How to Rejoice in Suffering...

I'm going to invite your brother, sister, dear friend to open up your Bibles to the book of Romans. Romans, we are going to continue with our study through the book of Romans. And today we are going to be addressing a couple of verses in Romans chapter 5. Last week, by God's grace, we addressed the first 11 verses of Romans chapter 5. And today we're going to be emphasizing or just going deeper into two of those verses in Romans chapter 5.

Is the microphone too loud or is it all good? All good? Romans chapter 5, we are going to be reading two portions of the Scriptures today. That is going to be the first 11 verses of Romans chapter 5. And then we're going to be jumping to Romans chapter 8 from verse 18 through 25.

The reason why I want us to read those two verses is because they have parallel thoughts. But before we come to the reading of the Scriptures, brethren, I'm going to ask you to join me as we come before the Lord and ask that the Holy Spirit will be among us as we preach, as you receive the words of God, and that the one who is exalted above everyone would be Jesus Christ and not us. Let us pray. Father, we're coming before you in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. We give you thanks for your goodness, your patience, your sovereignty, your kindness towards us, Lord, that has extended our days and these, Lord, days that you have made for us, that we can come together and be together as brothers and sisters, Lord.

We thank you, Lord, for the life that you have extended, the days that you have given us, and your grace in being here gathered together on this day, Lord. We come to worship You, and not to worship one another. We come to exalt You, and not to exalt one another. We come to praise You, and not to praise one another. Because as we worship You, and as we exalt You, and as we praise You, that is the greatest benefit for our souls.

So we pray, O Lord, that by your Holy Spirit you will grant us the light that is needed for us to speak the words of Christ, that you will grant us, Lord, the mind of Christ to receive your words and not only to be hearers of the word, but to be doers of the word. These words are on this paper, on this inked on this paper, Lord, are closed to our eyes if your Holy Spirit is not among us. so we pray lord that you will bless us and that you will teach us and that you will comfort us with your word as you can only do we pray for all of our brothers and sisters who throughout this week are struggling with health and are not able to be here we pray for them who spend time in the hospital or in different circumstances lord we pray that your hand will be upon them, that You will strengthen them and even the blessing that You have for us that will be also extended to our brothers and sisters. We pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen. Romans chapter 5, today I want us to address verses 3 and 4.

And if you pay attention there to verse 3 and 4, the topic or the point, the principal point here is going to be rejoicing in suffering. You see there in verse three, not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope. I want us just to answer a question. And that question is, how do we rejoice in our sufferings? What a complicated and difficult topic, may the Lord bless us as we address all of this.

Brethren, we're going to be reading these 11 verses in Romans chapter 5, and then Romans chapter 8, verse 18 to 25. And if I have not said it before, the reason why I'm getting you to read these two passages is because I want you to see the connection between this. the sufferings of the Christian, the hope that we have, and then the future glory. Suffering, hope, and future glory. And that is going to be the summary of everything that I'm going to say.

But sufferings of this present time, the hope that we have in that which is to come, and the future glory. So now let us read the words of Christ that have been given to us by the apostles in this first 11 verses of Romans chapter 5 and then in Romans chapter 8. This is the word of the Lord, Romans chapter 5. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For a while we were still weak at the right time. Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die.

But God shows or demonstrates his love towards us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, since therefore we have now been justified by his blood. Much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more now that we are reconciled shall we be saved by His life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." Now we turn our page, and I want us to read together, brother, sister, dear friend, this passage in Romans chapter 8, verse 18.

Now, you're sure that the sound of the microphone is all good in your ears, Alicia? Yes? Okay. So verse 18. For I consider...

Let us read from verse 16. Let us read from verse 16. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we're children of God. 17. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, pay attention to this, provided with the condition of that we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bandage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the Children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. I'm not only the creation, but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the spirit grown or suffer inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons on, of course, daughters, the redemption of our bodies for in this hope we were saved.

Now hope that is seen. It's not hope. for who hopes for what he sees. But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Amen.

This is the reading of God's Word. And brethren, what a beautiful and powerful promise we have there in verse 18. Pay attention to what it says in verse 18. It says, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us, the children of God. A glorious and powerful promise that there is going to be one day that is ahead of us in which the glory of God is going to be bestowed to the children of God.

Those who by grace through faith have been united to Jesus Christ, even though they suffer, There is going to be one day, one living hope that is ahead of us in which God is going to give us his glory. And these bodies that are broken, these bodies that are unrighteous, these bodies that have infirmities, they are going to be adopted. They are going to be changed. They are going to be transformed. This is the glorious hope that we have of the glory of God that is going to be revealed.

And this promise that we have here, first of all, shows us that this is the purpose of the Christian life. Even though we live in the present, the past is gone, and the future we do not have. The only thing that we have is the present. Even though we only have the present, through the scriptures we know that we are owners also of the future. Now because we're good, now because we're powerful, now because we're strong, but because Jesus Christ came to die upon the cross and He was victorious.

And because He was victorious, He's now the owner of the future. And in Him, we also own the future. We know what is going to happen with us. So our life is not lived only in perspective of the day of today, But as Christians, we ought to live our lives in perspective of what Christ Jesus has done and what Christ Jesus will do for his people. And in a sense, this becomes the purpose of the life of the Christian.

Because whatever we pray, whatever we come before the Lord, whatever we love one another, and we are strengthening our faith, that is not for today. That is to be conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ as we walk towards that goal of the supreme calling, the calling that we have in Christ Jesus, this glorious reality of the eternal glory in Christ Jesus. The promise that we have also there in verse 18 also tells us about a present reality. Not only about that which is going to come in the future, but it also tells us about the present reality. You see it there in verse 18, it says, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed.

The sufferings of the present time. This is the equation of the church, of the Christian life, the sufferings of this present age, and the subsequent glories. Just as the Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth to suffer and to die on our behalf, that is also that which is appointed for the Christian, that we are going to suffer in this present age, and there will come the subsequent Glory and I know my dear brother and sister, there are many people that preach and say that if you become a Christian and that if you have faith in Jesus Christ, that this is your best life now. But brother and sister, let me tell you that there are tens of tens of verses in this book. In the New Testament especially, that tells us that there is going to be suffering for the Christian in the present time.

Even please pay attention how in verse 17, the apostle makes a condition of this future glory that we will go through the sufferings of this time. Pay attention to verse 17 of chapter 8. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided or with the condition that we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Brethren, being a Christian is not to have faith in Jesus and then we're going to have a big bank account and all problems are going to be solved and I'm going to be the happiest person on the earth according to fleshly standards. Christian living and the Christian life is that we become Christians and we are the most blessed people on this earth.

But not because of the things that we have or the things that we don't have or the power that we have or the money that we have, but because our names are written in the book of the Lamb of God who take away the sin of the world and who has given us the promise of a hope of glory that is to come. So that whether they cut our heads or limbs or they kill us or they crucify us, we can rejoice in the fact that the things of this world are passing away brethren and that we belong to a greater kingdom the kingdom of Jesus Christ but we have to face suffering right we are told here that in this present time there is going to be suffering and the Apostle Paul does not make it anything easier because in chapter 5 he tells us that the expectation is that we rejoice in our sufferings. So if you go now to Romans chapter 5, this is the question that I want us to consider, and this is the question that I want us to answer. How do we rejoice in our sufferings? Now let me just simply say this, and with this perhaps I'm just going to summarize everything that I'm going to say.

The Bible is never calling us to make that situation of sorrow the source of our joy, because that would be to be bad in our heads. If we're going to take a situation that is sorrowful or something that produces sadness, the Bible is not telling us to interpret that as the source of joy, but rather in the words of James, James chapter 1 verse 2, count it all joy. when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But if patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." What the Bible calls us to do when it comes to rejoicing in our sufferings, it is to have a greater perspective of our trial and our difficulty.

Our trial and our difficulty will bring sorrow, which we need to experience and we need to go through. But the Bible is going to call us to have a greater perspective of the situation in which we are, so that by having that greater perspective, then joy and gladness can be derived not from the situation that is causing suffering, but from the greater perspective that we have. So then the Christian ends up not being a crazy person that should be in a mental institution, but rather The Christian becomes the person who has a perspective of physical things and eternal spiritual matters. So then the Christian can genuinely sorrow for the passing away of that person. The Christian can genuinely sorrow for the sin that he or she has committed.

The Christian can genuinely sorrow for the tribulations of the flesh and relationships and the church and the world can generally be broken for those things. while at the same time steps back by the grace of the Lord, and sees the hand of Christ in all of those things, and the future hope of glory, and at the same time says, Lord, everything is in your hands. So even though there are tears that are coming down through my cheeks, or through my face, at the same time I rejoice in my inner person, that I know that there is someone who is in control of all of these things that are going on, and everything that happens around me. This is the requirement of the scriptures, that we will have this perspective that goes beyond that present suffering. So that's why not only James, but also Peter, and also Mr.

Paul here can call us to rejoice in our sufferings. He says there in verse 3, not only that, but we rejoice in our suffering. So I want us to answer this question. From a biblical point of view, and we're going to be reading a lot of the scriptures because I don't want to transfer the responsibility of what I'm going to say to me, but to the scriptures, right? It is best that you have a confrontation with what God says about suffering and rejoicing.

This is the best thing that we can do. So how do we rejoice in our suffering? Let me submit to you that in order to answer that question of how, we're going to have to answer the first question, and that question is, why do Christians suffer at all? Right? If we're children of God, wouldn't it be just expected that He was going to bless us with a happy, blessed life with no suffering?

But when we go through the Scriptures, we realize that yes, Christians do suffer. So why? Why do Christians suffer? Let me submit to you that once we understand that, I hope by the Scriptures and through the Scriptures, if we understand the why of the suffering of the Christian, then we can answer from this text, Romans chapter 12, James chapter 1, and 1 Peter chapter 1, the rejoicing that we ought to have through our trials and our tribulations. So let us do the first one.

Why do Christians suffer? Why do Christians experience suffering? First, in order to say the positive reasons why we suffer, let me emphasize what the Apostle does in this text. And this is giving us the reason that is not the cause of our sufferings. The Apostle has stated very clearly that the sufferings of the Christians are not the result of God's wrathful judgment upon them.

The reason why a Christian suffers is not the wrathful judgment of God upon them. Why? Because the apostle has made it very clear that we have with God reconciliation. Remember what I said last week? Verse 11, pay attention to verse 11.

More than that. In chapter 5, more than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. And if you remember what I said last week, this reconciliation It is seen primarily, verse 1, that we have peace with God. Reconciliation means that we have peace with God. Read it by yourself, please, in verse 1 of Romans chapter 1, Romans chapter 5.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. As the Apostle had told us in verse 10, before being justified, we were friends or enemies. enemies of God. When the grace of God is given to the person and we are forgiven of our sins, now we are justified and we have this reconciliation. So then that means that my relationship with God now is a relationship of peace and a relationship of reconciliation.

Hence, that means that if I enter into trial or suffering, this is not the result of God's wrathful judgment upon me, because I'm no longer a children of wrath." Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1 through 4. I'm no longer a children of disobedience, the same passage. The wrath of God is no longer revealed against me from heaven, against all of my ungodliness and unrighteousness, because I suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Romans chapter 1 verse 18.

The wrath of God is being revealed to everyone that is not in Christ. Romans chapter 1 verse 18. Know my words. against their ungodliness and unrighteousness, that is the natural condition. When the Christian has been saved, the Christian has been translated into this kingdom now of peace.

So then that means that my sufferings are no longer the result of my penal enmity between me and the Lord. In other words, it's not because of the penalty of my sin, because Christ has forgiven all of my sins, and now I'm friends with God, I'm His child, I'm His Son, you sister are His daughter. So hence, whatever suffering you go through is not the result of His wrathful judgment. Now I'm emphasizing this because this is usually the way that I do things. But second and more importantly, it is because many times we're going to be tempted to believe that when we are suffering, that we have done something that has caused something in God that now He's upset at us, or that He's not liking what we do.

And because of this, I'm going through suffering. The suffering, or better, the peace of the Christian, the reconciliation of the Christian is not dependent, not contingent upon your performance. The peace that the Christian has with God depends upon the life of Jesus Christ. Pay attention to in chapter 5 verse 9. Verse 9 of chapter 5.

Since therefore we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. And this is him, this is the living Christ. My peace with God depends not upon my performance. I can preach 1,000 sermons, or I can preach one. It does not matter what I do.

It is not contingent upon my doing. It is contingent upon His doing, and that is already done. So then that means that if a person has been graciously saved by faith, then that person is eternally in terms of peace with God. So then that means that the suffering is not the result of that wrathful judgment. And I'm repeating and repeating, because I want this to be very clear, brethren.

Our flesh is going to tempt us. If we could go to, say, computer chapter one, and in, say, computer chapter one, we can see, we're not going to go there, that many times the Christian is going to forget that they were cleansed from their former sins, and then they doubt their salvation. Why? Because their faith is not growing as it should, and there's no you know, like all the fruits of faith, and then the Christian, because of their sins that they have committed, they have forgotten, the Apostle says in 2nd Peter chapter 1 verse 9 and 10, they have forgotten that they were cleansed from their former sins and they lose their assurance of their salvation. What is going on?

Now they are depending upon their performance to think or believe that they are okay with God. They are no longer depending upon the resurrected life of Jesus Christ, who brethren, it's easier that this world and universe explodes and then it becomes a new universe than that Jesus Christ will die in heaven. It's not going to happen. But the peace of the Christian depends upon the life of Christ there in heaven. And let me tell you, this is good news.

This is very good news, brethren, because there are so many things that we do on a daily basis that are reason enough for me to suffer. And it makes total sense that I will connect my sufferings with my failures because I deserve it. Right? Because I deserve my suffering. Actually, sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I'm like, I should be suffering more of what I suffer.

Thank you, God, for whatever situation I'm in, because I should have worse than this. I have your grace and your mercy. So then that means, brethren, that our eyes are to be set on the completed work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The suffering of the Christian is not the wrathful judgment of God. Remember that I try to emphasize this as much as I can, because now I'm going to tell you the reasons why we suffer.

And here, I'm going to tell you these reasons, perhaps three or four, depending on how we go with the time. And all of these reasons might be heavy in our soul. Some of them may be. But you need to remember the first thing that I said. Because if we don't remember the first thing that we said, we're going to be tempted to make this other three or four that I'm going to tell you the reason why I'm suffering and putting our eyes in ourselves and not in Christ Jesus.

Now, let me just tell you the reasons. I'm going to now depart from the text and I'm going to take Peter, James and Paul in order to give you three or four, depending on how we go with the time, reasons why Christians suffer. The first one is going to be the disciplinary judgment of God. Now, I said before that the wrathful judgment of God cannot be upon the Christians because we have peace with God. Remember that I said that?

I said that just like two minutes ago. Now, I'm not speaking about the wrathful judgment of God. I'm speaking about the disciplinary judgment of God upon the church and upon His people. Now, I know that these two words, disciplinary judgment of God upon his people, they sound very strong. But there's going to be times in which God is going to allow his judgment to come upon the church and upon his people, either because they have committed a sin that the Lord wants to bring them and purify them to bring them into alignment with his will, or because he's going to use the lost, the persecutor of the church, to persecute the church to bring judgment upon them.

And sometimes the Lord will allow the persecutions and the sufferings of the church because of this disciplinary judgment. Now this word is not taken just from my mind. It's found in the scriptures. So come with me please to 1 Peter chapter 4. 1 Peter chapter 4.

Here we have this idea of the judgment of God upon the church. 1 Peter chapter 4. 1 Peter chapter 4. Peter speaks extensively in these five chapters about the sufferings of Christians. And in chapter four, as he's concluding this letter, he is going to give us more information about the reason why we suffer.

So if you pay attention to First Peter, chapter four, verse 12, pay attention to First Peter, chapter four, verse 12. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you. First Peter, chapter four, verse 12. Beloved, once again, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice, same thing that Paul, remember, Romans chapter 4, 5?

But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you might also rejoice and be glad when this glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you're blessed because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. If you have a King James and you're King James, you will have something like on their part, he's blasphemed, but on your part, he's glorified. Let us continue in verse 15. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or a meddler.

Pay attention to 16. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. Why? For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of... God, and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Brethren, you see the depth of that question? If judgment begins with the household of God, then what would be the outcome of those who do not obey the gospel? Because remember, the church is now in terms of peace with God. This is disciplinary judgment. This is not eternal judgment, because we are at peace with God.

But those who are not in Christ, then the Lord bestows upon them at times the wrath that comes from Him. Romans chapter 1, then it says in verse 18, and if the righteous is currently saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner. Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will and trust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good." Here, the point of Peter is primarily the sufferings that the Christian Church is put through because of afflictions and tribulations. And the apostle is saying here, you are not to be a sinner, because if you suffer because of sin, chapter 2, verse 18, then you deserve it.

But you are to suffer as you do righteousness, because there is a judgment that will come, and this judgment will start with the people of God. Now, here, the Christian is not committing any sin. But actually, when we go to 1 Corinthians 11, you may remember this passage. Then in 1 Corinthians 11, we're going to have those two words, disciplinary judgment to the church that is now committing a sin. Come, please, to 1 Corinthians 11.

And as we progress through this, you should have very clear present what I said in my first point. Remember, we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 11, brethren. You remember that in the church of the Corinthians, there were some people that were partaking of the Lord's table in a good or bad manner, unworthy manner, right? And then there were some situations that were happening because they were partaking of the Lord's table in an unworthy manner.

Some people were... Dying and some people were sick, right? So that's what's happening in that church because they were partaking of the Lord's table in an unworthy manner. Now, let us just simply read how the apostle sees that in first Corinthians chapter 11 verse 27. Whoever therefore eats the bread, are we there brethren?

11 27. Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body of the blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks..." Now here we have judgment on himself, right?

We're not going to focus on the situation of the Corinthians, but I just want us to focus on this judgment on himself or herself, of course. Verse 30. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judge ourselves truly, we would not be judged. Pay attention to 32.

But when we are judged by the Lord, the we is the church and Paul, right? It says, but when we are judged by the Lord, we are Disciplined, so that we may not be condemned alone with the world. This is what I get this idea of disciplinary judgment. You see it there from the Scriptures, brethren, it's not my imagination. It's this disciplinary judgment of the Lord towards His people, sometimes through the hands of persecutors that will be judgment for them, sometimes because of the sin that has been committed by these people.

Now, the purpose of this disciplinary judgment is never condemnation. The purpose of this disciplinary judgment is always loving, caring manifestation of the Father who disciplines whom He loves so that there will be transformation and conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm going to submit to you, and many of you will know the passage that I'm going to call you to, that this disciplinary judgment of God for His people is with the purpose of giving them the fruit of righteousness so that they will advance in conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ. So the passage that I'm going to call you is Hebrews chapter... 12.

Let us go to Hebrews chapter 12, brethren, please. Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. There in Hebrews chapter 12, you can see how Peter calls this the judgment that begins by the household of God. Then you can see how Paul calls this in 1 Corinthians 11, this judgment through discipline.

And then Paul, or whoever was the author of Hebrews, is going to now put together all of that from the heart of God towards the person that has received this discipline. Hebrew chapter 12. Let us please read from verse 7 to verse 11, 7 11. Okay, 12. It is for discipline that you have to endure.

Now remember this word because remember Roman chapter five, verse three and four. And I rejoice in my sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance, character and character hope. The same thing Paul says here. It is for discipline that you have to endure, or to be steadfast. God is treating you as sons.

For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline in which you all have participated, then you are illegitimated. That is my best pronunciation of that word. Children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them.

Shall we not much more be subject to the father of the spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them. But he disciplined us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems nice. painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

Two are the main points of the Apostle here. That the discipline that the Christian experiences, perhaps more than two, But the discipline that the Christian experiences is a way of suffering. It's not pleasant, right? The experience of it causes sorrow, causes sadness because the person is being put through discipline. But the one who disciplines here is not like an earthly father.

The early father has no full knowledge of the life of the son or daughter or their circumstances. The early father disciplines a son or daughter thinking that that is the best for them. Now, we hope as parents that what we think that is best is actually best, but we don't have full knowledge. So we don't know sometimes if our discipline is guiding our children to the best. But when we are disciplined by God, we are disciplined by the one who knows all things.

We're disciplined by the one who knows the depths and secrets of our hearts. He knows what is best for us, and he knows what is going to be best for us in the future, a future that we don't understand and we don't have, but that he knows and that he has ordained. So when he disciplined us, he's doing it with perfect knowledge and with pure intention. So the call of the Scriptures is that when we are suffering because of the disciplinary judgment of the Lord, or the discipline of the Lord, while it is painful and it is difficult, to know that we are in the hands of God, who is loving, just, and perfect, should be sufficient for us to have that greater perspective that I was referring before. That greater perspective that says, even though this is difficult and this is painful, I know that I'm in your hands, and being in your hands is the best place in which I can be, because that is indeed the best place where a person can be.

That is the disciplinary judgment of the Lord. The Scripture tells us that if there is a sin that we have committed, that He's just and faithful to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, that every time that we come to the Savior, He's never going to shut or close the doors, that we can come to Christ and in Him we can find rest. This is the disciplinary judgment of the Lord that aims that we will be confirmed to the image of Jesus Christ. Second, there's a second reason why we can experience suffering as Christians. And this is for the testing of the genuineness of our faith.

Now remember, that suffering is not going to be an option for the Christian. The sufferings of the Church and the subsequent glories. Remember this? The sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. Suffering is not going to be like, you know, like random things that happen to Christians.

No. We are going to experience suffering because of the sin that is in me, because of the sin that is in you, because of the sin in our relationships, because the sin in the church, because of the sin in this world, there is going to be suffering. The call of the scriptures is to rejoice. Many times the suffering is going to be to test the genuineness of our faith. And the passage there is going to be in James chapter one from verse two through five.

So let us go there to James chapter one, verse two through eight. See you, Tess. Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you might be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

But let him ask in faith, without doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea. driven and toast by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. For he is a double-minded man and unstable in all his ways." the testing of the genuineness of the faith.

We are to count it all joy when we fall into various trials, because the trial is the means by which God tests the genuineness of the faith of those who profess to be in Christ. You remember in Mark chapter 4, the parable of the Sower, you remember how some seeds fell on the side and then Satan came and took the Word of God that had been planted into their hearts. But then we're told about those type of seeds that fell on the rocky ground. I think it was stony ground. That's what you call it, right?

Stony or the rocky ground. And then we're told that when trials and tribulations came, they departed. They left. They believed for a while. They said, I believe in Jesus.

They had joy. And even it seems that they had sent the manifestation of fruit. But when the trial came, when the difficulty came, when because of being a Christian of the Word of God and the conflict that being a Christian produces with ourselves and with others and with the world, when the difficulty of being a son of God in the midst of this world, the difficulty of that came, That person depart, brother. For them, the trial, the suffering, the tribulation was the means by which the genuineness of their faith was tested. So when we put it in the words of Peter, if you count just the next book in Peter chapter 1, it says there in Peter, 1 Peter chapter 1, Remember that the churches of Pontius, Galatia, Bithynia, Cappadocia, all of these churches that received this letter of 1 Peter, they were going through sufferings, brethren, that we simply do not know as Westerners in the 21st century.

They were going through lots of tribulations. And we are told in verse 6 of chapter 1, it says, in this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials. What is the purpose of those many trials or various trials? Seven, so that the tested genuineness of your faith more precious than gold, that perishes though it is tested by fire, might be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, that is Christ, you love him.

Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible, unspeakable joy, and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, which is the salvation of your souls. The present sufferings and the subsequent glories. One of the purposes of suffering is to test the genuineness of our faith. And our faith is not going to endure because of the quality of faith, brethren. Faith endures because of the object of faith.

And the object of faith has to be Jesus Christ. If I'm just trusting in the strength of my faith, in the quality of my faith, in the depth of my faith, I haven't read the Bible enough, I don't understand it enough, I don't know theology enough, I don't have the answers. If I'm qualifying my faith by the depth of it, I have faith in my faith. I have faith in my performance. I have faith in my ability to have faith.

And that is very different to have faith in the finished, completed work of Jesus Christ. The strength of faith is not in faith itself. The strength of faith is in the object of faith that is Jesus Christ. Because when the person goes outside of self and puts his mind in Christ Jesus, then Christ Jesus is already victorious and seated at the right hand of the Father. And he will come one day to bring glory to this world, to rescue his people.

And that reality is not going to change it. The fact that you're a good or bad Christian. Even if I end up apostating from the faith, that is not going to change the fact that Christ Jesus is already victorious and that He's the King of kings and Lord of lords. But that is the difficulty of these feeble minds. that it's easier for us to pay attention to my performance, works, deeds, and the things that I say or that I have.

Why? Because I'm prideful. Because I want to tick boxes of performance and accumulate them onto my name. And I want to say, I've done, I've done, I've done, I've done, I've done, I've done, I've done, I've done. And when I have not done, I have not followed my standard, then I feel down.

Why? Because I'm prideful. Because I love my flesh. Because I love to be exalted. Because I love to be high above.

But that is not the gospel, brethren. Christ has already done absolutely everything to demonstrate that we're broken, that we're sinners, and that we're in need of a Savior. And that He is that Savior. That He is the righteous one. That He is the one who has come to rescue us from the depths.

of the chaos in which we were. That is the Lord Jesus Christ. Third, we experience sufferings because through suffering we are made strong spiritually speaking. Now, this might sound contradictory, but suffering is the means, biblical suffering is the means by which the Christian is made stronger. There are certain things in our lives that cannot be removed, taken by teaching or by discipleship.

No, no, no, no. There are certain things that you have to go through that requires that you cry and that you are in that difficult place. Because that requires that the Lord works in you by His providence. And when you are in that dark room, there's going to be prayers for you, there's going to be prayers for me, there's going to be words, but there are certain things that God's providence had to put you through so that you become stronger on the other side. That was the situation of the Apostle Paul.

Remember? 2 Corinthians chapter 12. Come with me there to 2 Corinthians chapter 12. 2 Corinthians chapter 12. 2 Corinthians chapter 12.

You remember the Apostle Paul had many reasons to boast. He was not only a Jew of Jews, a Pharisee from the tribe of Benjamin, according to the flesh, according to the law, blameless. He was a Jew of Jews, right? He's very likely that he had memorized many of the books of the Old Testament. It is very likely that he's very smart.

He said, humanly speaking, this was a man that was very smart from human standards. He had lots of reasons to boast, but the Lord brought him down. The way that he was strengthened, it was not by his knowledge of the Torah or the Old Testament. It was by being partaker of the sufferings of Christ. Come with me, please, to 2 Corinthians chapter 12.

Let us just read from verse 2. I said 12, right? 2nd Reader is 12 too. I know a man in Christ, he's speaking about himself here, very likely. I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago was caught up to the third heaven, whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, God knows.

And I know that this man was caught up into paradise, whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, God knows. And he heard things that cannot be told, which men may not utter. On behalf of these men I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except on my weaknesses. Though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth, but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. So to keep me from becoming conceited, Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelation, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.

Now, this could be something physical, or this could be something spiritual. We really do not know. But whatever that was for the Apostle Paul, that was not nice, brethren. That was not nice and that was very difficult. Now just simply think about Paul.

Paul gave up absolutely everything to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, right? If there was going to be a person who meditated a prize for his faithfulness, that was Paul. He left absolutely everything to follow the Lord Jesus. He traveled and he left his life in order to give it to Jesus Christ. He would have expected, I'm going to be in the blessing of the Lord every day.

He's going to carry me every day. Certainly, I'm not going to receive anything back that comes from above. Everything will be nice because look at all my sacrifices. Look at all the knowledge that I have. Look at all the things that I have taught and all the churches that I have planted.

Look at all the Christians that have been saved through my ministry. Look at all the things that I have done, certainly. God is not going to send anything that is going to make me suffer. He did, brother. He did.

I thorn on the flesh. He says in verse eight, three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that he should leave me. But he said to me, and these are the words that we need to tell ourselves. My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in weakness.

Therefore, the apostle says, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Brethren, did you want to be a Christian to have a good life and to have money and to have all of the successes? This is not the place for you. Because the invitation of Christ has come to me and take my yoke upon you. take my cross and follow me and you know what is going to happen as you take that take up that cross and follow me you're going to be persecuted there's going to be trials there's going to be difficulties within yourself outside of you the world there's going to be difficulties.

But one promise I give you, that when you fall, you're not going to be destroyed. That when you fall, you're not going to be broken. That even though they may take your life and they might cut your head, even though they may mock you and they may say things about you, you will prevail. And the reason why you will prevail is not because of your efforts or your strength. It is because I'm with you until the end of the age.

And I'm going to bring you not to a better world that this is this world, I'm going to bring you to the new heavens and new earth to be with Me eternally, so that I will be your God and you shall be My people and I will be with you. This is the hope of this eternal glory, brethren. The life that we live, we don't live in perspective of the today, even though we're bound to today. But the Christian is fixed upon what happened 2,000 years ago and the glorious promise of what Christ is going to give us when he comes. And if you are so rooted in this present life that you are driven by the things and the distractions of this world that you cannot see that there, brethren, so then there's a problem, not with your circumstances, but in seeing Christ.

We need to see Christ, because Christ is not Lord of today, He is Christ of forever. And He's going to give us this blessed hope that is to come. We are to be rooted in Him, and with Him we should be willing to stand alone in this world. We should be willing to die for Him even though we have peaceful life and we have such a good life in a Western world like Australia, the best world in the country. And from the oldest cities in this country, the Golgotha is the best city, one of the best cities in the world.

Brethren, but that the things and the pleasures of this life might not make us lose perspective that we are dying in this body in order to be made anew in Christ, that we are not of this world, that we belong to Him. That is the most important thing of life. It is what Christ has done for us. not only to test our faith, but also to make us stronger spiritually. Because when a person might be weak, might be old, might be sick with infirmities, and they might not have the ability to move these or to push something, they might not be able to run or to jump and to do all of these things that people praise as good things in men, but when that person can trust in the depths of his or her soul, in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whatever difficulty, that person now is strong.

And this is the strength that can only be produced many times, brethren, by the breaking of men and women, by the breaking of who we are, breaking us down so that we will be made alive in Christ. So praise God, because through suffering, he makes us like the Lord Jesus Christ. And in the midst of that, we have perspective that he has a purpose for us. The heart of all of it is this. Christ suffered, and he entered into glory.

His church, brethren, will suffer and will enter into glory. And praise God, not because of the temporal sufferings, but by the glories that are to come, and in that which we are to be strengthened. Let us return now to the text. And let me finish in the last 10 minutes. with the how.

This is the why. Remember in the why, I gave you the reason not, and then I give you the positive reasons. I said to you that we suffer. Why? Because we are made stronger spiritually speaking.

We suffer because that is the testing of our faith, and we suffer because that is the disciplinary judgment of the Lord against the church sometimes when it is required. We do not suffer because it's the wrathful judgment of God. Remember that I said that. It's not the wrathful judgment of God upon the Christians. But now, how do we endure the sufferings?

How do we? What do I need to do in order to rejoice in my sufferings? What do I need to do in order to have this bigger perspective of my suffering, so that I'm deriving not only sorrow from the situation, but also I'm deriving peace and joy from the greater perspective. And there's one glorious word that James uses, and that Peter uses, and of course Paul uses, because he's not Peter, he's not James, and he's not Paul, he's the Spirit of God. Come to Romans chapter 5, verse 3.

Pay attention. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings. Now, which word you have after sufferings? Which word? Knowing.

How do we rejoice in our sufferings? We rejoice in our sufferings knowing. Thus suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. We need to know that which is greater in order to have perspective of our present suffering. If we are blind to the eternal perspective of God, we are going to focus only in our trial, in our difficulty, and that is going to become everything that we know.

But through the scriptures and the power of the Holy Spirit, the Christian is to know the greater perspective and the greater plan that God has for every one of our trials and our sufferings. It is the same thing that James says in James chapter 1 verse 2. Count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. We ought to know and if you have been here with us you know that Knowing is not something that can be done in the flesh, brethren. This knowing and knowing this future hope, which is what the apostle has here, knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.

The knowledge of this hope It is an enlightenment that the Spirit gives us through the Word of the Lord in Christ Jesus of what is God actually doing among His people, of this knowledge, of this wisdom, of this revelation of the future hope. The Apostle speaks in Ephesians chapter 1. Come with me there just to show you the words of the same Apostle in Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1. We ought to know by revelation of the Spirit through the Word and in Christ Jesus of this glorious hope.

Not intellectually, not as a concept in our minds, but by faith we really need to apprehend the fact that there is a future hope. Not as something that Christians say when they come together, but we are to be revealed by Christ that there is something greater and more important than our present life. Pay attention to Ephesians 1, verse 15. The Apostle praying for the Ephesians says, For this reason, Ephesians 1, verse 15, For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation. This is not something that we do with our inner strength.

"...may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you. What are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints? And what is the immeasurable greatness of His powers towards us who believe, according to the working of His great might, that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and sent Him and seated him at the right hand in the heavenly places that you may know, brethren. Because when the soul and when the mind and when the heart of a person has been enlightened with this spirit of revelation that comes from above through the scriptures, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in the person of Christ, then the eyes of that person are open to this future hope Not as an intellectual, religious idea or concept.

Not as just simply repeating Jesus Christ died upon the cross 2000 years ago and he's going to come once again. Not repeating in the flesh, not repeating with the mouth, but knowing it in the heart. When the Spirit of Christ comes and opens our eyes to see that, then we trust in that that is true. And if that is true, If that is true, then we have the perspective that we need, because then in our suffering, the Lord is working in us endurance. In that endurance, He's working in us character.

What we ought to do, we need to endure. What we need to be, we need to have the character, the character of Christ. And as we endure, and as we have the character of Christ, we have the eternal hope of glory. that even if I die now, even if I don't see my wife or my children anymore, there's something greater than my kids and my wife and my family and my church that is Christ. And that is for all of us, brethren.

Our eyes are to be set on Him so that we can live our lives as He has called us to. The secret of Christianity is not that complex. It is only one word, and that is Christ. But in our flesh, brethren, we make it very difficult because we make it about ourselves. We make it about our performance.

We make it about our duties. We make it about our performance and deeds and things that we have to do. Everything is about Him. And when everything is about Christ, the same Spirit of Christ will come to open our eyes to the Scriptures. And then we will be through the book, not only reading in the head, but just putting into our hearts, treasuring up the Word of God in our hearts that we might have seen against Him.

Now putting this, not with the intention to know and to have an answer, but with intention to know Him. That that might be the last time that we spend, it doesn't matter, I'm with you, Christ. We do that through the Word of God, and we do that in patience. The Lord gave the Apostle a beautiful word in Romans chapter 12 verse 12. That is the only or second time in which the Apostle speaks in a parallel way about his sufferings there.

So I just simply want to finish with this. Romans chapter 12 verse 12. Just remember these three little things. Remember these three little things in Romans chapter 12 verse 12. It says, 12.

It says, brethren, rejoice in hope. Now, I have spoken a lot about hope. You know what hope we're referring to, right? This hope of glory of Christ coming to rescue His people, the hope that we have in Him. The Apostle said in Romans chapter 8, a hope that you cannot see is not a hope.

But the hope that you can now see and see you're waiting, you wait for it patiently. He says, verse 12, rejoicing hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. because in prayer and through the word brother sister dear friend is where you actually learn from christ you don't learn from amen you learn from god himself his son through prayer and the word of the lord you learn of the greater master that is our lord jesus christ how through prayer and the Word. You learn and you experience that his yoke is easy and that his burden is light. Come to me and take from me, learn from me, because my yoke is easy, my burden is light.

Everyone that is weary and heavy laden, come to me, Christ says, because in me you're going to find rest, the rest for your soul. And the way that you find rest for your soul, Matthew chapter 18 verse 28, it is by learning from me. I am gentle and lowly, humble. He is the one that teaches our soul to be through the struggles of this world, brethren, because you know what? He knows.

He was in Gethsemane, you remember? He received the wrath of God upon Himself to set you free. He suffered the cross. He suffered the mocking of this world. He endures sufferings that are not comparable to the sufferings of our life.

He did it so that by trusting in Him, we can have perspective that this world is passing away and that Christ Jesus is already victorious and that He has conquered, that He is King. And there is going to be one day for each one of you appointed different times in which we're going to see the Lord. And on that day, Revelation chapter 21, you know, he will wipe away our tears. I say symbolism of suffering passing away. Why?

Because God will come to dwell with us. We will be his people. He shall be our God. That is the glorious message of Jesus. Christ.

How do we rejoice in our sufferings and our tribulations? Not by working so hard to fix the problem. We do need to fix problems. But by trusting in Jesus Christ. By having the perspective of what He has done.

What He's going to do. And that in all this spectrum of redemption, I'm a little point. That I'm nothing and no one. But I happen to be in the hands of Jesus. Who is the victor.

Who is the King. Who is the Lord of all of these things. And in that, I take refuge, and in that I found peace, and in that I can rejoice in tribulations, knowing that tribulations produce endurance, and endurance character, and character hope. Amen. Let's pray.

Father, Lord, we praise you, Lord, and we give you thanks. I ask, Lord, that even as we speak these words, Lord, that you will bring consolation to the hearts of my brothers and sisters and whoever is in sorrow, Lord, that even as we speak these words, Lord, that you will bring the cross and Christ to be so clearly present among us by your Holy Spirit, that you will help us, Lord, please, to give up our own strength, to give up to our own endeavors and our own performance, Lord, and that we might surrender humbly to Christ. That we may know that when we are weak is when we are strong. That we may know that our God is the one that works in us. That all things work together for good for those who are called according to the purpose of the triune God.

We praise You, Lord, and we cannot praise You enough. We don't have sufficient words. Our intellect is limited. Our hearts are not enlarged enough, Lord, to give You thanks for what You have done in our lives, for what You continue to do and what You will do. We give You thanks, Lord, even for those sufferings and trials of our past, Lord.

We give You thanks, Lord, even for the pain of different situations that took place in our days, Lord. We know that in all of them, You were in control of all things. We praise You, Lord. And we ask that You will forgive us for the many times that we doubted Your purposes. That You will forgive us, Lord, for the many times, Lord, that we doubted what was going to happen.

I pray, Lord, that you will strengthen us in our faith, that you will teach us through your word, that you will strengthen us by your spirit. And as we receive the consolation that comes from above, that you will teach us, Lord, to give consolation to one to another, that you will help us, Lord, to be the balm of Christ through our prayers and through our words. Help us, Lord, please, to be a militant church that goes through the sufferings of this present age as we await for the glories, the subsequent glories that are to come. I pray, Lord, that you will strengthen our marriages. Lord, I pray for the wives and I pray for the husbands.

Lord, I pray, Lord, that you will teach us to love one another as you have called us to love one another. I pray, Lord, that you will grant us of your grace as we speak to one another with love, tenderness, that we will pray together, Lord, that we will rest in you. We pray, Lord, for our children. We bring them before you. And we pray, Lord, that you will bless them with Christ.

You will open their eyes, Lord, at the right time to bring them, Lord, to you. I pray, Lord, for the single brother and the single sister, Lord, we bring them before you. And I pray, Lord, that You will give them patience, that You will give them eyes that are set on Christ, that in times of trials and uncertainty, even about their future of singleness or marriage, Lord, that You will give them patience as they wait in You, as they follow and submit to Your Word. I pray for the elderly and the sick, Lord. Whoever is in need within the sound of my voice, Lord, I pray, Lord, that you will grant days of endurance, days of wisdom, days of mercy.

I pray, Lord, for everyone that is within the sound of my voice as we are going to approach this table, Lord, we want not only to remember what you have done, but to rejoice that these union that we have with Christ now in the bread and in the wine now will be I shadow of that glorious union that we're going to have with you, Lord, either when we die and we're taken up to your glory or when you come to rescue your bride. We praise you, Lord, and we give you thanks. And we ask, Lord, that now you will lead us as we partake together of the table, that we will do it with reverence and with joy. And it's in Jesus' name that I pray. Amen.