Well, this morning I want to
take a few moments to deal with a subject that I believe is something
that every true believer, every sinner saved by grace is interested
in or should be. I could start it by just asking
you this. Any of y'all had any troubles,
problems, or any glitches in your life this week? Don't raise
your hand. I told somebody, I said, I'd
mention that old program, Hee Haw. You young people won't know
what I'm talking about. You remember they used to sing
that song, gloom, despair, and agony on me. If it weren't for bad luck, they
believed in luck, which we don't believe in. But you know, one
of the most popular false gospels today is what's commonly known
as the health, wealth, and prosperity. gospel that, which is a false
gospel, which teaches that if you, if you're a successful,
victorious believer, then you should be physically healthy,
physically wealthy, and prosper in this life. And then if you're
not, it's either because of some sin in your life or some kind
of a negative thinking sort of issue. You know, you don't think,
you know, you just don't think enough of yourself. And the Bible
teaches us that the problem with man in general is that by nature
we just think too highly of ourselves. That's the problem. But I want
to start off, I don't want to make this message something of
a downer, just be negative all the way through, because it starts
off here in verse six where Peter is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
He speaks of rejoicing, wherein you greatly rejoice. And what
is he talking about? Well, he's talking about our
salvation by the grace of God. That word rejoice in there, you've
gotta be, you've gotta, when you study the scripture, sometimes
you'll see the word rejoice and it's really what it means is
to boast or to glory. Sometimes, like for example,
we're in Philippians 3, 3 where Paul wrote, we rejoice in Christ
Jesus. That's talking about we glory
in Christ Jesus. We boast in him. Our salvation
is conditioned on him. He fulfilled those conditions.
And so we're secure in him. We have confidence in him. That's what it means. And then
other places like this, it simply talks about being happy. We rejoice. There's joy and peace in believing. That means joy and peace in looking
to Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. Our happiness is
in him. It's not in ourselves or how
well we've done this week or what our circumstances are, but
it's in Christ. And that's what he's talking
about. He had just described the great salvation that we who
believe by the grace of God, that faith is the gift of God,
that we have in Christ. Look at it, verse three, blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according
to His abundant mercy, we rejoice in the abundant mercy of God
towards us, hath begotten us again. That's the new birth.
I've been born again by the Spirit. How do I know that? He goes,
I have no other hope but Christ. I'm looking to him alone. That's
how I know that. Somebody said, well, he's brought
about a great change in you. Well, I don't know what you think
of as that change. Most people, when they get into
that, they sort of hedge their bets, so to speak. Sort of fudge it a little bit,
you know. But you don't have to fudge or hedge this one. I
know whom I have believed. And I'm persuaded that he's able
to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. Aren't
you glad in that? Joy and gladness. A living hope,
he says, unto a lively hope, a living hope. That's Christ
who lives, who's seated at the right hand of the Father, ever
living to make intercession for us by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead. An inheritance, now he mentions
that inheritance. This ought to make us happy.
An inheritance incorruptible. cannot be corrupted, undefiled. You see, that's because we didn't
make it, we didn't earn it, we didn't deserve it. It's all in
Christ, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for us. We have a reservation that cannot
be taken away. Because Christ is in it. Kept,
verse five, kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation
ready to be revealed. Salvation that is ready. We're not making it ready. God
has made us ready. And so that's what we rejoice
in. That's our joy. That makes us happy. And that's
what Peter's talking about in verse six when he says, wherein
you greatly rejoice. But then, listen to what he says,
though now, right now, at this present time, for a season, and
that's what this present time is, this life, it's just a season,
isn't it? You know, sometimes they compare
our lives to the four seasons, springs, the beginning, then
summer, the prime of youth, and fall, we start to fade away,
and then winter's dead. So it's for a season because
this life is short. It's short. A weaver's shuttle,
Job said. A breath of air. Here today,
gone tomorrow. So though now for a season, if
need be, if it's necessary, and what we're gonna find out it
is, it is necessary. What's he talking about? You
are in heaviness. grief, burdens, through manifold. What does that mean? That means
many and various temptations. Temptations. Why is it necessary? Well, verse seven, that the trial,
the testing of your faith. being much more precious than
of gold that perisheth, though it be tried or tested with fire."
Something that's not pleasant. Might be found under praise and
honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. You see that? Even though now, for a season,
for what we suffer and grieve through great many trials, It
reminds me of the book of Job. Job chapter 14 verse one, listen
to this, man that is born of woman is of few days and full
of trouble. Now some of you young people
are sitting there and say, well wait a minute preacher, I'm not having
it that hard. I've got the tiger by the tail, I'm on the downhill
slide. And I'm glad you are. But just
wait, because it's coming, I know that. I don't want to give you
nightmares tonight or anything like that, but it's coming. Christ told his disciples this.
John 16, 33, these things have I spoken unto you that in me
you might have peace. In Christ we have peace. In the
world you'll have tribulation, trouble, but be of good cheer,
be happy, because I've overcome the world. And that's a joyous
thought. Trials are coming. If you're
a child of God, now there are certain trials that are common
to everybody. Everybody has problems. The just
and the unjust. There are good things that come
to both of the just, it rains on the just and the unjust. That's
true. And everybody has problems, even
the unjust. They get sick, they die. They
have problems, family problems, all kinds of problems. So it's
common to all of us. But for a believer, and I believe
that's what Peter has in mind here, he's talking about the
testings of true faith. That's why I've entitled this
message. True faith, which is the gift of God, which comes
by the power of the Spirit in the new birth under the preaching
of the gospel, that kind of faith is going to be tested. And the
reason I believe Peter has that in mind is he's talking about
believers, Jewish believers specifically, who have been scattered throughout.
And why were they scattered? Because of persecution that comes
over the gospel. And these trials, these testings,
these temptations, they come in various forms. varying degrees,
some are harder than others, various circumstances, some of
them are inward trials. For example, we have a battle
to fight within us from day one when the Spirit of God gives
us life from the dead and indwells us, the flesh lusteth against
the Spirit and Spirit against the flesh and that's a warfare
within us. Now it's a warfare that's going
to be victorious because The battle is not conditioned on
our strength or our goodness, it's all in Christ. He's the
author and the what? Finisher of our faith, the completer. Doesn't that make you happy?
You may be going through an inward trial right now and it's not
making you happy, but you know that he's the author and finisher
of our faith. Doesn't that make you happy? It does me. You may be at the why me stage,
that kind of thing. I've been there a lot. Probably
get there again, you know. When in essence, what we ought
to ask is why not me? When you say why me, you're actually
saying, well, I wish it was on somebody else. I mean, think
about it. Some are inward trials, some
come from outside. Over in the book of Matthew,
chapter 16, is instructing his disciples. And listen to what
he tells them in verse 24. Now, and you know, I know the
purveyors of prosperity. They have to read scriptures
like this. I'm not really sure what they do with them. Maybe
he said, well, that was for that time or what. But it's clear,
listen to this, Matthew 16, 24. Then said Jesus unto his disciples,
if any man will come after me, Let him deny himself and take
up his cross and follow me. What do you think taking up a
cross mean? That doesn't mean tiptoeing through
the tulips, does it? Has to do with suffering. For
whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will
lose his life for my sake shall find it. Does that sound like
your best life now? I don't think so. Or what is
a man profited if he gained the whole world and lose his own
soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Think
about things like that. Some of these temptations, these
testings are in the form of persecution from the world because of the
gospel. Look back at Matthew 10, listen to this. This ought
to open all of our eyes. Matthew 10, look at verse 16. Christ sending his disciples
out to preach the good news. We got good news. Well, how's
it gonna be received? Verse 16, behold, I send you
forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be you therefore wise
as serpents, harmless as dove, but beware of men. They'll deliver
you up to councils. They'll scourge you in their
synagogues. That's their religious services. He didn't say they'll
scourge you in their bars. Now, maybe they will. that they'll
scourge you in the synagogues where they're having a worship
service, claiming to preach the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
whom you know and they don't know. Wow. He says, and you shall be brought
before governors and kings for my sake for a testimony against
them and the Gentiles. Think about that. And later on,
look at verse 34. of that same chapter. He says,
think not that I'm come to send peace on earth. I'm come not
to send peace, but a sword. I'm come to set a man at variance
against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law
against her mother-in-law. A man's foes, enemies, shall
be they of his own household. You know, I believe that's one
of the greatest temptations. Forms of persecution that every
believer and every age has to go through is that which comes
from their own physical family. I really do. I believe it's common
to all of us at some point, some stage. Well, why is this so? I'll tell you why. It's because
the gospel, the true gospel is so offensive to the natural man. You don't have to turn there.
John 3, 19, this is the condemnation. Light has come into the world
and men loved darkness and hate the light. Why? Because their
deeds are evil. Now, what is it about their deeds?
Well, it's deeds that men and women by nature think are good. religious activities, charitable
acts, sincerity. By nature we think that those
things are good enough to recommend us unto God. And when the gospel
of God's grace is preached to sinners who have nothing to recommend
ourselves unto God, what does that do? It exposes those deeds
as being evil because they deny the glory of God. They deny Christ. If righteousness
come by the law, by works, Christ is dead in vain, Galatians 2.21,
that's what they're saying. Here's a person who's worked
all their life and walked many aisles and got baptized in the
creek so many times that the tadpoles know him by their first
name. wearing Sunday school pins, but they don't know Christ. They
don't know the reality of righteousness and the grace of God. And you
come along and you preach the gospel wherein the righteousness
of God is revealed, and it exposes their deeds as being evil, unless
the Spirit of God does a marvelous, miraculous, great work. What are they gonna do? Off with you. Get rid of you. We don't wanna
hear that. Christ said to his disciples
in John 15, 18, marvel not if the world hate you. It hated
me before it hated you. You know, basically there are
two kinds of temptation. Look over in the book of James
chapter one. This will help us to understand
some of this. Now I'm gonna make a statement.
I'm gonna back it up with scripture. The testings of true faith are
from God to his children. That's right. You say, why would God put me
through this? Well, it's the testings of true faith if you're
a child of God. But there are other kinds of,
there's temptations to evil. And listen to what the book of
James says about this. Look at James one and verse 12. He says, blessed is the man that
endureth temptation. Testing. For when he has tried,
when he's tested, he shall receive the crown of life, which the
Lord hath promised to them that love him. You see, these testings
are not ways by which we earn life. Christ already earned life. Christ already earned all the
blessings and benefits of salvation. The Bible says in Ephesians 1,
3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ Jesus. But what do these testings do
for a believer? They reveal life. They evidence a life and blessings
and benefits that have already been freely given because Christ
earned them. And so he says in verse 13, let
no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God
cannot be tempted with evil. Now, temptation to evil comes
from within us. And he says, neither tempted
he any man. That is, God doesn't tempt with evil. The temptations
that come from God, the trials of our faith that come from God
are not temptations for us to do evil. He said in verse 14,
but every man is tempted when he's drawn away of his own lust
and enticed. Temptations from evil come from
within. Somebody said, well, no, they
come from without. No, they don't. I'll never forget one time I
heard a fellow preach this. He said, it's not a sin to be tempted. It's a sin to give into it. Uh-uh. The temptation to do evil comes
from our own flesh. Do you realize that? Christ was
tempted from the outside to do evil on the mount of temptation, you
remember? But he didn't sin, you know why?
Because there was nothing in him, no sin in him that would
even consider denying the glory of God to fulfill his own lust,
he didn't have any. So when we're tempted, well,
you say, well, the devil made me do that. Oh no, you were right
there with him. You were very compliant in that, partners with
him. So I just wanted to make that
clear. The testings of our faith, and
James says that, I'll just read it to you. When James, when he's
talking about this, he says back over there in James one, Verses
two and three, he says, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall
into diverse or various temptations. Testing. Knowing this, that the
trying of your faith worketh patience. That's endurance. This
is one of the ways that God uses these temptations, these testings
of faith. It's one of the way that God
uses us to bring us to persevere in the faith. One of his means. And if we have that God-given
faith, that gift of God that looks to Christ and rests in
Him and pleads His righteousness alone, we will endure because
He will not let us go. He preserves us. Look back at 1 Peter chapter
one, look at verse seven again. The trial of your faith being
much more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be
tried with fire, might be found under the praise and honor and
glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, that's his second coming,
whom having not seen ye love. We haven't seen Christ in the
flesh, but we see him in his word. And that love of God is
the gift of God that's shed abroad in our hearts that draws out
our love to him. Though now you see him not, yet
believe him. We believe him because the Holy
Spirit has given us The revelation of God in the face of Jesus Christ,
the glory of God in his word, he says, yet believing you rejoice,
looking to Christ you rejoice with joy and speak oh, and full
of glory receiving the end, the goal of your faith, even the
salvation of your souls. Christ is our salvation. The testings of true faith are
not God putting us on trial so that he can determine or see
if we really believe or not. God knows his people. And when
God gives a gift, such as the gift of faith, the gift of repentance,
the gift of love, he never takes it back. And he won't let you
give it up. That's right, we're preserved. that inheritance, incorruptible,
undivided that Peter spoke of. God knows his people, his people
know him. Trials are sent by God to reveal
our faith, our faith in Christ. And you know what one of the
main purposes of these trials is? It's to drive us more and
more and more and more to Christ and his word. to look unto Him,
the author and finisher of our faith. Do you ever get your eyes
off Christ? We do, don't we? Get busy, especially
in troubles, we get to feeling sorry for ourselves. I've come
to the point in my life where feeling sorry for yourself is
kind of a virtue, but it should never take our eyes off Christ. That's what these testings are
for. It's whereby He continually drives us to Christ, pleading
His blood, His righteousness, and rejoicing in the fact that
no matter what I'm going through in this life, whether I'm healthy,
wealthy, or whatever, or poor, or whatever, my sins are forgiven. I may be laying in the street
bloody, But it's not my blood that puts away my sins, it's
Christ's blood on that cross. He suffered for my sins. My sins were charged, imputed,
accounted to him, and he drank damnation dry for me. Whether I'm on the mountain or
in the valley, whether I'm at the height of happiness or the
dregs of, slew of despond, as old Bunyan called it. I'm always in Christ who is the
same yesterday, today, and forever. I have a righteousness that answers
the demands of God's law and justice. It's Christ's righteousness
imputed to me. And you know, over in Hebrews
12, look there with me. You know, he's talking about
believers going through persecutions here in Hebrews. Believers who had not yet suffered
unto death. In other words, they had not
yet given their lives for the gospel, but many had, and that's
who he listed there in Hebrews 11, starting with Abel. Abel gave his life for Christ. He didn't choose to do that,
but that's what happened. Cain killed him over the gospel. That's what it was about. And
you could go down through the Hall of Fame, the believers in
the early church who were persecuted. Think about how many believers
were persecuted by a man who later became a believer, the
Apostle Paul. And we've lived in a day in our
time where we've been blessed, haven't we? We haven't yet suffered unto
death. And so far, we've been under
a government and a constitution that protects our rights to come
and worship. But you know, it may not stay that way. Who knows what's gonna happen
with the stroke of a pen. I can see a day where they would
come in here and say, now, pastor, you're preaching hate speech.
We're gonna take you to jail. So what am I gonna do? I know if God leaves me to myself,
what I'll do, but I know by his grace and power, I'll stand with
him, but it's by his grace and power. But here's what he says. He says
in verse four, look at Hebrews 12, verse four. You have not
yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. Have you forgotten
the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children? My
son, despise not thou the chastening. Now what is chastening? That's
correction. That's what it is. Do we need
to be corrected? Well, do your children need to
be corrected? Well, what are we? We're children
of God. We're limited. We're sinners
saved by grace. Do we ever need to be corrected?
You bet you we do. And sometimes the correction's
a little rougher than others, isn't it? Sometimes more correction
is needed and sometimes less correction. Sometimes the Lord has a child
who's a brat like me and sometimes one is not such a brat. But either
way, it's not punishment by way of payment for sin. We can't
pay for our sins. You know why? Christ already
did that. But these are the chastening
of the Lord, correction. That's what he's doing. And so
despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint nor quit
when thou art rebuked of him. Verse six, for whom the Lord
loveth he chastened. You know these corrections are
evidences that God loves me, that God loves his children.
And scourgeth, that means weapon. God doesn't spare the rod. Every
son whom he received, every son, not just son, He doesn't bring
chastisements upon the better ones, or not upon the better
ones, but upon the worst. No, every son, listen, verse
seven, if you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with
sons. For what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not? But
if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then
are you bastards, illegitimate children, and not sons. Now,
nobody is gonna try to convince you from the word that these
chastisements, these temptations, these testings of our faith are
pleasant things to go through. Sometimes they're so difficult.
I've been through some difficult ones, you have too. Maybe there's
some worse ones coming, I don't know. But boy, oh boy, I mean
think about it. Think about you children of God,
you believe, think about what you've gone through. It's been
rough, hasn't it? But what has the Lord done? He's
kept us through all that. But look at verse 11, this is
significant too, of Hebrews 12. Now no chastening for the present,
that is when you're going through it, seems to be joyous. Don't act like you're happy when
you're not, that's what he's saying. Don't go around crying
gloom, despair, and agony on me all the time either. but it's grievous, it hurts,
it's burdensome. Nevertheless, now notice this,
nevertheless, afterward, when God brings you through it, it
yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which
are exercised thereby. Now what is that peaceable fruit
of righteousness? You know what it is? Is you come out on the
other side looking to Christ even more as the Lord your righteousness. I've told people this, I said,
you know, going through a trial, when God brings me through it,
I never come out on the other side feeling better about me.
I always come out on the other side saying, Lord, thank you
for not condemning me. All my bad thoughts, all my selfishness,
But I always, on the other side of a trial, come out thanking
God for His grace in Christ even more. Thanking that I do have
a righteousness that answers the demands of God's law unto
Christ, His merits alone, that I'm safe and secure in Him. And as Paul wrote in Romans chapter
eight, no trouble, no problem, no temptation can separate God's
children from His love in Christ. That's the joy. Think about that, how thankful
we are. You know, the Bible teaches us
that our trials are a gift from God because they're always accompanied
with His grace. Our trials are evidences of His
blessing. He said, blessed are you when
men persecute you and say all manner of evil against you. They're
one of the evidences of His love. We read that in Hebrews 12. God
chastens every child whom He loves. They're meant for our
eternal good. All things work together for
good to them that love God, who are the called according to His
purpose. They result in our growth in grace and knowledge of Christ. Let's turn to that passage and
I'll close with this. Look at Matthew chapter five.
I want to show you something here. Matthew chapter 5, the
beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. And the Lord is stating
what we call the Beatitudes here. And as he goes through, like
for example, verse 8 of Matthew 5, blessed are the pure in heart
for they shall see God. What are the pure in heart? It's
the heart of faith. That's the heart of a sinner saved by grace
who's convicted of his sin and his sinfulness always and looking
to Christ and his blood to wash away my sins. What can wash away
my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
You believe that? That's the pure heart. Then he says in verse nine, now
listen to this, blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be
called the children of God. Well, we preach the gospel of
peace, but we're to be people of peace. We're not to be brawlers
and warriors and all of that in the sense of picking fights
and all that. And then he says in verse 10,
blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake. For theirs
is the kingdom of heaven. Now what does that mean? He's
not talking about human morality there. He's not saying blessed
are you when you're persecuted for trying to be a good person.
Now again, should you try to be a good person? Yes, I should
too, we all should. But he's talking about persecution
for righteousness sake. He's talking about persecution
that comes over the gospel. Wherein the righteousness of
God is revealed that tells sinners we have no righteousness in ourselves. But it's all in Christ. Grace
reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ
our Lord. And if we think we have righteousness
in ourselves or that we can work righteousness by our works, we're
under the law. We're lost. And that's where
the persecution comes. And so he says in verse 11, blessed
are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall
say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. And here's the kicker. Listen
to verse 12. Rejoice. That's what Peter said. And be
exceeding glad. For great is your reward in heaven.
Our reward's not here on earth. Whatever reward we receive here
on earth's gonna fade away, isn't it? If somebody gives you a bag of
gold, you say, well, that's good. I want that gold. But it's going
to fade away. Gold that perishes. For so persecuted
they the prophets which were before you. The prophets preached
the gospel, didn't they? And every one of them were persecuted.
Think about old Jeremiah. He was the prophet of doom. They
called him the burden of the word. It's like church members
say, well, that preacher, he don't have anything good ever
to say about me. I had a lady tell me that one
time. Walking out that door years ago, she said, you don't ever
have anything good to say about us. And I said, well, you're
right. I said, but I had a lot of good to say about Christ,
didn't I? And that's where our joy is. That's where our peace
is. But all those prophets, they
were persecuted for preaching the gospel, for preaching Christ.
But Christ is our joy. When God brings us through temptations
and trials and all of that, He brings us out on the other side,
looking to Christ more, loving Christ more. His Word is where
I need to be.