WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.620 So, I've been doing my best to homeschool our children, like many of you have, since 00:00:07.620 --> 00:00:10.320 they're not going to school during this epidemic. 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:15.120 And I've been doing my best, I have to say, for those of you who are teachers, I'm thanking 00:00:15.120 --> 00:00:20.519 God for you every day and realizing more and more that I am not one. 00:00:20.519 --> 00:00:21.760 But thank you for the work that you do. 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:25.879 I'm trying to do my best in your absence. 00:00:25.879 --> 00:00:32.100 And in the afternoons, part of our school time is watching programs on TV that are either 00:00:32.100 --> 00:00:34.259 about science or nature. 00:00:34.259 --> 00:00:36.439 And we've had a great time doing that. 00:00:36.439 --> 00:00:40.920 But there was this one particular show we watched about predators like mountain lions and how 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:42.539 they hunt. 00:00:42.539 --> 00:00:48.099 And it talked about how these predators will intentionally seek out and hunt the weakest 00:00:48.099 --> 00:00:49.099 animals. 00:00:49.099 --> 00:00:55.719 So, they look for animals that are sick or tired or injured or too young to defend themselves. 00:00:55.719 --> 00:00:59.939 And then they go after them because it's an easier kill. 00:00:59.939 --> 00:01:04.340 Now, 1 Peter was written to prepare Christians for all kinds of suffering. 00:01:04.340 --> 00:01:10.959 Originally, it was about facing persecution, the widespread persecution that Christians faced 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:13.159 at this point in history. 00:01:13.159 --> 00:01:17.239 But really, everything that he says in this letter could speak to any form of suffering we 00:01:17.239 --> 00:01:23.159 might face, including, for example, a global pandemic. 00:01:23.159 --> 00:01:29.819 And right at the end in 1 Peter 5, verses 6-11, what we just read, Peter says something very 00:01:29.819 --> 00:01:32.939 crucial for us to hear. 00:01:32.939 --> 00:01:37.959 He says essentially that Satan is like one of those mountain lions. 00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:40.120 He's like a predator. 00:01:40.120 --> 00:01:43.199 And he seeks out people who are suffering. 00:01:43.199 --> 00:01:51.719 He seeks out people who are sick or who are lonely or who are depressed or who are tired. 00:01:51.719 --> 00:01:58.019 He says, your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 00:01:58.439 --> 00:02:05.379 In other words, when we suffer, when we suffer like many of us are in various ways during this 00:02:05.379 --> 00:02:10.579 pandemic, that makes us uniquely vulnerable to spiritual evil. 00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:15.500 Suffering makes us uniquely vulnerable to spiritual evil. 00:02:15.500 --> 00:02:19.900 And so this passage shows us two things that we really need to hear right now. 00:02:20.219 --> 00:02:23.159 First of all, it shows us why suffering makes us vulnerable. 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:26.400 What's the connection between suffering and spiritual vulnerability? 00:02:27.020 --> 00:02:30.259 And then the second thing it shows us is how to stand firm in our faith. 00:02:30.840 --> 00:02:32.319 How to stand firm in our faith. 00:02:33.500 --> 00:02:35.500 Let's pray and then we'll open God's Word together. 00:02:35.500 --> 00:02:45.199 Lord, we thank you for your Word and we ask that as we sit in our homes all around the 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:50.219 city and all around the world, Lord, we pray that you would, through your Holy Spirit, open 00:02:50.219 --> 00:02:51.060 your Word to us. 00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:54.860 And through this written Word, we pray that we would come face to face with your living 00:02:54.860 --> 00:02:55.719 Word, Jesus Christ. 00:02:56.300 --> 00:02:57.699 And it's in his name that we pray. 00:02:58.479 --> 00:02:58.819 Amen. 00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:03.460 So the first question we want to ask is, why does suffering make us vulnerable? 00:03:03.460 --> 00:03:10.020 And I want you to notice how Peter says, be sober-minded, be watchful in verse 8. 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:13.439 To be sober-minded means that you are thinking rationally. 00:03:13.560 --> 00:03:15.260 It means that you're thinking clearly. 00:03:15.740 --> 00:03:17.000 And the connection is this. 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:23.920 When we suffer, it's very easy to stop thinking rationally and to stop thinking clearly. 00:03:24.360 --> 00:03:29.360 Because suffering has a way of distorting the way that we think. 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:31.480 It distorts our perceptions. 00:03:31.840 --> 00:03:33.420 It distorts our beliefs. 00:03:33.820 --> 00:03:36.000 And I want to give you a few examples of how this works. 00:03:37.120 --> 00:03:42.020 Some of us, when we suffer, might begin to believe that we're all alone. 00:03:43.260 --> 00:03:44.920 That we're all alone in our suffering. 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:48.640 Some of you are actually physically alone right now. 00:03:48.740 --> 00:03:52.040 And you know that loneliness is its own form of suffering. 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:55.520 That loneliness is its own pandemic right now. 00:03:55.520 --> 00:04:03.640 And there are all kinds of studies that are telling us that the physical detrimental effects that loneliness can have on a person over time. 00:04:03.639 --> 00:04:06.179 But even if you're not physically alone. 00:04:06.180 --> 00:04:13.920 Some of us, when we suffer, can begin to believe that there's nobody out there that really understands what it's like to be me. 00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:17.300 That there's nobody out there that really gets it. 00:04:17.300 --> 00:04:22.780 That there's nobody who has experienced or had to go through what I'm going through right now. 00:04:22.779 --> 00:04:27.819 Or you can begin to believe that there's nobody out there that really cares about you. 00:04:27.819 --> 00:04:31.539 That even if people say they care, that they don't. 00:04:31.540 --> 00:04:35.980 That's an extraordinarily lonely way to suffer. 00:04:35.980 --> 00:04:41.819 That kind of thinking can make suffering that is difficult, can make it so much more intolerable. 00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:43.520 If you think that you're all alone. 00:04:44.360 --> 00:04:48.500 Another danger of beginning to believe that we're all alone in our suffering. 00:04:48.759 --> 00:04:52.140 Is that that can pave the way to self-pity. 00:04:52.920 --> 00:05:00.020 And by self-pity I mean having a kind of exaggerated or inflated view of your suffering. 00:05:00.019 --> 00:05:02.039 And the importance of your suffering. 00:05:02.979 --> 00:05:06.079 Maybe even wallowing in your suffering. 00:05:06.259 --> 00:05:08.939 Or sort of overdwelling on your suffering. 00:05:09.099 --> 00:05:11.459 Now I don't bring this up to scold anybody. 00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:15.859 I actually bring it up because self-pity can be extraordinarily destructive. 00:05:16.620 --> 00:05:22.479 If you begin to give in to self-pity it leads you to begin to see yourself only as a victim. 00:05:23.039 --> 00:05:27.919 It leads you to believe that you're powerless to do anything to change your circumstances. 00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:30.960 And it also changes how you relate to other people. 00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:37.240 Self-pity can sort of rob you of the ability to understand other people's points of view. 00:05:37.640 --> 00:05:39.240 To empathize with them. 00:05:39.300 --> 00:05:44.300 Because your own suffering becomes so big it blots out everything else. 00:05:45.300 --> 00:05:46.780 And so suffering is hard. 00:05:47.220 --> 00:05:48.360 It's difficult enough. 00:05:48.360 --> 00:05:51.319 But if you begin to believe that you're alone in your suffering. 00:05:51.720 --> 00:05:56.720 Or if you begin to give in to the temptation towards self-pity. 00:05:56.980 --> 00:06:01.740 This can make that same suffering utterly unbearable. 00:06:02.300 --> 00:06:04.600 So this is one way that our thinking can become distorted. 00:06:04.699 --> 00:06:05.620 But there are other ways. 00:06:06.020 --> 00:06:09.540 Some of us when we suffer might think that things are never going to change. 00:06:09.540 --> 00:06:15.600 You think that no matter what this suffering will always be in your life. 00:06:15.640 --> 00:06:18.780 And if you're in a lot of pain it's easy to begin to think that way. 00:06:19.580 --> 00:06:21.340 You know some of us struggle with depression. 00:06:21.520 --> 00:06:25.040 And I know some of you have really struggled with deep depression. 00:06:25.180 --> 00:06:28.100 Some of you are on medication or going to therapy for depression. 00:06:28.100 --> 00:06:32.640 And it's easy to believe that when you're feeling like that that it's never going to get better. 00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:35.200 And maybe many of you have struggled for years. 00:06:35.520 --> 00:06:37.640 And you think this is never going to change. 00:06:38.159 --> 00:06:41.120 Some of you are in a stage of life that you don't want. 00:06:41.219 --> 00:06:42.639 Like unwanted singleness. 00:06:42.839 --> 00:06:44.439 And you think it's been years and years and years. 00:06:44.620 --> 00:06:45.959 I'm never going to get married. 00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:47.439 Things are never going to change. 00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:50.079 Or if you're married but you're in a hard marriage. 00:06:50.159 --> 00:06:52.539 And you've tried and tried and tried and worked on it. 00:06:52.919 --> 00:06:55.419 And you just feel like this is never going to get better. 00:06:55.539 --> 00:06:56.680 It's never going to change. 00:06:57.500 --> 00:06:59.379 I've heard people say that about this pandemic. 00:06:59.979 --> 00:07:05.060 It's hard to imagine life ever returning to any kind of normal. 00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:06.979 Is this ever going to end? 00:07:06.980 --> 00:07:10.000 And again, suffering itself is hard enough. 00:07:10.120 --> 00:07:15.040 But if you begin to believe, if you begin to think that things are never going to change. 00:07:15.340 --> 00:07:16.819 That it's always going to be this way. 00:07:16.920 --> 00:07:18.960 That same suffering can overwhelm you. 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:22.819 One last example I'll give of distorted thinking is this. 00:07:23.259 --> 00:07:27.379 Suffering can lead us to begin to look at our lives and to look at the world. 00:07:27.879 --> 00:07:30.080 And to begin to believe that all of this is meaningless. 00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:37.419 The pain of childbirth or the pain of surgery, that kind of pain has meaning. 00:07:37.599 --> 00:07:42.399 And so we will readily endure that pain because it has a meaning behind it. 00:07:42.459 --> 00:07:43.680 That has a purpose behind it. 00:07:43.899 --> 00:07:45.439 But imagine that same pain. 00:07:46.019 --> 00:07:47.959 The pain of childbirth or the pain of surgery. 00:07:48.060 --> 00:07:51.519 Imagine that same pain but with no meaning attached to it. 00:07:51.579 --> 00:07:53.500 With no purpose attached to it. 00:07:53.500 --> 00:07:57.019 If you were made to suffer through that kind of pain and it had no purpose and no meaning, 00:07:57.180 --> 00:07:58.399 you wouldn't be able to endure it. 00:07:58.519 --> 00:08:00.120 It would completely overwhelm you. 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:05.259 You know, Richard Dawkins, when thinking about all the suffering in the world, 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:09.279 famously described the universe as a place where, quote, 00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:17.979 there is at bottom no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference. 00:08:18.819 --> 00:08:23.859 And if you apply that grid, that way of thinking to all of the suffering in your life, 00:08:23.919 --> 00:08:26.479 it makes it completely overwhelming. 00:08:26.719 --> 00:08:31.019 It makes it very, very, very hard, if not impossible, to endure. 00:08:31.879 --> 00:08:37.679 Suffering is already hard, but it'll crush you if you truly believe that it's meaningless. 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:42.079 And so these are some examples of how our thinking can become distorted when we suffer. 00:08:42.339 --> 00:08:47.919 But we still need to answer the question of why Peter sees this as being spiritually dangerous. 00:08:48.079 --> 00:08:51.339 What's the spiritual danger in this if it's just in our heads? 00:08:51.779 --> 00:08:57.500 And I have no doubt that as Peter wrote these words to the people that he was writing to, 00:08:57.839 --> 00:09:01.299 he was thinking about a specific episode in his own life. 00:09:01.639 --> 00:09:04.539 And you read about it in places like Luke chapter 22. 00:09:04.539 --> 00:09:09.679 In the last moments before Jesus' arrest, his disciples are utterly disoriented, 00:09:10.199 --> 00:09:13.159 and they're utterly terrified, and they're filled with fear. 00:09:13.740 --> 00:09:16.659 And Jesus turns to Peter, and he says, 00:09:16.819 --> 00:09:22.079 Behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat. 00:09:23.219 --> 00:09:26.500 But I've prayed for you that your strength may not fail. 00:09:27.019 --> 00:09:29.539 When you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. 00:09:29.539 --> 00:09:33.360 And then, of course, Peter protests, and in spite of his protests, 00:09:33.939 --> 00:09:35.279 Jesus goes on to tell him, 00:09:35.779 --> 00:09:39.459 Before this night is out, you will deny me three times. 00:09:40.099 --> 00:09:42.659 And, of course, we all know that that's exactly what happened. 00:09:43.379 --> 00:09:45.360 In other words, Jesus is saying to Peter, 00:09:45.699 --> 00:09:51.000 If Satan had his way, he would take your fear and your anxiety and your terror, 00:09:51.259 --> 00:09:54.980 and he would use them to drive a wedge between you and me. 00:09:54.980 --> 00:10:00.220 He would take your suffering, and he would use it to drive a wedge between you and me. 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:01.980 And then he would devour you. 00:10:02.080 --> 00:10:03.620 He would sift you like wheat. 00:10:04.100 --> 00:10:05.080 And the point is this. 00:10:05.879 --> 00:10:06.800 When we suffer, 00:10:07.700 --> 00:10:09.320 when we suffer, 00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:12.940 if we allow our thinking to become distorted, 00:10:13.080 --> 00:10:15.100 if we begin to believe I'm all alone, 00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:17.480 no one understands what it's like to be me, 00:10:17.740 --> 00:10:20.080 if we begin to believe it's never going to end, 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:23.019 if we begin to believe all of this is meaningless, 00:10:23.159 --> 00:10:24.620 there's no purpose to any of it, 00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:30.299 then our suffering can become a wedge that drives us away from God. 00:10:31.539 --> 00:10:36.460 Either we decide that we want to abandon God and the holy idea of God 00:10:36.460 --> 00:10:38.080 because it doesn't seem to make any difference, 00:10:38.220 --> 00:10:41.519 or we begin to believe that God has abandoned us, 00:10:41.539 --> 00:10:43.700 or maybe there is no God at all. 00:10:43.879 --> 00:10:46.440 And that leaves us all alone in the world, 00:10:46.679 --> 00:10:49.200 and it convinces us that the best thing that we can do 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:52.000 is to try to take control of things as much as possible. 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:57.360 And so much of our anxiety is rooted in that desire to take control. 00:10:58.320 --> 00:10:59.299 In other words, 00:10:59.399 --> 00:11:01.299 the spiritual danger of suffering is this. 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:03.179 When it begins to distort our thinking, 00:11:03.840 --> 00:11:07.340 we begin to believe the lie of Satan 00:11:07.340 --> 00:11:10.700 that was first uttered in the garden to Adam and Eve. 00:11:10.879 --> 00:11:12.080 And the lie is this. 00:11:12.080 --> 00:11:13.900 You're better off without God. 00:11:15.540 --> 00:11:17.080 You're better off without God. 00:11:17.280 --> 00:11:17.860 You don't need Him. 00:11:17.860 --> 00:11:21.399 So if this is the lie, 00:11:21.500 --> 00:11:24.039 and this is the way that we become vulnerable through suffering, 00:11:24.220 --> 00:11:25.960 then how do we stand firm? 00:11:26.060 --> 00:11:28.759 How do we, as Peter says, resist this? 00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:32.580 And, you know, it's interesting when we think about fear and anxiety 00:11:32.580 --> 00:11:34.779 and all of those things. 00:11:34.860 --> 00:11:37.659 Often these days you hear about practices like meditation 00:11:37.659 --> 00:11:41.379 or mindfulness practices as a way to cope with these things. 00:11:41.579 --> 00:11:44.139 And I will say there's a lot of benefit to those things, 00:11:44.199 --> 00:11:46.139 and I've benefited from them myself. 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:48.899 But they don't offer any spiritual protection 00:11:48.899 --> 00:11:51.259 in the way that we're talking about this morning. 00:11:51.699 --> 00:11:54.860 If you want protection from the spiritual dangers of suffering, 00:11:55.000 --> 00:11:57.539 which is that's the point that we want to focus on, 00:11:58.000 --> 00:11:59.839 look at what Peter says in verse 6. 00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:00.799 It's very counterintuitive. 00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:03.799 Humble yourselves. 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:08.399 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God. 00:12:09.719 --> 00:12:11.859 Now, what's the connection, right? 00:12:11.879 --> 00:12:15.399 We don't often connect humility and anxiety. 00:12:15.559 --> 00:12:18.839 How does humility help us with fear and anxiety? 00:12:19.000 --> 00:12:21.000 Well, what does it mean to humble ourselves? 00:12:22.579 --> 00:12:23.639 It means this. 00:12:23.719 --> 00:12:27.539 It means accepting that we're not in control. 00:12:27.539 --> 00:12:32.719 Now, that's a theme that we've hit over the last several weeks, 00:12:32.839 --> 00:12:35.059 every week, but I think that if you're anything like me, 00:12:35.459 --> 00:12:37.779 I need to hear this again and again and again. 00:12:37.919 --> 00:12:39.679 Accept that we're not in control. 00:12:40.539 --> 00:12:44.500 It means accepting the circumstances of our lives. 00:12:44.519 --> 00:12:46.199 Rather than wishing for a different life 00:12:46.199 --> 00:12:48.139 or fantasizing about a different life, 00:12:48.599 --> 00:12:51.620 accepting that this is the life that I've been given. 00:12:51.959 --> 00:12:53.019 What am I going to do with it? 00:12:54.139 --> 00:12:55.799 And then thirdly, humbling ourselves 00:12:55.799 --> 00:12:58.779 means accepting our limitations as human beings, 00:12:58.899 --> 00:13:01.219 recognizing that as much as we might like to be, 00:13:01.620 --> 00:13:02.759 we are not gods. 00:13:03.459 --> 00:13:06.919 We don't have the omnipotence of gods. 00:13:07.879 --> 00:13:09.659 So in short, humbling ourselves 00:13:09.659 --> 00:13:12.759 means recognizing that we have a king. 00:13:13.719 --> 00:13:14.979 That we have a king. 00:13:15.439 --> 00:13:17.439 And that's why I love that we're talking about this 00:13:17.439 --> 00:13:19.539 on Palm Sunday of all Sundays. 00:13:19.539 --> 00:13:23.620 When Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem, 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:26.019 as he did on that first Palm Sunday, 00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:28.240 he was announcing to everyone, 00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:30.860 by visibly fulfilling prophecy, 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:32.360 he was announcing to everyone 00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:36.219 that he has come as the true king of the world. 00:13:36.779 --> 00:13:39.659 And what that means is that Jesus is the one 00:13:39.659 --> 00:13:40.799 who made this world. 00:13:41.559 --> 00:13:43.860 Jesus is the one who can restore this world. 00:13:43.860 --> 00:13:47.539 And Jesus is the one who is meant to rule over this world. 00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:49.519 And everything and everyone in it, 00:13:49.680 --> 00:13:51.039 including you and I. 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:54.480 And so if you humble yourself before him, 00:13:54.560 --> 00:13:57.840 that means you allow him to become the king of your life. 00:13:58.120 --> 00:14:01.980 You recognize his kingship and his authority. 00:14:02.460 --> 00:14:03.399 And if you do that, 00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:04.960 if that's your starting point, 00:14:05.419 --> 00:14:06.860 that will begin to counteract 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.360 all of the distorted thinking that creeps in 00:14:10.360 --> 00:14:11.860 when we face suffering. 00:14:11.860 --> 00:14:15.060 So to go back to our earlier examples, 00:14:15.460 --> 00:14:17.960 even if you're suffering and you feel alone, 00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:22.180 having Jesus as your king reminds you 00:14:22.180 --> 00:14:23.419 that you're never alone. 00:14:24.360 --> 00:14:25.460 Verse 9 says, 00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:28.159 the same kinds of suffering are being experienced 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:30.600 by your brotherhood throughout the world. 00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:34.419 In Jesus, if he is your king, 00:14:34.779 --> 00:14:36.779 you become spiritually connected 00:14:36.779 --> 00:14:38.920 to all of the brothers and sisters 00:14:38.920 --> 00:14:41.340 who belong to Jesus all throughout the world 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:42.580 across time and space. 00:14:42.680 --> 00:14:45.519 You're part of a global family called the church. 00:14:46.100 --> 00:14:47.560 And when one suffers, 00:14:47.700 --> 00:14:49.280 we all suffer together. 00:14:49.460 --> 00:14:50.879 When one rejoices, 00:14:51.000 --> 00:14:52.440 we all rejoice together. 00:14:52.620 --> 00:14:54.980 We all share in one another's experiences 00:14:54.980 --> 00:14:56.540 because we're all one. 00:14:56.639 --> 00:14:57.519 You're never alone. 00:14:58.139 --> 00:14:58.960 You're never alone. 00:14:59.320 --> 00:15:00.120 And right now, 00:15:00.200 --> 00:15:01.600 there are many brothers and sisters 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:02.480 all around the world 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:03.120 who are suffering 00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:05.240 in exactly the same ways that you are. 00:15:05.240 --> 00:15:07.879 More than that, 00:15:08.159 --> 00:15:09.299 when Jesus is your king, 00:15:09.379 --> 00:15:11.759 the Bible says that unlike any earthly king, 00:15:12.220 --> 00:15:14.560 Jesus himself knows what it is like 00:15:14.560 --> 00:15:15.980 to suffer as we suffer. 00:15:16.200 --> 00:15:18.360 That there's no form of suffering or temptation 00:15:18.360 --> 00:15:21.980 that Jesus has not personally experienced 00:15:21.980 --> 00:15:23.480 as a human being. 00:15:23.560 --> 00:15:25.299 So he knows what it's like to be you. 00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:27.539 He knows what it's like to be me. 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:29.580 He knows what it is to suffer, 00:15:29.680 --> 00:15:30.519 not just theoretically, 00:15:31.060 --> 00:15:32.000 but viscerally. 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:34.639 Number two, 00:15:34.820 --> 00:15:37.659 even if it feels like things will never change, 00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:40.840 even if it feels like this will never end, 00:15:42.139 --> 00:15:44.480 King Jesus reminds us that they will. 00:15:45.539 --> 00:15:48.740 Maybe you've seen the clip of Governor Cuomo 00:15:48.740 --> 00:15:50.279 talking about COVID-19 00:15:50.279 --> 00:15:52.700 where he famously sort of held his fingers out 00:15:52.700 --> 00:15:53.179 and he said, 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:55.519 it is this much time, right? 00:15:55.659 --> 00:15:56.919 He said, is it three months? 00:15:56.980 --> 00:15:57.620 Is it six months? 00:15:57.659 --> 00:15:58.320 Is it nine months? 00:15:58.419 --> 00:15:59.100 I don't know, 00:15:59.179 --> 00:16:00.379 but it's this much time 00:16:00.379 --> 00:16:02.419 and we can get through this much time. 00:16:02.700 --> 00:16:04.419 And it's a very inspiring thing 00:16:04.419 --> 00:16:05.379 for him to do as a leader, 00:16:05.519 --> 00:16:06.059 but listen to this. 00:16:06.360 --> 00:16:07.740 That's how the Bible talks about 00:16:07.740 --> 00:16:08.639 all human suffering. 00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:11.080 It talks about all human suffering, 00:16:11.220 --> 00:16:12.539 everything that we might ever experience 00:16:12.539 --> 00:16:13.320 in our whole lives. 00:16:13.379 --> 00:16:14.000 The Bible says, 00:16:14.120 --> 00:16:16.080 it's just this much time, right? 00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:16.939 In this passage, 00:16:17.080 --> 00:16:18.100 Peter says in verse 10, 00:16:18.419 --> 00:16:20.279 after you have suffered a little while, 00:16:20.919 --> 00:16:23.019 he's talking about all Christian suffering 00:16:23.019 --> 00:16:23.600 in the world. 00:16:23.700 --> 00:16:23.879 He says, 00:16:23.939 --> 00:16:26.279 after you've suffered a little while, right? 00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:27.759 Paul says something 00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:29.519 that has always astounded me. 00:16:29.580 --> 00:16:31.100 He refers to all human suffering 00:16:31.100 --> 00:16:34.039 as a light momentary affliction. 00:16:34.179 --> 00:16:35.200 Doesn't that blow your mind? 00:16:35.240 --> 00:16:36.779 Now, he's not making light of suffering. 00:16:36.939 --> 00:16:39.139 Paul suffered as much as any human being I know 00:16:39.139 --> 00:16:41.259 and probably more than any of us. 00:16:41.819 --> 00:16:43.439 And yet he refers to all of his suffering, 00:16:43.539 --> 00:16:44.259 all of our suffering, 00:16:44.439 --> 00:16:46.139 as a light momentary affliction. 00:16:46.259 --> 00:16:47.539 Now, why would they do that? 00:16:48.100 --> 00:16:51.500 Well, because it's the kind of perception 00:16:51.500 --> 00:16:52.740 that comes when we compare 00:16:52.740 --> 00:16:54.039 this present suffering 00:16:54.039 --> 00:16:55.879 to all of eternity. 00:16:56.959 --> 00:16:58.219 And compared to all of eternity 00:16:58.219 --> 00:17:00.199 and all of the grand promises 00:17:00.199 --> 00:17:02.219 that God has given to his children, 00:17:02.399 --> 00:17:03.599 all that we experience now 00:17:03.599 --> 00:17:05.639 is just a light momentary affliction. 00:17:06.379 --> 00:17:07.500 That's all it is. 00:17:07.879 --> 00:17:09.619 So all of this will pass. 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:11.319 All of this will end. 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:13.700 The suffering will one day be no more. 00:17:13.940 --> 00:17:15.000 That is a promise 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:16.899 that King Jesus gives to his world. 00:17:18.019 --> 00:17:18.759 And then thirdly, 00:17:18.839 --> 00:17:20.460 even if it still feels like 00:17:20.460 --> 00:17:21.579 your suffering is meaningless, 00:17:21.720 --> 00:17:22.659 even if it feels like 00:17:22.660 --> 00:17:23.800 all of this is pointless, 00:17:24.480 --> 00:17:25.779 if Jesus is your King, 00:17:25.900 --> 00:17:28.600 you know that that is simply not true. 00:17:29.620 --> 00:17:30.759 Johnny Erickson Tata 00:17:30.759 --> 00:17:32.440 is someone I like to refer to a lot 00:17:32.440 --> 00:17:34.620 because she's such a source of inspiration. 00:17:34.900 --> 00:17:37.019 She had an accident at age 17 00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:38.480 that left her paralyzed 00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:40.019 from the shoulders down. 00:17:41.160 --> 00:17:42.779 And even though she was a Christian, 00:17:42.980 --> 00:17:44.040 this, as you can imagine, 00:17:44.340 --> 00:17:45.019 understandably, 00:17:45.140 --> 00:17:46.640 it deeply shook her faith. 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:49.600 But then she began to dig 00:17:49.600 --> 00:17:51.800 deeper and deeper into God's Word 00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:53.659 and she spent years 00:17:53.659 --> 00:17:55.700 thinking about suffering 00:17:55.700 --> 00:17:57.240 and evil in the world 00:17:57.240 --> 00:17:59.079 and she began to realize this. 00:18:00.259 --> 00:18:02.059 Because God reigns over all, 00:18:02.159 --> 00:18:02.659 she says, 00:18:02.799 --> 00:18:04.139 nothing happens outside 00:18:04.139 --> 00:18:05.859 of God's control and plans. 00:18:06.259 --> 00:18:07.579 Even if we can't grasp 00:18:07.579 --> 00:18:08.579 at this side of eternity, 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:09.480 our suffering, 00:18:09.799 --> 00:18:12.039 our suffering has a place 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:14.359 in God's plans. 00:18:14.859 --> 00:18:16.480 Which means, she says, 00:18:16.619 --> 00:18:18.319 we don't suffer in vain. 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:21.079 Our sufferings have meaning 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:23.619 because God uses them 00:18:23.619 --> 00:18:24.359 for His purposes. 00:18:26.599 --> 00:18:27.960 Now that's what it means 00:18:27.960 --> 00:18:29.039 to humble yourself 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:30.939 under the mighty hand of God. 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:33.819 It means recognizing and trusting 00:18:33.819 --> 00:18:35.579 that our suffering, 00:18:35.700 --> 00:18:37.299 even if it doesn't make sense to us, 00:18:38.099 --> 00:18:39.559 has a part to play 00:18:39.559 --> 00:18:40.980 in God's purposes. 00:18:41.720 --> 00:18:42.639 Now that doesn't mean 00:18:42.639 --> 00:18:44.159 that God likes suffering. 00:18:44.379 --> 00:18:45.159 And at one point, 00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:46.300 Johnny says, 00:18:46.600 --> 00:18:47.900 sometimes God allows 00:18:47.900 --> 00:18:48.860 what He hates 00:18:48.860 --> 00:18:51.019 to accomplish what He loves. 00:18:52.240 --> 00:18:53.519 Now I don't pretend 00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:54.620 to fully understand that. 00:18:54.660 --> 00:18:55.720 I don't think any human being 00:18:55.720 --> 00:18:56.940 can fully understand that. 00:18:57.240 --> 00:18:58.500 But that's coming from somebody 00:18:58.500 --> 00:18:59.540 who knows probably more 00:18:59.540 --> 00:19:00.300 than most of us 00:19:00.300 --> 00:19:01.779 what it means to suffer 00:19:01.779 --> 00:19:02.720 and to trust God 00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:04.100 despite your suffering. 00:19:05.019 --> 00:19:06.480 And we may not always 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:08.400 understand God's motives. 00:19:08.519 --> 00:19:09.360 I don't think any of us 00:19:09.360 --> 00:19:10.860 will ever fully understand 00:19:10.860 --> 00:19:12.060 God's motives. 00:19:12.059 --> 00:19:13.700 But as Johnny says 00:19:13.700 --> 00:19:14.799 in one place, 00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:16.259 real satisfaction, 00:19:16.579 --> 00:19:18.000 and by that she means peace, 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:18.759 the kind of peace 00:19:18.759 --> 00:19:19.379 that we're after. 00:19:19.899 --> 00:19:21.460 Real satisfaction comes not 00:19:21.460 --> 00:19:23.000 in understanding God's motives. 00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:26.480 Even if we did fully understand it, 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:27.639 it may not give us the peace 00:19:27.639 --> 00:19:28.559 that we're looking for. 00:19:29.399 --> 00:19:30.419 She says real satisfaction 00:19:30.419 --> 00:19:31.740 comes in understanding 00:19:31.740 --> 00:19:32.700 God's character. 00:19:34.539 --> 00:19:36.299 And how do we understand 00:19:36.299 --> 00:19:36.960 God's character? 00:19:37.159 --> 00:19:38.139 Where do we look 00:19:38.139 --> 00:19:39.659 to give us insight 00:19:39.659 --> 00:19:40.399 into the character 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:41.440 in the heart of God? 00:19:41.980 --> 00:19:42.800 And of course, 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:44.640 we prayed this prayer. 00:19:45.080 --> 00:19:45.780 We said this 00:19:45.780 --> 00:19:46.700 at the very beginning 00:19:46.700 --> 00:19:48.940 of our service together, 00:19:49.060 --> 00:19:50.000 of our worship together. 00:19:50.740 --> 00:19:51.360 We said, 00:19:51.720 --> 00:19:52.700 today we greet Jesus 00:19:52.700 --> 00:19:53.560 as our King, 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:55.160 though we know 00:19:55.160 --> 00:19:55.920 that His crown 00:19:55.920 --> 00:19:57.100 was a crown of thorns 00:19:57.100 --> 00:19:58.500 and His throne, 00:19:59.140 --> 00:19:59.660 a cross. 00:20:00.320 --> 00:20:01.240 If you want to know 00:20:01.240 --> 00:20:02.100 the heart of God, 00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:02.560 if you want to know 00:20:02.560 --> 00:20:03.980 the character of our King, 00:20:04.259 --> 00:20:05.440 that's where we look. 00:20:05.540 --> 00:20:06.240 We recognize that 00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:07.120 unlike any other king 00:20:07.120 --> 00:20:07.640 in the world, 00:20:08.060 --> 00:20:09.220 His crown was a crown 00:20:09.220 --> 00:20:10.880 of thorns and His throne 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:12.000 was a cross. 00:20:12.120 --> 00:20:12.819 We understand that 00:20:12.819 --> 00:20:13.600 His coronation 00:20:13.600 --> 00:20:15.799 was actually a crucifixion. 00:20:16.860 --> 00:20:18.200 Because no one in history, 00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:19.500 no one in history 00:20:19.500 --> 00:20:20.180 has suffered more 00:20:20.180 --> 00:20:20.960 than Jesus Christ. 00:20:21.640 --> 00:20:22.839 No one in history 00:20:22.839 --> 00:20:23.660 has suffered more 00:20:23.660 --> 00:20:25.400 physically or psychologically 00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:26.460 or emotionally 00:20:26.460 --> 00:20:27.400 or spiritually 00:20:27.400 --> 00:20:28.940 than Jesus Christ. 00:20:29.180 --> 00:20:29.980 And we recognize 00:20:29.980 --> 00:20:30.960 that He didn't have 00:20:30.960 --> 00:20:31.519 to suffer. 00:20:32.100 --> 00:20:33.259 He didn't deserve 00:20:33.259 --> 00:20:33.960 to suffer. 00:20:34.960 --> 00:20:35.660 He suffered 00:20:35.660 --> 00:20:36.940 because He chose to 00:20:36.940 --> 00:20:38.980 in order to one day 00:20:38.980 --> 00:20:39.940 be able to bring 00:20:39.940 --> 00:20:41.420 an end to all suffering 00:20:41.420 --> 00:20:42.720 everywhere. 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:43.500 There's a place 00:20:43.500 --> 00:20:44.100 in Revelation 00:20:44.100 --> 00:20:45.300 where Jesus says 00:20:45.300 --> 00:20:46.580 that He will one day 00:20:46.580 --> 00:20:47.800 wipe away 00:20:47.800 --> 00:20:48.720 every tear. 00:20:49.480 --> 00:20:50.720 And the only way 00:20:50.720 --> 00:20:51.779 He's able to say that 00:20:51.779 --> 00:20:52.740 is because of the cross. 00:20:53.040 --> 00:20:54.259 Because of all of the tears 00:20:54.259 --> 00:20:55.040 that He shed, 00:20:55.420 --> 00:20:56.600 He's able to wipe away 00:20:56.600 --> 00:20:57.720 all of our tears. 00:20:58.540 --> 00:20:59.460 And this is why 00:20:59.460 --> 00:21:00.279 we know that no matter 00:21:00.279 --> 00:21:01.380 how bad things 00:21:01.380 --> 00:21:02.580 may get here and now, 00:21:02.940 --> 00:21:04.060 as Peter says, 00:21:04.059 --> 00:21:05.240 after you've suffered 00:21:05.240 --> 00:21:05.940 a little while, 00:21:06.059 --> 00:21:07.240 the God of all grace 00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:08.240 who has called you 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:09.419 to His eternal glory 00:21:09.419 --> 00:21:10.019 in Christ 00:21:10.019 --> 00:21:11.839 will Himself restore, 00:21:12.259 --> 00:21:12.679 confirm, 00:21:13.139 --> 00:21:13.539 strengthen, 00:21:13.799 --> 00:21:15.059 and establish you. 00:21:15.179 --> 00:21:16.319 King Jesus is not going 00:21:16.319 --> 00:21:17.740 to send an emissary 00:21:17.740 --> 00:21:18.639 or a messenger. 00:21:18.799 --> 00:21:19.460 The day will come 00:21:19.460 --> 00:21:20.639 when Jesus Himself, 00:21:20.779 --> 00:21:21.740 King Jesus Himself, 00:21:22.039 --> 00:21:22.819 comes to you 00:21:22.819 --> 00:21:25.399 and brings you 00:21:25.399 --> 00:21:26.099 to Himself 00:21:26.099 --> 00:21:27.819 so that He can restore 00:21:27.819 --> 00:21:28.519 and confirm 00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:29.359 and strengthen 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:30.940 and establish you. 00:21:31.419 --> 00:21:32.339 That's a promise 00:21:32.339 --> 00:21:33.339 worth holding on to. 00:21:34.619 --> 00:21:35.460 And listen, 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:37.720 just to be totally honest 00:21:37.720 --> 00:21:38.319 with all of you, 00:21:38.419 --> 00:21:39.379 I'm preaching this 00:21:39.379 --> 00:21:40.839 to myself as much 00:21:40.839 --> 00:21:42.379 or maybe even more 00:21:42.379 --> 00:21:43.819 than any of you. 00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:44.919 I just found out 00:21:44.919 --> 00:21:45.700 this last week 00:21:45.700 --> 00:21:46.519 as I was reading 00:21:46.519 --> 00:21:47.200 this passage 00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:48.759 that my dad 00:21:48.759 --> 00:21:49.899 has tested positive 00:21:49.899 --> 00:21:51.019 for COVID-19. 00:21:51.879 --> 00:21:53.099 And he's a pulmonary 00:21:53.099 --> 00:21:54.079 critical care doctor 00:21:54.079 --> 00:21:55.740 and we worried about this 00:21:55.740 --> 00:21:57.119 and in fact he has. 00:21:57.419 --> 00:21:58.079 And my mom 00:21:58.079 --> 00:21:58.819 is there with him 00:21:58.819 --> 00:22:00.460 and I just ask 00:22:00.460 --> 00:22:01.259 that you pray for them. 00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:02.240 That's been a lot 00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:03.179 of what I've been thinking 00:22:03.180 --> 00:22:03.840 and praying about 00:22:03.840 --> 00:22:04.360 this week. 00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:05.580 And so I would love 00:22:05.580 --> 00:22:06.060 your prayers. 00:22:06.660 --> 00:22:07.740 But the point is this, 00:22:07.920 --> 00:22:08.660 right now, 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:10.799 regardless of your circumstances, 00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:11.400 you and I 00:22:11.400 --> 00:22:12.340 have a choice to make. 00:22:13.259 --> 00:22:14.080 We have a choice 00:22:14.080 --> 00:22:14.740 that we need to make 00:22:14.740 --> 00:22:15.340 in our hearts. 00:22:16.980 --> 00:22:18.019 Either we choose 00:22:18.019 --> 00:22:19.279 not to fear God, 00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:21.140 which means 00:22:21.140 --> 00:22:21.620 that we're going 00:22:21.620 --> 00:22:22.380 to end up fearing 00:22:22.380 --> 00:22:23.360 virtually everything else 00:22:23.360 --> 00:22:23.779 in the world. 00:22:23.779 --> 00:22:26.759 or we choose 00:22:26.759 --> 00:22:27.720 to fear God, 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:28.420 which means 00:22:28.420 --> 00:22:30.279 humbling ourselves 00:22:30.279 --> 00:22:31.759 under His mighty hand, 00:22:32.220 --> 00:22:32.920 allowing Him 00:22:32.920 --> 00:22:33.619 to be the king 00:22:33.619 --> 00:22:34.299 of our lives 00:22:34.299 --> 00:22:34.700 and the king 00:22:34.700 --> 00:22:35.440 of circumstances 00:22:35.440 --> 00:22:36.579 that we don't understand. 00:22:37.859 --> 00:22:39.339 But we humble ourselves 00:22:39.339 --> 00:22:40.259 under that king 00:22:40.259 --> 00:22:42.139 and the Bible says 00:22:42.139 --> 00:22:42.720 that if we make 00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:43.619 that choice, 00:22:44.039 --> 00:22:44.599 then we have 00:22:44.599 --> 00:22:45.899 absolutely nothing 00:22:45.899 --> 00:22:47.019 to fear in this world 00:22:47.019 --> 00:22:49.819 because this world 00:22:49.819 --> 00:22:50.859 belongs to Him. 00:22:50.859 --> 00:22:53.759 Let's pray. 00:22:57.759 --> 00:22:58.959 Lord, we thank You 00:22:58.959 --> 00:23:01.199 that we have a king. 00:23:01.779 --> 00:23:02.799 And we thank You 00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:03.559 that He's not like 00:23:03.559 --> 00:23:04.439 any earthly king. 00:23:04.899 --> 00:23:05.959 And we thank You 00:23:05.959 --> 00:23:07.039 that when He rode 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:08.199 into Jerusalem 00:23:08.199 --> 00:23:09.039 on that day 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:09.759 so long ago, 00:23:09.859 --> 00:23:10.519 He knew where 00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:11.500 that journey would lead. 00:23:11.579 --> 00:23:12.219 He knew that it would 00:23:12.219 --> 00:23:13.000 lead to the cross. 00:23:13.439 --> 00:23:14.439 But in a week, 00:23:14.519 --> 00:23:15.179 we will remember 00:23:15.179 --> 00:23:16.179 and celebrate the fact 00:23:16.179 --> 00:23:17.179 that it didn't end 00:23:17.179 --> 00:23:17.879 at the cross. 00:23:18.099 --> 00:23:19.779 It went through the cross, 00:23:19.899 --> 00:23:20.699 into the resurrection, 00:23:20.859 --> 00:23:21.059 Lord. 00:23:21.119 --> 00:23:21.899 And it is in the hope 00:23:21.899 --> 00:23:23.319 of that resurrected king 00:23:23.319 --> 00:23:25.339 who has overcome death itself 00:23:25.339 --> 00:23:26.919 that we live, Lord. 00:23:27.379 --> 00:23:28.599 And it's because of that hope 00:23:28.599 --> 00:23:29.359 that we know now 00:23:29.359 --> 00:23:30.599 that we have nothing to fear. 00:23:31.159 --> 00:23:32.619 Lord, that we can face suffering 00:23:32.619 --> 00:23:34.599 and be clear and sober-minded 00:23:34.599 --> 00:23:36.579 knowing how the story ends. 00:23:36.839 --> 00:23:38.219 And I pray that right now, 00:23:38.339 --> 00:23:39.259 Lord, through Your Holy Spirit, 00:23:39.339 --> 00:23:40.619 You would fill everybody 00:23:40.619 --> 00:23:41.399 listening to this, 00:23:41.500 --> 00:23:42.379 everybody watching it. 00:23:42.559 --> 00:23:43.500 I pray that right now 00:23:43.500 --> 00:23:44.379 You would fill them 00:23:44.379 --> 00:23:44.979 with Your Spirit 00:23:44.979 --> 00:23:46.119 and fill them 00:23:46.119 --> 00:23:47.439 with that otherworldly, 00:23:47.519 --> 00:23:48.359 unearthly hope, 00:23:48.759 --> 00:23:49.279 Lord, 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:50.799 as we wait for You. 00:23:51.160 --> 00:23:52.319 And I pray this, Lord, 00:23:52.619 --> 00:23:53.359 for our good, 00:23:53.779 --> 00:23:55.660 but also that You would be glorified 00:23:55.660 --> 00:23:56.559 in and through us 00:23:56.559 --> 00:23:58.460 as we stand firm for You. 00:23:59.019 --> 00:24:01.059 I pray this in Jesus' name. 00:24:01.279 --> 00:24:01.519 Amen. 00:24:03.319 --> 00:24:04.420 Now let's sing together. 00:24:04.420 --> 00:24:21.840 I pray this in Jesus' name. 00:24:21.840 --> 00:24:22.039 I pray this in Jesus' name. 00:24:22.039 --> 00:24:22.880 Amen. 00:24:22.880 --> 00:24:23.039 Amen. 00:24:23.039 --> 00:24:25.180 Amen. 00:24:25.180 --> 00:24:29.279 Amen. 00:24:29.800 --> 00:24:29.960 Amen. 00:24:29.960 --> 00:24:33.380 Amen.