WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:02.930 This morning I'm going to be reading out of 1 00:00:02.930 --> 00:00:10.230 Peter chapter 4 verses 12 through 19. Dear friends, 00:00:10.349 --> 00:00:13.630 don't be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes 00:00:13.630 --> 00:00:16.809 among you to test you as if something unusual 00:00:16.809 --> 00:00:20.710 were happening to you. Instead, rejoice as you 00:00:20.710 --> 00:00:23.370 share in the sufferings of Christ so that you 00:00:23.370 --> 00:00:26.809 may also rejoice with great joy when his glory 00:00:26.809 --> 00:00:30.839 is revealed. If you are ridiculed for the name 00:00:30.839 --> 00:00:33.780 of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit 00:00:33.780 --> 00:00:38.399 of glory and of God rests on you. Let none of 00:00:38.399 --> 00:00:42.859 you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, 00:00:42.859 --> 00:00:47.280 or a meddler. But if anyone suffers as a Christian, 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:51.380 let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God 00:00:51.380 --> 00:00:56.259 in having that name. For the time has come. for 00:00:56.259 --> 00:00:59.920 judgment to begin with God's household. And if 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:03.859 it begins with us, what will the outcome be for 00:01:03.859 --> 00:01:08.480 those who disobey the gospel of God? And if a 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:11.780 righteous person is saved with difficulty, what 00:01:11.780 --> 00:01:15.379 will become of the ungodly and the sinner? So 00:01:15.379 --> 00:01:19.099 then, let those who suffer according to God's 00:01:19.099 --> 00:01:23.000 will entrust themselves to a faithful creator 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:27.379 while doing. what is good. This is God's word. 00:01:32.579 --> 00:01:37.739 Thank you, Kimberly. Will you join me in praying 00:01:37.739 --> 00:01:40.560 for our time in the word this morning? Father, 00:01:40.680 --> 00:01:44.620 we come to you and we do want your name to be 00:01:44.620 --> 00:01:53.060 honored as holy. May our hearts long and yearn 00:01:53.060 --> 00:01:56.459 for your kingdom to come and your will to be 00:01:56.459 --> 00:02:02.879 done in us and on this earth as it is in heaven. 00:02:05.299 --> 00:02:12.620 We pray that your word would cut deep. It would 00:02:12.620 --> 00:02:20.300 divide soul and spirit. It would nurture and 00:02:20.300 --> 00:02:24.719 feed our spirits and help us to overcome the 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:29.939 flesh to the glory of God in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:02:31.060 --> 00:02:39.379 Amen. If you've ever stood in the middle of pain, 00:02:39.539 --> 00:02:44.280 confusion, or rejection and thought, this doesn't 00:02:44.280 --> 00:02:48.120 feel like the blessed life I signed up for, well, 00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:53.879 Peter wrote this for you. We live in a world 00:02:53.879 --> 00:03:00.020 that increasingly sees faithfulness to Jesus 00:03:00.020 --> 00:03:04.280 not as a virtue or virtuous, but as an offense. 00:03:04.360 --> 00:03:08.699 In the West, it's getting more costly to follow 00:03:08.699 --> 00:03:12.819 Christ. And many believers are surprised when 00:03:12.819 --> 00:03:16.280 their commitment to Christ leads not to applause, 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:25.479 but instead to pain. We are shocked when suffering 00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:30.180 comes and rattled when obedience to Christ results 00:03:30.180 --> 00:03:35.219 in rejection. And some of us instinctively assume 00:03:35.219 --> 00:03:38.780 that hardship means we've done something wrong. 00:03:42.509 --> 00:03:45.030 Somewhere along the way, we've picked up a distorted 00:03:45.030 --> 00:03:47.629 version of Christianity, one where following 00:03:47.629 --> 00:03:53.169 Jesus means life gets easier, not harder. One 00:03:53.169 --> 00:03:56.870 where trials are interruptions instead of invitations 00:03:56.870 --> 00:04:01.569 to follow. And one where comfort is assumed and 00:04:01.569 --> 00:04:06.409 suffering is avoided at all costs. But Peter, 00:04:06.469 --> 00:04:09.819 riding to exiles, to scattered believers who 00:04:09.819 --> 00:04:12.960 are facing pressure and persecution and marginalization, 00:04:13.080 --> 00:04:15.780 says something radically different. He says, 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:21.540 don't be surprised. Don't be ashamed. And most 00:04:21.540 --> 00:04:27.699 of all, don't give up. Instead, expect the heat. 00:04:29.120 --> 00:04:35.339 Embrace the honor while examining your life and 00:04:35.339 --> 00:04:39.449 entrust the outcome. Because suffering for Christ 00:04:39.449 --> 00:04:42.449 is not evidence of his absence. It's evidence 00:04:42.449 --> 00:04:47.529 of your union with him. And if the fire is burning, 00:04:47.730 --> 00:04:51.949 it may not be to destroy you, but to actually 00:04:51.949 --> 00:04:54.449 refine you. And that's what we're going to look 00:04:54.449 --> 00:04:57.930 at today under four points. I mentioned it last 00:04:57.930 --> 00:05:00.910 week. I'll mention it again. We are a Bible people. 00:05:01.069 --> 00:05:03.050 We love the word and we love to go to the word 00:05:03.050 --> 00:05:06.629 and have the word shape and transform us. We 00:05:06.629 --> 00:05:10.490 also should become a note -taking people because 00:05:10.490 --> 00:05:14.490 as I said last week, within 24 hours of this 00:05:14.490 --> 00:05:16.810 message, you are going to lose 70 % of everything 00:05:16.810 --> 00:05:20.250 I said. Now maybe 70 % is worth losing, I don't 00:05:20.250 --> 00:05:23.149 know. But as long as you know the passage of 00:05:23.149 --> 00:05:25.149 the scripture and maybe a couple of headings, 00:05:25.269 --> 00:05:28.769 maybe the Lord will use that to refresh and draw 00:05:28.769 --> 00:05:32.230 you back to the word. If you're taking notes, 00:05:32.269 --> 00:05:34.850 the first point I'll have you write down is expect 00:05:34.850 --> 00:05:41.910 the heat. Expect the heat. Verse 12 says, don't 00:05:41.910 --> 00:05:44.689 be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among 00:05:44.689 --> 00:05:49.810 you to test you. Why does Peter say, don't be 00:05:49.810 --> 00:05:51.689 surprised? Well, I think that's easy because 00:05:51.689 --> 00:05:54.509 Christians are always surprised when suffering 00:05:54.509 --> 00:05:58.069 comes. I don't know what it is about us, but 00:05:58.069 --> 00:05:59.910 when suffering comes, we're always like, where 00:05:59.910 --> 00:06:02.629 did that come from? And why? And what have I 00:06:02.629 --> 00:06:06.269 done to deserve that? I thought I was doing pretty 00:06:06.269 --> 00:06:09.290 good. I thought I was living pretty right. Suffering 00:06:09.290 --> 00:06:17.269 has come. But suffering as a Christian is normal, 00:06:17.329 --> 00:06:22.410 not strange. It's normal, not strange. It seems 00:06:22.410 --> 00:06:25.550 natural for Western Christians to buy into or 00:06:25.550 --> 00:06:28.410 develop their own version of some sort of prosperity 00:06:28.410 --> 00:06:31.329 gospel. The belief that God's ultimate desire 00:06:31.329 --> 00:06:33.810 is to give you everything that you've ever wanted, 00:06:33.990 --> 00:06:37.449 including luxury and comfort, if you just have 00:06:37.449 --> 00:06:41.610 enough faith. And this gospel, which is no gospel 00:06:41.610 --> 00:06:45.370 at all, Throws people for a loop when they suffer 00:06:45.370 --> 00:06:48.709 because this non -gospel has no theology of suffering 00:06:48.709 --> 00:06:52.389 whatsoever. Suffering equals the displeasure 00:06:52.389 --> 00:06:57.430 of God. Suffering and trials are evidence that 00:06:57.430 --> 00:07:03.610 I must lack faith. In this non -gospel, this 00:07:03.610 --> 00:07:06.029 prosperity gospel, if only I had a little more 00:07:06.029 --> 00:07:08.389 faith, I could finally be done with suffering 00:07:08.389 --> 00:07:11.670 and live the prosperous life God wants me to 00:07:11.670 --> 00:07:15.129 live. And to believers, Peter says, no, don't 00:07:15.129 --> 00:07:19.269 be surprised. This is normal. Don't be surprised. 00:07:19.290 --> 00:07:22.129 This is normal. And why is it normal? Well, it's 00:07:22.129 --> 00:07:28.470 normal because Jesus is our normal. Why is suffering 00:07:28.470 --> 00:07:31.310 normal? Jesus is our normal. What do I mean by 00:07:31.310 --> 00:07:35.529 that? Jesus suffered for having a right relationship 00:07:35.529 --> 00:07:40.329 with God. Jesus suffered for doing what was good. 00:07:42.220 --> 00:07:46.360 Jesus loved God so much that it messed with people's 00:07:46.360 --> 00:07:51.199 heads. They were jealous, envious, angered, and 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:57.720 murderous toward him. Peter calls it a fiery 00:07:57.720 --> 00:08:01.879 ordeal. Don't be surprised by this fiery ordeal. 00:08:03.519 --> 00:08:05.680 Why does he call it that? Well, Peter's trying 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:08.779 to help believers reframe their suffering from 00:08:08.779 --> 00:08:13.560 random pain. an inconvenience to something else. 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:20.639 He wants them prepared. We live up in fire country, 00:08:20.800 --> 00:08:23.740 and we are right in the middle of the season 00:08:23.740 --> 00:08:26.639 here. Really, it's the next few months, July, 00:08:26.819 --> 00:08:29.639 August, September, where the big fires usually 00:08:29.639 --> 00:08:33.220 ignite. All the way into November, they can be 00:08:33.220 --> 00:08:37.539 burning. And I thank God. for those who have 00:08:37.539 --> 00:08:39.779 committed their life to going into the field 00:08:39.779 --> 00:08:43.700 of firefighting. I guess I've run into crews 00:08:43.700 --> 00:08:45.740 of firefighters after they've been out on the 00:08:45.740 --> 00:08:49.879 field for a very long time, 12, 16, 24 hours, 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:53.440 covered in soot head to toe, sleeping at the 00:08:53.440 --> 00:08:58.259 base of the gas station wall, just lined up trying 00:08:58.259 --> 00:09:01.259 to catch a few winks of sleep before they head 00:09:01.259 --> 00:09:05.159 on out. But you know what never surprises firefighters? 00:09:08.379 --> 00:09:11.179 Fire. You know, they don't run out to the field 00:09:11.179 --> 00:09:14.840 and like, what is that? What is this Bernie thing 00:09:14.840 --> 00:09:17.740 over here that seems to be consuming things and 00:09:17.740 --> 00:09:20.059 it's hot? Oh my goodness, what is that? They're 00:09:20.059 --> 00:09:23.320 not surprised by that. Why? Because they're prepared, 00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:25.600 right? And not only are they prepared for fire, 00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:29.200 they're prepared for fire behavior. What does 00:09:29.200 --> 00:09:31.360 the fire do in certain circumstances, in certain 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:33.960 places? They're prepared in all kinds of ways 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:36.610 that you and I... will never think about fire 00:09:36.610 --> 00:09:40.190 in those ways, but they're prepared for it. They're 00:09:40.190 --> 00:09:42.070 prepared for it and they're preparing for it 00:09:42.070 --> 00:09:45.049 when there are no fires so that when the fires 00:09:45.049 --> 00:09:50.429 come, they're prepared. Praise God. They've saved 00:09:50.429 --> 00:09:53.570 many houses and many lives because of that preparation. 00:09:54.860 --> 00:09:57.240 And Peter is trying to get the people of God 00:09:57.240 --> 00:10:00.039 to reframe their suffering and to get them prepared 00:10:00.039 --> 00:10:02.820 because right now, most likely when Peter is 00:10:02.820 --> 00:10:05.360 writing this, the greatest of persecution hasn't 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:09.700 yet broken out. Right now, yes, Christians are 00:10:09.700 --> 00:10:12.960 being marginalized or ostracized in society, 00:10:13.080 --> 00:10:15.460 in social circles, and maybe in the marketplace 00:10:15.460 --> 00:10:18.620 because of their faith. Because of the choices 00:10:18.620 --> 00:10:21.639 that they're making, their choices to not participate 00:10:21.639 --> 00:10:25.440 in certain pagan activities. They're being mocked 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:29.100 and belittled. But the big persecution is about 00:10:29.100 --> 00:10:32.440 to come. The persecution that will cost many 00:10:32.440 --> 00:10:34.779 of them their lives and will scatter them to 00:10:34.779 --> 00:10:39.360 the four winds. And Peter knows that persecution 00:10:39.360 --> 00:10:41.840 and suffering are a part of the package and he 00:10:41.840 --> 00:10:44.980 wants to get them ready to reframe. And so he 00:10:44.980 --> 00:10:48.299 uses the metaphor of fire or the fiery ordeal 00:10:48.299 --> 00:10:51.580 and he connects it to their suffering. And this 00:10:51.580 --> 00:10:54.159 would have directed the hearers of his word to 00:10:54.159 --> 00:10:57.980 think of a fire used in a forge or used as a 00:10:57.980 --> 00:11:03.879 refining fire that refines precious metals. A 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:08.840 refiner's fire. The suffering is like a refiner's 00:11:08.840 --> 00:11:13.539 fire. A refiner's fire is there to burn away 00:11:13.539 --> 00:11:18.539 all of the impurities as you heat it up. Things 00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:22.000 that aren't the purest and the most sustainable 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:25.279 metals, the ones that can last the heat, everything 00:11:25.279 --> 00:11:27.860 else begins to burn or the dross begins to collect 00:11:27.860 --> 00:11:31.080 and they siphon it off until what's left is the 00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:33.960 pure, precious metal that they were aiming for. 00:11:34.100 --> 00:11:36.639 And interesting, the fire doesn't burn that up, 00:11:36.759 --> 00:11:39.659 but it can burn up a whole lot of other things 00:11:39.659 --> 00:11:44.509 that are mixed in with it. Suffering is like 00:11:44.509 --> 00:11:47.870 the refiner's fire. It's not random pain, but 00:11:47.870 --> 00:11:51.350 purposeful purification and necessary strengthening 00:11:51.350 --> 00:11:56.629 of the believer. In fact, Peter was probably 00:11:56.629 --> 00:11:59.429 drawing on imagery from the Old Testament prophets, 00:11:59.690 --> 00:12:03.529 the Ezekiel, and maybe more so on Malachi. Malachi 00:12:03.529 --> 00:12:06.730 chapter 3, the prophet records that the Lord 00:12:06.730 --> 00:12:10.950 will suddenly come to his temple. And he will 00:12:10.950 --> 00:12:14.950 be like a refiner's fire and will first refine 00:12:14.950 --> 00:12:18.730 and purify the sons of Levi. So the Lord's going 00:12:18.730 --> 00:12:20.809 to come to the temple. He's going to be like 00:12:20.809 --> 00:12:23.009 a refiner's fire and he's going to first refine 00:12:23.009 --> 00:12:27.309 and purify the sons of Levi. Well, who are the 00:12:27.309 --> 00:12:31.649 sons of Levi? The priesthood. They were the priesthood 00:12:31.649 --> 00:12:35.409 called to serve before the Lord, called to be 00:12:35.409 --> 00:12:38.990 pure and holy, set apart. He's going to come 00:12:38.990 --> 00:12:41.330 and purify them first. Well, earlier Peter had 00:12:41.330 --> 00:12:45.610 said that believers are like living stones. Believers 00:12:45.610 --> 00:12:48.809 are a spiritual house, a temple of God being 00:12:48.809 --> 00:12:53.049 built together. And then he went on to say that 00:12:53.049 --> 00:12:55.769 they are a priesthood, a royal priesthood, to 00:12:55.769 --> 00:12:59.710 offer acceptable sacrifices to God through Christ. 00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:03.539 But Peter definitely has Malachi in mind because 00:13:03.539 --> 00:13:06.059 Malachi ends that whole section after he says 00:13:06.059 --> 00:13:08.480 the Lord will appear in his temple and he'll 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:10.820 purify the sons of Levi. He ends it by saying, 00:13:10.820 --> 00:13:13.559 then they will present offerings to the Lord 00:13:13.559 --> 00:13:17.480 in righteousness. He's going to come to his house. 00:13:18.440 --> 00:13:20.519 He's going to come to his house, his building, 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:25.440 his temple. We are his temple. We are the house 00:13:25.440 --> 00:13:27.659 of God. We are the living stones being built 00:13:27.659 --> 00:13:33.360 together. Off the cornerstone of Jesus. That 00:13:33.360 --> 00:13:35.639 is us. And he's going to come to the house suddenly. 00:13:35.899 --> 00:13:39.259 And what is he going to do? What's his first 00:13:39.259 --> 00:13:45.679 agenda? To purify us. To make us clean. To put 00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:49.659 us in the refiner's fire. Before he addresses 00:13:49.659 --> 00:13:55.220 the world, he addresses us first. Expect the 00:13:55.220 --> 00:13:58.490 heat. Because the heat is necessary to make you 00:13:58.490 --> 00:14:02.950 into the people God intends. God allows the fiery 00:14:02.950 --> 00:14:06.009 ordeals of life to test us, to refine us, and 00:14:06.009 --> 00:14:10.649 to strengthen us, not to destroy us. And trials 00:14:10.649 --> 00:14:13.789 and tests and suffering are not necessarily judgment. 00:14:15.129 --> 00:14:18.269 Here's the crux. If you are going to follow Jesus, 00:14:18.529 --> 00:14:22.909 you are going to have to follow him into tests, 00:14:22.990 --> 00:14:28.269 into trials, and into suffering. I'll bet if 00:14:28.269 --> 00:14:30.230 I asked who wants to follow Jesus, we'd see most 00:14:30.230 --> 00:14:32.970 of the hands go up, right? Even if he walks into 00:14:32.970 --> 00:14:36.610 that furnace and he's the fourth one in there 00:14:36.610 --> 00:14:38.750 and the other three of you are like, how did 00:14:38.750 --> 00:14:43.570 we get in here? You want to follow Jesus? Follow 00:14:43.570 --> 00:14:46.470 him into trial. Follow him into test. Follow 00:14:46.470 --> 00:14:51.049 him into suffering. Sometimes suffering hits 00:14:51.049 --> 00:14:55.679 and Christians ask, why me? Why me? And I think 00:14:55.679 --> 00:14:59.539 Peter gently says, do you want to be like Christ? 00:15:00.700 --> 00:15:05.600 Then why not you? If you're taking notes, the 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:07.100 second thing I'll have you write down is embrace 00:15:07.100 --> 00:15:13.039 the honor. From verses 13, 14, and 16, Peter 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:15.899 says, instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings 00:15:15.899 --> 00:15:19.340 of Christ so that you may also rejoice with great 00:15:19.340 --> 00:15:23.490 joy when his glory is revealed. If you are ridiculed 00:15:23.490 --> 00:15:26.429 for the name of Christ, you are blessed because 00:15:26.429 --> 00:15:29.169 the spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 00:15:29.830 --> 00:15:33.029 But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him 00:15:33.029 --> 00:15:36.649 not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in having 00:15:36.649 --> 00:15:42.009 that name. You want a radical claim of Christianity, 00:15:42.529 --> 00:15:47.669 it's rejoice in suffering. Rejoice in suffering. 00:15:49.210 --> 00:15:54.700 How can that be? Why? Well, when we suffer for 00:15:54.700 --> 00:15:57.980 the name of Christ, you are being identified 00:15:57.980 --> 00:16:02.580 with Christ. Now, he's not simply talking about 00:16:02.580 --> 00:16:04.720 generic hardship. There are difficulties of being 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:07.580 a human in a fallen world, and God can use all 00:16:07.580 --> 00:16:10.059 of those for his purpose. But specifically, Peter 00:16:10.059 --> 00:16:12.659 here is talking about purposeful suffering because 00:16:12.659 --> 00:16:17.279 you follow Christ. Opposition to Christ that 00:16:17.279 --> 00:16:20.919 is directed toward you. And in verse 16, he says, 00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:24.259 if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not 00:16:24.259 --> 00:16:28.179 be ashamed. Some of you probably know this already, 00:16:28.279 --> 00:16:30.960 but the word Christian was originally a derogatory 00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:34.000 term. It was a label put on Christians to mock 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:37.600 them. It was a way to shame them and mock them 00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:40.740 and laugh at them. They could be called Christians. 00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:44.799 But Peter flips it and he says, wear it proudly 00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:49.460 because you're carrying Jesus's name. Wear it 00:16:49.460 --> 00:16:51.980 proudly and do not be ashamed. In fact, glorify 00:16:51.980 --> 00:16:57.179 God in having the name of Jesus Christ. The world 00:16:57.179 --> 00:17:00.200 may hate you for bearing the name, for your allegiance 00:17:00.200 --> 00:17:08.299 to Jesus, but heaven honors it. If you have your 00:17:08.299 --> 00:17:10.640 Bibles, there's an illustration I want to draw 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:13.880 from Acts chapter 5. Turn on over to Acts chapter 00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:19.329 5. The gospel has been preached. After the day 00:17:19.329 --> 00:17:21.750 of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends, the gospel 00:17:21.750 --> 00:17:23.890 is preached, many are added to the church. The 00:17:23.890 --> 00:17:27.869 church is seeing crazy, wild outpourings of the 00:17:27.869 --> 00:17:31.950 Spirit. The Lord is near and active, working 00:17:31.950 --> 00:17:35.049 through the early church in Jerusalem, in that 00:17:35.049 --> 00:17:38.910 area. So much so that there's a story of a husband 00:17:38.910 --> 00:17:41.549 and wife, Ananias and Sapphira, who sell a piece 00:17:41.549 --> 00:17:43.569 of property and they donate the funds or the 00:17:43.569 --> 00:17:46.450 proceeds to... the ministry. So they laid at 00:17:46.450 --> 00:17:48.329 the feet of the apostles to be distributed and 00:17:48.329 --> 00:17:51.710 helpful and useful in ministering. But in the 00:17:51.710 --> 00:17:54.349 process, they lie about how much they sold the 00:17:54.349 --> 00:17:57.450 property for and how much they gave. And it seems 00:17:57.450 --> 00:17:59.410 the implication is they were trying to earn the 00:17:59.410 --> 00:18:02.390 praise of people by claiming that they gave the 00:18:02.390 --> 00:18:05.190 whole amount when they held back some for themselves. 00:18:06.509 --> 00:18:09.630 And they get called on it by divine revelation. 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:12.500 and discernment through the apostles. They understand 00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:14.779 what's going on in the situation. They get called 00:18:14.779 --> 00:18:19.539 on it. And when they're called on it, judgment 00:18:19.539 --> 00:18:27.279 is swift. Ananias drops dead right there. And 00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:29.539 when they're called on it and Sapphira is brought 00:18:29.539 --> 00:18:33.960 in, she drops dead as well. And judgment is immediate 00:18:33.960 --> 00:18:36.819 and swift because the presence of God is near 00:18:36.819 --> 00:18:40.539 and he's moving and active. And so the refiner's 00:18:40.539 --> 00:18:45.400 fire burned up everything there and found nothing 00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:50.000 precious left behind. It was swift and abrupt 00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:56.190 and final. And so it says that fear. came on 00:18:56.190 --> 00:18:58.690 the whole church and all who heard these things. 00:18:58.809 --> 00:19:00.950 And then it goes on to say, many signs and wonders 00:19:00.950 --> 00:19:04.329 were being done among the people at the hands 00:19:04.329 --> 00:19:06.910 of the apostles. People were being healed. Demons 00:19:06.910 --> 00:19:09.910 were being cast out. The shadow of the apostles 00:19:09.910 --> 00:19:11.650 was falling on people and people were getting 00:19:11.650 --> 00:19:15.450 healed. It was like crazy revival, weird stuff 00:19:15.450 --> 00:19:19.839 going on, right? The talk of the town. As in 00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:22.420 the middle of this, the high priest rises up 00:19:22.420 --> 00:19:25.000 in Jerusalem and he and all who are with him 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:27.279 who belong to the party of the Sadducees were 00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:31.660 filled with jealousy. There it is. You want to 00:19:31.660 --> 00:19:34.619 follow Christ. You want to honor God. A right 00:19:34.619 --> 00:19:36.460 relationship with God will not make everyone 00:19:36.460 --> 00:19:41.019 happy. Some people will be jealous. Some people 00:19:41.019 --> 00:19:43.039 will be envious. Some people will be angered. 00:19:43.039 --> 00:19:46.799 Some people will be murderous. They won't like 00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:49.569 it. And they won't like what it's doing. They 00:19:49.569 --> 00:19:55.109 won't like the kingdom come. And so they arrest 00:19:55.109 --> 00:19:57.049 the apostles. They throw them in jail, but an 00:19:57.049 --> 00:19:58.910 angel comes and opens the door and lets them 00:19:58.910 --> 00:20:01.849 out at night. And when the jailer arrives in 00:20:01.849 --> 00:20:03.809 the morning to retrieve them, to bring them before 00:20:03.809 --> 00:20:06.529 the council, they find a locked door with no 00:20:06.529 --> 00:20:08.789 one inside. And when they're scratching their 00:20:08.789 --> 00:20:10.769 head trying to figure out what on earth happened, 00:20:10.990 --> 00:20:13.769 they get word that the apostles are back in the 00:20:13.769 --> 00:20:17.750 temple preaching boldly the word of Christ. Right 00:20:17.750 --> 00:20:19.910 where they were arrested before, they went right 00:20:19.910 --> 00:20:22.670 back to preaching and proclaiming God's word. 00:20:25.490 --> 00:20:27.690 Some came and reported, look, the men you put 00:20:27.690 --> 00:20:29.630 in jail are standing in the temple and teaching 00:20:29.630 --> 00:20:32.089 the people. Then the commander went with the 00:20:32.089 --> 00:20:34.910 servants and brought them in without force because 00:20:34.910 --> 00:20:37.069 they were afraid the people might stone them. 00:20:38.089 --> 00:20:41.099 And now they stand before the Sanhedrin. And 00:20:41.099 --> 00:20:42.980 they're asked, didn't we strictly order you not 00:20:42.980 --> 00:20:46.279 to teach in this name? Look, you have filled 00:20:46.279 --> 00:20:48.460 Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined 00:20:48.460 --> 00:20:51.460 to make us guilty of this man's blood. Verse 00:20:51.460 --> 00:20:54.779 29 of chapter 5, Peter and the apostles replied, 00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:58.319 we must obey God rather than people. the God 00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:01.779 of our ancestors, raised up Jesus, whom you had 00:21:01.779 --> 00:21:04.759 murdered by hanging him on a tree. God exalted 00:21:04.759 --> 00:21:07.180 this man to his right hand as ruler and savior 00:21:07.180 --> 00:21:09.720 to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness 00:21:09.720 --> 00:21:12.400 for sins. We are witnesses of these things and 00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:14.960 so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:18.039 who obey him. And right there in the middle of 00:21:18.039 --> 00:21:20.619 this council after they boldly proclaim, we have 00:21:20.619 --> 00:21:25.259 to obey God rather than you. One of the Pharisees, 00:21:28.740 --> 00:21:32.019 Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was respected 00:21:32.019 --> 00:21:34.240 by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:36.940 and ordered the men to be taken outside for a 00:21:36.940 --> 00:21:38.519 while. And then he addressed the Sanhedrin and 00:21:38.519 --> 00:21:41.259 he said, men of Israel, be careful about what 00:21:41.259 --> 00:21:44.420 you're about to do to these men. And then he 00:21:44.420 --> 00:21:46.380 goes on to say, lots of people have risen up 00:21:46.380 --> 00:21:49.519 in the past few hundred years. risen up to overthrow 00:21:49.519 --> 00:21:53.420 the government risen up as as saviors or messiahs 00:21:53.420 --> 00:21:55.460 and their their men rallied around them but as 00:21:55.460 --> 00:21:57.359 soon as we killed them or as soon as we put them 00:21:57.359 --> 00:22:00.339 in prison or got rid of them eventually it all 00:22:00.339 --> 00:22:03.099 died down you got to be really careful about 00:22:03.099 --> 00:22:10.160 making this guy into a martyr be be careful and 00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:13.839 then he says in this present case i tell you 00:22:13.839 --> 00:22:17.019 stay away from these men and leave them alone. 00:22:17.220 --> 00:22:21.420 For if this plan or this work is of human origin, 00:22:21.619 --> 00:22:24.859 it will fail. But if it is of God, you will not 00:22:24.859 --> 00:22:27.940 be able to overthrow them. You may even be found 00:22:27.940 --> 00:22:33.759 fighting against God. And the presence of this 00:22:33.759 --> 00:22:37.460 ruling board with the boldness of the apostles, 00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:40.400 they listened to the advice of this Pharisee 00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:43.150 and they say, let's just let them go. Let's tell 00:22:43.150 --> 00:22:46.109 them to stop preaching in the name of Jesus and 00:22:46.109 --> 00:22:48.849 let's flog them. Anyone know how bad flogging 00:22:48.849 --> 00:22:53.470 feels? I've only heard, but I can imagine that 00:22:53.470 --> 00:23:01.970 it is excruciating, it's painful. And so they 00:23:01.970 --> 00:23:05.549 were commanded to not preach in the name and 00:23:05.549 --> 00:23:08.750 they were flogged and they were released. And 00:23:08.750 --> 00:23:12.369 verse 41 says this of the apostles. Then they 00:23:12.369 --> 00:23:16.710 went out from the presence of the Sanhedrin rejoicing. 00:23:16.730 --> 00:23:19.190 They just were flogged, by the way. They went 00:23:19.190 --> 00:23:21.990 out from the presence of the Sanhedrin rejoicing 00:23:21.990 --> 00:23:26.329 that they were counted worthy to be treated shamefully 00:23:26.329 --> 00:23:32.490 on behalf of the name. They went out joyful, 00:23:32.849 --> 00:23:36.349 rejoicing that they were counted worthy. It was 00:23:36.349 --> 00:23:40.089 an honor to be treated shamefully, to suffer. 00:23:40.670 --> 00:23:43.789 for the name, to proclaim the good news of Jesus. 00:23:44.250 --> 00:23:47.470 And guess where they went right after that? The 00:23:47.470 --> 00:23:49.430 next verse says, and they went right back to 00:23:49.430 --> 00:23:54.750 the temple and began to preach. The apostles 00:23:54.750 --> 00:23:57.210 understood that suffering for Jesus wasn't a 00:23:57.210 --> 00:24:00.210 curse or the displeasure of God. It was a crown 00:24:00.210 --> 00:24:05.579 of honor. That's the kind of gospel confidence 00:24:05.579 --> 00:24:09.500 that Peter is calling us into. Do you see suffering 00:24:09.500 --> 00:24:12.519 as an interruption to your witness or as an invitation 00:24:12.519 --> 00:24:17.059 to glorify God? What price are you willing to 00:24:17.059 --> 00:24:22.180 pay for the name of Jesus? Do I see rejection 00:24:22.180 --> 00:24:25.700 by the world as a sign that I belong to Christ 00:24:25.700 --> 00:24:32.099 or as something to be avoided at all costs? It's 00:24:32.099 --> 00:24:37.390 a conflict. I know for myself, if I was to collect 00:24:37.390 --> 00:24:39.609 all of the things that I've suffered in my life, 00:24:39.769 --> 00:24:42.490 it would probably pale in comparison to a flogging. 00:24:45.369 --> 00:24:50.890 And yeah, they were flogged, commanded to not 00:24:50.890 --> 00:24:53.910 preach. They knew what would happen. They knew 00:24:53.910 --> 00:24:55.509 what would happen if they keep pushing the buttons. 00:24:56.029 --> 00:25:05.279 They saw what happened to Jesus. Number three, 00:25:05.380 --> 00:25:12.740 examine your life. Verse 15 and 17 and 18 of 00:25:12.740 --> 00:25:15.880 1 Peter chapter 4. Let none of you suffer as 00:25:15.880 --> 00:25:19.519 a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a meddler. 00:25:19.759 --> 00:25:23.000 For the time has come for judgment to begin with 00:25:23.000 --> 00:25:26.359 God's household. And if it begins with us, what 00:25:26.359 --> 00:25:28.759 will the outcome be for those who disobey the 00:25:28.759 --> 00:25:31.869 gospel of God? And if a righteous person is saved 00:25:31.869 --> 00:25:34.630 with difficulty, what will become of the ungodly 00:25:34.630 --> 00:25:39.410 and the sinner? Peter does make a sobering distinction 00:25:39.410 --> 00:25:42.410 here, one that we all know too well, that not 00:25:42.410 --> 00:25:48.170 all suffering is for Christ. Amen? Sometimes 00:25:48.170 --> 00:25:52.670 we suffer because we're stupid. Sometimes you 00:25:52.670 --> 00:25:57.210 suffer for that reason too. We included you. 00:26:00.559 --> 00:26:02.640 Sometimes human suffering is the consequence 00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:08.519 of being foolish or being evil. And Peter says, 00:26:08.839 --> 00:26:13.339 no believer should suffer as a murderer or a 00:26:13.339 --> 00:26:19.440 thief or an evildoer. And then there's one last 00:26:19.440 --> 00:26:21.339 point that he puts in there, which kind of stands 00:26:21.339 --> 00:26:24.619 out as odd being there in that list of like, 00:26:24.700 --> 00:26:36.490 murder, thief, evildoer, meddler. What is a meddler? 00:26:36.609 --> 00:26:39.890 A meddler is someone who inserts themselves into 00:26:39.890 --> 00:26:43.390 the affairs of others, causing strife, gossip, 00:26:43.490 --> 00:26:48.970 and division. The Greek word used here literally 00:26:48.970 --> 00:26:55.630 means to make oneself another's overseer or a 00:26:55.630 --> 00:26:58.589 self -appointed overseer in someone else's affairs. 00:26:59.849 --> 00:27:13.329 Anyone know meddlers? Point at them. Anyone ever 00:27:13.329 --> 00:27:19.269 received uninvited parental advice? Yeah. Man, 00:27:20.490 --> 00:27:22.329 if I were you, I wouldn't let your child act 00:27:22.329 --> 00:27:28.670 that way. Well, good, you're not me, so. Or how 00:27:28.670 --> 00:27:32.349 about, man, I just thought you should know what 00:27:32.349 --> 00:27:36.390 so -and -so said last week in small group. Or 00:27:36.390 --> 00:27:39.430 when someone shares a prayer request about a 00:27:39.430 --> 00:27:41.809 private matter that they didn't get permission 00:27:41.809 --> 00:27:45.190 to share, but the one who shares, man, I just 00:27:45.190 --> 00:27:47.769 feel like you really need to know. Let's cloak 00:27:47.769 --> 00:27:51.150 this in spiritual language so my gossip is a 00:27:51.150 --> 00:28:00.430 little more palatable as you swallow it. Sometimes 00:28:00.430 --> 00:28:04.849 we insist on being informed or counseled or consulted 00:28:04.849 --> 00:28:08.450 on every decision. I thought I wanted to be in 00:28:08.450 --> 00:28:10.690 the loop. I needed to know even things that are 00:28:10.690 --> 00:28:14.369 outside of our responsibility because we feel 00:28:14.369 --> 00:28:19.150 entitled to be in the loop. A list of what a 00:28:19.150 --> 00:28:22.109 meddler is. A meddler is someone who offers uninvited 00:28:22.109 --> 00:28:25.609 opinions or corrections, assumes spiritual authority 00:28:25.609 --> 00:28:29.289 or superiority that isn't theirs. inserts themselves 00:28:29.289 --> 00:28:33.190 into private matters not entrusted to them, justifies 00:28:33.190 --> 00:28:36.089 their actions as helping or being concerned, 00:28:36.410 --> 00:28:44.130 and often stirs up division and distrust. I don't 00:28:44.130 --> 00:28:45.670 know, it's kind of crazy that that's in a list 00:28:45.670 --> 00:28:50.670 with murderer, thief, evildoer, meddler. And 00:28:50.670 --> 00:28:53.789 he says, you shouldn't suffer for being any of 00:28:53.789 --> 00:28:56.549 those things. If you suffer for being any of 00:28:56.549 --> 00:29:00.759 those things, that's your just desserts. But 00:29:00.759 --> 00:29:03.359 as a believer, we should not suffer for doing 00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:06.579 wrong. But if we do even, I believe that God 00:29:06.579 --> 00:29:09.400 will use that, whatever means to refine us until 00:29:09.400 --> 00:29:12.359 everything that is impure is burned away and 00:29:12.359 --> 00:29:15.980 all that is left is what is lasting and enduring. 00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:21.160 I heard a pastor use an illustration and in his 00:29:21.160 --> 00:29:24.720 illustration, he said, he heard a pastor who 00:29:24.720 --> 00:29:27.900 heard from a pastor. that there was a guy he 00:29:27.900 --> 00:29:31.460 knew who refined metal. And so I'm a pastor who 00:29:31.460 --> 00:29:33.660 heard from a pastor who heard from a pastor. 00:29:34.160 --> 00:29:36.380 So we're down the line here. We can't confirm 00:29:36.380 --> 00:29:38.900 or deny whether the story is true. But he said 00:29:38.900 --> 00:29:41.420 he talked to the refiner, and the refiner was 00:29:41.420 --> 00:29:44.940 saying, he asked the question, the original guy, 00:29:45.059 --> 00:29:47.940 way down the line, asked, how do you know when 00:29:47.940 --> 00:29:50.980 the process is done? How do you know when it's 00:29:50.980 --> 00:29:54.940 refined enough? As a man who refines metals, 00:29:55.140 --> 00:29:58.579 refined silver, said he knew that it was done 00:29:58.579 --> 00:30:01.779 when he could see his reflection in the molten 00:30:01.779 --> 00:30:06.579 silver without anything clouding it. When he 00:30:06.579 --> 00:30:08.519 could see his reflection. And I think the same 00:30:08.519 --> 00:30:12.140 is true of God. He is going to refine us like 00:30:12.140 --> 00:30:15.619 silver until all that remains is the pure reflection 00:30:15.619 --> 00:30:19.799 of his glory in us. He's willing to do that work. 00:30:20.880 --> 00:30:24.299 In us, in the house of God first, among the sons 00:30:24.299 --> 00:30:28.900 of Levi, the royal priesthood. That's why it 00:30:28.900 --> 00:30:30.980 says judgment begins with the household of God. 00:30:31.059 --> 00:30:34.000 The judgment is purifying. Before he deals with 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:38.779 the world, God will clean his own house. And 00:30:38.779 --> 00:30:41.019 suffering is one of the primary tools God uses 00:30:41.019 --> 00:30:44.559 to purge sin and refine our motives and strengthen 00:30:44.559 --> 00:30:47.380 whatever remains. Listen to what 1 Corinthians 00:30:47.380 --> 00:30:50.019 chapter three, it uses this kind of same imagery. 00:30:50.279 --> 00:30:52.700 It says, if anyone builds on the foundation with 00:30:52.700 --> 00:30:56.480 gold, silver, or costly stones, wood, hay, or 00:30:56.480 --> 00:31:00.019 straw, each one's work will become obvious for 00:31:00.019 --> 00:31:02.940 the day will disclose it because it will be revealed 00:31:02.940 --> 00:31:06.480 by fire. The fire will test the quality of each 00:31:06.480 --> 00:31:10.349 one's work. If anyone's work that he has built 00:31:10.349 --> 00:31:14.670 survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's 00:31:14.670 --> 00:31:18.009 work is burned up, he will experience loss, but 00:31:18.009 --> 00:31:20.730 he himself will be saved, but only as through 00:31:20.730 --> 00:31:27.190 the fire. Every one of us is building our life 00:31:27.190 --> 00:31:29.289 and our work on the foundation of Jesus if we 00:31:29.289 --> 00:31:32.589 are in Christ. We are all building on the foundation, 00:31:32.869 --> 00:31:35.569 but that doesn't mean we're all building with 00:31:35.569 --> 00:31:40.960 the same materials. And God will test the household 00:31:40.960 --> 00:31:44.640 of faith first to see how we have been building. 00:31:46.220 --> 00:31:49.880 And some will build with things that last, things 00:31:49.880 --> 00:31:52.720 that are of eternal value in the kingdom economy, 00:31:53.059 --> 00:31:57.279 the gospel faithfulness, Christ -like love, spending 00:31:57.279 --> 00:31:59.279 your life on fulfilling the great commission, 00:31:59.539 --> 00:32:03.200 being one whose heart burns for one more person, 00:32:03.259 --> 00:32:07.059 one more lost person to come to know Jesus Christ. 00:32:07.769 --> 00:32:10.829 one who endures suffering for the glory of God, 00:32:10.910 --> 00:32:13.609 one who holds to integrity and purity and holiness, 00:32:13.829 --> 00:32:18.109 or who has spirit -filled service to the Lord 00:32:18.109 --> 00:32:22.769 and to his body. And those qualities compare 00:32:22.769 --> 00:32:28.630 with gold and silver and precious stones. But 00:32:28.630 --> 00:32:31.730 others will build with things that won't survive 00:32:31.730 --> 00:32:37.240 the fire. They'll build with ego. They'll chase 00:32:37.240 --> 00:32:43.440 after applause. They will do good works to earn 00:32:43.440 --> 00:32:47.039 righteousness for themselves instead of works 00:32:47.039 --> 00:32:51.500 built on a gospel foundation. They will engage 00:32:51.500 --> 00:32:56.500 in religious activities but without love. They 00:32:56.500 --> 00:33:00.660 will conform to culture. They will make every 00:33:00.660 --> 00:33:04.519 effort to look impressive on the outside. They 00:33:04.519 --> 00:33:12.319 will murder. Do evil and meddle. And their work 00:33:12.319 --> 00:33:16.039 of hay, wood, and straw, when the fire comes, 00:33:16.299 --> 00:33:25.299 poof. The fire tests the work. The fire proves 00:33:25.299 --> 00:33:30.480 the work. The fire makes what is precious. Even 00:33:30.480 --> 00:33:33.619 more valuable because the fire refines it. I 00:33:33.619 --> 00:33:35.660 am not a construction guy. I'm going to look 00:33:35.660 --> 00:33:38.359 at a few guys here as I'm talking. And if they 00:33:38.359 --> 00:33:40.900 start shaking their head, we're bailing on this. 00:33:41.500 --> 00:33:44.420 But I'm pretty sure that when you're building 00:33:44.420 --> 00:33:47.319 things of significance and you begin to pour 00:33:47.319 --> 00:33:50.640 concrete, that concrete has to be tested by someone 00:33:50.640 --> 00:33:56.150 to test the strength of it. by piling up and 00:33:56.150 --> 00:33:58.609 it melts down in a certain way. Like you're testing 00:33:58.609 --> 00:34:01.349 the quality of it that it can hold the weight 00:34:01.349 --> 00:34:03.630 of whatever's being built on top of it, right? 00:34:05.150 --> 00:34:07.970 And so you can pour concrete and go, hey, I poured 00:34:07.970 --> 00:34:10.230 concrete, start building on it. And you go, no, 00:34:10.409 --> 00:34:14.329 no, no, no. We need to test this first. We need 00:34:14.329 --> 00:34:15.710 to make sure as soon as we start building and 00:34:15.710 --> 00:34:17.570 we get to the second floor, it doesn't crumble 00:34:17.570 --> 00:34:20.010 and fall into the ground. We need to test it. 00:34:20.030 --> 00:34:22.320 Well, how do you test it? Well, they have this 00:34:22.320 --> 00:34:25.000 fall test, I know, but I imagine you could also 00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:28.159 do a pressure test of some sort too and push 00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:31.159 really hard on it and see what happens, right? 00:34:33.500 --> 00:34:36.300 The fire tests the work. The fire proves the 00:34:36.300 --> 00:34:40.000 work's quality. The fire makes what is precious 00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:42.900 even more valuable because the fire refines it 00:34:42.900 --> 00:34:47.300 further. But the fire burns to absolute nothing. 00:34:47.960 --> 00:34:50.940 that which isn't made to face the fire in the 00:34:50.940 --> 00:34:54.599 first place. If you build your life with worthless 00:34:54.599 --> 00:34:58.619 things, you may be saved, but only as one escaping 00:34:58.619 --> 00:35:05.460 the fire and you will suffer great loss. And 00:35:05.460 --> 00:35:08.099 the reward, the reward is only promised to one, 00:35:08.219 --> 00:35:11.880 to the one who builds with those things that 00:35:11.880 --> 00:35:14.940 survive, those things that are refined in the 00:35:14.940 --> 00:35:18.670 fire, not burned away. The final point, number 00:35:18.670 --> 00:35:24.969 four, entrust the outcome. Verse 19. So then, 00:35:25.010 --> 00:35:27.289 let those who suffer according to God's will 00:35:27.289 --> 00:35:30.750 entrust themselves to a faithful creator while 00:35:30.750 --> 00:35:36.250 doing what is good. God's will includes hardship 00:35:36.250 --> 00:35:42.559 for his purpose. This doesn't mean that all suffering 00:35:42.559 --> 00:35:46.360 is directly caused by God, but that nothing touches 00:35:46.360 --> 00:35:49.360 a believer that God doesn't allow and won't use 00:35:49.360 --> 00:35:55.000 for their refinement and good. And this calls 00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:58.360 us to trust a sovereign God, God's sovereignty, 00:35:58.500 --> 00:36:01.719 especially when suffering seems unfair or confusing. 00:36:03.980 --> 00:36:07.019 We have to trust that God will not allow this 00:36:07.019 --> 00:36:11.559 to be wasted. But he will use it to further refine 00:36:11.559 --> 00:36:14.639 us, to burn away the parts in our life that we 00:36:14.639 --> 00:36:19.179 were building with hay or stubble or wood. And 00:36:19.179 --> 00:36:21.400 to take the precious things, the eternal things 00:36:21.400 --> 00:36:23.820 that were a part of our building, our life, our 00:36:23.820 --> 00:36:26.699 works, and further refine them to make them more 00:36:26.699 --> 00:36:32.280 precious and more enduring. And Peter Enns was 00:36:32.280 --> 00:36:35.739 saying we should entrust ourselves to a faithful 00:36:35.739 --> 00:36:38.420 creator. And that's an interesting title. He 00:36:38.420 --> 00:36:41.179 didn't just say, trust yourself to God. But he 00:36:41.179 --> 00:36:43.760 says, entrust yourself to a faithful creator. 00:36:46.079 --> 00:36:50.099 As a faithful one, he doesn't abandon his own. 00:36:52.039 --> 00:36:54.599 And he keeps his promise and as creator he made 00:36:54.599 --> 00:36:57.179 you and he knows you and he's powerful enough 00:36:57.179 --> 00:36:59.420 to bring you into existence and he's powerful 00:36:59.420 --> 00:37:04.159 enough to sustain you to the end. He is a faithful 00:37:04.159 --> 00:37:08.739 creator and you are to entrust yourself. Entrust 00:37:08.739 --> 00:37:12.159 means handing over something valuable to someone 00:37:12.159 --> 00:37:17.079 for safekeeping. Entrust yourself to God even 00:37:17.079 --> 00:37:19.420 in the midst of the suffering and the pain and 00:37:19.420 --> 00:37:22.250 the difficulty. Put yourself in his safekeeping. 00:37:22.610 --> 00:37:27.110 He is a faithful creator. In fact, this word 00:37:27.110 --> 00:37:29.429 entrust is the same word that Jesus used when 00:37:29.429 --> 00:37:31.670 he entrusted his spirit to the Father on the 00:37:31.670 --> 00:37:36.889 cross. When suffering comes, we follow Christ, 00:37:37.250 --> 00:37:40.429 not by taking matters into our own hands, but 00:37:40.429 --> 00:37:43.250 entrusting our life into the hands of our faithful 00:37:43.250 --> 00:37:47.010 creator while we continue to do what is good. 00:37:49.799 --> 00:37:51.780 Here's the final thought that I'll leave us with 00:37:51.780 --> 00:37:54.420 before we move into our time of communion. And 00:37:54.420 --> 00:37:58.659 I think this is a very helpful and life -changing 00:37:58.659 --> 00:38:02.679 thought. At least for me it was. And it is this. 00:38:03.480 --> 00:38:09.460 Christians don't need to survive. Have you ever 00:38:09.460 --> 00:38:11.199 met someone who says, how are you doing? And 00:38:11.199 --> 00:38:14.699 they say, oh, I'm surviving. Or they're in the 00:38:14.699 --> 00:38:16.980 middle of a difficult time and it's like, yeah, 00:38:17.019 --> 00:38:19.719 man, things are really hitting me and it's coming 00:38:19.719 --> 00:38:21.119 from left, it's coming from right, it's coming 00:38:21.119 --> 00:38:24.840 from everywhere, but I'll survive. The glory 00:38:24.840 --> 00:38:27.079 and the beauty of being in Christ and following 00:38:27.079 --> 00:38:31.360 Christ is we don't need to survive. We don't 00:38:31.360 --> 00:38:34.760 need to survive. Christians don't need to survive. 00:38:36.239 --> 00:38:39.659 That's not a prerequisite to our joy or our flourishing 00:38:39.659 --> 00:38:44.449 is that we survive. And you think even in the 00:38:44.449 --> 00:38:46.809 midst of suffering, take suffering all the way 00:38:46.809 --> 00:38:49.869 to the end, just like Christ experienced. Suffering, 00:38:49.869 --> 00:38:52.929 suffering, suffering, abuse, shame, shame, death. 00:38:53.389 --> 00:38:59.210 Death isn't the end. Death is a doorway into 00:38:59.210 --> 00:39:05.110 the glory of God unveiled. Death is a doorway 00:39:05.110 --> 00:39:08.289 into ultimate fellowship with God and worship 00:39:08.289 --> 00:39:14.070 and love of God with his people. Even death itself 00:39:14.070 --> 00:39:21.989 has no sting. It has no bite. We don't need to 00:39:21.989 --> 00:39:24.949 survive. We can cast all restraint to the wind. 00:39:25.070 --> 00:39:27.570 We can run free because Christians don't need 00:39:27.570 --> 00:39:31.309 to survive. We don't need to just cling on and 00:39:31.309 --> 00:39:35.769 hold on for dear life. That's what the apostles 00:39:35.769 --> 00:39:39.570 experienced in chapter five of Acts. They went 00:39:39.570 --> 00:39:42.420 and it's like, hey. The worst you can do is do 00:39:42.420 --> 00:39:45.239 what you did to my savior and look at the glory 00:39:45.239 --> 00:39:48.300 that came as a result of that. That's the worst 00:39:48.300 --> 00:39:50.719 you could do. And so we're gonna preach and then 00:39:50.719 --> 00:39:52.119 you're gonna arrest us and put us in. And an 00:39:52.119 --> 00:39:53.760 angel is gonna release us and put us back out 00:39:53.760 --> 00:39:55.099 there. And we're gonna preach and then you're 00:39:55.099 --> 00:39:56.679 gonna arrest us and pull us in. And then you're 00:39:56.679 --> 00:39:57.960 gonna flog us and release us and we're gonna 00:39:57.960 --> 00:39:59.920 go preach the good news because we don't need 00:39:59.920 --> 00:40:04.179 to survive in order for us to flourish and thrive 00:40:04.179 --> 00:40:07.480 in the kingdom of God. It's not a prerequisite 00:40:07.480 --> 00:40:14.539 for our joy. And that reality changes everything 00:40:14.539 --> 00:40:17.059 about how we can face anything that we're going 00:40:17.059 --> 00:40:17.400 through.