Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayerful attention to 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse
19, the last verse in that chapter. Wherefore let them that suffer
according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls
to him in well-doing as unto a faithful creator. 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 19. When the Lord is pleased to work
in the hearts and lives of his people, it makes a difference
that is noticed firstly by the world, We have it in the first
part of this chapter that there was a former life, a past time
of our life, that we worked the will of the Gentiles when we
walked in lasciviousness last success of wine, revelings, banquetings
and abominable idolatries. And the world, they react in
this way when God makes a change and they think it's a strange
thing that we do not run with them to the same excess of riot. And they begin to speak evil
of us, that change that is wrought by God that changes what we do,
what we flee from, and what we cleave unto. It is noticed by
the world, a witness by those round about us, by the ungodly,
that really are giving a witness quite independent of ourselves,
quite independent of the Word of God or of any word the Lord
may give to us. It is what He has done for us.
that the world takes notice of and in that sense it is an external
witness from a most unlikely source of a real change that
has really been noticed. We are told that woe is us when
all men should speak well of us, for so they did of the false
prophets that went before us. So we have in this chapter the
world thinking that this work of grace, this change in a person,
is a strange thing. And their reaction is to speak
evil of those in whom is that change. But the second thing
that seems strange is by the subjects of it themselves. in verse 12 we have the address
now not to the world or not speaking of the world but to the people
of God beloved think it not strange they are thinking it's strange
what are they thinking it's strange for that they have when they
become a Christian when they follow in the path and footsteps
of the Lord Jesus Christ, that then they are suffering for it,
they are persecuted for it. In fact, this word speaks of
it as being a fiery trial, a trial that is a burning trial. And so the word is, think it
not strange, concerning this fiery trial, which is to try
you as though some strange thing happened unto you. And it may
be this evening. Now those that are listening
this evening will say, yes, well, this is, the world has noticed.
There's been those in my family. There's been those of my associates
that have noticed that it is different. I am doing different
things. It may be a husband notices it, maybe a wife, maybe family,
maybe those of your friends. And they realize that something
is different. But you also think, well, being
a Christian and following the Lord is not what I thought. There's
many, many trials, there's many fiery trials, there's many disappointments,
there's many sorrows, there's many things that make it up to
be a fiery trial. And you think it's strange. Later on in this passage, it
speaks of being ashamed also. Is that your path? Is it mine,
that there are some things and things that are happening in
our lives in the church of God? And we think it's so strange. I didn't expect Christianity
to be like this. I didn't expect the faith of
God's elect to be like this. I didn't expect that this would
be the path I thought it would be. If I followed the Lord, there'd
be blessing. Everything would go well. There'd
be peace, there'd be love, there'd be prosperity, there'd be union
with the brethren, there'd be everything would be wonderful,
a wonderful path. And yet the path is so different
than you thought. Actually walking it out is different. And that is what is set forth
in this chapter. And we have in our text the beginning
of the word, which is a wherefore. It is those things that are described
before, especially under this heading, this first verse 12
of this fiery trial, and having described these things, it is
wherefore that them that suffer according to the will of God,
commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well-doing as unto
a faithful Creator. It gives the reason why we should
commit our souls unto Him in these circumstances, and may
this be an answer, a direction, to someone tonight that this
is the path, this is the way that you must walk. I want to
look with the Lord's help firstly the reason because of the first
word of our text, wherefore it is The reason that those who
suffer according to the will of God should commit the keeping
of their souls unto a faithful creator. The reason why. And then secondly, those that
suffer according to the will of God. We have them described
here, but the Word of God also describes what makes up their
suffering right through the Word of God. And then thirdly, the
instruction that is given to them. Commit the keeping of your
souls to Him in well-doing as unto a faithful creator. Firstly then, there's the reason
to commit the keeping of our souls unto God, unto the faithful
creator. Why should this be so? There's several reasons, and
the first I bring before you is that which is said before
us in verse 16. If any man suffer as a Christian,
let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf. In the path that we are to walk,
in this path of suffering, it is to be a path that glorifies
God. It's not to glorify ourselves,
it's not for us to say, well look how wonderfully I have acted
in this path of suffering or look how I have justified myself
or how I have dealt in this matter or that matter. It's not to find
out some secret help or grace or ability in us. No, fiery trials
are to burn up that which is of the flesh, that which is not
of real pure gold, but is to cause that that which remains
will be to the glory of God, and that will be what is from
God. And so if we are to live to the
glory of God, if our lives, that change that God has brought,
that has brought this persecution and this suffering, if that is
to result in the glorifying of our God, then we need to commit
our souls unto him. It will be He that has begun
that good work in us that will work in us to will and to do
of His own good pleasure. It will be Him that enables us
to show forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of
nature's darkness and into His marvellous light. Another reason is set before
us in verse 13. And that is that the suffering,
the pathway that we're to walk, is a cause of rejoicing if understood
in a right way. And the cause of rejoicing is
this, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings. It is
the pathway of the people of God that As Christ has walked
a path of suffering, so also must his people. If they have
done these things in a green tree, says the Lord, what shall
we done in the dry? And if they have persecuted me,
they will also persecute you. And it is a matter of honour
or rejoicing of a union with Christ or that which brings us
into fellowship with him in his sufferings. So we need to commit
our souls unto him that suffered before us, that went before us,
that we also might be like him and able to rejoice in that walking
together in that path of suffering, a real fellowship. Another reason is this, that
a suffering is a cause, in the right way, of happiness. In verse 14, if ye be reproached
for the name of Christ, happy are ye. For the Spirit of glory
and of God resteth on you. On their part he is evil spoken
of, but on your part he is glorified. We need to commit our souls unto
him in this way that we might realise that happiness that is
belonging to this verse. I must say this is a very precious
verse to me. It is a path that I have walked
in when I was first called, when I was in my early 20s, and called
upon to train apprentices in drafting. And I was only 24. They were in their late teens. And it was after work time. And
they knew that I was a Christian. They knew I feared God. And they
baited me, they provoked, they blasphemed, they said many horrible
things. And week after week, when I endured
this, these weekly lessons, I resolved that next week I would not do
it. It was an extra thing to my employment. And next week
they were fine. They didn't play up. were nice and then the following
week they were even worse. And it so burdened me and I felt
that I was really guilty of their blasphemy and their things that
they were saying and persecuting me and speaking against God for
my sake and that I couldn't restrain them and couldn't change what
they were doing. And then there came one time
that I was standing in front of the whiteboard and teaching
them and they were blaspheming, they were speaking evil again
and I felt to almost sink in my inmost feelings and the Lord
spoke this word so clearly as if a man was to audibly speak
it into my mind on On their part he is evil spoken
of. It's the last part of this verse
14. On their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he
is glorified. And the Lord set his own seal
as to what the true situation was there. And I've never, never
forgotten that time. It was a great trial for many
weeks before. But when I could clearly see
the different parts, what my part was, what their part was,
that I was not partaker of their sins, then there was that happiness
in being partaker of Christ's sufferings in that way. And so
there's another reason to commit the keeping of our souls unto
the Lord. In this case with myself and
it might be with you, you committed in prayer week after week and
time after time and it is a fiery trial and it lasts. The very
idea of a fiery trial is something that actually lasts a period
of time. And then the Lord comes and he
makes those things right. He sets it right. And there is
that path that must be walked of committing it. And if there's
a difficult situation you're walking through, a very discouraging
situation, a situation that you even feel your guilt in it, and
you feel it is bound up with you being one of the Lord's people
and you're suffering this and you can't work it out, you can't
perhaps go backward or forward, you don't know how to extricate
yourself, then this is a reason to commit our souls unto the
Lord. Another reason is in that spoken
in verse 13, And that is a future gladness, that when His glory
shall be revealed, and the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
when the Lord comes again with power and great glory in the
clouds, when He appears for His people, when He blesses His people
in their souls, His glory shines there, then that is the time
that the people of God shall be glad. And the word here is
with exceeding joy. And we have these things that
are before us here, a rejoicing, a happiness, a gladness. Dear
soul, have you been tempted to throw everything up, to give
everything up, to go back, to not serve him anymore? These
things are very different to maybe what you're feeling now
and what you're going through now. But the path in going through
this and to leading to this blessing which unhappiness and joy that
you don't have now is in the trial and in the fiery trial
to be committing your soul unto the Lord. Another reason why we should
do this is that God will begin with the Church of God when he
begins his judgments, his dealings with men. We read in verse 17,
the time has come, the judgment must begin at the Church of God. The time has come. What time
is that? That is the day of grace. It's the gospel day. when the
Lord is dealing with his people, not in solemn judgment, that
last judgment day, but in the way of grace. Bringing them out
of nature's darkness, bringing them into the knowledge of his
beloved Son, dealing with their sins, chastening, correcting,
bringing them into the bond of the covenant. He deals with his
church first. You know, in one sense, we could
trace it right through the word of God, where the Lord deals
with his people first. He deals with the children of
Israel. They had their toiling in Egypt
first, and then the Lord dealt with the Egyptians. Israel was
dealt with and brought into captivity in Babylon, but afterwards, the
Lord dealt with Babylon. each of their enemies, those
that were used as God's servants to chasten the Lord's people.
The Lord's people felt those chastenings first, and then afterwards
the Lord dealt with their enemies. And he will begin at the Church
of God. And for that reason as well,
we are to commit our souls unto the Lord as one that is most
active in a way of salvation, in the Church of God and amongst
the brethren. And the last point I bring before
you is that to all appearances the righteous are scarcely saved. In verse 18, if the righteous
scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? What a strange statement we might
say. But what a contrast. On one hand,
you have the righteous, God's dear people, and they seem to
go from one trial and one difficulty, and it seems hardly that they're
saved. How easy they could fall away,
how easy they could be destroyed, how easy discouraged, how easy
they could be overcome. and yet how amazing each one
that is brought safely to the end of their journey and saved
to glory, a trophy of grace. But you might say they've been
scarcely saved. But what of the other side? What
of those who make no profession whatsoever? What of those who
openly say they don't believe, they don't follow the Lord, they
are not a Christian, they don't worship the Lord at all? Where
shall they come? What a solemn difference. May
we think of that. What is the alternative to going
back? What is the alternative to have
nothing to do with the Lord? And when we realise that the
righteous scarcely be saved, if the Lord were to say to us,
you observe this, God's people are scarcely saved. I put into
your own hand your salvation. You be careful, you watch how
you go, you keep your own soul. How much better the Lord would say
to us, it is too much for you to keep your own soul. I will
keep it for you and I will have you to commit the keeping of
your soul. unto me, not for you to decide
what is right, what is wrong, what is the right way, what is
the good way, whether I should stay in this or give this up
or pursue this path or not. No, if the Lord has begun, if
the Lord has worked a new creation in you, this is the reason why
we should commit the keeping of our souls unto him. Are you trying to keep your own
soul? Trying to keep it alive? The
Lord said, no man can keep alive his own soul. But there is then
the direction here. But before we come to that direction,
we come to those who the direction is to, and that is, those that
suffer according to the will of God. Those that suffer according to
the will of God. It implies that there is a suffering
that is not according to the will of God. Those are described in verse
15 and contrasted with verse 16. But let none of you suffer
as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody
in other men's matters. There are ways we can walk, even
in a guise of religion, even in a guise of fearing God, of
which we justly bring the reproach of men upon us, and that is not
suffering according to the will of God. We are to walk as before the
Lord ourselves, those we mentioned in the Beginning, and this, we
are exhorted to reprove those that walk in ways of sin, but
the thing that they marked out was that those that God had worked
in, they were walking different. No one can accuse us of being
hypocrites if they see us actually walking in the ways that we profess. to be right. And if they notice
those things that we are actually doing, that it is something they
ask the question. In the previous chapter, we told
again in the context of suffering. In verse 13, who is he who will
harm you if you be followers of that which is good? But, and
if you suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye, and be not
afraid of their terror, neither be troubled, but sanctify the
Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer
to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is
in you with meekness and fear. And the reason why they ask is
you are doing things that they would not do, and you are not
doing things that they would do, There is a change, there
is a difference, and they ask the reason. They say, well, why
is this? And we sanctify the Lord in our
hearts. We, in the midst of mocking and
jeering, we think of who we are to speak of and what we are to
speak of and speak soberly and righteously to them. And so the
pathway that we are to walk primarily is in this, that it is what the
Lord has laid upon us. We're not a busybody in other
men's matters. We are not going against the
law and against those that the world would justly condemn us
as being contrary to that which is right. And so there's a summary
here in that way. And so maybe be mindful of that
and not walk in a way that we are saying, well, we are suffering
according to the will of God, but the scriptures actually tell
us, no, you're not. You are suffering, that is true,
but you're only suffering because you're actually interfering in
other men's matters. You are not concerned so much
with your own walk, but you're concerned with other one, other
people's walk. and in this you're bringing it
upon your own head. But we have the part in verse
13, a reason why to be suffering according to the will of God,
when there is a union with Christ, partaking of his sufferings,
As soon as one identifies with his name, the Apostle Paul saw
that he was, those that he was persecuting were those that called
on the name of Jesus, of Nazareth. And because of their identifying
with him, therefore he persecuted them. And when he was converted
and he also identified with Christ and believed in the Lord Jesus
Christ, then he also was suffering as well. So it is by reason,
firstly, of even identifying or being with the Lord Jesus
Christ. The second is when there is an
obeying of the gospel. In verse 17, there's the implication
at the end there, of those that obey not the gospel of God, but
it implies the other way around, that those that are a Christian,
those that are following the Lord Jesus Christ, remember the
disciples were called Christians first at Antioch, a Christian
is a follower a disciple of the Lord. So there is obedience in
this. There's a following of the Lord. As for me, says Joshua, and my
house, we will serve the Lord. And there is that desiring of
a new believer that they might do the will of God. What will
thou have me to do was the very first words that Saul of Tarsus
spoke unto the Lord on the Damascus road. And what a change was wrought. Instead of, I will do my own
will, I will do what I wish, and persecute the people of God,
is wanting to know what the will of God is, what is the way the
Lord would have them to go. And the Lord has said in John
17 verse 14, I've given them thy word and the world hath hated
them. That is all that is needed for
the people of God really to suffer. When they point to the word of
God, they point to an authority that is above man, then the world
hates them. And it's a great blessing to
receive the word of God as the word of God and to receive it
as the highest authority and to obey that word and to obey
the gospel and walk in the ways of the Lord. And it is the suffering
that entails in doing that. We think of the pathway that
a child of God walks when he's first also convicted of his sin. He realises that he is a sinner,
he's sinned against God. He feels as a publican, God be
merciful to me, a sinner. Part of the suffering is not
outward, is not from those that are without, it's from within.
It is when it is that the good that I would, I do not, and the
evil that I would not, that I do. A wretched man that I am. And their suffering is because
of one's own sin and because of one's own evil heart and evil
ways. And then it is also as seen against
the Lord. Against thee, says David, thee
only. Have I sinned and done this evil
in thy sight? And you can read his sorrow,
distress and repentance in Psalm 51. Then it is as the Lord begins
to deal with his people and correct them and chasten them as sons,
then that also is not pleasant, it is a fiery trial. You have
in Hebrews 12, now no chastening for the present, seemeth to be
joyous but grievous, nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable
fruits of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby. And so it is in this that the
sufferings of the people of God are known, is when the Lord chastens
them, not in anger, but in kindness and in love, to bring them again
as part of the judgment, beginning with the Church of God, bringing
them under the rod and bringing them into the ways of righteousness. We would remember also that our
Lord has said that ye must, through much tribulation, enter the kingdom. We will not escape tribulation
by being a follower, a disciple, a Christian. It's not like an
insurance policy and we think, well, if we believe, if we are
a Christian, we won't get ill, we won't have people against
us, we won't have trials, we'll have a good job, we'll have health
and strength, we'll have a nice lot of friends, a good bank balance,
everything will go well because we're a Christian. That will
not be so. Children of Israel, they stumbled
at this many times. There's one time they said to
Jeremiah, look, while we served the queen of heaven and offered
to idols, everything went well. And now that we've begun to serve
the true and living God, then things are not going well. And
they couldn't see that the Lord was trying them and proving them,
and the reason why that things weren't going well, that he was
correcting them for their past idolatries and sins, but they
weren't falling under it, they weren't acknowledging their sins
at all. And so the path of the people
of God, it is not to escape the cross, escape tribulation, but
it is a path of which we're told, you must, through much tribulation,
enter the kingdom. But our Lord says, in me you
shall have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation,
but in me you shall have peace. The Lord will balance it with
those spiritual blessings, fellowship, communion, and union with himself. We also read of those that suffer
being tempted. Our Lord was tempted by Satan
40 days and 40 nights. We only read of the last three
temptations that he endured, if thou art the son of God. And
yet the people of God also are to know those temptations. It's no sin to be tempted, but
it is a cause of grief and a cause of sorrow. And the Lord will
not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able, but will with
the temptation make a way of escape that you'd be able to
bear it. But it is a trial and it is a
burden. The thoughts, the suggestions,
the temptations, the drawings, those that are so akin to our
old nature, they're a grief to the new man of grace and a grief
to our new nature. And that builds up part of the
afflictions of the people of God. The Lord said that they
are in the world even as the Lord was, but not of the world. And he prayed that they might
be kept from the evil and that they might be upheld in what
is a trying pathway, a wilderness journey, where all is hostile
unto the people of God. The multitude with Christ were
saying, away with him, away with him, crucify him. The Apostle
Paul said that the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. The world did not want him and
he did not want the world. And yet in the world, the trials,
the afflictions, the sorrows, the many things that he endured,
in walking out the path the Lord had appointed for him, and especially
in his identifying with he that had died and risen again. Many of the sufferings that the
Apostle Paul endured were because he held fast to the reality of
the resurrection, that Christ is risen indeed, And the reality
of the resurrection in a spiritual way, as a sinner born again of
the Spirit, raised to newness in life, is because of that newness
in life that there is the sufferings and is the difference found between
a world that lieth in sin and wickedness and those who have
been plucked as brands from the burning and brought to see the
folly, see the sinfulness, see the danger, see the error and
blindness of this world and to see that which is above. And so those that suffer according
to the will of God, the Lord has made it very clear that it
is not his will that his people do not suffer and that his people
have a smooth path through this world as if this was their home
and rest. No, it is His will, the same
as it was God's will that His dear Son should be a man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief, that He should through sufferings
be made perfect. So it is that His people will
have fellowship with Him in that path. And it is in this that
the reality of the work within is tried and that they are living,
not for what they shall get out, not for the loaves and the fishes,
but what they shall receive at the end. A deferred blessing,
if it could be put that way, like our Lord, having respect
unto the recompense of the reward, who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God on high. But dear friends, if we are suffering
according to the will of God, then there is a path that we
are to walk, and however difficult and trying the path of suffering
may be, and we might try to reason it through and chart our own
way through and appoint our own path. Yet the way that is set
before us here in this context is to commit. I want to look at this then at
the third point. The instruction given to them. Commit the keeping of their songs. to him in well-doing as unto
a faithful creator. There's three things I see in
this last point. The first is the committing of
our souls to the Lord in prayer. Prayer is a vital thing for the
people of God. And really our text, it gives
us something to pray for, gives us something to bring before
the Lord, and to be asking the Lord, saying, Lord, here is my
soul that has quickened my soul into life. And I'm going through
these trials, these great discouragements. I greatly fear that I'll be offended,
that I'll turn out of the way, that I'll be like King Saul. and disobedient to thee, I'll
be like Demas that loved this present world, I'll be like Judas
that sold thee, I'll be even like Peter that denied that he
ever knew thee. And lay it before the Lord, Lord
keep my soul. Remember the Lord has said of
Peter, Satan hath desired to have thee, to sift thee as wheat,
but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not. The Lord
was concerned with the keeping of his soul, and the Lord had
said to him that he pray that his faith would not fail. Many
things did, but at the end of it, Peter's faith was still as
strong on the Lord Jesus Christ as at the beginning. Still he
would have stood by that, though all men forsake thee, yet will
not I. Yes, well, he had to prove his
weakness, but to whom can we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. And dear Peter had to learn in
a painful way, Peter, you need to commit your soul unto God,
unto a faithful creator. You're not able to keep it yourself. You're not able to be a match
for Satan, for the world, for your own wicked, evil heart. You need the Lord to keep you. What a beautiful, blessed word,
a prospect this is, that we have one that we can go to and commit
in prayer and ask the Lord, Lord, take my cause in hand. Keep my
soul, watch over my soul. You know, when David was being
persecuted by Saul, he went and took his father and his mother,
he took them to the Moabites and he said, let them be with
you in safeguard. You watch over them, you keep
them while I'm in holds and while I'm being persecuted. He wanted
his parents safe and I have much more to say to the Lord, Lord,
keep my soul. In all the things that I go through,
I might have wounds in my body, I might have afflictions and
trials, I might be like Job and lose everything, lose my health
and lose everything, but may my soul be still right, still
kept, still seeking Thee, still found, as one that is trusting
in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, believing
in the gospel, believing in that hope beyond the grave, not discouraged
to cast away all but to press toward that mark of the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. However much, how
much do we commit our souls to the Lord? How many times do we
ask the Lord, I feel ready to go back. Do keep my soul. Do
preserve me. Hold up my goings in thy paths
at my footsteps. Slip not. Keep my soul. So that's the first thing, the
first direction that is here, the first instruction. Commit
in prayer. As it were, laying it to the
Lord to keep. Be thou my keeper. The second instruction here is
commit in well-doing, in well-doing. Now very often in scripture,
whenever this is spoken of in prayer, there is a counterpart
to it. We find when the Amalekites came
and they took the weakest of the children of Israel when they
came out of Egypt, it was that Joshua was to be fighting with
the Amalekites and Moses was to be holding up his rod and
Aaron and her they stood on each side of him and they held up
his hands because When his hands were down, then the Amalekites,
they prevailed. And when they were up, then Israel
prevailed. But there's two sides of it.
On one side, there was prayer. On the other side, there was
action. There was walking. And so with
this as well, as well as committing our souls unto the Lord, we've
got a life to live, we've got a path to walk, and it's a fiery
trial, it's a difficult path. How shall we walk? What shall
we do there? Well, the instruction here is
in well-doing, in well-doing. Wherefore, let them that suffer
according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls
to him in well-doing. You know, when Daniel was told
that no one should pray but unto the king, Darius, in thirty days,
of no doubt he committed his soul unto the Lord. But he continued
in well-doing. He continued in that path of
prayer that he had always walked in. And in that path, he was
taken. He was thrown into the lion's
den. But in that path, the Lord preserved
not only his soul, but his body. And he was raised up and his
enemies destroyed. It was the same with the three
Hebrew children in the fire as well. Patient continuance in
well-doing, we have in Romans. Patient continuance in well-doing. As well as committing unto the
Lord, there's a path to walk. How easy we might think, oh,
if I do this, it's gonna have this repercussions. You know,
the Apostle Paul, he says, I count not my life dear unto me. There's many of us that really
restrict our usefulness in the Christian pathway because all
the time we're thinking, we're not counting our lives as nothing,
we're thinking it's gonna harm our reputation, it'll offend
this one, it'll do this, it'll do that, and we're all the time
counting the cost. The apostle, he'd just go forth
and he'd preach the word, He'd walk the way, whether men would
hear, whether they would forbear, whether they would persecute
him, whether they'd take him and stone him or beat him with
stripes or cast him into the prison with the Philippian jailer. The many places that he got into,
you might say, Paul, it's your preaching, it's your walk, it's
your message that brought all this. But you know, he patiently
continued in that well-doing. in preaching the gospel, in walking
out what he believed, and serving the Lord. You know, Peter, and
it's Peter's epistles here, but you know, Peter had been shown
the Lord's blessing on the Gentiles, but Paul reproved him when When
the Jews were not there, he was eating with the Gentiles. When
the Jews come, through fear of the Jews, he withdrew himself
and separated himself. Why? Through fear of man that
bringeth a snare. The apostle says, no, you're
undoing the gospel. You're not walking rightly. If
you've committed your soul unto the Lord, now you must walk in
patient continuance in well-doing and leave the issue unto God. And so this is the second instruction,
and it's regarding our continuing of walking in the path, really, you might
say, that has brought about the suffering and the persecution
in the first place. The last instruction is to commit
as unto a faithful creator, it is to him as unto a faithful
creator, is mindful of who we're committing our souls unto. God is the creator, not just
of the literal creation, but of the new creation. He is the
one that has brought salvation. We read in the beginning, in
the beginning, God. And let us make man in our own
image. But in that work of salvation,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all concerned in creating
a new creature in Christ Jesus. In bringing salvation, sending
the Son, the Son willingly coming, and the Holy Spirit working that
work of conviction and the new birth, the eternal life in the
heart of a sinner. and our souls are to be committed
unto him. A creator is a beginner. He that hath begun a good work
unto you, he shall perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ. And it's being mindful this is
who we are committing our souls unto, our creator, he who has
made us what we are. The apostle Paul says, I am what
I am. By the grace of God, he was my
creator. He formed me. He made me not
me, myself, both in a natural way and in a spiritual way. And so when we commit our souls,
we're mindful. Who it is we're going before.
It is the one that brought us into this path in the very beginning. the one that has passed by us
when we're in our blood and bid us live, the one that has quickened
our souls and made us alive. There is no better one to go
unto. You know, if you had something,
a mechanical thing, and it went wrong, what better place to take
it than its creator, than the designer himself? Whenever I
was in design engineering, If something went wrong with the
machines that I made and designed and created, then they would
come back to me as the first point of call, as it were, or
sometimes maybe the last one. What do we do? How do we rectify
this? You made it, you designed it,
you fix it. And really the keeping of the
souls of God's dear children can be put in no more greater
hands, no more faithful hands than in the hands that first
formed and first made the people of God as unto a faithful creator. So this then is the instruction,
the direction that is given to those that suffer according to
the will of God. May we be held to do this, held
to come before the Lord who hath purchased us with his own precious
blood, who has suffered at Calvary before us and through those sufferings
and through that blessing and through that enduring the wrath
of God in our place that he has made a way that we also can be
reconciled unto God and be brought to Him at last. And as we are
walking in this path of being reconciled and of walking according
to the will of God here below, we are to commit our souls, our
eternal souls, our whole being unto the Lord. that he would
keep and he would save us and he would bring us at last safely
to be with himself. May the Lord bless this word
and be a help to those that suffer according to the will of God. May the Lord add his blessing.
Amen.