Suffering for the Word - 1 P..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. So let's open up together our Bibles to the first letter of Peter. The first letter of Peter, chapter 4, and by the grace of God that we have Christ, we can come together on this day as His people and meditate around His Word not only once, but twice.

So that is a great privilege that the Lord has given us. And I will say it three times as we sing praises to Him and meditate upon the lyrics of the Psalms. So brothers and sisters, let's open up our Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 4. And by God's grace, I hope that we might be able to address verse 12, 13, and 14 this evening. Verses 12, 13, and 14.

Last week, by God's grace, we addressed verses 7 through 11. And now I hope that the Spirit may guide us and illuminate His Word to our hearts. in what the Apostle has said to us through the Spirit in verses 12, 13, and 14 in chapter 4. Let us read together carefully with brethren hearts and imagination to each one of the words everything that the Apostle Peter says to us from chapter 4 verse 7 all the way until the end of the book. I want us to pay close attention to the context of the things that the Spirit of God is trying to teach us in those verses that we're going to be addressing this evening.

In the context of that reading from chapter 4, verse 7, all the way until the end of the book. So let's read together carefully with reverent hearts, paying much attention to each one of the words of God. This is His Word. Verse 7. The end of all things is at hand.

Therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without rambling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's very grace. Whoever speaks as one who speaks oracles of God, whoever serves as one who serves by the strength that God supplies, in order that in everything God might be glorified through Jesus Christ, to him belong glory and dominion forever and ever.

Amen. Beloved, 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 insofar as you share Christ's offerings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, or an evildoer, or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

But it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. And if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good. So I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you, not for a shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility towards one another, for God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exhort you, casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. Be sober-minded, be watchful.

Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world, and after you have suffered a little while, and the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be dominion forever and ever. Amen. By Silvanus, the faithful brother, as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is true, the true grace of God, standing permanent.

She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings. And so does Mark, my son. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. Amen.

These are the words of the Holy Spirit to his church through the Apostle Peter. And my beloved brothers and sisters and friends who are with us this evening, the verses that we're going to be addressing, as I said, is that which the apostle is given us in verses 12 to verse 14, in which the apostle is going to give an exhortation, a very clear instruction. And that instruction is not to be surprised. You can hear the words of love of the Apostle Peter, what he calls his beloved, and the instruction that he received from the mouth of the Savior, that if Peter loved the Savior, he was to look after the sheep, that he was going to provide for the sheep. It is in the love of Christ that he addresses not only the saints that are receiving this letter, but brothers and sisters, if you are by grace and faith in Christ, this is written for you from the heart of Christ through the Apostle Peter.

So the exhortation that he gives not to be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon us, when it comes upon the Christian to test us as if something strange was happening to the Christian, but instead of being surprised by that fiery trial that comes upon us to test us, the Apostle, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is calling us to rejoice. as we share Christ's suffering, so that as we rejoice in the present, in the future, we may be glad and rejoice at the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle, in this section, in verse 14, he calls the insulting of the person that reviles us a blessing. If you are insulted, he says that that is a blessing. for the Christian.

Why is that a blessing for the Christian? He says, because the spirit of God, the spirit of glory rests upon us. So we are Christ-like and the revival has insulted us. And then if you have another translation of the Bible, you will have another beautiful truth that it says that the insulting of those people against the Christian is taken as a blaspheme against God. And the insulting of that person against the Christian is taken as a means of glory from the Christian unto the Father.

It says, on their part, God is blasphemed. But on your part, the Christian, God is glorified. Brothers and sisters, we have in this section of Scripture, not only here in these verses, but in the whole letter, and what comes until the end of the letter, this very difficult topic. suffering. The whole letter has been written by the Spirit of God from the heart of God to his beloved people about the topic of suffering.

Apostle has addressed already suffering in the beginning of the book, but he is going to conclude that letter with the topic of suffering. But let me tell you something, suffering is going to be a reality for the Christian in this time of our exile. What do you think that the promise given to us in Revelation is that when the Lord comes, when glory comes, there will be no more tears, there will be no more dead. That's the only time when suffering is not going to be present in the life of the Christian. Until that point comes, until we are taken up to glory by the providence of God, or until the Lord Jesus Christ comes, we are going to suffer.

We are going to go through distress and tribulations and difficulties. And my beloved of Christ, let me tell you that the things of the flesh cannot be understood apart from the word of God. or even deeper, the things of the spirit and the things of the soul cannot be understood apart from the spiritual wisdom of God given to us in the scripture. Brothers, nobody is able to interpret or to discern the suffering of the Christian. It is only God through his word, that's what Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2.

that the things which are spiritual are to be understood and discerned through the Spirit. It is only the Spirit of God, the One that searches the things of men, the deep things of men, and interprets those things for the spiritual men. Brothers and sisters, if suffering is going to be a reality, not only an abstract reality that is written in the pages of the Bible, but a reality in the life of the Christian, So it is our duty to understand, through the spiritual means that have been given to us, mainly Scripture, the suffering of the Christian. So what I want us to do this evening is to understand that topic from Scripture, the topic of suffering. And that is, my beloved brothers and sisters, because it is because Peter is going to finish this whole section of the book.

on that topic of suffering, and he's going to have different nuances for suffering. And if we are not able to understand what the Bible says about suffering, then we are not going to be able to comprehend the waves of our emotions, the ups and downs of our heart, the turmoil of our souls. If you come with me to Psalm 42, the Psalmist, Zeah, gives us a very good definition of suffering. And it's very important for us to understand what the Bible says about suffering if we are going to understand the words of the Apostle in the verse or in the section that we have just read. Go to Psalm chapter 42 verse 11.

It says, Beloved of Christ, in verse 11, Why are you cast down? Psalm 42 verse 11. Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you in turmoil within me? Brothers and sisters, independently of who you are, independently of where you come from, independently of the things that you have or the things that you do not have, your soul and your heart is going to face suffering in this time of our exile.

The presence of sin, not only in us and through us, but around us and in the cosmos, in everything that has been created. Because of the presence of that sin, suffering takes place, even to the point that it's not only the soul of the Christian, the one that grows, but it's even creation that grows. the awaiting and the coming of the glory that is yet to come. Because suffering, it is a necessary thing in the midst of sin. I don't have the ability to discern and to speak to your heart.

This can only be done by the power of the Spirit, my beloved brothers and sisters. But this topic of suffering is something that we ought to understand and something that we ought to meditate upon so that when our soul the soul, like the Psalmist here, that our soul is in turmoil within us, that it's like there are two people that we can see that our soul is afflicted and going through difficulties and emotions that we don't even understand what is going on within us, that we might be able to discern that which is taking place in our hearts, not according to the wisdom of men, but according to the wisdom that God has given us. He is the one who has created us, and He depths of the sorrows that our hearts and our souls go through. So brothers and sisters, there in the passage that we have in Peter, the apostle, as I said, is going to address that topic of suffering. But let me submit to you that before we understand what the apostle is saying to us, not only in those three verses, but in the remaining sections, of vital importance that we understand not only this definition of suffering, which is this torn oil of your soul, a storm within you, that your emotions are afflicted, but also, my beloved brothers and sisters, different types of suffering that the soul of a person and the soul of a Christian is put through.

It is of vital importance. As I was meditating upon this passage and upon my own experience before the Lord, through His Word, I said, I have concluded from scripture that it's of vital importance that we understand, beloved of Christ, the different types of suffering. You see, in the Bible, suffering is defined, or the type of suffering that a soul, that our hearts go through, is defined by the reason why we suffer. The reason why we suffer defines the type of suffering of your soul. And there are different reasons why a Christian a child of God will suffer and go through those difficulties in the time that they are in this earth.

There are at least three or four types of suffering that I want to bring to your attention so that we will see what is the type of suffering that Peter is using and that he's going to change the type of suffering down the passage that we have so we understand what the Word of God is telling us. So suffering is defined for the reason why And there are at least three types of suffering that I want you to have clear in your mind so that you will be able to interpret your soul and your heart. The first one, brothers and sisters and friends, is the type of suffering that God allows. In a sense, all suffering is allowed by the providential hand of God that, bear with me These words, the type of suffering that God allows a person, a child of God, to have. Think in your mind about the story of Job.

He was a righteous man in the eyes of the Lord, yet the Lord allowed Satan to touch him, and suffering was afflicted upon Job. He lost his house, he lost his property, he lost his children, even his flesh was touched by Satan. And this was suffering that God allowed with a particular purpose, that a greater weight of glory will be given to Job and that he will be restored in a greater manner to the presence of the Lord. This is the suffering that God allows his children to go through. Just think about the thorn in the flesh of Paul.

Three times he supplicated before the Lord for that to be removed. The Lord allowed that child of God, namely Paul, to go through that suffering. My brothers and sisters, there's times in which the Lord will allow the child of God to go through this type of suffering, thorns in the flesh, disease, or something that we do not expect, or even death. The Lord allows that type of suffering to take place. The reason of that suffering is that God allows it to happen.

It's the first type of suffering that I want you to have in your mind. There is a second type of suffering that I want to bring to your attention and to your mind and to your heart. And that is the suffering that takes place because of sin. that takes place because of sin. You see, the wages of sin is death.

But sin is not always punished with ultimate death, as we heard today. There's times in which God is going to execute temporal judgment upon sin. And for that, the best example is the people of Israel. people of Israel, a covenant people of Israel, sinned against God many times. And because of their sin, suffering, or temporal suffering sometimes, was inflicted upon them.

This was one side, there's a certain type of judgment from God upon sin in that sense. This is very important to understand because in future sermons, we'd have a difficult passage in which it says, The judgment of God is touched by the household of God and we are to understand these nuances and these differences and the type of suffering. So there is a suffering, brothers and sisters, that is caused because of sin. Even if you are by grace and faith in Christ and you go and live life of sins, that's going to have an effect not only in your flesh but also in your spirit. That is suffering that is the result of sin.

There is a sub-category there in that suffering that is the result of sin. And I pray that this may be the reality of all of us. And there is another holy suffering that is the result of sin. And that is when a person has sinned and the Spirit of God has convicted that person of that sin. Then that person enters into a holy moment of suffering before the Lord.

desiring to restore, as David says, the joy of your salvation, cast not away your presence, your Holy Spirit from me, or cleanse me, purify me, restore unto me the joy of your salvation in Psalm 51. There is a righteous, a holy suffering of the soul of the Christian when one's conviction and sisters, this is the type of suffering that brings us closer to God, the type of suffering that makes us mourn from our wickedness or because of our wickedness, and knowing that we do not deserve the salvation that we have, but yet he says, come to me, all of you. Come to me, he says, without price, come and receive from me. This is a holy suffering that is the result of sin. So we have suffering that is the result of God allowing suffering to happen.

We have suffering that is the result of sin, either for judgment or either for conviction of sin. And then we have the third type of suffering, which is the suffering that Peter is addressing in this section. And in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, this is suffering for righteousness' sake. for righteousness sake. If you go to Matthew chapter 15, the Lord is going to give us the definition of that suffering.

If you go to Matthew chapter 15, when the Lord is given the Matthew chapter 5. Now brothers, Peter is not speaking about suffering that God allows in the way of Job, or a thorn in the flesh, or a disease, or something that a child of God has because God allows. Peter is not talking about suffering that is the result of sin in a judgment, at least in these verses that we have just mentioned now. He's not talking about the suffering of an afflicted soul because of the sin. Peter is speaking about suffering that Jesus Christ himself defines as suffering for righteousness' sake.

Apostle is going to say in chapter 5 in Matthew, you will see even the same words that Apostle Peter uses in his letter in verse 10. He's going to say, blessed are those blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you, my beloved of Christ. This is here suffering for righteousness sake.

In the passage that we read, In 1 Peter 4, verses 12, 13, and 14, he says, do not be surprised when the fiery trial comes upon you to test you, and if something strange was happening to you, but rejoice insofar as you share in Christ's sufferings. In the words of the Lord Jesus Christ here is, when they speak falsely against you on my account, when they persecute you, when they utter all kinds of difficult words against you. The Apostle Peter is speaking about suffering that takes place for righteousness sake, that it is that we share in the sufferings of Christ. Now, brothers and sisters, why is this important? Why is it important for us to understand First of all, because there are many false teachers in the world that use the suffering of the soul to extend their empires.

And you see, the suffering upon the flesh will be connected to a lack of faith in the believer. And because they have a lack of faith, then their soul is either, or their body is either sick or they are going through difficulties or they are suffering because they don't have enough money or the money that they need or the things that they are supposed to have. So the promises, the more faith that you have, the less difficult things that you will go through, the less suffering that you will go through either in your flesh or in your personal life. And because it connects suffering with the amount of faith that you have, then you are not allowed to suffer or to go through difficulties and trials So that is, that even if you suffer for righteousness' sake, there's something wrong with you. This is not a teaching of the Bible, brothers and sisters.

Even the Bible speaks that it is given that we are going to suffer for righteousness' sake. Philippians chapter 1 speaks that it's being granted to us not only to believe, but also to suffer for Christ's sake. 2 Timothy the Apostle says that if you desire to live a godly life in Jesus Christ, That is the reality of suffering for righteousness sake. That is, the more that a person becomes like Jesus Christ, the more insulting that that person will be to the system of the world. And it's not only important for that, brothers and sisters, but it's also important because of the types of sufferings that I have described, sadly.

our contemporary society and the state of our church is more likely to suffer the suffering that God allows, either a thorn in the flesh or a difficulty in the flesh, like a job, or suffering because of our sin. But in a sense, I say, sad to say and a shame to us and the church because of the lack of Christ's likeness. Suffering for righteousness' sake, It doesn't even happen in the world. Because the church has become like the world. And the church is married to the things of the world.

So that type of suffering, it is not even happening among the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. So brothers and sisters, this passage is important because we know the lives that we have until this very moment right now. But you and I do not know what's going to happen tomorrow, what's going to happen in a week, or what's going to happen in a month. And we don't know what is taking place in the things of the world. So the life of the Christian, the soul of the Christian, the minds of the Christian ought to be prepared scripturally, according to what has been in the scripture, for us to know and to discern and to interpret the things that go through our lives.

But now, brothers and sisters, why would Peter focus so much suffering for righteousness sake? Why would the whole New Testament focus more on suffering for righteousness sake? Peter has already addressed this in chapter 1. He has already spoken about the sufferings that we share if we are more like Christ. Why?

Ask yourself that question and try to answer it in this very moment. Why do you think that the Bible not the type of the suffering that God allows, like a thorn in the flesh of diseases and all of those things, or the type of suffering that is the result of sin, but rather, He warns the Apostle and the Spirit of God so much with suffering like the suffering of Christ. And this is the main thing that I want to communicate to your heart this evening. Because the reason why the Holy Spirit has decided to make such an emphasis on the suffering of the Christian for righteousness sake, it is because of the power of the suffering that is inflicted upon a Christian for Christ's likeness, or on account of the Lord Jesus Christ, or on account of the Word, or on account of true Christianity. It is the power that suffering for righteousness sake has, that the word of God gives us so many warnings.

So the question that follows is, my beloved brothers and sisters, what is the power of suffering for righteousness sake? In order to answer that question, I want to take you to Mark chapter four, because there we see in the beliefs of the apostle that the power of suffering for righteousness Mark chapter 4, and then you might remember the very well-known parable of the sword, of the four seats. There's going to be two parallel passages to this in Matthew chapter 13, verse 1 to 15, and in Luke chapter 8, verse 4 to 10. You can read that later when you're studying this on your own time, if the Lord leads you to do so. But here we have the famous parable of the four seats, or of the sword.

Let's just read it from context, from verse one through verse nine, and then we'll see the interpretation that the Lord Jesus Christ gives of this parable. Mark chapter four, verse one through nine, it says, again, he began to teach beside the sea, the Lord Jesus Christ. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea. And the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he was teaching them many things in parables.

And in his teaching, he said to them, listen, behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path. And the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. And it immediately sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.

And when the sun rose, it was scorched. And since it had no root, it withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and chopped it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. And he said, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Now many people had ears to hear the Lord. is going to explain to them and to us the meaning of these things. In verse 13, he's going to explain this to us. He says, and he said to them, do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

The sower sows the word, and these are the ones along the path where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground. The ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves but endure for a while.

Pay attention here. Then, when tribulation or persecution arises, on account of the word, or in other words, take in Matthew chapter five, for righteousness sake, on account of the Lord. So when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the curse of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and desires For other things enter in and chop the word, and it proves unfruitful that those that were sown on the good soil are those who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.

Brothers and sisters, this is the fearful power of suffering for righteousness' sake. The power of suffering on account of Jesus Christ, as Guadalupe is expressing in 1 Peter chapter 4, the power of the intention, the purpose of this suffering, it is to test. And the result of that test is given to us there in verse 16 of this passage on the type of seed that fell on rocky ground. It says that they because they hear the word. It doesn't take time to pay attention to the word.

It says immediately after they hear the word, they receive it. And the fearful thing is that they receive it with joy. The Bible says that joy is a fruit of the spirit. Yet these people hear the word and immediately receive it with joy. Verse 17, and they have no root in themselves, but they endure.

Yes, they do endure, but for a while. Then, when tribulation and persecution arises on account of the work, immediately they fall away. Brothers and sisters, these things are to be fearful. These things are to be an exhortation and a warning to our hearts and to our souls. I do not know my faith in the midst of tribulation.

I do not know my soul in the midst of suffering for righteousness sake. I have not experienced myself in the midst of trials and tribulations and sorrows. And generally speaking, I'm very confident I can say that nor have you. Yet the word of God says that The power of tribulation and persecution is for the testing and that many fall away. Brothers and sisters, it is said of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ that when He comes, there is going to be a great falling away.

That many people are going to grow cold, many Christians, not unbelievers, but many Christians are going to grow cold in their love because of the abandoned wickedness And I don't know if you see to the world that is abundant in wickedness and in unrighteousness. And it says that when he comes, will he find faith on the earth? And that many will fall from the faith, that persecutions and trials and tribulations will take place. And many who have received the word immediately, and even with joy, and even having tears, they will fall away by the power of those tribulations and the trials. The response of the Christian brothers and sisters is, Lord, only you can sustain me and keep me in your hands.

Brothers and sisters, we do not know our faith in any other environment than it is with tribulation. We don't know that. We have not experienced tribulations and persecutions and difficulties as many of our brothers and sisters are even facing this very point, really even right now in other places in other countries in the world, that this may not take as a surprise. How are we going to discern our souls? How are we going to discern and interpret the times?

Only with the Scripture. Only with the Word of God. Because the reality of the things that were taking place for these churches in the first century is very different to what is taking place now for us as the Western Church. So we are to understand. So that's how the Apostle, if you go back to 1 Peter chapter 4, gives us a very simple yet profound exhortation, brothers, about this suffering for righteousness sake.

Suffering for righteousness sake. Not suffering because of your sin, Not suffering because of a thorn in your flesh. Not suffering because you have done something that you deserve the punishment because of that. He has addressed that in chapter number two. But the suffering that comes as the result of becoming more like the person of Jesus Christ.

So the apostle says, do not be surprised. You see, brothers and sisters, how we, even Western church, can be surprised? How can we be so unexpected? that we have not even experienced, that we have not seen it, that we have read it, that we have heard of it, how easily this can take us by surprise. So even the words that were given to these churches are perhaps more applicable now to the circumstances in which we live, in which the Apostle says, do not be surprised, but rejoice.

And when he says, do not be surprised, he uses very important words He calls brothers and sisters to trial, a fiery trial. And I don't know about you, but fiery trial doesn't sound very nice. Fiery trial doesn't sound something that it is just a bad cake or something that you have in your head or something that you just failed or something like this. A fiery trial, when I read it, the book of Daniel comes into my mind. I don't know if that happens to you.

Or the stoning of Stephen comes to my mind. But the sufferings of the Apostle Paul comes to my mind when I hear a fiery trial, a fiery trial just like the seed that is tested by the sun. That's the type of testing that Christians will put through. Fiery trial he causes. Now, brothers and sisters, perhaps we are not so likely to go through that type of trial, like Daniel, or like Daniel's friends, or even the apostles, or even the prophets.

My brothers, the Bible speaks, or what the apostle speaks here, evil is speaking as something that can destroy the soul of a person. Come with me to Psalm 64. Brothers and sisters, this type of trial is something that we can endure. And I want you to pay attention to the words that the psalmist in Psalm 64 uses for slanderous words, for reviling accusations, for insulting for the name of Christ. Psalm 64, it says, this is David, perhaps one of the best examples of a person, a Christian, who has suffered.

Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint. Preserve my life from dread of the enemy. Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the throng of evil doers, who wet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows, shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear. They hold fast to their evil purpose. They talk of laying his nerves secretly, thinking who can see them.

They start talking just the same. We have accomplished a diligent search for the evil mind in our hearts of our men, our deep, and so on and so on. Brothers and sisters, if you go through the progress and lying words, like the wounds of a sword. The word of God is equivalent to a double-edged sword. In the Proverbs, evil and slanderous words are equivalent also to a two-edged sword that can destroy the soul of a person.

You see, there is an evil power in slander and insulting and speaking evil of another person. That's the importance of the words that we utter and that we communicate, that even evil words can become like swords that pierce the soul. And the Proverbs takes them as burning swords in the heart of the person that received those evil words. That tells us a lot for us, husbands, in the words that come out of our mommas. And wives, the words that come out for the children, even in your marriages, because that's the power of evil, satanic, demonic words, slanderous, lying words that can pierce the heart of a person, that can pierce the soul of a person.

And that's the type of trial and tribulation that the Apostle is speaking about in 1 Peter chapter 4. That when they insult you, he calls that a fiery triangle. Brothers and sisters, that we might be ready. There's something that we hold as precious, and that is our own reputation. As you can see, the flesh, something that we hold precious is our name before others, and reputation before those who see us.

When that is affected, when the pride of our flesh is affected, and when we are affected with slanderous words, then there's something deep in our souls that is removed, that is uttered. Our soul enters into turmoil. That's the power of the slander. We are to be ready, brothers and sisters, because Paul, Peter, calls that a fiery trial. But pay attention to the second thing that he says, and this is what the church, it's ought to be ready and understand, because there, after saying there is a fire trial, brothers and sisters, the apostle gives us the purpose of this.

And this, he says, that when it comes test him, to test him. This fiery trial, this suffering, this difficulty is with the purpose of testing, is with the purpose of testing the genuineness of the faith of the one who is going through that trial, is with the purpose of testing the genuineness of the profession of Christ from the mouth of that person, is with that purpose That we might count it all joy when we fall into various trials, as James says. That we count it all joy when we fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience. The testing of our faith through trials is to produce patience, and let that patience have its perfect work, that you might be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Let the trial test your soul and endure with patience so that you might produce the fruit that is necessary.

Do not try to solve it in your own wisdom. So James says, if you lack wisdom, let him ask of God because he gives to all liberally and without reproach. And let him ask in faith for he who does it like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. Brothers and sisters, the test of the trial is for the purpose of proving of our faith. And as I said to you, this is something that you must have in your mind, because we do not know, we have not experienced our faith and our profession of Christianity in any other environment besides the one you and to understand these things.

So the Apostle says in verse 13, that we, at the end of verse 12, that we are not to take that as something strange, but rather that we are to rejoice. And brothers and sisters, the source of the rejoicement of the one who is actually suffering is not the thing that is taking place, but it is that we are sharing Christ's suffering. Imagine what happens for the Christian, that for the Christian, Jesus Christ himself is to be the source of all the joy and all the peace that our heart and our soul needs, so that it doesn't matter what takes place in our temporal lives, rooted in Christ and bearing the fruits of Christ is the source of our rejoicement. This is completely silly for the wisdom of the world. How can a person rejoice in the middle of suffering?

How can a person rejoice in the middle of slanderous words and insulting? How can a rational person derive satisfaction and joy from that? The answer is that it is impossible. It is by putting the eyes in the person of Christ and knowing that the reason like Christ, in which we derive satisfaction from that, in that we are becoming like Jesus Christ, not in the suffering in and of itself, but rather that we are becoming insulting to the world. Brothers and sisters, are we becoming insulting to the flesh?

Are we becoming insulting to the system of the world? Are our words and our deeds and our hearts and our love and our unity and everything that we say and do, is it becoming insulting to the world? Because the world is becoming more and more unrighteous and wicked. Yet the Christian is to become more and more and more like the persons of Jesus Christ in Rome. foundation of our joy is not established in the present, but it's established in the promise that is given here, so that you may be glad and rejoice in the glory that is to come, and where the promise is given that there will be no more tears, there will be no more sin, there will be no more death.

Why am I going to hold that something valuable, my body and my flesh and the things that I have, in the present time, when there is a greater promise of the things to come? Not the great things that I will receive, but of Christ. himself, the one that my soul loves and be serving that, the one I have not seen yet I love, the one I have not seen yet I believe in, I will be able to see him as he is and become like him. You see the craziness of Christianity, that that is what sustains a people and make them willing to give their lives. That is the craziness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is the foolishness of the gospel for the lost, yet the power for those who are saved, that with the eyes of their hearts rooted in the person of Christ, we are able to say, take our lives, take our lives and take our hearts, take everything of us, and even slander and say things falsely against us, because we are rooted in the person of Jesus Christ. Now, brothers and sisters, These realities cannot be applied to the heart of a person with good words or clear explanations, but only with faith and the power of the Spirit. I'm not going to be able to prepare your heart or to prepare your soul or to prepare your mind for being like Christ. I don't have that power. Christ and His Spirit, they do have that power.

Because the reason why these people are insulted is because the Spirit of God and of glory rests upon you. Read with your eyes the text. It says, in verse 13, but rejoice in so far as you share Christ's offerings, that you might also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. Verse 14, if you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. It is Christ likeness, what makes the blessing of the suffering that comes from the insult of the lost.

It is bearing the image of Jesus Christ. It is bearing the mind of Christ. It is bearing the heart of Christ, what fills us with joy in the midst of suffering and tribulation. And as the King James will say in the end, for the one that is blaspheming becomes a blaspheme against God. but for the one that is insulted, namely the Christian, becomes means of glory unto the Father.

Now, brothers and sisters, there are many people through the Bible, if we see the Bible, there are many people who endured lots of suffering and tribulations, but perhaps the Apostle Paul is one of the best examples of that type of suffering, and I want to conclude with his words in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, because even though in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, He was addressing the type of suffering that I have just defined as suffering as a toad in the cliff. He is going to give us a very important lesson, my beloved Christ, in 2 Corinthians chapter 12. 2 Corinthians chapter 12. As you very well know, the Apostle Paul had been given greater knowledge and understanding of the things, the divine things. He had been given greater understanding and even visions of deep things.

So he had been given by the providence of God what they call a thorn in the flesh to keep him from becoming self-centered or conceited or proud. So let's just read from verse 7 in chapter 12 what the apostle is saying about this thorn in the flesh. Now verse seven, so to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that he should leave me. But he said to me, my grace, This is the answer of God to a suffering soul, to a suffering child, that the Lord had the power to remove that thorn from the flesh, to remove that suffering from this child.

Yet He says, He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, the Apostle Paul says, therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. The Apostle preferred and desired the weaknesses, the infirmities of his flesh so that the power of Christ may rest upon him. This is in relation to this suffering in the flesh that he is now going to give us a lesson that applies for all types of sufferings that I have described in verse 10. It says, for the sake of Christ then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.

For when I am weak, then I am strong. Brothers, beloved of Christ, I don't know if you have realized, but the life of a Christian is a life of death. It's a life in which we are brought to die to self. It's a life in which we are to continue to die to self, that Christ may live in us by faith. And sometimes when it takes place for that to be accomplished, is that who we are may be weakened through suffering and through difficulties.

But the joy of the Christian is not established upon the temporal pain and the temporal suffering, but the glory of knowing that God is working in us. Christ! He's not working morals. He's not working ethics. He's not working a better person.

He's working in us Christ-likeness. He's given us the glory of the Son. He's making us like Him. And even if your back aches, or even if your head aches, or even if your whatever aches and you're going through difficulty, there is a promise that in Him you are able to endure. If you find, if you have by grace, through faith, and searching in Him truly, that you are going to endure, sustain in Him, and hang it on Him that you are going to be taken.

Not that you will have a better life, but that you will see life in your eyes, enabling the person of Jesus Christ.