Very good. Good morning. Let's open this
morning's service with a hymn from our hardbacked hymnal. Let's
all stand together. We'll sing hymn number 442. Praise hymn, praise hymn. Let's
all stand together. Number 442. Praise Him, praise Him, Jesus
our blessed Redeemer. Sing, O earth, His wonderful
love proclaim. Hail Him, hail Him, highest archangels
in glory. Strength and honor give to His
holy name. Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard
his children. In his arms he carries them all
day long. Praise him, praise him, tell
of his excellent greatness. Praise him, praise him, ever
in joyful song. Praise Him, praise Him, Jesus
our blessed Redeemer. For our sins He suffered and
bled and dined. He our rock, our Hope of eternal
salvation. Hail Him, hail Him, Jesus the
crucified. Sound His praises, Jesus who
bore our sorrows. Love unbounded, wonderful, deep
and strong. Praise Him, praise Him, tell
of His excellent greatness. Praise Him, praise Him, ever
in joyful song. Praise Him, praise Him, Jesus,
our blessed Redeemer. Heavenly portals, loud with hosannas
ring. Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever
and ever. Crown Him, crown Him, prophet
and priest and king. Christ is coming over the world
victorious, power and glory unto the Lord belong. Praise Him, praise Him, tell
of His excellent greatness. Praise Him, praise Him, ever
in joyful song. Please be seated. Good morning. Let's ask the Lord
to bless his word to our hearts this morning if you bow with
me for a word of prayer. Our merciful Heavenly Father,
come before thy throne of grace in the name of thy dear son.
Thanking you, Lord, that you are pleased to accept us in him,
that you have placed your love on your people in the person
of thy dear son. And we ask, Lord, that you would
now be pleased to cause him to be lifted up in our hearts. we
would find our hope in our salvation, in his glorious person, and in
his accomplished work, that this would be a time of worship where
we would know that we've met with thee, Lord, and we've left
this place worshiping you in the power of thy spirit and according
to the truth of thy gospel. For we ask it in Christ's name,
amen. If you'd like to turn with me
to 1 Peter chapter 4, I want to try to speak a word of encouragement
to the beloved this morning. A word of encouragement to those
who may be suffering trials. If you're not in the midst of
a trial now and you're a child of God, perhaps some of these
words will be of encouragement to you in a few days when the
Lord puts you in the midst of another trial. It seems that
that is his way. The scripture says the way of
the Lord is through the seas. There's always turbulence in
the life of the child of God. And the Lord's purposed it that
way. to cause us to find our dependence
and our hope in Him. I want to begin by making a statement
that I hope will be the theme of this study. And that is that
if you believe in the sovereignty of God alone, that will enable
you to resign yourself to the circumstances that you find yourself
in. That's all believing in the sovereignty
of God will do. It'll cause you to say with the
rest of the world, well, I know there's a purpose in it. I know
there's a purpose in it. God's ordained it, all things
work for good. How many times I've heard that
said by people who have no interest in the gospel of God's grace
and have no love for Christ. The sovereignty of God will enable
you to resign yourself to your circumstances and bear through
them. Believing in the God who is sovereign,
and finding hope in him will cause you not just to resign
yourself to your circumstances, but to rejoice in them. And that's my hope for you, and
that's the desire that God has put in my heart for myself. that I would be able, by the
grace of God, not to just say, well, you know, God's sovereign
and what will be will be, but that I'll be able to do, as the
Lord has said, rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say
rejoice. Now, Peter calls these trials
fiery trials. Fire is painful. We're in the midst of painful
circumstances that are difficult for us to rejoice in those circumstances. But the scripture doesn't say
to rejoice in the circumstances, it says to rejoice in the Lord. Believing that it is in His good
providence, it is in His love that He has sent these things
your way. That it really does come from
God. That it really is part of His
grace toward His children. And so the scripture says, rejoice
in the Lord. Always. Always, and again I say,
rejoice. Let your gentleness be known
to all men. In other words, don't be given
to extreme emotions one way or the other, determined by your
circumstances. That's just a fleshly response.
The flesh gets elated when things are going well, and the flesh
gets depressed when things are going bad. And God says, let
your moderation be known unto all men. Why? For the Lord is
at hand. And this is coming from His hand.
What a blessed hope. The Spirit of God gives to the
hearts of God's children when we believe that the Lord himself
is behind all these things and that he really is doing them
for our good. He said, I know the thoughts
that I have for you, thoughts of good and not thoughts for
evil. Now down the road, perhaps we'll
be able to look back at some of the trials we went through
and say, I see now God's hand at work. But in the midst of
them, the only thing that will enable us to rejoice in the Lord
is faith. Faith. Faith is not something,
hope is not something we see. The scripture says if you see
it, you don't have any reason to hope for it. Faith is believing what you can't
see. It's believing God. It's believing
Him. It's believing that He's not
just sovereign as the world believes. Look at our text, verse 12. This
is for the beloved. This is for those loved of God. And only the beloved will be
able to hear this. I know that. You have to believe. You have to believe that God
has loved you with an everlasting love. You have to believe that. It's the beginning of your rejoicing. That there's never been a time
when his love was changed towards you in any way. He said, I am
the Lord, and I change not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob
are not consumed. The immutability of God, he changes
not. He's not like us. You thought
that I was altogether as thyself. What do we do? Our love is up
and down, and we use it to control people, and we're so driven by
so many different emotions. And God said, I'm not that way.
My love is perfect. My love is holy. My love has
never changed. And if we understand that that's
the driving force, if you will, that's the motivation, that's
the heart, let's put it that way, that's the heart behind
everything that he's ordained for us. then we'll be able to
rejoice in them, believing that this is from the hand of my loving
Heavenly Father who only has for me that which is good. Do
you believe that? Do you believe that? Beloved,
think it not strange concerning fiery trials. Oh, I need to hear
that. When a fiery trial comes, what's
the first reaction that we have? Oh, this is out of the blue. This is a strange thing. This
was unexpected. This was unplanned. It just came. Oh, think it not strange concerning
fiery trials. Yeah, it was that way to you.
It was that way in your experience. But faith knows that it was always
purposed by God. He didn't just come up with plan
B or throw it in as a caveat to something. No, He always purposed
it. You know that all things work
together for good, for them who love God. How is it that we love
Him? Only because He first loved us.
For them who love God and those that are the called according
to His purpose. We serve a God who is a God of
purpose. He never does anything haphazardly. He never tries something to see
if it's going to work. Everything He does has a purpose
behind it. Oh, I can rest in Him. You see,
we're not resting in a doctrine. We're not resting in some idea
that there's a sovereign force behind this and it's all going
to work out good. We're resting in the person of
the Lord Jesus Christ. The one who sends these things
according to His purpose and by His love for our good and
for His glory. And so Peter says, beloved, oh
beloved, if you're loved of God, you know He can't do anything
for you but that which is good. Think it not strange concerning
the fiery trials. Now fire does two things. It's painful. And often the trials. Perhaps some of the trials that
we still have to endure in this life are going to be more painful
than any we've ever experienced. And if that be the case, it'll
be good. It'll be good because not only
does fire cause pain, but fire purifies. Fire purifies. When the silversmith is taking
the raw ore and he's putting it under heat in order to separate
the precious metal from the dross, he heats it just to the right
temperature. And the heavier metal, which he's trying to preserve,
goes to the bottom. The dross floats to the top.
And all along, what's he doing? He's skimming off the dross from
the top of the molten metal. When does he know he's finished
with his process of getting rid of the dross off the top that's
floating to the top of the precious metal? When does he know he's
finished? When his reflection is no longer distorted. That's exactly what the Lord's
doing for you and me in this life. They're fiery trials, but
he knows exactly how much heat to put to it. and he knows exactly
what he's doing until the face of the Lord Jesus Christ shines
in our hearts. Think it not strange concerning
the fiery trials, which is to try you as though some strange
thing happened to you. Oh, isn't that the way we think?
Oh, this was... This was unexpected, this is
strange, this is out of the ordinary. No, no, it was sent to you by
God. He's the author and the finisher
of our faith and everything in between. Verse 13, but resign yourself
to it. Just resign yourself to it. God
knows what he's doing whether you know it or not. Just sit
back and wait till it's all over and it'll work out in the end.
Something good will come out of it. You resign yourself to a doctrine.
You rejoice in a person. Rejoice in him. But rejoice inasmuch as you are
partakers of Christ's suffering. When the Lord arrested Saul of
Tarsus on the road to Damascus, what did he say to him? Saul,
Saul, why persecutest thou me? And what did Saul say? Who art
thou, Lord? I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. Who was Saul persecuting? The
body of Christ. Everything that happens in the
body of Christ. Just like, just like your own
body. You don't have to suffer an injury
to the head for your body to feel it, for your head to feel
it. You suffer an injury to your toe, your head's gonna feel it.
Wherever in your body you suffer an injury, the whole body suffers,
doesn't it? That's what the Lord's saying.
You're partakers in the sufferings of Christ. He's able to be touched
with the feelings of our infirmities. Why? Because we're members of
His body. He's the head of the body. And
just like every member of your body is directed by your head,
so the body of Christ is directed by the head. We're also to remember that we
are partakers in the suffering that the Lord Jesus Christ experienced
on Calvary's cross. Paul said, I am crucified with
Christ. I am crucified. We have union
with Christ that I might know him and the fellowship of his
suffering. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless,
I live, yet not I, but it's Christ that lives in me. The life that
I now live, right now, in the midst of your trials, the life
that I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved
me and gave himself for me. We're partakers with the person
of Christ. This is not a doctrine. If all
you have is the sovereignty of God, you will find yourself just
like everybody else. Just like Job. When Job's wife came to him and
said, why don't you just curse God and die? Job said, you speak
as a foolish woman. Shall we not receive good from
the Lord and not evil? And in all of this, Job sinned
not with his lips. With his lips. Job knew that
God was sovereign. Job knew that these things came
from God. He calls God the Almighty. In one place, Job says, oh, that
I knew where I might find him, that I might come to his seat.
I would order my cause before him and fill my mouth with arguments. Job is defending himself against
God. Job believed in the sovereignty
of God. He said, I know you sent this
to me and it's not fair. And my miserable comforters are
accusing me of having some secret sin, which I know I don't have.
And this isn't right. And if I knew where I could find
you, I would order my cause before you and I would fill my mouth
with arguments to defend myself against you. That's what Job
said. You ever feel that way? If all you've got's the sovereignty
of God, you'll be just like Job. When God finally does speak to
Job, the Lord says to Job, who is this that darkens my counsel
without knowledge? Job, gird your loins like a man
and be prepared to defend yourself, for now I'm going to interrogate
you. And for four chapters, God asks
Job questions that Job can't answer. Job, where were you when
I put the boundaries on the seas? Where were you when I cast the
stars into the sky? Job, if you know, answer me.
And when the Lord finished speaking, what did Job say? Behold, behold,
I am vile. I had heard of thee by the hearing
of mine ear. I knew that you were a sovereign
God, and I knew these things came from you. But now mine eyes
have seen thee. and I repent in dust and ashes. Surely I spoke without knowledge. Oh, that's the difference. The
difference is when he's pleased to show himself to us, that we
see ourselves in light of who he is. What did Isaiah say in
Isaiah chapter six? It was in the year that King
Uzziah died. Isaiah was convinced that God
was taking his hand off of Israel. That Ichabod was going to be
written across the tabernacle. The glory of the Lord has departed.
It's all over. And Isaiah goes to the temple
to seek the face of God. And the Lord's pleased to reveal
himself. And what's the first thing out
of Isaiah's mouth? Woe is me. For I am undone. I am a man of unclean lips. And I live among a people of
unclean lips. You see, when we see him, Daniel
had the same experience. Daniel in the lion's den. He
had every reason to feel like, you know, this isn't right. I'm
standing for God and look what they're doing to me. And what
did he say? When I saw him, my comeliness,
my strength and my beauty was turned into corruption. When Samuel was spoken to by God about what
was going to happen to Eli's family because of Eli putting
up with Hophni and Phinehas and all the the wickedness that was
going on between those men. And Eli insisted that Samuel
tell him everything. And Samuel did. And Eli told
him, he said, if you don't tell me everything that God told you,
then the curses that God gave to you are going to come upon
you. And Samuel told him everything. Eli's response Samuel told him
he said God's gonna judge your home your house is gonna be destroyed
your children are gonna be destroyed There'll be no memory of it.
What do I say? Here's what he said it is the
Lord Let him do what seems good in his sight. I Rejoice in as much as you are
partakers of Christ's suffering, that when his glory shall be
revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. With exceeding
joy. Well, that's my hope. That's
my hope. The sufferings of this present
time cannot be compared to the glory that shall be revealed
in us. And yet we think it's so strange
when the sufferings come. We think it's so out of the ordinary.
We want a life of ease, don't we? And when something doesn't
go according to plan, all of a sudden everything's off track.
No, nothing's off track. Nothing's off track. God's got
it exactly where it's supposed to be. And our faith, like Job,
needs to be in Him. Oh, now mine eyes have seen Thee. I knew of Thee by the hearing
of my ear. I knew You were sovereign God.
But my inability to submit to You And to complain about my
circumstances was only evidence that I wasn't looking to Christ.
I wasn't looking to the person of Christ. In another place, Job. Here's
a verse we love to quote often times. Though he slay me, yet
will I trust him. You've heard that verse quoted?
That's Job. But you know, that's only the first half of that verse.
Though he slay me, yet will I trust him, but I will maintain my own
ways before him. Though he slay me, I'm gonna
trust him, but I'm gonna insist on my rights before him. Now
that was before Job said, I am vile. That was before Job said,
I repent in dust and ashes. But isn't that the way we are?
Though he slay me, yet will I trust him, but I'm gonna insist on
my case before him. Oh, brethren, think it not strange
when you fall into fiery trials. These things are sent of God. Look at verse 14. If you be reproached
for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory
and of God resteth upon you. And all the reproaches, now he's,
yes he may be talking specifically about persecution that comes
as a result of you standing for the gospel, but here's the thing
about it, if you're in Christ, these things are sin of God,
and they're all sufferings for his namesake. It's His name that's
to be glorified. And His glory is going to be
received. I mean, He's going to be glorified. He's going to be sure of it. On their part, He is evil spoken
of, but on your part, He is glorified. Oh, Lord, give me the grace. Bless me with the power of your
Holy Spirit to believe that the end result of all things is not
my comfort. It's your glory. It's your glory. It's amazing. The American dream. It's just that. It's a dream. It's a facade. It's not real. It's the deceitfulness. Oh, we
think our Declaration of Independence is scripture. Oh, you've been
granted by God the pursuit of happiness. If you pursue happiness
for your life, I promise you, you won't find it. If that is
your pursuit, if your pursuit is to be happy and comfortable
and healthy and wealthy and have a life of ease, you're never
going to find it. Happiness is the byproduct of
knowing Christ, resting in him. rejoicing in Him. Whatever He sends, I can rejoice
because I know it is from the hand of the One who loves me.
Who loves me. Verse 15, but let none of you
suffer as a murderer, as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody
in other man's matters. If you suffer for something you've
done, don't blame God for that. You're just suffering the consequences
of bad behavior. Yet, if any man suffers a Christian,
let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf. Oh, Lord, for the time has come
that judgment must begin at the house of God. And if it first
began at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the
gospel of God? Oh, Lord, sometimes I feel like
I'm just saved by the skin of my teeth. And if you've got to if you've
got to begin judgment here, that'll be good. That'll be good. Lord, keep me. from being outside
of the family of God. And if the righteous scarcely
be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Oh Lord,
don't let me be found with the ungodly. Don't let me be found
with those who don't trust you, those who don't believe you,
those who can't rest in the accomplished work of thy dear son. Believing
that all is well, believing that I have an advocate with the Father. 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. Brothers and sisters, He's faithful.
Beloved, He is faithful. He created you. Physically, He
created you. Spiritually, He created you.
If you're found in Christ, God puts you there. You just woke
up one day and you discovered that you were in Christ. And
if you haven't discovered that yet, ask God to put you there.
Ask Him to make that real to you. You didn't get yourself
in that position. You were found in Christ. He was faithful to create us
from the dust of the earth. He was faithful to breathe life
into our nostrils, even like He did Adam. And He's faithful
to create every circumstance in your life and my life. And
all murmuring and complaining and rebellion against God is
saying is that I don't believe God. I just don't believe God. I don't believe he loves me.
I don't believe he's faithful. I believe I know better. Oh,
how evil is that? How evil is that? Is that not
more evil than anything? That's the sin that does so easily
beset us, isn't it? It's called unbelief. And it
plagues every one of us. Oh, Lord, help thou mine unbelief. Give me grace, give me faith
to believe that you are a faithful creator and to commit my soul
to you, my being to you. To rest right there. What did
James say? Count it all joy, my brethren,
when you fall into divers' temptations, knowing that the trying of your
faith worketh patience, and patience, when it is complete, makes you
perfect and entire, lacking nothing. That's what God's doing to his
children. He's making them perfect and entire so that they lack
nothing. Where does that come from? Where
are you going to be found perfect and entire, lacking in nothing?
Where are you going to be found there? Having a full bank account
and no sickness and no trouble in your life and everything's
wonderful? Is that where you're going to be found? Perfect and
entire, lacking nothing? That's what the world says. There's only one place to be
perfect. There's only one place to be entire. There's only one
place to lack nothing. And that's in Christ. To rest
your soul in Him. To believe on Him. Isn't that
true? He's the perfect one. He's the
one that's entire. He's the one who lacks nothing. He lacks nobility. He lacks no power. He lacks no
holiness. He lacks no righteousness. That's why I need to be found. Beloved, rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in Him. Don't just resign
yourself to some Calvinistic view of God's sovereign and it's
all going to work out in the end. There's no hope there. There's
no comfort there. That's just a fatalist view of
things, isn't it? And the world has that. Job had
that. Lord, enable me to rest my soul
in thee. In thee. You say, well, I don't know who
he is. Ask him to make himself known to you. Ask him to reveal
himself to you. Come to him. Come to him in faith. You say, well, I don't know if
I have the faith to come to him. Come to him for faith. But come
to him. Let's take a break. Okay.