:17.699 --> 00:16:19.199 barbell, all 00:16:19.199 --> 00:16:19.839 items cannot 00:16:19.839 --> 00:16:20.579 withstand the 00:16:20.579 --> 00:16:21.259 pressure and 00:16:21.259 --> 00:16:21.779 stress. 00:16:22.259 --> 00:16:23.199 If they cannot 00:16:23.199 --> 00:16:25.019 withstand the 00:16:25.019 --> 00:16:25.759 pressure and 00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:26.919 stress, they 00:16:26.919 --> 00:16:27.779 provide a false 00:16:27.779 --> 00:16:28.759 sense of safety 00:16:28.759 --> 00:16:29.679 and assurance, and 00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:30.219 they pose a 00:16:30.219 --> 00:16:31.919 risk to us and 00:16:31.919 --> 00:16:32.579 to those around 00:16:32.579 --> 00:16:32.919 us. 00:16:32.919 --> 00:16:35.120 likewise, likewise 00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:36.059 with our faith. 00:16:36.819 --> 00:16:37.539 The good Lord, he 00:16:37.539 --> 00:16:38.959 tests our faith in 00:16:38.959 --> 00:16:39.719 the cross of 00:16:39.719 --> 00:16:41.259 Christ, not from a 00:16:41.259 --> 00:16:42.639 place of insecurity, 00:16:42.899 --> 00:16:44.799 but as if God 00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:46.179 needs our approval 00:16:46.179 --> 00:16:47.039 and he is this 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:48.839 insecure, jealous 00:16:48.839 --> 00:16:50.079 husband that is 00:16:50.079 --> 00:16:51.019 just testing and 00:16:51.019 --> 00:16:54.079 it's very, it's 00:16:54.079 --> 00:16:54.939 exposing his 00:16:54.939 --> 00:16:56.159 insecurity, not our 00:16:56.159 --> 00:16:58.039 lack of trust, but 00:16:58.039 --> 00:16:59.459 rather it comes 00:16:59.459 --> 00:17:00.559 from a God who is 00:17:00.559 --> 00:17:01.679 abounding in mercy 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:02.099 and love. 00:17:02.100 --> 00:17:03.180 Why does he 00:17:03.180 --> 00:17:03.639 test us? 00:17:03.680 --> 00:17:04.299 Because he wants 00:17:04.299 --> 00:17:05.039 our faith to be 00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:05.360 sure. 00:17:06.039 --> 00:17:06.740 Because we will 00:17:06.740 --> 00:17:07.420 put our faith in 00:17:07.420 --> 00:17:08.099 other things and 00:17:08.099 --> 00:17:08.620 when we put our 00:17:08.620 --> 00:17:09.099 faith in other 00:17:09.099 --> 00:17:10.200 things, they will 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:11.039 crumble and we 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:11.579 will suffer. 00:17:12.500 --> 00:17:13.240 But when our 00:17:13.240 --> 00:17:14.319 faith is in the 00:17:14.319 --> 00:17:15.160 cross of Christ 00:17:15.160 --> 00:17:17.019 truly, and it 00:17:17.019 --> 00:17:20.700 often is when we 00:17:20.700 --> 00:17:21.839 are facing those 00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:22.940 pressure points and 00:17:22.940 --> 00:17:24.860 the struggles, then 00:17:24.860 --> 00:17:26.140 we grip that cross 00:17:26.140 --> 00:17:27.759 so tightly and it 00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:29.480 becomes for us the 00:17:29.480 --> 00:17:30.740 very foundation by 00:17:30.740 --> 00:17:31.680 which we will live 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:32.440 this life with 00:17:32.440 --> 00:17:33.900 joy and 00:17:33.900 --> 00:17:34.779 thankfulness and 00:17:34.779 --> 00:17:36.000 mercy and love. 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:38.440 We can say 00:17:38.440 --> 00:17:39.700 literally, come 00:17:39.700 --> 00:17:40.279 hell or high 00:17:40.279 --> 00:17:41.400 water, I am 00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:41.839 secure. 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:46.099 This tells us 00:17:46.099 --> 00:17:46.680 also that the 00:17:46.680 --> 00:17:47.480 Christian faith is 00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:48.480 one of integrity. 00:17:49.740 --> 00:17:50.599 Are we here for 00:17:50.599 --> 00:17:51.079 good morals? 00:17:51.180 --> 00:17:51.720 Are we here on 00:17:51.720 --> 00:17:52.299 Sunday for good 00:17:52.299 --> 00:17:52.500 morals? 00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:52.920 We want our 00:17:52.920 --> 00:17:53.339 kids to have 00:17:53.339 --> 00:17:53.920 good morals. 00:17:53.920 --> 00:17:55.960 are we here for 00:17:55.960 --> 00:17:56.700 friendly people? 00:17:57.860 --> 00:17:58.840 Are we here for 00:17:58.840 --> 00:18:00.800 the wonderful 00:18:00.800 --> 00:18:02.920 angelic voice of 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:04.100 the worship leader 00:18:04.100 --> 00:18:05.039 on this wonderful 00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:05.420 Sunday? 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:09.100 Or are we here for 00:18:09.100 --> 00:18:10.060 the risen Lord and 00:18:10.060 --> 00:18:11.019 Savior Jesus Christ? 00:18:11.860 --> 00:18:12.460 Are we here for 00:18:12.460 --> 00:18:12.640 him? 00:18:14.300 --> 00:18:15.180 Does this faith 00:18:15.180 --> 00:18:16.140 inform our weeks, 00:18:16.500 --> 00:18:17.640 our months, our 00:18:17.640 --> 00:18:18.100 years? 00:18:18.820 --> 00:18:19.600 Do we fashion our 00:18:19.600 --> 00:18:20.820 lives around worship? 00:18:20.819 --> 00:18:23.339 Are we valuing the 00:18:23.339 --> 00:18:24.179 eternal king of 00:18:24.179 --> 00:18:25.099 kings above all 00:18:25.099 --> 00:18:25.279 else? 00:18:25.299 --> 00:18:26.019 I had a conversation 00:18:26.019 --> 00:18:26.599 earlier in the 00:18:26.599 --> 00:18:28.079 week about how the 00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:29.139 Christian calendar is 00:18:29.139 --> 00:18:31.419 a blessing for us in 00:18:31.419 --> 00:18:32.179 the midst of a 00:18:32.179 --> 00:18:33.939 secular world because 00:18:33.939 --> 00:18:35.039 it fashions our 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:36.700 life not around the 00:18:36.700 --> 00:18:39.220 economy but around 00:18:39.220 --> 00:18:41.279 worship of Christ and 00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:42.079 of his life. 00:18:43.159 --> 00:18:44.240 The calendar, I've 00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:44.740 said this in the 00:18:44.740 --> 00:18:45.740 past, that it 00:18:45.740 --> 00:18:46.859 begins with the 00:18:46.859 --> 00:18:48.579 preparation of Christ 00:18:48.579 --> 00:18:49.319 being born. 00:18:49.319 --> 00:18:51.599 It continues on to, 00:18:52.059 --> 00:18:52.960 I'm speaking in kind 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:55.159 of broad strokes 00:18:55.159 --> 00:18:57.480 here, his passion, 00:18:58.240 --> 00:18:59.359 his death, his 00:18:59.359 --> 00:19:00.700 resurrection, his 00:19:00.700 --> 00:19:04.319 ascension, and then 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:05.500 we do it all over 00:19:05.500 --> 00:19:05.799 again. 00:19:06.759 --> 00:19:08.000 Our lives, are they 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:09.079 fashioned around the 00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:09.659 king of kings? 00:19:10.700 --> 00:19:12.019 If we want to grow in 00:19:12.019 --> 00:19:12.679 our faith and 00:19:12.679 --> 00:19:13.919 devotion, we must be 00:19:13.919 --> 00:19:15.000 prepared for suffering. 00:19:15.740 --> 00:19:16.740 But make no mistake, 00:19:16.839 --> 00:19:17.759 our lives will be 00:19:17.759 --> 00:19:18.819 richer, not poorer, 00:19:18.819 --> 00:19:19.939 they will be more 00:19:19.939 --> 00:19:21.240 robust, they won't 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:22.759 lack, they will be 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:23.759 more satisfying, not 00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:26.159 less satisfying, than 00:19:26.159 --> 00:19:28.039 anything else that we 00:19:28.039 --> 00:19:29.519 substitute in Christ's 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:29.700 stead. 00:19:31.960 --> 00:19:33.240 And suffering will 00:19:33.240 --> 00:19:35.039 expose our false 00:19:35.039 --> 00:19:36.379 messiahs, our false 00:19:36.379 --> 00:19:37.339 gods, our false 00:19:37.339 --> 00:19:37.859 foundations. 00:19:38.859 --> 00:19:40.099 So what does he say? 00:19:40.220 --> 00:19:41.099 Going back to verse 00:19:41.099 --> 00:19:42.839 13, what does Peter 00:19:42.839 --> 00:19:43.200 say? 00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:45.919 But rejoice insofar as 00:19:45.919 --> 00:19:47.659 you share Christ's 00:19:47.660 --> 00:19:48.759 sufferings, so it 00:19:48.759 --> 00:19:49.660 tests our faith. 00:19:51.660 --> 00:19:52.519 What else does it 00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:52.700 do? 00:19:53.300 --> 00:19:54.120 It doesn't just test 00:19:54.120 --> 00:19:54.900 our faith, although it 00:19:54.900 --> 00:19:55.720 certainly does that. 00:19:56.100 --> 00:19:57.340 It assures us that we 00:19:57.340 --> 00:19:58.340 are united with Christ. 00:19:58.480 --> 00:20:00.080 Notice verse 13, but 00:20:00.080 --> 00:20:01.360 rejoice insofar as you 00:20:01.360 --> 00:20:02.820 share Christ's 00:20:02.820 --> 00:20:04.500 sufferings, that you 00:20:04.500 --> 00:20:05.800 may also rejoice and 00:20:05.800 --> 00:20:08.400 be glad when his glory 00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:08.900 is revealed. 00:20:09.019 --> 00:20:11.740 Steve mentioned in his 00:20:11.740 --> 00:20:12.820 sermon last week when 00:20:12.820 --> 00:20:13.360 he talked about 00:20:13.360 --> 00:20:15.640 participation in Christ, 00:20:15.640 --> 00:20:16.500 it's this idea that 00:20:16.500 --> 00:20:17.660 when we put our 00:20:17.660 --> 00:20:18.520 faith in him, we are 00:20:18.520 --> 00:20:20.580 united to him in his 00:20:20.580 --> 00:20:21.840 mystical body, the 00:20:21.840 --> 00:20:23.000 church, but it also 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:25.400 means that we, our 00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:26.880 destiny is Christ's, so 00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:28.220 we suffer like Christ, 00:20:28.320 --> 00:20:30.220 but we will also enjoy 00:20:30.220 --> 00:20:31.840 the resurrection of the 00:20:31.840 --> 00:20:32.759 dead like Christ. 00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:36.020 So that when we suffer 00:20:36.020 --> 00:20:38.440 for him, it is a sign 00:20:38.440 --> 00:20:39.480 that we are of him. 00:20:40.540 --> 00:20:41.180 It is proof. 00:20:41.180 --> 00:20:43.940 It is a pledge that 00:20:43.940 --> 00:20:45.080 Christ makes for us, 00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:46.019 again, cause for 00:20:46.019 --> 00:20:46.519 rejoicing. 00:20:49.640 --> 00:20:50.820 All of this, finally, 00:20:51.360 --> 00:20:52.380 what else does it do? 00:20:52.460 --> 00:20:53.600 It brings glory to God, 00:20:53.700 --> 00:20:54.960 for we value him to the 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:55.960 uttermost in a world 00:20:55.960 --> 00:20:57.700 that values self above 00:20:57.700 --> 00:20:58.100 all. 00:20:58.900 --> 00:21:00.160 So, verse 16, if you 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:00.840 could look with me 00:21:00.840 --> 00:21:02.519 briefly here, it says, 00:21:02.600 --> 00:21:03.480 yet if anyone suffers 00:21:03.480 --> 00:21:05.039 as a Christian, let him 00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:06.200 not be ashamed, but let 00:21:06.200 --> 00:21:08.380 him glorify God in that 00:21:08.380 --> 00:21:08.799 name. 00:21:08.799 --> 00:21:13.079 We glorify not a 00:21:13.079 --> 00:21:14.359 slightly better power 00:21:14.359 --> 00:21:15.339 than the earthly 00:21:15.339 --> 00:21:17.119 powers, but I preached 00:21:17.119 --> 00:21:18.159 a couple weeks ago, the 00:21:18.159 --> 00:21:19.740 cosmic victor over 00:21:19.740 --> 00:21:21.799 everything, no power, 00:21:21.980 --> 00:21:23.159 no principality, no 00:21:23.159 --> 00:21:24.339 spirit is greater than 00:21:24.339 --> 00:21:24.559 him. 00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:26.119 And all of a sudden, 00:21:26.220 --> 00:21:27.139 we're connected to him 00:21:27.139 --> 00:21:28.180 and we give him glory 00:21:28.180 --> 00:21:30.559 and our lives are hidden 00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:31.099 with him. 00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:32.779 This gives him glory, 00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:34.519 it gives us great cause 00:21:34.519 --> 00:21:35.619 for rejoicing. 00:21:35.619 --> 00:21:39.459 So that is what it 00:21:39.459 --> 00:21:42.639 means to suffer, the 00:21:42.639 --> 00:21:44.799 true nature of 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:45.639 suffering for Christ. 00:21:46.039 --> 00:21:46.859 But then, how do we 00:21:46.859 --> 00:21:47.500 suffer well? 00:21:48.039 --> 00:21:48.879 If that's what suffering 00:21:48.879 --> 00:21:49.639 for Christ looks like, 00:21:49.679 --> 00:21:50.979 how do we suffer well? 00:21:51.959 --> 00:21:53.199 We're looking at verses 00:21:53.199 --> 00:21:54.279 16 and 19. 00:21:54.419 --> 00:21:54.899 Look with me. 00:21:55.899 --> 00:21:57.039 Yet if anyone suffers 00:21:57.039 --> 00:21:58.079 as a Christian, let him 00:21:58.079 --> 00:21:59.419 not be ashamed, but let 00:21:59.419 --> 00:22:00.619 him glorify God in that 00:22:00.619 --> 00:22:00.879 name. 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:03.079 For it is time for 00:22:03.079 --> 00:22:04.719 judgment to begin at the 00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:05.519 household of God. 00:22:06.420 --> 00:22:07.319 And if it begins with 00:22:07.319 --> 00:22:08.819 us, what will be the 00:22:08.819 --> 00:22:09.839 outcome for those who 00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:11.180 do not obey the gospel 00:22:11.180 --> 00:22:12.240 of God? 00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:13.539 And, quoting Proverbs 00:22:13.539 --> 00:22:15.019 11 here, if the 00:22:15.019 --> 00:22:16.620 righteous is scarcely 00:22:16.620 --> 00:22:18.440 saved, what will become 00:22:18.440 --> 00:22:20.680 of the ungodly and the 00:22:20.680 --> 00:22:20.940 sinner? 00:22:22.200 --> 00:22:23.819 Verse 19, we'll close it 00:22:23.819 --> 00:22:24.460 off with this. 00:22:24.700 --> 00:22:25.539 Therefore, let those who 00:22:25.539 --> 00:22:26.680 suffer according to God's 00:22:26.680 --> 00:22:28.039 will entrust their souls 00:22:28.039 --> 00:22:29.740 to a faithful creator 00:22:29.740 --> 00:22:31.279 while doing good. 00:22:31.380 --> 00:22:32.539 Interestingly, and I'm 00:22:32.539 --> 00:22:33.120 not going to comment 00:22:33.120 --> 00:22:34.079 further than this, this is 00:22:34.079 --> 00:22:35.240 the only time in the New 00:22:35.240 --> 00:22:39.419 Testament that God is 00:22:39.419 --> 00:22:42.859 explicitly called 00:22:42.859 --> 00:22:44.619 creator, faithful creator. 00:22:46.039 --> 00:22:47.359 So how do we suffer well? 00:22:47.619 --> 00:22:49.480 Notice first that we are not 00:22:49.480 --> 00:22:50.159 to be ashamed. 00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:52.379 For the Christians in Asia 00:22:52.379 --> 00:22:53.839 Minor, being a Christian 00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:55.879 would have risked shame 00:22:55.879 --> 00:22:57.599 upon their family and upon 00:22:57.599 --> 00:22:59.179 their individual lives. 00:22:59.399 --> 00:23:01.500 It meant not participating in 00:23:01.500 --> 00:23:02.960 the practices and values of 00:23:02.960 --> 00:23:03.420 the culture. 00:23:04.839 --> 00:23:06.140 We see Peter alluding to 00:23:06.140 --> 00:23:06.920 this, maybe not even 00:23:06.920 --> 00:23:08.000 alluding, just saying it 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:08.500 explicitly. 00:23:09.140 --> 00:23:10.380 Earlier in the chapter, 00:23:10.619 --> 00:23:11.819 Steve mentioned it, 00:23:12.579 --> 00:23:14.000 chapter 4, verse 4, this is 00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:14.500 what it says. 00:23:14.500 --> 00:23:18.259 With respect to this, they, that 00:23:18.259 --> 00:23:20.119 is the pagans, non-Christians, 00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:22.099 they are surprised when you do 00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:24.140 not join them in the same 00:23:24.140 --> 00:23:26.319 flood of debauchery, and they 00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:27.079 malign you. 00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:29.920 For the residents of Asia Minor, 00:23:30.140 --> 00:23:31.680 the original recipients of this 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:35.319 letter, and for us today, we will 00:23:35.319 --> 00:23:36.960 not be ashamed of Christ 00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:43.519 only when we fully see the full 00:23:43.519 --> 00:23:46.380 extent of our idolatry, and we 00:23:46.380 --> 00:23:48.940 face evil face on, and we 00:23:48.940 --> 00:23:50.579 understand what evil truly is. 00:23:52.259 --> 00:23:56.440 Like the evil one, like Satan in 00:23:56.440 --> 00:24:00.259 the garden, he knows how to 00:24:00.259 --> 00:24:04.220 clothe evil in goodness, and 00:24:04.220 --> 00:24:07.440 dress up all sorts of 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:10.680 horrendous debauchery, and make 00:24:10.680 --> 00:24:13.200 it look like wonderful amounts 00:24:13.200 --> 00:24:14.220 of self-expression. 00:24:14.960 --> 00:24:18.640 But if we understand truly that 00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:20.240 the lure and promise of our 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:23.680 culture is not the most fullest, 00:24:23.880 --> 00:24:25.960 most free, most satisfied we 00:24:25.960 --> 00:24:28.740 will be, but rather the very 00:24:28.740 --> 00:24:31.799 decay of our souls, then we will 00:24:31.799 --> 00:24:33.579 see Christ truly for who he is. 00:24:34.220 --> 00:24:37.200 When we see Christ for truly, we 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:40.039 see Christ truly for who he is, it 00:24:40.039 --> 00:24:43.700 is harder for us to venture back 00:24:43.700 --> 00:24:46.460 into the other culture, the other 00:24:46.460 --> 00:24:51.160 age, the other arena, and find true 00:24:51.160 --> 00:24:53.600 joy that we've first found with 00:24:53.600 --> 00:24:53.940 Christ. 00:24:55.740 --> 00:24:57.600 And therefore, to be ashamed of 00:24:57.600 --> 00:25:00.140 Christ after we enjoy him and see 00:25:00.140 --> 00:25:02.500 him for who he truly is and see the 00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:07.299 opposite, that it is decay, we will not 00:25:07.299 --> 00:25:07.880 be ashamed. 00:25:08.900 --> 00:25:13.059 Our flesh is weak, shame comes, but if 00:25:13.059 --> 00:25:17.059 we truly value Christ, we value him 00:25:17.059 --> 00:25:19.759 and we adore him over all things, we 00:25:19.759 --> 00:25:21.460 will not be ashamed. 00:25:22.920 --> 00:25:24.559 Throughout the Bible, this dilemma is 00:25:24.559 --> 00:25:26.279 juxtaposed as the fear of man versus 00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:28.440 the fear of God when we struggle with 00:25:28.440 --> 00:25:32.180 honoring Christ over honoring the age 00:25:32.180 --> 00:25:32.920 that we live in. 00:25:33.320 --> 00:25:34.940 But hear these words of Jesus in 00:25:34.940 --> 00:25:37.360 Matthew chapter 10, 28 to 33. 00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:38.160 He says this, 00:25:38.900 --> 00:25:40.539 And do not fear those who kill the 00:25:40.539 --> 00:25:41.980 body but cannot kill the soul. 00:25:42.799 --> 00:25:45.240 Rather fear him who can destroy both 00:25:45.240 --> 00:25:46.539 soul and body in hell. 00:25:47.700 --> 00:25:49.640 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? 00:25:50.320 --> 00:25:51.940 And not one of them will fall to the 00:25:51.940 --> 00:25:53.320 ground apart from your father. 00:25:53.319 --> 00:25:55.740 But even the hairs of your head are 00:25:55.740 --> 00:25:56.240 all numbered. 00:25:56.439 --> 00:25:57.019 Fear not. 00:25:57.599 --> 00:26:00.039 Therefore, you are of more value than 00:26:00.039 --> 00:26:01.220 many sparrows. 00:26:03.839 --> 00:26:05.720 Be wonderful if he stopped at verse 00:26:05.720 --> 00:26:06.159 31. 00:26:06.879 --> 00:26:08.740 But he hits hard with verse 32 and 00:26:08.740 --> 00:26:09.139 33. 00:26:09.500 --> 00:26:10.079 Listen to this. 00:26:11.079 --> 00:26:12.700 So everyone who acknowledges me 00:26:12.700 --> 00:26:14.579 before men, I will acknowledge before 00:26:14.579 --> 00:26:15.759 my father who is in heaven. 00:26:15.939 --> 00:26:19.359 But whoever denies me before men, I 00:26:19.359 --> 00:26:21.779 will also deny before my father who is 00:26:21.779 --> 00:26:22.159 in heaven. 00:26:22.160 --> 00:26:25.240 They are very sobering words. 00:26:26.560 --> 00:26:28.620 Friends, do not be ashamed of Christ. 00:26:30.320 --> 00:26:33.360 If we deny him on earth, he will deny 00:26:33.360 --> 00:26:35.120 us before the father. 00:26:35.240 --> 00:26:38.960 So then how do we value and love and 00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:41.300 proclaim Christ so that we are not 00:26:41.300 --> 00:26:42.019 ashamed of him? 00:26:42.920 --> 00:26:44.160 I think this is where suffering exposes 00:26:44.840 --> 00:26:45.860 that for us. 00:26:47.420 --> 00:26:50.820 It exposes for us our false gods like 00:26:50.820 --> 00:26:51.500 we've talked about. 00:26:51.500 --> 00:26:55.319 But it also exposes for us the false 00:26:55.319 --> 00:26:58.019 narrative and promise of our age so 00:26:58.019 --> 00:26:59.920 that we can see the truth of Christ in 00:26:59.920 --> 00:27:00.579 its brilliance. 00:27:03.380 --> 00:27:05.799 That's how we suffer well when we 00:27:05.799 --> 00:27:06.980 treasure Christ above all. 00:27:07.039 --> 00:27:09.119 Our text also tells us that we can 00:27:09.119 --> 00:27:11.039 suffer well if we have eternal judgment 00:27:11.039 --> 00:27:11.539 in view. 00:27:12.420 --> 00:27:14.259 The Matthew passage alludes to this. 00:27:14.259 --> 00:27:17.099 But look with me again at verses 17 and 18 00:27:17.099 --> 00:27:18.859 of chapter 4 of 1 Peter. 00:27:21.579 --> 00:27:23.599 For it is time for judgment to begin in 00:27:23.599 --> 00:27:24.480 the household of God. 00:27:24.539 --> 00:27:27.299 And if it begins with us, what will be the 00:27:27.299 --> 00:27:29.200 outcome of those who do not obey the 00:27:29.200 --> 00:27:29.960 gospel of God? 00:27:30.039 --> 00:27:32.640 And if the righteous is scarcely saved, 00:27:32.680 --> 00:27:34.180 what will become of the ungodly and the 00:27:34.180 --> 00:27:34.359 sinner? 00:27:34.359 --> 00:27:37.079 Like other parts of Peter, we could spend a few 00:27:37.079 --> 00:27:38.339 weeks looking at these two verses. 00:27:39.619 --> 00:27:43.019 Peter, it's like he packs it in real dense. 00:27:44.639 --> 00:27:46.419 But just a couple comments. 00:27:46.519 --> 00:27:49.279 Firstly, as the creed affirms, both Christians and 00:27:49.279 --> 00:27:51.659 non-Christians will experience the judgment of God. 00:27:52.240 --> 00:27:53.879 Because we're Christians doesn't mean we are, 00:27:53.880 --> 00:27:56.260 we don't experience God's judgment. 00:27:56.460 --> 00:27:58.660 Yes, we don't experience God's judgment in terms 00:27:58.660 --> 00:28:03.680 of we are judged to be sinners without redemption. 00:28:04.160 --> 00:28:05.500 We are clothed in Christ. 00:28:05.620 --> 00:28:09.420 So therefore, our judgment is a judgment to glory. 00:28:09.780 --> 00:28:11.600 But we still will be judged. 00:28:13.420 --> 00:28:16.220 And just like how the kingdom of heaven will come 00:28:16.220 --> 00:28:18.620 in its fullness at the end of the age, but we 00:28:18.620 --> 00:28:22.760 experience it now in part, so too with the judgment 00:28:22.759 --> 00:28:24.480 of God, that there is a final judgment. 00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:25.279 It will come. 00:28:25.359 --> 00:28:26.259 It has not come yet. 00:28:27.099 --> 00:28:29.900 But for the people of God, we experience it in 00:28:29.900 --> 00:28:31.119 part now. 00:28:31.460 --> 00:28:32.539 What do I mean? 00:28:33.559 --> 00:28:35.500 The judgment of God throughout the scriptures is 00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:40.180 described as a consuming fire that both purifies 00:28:40.180 --> 00:28:40.779 and condemns. 00:28:40.779 --> 00:28:44.299 The same purifying fire for the Christian, it 00:28:44.299 --> 00:28:45.740 purifies our souls. 00:28:46.819 --> 00:28:49.940 The suffering for the faith that God wills is a 00:28:49.940 --> 00:28:55.480 a refining fire that sifts out who are truly his and 00:28:55.480 --> 00:28:57.620 purifies the faith of the faithful. 00:28:58.680 --> 00:29:02.039 Think of, and it's used a ton in the Bible, you have a 00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:06.580 bunch of ore, but the smelter, he melts it down at the 00:29:06.580 --> 00:29:09.460 right temperature so that the dross, the impurities are 00:29:09.460 --> 00:29:12.019 melted away and the precious metal remains. 00:29:12.120 --> 00:29:15.559 And that is what the purifying judgment, the fire of God 00:29:15.559 --> 00:29:15.860 does. 00:29:15.859 --> 00:29:17.219 It purifies us. 00:29:19.119 --> 00:29:22.059 So therefore, the flames of persecution, when they come, 00:29:23.559 --> 00:29:27.099 they become the pledge, not just of a purified faith, but a 00:29:27.099 --> 00:29:32.079 proof that being united in Christ, our future eternally will 00:29:32.079 --> 00:29:32.599 be with him. 00:29:33.679 --> 00:29:38.719 It is, in a sense, the beginning of God's judgment unfurling, 00:29:38.859 --> 00:29:39.679 first for the church. 00:29:39.680 --> 00:29:45.140 It's proof that the spirit of God resides once again in his 00:29:45.140 --> 00:29:45.420 temple. 00:29:45.860 --> 00:29:49.019 If you remember in previous weeks, the temple imagery is 00:29:49.019 --> 00:29:52.560 used by 1 Peter to describe us, the church, and the spirit of 00:29:52.560 --> 00:29:54.200 God resides within the temple. 00:29:54.299 --> 00:29:57.400 The fire of God, so to speak, resides within the temple. 00:29:57.500 --> 00:29:59.160 It is proof that we are of Christ. 00:30:00.240 --> 00:30:02.480 It's costly and painful. 00:30:03.660 --> 00:30:06.019 This is why Peter references Proverbs 11 here. 00:30:06.019 --> 00:30:10.799 Not to say that salvation is impossible, but that it comes at a 00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:11.559 high cost. 00:30:14.359 --> 00:30:17.519 That Christ has bought us at a high cost. 00:30:18.579 --> 00:30:23.900 Remember 1 Peter 1.19, it says the very high cost of his very 00:30:23.900 --> 00:30:24.240 blood. 00:30:26.059 --> 00:30:27.879 Finally, how do we suffer well? 00:30:28.200 --> 00:30:29.579 And this is what we'll wrap things up with. 00:30:30.039 --> 00:30:33.900 We can suffer well when we entrust our souls to Christ. 00:30:33.900 --> 00:30:40.860 This might be something you write out on a little cue card or 00:30:40.860 --> 00:30:43.200 something, write it on your mirror. 00:30:44.259 --> 00:30:45.759 This is what it says, verse 19. 00:30:46.360 --> 00:30:50.980 Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their 00:30:50.980 --> 00:30:55.420 souls, not to some indifferent person, but to a faithful creator 00:30:55.420 --> 00:30:56.560 while doing good. 00:30:56.780 --> 00:30:58.140 To a faithful creator. 00:30:58.140 --> 00:31:01.700 Here's a troubling truth for us. 00:31:02.660 --> 00:31:04.460 Us who are self-reliant folk. 00:31:06.040 --> 00:31:12.300 Our ability to safeguard our soul is nothing compared to how God can 00:31:12.300 --> 00:31:13.120 safeguard our soul. 00:31:14.100 --> 00:31:20.360 Our ability to look after ourselves is nothing compared to how God can look 00:31:20.360 --> 00:31:21.020 after ourselves. 00:31:21.019 --> 00:31:27.720 Our ability to conduct self-care is nothing compared to what God can do in our 00:31:27.720 --> 00:31:28.180 hearts. 00:31:29.379 --> 00:31:30.639 Providing true care. 00:31:31.599 --> 00:31:32.400 Self-care is okay. 00:31:32.960 --> 00:31:34.119 Just to be clear. 00:31:34.559 --> 00:31:38.240 Go to the Nordique if you need to for a little me time. 00:31:38.559 --> 00:31:38.779 All right? 00:31:38.859 --> 00:31:39.400 No problem. 00:31:41.019 --> 00:31:46.139 Nevertheless, what is the Nordique compared to the eternal bliss of 00:31:46.140 --> 00:31:49.820 glorification that Christ offers to us? 00:31:51.240 --> 00:31:57.920 We have this problem where our self-reliance causes us not to enjoy life 00:31:57.920 --> 00:32:03.800 better, but to suffer in a way that is just, that the suffering is not meant for 00:32:03.800 --> 00:32:04.120 us. 00:32:05.480 --> 00:32:11.220 Yes, we are to suffer as we embrace Christ, but he promises that we will, our 00:32:11.220 --> 00:32:18.120 suffering will then be the source then of our joy and our love and our mercy that 00:32:18.120 --> 00:32:19.299 we extend to others. 00:32:21.160 --> 00:32:26.759 So friends, the very act of relinquishing our souls to Christ is the most sure and 00:32:26.759 --> 00:32:31.039 safe thing we can do for ourselves. 00:32:33.600 --> 00:32:40.620 Remember that Christ is the one who commands us to obey him, to suffer for him, but not as 00:32:40.619 --> 00:32:49.619 somebody who sits back on an armchair to watch, but as the one who suffered as well and also 00:32:49.619 --> 00:32:51.559 entrusted his soul to God the Father. 00:32:52.239 --> 00:33:00.519 If you can flip back with me to 1 Peter chapter 2, 21 to 25, it's almost like an anthem that 00:33:00.519 --> 00:33:03.359 Peter is proclaiming, and he says this starting in verse 21. 00:33:03.359 --> 00:33:11.219 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered, leaving you an example so that you might 00:33:11.219 --> 00:33:12.439 follow in his steps. 00:33:12.839 --> 00:33:15.779 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 00:33:15.839 --> 00:33:18.539 This is a rehearsal of Isaiah 53. 00:33:19.159 --> 00:33:21.919 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return. 00:33:22.000 --> 00:33:24.500 When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued. 00:33:24.619 --> 00:33:25.000 Here it is. 00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:47.079 Another cue card verse, right there. 00:33:47.079 --> 00:33:51.939 That's who we suffer for, the one who suffered for us. 00:33:53.199 --> 00:33:58.859 That's who we obey when we entrust our souls to the faithful creator, because he entrusted 00:33:58.859 --> 00:34:00.699 his soul to the faithful creator. 00:34:00.980 --> 00:34:06.679 And the faithful creator did not let him down and did not let him see eternal decay, but 00:34:06.679 --> 00:34:09.039 rose him from the grave to eternal life. 00:34:09.079 --> 00:34:10.860 And that is our future. 00:34:10.860 --> 00:34:19.220 So therefore, we can be sure, friends, that if we entrust ourselves to Christ, he will 00:34:19.220 --> 00:34:20.260 not abandon us. 00:34:21.579 --> 00:34:27.079 We are not destined for the rubbish heap, or the grave, or utter loneliness. 00:34:28.039 --> 00:34:30.760 Instead, our souls are safeguarded. 00:34:30.880 --> 00:34:39.000 And the imagery, interestingly, is it is given, it's to give somebody who is integral and trustworthy 00:34:39.000 --> 00:34:44.559 something in trust to hold on to for the future when we will then receive it back. 00:34:46.079 --> 00:34:52.820 That we are entrusting our souls to the most integral, trustworthy being in the entire cosmos. 00:34:54.760 --> 00:34:59.639 Friends, the fact is, our good behavior is nowhere close to being good enough, and our 00:34:59.639 --> 00:35:04.320 bad behavior is far greater and more dire than we would like to admit or even imagine. 00:35:04.960 --> 00:35:08.219 We cannot hope to escape God's just judgment. 00:35:08.219 --> 00:35:10.579 Let alone know him as friend. 00:35:10.980 --> 00:35:14.019 Yet through Christ, this is our reality. 00:35:14.939 --> 00:35:15.819 It is our future. 00:35:16.480 --> 00:35:17.399 It's our sure hope. 00:35:18.259 --> 00:35:19.000 Let us pray. 00:35:20.559 --> 00:35:29.019 Father in heaven, we thank you that you have called us to suffer and truly follow in the 00:35:29.019 --> 00:35:34.239 footsteps of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who suffered on our behalf, entrusting his 00:35:34.239 --> 00:35:37.679 soul to you, Father, and that you did not disappoint. 00:35:37.679 --> 00:35:42.899 So, Father, as we lay our lives down for you, suffering as Christians, for being associated 00:35:42.899 --> 00:35:45.239 with Christ, Lord, give us great courage. 00:35:45.759 --> 00:35:46.940 Help us to not be ashamed. 00:35:47.539 --> 00:35:49.019 Help us to live for your glory. 00:35:49.239 --> 00:35:51.980 Help us to see this as a great blessing in our lives. 00:35:52.440 --> 00:35:55.519 And, Lord, help us to entrust our souls to you. 00:35:57.219 --> 00:35:59.079 Lord, we thank you that you will never let us down. 00:35:59.079 --> 00:36:03.519 Lord, bless the rest of this time together. 00:36:04.340 --> 00:36:07.440 Help us to walk in the fullness that you have called us to walk in. 00:36:08.579 --> 00:36:10.000 Lord, we want to be your ambassadors. 00:36:10.219 --> 00:36:18.279 We want to be the people that are a godly representation of you here on earth as resident aliens of heaven. 00:36:18.280 --> 00:36:18.320 Amen. 00:36:18.980 --> 00:36:20.320 We pray this in Christ's name. 00:36:20.640 --> 00:36:20.920 Amen.